Loaded Baked Potato Soup

from  http://www.cheekykitchen.com/2010/12/loaded-baked-potato-soup.html blog

LOADED BAKED POTATO SOUP

Potato soup is nice. But, loaded baked potato soup is wickedly delicious. This basic white potato soup is creamy and delicious, the perfect base for some kickin' toppings: salty bacon, cool sour cream, sharp cheddar cheese, crunchy green onions. The recipe makes enough to feed 6-8 adults, but the recipe is quite easy to double, if you plan to make it for a party. Since I whipped up a batch of this soup to use up some of our Christmas ham leftovers, I included ham in the soup, but the soup is perfectly divine without the ham. Just know it's a scrumptious option.

ingredients:

4 stalks celery, finely diced
1 large onion, very well chopped
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
32 ounces cups chicken broth
4-6 cups whole milk
2 cup chopped ham (optional)
6 baked potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
salt & fresh ground pepper to taste
Toppings: bacon bits, sharp cheddar cheese, sour cream, chopped scallions

directions:

In a large pot, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium high heat and saute the celery and onion until they are quite soft, about 4-6 minutes. Add the remaining butter to the pot. Once melted, whisk in the flour to make a thick roux, then turn the heat to medium and slowly whisk in the chicken broth, taking care to whisk out any chunky, floury pieces. Stir in the milk (four cups of milk, if you'd like a thicker soup, and more if you'd like your soup texture to be thinner).
Stir in the ham & baked potato pieces (Note: if you don't have baked potatoes lying around the house, you can either cook them until tender in the microwave--just clean them thoroughly, pierce them with a fork, and zap 'em for approx. 15 minutes--or peel & boil them in a pot of salted water until soft & tender. Either way works!) Salt & pepper to taste. If you're like us, you'll probably want a good amount of salt & pepper to really flavor that soup!
Serve with your favorite baked potato toppings. Enjoy!

Chicken, Black Bean w/Salsa Soup

CHICKEN, BLACK BEAN WITH SALSA SOUP

by ERIN, THE $5 DINNER MOM on OCTOBER 29, 2010

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So I could have named this recipe a number of things.

Chicken Taco Soup

Chicken, Salsa and Double Bean Soup

Tex-Mex Chicken Soup

Clear out the Pantry Chicken Soup

And in the end I settled on Chicken, Black Bean with Salsa Soup.

(Which definitely hurts the feelings of the red beans…they feel totally left out.)

Chicken, Black Bean with Salsa Soup

Ingredients

• 3 chicken breasts, diced ($2.56)
• 1 Tbsp canola or vegetable oil ($.05)
• 2 Tbsp homemade taco seasoning ($.10)
• 2 cups cooked black beans ($.40)
• 2 cups cooked red beans ($.40)
• 2 cups homemade chicken broth (free)
• (About 2-3 cups water…depending on how thick you like your soup)
• 2 cups frozen corn ($.88)
• 1 cup store bought salsa ($.50) On sale for $1
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Couple pinchfuls of cheese, optional ($.25)
• 1 avocado, sliced for garnish ($1)

Directions

1. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, saute the diced chicken breast in the oil with the taco seasoning mixed in. (If you have cooked and shredded chicken, that will work too!)
2. Once the chicken has cooked through, add the cooked black beans, the cooked red beans, the broth and water.  Stir in the frozen corn, no need to thaw, as well as the salsa.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and let simmer for 15-20 minutes. (Time it so that the cooking scents are at the best when your spouse walks in the door from work!) Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Ladle into bowls and top with a pinchful of shredded cheese and a slice or two of fresh avocado.
4. Serve Chicken, Black Bean with Salsa Soup with Cheese and Avocado Slices.

Cost $6.14 (6 adult servings!)

Read more: http://www.5dollardinners.com/2010/10/black-bean-salsa-soup.html#ixzz1bfK06OeS