Two Great Soup Recipes

This week I've been in a soup making mood and out of the three I've tried, one has been good, one has been EXCELLENT and one was just downright YUCK! So, I decided I would share the two good ones with you! Both of these are from Cheap.Fast.Good! by Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross. (My adaptations are noted)

Hearty Homemade Beef and Vegetable Soup
1 lb ground beef
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lg onion, chopped
1 clove garlic (or bottled or ground)
1 can 15 oz red kidney beans (or use dry homemade kidney beans)
2 cans fat free chicken broth (or approximately 4 cups of homemade chicken stock)
1 14.5 oz can of chopped tomatoes, flavored with onion and herbs (I used no-salt added diced tomatoes and added my own seasonings)
6 oz tomato paste
1 cup frozen corn (I added more)
1 cup frozen green peas (again, I added more)
1/2 tsp dried Italian seasoning (I like to use a little more)
(I added salt and pepper, otherwise it was bland...just enough to taste...and it really flavors the soup!)

Heat oil in soup pot and add onion to it. Let it simmer a few minutes, then add ground beef and allow it to brown (approximately 7-8 minutes). Add garlic, drained beans, broth, tomatoes in juice and paste. (The recipe also says to add 2 cups of water at this point, but I didn't). Raise heat to high and stir.

Add corn, peas and seasoning. Cover and continue to cook until soup boils. Serve.
(6 servings!) I served this with foccacia bread. SO GOOD!

Super Saver Tortilla Soup

This is rated as a Super-Cheap recipe by the authors. Personally, I thought the way it was made in the cookbook left the soup a little runny and without much to it. By adding a few simple ingredients, this soup turned out DELICIOUS! My family really enjoyed it.

2/3 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut up into bite size pieces
2 tsp olive oil
1 small onion (I like onion so I used a larger one)
1/2 tsp ground cumin (I didn't use this-and the recipe says it's optional)
1/2 tsp chili powder (I DID use this--but the recipe says it's optional)
3 cups beef broth (I used homemade, but if you're using canned get low-sodium)
1 cup chicken broth (again, I use homemade, but if you're using canned get low-sodium)
1 cup bottled salsa (Ok, this is WAY too little for this recipe, I recommend doubling the amount, which is what I did)
tortilla chips, for serving
sour cream, for serving
shredded cheese, for serving
I added one can of kidney beans drained (I ran out of homemade, but if you're using homemade, add at least one cup...more if you're family likes kidney beans)
I added half a bag of frozen corn

Pour oil in soup pot and add onions, letting them simmer for a few minutes. Add chicken and stir until chicken is cooked through. Add cumin and/or chili powder. Add both broths, salsa, corn and beans. Cover and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Serve with sour cream and cheese on top and sprinkle with tortilla chips.

Enjoy!