Threw this together yesterday afternoon out of the remnants in my fridge. It was so darn tasty and easy to make, it pretty much made my day!
Ingredients:
2 tbs olive oil
1 leek, chopped (white and pale green part at bottom of stalk)
1 bunch of kale (purple or tender italian variety is best), removed from stalk
6 cups of high quality broth (either make your own or get the boxed stuff)
2 cans of kidney beans, rinsed
salt and pepper to taste
chunk of Pecorino (or other hard romano) cheese
Heat the olive oil in a soup pot and add the leeks. Stir on medium high heat until they begin to cook down and brown a bit. Add kale and beans and broth and continue cooking on medium heat until the kate is bright green and tender enough to eat with a spoon.
Pull of the heat, add salt and pepper to taste and shred a little cheese on top to serve. We had this soup with a bit of garlic rye toast and some roasted veggies (yams, beets and white onion with olive oil and fresh herbs under the broiler until tender and then salt and pepper to taste. Pretty darn tasty.
Serves about 4.
Showing posts with label Soups. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Soups. Show all posts
Sunday, April 03, 2011
Saturday, April 02, 2011
Spicy squash soup
This one is for Kathy!
Ingredients:
3 tbs olive oil
2-3 garlic cloves
1 red chili pepper, chopped finely
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 lb of cooked squash (pumpkin, acorn or butternut)
1 tbs brown sugar
1 1/2 cups of vegetable stock
1 tsp of lemon juice
1 can of coconut milk
salt and pepper to taste
chopped cilantro
Heat olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan. Cook the chili pepper, garlic and cumin seeds, stirring often for about 2 mins. Add the squash, sugar and vegetable stock and cook on medium heat for 10-15 minutes.
Once soup is fully heated through, remove from soup from heat and process with an immersion blender until squash is fully pureed. Stir in coconut milk and lemon juice and return to simmer on low heat. One soup is fully warmed, remove soup from heat, and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with fresh cilantro on top.
Serves about 4.
Ingredients:
3 tbs olive oil
2-3 garlic cloves
1 red chili pepper, chopped finely
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 lb of cooked squash (pumpkin, acorn or butternut)
1 tbs brown sugar
1 1/2 cups of vegetable stock
1 tsp of lemon juice
1 can of coconut milk
salt and pepper to taste
chopped cilantro
Heat olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan. Cook the chili pepper, garlic and cumin seeds, stirring often for about 2 mins. Add the squash, sugar and vegetable stock and cook on medium heat for 10-15 minutes.
Once soup is fully heated through, remove from soup from heat and process with an immersion blender until squash is fully pureed. Stir in coconut milk and lemon juice and return to simmer on low heat. One soup is fully warmed, remove soup from heat, and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with fresh cilantro on top.
Serves about 4.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Smoky Split Pea Soup
It was really poopy out the other night and so I was inspired to make this tasty soup. It turned out really great!
Ingredients:
-1 pound of applewood smoked natural turkey or ham bacon (the ethical stuff)- to make vegetarian you can omit and add olive oil and liquid smoke
-1 medium red onion, chopped
-2 cups of split peas
-8 cups of water
-2-3 stalks of celery, chopped
-1 leek, chopped
-2 boullion cubes
-1 ancho chili, chopped
-salt and pepper to taste
-1-2 tbs butter or olive oil
-2-3 garlic cloves
In large heavy bottomed soup pot, add chopped bacon and cook on medium heat until lightly browned but not crisp.
Add split peas and water. Stir. Cover and allow to cook for one hour.
In a separate cast iron pan, heat your butter or oil and add onions cooking 3-4 minutes until slightly translucent. Add garlic, celery and leeks and turn heat to low. Cook 20-30 minutes on low heat, stirring to keep from sticking and adding additional oil/butter as needed.
Once peas have been cooking about one hour, add contents of skillet to pot. Also add boullion and chili. Continue to simmer, covered for another hour or so, until the soup is fully incorporated and has a nice thick pea soup consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with toasty garlic bread!!
This should make enough soup for 4-6 people.
