Slow Cooker Taco Soup

This recipe was updated on 11/2/2018, with new images and a few recipe tweaks! It’s even better than the original.

You sure do like the snow a lot for someone that hates the cold. 

That's me. I'm a total whiner when it comes to being cold, but when I hear a big snow storm is on the way, I audibly cheer. If I hear it's already snowing, I run to the window to see for myself. There's something magical about the snow that makes me feel like I'm 5 years old again -- like the world is one giant mystery and I'm just a little explorer, trying to figure it out. Trucking through the snow, with the right mindset, is one of my favorite parts of winter. 

But- back to that whining part. I'm a super wimp about being cold. Like, take my down coat with me on a hike in July kind of wimp. If I owned one of those giant down onesie suits they take to Mt. Everest, I'd probably bring that with me too.

Being a snow-loving, cold-hating outdoorsy person, here's what I've learned:

1. Warm mittens are a must. Notice I said mittens. They're way warmer than gloves. 

2. Bring that coat. You wont regret it. Sure, it's possible you won't use it, but if there's a chance you'll use it, bring it. While we're talking about coats and mittens let's just jump to it and say, bring all of the clothes. Hats. Long underwear. Ear muffs. The whole lot.

3. Bring snacks you love. Ok, you need lots of energy to stay warm and snacks, good snacks, give you energy and something to distract you from the cold.

4. Make sure there's warm food waiting for you at home, or a cozy restaurant worth stopping at when your adventure is over. Soup is a great idea. Lots of soup, with plenty of spices to heat you up.

Aren't you feeling warmer just thinking about this big bowl of cozy soup?

Slow Cooker Taco Soup

Published February 18, 2016 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 6   |    Active Time: 20 active minutes

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Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef

1 yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 bell peppers, diced

1/2 cup frozen corn kernels (or diced zucchini Paleo)

1 15-ounce can of diced tomatoes

2 tablespoons minced canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (about 1-2 peppers from the jar)

1 4.5-ounce can green chiles

1 teaspoon ground chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon each of salt & pepper

5 cups broth

Optional, to serve: jalapeño slices, cilantro, lime wedges, avocado, toasted tortilla strips (tortilla chips work too!)

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, or the bottom of your slow cooker, sauté the diced onion, and minced garlic. Add the beef, breaking it up into grounds, and cook until browned. Once cooked, place in your slow cooker (if it is not already there).
2. Now, add the bell peppers, corn, canned tomatoes, chipotle peppers, green chilies, spices and salt to the pot. Finally, add the broth.
3. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours.
4. To serve: ladle hot soup into bowls. Top with cilantro, jalapeño slices, lime wedges, and a toasted tortilla strips

Humarsúpa - An Icelandic-Style Soup

1/12/2019 Update: I love this recipe. It’s been on the blog for years, and my photography has come a long way, so I gave it a face lift — same recipe as always, though!

I've been waiting for the right moment to make this soup. A day when everything outside just feels chilled and frosted over and the wind is whipping at the windows.

When we visited Reykjavik this summer, there was a full-blown wind storm gusting us from little shop to little shop. It forced us to accept every offer of free coffee, and left us chilled to the bone. By noon, we were begging for soup. We wandered down to the pier and found a boater’s hut serving Humarsúpa. There were plenty of tables outside, but all were vacant as all the customers huddle inside to evade the wind.

We ordered and found a seat at an old wooden cafeteria-style table, fishing nets and other sailing equipment (which I maybe could’ve named, if I new better), hung from the ceiling and the walls as decoration.

So…

What’s humarsúpa?

It’s a creamy soup made with langoustine (langoustine is a type of prawn similar to lobster, known as the “Norway Lobster”) and potatoes and a touch of curry powder. It’s a bit like lobster bisque, though langoustines are lighter in flavor.

And if you’re thinking, But where can I find langoustine? You’re in luck! I buy it in the frozen foods aisle at Trader Joe’s — imagine that! It’s already shelled which makes putting this soup together a breeze!

This soup is lighter than most chowders, with a broth base and a cup of cream. (You can use coconut milk for dairy-free). I don’t use a roux to thicken it, it doesn’t need it — but if you are looking for a much thicker soup consistency, you might want to add a roux to the beginning.

