Instant Pot Sausage and Cabbage Soup

This quick, easy and tasty Sausage and Cabbage Soup is made in the Instant Pot (pressure cooker) for a dish that's on the table in 30 minutes!

It's still summery out there, I know, but before you know it, the cold weather would just sneak upon us. Thus, I have been doing my preparations in advance making some soup recipes that we can count on to give up warmth and comfort during the coming chilly weather!!

Cheese Tortellini and Pesto Soup

This very tasty soup is a huge time saver and great for those busy nights! No chopping or extra prep required to make this yummy Cheese  Tortellini and Pesto Soup.

It was just one of those nights when I needed to make dinner but I didn't have enough time. Our fridge had a lot of food in it but it seemed that everything I thought of making required too much effort, lots of ingredients involved and quite a long cooking time, Making Filipino or Asian food was out of the question as that usually required a lot of prep time usually in the form of chopping vegetables. What was a mommy to do?

Slow Cooker Chicken (or Turkey) Chili

I have made this chili many times for my family and friends and it's always well loved and the super easy recipe is often requested. 

When our schedules are not hectic we love to have people over at our place. We especially love having friends from church during Sunday nights after the evening worship service. It's just a nice and perfect time to relax, enjoy each others company especially before we face the challenges in the real world the next day --- Monday! We enjoy some food and occasionally have some games that everyone can participate in. We don't do anything too formal or structured, the food is mostly the appetizer type - quick and easy in preparation. The point is to enjoy each other's company in a fuss-free environment.

Cheese Tortellini Soup with White Beans and Kielbasa

In 30 minutes you can serve your family a hearty and delicious soup! Easy-peasy yumminess in a bowl!

I have been making quite a lot of soup this winter season. You may think, well, that's pretty normal for the cold season. Perhaps but it's not normal for me. Since the Philippines is a hot country with only two major seasons - wet and dry - which incidentally are both relatively warm (hot!) weather, you won't often find soup on a Filipino's daily menu. Besides that, soup, like tea, when served, is often associated with an ailment or being unwell as that's often what's given to anyone who has been afflicted with some illness in the Philippines. Having this background, you can imagine, I am not much of a soup person at all.

Italian Sausage, Kale and White Bean Soup

In 30 minutes you have a delicious, nutritious and hearty soup for the whole family -  Italian Sausage, Kale and White Bean Soup. Easy recipe, too.

Winter season is soup season indeed! Since winter is also the season when you most likely will get sick or catch a bug, I want to make sure that I feed  my family healthy and wholesome food, too. As we all know green and leafy vegetables are one of the best sources of nutrients and Kale is certainly often considered the queen (or was it king?) of greens! Naturally, since it's not exactly candy material and the bright tint of green doesn't excite my kids either - I need to devise some ways to make them eat this healthy veggie!

Italian Sausage and Tortellini Soup

Several years ago when we were still living in Michigan, one of the ladies from our church prepared this soup for our ladies fellowship. All of us who attended that meeting enjoyed this very tasty soup and naturally we all asked for the recipe. She kindly gave us a copy and I have never forgotten this yummy soup ever since.

Corn and Spinach (Suam) Soup

When I was growing up, this was our fall back soup. When my Mom or our help either runs out of ideas or time to make something elaborate for dinner, you can be certain - Suam na Mais or Corn Soup would be on the table. Don't get me wrong, I never had any issues or bad feelings about this soup even though I have had this so many times. In fact, I actually miss it as my Mom (or our former helpers) are not here to make this soup for me. This time, I have to make it for myself and my family.

Cauliflower and Cheese Soup

Winter days call for delicious soup! I love Broccoli and Cheese soup - that's what I always order when I go to Panera Bread (free plug!). However, I have never tried a cheesy cauliflower soup version. I bought a good-size cauliflower from the grocery the other day and decided to make soup out of it. I needed a delicious bowl of soup for some comfort eating as well since hubby is away on a conference in California for a few days.

Shrimp in Sour Soup (Sinigang na Hipon)

Living in an island archipelago surrounded by waters can have a lot of advantageous! For me this is the top reason - fresh seafood! So when I went back to the Philippines for a holiday, I asked my mom if she can cook for me Filipino dishes that all involve seafood especially shrimps and prawns which are my ultimate favorite. Of course, I was also thinking that I only have one shrimp recipe on the blog and it's about time I add another one, after all I am from the Philippines where shrimp dishes of different varieties truly abound.

Chicken and Bacon Chowder

There's something comforting about a hot bowl of creamy soup. The aroma from the soup scooped out straight from the simmering pan conjures an image of something so good and delightful! And when you are in the middle of winter you need a lot of this bowl of deliciousness.

Ginisang Munggo (Mung Bean Soup / Stew)

With beans, spinach, tomatoes and meat this hearty and healthy soup is filling and delicious!

Mung Beans or locally called "munggo" is considered a staple food in the Philippines especially in the provinces. Just a small amount of mung beans with added meat (like chicken, pork, or shrimp) or even meatless truly goes a long, long way and can easily feed an entire family. I think that's why it's quite popular. Not only can it feed a lot of people - it is also quite cheap and also very nutritious! If you're abroad, you can find mung beans either in the Asian section of your grocery or in any Asian store.

Green Curry Laksa

Laksa, a very popular dish in South East Asia and am pretty certain in other parts of the world, is essentially a coconut curry soup with noodles often with chicken or shrimp, bean curd puffs, fish sticks and sometimes bean sprouts for extra crunch! The flavor is amazing and complex - a little sweet, tangy, savory, creamy and definitely spicy-licious from all the wonderful spices added to it. It's the kind of food that hubby and I love - multi-dimensional in taste and truly satisfying.

