POTATO CAULIFLOWER SOUP
"This recipe is fast and easy and often requested"

4 medium potatoes, quartered
2 onions, quartered
1 head cauliflower, cut up
2 cups water or chicken broth (homemade is best)
2 Cups milk, water, or broth
1 TB Spike
1 - 8 oz cream cheese, diced
1/4-1/2 Cup butter
salt and pepper to taste

Combine vegetables with water or chicken broth in an 8 qt stock pot. Bring to a boil, and simmer vegetables until potatoes are soft, about 15-20 minutes. If using a Duromatic TM pressure cooker, bring veggies to a boil and allow pressure to stabilize at the 2nd red ring for 5 minutes, allow pressure to drop naturally. Add 2 more cups of milk, water, or broth, diced cream cheese, and butter over medium heat, and stir until cheese and butter are melted. Add the spike and salt and pepper to taste, if desired. Serve!
Serve with Banana or Blueberry Muffins, raw vegetables, applesauce.

BLACK BEAN AND PUMPKIN SOUP

1 TB Chili powder
1 tsp. cumin seed
1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomato
1 cup coarsely chopped onion
1 or 2 canned chipotle chilies, drained Or 1 - 4 oz diced green chilies
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 TB olive oil
2 cans (15 oz) reduced sodium black beans or 4 Cups cooked black beans
2 Cups chicken broth
1 16 oz can pumpkin or 2 cups homemade pumpkin puree
1-2 tsp salt or to taste
1/2 tsp. black pepper or to taste

Garnishes (optional):
fresh cilantro
lime wedges for garnish, if desired
1/2 Cup grated Monterey Jack cheese

Saute chili powder, cumin seed, chopped onion, garlic and chipotle chilies in olive oil until onions are translucent, stirring frequently over medium high heat. Add diced tomato, and black beans to sauteed mixture and simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer the mixture into a blender and blend (in batches if needed) until pureed. Transfer the mixture back into a soup pot, add the pumpkin puree, and chicken broth simmer for 10-15 minutes. Adjust seasonings. Serve with desired garnishes with cornbread or homemade rolls. The flavor will improve greatly if the soup is made ahead and reheated to be served later.

LASAGNA SOUP

Ingredients:
1 lb bulk Italian sausage
2 cups onions, chopped
1 cup carrots, diced
2 cups mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth
1 can Italian style stewed tomatoes, chopped (14 12 oz)
1 can tomato sauce(10 34 oz)
1 cup campenelle or penne or bow tie pasta
2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
1 cup provolone cheese or fresh mozzarella, diced
14 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
4 teaspoons thinly sliced fresh basil

Directions:
Brown sausage in a large saucepan over medium-heat. Add onions and
carrots; saute 3 minutes. Stir in mushrooms and garlic, and saute
another 3 minutes.
Add broth, stewed tomatoes, and tomato sauce, and bring to boil.
Drop in pasta and simmer until cooked, about 10 minutes, or according
to package directions. Stir in spinach and cook until wilted.
Place 14 cup cheese into serving bowls and pour soup on top. Garnish
with Parmesan and basil.
Serve soup with salad.

CHICKEN BARLEY VEGETABLE SOUP WITH HERBS
"This simple, hearty and flavorful soup will remind you of the bounty of your summer garden. Its assortment of herbs and vegetables will warm you down to your toes. It has become a family favorite with or without the chicken added."

6 chicken thighs, skinned
2/3 cup barley
8 Cups chicken stock or water
2 stalks celery, chopped
3 small carrots, sliced
1 Cup chopped broccoli florets (optional)
1 large tomato, peeled and chopped or 2 Tablespoons tomato
powder (optional)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon tamari, or soy sauce or Bragg's liquid aminos
1 teaspoon basil
1/8 teaspoon oregano
1/8 teaspoon thyme
Dash of cayenne pepper
2 Tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Put all of the ingredients except the parsley into an 8 qt. stock pot or 5 liter or larger pressure cooker such as a Duromatic Pressure Cooker . Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat. In the Duromatic, bring ingredients to second red ring and pressure for 15 minutes; allow pressure to drop naturally. Or simmer the soup conventionally for 1-1/4 hours, stirring occasionally.