Ingredients:
-1 pound of applewood smoked natural turkey or ham bacon (the ethical stuff)- to make vegetarian you can omit and add olive oil and liquid smoke
-1 medium red onion, chopped
-2 cups of split peas
-8 cups of water
-2-3 stalks of celery, chopped
-1 leek, chopped
-2 boullion cubes
-1 ancho chili, chopped
-salt and pepper to taste
-1-2 tbs butter or olive oil
-2-3 garlic cloves
In large heavy bottomed soup pot, add chopped bacon and cook on medium heat until lightly browned but not crisp.
Add split peas and water. Stir. Cover and allow to cook for one hour.
In a separate cast iron pan, heat your butter or oil and add onions cooking 3-4 minutes until slightly translucent. Add garlic, celery and leeks and turn heat to low. Cook 20-30 minutes on low heat, stirring to keep from sticking and adding additional oil/butter as needed.
Once peas have been cooking about one hour, add contents of skillet to pot. Also add boullion and chili. Continue to simmer, covered for another hour or so, until the soup is fully incorporated and has a nice thick pea soup consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with toasty garlic bread!!
This should make enough soup for 4-6 people.
Tuesday, February 01, 2011
Parsnip and Pear Soup with Arugula
This is a fabulous soup that we made the other night to use up these monster sized parsnips and delicious ripe pears that came in our veggie box. It was great on a winter evening, but would also be a fantastic main dish served chilled in the summer! You can easily omit the half and half to make this a vegan dish.
Ingredients:
1/2 white or red onion, chopped
1 medium turnip, peeled and chopped
1 extra large (or 2 medium sized) parsnips, peeled and chopped
1 medium golden beet, peeled and chopped
1 tbs of olive oil
4-6 cups vegetable broth (plus 1-2 cups more)
1/2 cup of dry white wine
6 cloves of sprouted garlic, chopped (tops and roots included- if you don't have sprouted garlic use 2 cloves of regular garlic + 2 tbs of chives)
dash of Braggs seasoning
salt and course ground black pepper to taste
2 ripe pears, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup half and half (or substitute 1 percent milk to make a lighter version)
1-2 handfuls of fresh arugula
In a heavy soup pot, heat the olive oil and cook the onions for 1-2 minutes on medium high heat until they begin to brown. Then add the garlic and turn the heat down, cooking mixture 2-3 minutes longer until the onions become translucent.
Add the chopped root vegetables (parsnips, beet and turnip) and stir until fully coated with onions and oil mixture. Turn heat up again and cook another 5 mins, stirring occasionally so that vegetables begin to brown but do not burn.
Add the white wine and turn down the heat to simmer. Cook the vegetables on medium low heat, adding broth as needed to keep from them sticking on the bottom, until they are fully soft and pierce easily with a fork. This should take about 30 mins. Add the remaining broth (3-4 cups) to mixture and remove it from the heat. Let the soup cool slightly.
Using a food processor or immersion blender, begin to puree the soup so that all the chunks of vegetables are gone. Add pears and half & half and process the soup further until it is fully pureed. If needed, add extra vegetable broth as needed to achieve a thinner soup-like consistency (if it looks like like baby food it is too thick). Add salt, pepper and Braggs to taste.
Serve the soup in bowls with a handful of fresh arugula and lots of cracked pepper on top. A hot loaf of crusty bread makes it a meal!
This recipe should serve about 4 people as a main dish.
Wednesday, January 05, 2011
Garlicky Udon and tofu soup
Delicious!!! This one was one of those spur of the moment meals that came out so tasty we just had to blog it!
Ingredients:
1 pound of tofu, sliced into chunks
1 package of Udon noodles (uncooked)
6 cups of water (to cook noodles)
8 cups of water (for broth)
4 heaping tbs of miso paste
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 head of cauliflower, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp chili flakes
1-2 handfuls of fresh spinach, washed and stems removed
2 tbs of olive oil
Tofu Marinade:
Mixture of 1/2 water and 1/2 low sodium soy sauce
4 cloves garlic, crushed
Place the tofu slices in a dish and cover with marinade mixture. Place in refrigerator and leave to soak from 30 mins to overnight.
Remove tofu from marinade and place in the oven under the broiler on low heat, turning once so that the tofu becomes slightly browned on both sides.
While tofu is cooking, heat the water in two pots, one for noodles and one for broth. Once the noodle pot is boiling, add the Udon and cook for 13 mins or so, until the noodles are fully softened.
In a big fry pan heat the oil and add onions, garlic and cauliflower. Cook on medium heat, stirring often. After 5-10 minutes, once the cauliflower is begins to soften, add the mushrooms and turn the heat down to low.
