Lentil, Sweet Potato Soup

 This recipe came from twopeasandtheirpod. I double the veggies. 

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion chopped
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 carrot diced
• 1 celery stalk diced
• 2 small sweet potatoes peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 1/2 cups brown lentils
• 4 15 ounce cans vegetable broth
• 2 cups water
• 2 cans 15 ounce diced tomatoes
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups chopped fresh spinach

Instructions

1. 1. In a large pot, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and garlic. Saute until onion is tender and garlic is light brown in color. Add carrot, celery, and sweet potatoes. Cook until vegetables soften, about 5-7 minutes.
2. 2. Stir in the lentils, vegetable broth, and water. Add the diced tomatoes, bay leaves, thyme, and rosemary. Season with salt and pepper and stir. Cook on medium-low heat for about 35-40 minutes or until lentils are cooked.
3. 3. Add the fresh spinach and stir. If necessary, season with salt and pepper. Remove bay leaves and serve warm.

Fisherman's Stew

This is an inexpensive, easy and tasty dish. Original source here was modified for our preferences.

6 large garlic cloves, crushed in press
4 anchovy fillets, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
Salt to taste
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with liquid
3/4 cup white wine
8 oz clam juice 
3 cups water
1 pound potatoes (yukon gold or new), cut into big chunks 
1 large bay leaf
1 sprig pars 
Freshly ground pepper
1.8 lb pounds cod, cut in 2-inch pieces (could be more)
1 cup chopped parsley leaves (or more)



Place the garlic cloves and anchovies in a small bowl and mash. Set aside.

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in Dutch oven, and add the onion, celery and carrot with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring, until the onion is tender, about five minutes.

Add the pureed garlic and anchovy. Cook, stirring, until the mixture is very fragrant, about one minute, and then add the tomatoes. Cook, stirring often, until the tomatoes have cooked down a bit and the mixture smells aromatic, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Add the wine, clam juice, water, potatoes and the herbs. Salt to taste. Bring to a simmer. Turn the heat to low, cover partially and simmer 30 minutes. Taste, adjust salt and add pepper to taste.

Season the fish with salt and pepper, and stir into the soup. The soup should not be boiling. Simmer five to 10 minutes (depending on the thickness of the fillets) or just until it flakes easily when poked. Remove from the heat, stir in the parsley, taste once more, adjust seasonings and serve.

Advance preparation: You can make this without the fish up to three days ahead. Keep in the refrigerator, bring back to a simmer and proceed with the recipe.

 

Broccoli & Spinach Soup

Did this for Halloween - the kids (and adults) loved it. Change the name if you are serving to kids.

(Serves: 4 | Preparation: 10 minutes |  Cooking: 25 - 30 minutes)

Ingredients:
300g Broccoli, cut into chucks (about 1/2 of a grocery store bunch)
2 Potatoes (200g),  cubed
50g Spinach Leaves, roughly chopped (about a bag or 1/2 a bunch of medium leaves)
1 Small Onion, roughly chopped
2 Garlic Cloves, crushed
1 Knob (15g) Of Butter
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
750ml Vegetable Stock 
1/3 (90g) Cup Greek Yogurt / Light Sour Cream 
Some Crusty Bread to Serve

Saute onions &; garlic in olive oil till transparent. Add stock (water + 1 bouillon cube), broccoli & potatoes and cook until potatoes are tender.

Add spinach & butter, salt to taste & cook 2 more minutes. 

Blend

Serve with dollop of cream & bread

Summer Squash Soup

This recipe was derived from a recipe by Faith Durand.

I initially made this with yellow squash, all thought the original recipe was for zucchini.

This makes 1 1/2 quarts - appetizers for 4 or  dinner for 2

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 white onion, sliced
• 8 to 9 large cloves garlic, sliced thinly
• 4 medium squash, about 1 1/2 pounds
• 4 cups water
• 1 cube Rapunzel veggie boullion
• 1/4 teaspoon powdered ginger
• Salt and pepper
• yogurt
• chopped mint leaves

Melt the butter in a heavy 4-quart stock pot over medium heat. When it foams, add the sliced garlic and onions and cook on medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, or until the onion is soft and translucent. Keep the heat low enough that the garlic doesn't brown; you want everything to sweat.

When the onions are soft, add the squash and cook until soft. Add the broth and bring to a simmer. Simmer at a low heat for about 45 minutes.

Let cool slightly, then blend. 

