Dill Pickle Soup

One of our favourite restaurants these days is the Continental Fine Treat Bistro. The food is warm comfort food with a classy twist and we have always had both excellent meals and awesome service at this restaurant.  One of our favourite items it their Dill Pickle Soup, and I recently found out that the recipe for this soup had been in an article in our city's paper! 

As soon as I realized this could be made at home, it became dinner that night.  This soup is really easy to make, and tastes even better the next day so it makes an awesome soup to take to work for lunch.

The creaminess paired with the dill pickle flavour is out of this world! I know it sounds strange, but man is it good!

This recipe is enough for two generous servings.


Dill Pickle Soup

• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 1 celery stick, sliced
• 1 medium potato, cubed
• 1 carrot, shredded
• 3 medium to large dill pickles, shredded
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup whipping cream
• salt and pepper, to taste
• chopped fresh dill
• chopped fresh parsley

1. In a large pot over medium heat, bring the vegetable stock to a simmer and add the celery, potato, and shredded carrot
2. Let simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, and then add the shredded dill pickle
3. Mix together the flour with the water in a small bowl and then whisk it into the soup
4. Bring the soup to a simmer, and season to taste with the salt and pepper
5. When ready to serve, whisk in the whipping cream and garnish with the chopped parsley and dill
6. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: this restaurant has no idea who I am. We just love their food!

Potato Leek Soup

After so many sweets this week, I think it's time for something on the savoury side! 

This is a really simple and delicious soup that you can easily serve as a main course, or makes an amazing starter soup as well. 

A bonus is that this is a thick and creamy soup, without the cream! If you are making this ahead of time, you will probably want to add more chicken broth when you re-heat the soup, I found mine got quite thick as it chilled in the refrigerator.

This recipe is from allrecipes.com, give it a try! This makes about 4 bowls of soup.


Potato Leek Soup

• 2.5 pounds white or russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
• I left the peel on my potatoes, personal preference :)
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 leek, bulb only
• 1/4 cup butter (I used vegan butter, but any kind will work)
• 1/4 cup white wine
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Boil the potatoes in the chicken broth until soft, and then set aside
2. When potatoes are soft, puree them in a food processor until smooth 
1. You may need to do this in batches. If the potatoes are too thick, add a bit of the chicken broth to thin them out and make them easier to puree. Add the puree back to the chicken stock
3. While the potatoes are boiling, half the leek lengthwise and and soak in cold water to clean
4. Slice the leek halves in very fine slices, and then saute in the butter in a saucepan until transparent
5. Add the white wine to the leeks, and then let simmer for about 3 minutes
6. Add the sauteed leeks to the pot containing the pureed potatoes and chicken broth
7. Stir the soup over medium heat, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper
8. If you want a thinner soup, you can add more chicken broth until it is how you like it
9. Serve as is, or you can top it with chives, cheese, bacon, etc!
10. Enjoy!

Tortilla Soup

Here is another meal that is perfect for during the week, just throw everything in a bowl the night before, store in the refrigerator overnight, then pour everything into a crockpot and turn it on when you leave for work in the morning! 


Ever since I had Tortilla Soup last time I was in Mexico, I have been looking for a recipe to try and make it at home.  I found this recipe on allrecipes.com and it had an incredible amount of amazing reviews!


I was looking for a spicy soup, so I added extra enchilada sauce and a small can of jalapeno peppers.  If spicy isn't your thing, just leave out the jalapeno peppers, and use less enchilada sauce (but increase the other spices for flavour).

This soup is delicious by itself, but it is even better when finished with some awesome toppings.  We added fresh avocado, sour cream, cheese, and nacho chip pieces! I also served this with my Cheddar Jalapeno Biscuits, I think that I make them every opportunity that I can.


Tortilla Soup

• 2 - 3 chicken breasts (can be frozen)
• 2 x 10 oz/284 mL cans chicken broth (low sodium)
• 1 small can (127 mL) chopped green chiles
• 1 small can (125 mL) sliced jalapeno peppers (optional)
• 1 can (540 mL) whole tomatoes, smashed
• 1 can (425 mL) mild enchilada sauce
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, diced
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup frozen corn
• For garnish (optional)
• nacho chips
• shredded cheese
• sour cream
• avocado
• cilantro

1. Place the chicken breasts, chicken broth, green chiles, jalapeno peppers, smashed tomatoes (and juice), enchilada sauce, onion, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, bay leaf, and corn into a crock pot
2. Cook on high for 3 - 4 hours, or low for 6 - 8 hours
3. One hour before the soup is done, remove the chicken and shred it, then return to the pot
4. Garnish with nacho chips, shredded cheese, sour cream, avocado slices, cilantro, or whatever else you love!
5. Enjoy!

