Best Mushroom Cream Soup - Video Recipe

Fungus shouldn't taste this good. Cream and caramelized mushroom blend together perfectly. My rich and earthy Mushroom Cream Soup is meant to be shared on a cold wintry day.

I often find four ounce packages of brown crimini and portabella, along with regular white button mushrooms, at my local 99c only Stores, here in Los Angeles. Sorry to rub it in, but mushrooms are expensive, except in my Cheap$kate Chateau.

Click on any photo to see larger.

The rest of the ingredients are cheap enough. I saute onion along with the  mushrooms, and sweeten the soup with white wine and rich cream.

You can keep this recipe vegan by substituting cream with almond, cashue or soy milk. I'm not up on all the milk alternatives, so use what you like.

I add a couple cups of water to the soup, but you can use a favorite broth for an extra flavorful soup.

Can you keep it low calorie and leave out the rich cream? Heck yeah, it's just as tasty without cream.

But if you are feeling extravagant, and making this for a special occasion, like trying to impress, then go all the way...with extra cream!

Mushroom Cream Soup - VIDEO

Play it here, video runs 3 minute 10 seconds

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.

Ingredients (about 4-6 servings)
3 packages of mushrooms - I got 4 to 5 ounce packages of each: crimini, white button and portabella mushroom. Okay to use one type of mushroom, or any you can find on sale.
1 onion chopped - I used a cheap yellow onion.
1 cup white wine - optional. If you leave it out then just use broth or water instead.
1 cup heavy cream - okay to keep soup light and use low fat milk or a milk substitute. Even okay to leave out cream altogether.
2 cups water - or a favorite broth.
1 tablespoon vegetable oil - to saute onion and mushrooms.
Salt and pepper to taste.

Directions
Please note that I cooked this soup recipe in a large pot. If you use a standard smaller pot then cooking time for mushrooms may take longer than 5 minutes, more like 10 minutes. Mainly, just cook veggies until soft.

Chop one whole onion. Saute in pot with tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Cook and stir onions until soft, about 5 minutes.

Clean mushrooms if needed. (Wipe off dirt with a soft brush or napkin.)

For crimini or white button mushroom roughly slice. Okay to use pre-sliced mushrooms.

For larger portabella mushrooms whipe off any dirt. Once the portabella mushrooms are cleaned, slice them up. Doesn't matter how small the pieces, as they will end up in a blender or food processor.

Once onions are softened stir in the mushrooms. Cook them another 5 minutes until mushroom pieces are soft. May take longer to soften if you use a small pot - the more pan surface area the quicker everything cooks through.

Salt and pepper to taste any time during sauteing.

Mushrooms and onions will reduce in size considerably. Again if you use a small pot the mushroom may take 10 minutes to soften.

Pour in about a cup or white wine. 

Finally add 2 cups of water or a favorite broth. Mix liquid well. Bring soup up to a low simmer and cover the pot.

Simmer for about 15 minutes. You just want to finish cooking the mushrooms and onions until extra soft.

Now you are ready to finish up the Mushroom Cream Soup. Allow the soup to cool down so you can add it to a blender or food processor. Blending with hot liquid is asking for trouble. Let the soup cool down for at least 5 minutes.

Add soup to a blender and pulse/blend until smooth. It goes pretty quickly. I blended all my soup in about a minute. Okay to work in batches. I blended my soup in two batches.

Finally add blended soup to a pot. Stir in a cup of almond milk, whipping cream, or half and half. Okay to keep the soup light and add regular or low fat milk. You can use any favorite vegan milk substitute, since now all you are doing is a final soup warming up.

For an extra low calorie, and vegan, soup it's okay to leave out cream altogether.

Heat Mushroom Cream Soup until hot, about 15 minutes - that's it. I sometimes like to simmer the soup on low for half an hour or so, just to marry and deepen the flavors of onion and mushroom -- you know how it goes, soup and stew just get better over time. Add more liquid if necessary for any prolonged cooking.