Taste and season with ginger, salt and pepper. When serving, top with a dollop of yogurt and sprinkle with finely chopped mint leaves

Unike most soups, this is not significantly better after a night in the refrigerator. The flavors meld, but IMHO the soup was slightly better fresh.

Maya's Red Lentil Soup

This is a wonderful soup. Easy to make and good enough for company. The inspiration for this soup came from Madhur Jaffrey's "World Vegetarian" cookbook.
Makes 4 bowls of soup.

3 Tbs peanut oil

1.5 inch piece of ginger, peeled

8 garlic cloves, minced - 4 if crushed

1 cup red lentils

4 cups water

1 Rapunzel bouillon cube (veggie w sea salt & herbs)

10 - 15 curry leaves (or bay leaves)

1 16 oz can Muir Glen fire roasted, diced tomatoes with roasted garlic 

1/4 tsp cayenne

1 tsp mustard seeds

salt & pepper to taste

Clean, wash well & drain lentils.

Mince ginger & garlic. 

Heat 2 Tbs oil in a pot, add ginger & garlic & cook for a minute. 

Add water, lentils, & curry leaves. Cover & simmer gently until the lentils are soft (20 - 40 minutes).

Add tomatoes, bouillon, cayenne and salt & pepper. Simmer gently another 10 - 20 minutes, until the tomatoes are soft.

Optional for family, required for company: Press the soup through a sieve & return to the pot.

Heat 1 Tbs oil in a small pan, When hot, put in the mustard seeds. They will sizzle & pop, turning gray.

Pour mustard & oil into the soup. Stir & serve.

Jamacian Shrimp Curry

This is  a wonderful dish to prepare, good for family meal or company. The original recipe was shared with me by a generous work friend who often brought samples of his cooking to share.  Serve with brown basmati or jasmine rice with sliced pineapple for dessert.


Some of his cooking notes:

• For the “seafood broth” I used clam juice (I got it at Golden Produce near my house).
• For the curry I suggest using Rainbow’s organic curry in their bulk spice section – rich and more complex; I used half that, and half normal yellow curry plus about a teaspoon of allspice.
• The shrimp I got at Safeway in the frozen section — they only had one size that was raw and deveined, not an exact match to the size the recipe calls for, and it turned out fine.

 Makes 4 servings, about 2 cups each; cooking time: 40 minutes

Ingredients
   * 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
   * 1 large onion, chopped
   * 2 stalks celery, sliced
   * 4 cloves garlic, chopped
   * 1 serrano chile, minced (optional)
   * 2 tablespoons curry powder
   * 1 teaspoon dried thyme
   * 2 cups seafood broth or stock or clam juice
   * 1 14-ounce can “lite” coconut milk
   * 3 ripe mangoes, diced (see Tip)
   * 1 1/4 pounds raw shrimp (21-25 count; see Note), peeled and deveined
   * 1 bunch scallions, sliced
   * 1/4 teaspoon salt

Preparation
  1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic, chile (if using), curry powder and thyme; stir constantly for 30 seconds. Add broth (or stock or clam juice), coconut milk and mangoes. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
  2. Puree 3 cups of the soup in a blender. (Use caution when pureeing hot liquids.) Return the puree to the pot and bring to a simmer. Add shrimp and cook until pink and firm, about 3 minutes. Stir in scallions and salt.

Tips & Notes
   * Tip: To peel and dice a mango, slice both ends off to reveal the long, slender seed. Set the fruit upright and remove the skin with a sharp knife. With the seed perpendicular to you, slice the fruit from both sides of the seed, yielding two large pieces. Turn the seed parallel to you and slice the two smaller pieces of fruit from each side. Dice into desired size.
   * Note: Shrimp is usually sold by the number needed to make one pound. For example, “21-25 count” means there will be 21 to 25 shrimp in a pound. Size names, such as “large” or “extra large,” are not standardized, so to get the size you want, order by the count per pound. Both wild-caught and farm-raised shrimp can damage the surrounding ecosystems when not managed properly. Fortunately, it is possible to buy shrimp that have been raised or caught with sound environmental practices. Look for fresh or frozen shrimp certified by an independent agency, such as the Marine Stewardship Council. If you can’t find certified shrimp, choose wild-caught shrimp from North America—it’s more likely to be sustainably caught.

Exotic Mayan Stew

Get your can opener ready, this is a quick and easy soup that is a staple for those cold dreary days when you don't feel like cooking. This recipe started from one on the back of a can of Westbrae Organic Soybeans. Not for company, but perfect for family meals. Serve with nice bread or crackers & cheese. There will be leftovers.

