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cookingwithchristinashoup

Southwest Chicken and Vegetable Soup

April 11, 2023 by Christina Shoup 1 Comment

If my family’s sneezing, congestion and general uncomfortableness isn’t a sign that spring has officially sprung, I don’t know what is!  The plants and grasses are the brightest lime green (one of my favorite colors), the trees are budding and flowers are blooming. Here in the Bay Area, and specifically on the Peninsula where it stays a bit chillier year round, it’s always soup season! What is better for you when you’re suffering from seasonal allergies or even a spring cold than soup. 

Spring wisteria at a recent visit to Santa Clara University

Enter the Southwest Chicken and Vegetable Soup. I love a one pot meal that combines fiber rich vegetables, an easily prepared protein, and lots of flavor – this soup wins in all of those categories! Most tortilla soups or Mexican chowders lack the amount of heartiness I’m looking for.  They are often full of too much liquid, soggy strips of tortillas and never enough fiber-rich vegetables to keep you full.  This soup is none of those.  I took the concept of my vegetarian chili which I’ve been making for over 20 years as well as a few other Mexican soup recipes and came up with what I think makes a delicious lunch or dinner and most definitely tasty leftovers. 

Hearty and delicious soup

This is an easy one to make! The chicken can be easily shredded from a store-bought rotisserie chicken or from a few bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts that are roasted at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes. The vegetables can be modified with what you have on hand – add frozen or fresh corn, poblano peppers to kick up the spice, a few handfuls of spinach. The beans can be doubled or swapped out with kidney, white or pinto beans. The broth can be chicken or vegetable stock but I especially like using my homemade or quality store bought chicken bone broth that provides even more protein to the soup. 

Place a few bowls of toppings out next to a hot pot of this soup and watch your people fill their bowls and their tummies with nourishing ingredients that keep them full for hours.  

Cheers and Happy Spring,

Christina

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Southwest Chicken and Vegetable Soup

This is a delicious, filling soup with fiber rich vegetables and southwest spices that can be enjoyed year-round. The toppings are fun to customize so choose your own adventure!

Course Soup
Keyword southwest soup
Servings 8 servings
Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 onions, small dice (about 2 cups)
  • 4 celery stalks, small dice (about 2 cups)
  • 4 carrots, peeled, small dice (about 2 cups)
  • kosher salt + freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 medium zucchini, small dice (about 2 cups)
  • 1 large red, yellow or orange bell pepper, small dice (about 1 ½ cups)
  • 1 large jalapeno, membrane and seeds removed, minced
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tsp Mexican oregano
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp coriander
  • 1 tsp chipotle chili powder
  • 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes with juice or whole tomatoes in puree, hand crushed
  • 4-5 cups chicken stock or bone broth
  • 2 cups shredded or diced roasted chicken
  • 1 14.5 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed

Toppings: diced avocado, sliced green onion, cilantro, shredded cheese, sour cream, crushed up tortilla chips, fresh lime juice

Instructions

  1. In a large pot, add the olive oil and heat over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, carrots and 1 tsp of kosher salt and 1/2 tsp ground pepper. Cook until the vegetables have a bit of color – about 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

  2. Add the zucchini, bell pepper, jalapeno, garlic and spices. Cook for 2-3 minutes.

  3. Add the tomatoes with their juices and chicken stock or bone broth. Increase the heat and bring to a boil, then turn to low and let simmer for about 20-30 minutes. The zucchini and bell pepper should be tender.

  4. Add the chicken and black beans and heat though. Taste for seasoning, adjust as needed. Top with desired toppings.

Filed Under: Soup Tagged With: cookingwithchristinashoup, foodfamilyfriends, southwest chicken soup vegetable soup

Harvest Pumpkin Muffins

November 6, 2022 by Christina Shoup 1 Comment

This has been a family favorite in my house since my kids were little. Though the cherished original recipe came from my mom, many tweaks have been made to improve the ingredients over time and this final version is one I’ve been proud to share with friends and family over the past month or so.

I love the combination of spices, using real pumpkin (see previous post on pumpkin-flavored food things!) and toasted pecans. I also love to experiment using different flours and one of my favorites to use instead of regular all purpose flour is Einkorn flour. Einkorn is higher in protein and lower in carbohydrates, is a more easily tolerated gluten to digest, and has a lovely nutty taste that I enjoy in pastry dough, muffins and scones.

The perfect fall muffin to share with your family and friends – I hope you try it!

Cheers,

Christina

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Harvest Pumpkin Muffins

Warm spices, slightly sweet and a crunchy top make this muffin a true delight. Add a cup of tea or coffee and you have the coziest morning or mid-afternoon snack.

