Four Days of Rain + Many Vegetables = Delicious Soup!

I posted this soup on the second day of January in 2011 and it merits recycling because my house smells SO GOOD right now as I await the finishing touches on a batch of this. I have a crisper full of celery, kale, mushrooms, leeks and brussels sprouts, plus a couple of garlic cloves on the counter, so here goes.

Asian Mushroom Soup

When it is raining really hard, it's chilly, and you're in denial over the end of vacation, here's a good solution... a veryflavorful soup, full of vegetables, chicken and rice noodles.

I had some chicken broth I made after having an amazing roast chicken on New Year's Eve. But you could just use canned broth or bouillon cubes if you had to. The flavor comes from the garlic, ginger, soy sauce and mirin. If you don't currently have that in your pantry, you should... it's a great ingredient for salad dressings or just to add some tang to stir fry.

My roommate is fighting a cold, so I'm hoping the combo of ginger and garlic can do some chicken soup magic -- with a little Asian flair.

Happy New Year people. Don't be in denial -- it's gonna be a great year!

Ingredients

• 4 cups fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce (or tamari if you're gluten-free like me)
• 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 3 cups assorted mushrooms, sliced -- white buttons, oyster, shitake, portobello and crimini; if using shitake, discard stems 
• 3 cups white cabbage, cut in wedges (I didn't have cabbage, but had a stalk of brussels sprouts. Yummy!)
• 2 cups fresh udon noodles or cooked linguine (I used a package of pho noodles -- PERFECT)
• 1 cup thinly sliced green onions, with some of the green tops
• 2 cups shredded raw spinach or whole baby spinach leaves
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon mirin (sweetened rice wine) (optional)

Directions

In a large pot, combine broth, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, mushrooms, cabbage, carrots and chicken. Cover. Bring to a boil; simmer until mushrooms are soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in noodles, green onions and spinach; simmer until greens are wilted, about 2 minutes. Season.

Black Bean Soup = Happy Belly

It's Friday, I'm done with a long week, it's pouring rain, and a luxurious three-day weekend awaits... for me that means making a big ol' pot of soup to kick off a few days of nesting and resting. Ahhhhh....

So I rooted through my latest issue of Vegetarian Times, the pantry and the crisper to figure out what to make. I came up with this recipe, though I varied it according to what I had on hand (because my lands, I wasn't going out into that rain!)

CUBAN BLACK BEAN & POTATO SOUP
Serves 2-3

1 medium onion (or 1/4 cabbage, which is what I had in the crisper)
1 small red bell pepper, diced
3-4 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
2 cans black beans
3 medium potatoes, diced
1 tb vinegar (recipe calls for white wine vinegar, I used apple cider vinegar)
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp dried oregano
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp salt
2 tb diced cilantro
cheddar cheese, sour cream, salsa or diced onion for garnish

1. Sauté onion (or cabbage), bell pepper and garlic in a little olive oil over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, until vegetables soften.

2. Transfer to blender, or use my BFF Cuisinart Smart Stick to blend in the pan, and purée till smooth.

3. Add beans and some water -- purée to the consistency you prefer (I like mine on the thick side).

4. Add potatoes, vinegar, cumin, oregano, bay leaf, cilantro and salt. Simmer, covered, for at least 20 minutes.

Remove bay leaf and top with garnish. This soup would be good with crusty bread, rice, cornbread, or tortillas. Have a great long weekend!

Cold Weather = Hot Soup

When it is raining really hard, it's chilly, and you're in denial over the end of vacation, here's a good solution... a very flavorful soup, full of vegetables, chicken and rice noodles.

I had some chicken broth I made after having an amazing roast chicken on New Year's Eve. But you could just use canned broth or bouillon cubes if you had to. The flavor comes from the garlic, ginger, soy sauce and mirin. If you don't currently have that in your pantry, you should... it's a great ingredient for salad dressings or just to add some tang to stir fry.