In the broth pot, add miso paste and some of the tofu marinade mixture to taste until a rich broth is created. Stir well so that miso is fully dissolved.
Add onion and cauliflower mixture to the soup pot and add chili flakes to taste.
Once noodles are fully cooked, rinse with cold water and strain. Place single servings of noodles in the bottom of large bowls. Add a handful of fresh spinach, 2-3 slices of tofu, and ladle soup mixture on top until bowl is filled and dig in!
This recipe should make enough for about 3-4 people (depending on how hungry).
Ingredients:
1 pound of tofu, sliced into chunks
1 package of Udon noodles (uncooked)
6 cups of water (to cook noodles)
8 cups of water (for broth)
4 heaping tbs of miso paste
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 head of cauliflower, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp chili flakes
1-2 handfuls of fresh spinach, washed and stems removed
2 tbs of olive oil
Tofu Marinade:
Mixture of 1/2 water and 1/2 low sodium soy sauce
4 cloves garlic, crushed
Place the tofu slices in a dish and cover with marinade mixture. Place in refrigerator and leave to soak from 30 mins to overnight.
Remove tofu from marinade and place in the oven under the broiler on low heat, turning once so that the tofu becomes slightly browned on both sides.
While tofu is cooking, heat the water in two pots, one for noodles and one for broth. Once the noodle pot is boiling, add the Udon and cook for 13 mins or so, until the noodles are fully softened.
In a big fry pan heat the oil and add onions, garlic and cauliflower. Cook on medium heat, stirring often. After 5-10 minutes, once the cauliflower is begins to soften, add the mushrooms and turn the heat down to low.
In the broth pot, add miso paste and some of the tofu marinade mixture to taste until a rich broth is created. Stir well so that miso is fully dissolved.
Add onion and cauliflower mixture to the soup pot and add chili flakes to taste.
Once noodles are fully cooked, rinse with cold water and strain. Place single servings of noodles in the bottom of large bowls. Add a handful of fresh spinach, 2-3 slices of tofu, and ladle soup mixture on top until bowl is filled and dig in!
This recipe should make enough for about 3-4 people (depending on how hungry).
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Coconut Squash Soup!
This soup brings together elements of various cuisines. Its kind of a Moroccan tangine and Thai curry soup all in one. If you don't like spicy, you can leave out the chili powder and flakes and reduce the Harissa (If you do this, increase the cardamom to kick up the flavor a bit). Also, if you want to do the lowfat/low calories thing, you can leave out the coconut milk and substitute more vegetable broth.
Ingredients
2 TBS of olive oil
1 medium red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4-5 cups of squash (any kind), cooked
1-2 red peppers (roasted or fresh), chopped
1 can of coconut milk
2-3 cups of vegetable stock
1/2 tsp Chipotle chili powder (regular will also do if you don't have it but the Chipotle has a very distinct smoky taste)
5-7 small cardamom seeds(whole green pods), removed from pods and slightly crushed
3 tsp Harissa paste (true Harissa does not have tomatoes in it, but check the label).
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp salt (more or less to taste)
To cook the squash, cut in half, scoop out the seeds and place face-down on a cookie sheet. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-45 minutes until the insides are soft enough to scoop out with a spoon. You can do this up to a couple days in advance if you want. Also, cooked squash keeps really well in the freezer. If you keep some frozen squash around you can throw this soup together super fast whenever you are in a hurry for a meal!
In a soup pot, heat olive oil until fragrant and add onions. Turn heat to medium low and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook another 1-2 minutes. Once onions are fully cooked, add squash, vegetable broth, coconut milk and peppers and increase heat to medium to bring soup to a simmer.
Add Chipotle powder and cardamom to soup and cook for 20-30 minutes, until squash is very soft and coming apart.
Remove soup from heat and allow to cool slightly. Using an immersion blender or food processor puree soup until squash is fully incorporated and soup is creamy in texture, adding water or vegetable broth as needed to lighten consistency. Stir in the Harissa.
This recipe will serve 4 people as a main dish. Serve it with some crusty bread and a big salad on the side. Yum!!