Remove the chicken thighs from the soup. When cooled slightly, remove the meat and cut into bite sized pieces. Return the meat to the soup. Simmer the soup an additional 10-15 minutes if desired. Adjust seasonings to taste, and add the parsley and serve.

FAST AND EASY SPLIT PEA SOUP
"If you use a pressure cooker the soup cooks for 15 minutes"

4-6 slices bacon cooked crisp, drained, crumbled and set aside
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup carrots, diced
1 large onion, diced
1 cup celery, sliced
2 cups split peas, washed (1 lbs)
7-1/2 C. homemade or commercial chicken broth (4 cans) or equivalent
1 TB Italian seasoning
salt & pepper to taste

Using leftover bacon grease in a 5 Qt Duromatic Pressure Cooker or 6 qt stock pot, saute the onion, carrots, and celery until wilted, add garlic and saute for one minute. Add broth, washed split peas, and seasonings and bring to a boil. In a Duromatic Pressure Cooker, cover the pan and bring the pressure up to the first red ring and cook for 15 minutes, allow the pressure to come down naturally. If using a stock pot, simmer the soup mixture for 45-60 minutes. Taste the pea mixture to make sure the peas are soft. If so, blend and puree the split pea soup mixture in a blender in 4 Cup batches, reserving 1 cup of soup mixture to be "lumpy". Combine pureed soup mixture, adjust seasonings, garnish with crumbled bacon in individual soup bowls and serve. Note: For higher elevations add one minute cooking time for each 1000 feet of elevation above 2000 feet, if using the Duromatic . For example, if you live at 5000 feet add 3 minutes to the cooking time. Makes 8-10 servings.

Serving Suggestions: Corn Bread, honey butter, pear halves on lettuce.

HAM-BROCCOLI CHEESE SOUP
Serves 6

This recipe is also from my friend Shauna. I made it once and had several requests for the recipe. It is quite simple, and always adaptable to what you have on hand. Use a crock pot to make ahead.

1 Can Evaporated milk
3 TB flour (whole grain, preferred)
2 C. diced cooked ham
2 C. chopped broccoli (stems and florets)
1 TB. olive oil
1/4 - 1/2 C. chopped onion
4 C. water
1 C. light cream
1-2 C. shredded Swiss or Cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. savory
1/4 tsp. garlic powder, or to taste
salt, pepper, to taste

Saute the onion in the olive oil until wilted in the bottom of 8 cup or larger stock pot. Stir in the flour. Using a wire whisk over low heat, mix the evaporated milk with the onion/flour mixture. Stir in the water and bring up the heat until the soup base is slightly thickened. Add the ham, broccoli, light cream, salt, pepper, and herbs to taste. Simmer for up to one hour, depending on how much time you have. When ready to serve, stir in the Cheese until melted, and adjust the seasonings to taste.

CHICKEN CHILI CORN CHOWDER
6-8 servings

This soup is a great variation to chili, very elegant, and delicious! Serve with hot "good earth" rolls.

3-4 Cups cooked, diced chicken (1 1/2 lbs. boneless)*
1/2 C. finely chopped onion
3 TB flour, whole grain preferred
2 TB olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 C. chicken broth ( I use Frontier chicken broth powder and water to equal 2 C)
2 C. hot water
1 tsp. cumin, ground
2 C. half and half
2 C. Monterey Jack
1- 16 oz can cream style corn
1 - 4 oz can green chili, chopped
1/4 tsp. hot pepper sauce - (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Saute onion, and garlic in olive oil until translucent in a stock pot. Stir in flour over low heat and slowly stir in chicken broth, and water. Heat until thickened slightly. Add cumin, half and half, cream style corn, green chilies, and hot pepper sauce (opt) to the soup base and simmer together for 15-60 minutes. Add chopped chicken, stir in shredded cheese until melted, adjust seasonings to taste. (Don't boil the soup once the cheese is added or it will become stringy.) To serve: garnish with chopped medium tomato and 1/2 C. fresh minced cilantro.