Loaded Tuna Salad - Video Recipe

I'm called "The Tuna Mouse" at home because of how quickly a Loaded Tuna Salad just seems to vanish!

The extra briny olives give color and the salty taste goes well with sweet bread and butter pickles. Mixed into canned tuna, for a rich flavor, are chopped eggs and mayo.

It's one delicious concoction that fits snuggly into pita bread or bread roll, fills a pitted half slice of ripe avocado, or scooped on a green salad. All all the ingredients I find easily at 99c only Stores and the Dollar Tree!

Click on any photo to see larger.

The addition of green olives makes this Loaded Tuna Salad extra unique. It's quite easy to find them at my local 99c only Store and Dollar Tree markets. You can use the plain type or ones with pimentoes.

Eggs are still cheap these days, I get an eight-count container at my local Dollar Tree. I use one whole boiled egg, chopped. This ingredient is optional and okay to leave out.

You can use a little chopped pickle, or just go with pickle relish, which I always have a half-used jar left over from hot dogs, way back on a refrigerator shelf.

I also add finely chopped onion to my Loaded Tuna Salad, but leave it out if you don't care for the taste of raw onion.

Mustard and Mayo are cheap if you have a Dollar Tree or 99c only Store in the 'hood. Hey, even Grey Poupon shows up on my 99c only Store shelves every once in a while. Okay to use any favorite mayo, including Miracle Whip or vegan mayo.

The main ingredient, canned tuna, is a cheap$kate staple in my kitchen pantry. I usually get "Chunk Light" tuna in water. I use two small cans for this recipe. "Solid" canned tuna is more expensive because it is a solid hunk of tuna and almost twice as much the amount as "Chunk."

Make sure not to mistakenly get tuna in oil, unless you like it that way. Also, drain the tuna of water, so Tuna Salad doesn't get all soggy and mushy.

The basic recipe is good for other canned fish like salmon, or chicken, too. So get out the can opener and twist off a few condiment jar lids and mix up my tasty and Loaded Tuna Salad.

Loaded Tuna Salad - VIDEO

Play here, video runs 1 minute 36 seconds

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.

Ingredients

• 1 can of solid tuna in water - about 6 ounces, or 2 cans of "chunk" tuna. Drained.
• 1 boiled egg - peeled and chopped.
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped onion - red, white, green or yellow onion.
• 1 tablespoon green olives chopped or sliced - with or without pimento.
• 1 tablespoon sweet relish - okay to use chopped pickle.
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise - add more or less to your taste.
• 1 teaspoon regular or dijon mustard
• Salt and pepper to taste - I find canned tuna salty enough, so I usually leave out salt.

Directions
Set aside 1 boiled egg (15 minutes at low boil) to cool.

 Fine-chop onion. Roughly chop green olives and a pickle (if you don't have pickle relish.

To a bowl add drained tuna, along with peeled and chopped boiled egg, chopped pickle (relish,) green olives and onion.

Add one tablespoon of mayo at a time to reach desired creaminess. As you mix all ingredients and taste. I like a little black pepper to season my Loaded Tuna Salad. I find there is enough salt from canned tuna.

Serve in pita or regular bread. Delicious as an appetizer with crackers or add a scoop to an avocado half, or fave salad.

How about a Loaded Tuna Melt? Just add a slice of cheese to Tuna Sandwich, and brown it with melted butter in a stove top pan, just like you would a regular Grilled Cheese Sandwich.

It's okay to leave out some ingredients. The main ones are tuna, mayo and pickle relish.

Lazybones shortcut

The Best Chicken Salad Recipe - Video

I love Chicken Salad as much as Tuna Salad. It's a milder taste compared to tuna, so the crunchy veggies and mayo/mustard come forward in flavor. My Chicken Salad recipe video will have coming back for seconds and thirds once you've had your first bite.

The ingredient list is small. I like a little fine chopped onion and celery for crunch. And those veggies are about the lest expensive ones you can find at any grocery store.

I also include a tablespoon of pickle relish. I find it at my local 99c only Store and Dollar Tree. You can add more or less veggies and relish to suit your taste. You can even leave out the veggies for a more meaty salad.

