Creamy broccoli soup

I made this recipe, but used 2% milk instead of half-and-half, and also omitted the cheddar. It was still a very rich and filling soup. Really good!
http://www.recipezaar.com/Panera-Broccoli-Cheese-Soup-150384

Lentil soup

I made this with Moong Dal
http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/middle-eastern-lentil-soup-recipe.htm


I also make this by substituting chicken broth for 1/2 of the water. More flavor!

I also add MSG, of course.

French onion soup

I didn't have any beef broth on hand, so I substituted chicken broth. It's not as good as beef for this kind of soup, but it works. I cooked the onions in butter and a little olive oil. I topped the soup with hearty crackers and a slice of havarti cheese. I then used a blow torch to melt the cheese and toast the crackers.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/French-Onion-Soup-I/Detail.aspx

Chicken Soup

In an earlier post, I said that Shepard's Pie was the ultimate comfort food. Well, it's a tough call between that and chicken soup. I make soup with the ingredients that I have on hand, but here's the basic idea:

I prepare the chicken and other cooked ingredients separately, then assemble them into the already-simmering broth. The soup is ready just a few minutes later.

Start cooking 1/2c wild rice in a chicken broth / water mixture (the amount is not critical)
The wild rice will need about 45 minutes to cook

Start cooking 1c long grain rice in 1.5 cups water
The rice will need 20 minutes to steam.


In a large frying pan, fully cook in olive oil:
Two chicken breasts cut into 1/2" cubes
3/4 of a diced onion
minced garlic
thyme, basil, chili powder

Start assembling the ingredients in a large pot:
1 can chicken broth with 1-2 cans of water
The cooked wild rice (with its broth)
cooked long grain rice
cooked chicken and onion

When simmering, add:

1/4 raw onion, diced
chopped carrots
chopped celery
basil
oregano
MSG
black pepper
maybe more chili powder

Let it simmer for 10 or 20 minutes, and it will be ready!