My roommate is fighting a cold, so I'm hoping the combo of ginger and garlic can do some chicken soup magic -- with a little Asian flair.

Happy New Year people. Don't be in denial -- it's gonna be a great year!

Ingredients

• 4 cups fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce (or tamari if you're gluten-free like me)
  
• 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 3 cups assorted mushrooms, sliced -- white buttons, oyster, shitake, portobello and crimini; if using shitake, discard stems (I didn't want to venture to the store in the rain, so I used canned mushrooms... shhh....)
  
• 3 cups white cabbage, cut in wedges (I didn't have cabbage, but had half a package of sugar snap peas. Yummy!)
  
• 1 cup thinly sliced carrots (barf... I hate carrots. I peeled one into the soup for color)
  
• 2 cups chicken breast, shredded or diced
  
• 2 cups fresh udon noodles or cooked linguine (I used a package of pho noodles -- PERFECT)
  
• 1 cup thinly sliced green onions, with some of the green tops
• 2 cups shredded raw spinach or whole baby spinach leaves
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon mirin (sweetened rice wine) (optional)

Directions

In a large pot, combine broth, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, mushrooms, cabbage, carrots and chicken. Cover. Bring to a boil; simmer until mushrooms are soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in noodles, green onions and spinach; simmer until greens are wilted, about 2 minutes. Season.

(P.S. I got this years ago from the Sunday paper and saved it in my cookbook... but I found it online here.)

SUNDAY NIGHT RECIPE - for kicks

My whole schedule - heckfire, my LIFE - was thrown off by this fire, so I haven't had my wits about me to blog, exercise, sleep... sadly, I retained my capacity to eat, as usual. I even eat when I have the flu. Pathetic.

Anyway... I made something last week, pre-fire, that was so darn good and I cannot believe I'm going to admit it to you.

Recall a few posts ago ("Manna from Heaven") when I used cooking as a spiritual exercise in being grateful for what I'd been given? Last week gave me yet another opportunity with the BUTT-load of carrots we've been receiving from Fairview Gardens, our lovely CSA.

Those who know me long and well know that I am the Great Hater o' Carrots. Bleah bleah bleah. Hate 'em cooked, raw, juiced. Bleah. Yes, I am willing to eat them in carrot cake, but puh-lease, you can't even taste them -- especially with some delightful cream cheese frosting.... mmm....

But I digress. I WANT to and NEED to be thankful for how God is providing bountifully and creatively in my life these days. And for the last three weeks at least we have received a very large bunch of carrots in our weekly share from Fairview.

What to do, what to do... my housemate Ruth can only eat so many carrot sticks for lunch, and I'd already made one batch of carrot bread and while it is perfectly wonderful, my hips do not need more carrot bread...

So I was left to being a grown-up and learning how to eat carrots in a more adult fashion. I dug out a recipe from Fairview last year and forgot that this was THE BOMB to the BOMB. Yes, I'm saying, admitting, even celebrating a dish made with carrots. It is REALLY good, all you Fellow Carrot Haters out there. Try it. The texture of the soup is worth the price of admission - the recipe sheet calls it "velvety." I agree.

INDIAN SPICED CARROT SOUP WITH GINGER
1 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp yellow mustard seeds
3 tb peanut oil (I used sesame oil)
1/2 tsp curry powder
1 tp crushed ginger
2 c chopped onions
1 1/2 lb carrots, peeled, thinly sliced into rounds (equals 4 cups) (PS - I didn't have quite enough carrots, believe it or not, so I used some roasted butternut squash I had in the freezer. This quite possibly made it even better!)
1 1/2 tsp finely grated lime peel
5 c (or more) chicken or vegetable broth
2 tsp lime juice
Plain yogurt (for garnish)

Grind coriander and mustard seeds in spice mill to fine powder. Heat oil in heavy large pot over med-high heat. Add ground seeds & curry powder; stir 1 minute. Add ginger; stir 1 minute. Add onion, carrot, lime peel. Sprinkle with salt & pepper; saute until onions begin to soften - 3 minutes-ish.