I add a little mustard with a lot of mayo for extra creamy Chicken Salad. Again, you can adjust the balance to please yourself and the family. If you don't like mustard then leave it out.

Some recipes call for the herb Dill. Again, use it if you like it, or forget about it.

All the ingredients come cheaply these days. I get dark chicken leg quarters for way less than a dollar per pound and white meat for around 99 cents per pound from Superior, my local Latin market. Dark meat is harder to filet than white meat, but after you've done it a few times it does get easier

I lightly boil or poach the chicken pieces so they stay moist. You can use any chicken you have on hand, either fresh-baked or sauteed, too. I've used leftover roasted whole chicken from the deli case of my local grocery chain store when it's on sale, usually at the end of the work week. Leave out the skin and bones. Canned chicken is fine to use, too - just drain it, like you would with canned tuna.

Poaching Video

I always can find mayo and mustard on sale. And onion and celery are some of the least expensive veggies around.

Click on any photo to see larger.

Chicken Salad is a versatile recipe that's delish between 2 slices of bread, or as an appetizer and spread on any favorite cracker. Put a big scoop on your favorite green garden salad for extra flavor and heft.

So get out the leftover cooked poultry and mix up my latest video recipe of Chicken Salad.

Chicken Salad - Video

Play it here. Video runs 1 minutes, 38 seconds.

To view or embed from YouTube, click here.

Ingredients

• 1/2 chicken breast - cooked and cubed. About 2 cups. Okay to use dark meat leg quarter (leg plus thigh.) Use leftover cooked turkey during Christmas and Thanksgiving holidays.
• 1/4 cup chopped onion - okay to add more or less to taste. I fine chopped 1/4 of a white onion. You can use any type of onion including red and green onion.
• 1/2 cup chopped celery - okay to add more or less to taste. I used one celery rib.
• 1 tablespoon pickle relish - optional.
• 1 teaspoon mustard - or Dijon mustard. I've made this salad without mustard.
• 3 tablespoons mayo - any favorite light or whole mayo. Again add a tablespoon at a time to reach your preferred creaminess.
• Salt and pepper to taste.
• 1/4 teaspoon Dill - herb can be dried or fresh. Optional ingredient.

Directions
Use boneless and skinless cooked chicken. I used leftover breast meat from a roast chicken.

You can boil/simmer chicken pieces about a half hour in seasoned water. Or, saute chicken in a little oil. Just make sure chicken is cooked all the way through - no pink or red juices.

While chicken cooks you can chop celery and onion. I like onion in salads (tuna, chicken, turkey, egg) fine chopped. For celery, I like pieces a little larger. Okay to chop veggies anyway you like.

Now time to bring it all together. Add chicken and chopped veggies to a bowl.

Mix in a tablespoon of pickle relish. Add 1/4 teaspoon of the herb Dill (optional.)

Stir in a tablespoon of mayo at a  time to reach your desired creaminess. I mixed in about 3 tablespoons. Add teaspoon of mustard. Okay to add or subtract amounts of mayo and mustard.

Finally salt and pepper to taste. Store Chicken Salad in the refrigerator. If you wait a couple of hours before serving, then all the ingredients will have time to meld and become more intense.

I like to scoop my Chicken Salad onto a toasted onion bagel. You can serve Chicken Salad with crackers as an appetizer. Add a scoop of Chicken Salad to your fave salad.

Cuban-style Black Beans - Video Recipe

Growing up in the South I had my share of beans: spicy chili beans, Tex-Mex pinto, salty boiled peanuts, tender limas, and luscious slow-simmered black-eyed and green peas with ham hock. Upon moving to Los Angeles, I eventually got around to trying Cuban-style Black Beans served at Versailles, our premier local Cuban Restaurant.

Black Beans have taken over the top spot as my favorite legume. Just check out my recipe video below and try it out sometime, and they may one day be your favorite cooked beans, too.

Cuban-style Black Beans - Video

Play it here. Video runs 2 minutes, 42 seconds.