Spicy Coconut Pumpkin Soup

Nowadays, I am in-love with anything that has coconut in it. Perhaps because I do miss my lovely island of Marinduque where we are surrounded by towering coconut trees. I have so many lovely memories of my childhood that involves this amazing tree and of course, it's delicious fruit. My parents own some piece of land in the barrio (small village in the outskirts of our town). Most of the land is devoted to rice fields but the mountainous areas are all covered with coconut trees. My parents have tenants who stay in the land either for free or for a very low rent and in return cultivate the rice crops among other things. Occasionally, we visited and to see how things were going, if the harvest would be plentiful as the rice that we ate then really came from these fields (well, when I was young I really didn't care for that but my parents did, of course.) For me, I was more concerned if we would either be able to ride the carabao (our beast of burden and really the farmer's best friend in the Philippines) during the visit and if they would be willing to give us some fresh coconuts straight from the tree. 

Sweet Potato and Ginger Soup (Yummy Recipe to help cure the Flu)

So my dear hubby has the flu.....I feel so sorry for him. I don't like it when he is unwell as it not only makes me sad, I don't like to see him suffer and look sick. But this is one of the hazards of winter that cannot always be prevented.

Being the resourceful person that he is, hubby researched for a more natural remedy to help cure the flu or at least hasten his recovery. He showed me this cooking video from a nutritionist who suggested that this is a wonderful cure for flu. I was skeptical but indulged my honey and watched the video anyway. I was of course intrigued. I like that all the ingredients are natural and for me has the potential of something flavorful.   Sweet potato, ginger, chili pepper and mushrooms to name a few - this concoction must at least taste nice and if it helps cure the flu, even better!

Hubby says, he did feel better after having some. He felt boosted though he's not completely recovered yet. Well, it's only been day 1 so perhaps tomorrow and the next day and a few more cups of this yummy soup then he'll be back to his full healthy self. At any rate, I am sharing this because I actually loved this soup, yes, I had some already - quite a thick one, almost like a puree - it's so flavorful and I agree with the nutritionist, this is a perfect curry base! I will definitely use this recipe for a curry next time. Enjoy!

Ingredients

4 Garlic cloves, finely chopped
2-3 inch-ginger, finely chopped*
1 red chili pepper, with seeds*
1 large red Onion, chopped
1 large Sweet Potato, chopped
Shiitake Mushrooms (fresh - 4 oz / dry 1 oz), chopped*
Vegetable Stock or broth (32 oz)

*If you don't want it too gingery, you can just use the 2-inch one. That's how I measure my ginger, by it's length and not by tablespoons.

*Hubby only got 1 hot cherry pepper so that's all that I used but feel free to use your favorite hot pepper and adjust the heat to your taste.

*If using the dried Shiitake mushrooms, make sure to rehydrate them first. Just add them towards the end of cooking.

Procedure

Please watch the short video for the full instruction on how to make this flavorful soup. Hope you all feel healthy this winter!

Wonton Soup

I am so glad that after several years, I made this truly tasty Wonton soup again today. It was just perfect for the arctic temperatures we have been having the past few days. I am equally delighted that even my kids enjoyed this and hubby especially loved it with rice. I tried it with rice the second time around and I fully understood now why he wanted to eat it this way. The rice soaks up the delicious broth and is so perfect to eat with the delicious wontons. Perhaps we will try it with some noodles next time. Hope this winter you will enjoy this comforting and flavorful soup. It will surely warm you up and make you feel so refreshingly good!

Meatballs and Mushroom Soup

Well, with the Polar Vortex descending on the Midwest this week and causing record high temps, I thought it fitting to make a recipe that will help fight the arctic cold and keep all of us warm. While the weather may get warmer in the next few days, sadly, we are still very much in the midst of winter and truly need something deliciously comforting to help us fight the winter blues! This soup did it for us.

Creamy Chicken Sopas (Filipino Chicken Macaroni Soup)

I have so many sweet memories of this Creamy Chicken Sopas that my mom always made, perhaps at least once a week. My siblings and I often requested for this and our mom always readily acceded.  We have eaten this for breakfast, lunch, dinner and yes, even as a snack. There's just something so comforting about a creamy soup. This is even more craved for during the monsoon season when it rains all over the archipelago much like we crave for Champorado when it's cold and gloomy. For flavoring, I add a little patis/fish sauce to the broth. For me that's the one that gives it that special flavor. There are so many versions of chicken macaroni soup but add some patis (fish sauce) and you truly make it extra special!

Bread and Soup Recipe Round-up (40 Delectable Recipes)

Lentil and Spinach Soup with Italian Sausages

Make fall and winter more comfortable with these scrumptious Bread and Soup recipes! Enjoy!

Sinigang na Baboy (Lemony Pork Soup with Asparagus and Spinach)

It's been so long since I made Sinigang na Baboy (Pork in Sour Soup). This is a true Tagalog dish that is quite special because families would make this usually just on Sundays much like a Sunday Roast here in the US and UK. It may be hot and humid in the Philippines but despite that nothing beats a hot bowl of this delicious Pork in Sour Soup to help you cope with the muggy weather. It is true comfort food for any Filipino!

Tinolang Manok (Opo Squash and Ginger Chicken Soup)

Nowadays, we are trying to eat a little healthier than usual (with occasional sweet treats of course!) and so I have decided to look back on my heritage to try and make more Filipino style dishes that are both nutritionally more beneficial and flavorful, too. In the Tagalog Region, where my little island belong, a lot of our food are soup-based - with veggies and meat added in and lots of garlic, onion, tomatoes and ginger added for flavor!