We are having just a couple of cooler days in the desert before we shoot up toward the 90s next week. The cooler days combined with being stuck in the house made soup sound like just the thing for dinner. One of our favorite soups both David and I enjoy is from George’s at the Cove in La Jolla, CA. If you have never been – it’s worth it! The views are incredible and if the seals and sea lions are plentiful, they are just high and far enough away that the smell won’t ruin your appetite!
This recipe is a pretty close play on their soup, which you can find their recipe online as well! We just made a few small changes. To start, we are using leftover pulled chicken. I am loving having all of the smoked meat leftover as there are so many different meals you can create! You can find my beer can chicken recipe on this site as well – make 2 or 3 at a time, pull the meat apart and freeze what you don’t eat for later!
Next, heat some oil in a pan and add your diced veggies, carrots, celery, onion and broccoli (stems and florets). I used approx 2 cups of each. I made a big batch as we like this leftover too! Cook for about 5 minutes until veggies are starting to soften. Add about 2 tablespoons each of basil, thyme and oregano (Mediterranean or Greek/not Mexican). Stir and cook together for a few more minutes. Heat your pan up slightly and add some white wine to de-glaze the pan, about 1 cup or a little more.
Next, add in chicken broth or stock – I used about 6 cups in this batch. Stir together well and simmer reducing the liquid by about 1/3. Add in your chicken. Cook for another 5 minutes and then add in 2 cans of black beans, drained, 3 tablespoons of worcestershire and hot sauce (your favorite brand). Simmer until you are ready to eat.
Before you serve, add in about 2 cups of coconut cream and mix together well. That is just about it! I like to add a dollop or two of Greek yogurt on top to add a little extra creaminess and cool the temperature down slightly. Enjoy!
“George’s” Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups diced carrots
- 2 cups diced onion
- 2 cups diced broccoli stems included
- 2 cups diced celery
- 2 tbsp basil
- 2 tbsp thyme
- 2 tbsp oregano Greek or Mediterranean
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 6 cups chicken broth or stock
- 3-4 cups shredded chicken, or cubed preferrably smoked
- 2 cans black beans drained
- 3 tbsp worcestershire
- 3 tbsp hot sauce
- 2 cups coconut cream
- greek yogurt, non-fat/plain optional
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in pan and add diced veggies. Cook for about 5 minutes.
- Add about 2 tablespoons each of basil, thyme and oregano. Stir and cook together a few more minutes. Turn heat up slightly and add white wine to de-glaze the pan.
- Add in chicken broth, stir together well and simmer until liquid has reduced by about 1/3.
- Add in chicken. Cook for another 5 minutes and then add in beans, worcestershire and hot sauce.
- Simmer on low until ready to serve.
- Add in coconut cream and stir together, cooking for a minute or so.
- Enjoy! Add a dollop or two of yogurt on top if you like!
Tomato Basil Bisque
I’ve always loved tomato soup, especially paired with a fancy grilled cheese. I’ve found that it freezes well, so when I have extra tomatoes from the garden this is one of the things I make with them. I’ve made quite a few different versions of this, some spicy, some sweeter and some with cream and some without. This one is somewhat in between all of the versions – feel free to play with your seasonings or amounts as with all of my “recipes.”
Seems like most of my recipes start out with this… 2 tbsp of olive oil heated in a pot, add 1 onion, diced and 6 small garlic cloves, minced. Heat until the onions start to sweat. In this pot I used 3 small, sweet bell peppers, diced and added to the above.
Next, I added my basil. You can use fresh or dried. I love basil so I dumped quite a bit of it in my pot. I used fresh from the garden and cut up with my herb scissors. Of course you can chop, tear or sprinkle in your dried as well. Next, I took my heirloom tomatoes – about 7-8 medium to large – and quartered them or smaller. Add these to your pot.
Yum.. I could eat these just like that! If you like spicy – I add a dash or two of cayenne pepper here. Cook the tomatoes down for about 15 minutes and then add in about 1.5 cups of chicken broth. Cover and simmer for up to 2 hours. It should look something like this..
Then, I break out my immersion blender. This makes life so much easier! Just start blending until it’s a smooth consistency. *If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can scoop out your soup and use a regular blender. I’d wait for it to cool enough first so that you don’t risk your glass cracking. Then put it back in the pot and bring back to a simmer.
After blending, I let it simmer for another 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and then I stir in some heavy cream. You could use a regular heavy whipping cream, a nut based like an almond cream or a coconut cream. I used about 1/2 cup in this pot. You can add slowly and taste as you go. Either serve right away or wait until cool and pour in a zip lock bag for the freezer.
If you freeze with the cream, it’s important to note that you will want to re-heat the bisque very slowly on the stove so that the cream does not curdle. ~Enjoy!
Tomato Basil Bisque
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 6 small garlic cloves, minced
- 3 small sweet peppers, diced
- basil A LOT
- 2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 7-8 large heirloom tomatoes
- 1.5 cups chicken broth low sodium
- 1/2 cup heavy cream regular or coconut cream
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a pot. Add onions and garlic – heat until onion begin to sweat.
- Add diced peppers and your basil – liberally.
- Quarter your tomatoes (or smaller) and add to the pot. Top with cayenne pepper if you choose. Cook down for about 15 minutes.
- Add your chicken broth, cover and simmer for up to 2 hours.
- Use your immersion blender until you have a smooth consistency. Simmer for another 10-15 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in your heavy cream. Serve immediately, or let cool completely and pour in zip lock bag to store in the freeze for future.
