Easy Improved cream of mushroom soup II

Cream of mushroom is generally pretty mediocre from a can, but it's a good base to make a great soup from.

In a large pot, saute 1 medium onion, sliced thinly, with a variety of mushrooms (I use portobello and white) sliced thin. When the onions are translucent, turn the heat down and add the condensed soup + 1 can of water or milk. Whisk the onions, mushrooms and soup until fully blended. Add 1/2 package frozen cauliflower and 1/2 package frozen broccoli. Keep heat at medium, cover until soup is bubbling. When soup is bubbling gently, season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and serve, garnishing with cheddar if desired.

what we need more of... is soup! Rainy October Soup Fun fest

Two awesome and really super easy recipes for a good hearty vegetable soup.

Veggie Chowder

thinly slice 2 small onions and several mushrooms (creminis are my fave here). Grab a bag or can of corn and a family size can of cream of mushroom soup. Also a couple potatoes, cubed. Put a large soup pot on your burner, add a little oil and turn on med-high heat. Add the onions and potatoes. Once the onions are translucent, add the mushrooms. When everything is looking maybe 50-75% cooked, add and reconstitute the mushroom soup and the can or bag of corn. Let simmer on low for 30-60 minutes, until onions and potatoes are tender. Add fresh pepper and serve.

Lentil Dal

Thinly slice 2 small onions and 2-3 medium potatoes. Get out curry powder and a soup pot. At med-high heat, add the onions and potatoes to the pot with some oil and add copious amounts of curry to the mix. When onions are translucent, add 2 cups dry picked over brown lentils and fry for a couple minutes with the curry potatoes and onions. Add water to cover and reduce heat to med-low. Lentils should be done in 20-30 minutes, simmer longer for a creamier soup. Garnish with sour cream or whole fat yogurt and cilantro.

Epic Omelette

This is one of my favorite omelettes to make - mushroom, feta and spinach. If you have some kalamata olives those are great too, and tzatziki is a great garnish.

Serves 2:

Beat 4 eggs until fully blended, add some freshly ground black pepper and a little fresh or dried tarragon. Get out a bag of frozen spinach so it can thaw a bit.

Slice the mushrooms - portobellos or creminis are really good here, but white mushrooms are good too. Saute the mushrooms in a little olive oil until cooked and put into a bowl.

Pour the eggs into the pan (same one you used for mushrooms) and keep the pan temperature to medium - you don't want to burn the eggs! Sprinkle a little spinach around one half of the pan, on top of the eggs, and them add the mushrooms and a little feta on top (also the olives if you have them, sliced in halves or quarters).

Once the egg all apears cooked (firm, not dry, but not runny) use your spatula to gently release the edge of the egg around the edge of the pan. Get your spatula under the half of the eggs without all the cheese and goodies and gently fold the plain half onto the filling. You want to cook the underside of the omelette to make sure the eggs are completely done and the fillings are all mixed together. Grab a large circular plat and gently plunk it on top of the omelette hemisphere. Place one hand on the pan handle and the other supporting the plate, and flip the omelette onto the plate. Slide it back into the pan, (upside down, now) and allow the omelette to cook for another 5ish minutes, until the eggs are lightly browned on both sides.

Serve with toast and tzatziki or sour cream to garnish.