Add 5 cups broth and bring to boil. Reduce heat to med-low; simmer uncovered until carrots are tender - about 30 minutes. Cool slightly. Working in batches, puree in blender until smooth. (OR IF YOU'RE REALLY FORTUNATE, use an inversion blender right in the pot!)

Return soup to pot. Add broth if too thick. Stir in lime juice, salt & pepper to taste.

Can be done one day ahead of time.

P.S. I fried some slices of polenta in a pan the next day for lunch with a tsp of olive oil, then poured some leftover soup on top of it. Glorious. I'm telling you, this soup is GOOD. Velvety, I might add.

Thursday Recipe, March 12, 2009

I'm trying to keep up the rhythm of a recipe each week... this one is fast, simple, and flexible. Sort of like me :)

This is a "oh my gosh, it's 4pm, I don't know what I'm making for dinner and I don't want to spend money eating out" dinner

EASY MINESTRONE SOUP

1 small onion, diced
2 tsp minced garlic
1 cup baby carrots, sliced into rounds or strips (I hate carrots, so I don't usually put these in)
1 medium zucchini, cut into chunks
1/2 cup fresh spinach, cut into strips (or whole leaf frozen) (I've used cabbage or kale as well)
1/2 cup yellow bell pepper, cut into chunks (optional)
1 small can beans: pink, kidney, or white (or garbanzo beans)
1 15-oz can stewed tomatoes (I buy these in 12-packs @ Costco to always have on hand)
1 can vegetable broth
1/3 cup barley (or tiny elbow macaroni, or quinoa)
1 tbsp olive oil
Cooking spray
Spices to taste (oregano, bay, basil, salt, a bit o' hot sauce, caraway seeds…)

On high heat, saute the onions and carrots in cooking spray a few minutes, stirring often. When onions begin to turn transparent, add the zucchini (and peppers) and quit stirring. Allow the zucchini to brown slightly.

Add the broth, the stewed tomatoes (undrained) and the beans (undrained). Add barley. Bring to a boil and simmer until grain is cooked. Add spinach when soup is nearly done, so it does not overcook.

This soup lasts well but thickens over time. To keep the proportions working, add more broth or stewed tomatoes. Serve with toast on the side, or if there is enough broth, tear up bread and put it in the soup.

Kohl-Whatty?

I am surprised that I got more remarks about my recipe posting yesterday than I have about the profound quotes and things.... hmm... guess it just show that we all love good food.

Yesterday I got some kohlrabi at Fairview... yes, what is that, you ask. Look it up on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kohlrabi. It's other lovely name is "German turnip." Wow, sign me up.

Hands down it is one of the most unattractive vegetables that God has created. When I was peeling and chopping it for soup tonight, I felt like I was murdering one of the characters on Monsters Inc. It totally looks like some alien being. But this recipe worked - winter comfort food, for sure.

Kohlrabi Soup

ingredients
1 1/4 lb kohlrabi (2-3 bulbs)
6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (oh gosh, why not? Live a little)
1 white onion, chopped
4 oz bacon (4 slices)
1 carrot, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped (I'll admit I put in five)
2 large potatoes, diced (I left the skins on)
salt and pepper (I put in 1 1/2 tsp salt)
1/4 c diced fresh parsley

1. Peel the kohlrabi (kill the alien!) and dice. Cook the bacon, then remove from heat for later use. Add 2 tablespoons of the oil in a saucepan, add the onion cook over a low heat for about 3 minutes until translucent, stirring continuously.

2. Add the kohlrabi, carrot, garlic, potatoes and 6-8 cups of water and bring to the boil. Dice up bacon and add that too.

3. Cook with the lid on for about 1 hour. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour into a soup tureen, add the remaining oil and serve immediately.

I would also recommend tearing up some bread and putting it in the soup. It soaks up all the flavors and makes it more hearty.