To view or embed from YouTube, click here.

What makes Cuban-style Black Beans taste different is the addition of vinegar, wine, bell pepper and a little sugar. It's that yin and yang pull of sour and sweet flavors that make this recipe so enticing. The other ingredients are typical for slow-cooking legumes, and include: onion, garlic, dried cumin and oregano.

 I've found black beans are a little more expensive than pinto beans, but I still find them on sale at my local Latin market sometimes for less than a dollar per pound, and 99c only Stores stock one pound bags, too.

You can soak the beans overnight in water to speed up cooking by an hour or so, but it's okay to just start the pot of beans the same day, but give yourself 3-5 hours of slow-simmering time, until beans are tender. (You may want a book handy to help fill the time.)

And when they are done, you can keep them heating on low until are ready to serve. And as usual, beans reheated the next day are the best - they've had time for all the flavors to marinate to perfection.

What do you serve with my Cuban-style Black Beans? Start with steamed white rice. Make the rice following package directions. When done add to a bowl and spoon on plenty of Black Beans with the sauce -- it's simply delish.

If you are ambitious then roast a whole pork leg quarter for Cuban Roast Pork. A classic Cuban Lunch is comprised of roast pork, fried plantains, black beans and white rice. Just click here to see all the Cuban Recipes I've come up with so far.

I also make a mean Huevos Rancheros (click here for recipe) substituting refried black beans for refried pinto beans.

So put on a slow-cooking pot of my Cuban-style Black Beans and allow the kitchen to reach a steamy tropical fragrance.

Click on any photo to see larger.

Ingredients (6-8 servings)

• 1 pound dried black beans - about 2 cups.
• 1 onion - chopped
• 1 green bell pepper - chopped
• 1 tablespoon garlic - chopped
• 1 teaspoon oregano - fresh or dried.
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons vinegar - white or any favorite like: rice, red wine or apple cider vinegar.
• 3/4 cup red or white wine - I used red wine. Okay to substitute with apple juice.
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 8 cups water
• 1 tablespoon oil - for sauteing veggies
• Salt and pepper to taste - about 1/2 teaspoon total

Directions
Chop onion, bell pepper and garlic. Add tablespoon of oil to pot. Saute onion and bell pepper about 5 minutes.

Stir in chopped garlic, oregano, cumin, bay leaf, sugar, salt and pepper. (If you are the type who believes simmering with salt makes the beans tough, then add salt towards the end of cooking, when beans are tender.) This is a basic Sofrito that flavors any Caribbean slow-cooked stews and beans.

Pour in wine and vinegar.

Rinse beans and remove any debris.

Finally add rinsed black beans and 8 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer. Cover and cook black beans until tender, about 3-5 hours. You can reduce cooking time by an hour by first soaking the black beans overnight. Cook to desired tenderness.

Cooking time varies with cooking temperature. A high simmer will shorten the cooking time. I go for a low simmer so the water doesn't evaporate too quickly and the beans burn - it's easier to control. You can do a high simmer, but stir and check on the water level often. Either way, check on beans and add water as needed during cooking.

As with any type of slow cooking, make sure to stir from time-to-time. Sometimes the beans will stick to the bottom of the pot, so scrape and stir before they burn.

If you like watery soup, then recipe is ready when beans are tender. You can thicken the bean sauce a couple of ways. Cook beans uncovered for half an hour or so, to reduce and thicken the liquid. Or, try mashing some beans against the side of the pot and stir to thicken.

Serve over white or brown rice. And you can serve my Cuban-style Black Beans with the other Cuban recipes listed earlier.

Hindsight
After you've made this recipe once, see if you would like to add more or less sugar next time. Same applies for vinegar. To me those are the dominate flavorings, so adjust ingredients to your palate. It's all good.

This is a vegetarian version, but you can add meat, like: a ham steak, ham hock, ham bone, or a couple slices of bacon. Put meat in the bean pot when you add the water. You might want to brown the bacon first, that way you can add as much bacon grease as you like.