Tomato Soup and Chicken Salad

19 Oct Tomato Soup and Chicken Salad

It’s still unseasonably warm here, but I was really itching for some comfort food. I have this slow cooker recipe for creamy tomato soup, but I prefer to make it using my dutch oven; theres something about simmering soup on the stove all day that just screams comfort and fall. If you don’t have a dutch oven, I highly recommend getting one, they are definitely an investment piece, but so versatile, especially since they easily transition from stove top to oven. This makes it so easy to brown a roast (any meat really) on the stove, add your veggies and pop the whole thing to finish in the oven. One pot cooking at it’s easiest. The thickness of the cast iron also prevents scorching of soups/stews when they are simmering away all day, and adds a richness and depth of flavor to whatever you’re cooking.

I will sometimes whip up some vegetarian paninis to go with this soup, but decided to pair it with chicken salad sandwiches, using poached chicken breast. You can easily use left over shredded chicken meat. The veggies add some crutch and are filling which cuts down the quantity of meat needed.

Creamy Tomato Soup 

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 stalks celery, diced (about 2 cups)
2 medium carrots, diced (about 2 cups)
1 medium red onion, diced (about 2 cups)
28 ounces crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon thyme
1 tablespoon basil
4 cups vegetable broth, low sodium
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup skim milk
salt and pepper to taste

directions

• Heat dutch oven over medium high heat, add olive oil, garlic and onion.

• Salute until onion just starts to soften, add celery and carrots, continue cooking until onion is just starting to brown and translucent

• add thyme and basil, give a quick stir, then add tomato and broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer. Allow to simmer covered for 3-5 hours, staring occasionally. 
• 10 min before serving:

With an immersion blender, slightly puree soup until you reach desired consistency. I like my soup a little chunky.

• In small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat, whisk in flour and cook for 3-4 minutes. Slowly add 1/2 to 1 cup of the pureed soup to the butter/flour mix, whisking continuously. Proceed to slowly add the milk.
• Whisk the milk mixture back into the dutch oven, continue cooking for 3-5 minutes but do not allow the soup to boil.

Serves 6

Calories 123 * Fat 7g * Cholesterol 11mg * Carbohydrates 13g (fiber 3g, sugar 8g) * Protein 3g

**To make in a slow cooker: cook garlic, onions, celery and carrots in a skillet and transfer to slow cooker. Add thyme, basil, tomato and broth. Cook on low for 6 hours. Prepare thickening agent per directions above and add to slow cooker.

Chicken salad

1 chicken breast (approx. 1/2 pound)
Salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, onion powder
1 cup white wine

1/4 cup diced celery
1/4 cup diced onion
1/4 cup red pepper
2 Tablespoons mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon paprika
Salt and pepper to taste

1. To poach the chicken breast:
   1. Place raw chicken breast in small saucepan, add wine, salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, onion powder and add enough water to cover breast.
   2. Over medium high heat, bring to a boil. As soon as a boil is reached, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 20 min or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees. Remove breast from pan and put aside to cool.
   3. As soon as the breast is cool (30 min or so), roughly chop into small pieces.
2. Add diced chicken and remaining ingredients to bowl. Mix well.

Serves 4.

Cal 155 * fat 7g * cholesterol 22mg * Carbohydrates 9g (sugar 6g, fiber 2g) * Protein 9g

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