Vidalia Victuals Finalist #4: Vidalia Onion Soup

Vidalia Onion Soup
Submitted by h2babe of Blissfully Delicious

4 tablespoons of butter
4 large Vidalia onions, sliced
5 cups chicken stock
A pinch of dried thyme
A pinch of dried parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Mozzarella Cheese
2 tablespoons cognac (optional)
Croutons (optional)

Melt the butter over medium heat in a pot. Add the sliced onions and cook for 30-45 minutes, until soft and golden brown.

Add the chicken stock, and turn the heat to medium high. Bring just to a boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer.

Add herbs, cognac, pepper, and salt. Cook for 15 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Place croutons and one tablespoon parmesan cheese on the bottom of each bowl. Add soup, and top with mozzarella cheese. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the cheese melts.

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Hearty Black Bean Soup

I love black beans, and it's still cold enough here in Georgia to justify my cravings for nice, hot, steaming bowls of soup. Heck - we even have snow on the ground, lingering after the storm that dumped 6 inches on our little town over the weekend! This is exciting for those of us who only see a light dusting once a year or so!

So I wanted a hearty, chunky black bean soup to warm us up. Forget all of your wimpy pureed soups - this soup is thick, filling, and delicious! Here is what I came up with!

Hearty Black Bean Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
2 15-ounce cans black beans
2 15-ounce cans of water
2 shakes of your favorite hot sauce
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 chicken bouillon cube or seasoning packet
Finely minced red onion, for garnish
Sliced avocado, for garnish
Sprigs of cilantro, for garnish

Heat olive oil in a large, heavy saucepan over medium to medium-high heat. Add onions, garlic, and peppers. Stir and allow the veggies to cook until the onions are translucent and the peppers become slightly tender, about 3-4 minutes. Next, add the beans, the water (use the bean-cans to measure), cumin, oregano, lime juice, salt, pepper, and bouillon. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil, and then reduce the heat to low. Allow the soup to simmer for about 1 hour, uncovered, until reduced and thickened. Serve hot with garnishes of your choice.

This recipe can be easily converted to a crock pot. Simply measure all ingredients into the crock pot. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours.

Note: To make this recipe vegetarian, omit the chicken bouillon cube and the water. Substitute with 2 15-ounce cans of vegetable broth.

Chicken 'n' Dumplings!

This is one of my all-time favorite meals to make. Back when I was a single gal, this was my go-to dinner when I was cooking for one. It's easy to scale to the number of portions you need. The soft, fluffy, doughy dumplings are so comforting, and the chicken and veggies complete the perfect meal.

Also, feel free to get creative with this simple recipe. It's a great way to use up your leftover chicken or turkey meat, but you can totally jazz it up. Add your favorite herbs and seasonings - I usually make it with whatever strikes me that particular day, whether it's parsley, herbes de provence, sage, thyme, savory, poultry seasoning, Montreal chicken seasoning, garlic, onions, Greek seasoning, or - my favorite - a blend of dried Tuscan seasoning. And you can add whatever veggies you happen to have on hand - although using a frozen veggie mix is awfully convenient!

Chicken 'n' Dumplings
3 14-ounce cans low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon dried minced onion
1/2 teaspoon garlic
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups Bisquick
1 1/2 teaspoons Tuscan seasoning (Greek seasoning and poultry seasoning are also great)
2/3 cup milk
1 package frozen mixed veggies
2 cups cooked chicken or turkey, shredded or cut into chunks
Salt and pepper to taste

Pour the chicken broth and water into a large, heavy saucepan. Season the broth with onion, garlic, and ground pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the Bisquick and the Tuscan seasoning. Add the milk, stirring lightly just until a soft dough forms.

Drop the dough by rounded spoonfuls into t he simmering broth. Allow the dumplings to simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Then, cover your pot and allow to simmer for another 10 minutes.

Cook mixed veggies according to package instructions (usually just microwave or steam for a few minutes). When dumplings have finished simmering, pour in your mixed veggies and your chicken or turkey and stir together lightly.

