Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

2 quarts chicken broth 2 bay leaves 1 pound diced cooked chicken 1 onion, diced 4 cups potatoes, peeled and diced 1 teaspoon thyme 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon pepper 1-2 cups cooked wild rice

Bring the broth to simmer, add bay leaves, meat, onion and potatoes, thyme, salt and pepper. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add rice and simmer another 10 minutes.

Chipotle Corn and Two Bean Chili

1 pound ground beef 1 teaspoon canola oil 1½ cups chopped onions 2 cloves garlic 1 tablespoon chili powder 2 tablespoons cumin 2 teaspoons fresh oregano ¾ teaspoon salt 3 cups frozen white corn 2 cans diced tomatoes 1 cup diced zucchinis 1 can beef broth 1 tablespoon chopped chipotle in adobo sauce 1 can kidney beans, washed and drained 1 can black beans, washed and drained

1 Cook beef in Dutch oven. Drain and set aside. Add oil to pan and cook onion until tender. Add remaining ingredients and cook 10 minutes. 2 To serve, top with green onions, cheddar cheese and sour cream.

Mexican Corn Chowder

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts 2 cups fresh corn 1 pablano chilies, diced 1 cup chopped onion 2 cloves garlic — minced 5 cups chicken broth 1- 2 teaspoon ground cumin 1 16 oz can cream-style corn 1 4 oz can chopped green chiles — undrained 1/3 cup salsa fresh cilantro — optional 1 Cut chicken into bite-size pieces. In a Dutch oven, brown chicken, 2 In a Dutch oven cook the onion, pablano chile, corn and garlic in 1/4 cup of the chicken stock until the corn starts to caramelize. Remove 2 cups of soup and blend in blender. Stir blended soup into remaining soup. 3 Add the chicken stock to pan along with cumin creamed corn, salsa and green chilies; bring to a boil. 4 Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes. 5 Serve immediately; garnish with chopped cilantro

Belgian Beef Stew

1/4 lb bacon, diced 3 Tbs olive oil 4 lbs boneless chuck, bottom or top round, cut into 1-inch pieces 2 large onions, sliced 1/2 cup brandy 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves 1/4 tsp ground pepper 2 bay leaves 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 Tbs brown sugar 12 oz beer 1 ½ cups beef broth 2 Tbs Dijon mustard 2 Tbs red wine vinegar 6 carrots peeled and chopped 1-2 potatoes peeled and chopped Cook the bacon in a Dutch oven until brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the olive oil to the fat remaining in the Dutch oven. Heat over medium high heat. Pat the meat dry with paper towel and brown very well, a few pieces at a time, removing them when done. Brown the onions in the remaining fat, remove and set aside. Discard any remaining fat. Reduce heat to low. Add the cognac and scrape up all the browned bits. Heat oven to 325. Return the bacon, beef and onions to the Dutch oven. Stir in the salt, thyme, pepper, bay leaves, garlic, brown sugar, beer, broth, carrots, potato, mustard, and vinegar. Heat to boiling. Remove from heat, cover and place in the oven. Cook 2 – 2 1/2 hours or until the meat is fork tender, stirring occasionally. Before serving, skim the fat from the sauce. Can also be cooked in Crock pot all day.

Luncheon Lentil Soup – Vegan

28 ounces vegetable stock 2 cups water 1/2 cup lentils 1/2 cup sliced celery 1/2 cup chopped carrots 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup shredded cabbage Place all ingredients except cabbage in a soup pan and cook over medium heat for 30 minutes. Add cabbage and cook another 10 minutes. Servings: 3