The curry powder makes each bowl a bright yellow color, a little splash of sun on the greyest day.

On that most windy day, sitting on the edge of Reykjavik’s coast, that soup was exactly what we needed — there could not have been a better thing to eat.

Every time I make humarsúpa I’m immediately taken back to the grey views in Iceland. Nostalgia in a bowl!

Humarsupa

Published November 28, 2015 by Caitlin Sherwood

Yield: 10 cups   |    Active Time: 30 minutes

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Ingredients:

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 yellow onion, diced

3 stalks celery, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1-2 russet potatoes, diced (2 if they are small, about 2 cups diced)

2 carrots, diced

1 tablespoon curry powder

1/16 teaspoon cayenne

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

6 cups chicken or fish broth

1 cup heavy cream or 1 13.5-ounce can coconut milk for dairy-free

1 pound frozen, peeled and precooked langoustine tails (Available at Trader Joes)

3 tablespoons fresh chives, minced

Directions:

1. Heat coconut oil in the bottom of a soup pot on medium heat. Add onion, celery, and garlic, and stir, sautéing until onion is just starting to turn translucent.
2. Add potatoes and diced carrots. Add curry powder, cayenne, salt, pepper, and broth. Place lid on pot, and simmer soup for 10 minutes.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low, and add frozen langoustine tails and cream. Stir, place lid on pot, and gently simmer for 5 more minutes.
4. Stir soup, and turn off heat. Ladle into bowls, and garnish with fresh chives. Serve hot.

Massaged Kale Salad with Pomegranate & Delicata Squash

Update: I added new photos of this recipe on 11/13/2017. The recipe is the same and still delicious! Original photo is at the bottom. 

Pomegranate seeds are the sweet taste of winter on it's way. They're a little burst of tart juice, a spot of brightness in the otherwise dreary winter season. Pomegranates were the hallmark of the winter season at my dad house -- the minute I came home to pomegranates, I knew that the holidays weren't far off. We always just ate them plain, straight out of the rind, while sitting on the porch (the deep red juice was too dangerous to mess with inside). This was before you could buy pomegranates pre-deseeded, and it was sweeter that way: every little gem had to be worked for. 

I still buy my pomegranates whole, and I still think they taste better when you do the deseeding for yourself. Most of the time, I still eat them plain, too. When I do add them to dishes, they're simple, like this salad. 

I have been sooooo ready for salads this week-- hearty, nourishing, big bowl salads. Maybe it to counteract the pie? All I know is that I can't get enough brightly colored produce in my life right now.  And let me tell you, the pomegranate seeds make this salad taste like a big holiday treat to me! (Not to mention the delicata squash, which is also pretty high on my end-of-fall list of favorites). 

And the contrast between the creamy goat cheese and those tart pomegranate seeds? Now that's where it's at.  

Massaged Kale Salad with Pomegranate & Delicata Squash

Paleo, Primal, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free    |   Caitlin Sherwood    

This salad gets a burst of freshness from the pomegranate, creaminess from the squash, and bitter bite from the greens.

Serves: 5   |    Total Time: 45 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 1 delicata squash
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil, for roasting squash
• Salt & pepper
• 1 bunch red kale
• Juice from 1/2 orange
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, for dressing
• 1/2 cup pomegranate perils
• 2 tablespoons minced red onion
• 1/3 cup goat cheese crumbles (optional, use hazelnuts instead)
• A few cracks of black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat over to 450°F. Slice the delicata squash in half, and remove the seeds. Cut into 1/2-inch thick crescents, and toss in avocado oil. Spread out on baking pan, and season with salt & pepper. Bake for 20-25 minutes until squash is cooked through and golden. Once cooked, set aside to cool.
2. Meanwhile, massage the kale: remove the stems from the kale, and set aside. Place the leafy bits in a salad bowl, and squeeze orange juice over the leaves. Sprinkle with salt. Using your hands, massage the kale until it begins to soften. Drizzle with olive oil.
3. Top with red onion, pomegranate perils, cooked delicata squash, and goat cheese crumbles. Season with freshly cracked pepper. Serve.