A Healthy & Hearty Seafood Stew

It’s about time The Soupstache featured a seafood recipe! This stew is based on the Quick Seafood Stew recipe found on Whisk & Cleaver. Once I saw it, I just knew I had to try it! My version has a few variations.

As a former Marylander, I had to add Old Bay. Also, there were no Red Pepper Flakes to be found in my pantry, so I substituted Cayenne Pepper. The bag of Frozen Mixed Seafood I found at my local grocery store included shrimp, mussels, octopus, calamari and scallops. In the future, I’ll try this recipe over rice…or maybe add some sausage and call it gumbo! Either way, it was simply scrumptious!

Soup Cook Time/Servings

Cook Time: About 45 minutes
Makes about 4-6 servings.

Ingredients/Supplies

• Olive oil
• 1 Medium Yellow Onion, diced
• 1 Green Bell Pepper, diced
• 2 Medium/large Red Potatoes, skinned and chopped
• 1/4 Tspn. Cayenne Pepper
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. Old Bay Seasoning
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 1/4 Cup White Whine
• 2 Cans (14.5 oz) Diced Tomatoes
• 1 Cup Chicken Stock
• 1 Lb. Frozen Mixed Seafood

What You Do

1. Heat a thin layer of olive oil on medium in a large soup pot.
2. Add the onions and bell pepper. Heat until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the potatoes and continue cooking for about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add cayenne pepper, bay leaf, wine, Old Bay, tomatoes and chicken stock. Stir together.
5. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.
6. Add the seafood and stir.
7. Cook an additional 15-20 minutes, until the seafood is cooked through and the potatoes are soft.
8. Serve with saltine crackers or over rice, and enjoy!

TIPS

* Omit the cayenne pepper or Old Bay if you prefer a less spicy version.

I’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below!   :}

Skinny Leftover Corned Beef and Cabbage Soup Photo by Simple Nourished Living.

St. Patrick’s Day is almost here! In my quest to prepare for this holiday, I’ve searched the web for some festive soup ideas and came across these fabulous finds. Check them out!

• Cheddar Ale Soup Recipe (Examiner.com)
• Favorite Irish Stew Recipe (Taste of Home)
• Irish Oatmeal Leek Soup (Skinnytaste)
• Irish Onion Soup (PopSugar)
• Irish Potato Soup Recipe (Southern Living)
• Irish Shin Beef and Barley Stew with Dumplings (A Village Pantry)
• Irish Watercress Soup Recipe (ABCnews.com)
• Luck of the Irish Soup (Oprah.com)
• Organic Collard-Cauliflower Soup Recipe (My Kitchen in the Rockies)
• Skinny Leftover Corned Beef and Cabbage Soup (Simple Nourished Living)

Want to get together with your friends and family? Interested in hosting a soup exchange? Curious about what a soup exchange is?…Perhaps you just want a creative excuse to get together with all of your single friends on Valentine’s day?

Whatever your reason, hosting a soup exchange party is a fun and healthy way to share something with those you care about.

Check out this cool article from the Huffington Post Blog:
Soup for a Group: How to Start a Soup Exchange

Roasted Chestnut Soup by Apron Strings

Here’s a little treat from one of my favorite food blogs. Find the recipe for Roasted Chestnut Soup by visiting the Apron Strings blog.

Donna from Apron Strings says,

Chestnuts are sweet when roasted, so I added some vinegar to balance the sweetness, and some soy sauce for ‘umami.’

The Tastiest Get-Well Medicine

My boyfriend, Chris, got a bad case of the sniffles this week (It’s that time of year again!) and what better remedy than enjoying a nice hot bowl of chicken noodle soup. The only picture I have of this scrumptious recipe is the one above. The reason: It smelled so good and was so delicious that it was gone before I could take any more pics! Literally, the two of us slurped this whole thing down.

I know what you might be thinking…”What fatties!” Well…yes, and no….

A glimpse at the all-natural, low-fat ingredients will reveal otherwise! Mostly veggies, lean chicken, water and a few other things. The salt comes from the soup cubes, and the cayenne pepper adds a warm, subtle kick, as well as extra antioxidants! A word of caution: If you’re making this to soothe a sore throat, please omit the cayenne pepper! Don’t say I didn’t warn you.  :}

Soup Cook Time/Servings

Cook Time: About 40 minutes
Makes about 4-6 servings.

Ingredients/Supplies

• 1 1/2 Cups Cooked Boneless/Skinless Chicken Breasts, cut into bite-size chunks
• 3 Large Carrots, peeled and thinly chopped
• 3 Stalks Celery, chopped
• 1 Yellow Onion, chopped
• 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
• 1/2 Cup Orzo Noodles
• 1 1/2 Chicken-flavored Soup Cube/Bouillon
• 1 Vegetable-flavored Soup Cube/Bouillon
• 1 Tbsp. Oregano
• 1 Tsp. Black Pepper
• A Dash of Cayenne Pepper, optional
• A Large Soup Pot (6 or 6.5 quarts)

What You Do

1. Fill a large soup pot with water* about 1/3 way full.
2. Add the soup cubes, spices, onions, garlic, celery and carrots. Bring to a boil.
3. In the meantime, cook*, and then cut the chicken into bite-size chunks (make sure they are no longer pink in the middle.) Carefully add to soup.
4. Continue cooking until all of the veggies are tender.
5. Carefully add the orzo pasta*. Cook until the pasta is tender, usually about 8-10 minutes.
6. Remove pot from heat.
7. Serve and enjoy!

TIPS

* You may need to add a cup at a time of water as you’re cooking if the soup becomes too thick.

* I usually cut up the chicken and cook it on the stove (medium heat) with a light drizzle of olive oil until it is no longer pink. But you may also use leftover chicken if you have it.

* Don’t have Orzo noodles? Try using bow ties, penne or rotini pasta instead.

* Cutting the carbs? Omit the pasta and substitute more veggies.

I’d love to hear from you. Please leave a comment below!