Ingredients
2 TBS of olive oil
1 medium red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4-5 cups of squash (any kind), cooked
1-2 red peppers (roasted or fresh), chopped
1 can of coconut milk
2-3 cups of vegetable stock
1/2 tsp Chipotle chili powder (regular will also do if you don't have it but the Chipotle has a very distinct smoky taste)
5-7 small cardamom seeds(whole green pods), removed from pods and slightly crushed
3 tsp Harissa paste (true Harissa does not have tomatoes in it, but check the label).
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp salt (more or less to taste)
To cook the squash, cut in half, scoop out the seeds and place face-down on a cookie sheet. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-45 minutes until the insides are soft enough to scoop out with a spoon. You can do this up to a couple days in advance if you want. Also, cooked squash keeps really well in the freezer. If you keep some frozen squash around you can throw this soup together super fast whenever you are in a hurry for a meal!
In a soup pot, heat olive oil until fragrant and add onions. Turn heat to medium low and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook another 1-2 minutes. Once onions are fully cooked, add squash, vegetable broth, coconut milk and peppers and increase heat to medium to bring soup to a simmer.
Add Chipotle powder and cardamom to soup and cook for 20-30 minutes, until squash is very soft and coming apart.
Remove soup from heat and allow to cool slightly. Using an immersion blender or food processor puree soup until squash is fully incorporated and soup is creamy in texture, adding water or vegetable broth as needed to lighten consistency. Stir in the Harissa.
This recipe will serve 4 people as a main dish. Serve it with some crusty bread and a big salad on the side. Yum!!
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Kale and Lentil Soup
I know it's summer, but this week I came down with a cold and so it's time for soup anyway!
Ingredients-
2 Tbs butter
1/2 red onion, chopped
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 large carrot, halved and sliced
1 pound (more or less) of red or white potatoes, cut into small cubes
1 cup Puy (green) lentils
8 cups of rich vegetable stock (more or less)
Approx one pound of kale (any kind), chopped
1/2 cup roasted red peppers, chopped
fresh cheese to melt on top
salt and pepper to taste (I used smoked salt because it is so tasty!)
Braggs amino acids, to taste
In a heavy soup pot, heat butter and add onions. Stir on high for 3-4 minutes until onions begin to turn translucent. Add garlic and carrot and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add potatoes and lentils and stir until fully coated in butter mixture. Add stock and turn down to simmer. Cover pot and cook for about 30 minutes, until lentils and potatoes are fully cooked but not mushy. Add more stock if needed to keep a goody soup (not stew) consistency.
Remove lid and add kale and roasted peppers. Cook, uncovered, for another 5-10 minutes on low heat until kale is fulled wilted.
Season to taste with salt, pepper, and Braggs. Serve with a couple of slices of melty stinky cheese on tip and some hearty whole grain bread on the side.
This should serve 4-6.
Ingredients-
2 Tbs butter
1/2 red onion, chopped
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 large carrot, halved and sliced
1 pound (more or less) of red or white potatoes, cut into small cubes
1 cup Puy (green) lentils
8 cups of rich vegetable stock (more or less)
Approx one pound of kale (any kind), chopped
1/2 cup roasted red peppers, chopped
fresh cheese to melt on top
salt and pepper to taste (I used smoked salt because it is so tasty!)
Braggs amino acids, to taste
In a heavy soup pot, heat butter and add onions. Stir on high for 3-4 minutes until onions begin to turn translucent. Add garlic and carrot and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add potatoes and lentils and stir until fully coated in butter mixture. Add stock and turn down to simmer. Cover pot and cook for about 30 minutes, until lentils and potatoes are fully cooked but not mushy. Add more stock if needed to keep a goody soup (not stew) consistency.
Remove lid and add kale and roasted peppers. Cook, uncovered, for another 5-10 minutes on low heat until kale is fulled wilted.
Season to taste with salt, pepper, and Braggs. Serve with a couple of slices of melty stinky cheese on tip and some hearty whole grain bread on the side.
This should serve 4-6.
Wednesday, June 09, 2010
Smoky Vegan Chili
We've been making variations of this delicious tomato-free chili for a couple of years. You can vary the ingredients a lot and it will still come out great. It is very quick and easy to make and everybody loves it (meat-eaters included). If you want to use a crock pot, cook the veggies in a frying pan first and then throw it all together.