Allow the mixture to return to a good simmer, and serve while it's nice and hot!

Hubby's Veggies

My husband loves southern veggies. He could eat a veggie plate every night for dinner and be happy. One of my favorite veggie dishes that he makes for us is his Beefy Veggie Soup. It tastes so amazing that you would never believe how easy it is to make. We always have it with some nice hot cornbread on the side. Yummmmmm....

Hubby's Beefy Veggie Soup

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
1 can of corn
1 can green beans
1 can sliced potatoes
1 can sliced carrots
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can butter beans
1 can vegetable juice (recommended V8)

Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add ground beef, onion, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook through, drain, and pour into a large pot or crock pot. Dump the rest of the ingredients in. Note that you should not drain the canned veggies - pour them in, juice and all. Stir ingredients together. If you're using a pot, then simmer for 1 hour. If you're using your crock pot, cook on low for 6-8 hours or high 2-4 hours.

Serve with Southern Boy's Cornbread.

Southwestern White Chili

This recipe is very versatile and is a great one for using up leftover chicken or turkey. It's also a pretty lean and nutritious meal that could easily be frozen so that you can have it ready to heat up on a busy winter evening!

I apologize for the lack of photographic aids for this recipe - we ate this up too quickly for me to snap some shots! My dad is absolutely in love with this stuff. I will be sure to take pics the next time it shows up in my rotation of dinners!

Southwestern White Chili

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons flour
2 14-ounce cans low sodium chicken or turkey broth
2 cups shredded cooked turkey or chicken
2 15-ounce cans of your favorite white beans, drained and rinsed (cannelloni, navy, great northern)
1 7-ounce can diced green chilies, drained
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons fajita seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh cilantro, chopped
Low-fat sour cream


In a large heavy saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and add the diced onion and minced garlic. Sauté until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the onion, and stir, allowing the flour to form a paste and cook for about 3 minutes. Gradually add the chicken broth, stirring constantly so that the mixture is smooth. Allow the mixture to come to a boil and thicken - it should take about 5 minutes.

Add the turkey or chicken, the beans, and the green chilies, stirring them into the broth. Season with cumin, fajita seasoning, and salt and pepper. Make sure to check the seasoning yourself so that you can adjust it to your taste! Cover and allow to simmer for at least 20 minutes.

Serve hot, garnished with fresh cilantro and a dollop of sour cream. Cornbread is a great side to go with this dish. Enjoy!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I was inspired to make chicken tortilla soup one cold and rainy night this week. I had most of the ingredients on hand to make the base for a soup, and just added some of hubby's and my favorite "Mexican" ingredients. It turned out wonderfully.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup diced cellery
1/4 cup diced carrot
1/4 cup diced sweet onion

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 (10-ounce) can Mexicorn (corn and bell peppers), drained and rinsed

1 (14-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (-ounce) can green chiles, drained

1 tablespoon minced garlic (or 1 teaspoon garlic powder)

2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded or sliced

2 teaspoons fajita seasoning blend

2 tablespoons ground cumin

Salt and pepper to taste

Garnishes, see below

In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add celery, carrot, and onion. Season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat until veggies begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle flour over the vegetables, and stir. Flour will form a paste; allow paste to cook for at least 2 minutes. Gradually add chicken broth, whisking. Heat the mixture until it begins to simmer and thicken, approximately 7-8 minutes.

Note: At this point, you have the base for pretty much any chicken soup you want to make!

Add mexicorn, beans, green chiles, and garlic. Mix and return to a simmer. Add cooked chicken and spices, seasoning the soup to taste. Simmer over low heat, covered, for 20-30 minutes.

After flavors have had time to meld, the soup is ready to eat! Serve with your favorite garnishes and enjoy!

Garnish Ideas:
Shredded cheese
Jalapenos
Chopped fresh cilantro
Fat free sour cream
Salsa
Sliced avacado
Corn tortilla chips
Your favorite cornbread