Ravioli & Vegetable Soup

Here is a hearty soup that will warm you up and satisfy even the hungriest tummy!  Since the ravioli cooks right with the soup, this is an extremely quick and delicious supper.


I fond this recipe on the eatingwell.com website, they have a ton of delicious and healthy recipes that I cannot wait to try.


I used whole wheat ravioli filled with cheese and spinach, yum! You can really use any type of ravioli, or tortellini if that is what you have in your house.

When served with some bread or a bun, this makes a wonderful meal!


Ravioli & Vegetable Soup

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cups of chopped bell peppers & onions (I used a frozen bell pepper and onion mix from Safeway!)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (or more if you like it spicy)
• 1 can crushed tomatoes (796 ml)
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups of chicken broth (reduced sodium)
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 tsp basil 
• 1 small package of ravioli (ie: not the family sized packs)
• 2 cups diced zucchini 
• salt and pepper to taste

1. In a large sauce pan or pot, heat the oil and then add the peppers, onions, garlic, and crushed red pepper
2. Cook for a couple minutes until vegetables start to soften
3. Add the crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, water and basil
4. Bring the soup to a boil
5. Add the ravioli and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often
6. Then add the diced zucchini, and continue cooking until the ravioli is cooked and the zucchini is crisp-tender (about 5 more minutes)
7. Season to taste with salt and pepper
8. Serve with some delicious bread
9. Enjoy!

Broccoli and Corn Chowder (with Bacon!)

With the exception of the last 3 days, our weather has still been pretty chilly for September.  As a result, warm and delicious soups have been on my mind like crazy!


This recipe was emailed to me on a chilly day last week as part of a weekly newsletter from marthastewart.com.  It looked so hearty and warm, and it had bacon! What more can you ask for in a soup?


This soup is fantastic alone.

And even better with some bacon.

You could add some cheese too!

This didn't take very long to make, and made an awesome lunch the next day at work too.  The next time you are facing a cold day, make this for lunch or dinner!


Broccoli and Corn Chowder (with Bacon!)

• 8 slices of bacon, cut into pieces
• 1 onion, diced
• 1/4 cup flour
• 3 cans chicken broth (about 350 ml each)
• 1 russet potato, cubed
• 2 heads of broccoli, with florets cut into small pieces
• 1 small package (or about 1 1/2 cups) frozen corn kernels
• 1/4 tsp thyme
• 1 cup milk
• salt and pepper
• shredded cheese (optional)

1. Cook the bacon in a large pot until crisp, then remove and let cool on a paper towel
2. Place the onion in the same pot, and cook until it begins to soften
3. Add the flour, and stir for about half a minute with the onion
4. Pour in the chicken broth, and add the potato
5. Simmer until the potato is soft, about 10 to 15 minutes
6. Then add the broccoli, corn, thyme, and milk
7. Stir well, and cook for 10 - 12 minutes, or until the broccoli is starting to become tender
8. Season to taste with the salt and pepper
9. Top with bacon and cheese
10. Enjoy with some warm bread or biscuits!

Creamy Asparagus Soup

On these chilly days, nothing is better than a quick and warm meal! This soup is very easy to make, and doesn't take very long at all. Just serve it with some warm biscuits, crackers, or a fresh bun for a fast and delicious meal!


This recipe makes about 6 servings of soup, I often halve it since there are only two of us enjoying it.  The original recipe is from skinnytaste.com. 


Creamy Asparagus Soup

• 2 pounds (2 bundles) of asparagus 
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 large onion, diced (or a whole medium or small onion, diced)
• 2 tbsp sour cream
• salt and pepper, to taste

1. Wash the asparagus and snap off the tough ends.  Cut the asparagus into 1" long pieces
2. Add the olive oil and onion to a large pot, and saute the onions until soft
3. Add the chicken broth and asparagus, then bring to a boil
4. Simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the asparagus is tender
5. Add the sour cream, and stir to combine
6. Blend the soup in a blender, or use an immersion blender if you have one
1. Please note that you do not want to fill your blender more than 1/3 of the way with the hot soup when blending! Blending the soup in batches doesn't take very long, and is much safer :)
7. Season to taste with salt and pepper
8. Enjoy!