Ingredients:
2-3 tbs of olive oil
4 sticks of celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large carrot, chopped
8 cups of beans, cooked (I like a mix of kidney and black beans)
1 cup of roasted or fresh red peppers, chopped
1 tbs of mesquite seasoning mix
1 tsp of whole cumin, crushed
1/2-1 tsp of Chipotle (or regular hot) chili powder
pinch of smoked salt
2-4 cups of water
dash of Braggs amino liquids
In a big pot, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the celery, garlic and carrots and continue cooking, stirring frequently. After vegetables are softened, add beans, peppers and seasonings. Next, add just enough water to create a chili consistency (not enough to fully cover beans) and add a little Braggs to taste. Cover the pot and let the chili cook for 30+ minutes on medium heat, or as long as you want on a very low simmer (eg. crock pot).
Tips: If you want to make this recipe even more hearty, you can add some TVP (textured vegetable protein) or tempeh right before you add the water.
Once you are ready to serve it up, you can dress up this recipe with some sour cream and cilantro, or even fresh avocado slices. For a full meal, serve with some salad and fresh cornbread on the side.
This should serve about 4.
Ingredients:
2-3 tbs of olive oil
4 sticks of celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large carrot, chopped
8 cups of beans, cooked (I like a mix of kidney and black beans)
1 cup of roasted or fresh red peppers, chopped
1 tbs of mesquite seasoning mix
1 tsp of whole cumin, crushed
1/2-1 tsp of Chipotle (or regular hot) chili powder
pinch of smoked salt
2-4 cups of water
dash of Braggs amino liquids
In a big pot, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the celery, garlic and carrots and continue cooking, stirring frequently. After vegetables are softened, add beans, peppers and seasonings. Next, add just enough water to create a chili consistency (not enough to fully cover beans) and add a little Braggs to taste. Cover the pot and let the chili cook for 30+ minutes on medium heat, or as long as you want on a very low simmer (eg. crock pot).
Tips: If you want to make this recipe even more hearty, you can add some TVP (textured vegetable protein) or tempeh right before you add the water.
Once you are ready to serve it up, you can dress up this recipe with some sour cream and cilantro, or even fresh avocado slices. For a full meal, serve with some salad and fresh cornbread on the side.
This should serve about 4.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Spiced Lentil and Carrot Soup
This easy-to-make soup became a sort of old standby for us when we lived in London and had to endure terrible rainy, cold weather all the time. Living in Portland, OR, it definitely still gets the job done.
Ingredients-
1 medium white onion, chopped finely
2 tbs of olive oil
4-5 small cardamon pods, crushed
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups of red lentils
1 red pepper, chopped finely (if it is out of season, approx 1 cup of roasted red peppers chopped will do the job)
5 carrots, grated
approx 6 cups of vegetable broth
In a soup pot, heat the olive oil on medium and add the onions. Stir around and cook 2-3 minutes until they start to become translucent. Remove the black seeds from the cardamon pods and crush slightly in a mortar and pestle. Add to onions along with a little salt and pepper.
Next add lentils, pepper and carrots to the pot. Keeping the pot on medium heat, stir ingredients so that everything is coated in the oil and onion mixture. Cook another 2-3 minutes stirring constantly so that the bottom doesn't stick.
Add the vegetable broth and cover the pot. Cook 15-20 minutes until lentils and carrots are fully cooked through and the soup looks blended together. If needed, add more broth to get the right texture and consistency. (If it looks like baby food, you need more liquid).
Serves 3-4.
Ingredients-
1 medium white onion, chopped finely
2 tbs of olive oil
4-5 small cardamon pods, crushed
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups of red lentils
1 red pepper, chopped finely (if it is out of season, approx 1 cup of roasted red peppers chopped will do the job)
5 carrots, grated
approx 6 cups of vegetable broth
In a soup pot, heat the olive oil on medium and add the onions. Stir around and cook 2-3 minutes until they start to become translucent. Remove the black seeds from the cardamon pods and crush slightly in a mortar and pestle. Add to onions along with a little salt and pepper.
Next add lentils, pepper and carrots to the pot. Keeping the pot on medium heat, stir ingredients so that everything is coated in the oil and onion mixture. Cook another 2-3 minutes stirring constantly so that the bottom doesn't stick.
Add the vegetable broth and cover the pot. Cook 15-20 minutes until lentils and carrots are fully cooked through and the soup looks blended together. If needed, add more broth to get the right texture and consistency. (If it looks like baby food, you need more liquid).
Serves 3-4.
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