Course brunch, Snack
Keyword muffin, pumpkin
Servings 12 muffins
Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

  • ½ cup pecans, toasted and chopped
  • ½ cup superfine almond flour
  • ½ cup Einkorn all purpose flour Jovial is the brand I use. Regular all purpose or whole wheat flour works as well
  • ½ cup old fashioned rolled oats
  • 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ¼ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • 1 cup pure pumpkin puree
  • ½ cup coconut oil, melted
  • ½ cup maple syrup
  • 2 eggs
  • ¼ cup apple butter I use the Eden brand which is an organic, naturally sweetened product
  • 1 tbsp turbinado sugar, for sprinkling on top

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°. Prepare a muffin tin with 12 paper liners or use a silicone muffin tray set on a sheet pan.

  2. In a large bowl combine pecans, flours, oats, spices, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

  3. In a medium bowl combine pumpkin, coconut oil, maple syrup, eggs, and apple butter with a whisk.

  4. Add pumpkin mixture to the flour mixture and fold with a spatula until just combined.

  5. Using a spring-loaded scoop, fill muffins cups. Top with turbinado sugar. Bake for about 25 minutes or until an inserted wooden skewer comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Filed Under: Bakery Tagged With: cookingwithchristinashoup, foodfamilyfriends, harvest pumpkin muffin

Curry-Spiced Chickpea Burgers with Yogurt Sauce

October 26, 2022 by Christina Shoup Leave a Comment

This is one of those recipes that use pantry staples as well as fresh ingredients that I almost always have on hand. It’s adapted from an old Martha Stewart recipe from 10 years ago but my version has more flavor, easily swaps grains, and adds healthy tahini to bind it all together. To make it quicker to prepare, I often use precooked grains such as frozen rice or pre-packaged cooked quinoa and rice blend. I prefer the stronger flavor of cilantro, but I’ve also used parsley with success.

In addition to the suggested toppings, I often like to round out the meal with one of my favorite side dishes, Spiced Cauliflower with Dates and Pine Nuts, a simple recipe found on my blog. As delicious as that dish is, quickly steamed broccoli is a fantastic idea, too. Whatever you do, make sure you include the yogurt sauce and have a spicy sauce option such as Sriracha or Gochujang to drizzle.

I hope this healthy, easy to prepare recipe makes its way into your dinner rotation soon.

Cheers,

Christina

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Curry-Spiced Chickpea Burgers with Yogurt Sauce

These vegetarian burgers are delicious with the spiced yogurt sauce, a dollop of hummus and a drizzle of Sriracha sauce over a bed of arugula. These can also be a delicious portable meal by stuffing the burger and all the fixings into flatbread or a pita pocket and served at room temperature.

Course Main Course, vegetarian
Keyword curry spiced burger
Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

Yogurt Sauce

  • 1 cup plain, whole milk Greek yogurt
  • 1 tsp curry powder
  • 1 lime zested, half of the lime juiced
  • ½ tsp kosher salt

Burgers

  • 1½ cup cooked rice, quinoa or blend I like to use precooked Seeds of Change Organic Quinoa & Brown Rice with Garlic
  • 2 15.5 ounce cans garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
  • ½ cup chopped scallions
  • ¼ chopped cilantro
  • ½ cup shredded carrots
  • 1 tbsp minced jalapeño pepper
  • 2 tbsp tahini
  • 1 tbsp curry powder
  • kosher salt
  • olive oil

Instructions

  1. In a small bowl, combine ingredients for the yogurt sauce and set aside while you prepare the burgers.

  2. In a food processor, add garbanzo beans, scallions, cilantro, carrots, jalapeño pepper and tahini and pulse until a chunky mixture forms. Transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl. Add ⅓ cup of the yogurt sauce, rice or quinoa, curry powder and 1 tsp kosher salt to the mixture and combine.

  3. Using a ⅓ cup, scoop and form burgers. If time allows, chill the burgers for 30 minutes before cooking. It's not necessary but can make it easier to flip while cooking. You can also freeze the burgers at this point. Just thaw when ready to use.

  4. To cook, heat a nonstick skillet over medium and coat the bottom of the pan with a thin layer of olive oil. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the burgers and cook until each side is lightly golden, about 4-5 minutes per side. Transfer burgers to a paper towel lined baking sheet and sprinkle with kosher salt. Serve with yogurt sauce.

    Makes about 8-10 burgers

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: cookingwithchristinashoup, foodfamilyfriends

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About Me

Hi there! I’m Christina- a wife, mom to three kids, former elementary school teacher, and proud graduate from San Francisco Cooking School’s professional culinary program.  I love teaching people how to cook, meal planning and cooking for family and friends – especially gathering to celebrate life’s most special moments.  I hope this site brings you inspiration to gather your special people around the table!

Feel free to follow along on Instagram:

@foodfamilyfriends_

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