2 Tbs olive oil
2 medium onions - diced
2 medium bell peppers - diced
2-3 jalapenos - diced
1 28 oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
2 15 oz cans soybeans - undrained (Westbrae, of course)
1 28 oz can hominy (golden or white) - undrained
3 Tbs chili powder
1 T crushed red peppers (optional)
generous grinding of toasted cumin seeds
generous grinding of black peppercorns
1 T oregano (optional)
1 tsp salt
2 cups water
2 - 4oz cans diced green chilies (optional)

Heat oil in large stockpot and saute onions and peppers until tender.
Add everything else and simmer 10 minutes or more - depending on how soon you need to eat.
Add cans of green chilies at the end.

Kale and Potato Soup with Red Chili

This recipe came from The Greens Cookbook by Deborah Madison. A wonderful book that all veggie lovers should own. The recipes in this book are from the Greens Restaurant when it was in it's hey-day. We usually make a double recipe.

The Stock
The ingredients of this soup supply plenty of flavor, so use water to prepare a simple stock using the stems of the kale.

The Soup
1 bunch kale
3 Tablespoons virgin olive oil
1 medium red or yellow onion, diced into ½ inch squares
6 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
1 small dried red chili, seeded and chopped, or ½ teaspoon chili flakes
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
4 medium red potatoes (about 1 pound), scrubbed and diced into ½ inch cubes
2 teaspoons nutritional yeast (optional)
7 cups water or stock
Pepper
Creme fraiche or sour cream (optional)

Update: Replaced onion with 2 thinly sliced leeks, sweated down in 2Tbs butter - reduced olive oil to 2 Tbs; replaced kale with collards. added 1/2 cube bouillon. Oh my, this was the BEST!

Using a sharp knife or kitchen shears cut the ruffled kale leaves off their stems, which are very tough and take a long time to cook. Cut the leaves into pieces roughly 2 inches square, wash them well, and set them aside.

Heat the olive oil in a soup pot, add the onion, garlic, chili, bay leaf, and salt, and cook over medium-high heat for 3 or 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the potatoes and the yeast, if using, plus a cup of the water or stock. Stir together, cover, and cook slowly for 5 minutes.

Add the kale, cover, and steam until it is wilted, stirring occasionally. Pour in the rest of the water or stock, bring to a boil, and then simmer slowly, covered, until the potatoes are quite soft, 30 to 40 minutes.

Use the back of a wooden spoon to break up the potatoes by pressing them against the sides of the pot, or puree a cup or two of the soup in a blender and return it to the pot. This will make a unifying background for the other elements.

Taste the soup for salt and add a generous grinding of black pepper. If possible, let the soup sit for an hour or so before serving to allow the flavors to further develop. If desired add a spoonful of creme fraiche or sour cream. Serves 4 - 6.

Chickpea and Leek Soup

One of our favorite soups shamelessly copied from Jamie Oliver who copied it from a friend who found it in some undocumented recipe book. Very tasty indeed. This is nice with roasted cauliflower.

Yield: 6

This is a recipe that my Aussie friend Bender found in some old recipe book. It is quick and easy to make and it tastes fantastic. The chickpeas go really creamy and moreish and the leeks go silky and sweet. These are just two simple flavours, and even though I?m a bit of a fresh herbs boy, this lovely light soup is very tasty.

Ingredients:

Chickpea and Leek Soup

• 12 oz chickpeas, soaked overnight in water
• 1 medium potato, peeled
• 6 leek, finely, sliced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• knob of butter
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely, sliced
• salt
• freshly ground pepper
• 850 ml chicken or vegetable stock
• 2 handful parmesan cheese, grated
• extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Chickpea and Leek Soup

1. Rinse the soaked chickpeas, cover with water, and cook with the potato until tender.
2. Remove the outer skin of the leeks, slice lengthways from the root up, wash carefully and slice finely.
3. Warm a thick-bottomed pan, and add the tablespoon of oil and the knob of butter. Add the leeks and garhc to the pan, and sweat gently with a good pinch of salt until tender and sweet.
4. Add the drained chickpeas and potato and cook for 1 minute. Add about two-thirds of the stock and simmer for 15 minutes.
5. Purée half the soup in a food processor and leave the other half chunky this gives a lovely smooth comforting feel but also keeps a bit of texture.
6. Now add enough of the remaining stock to achieve the consistency you like. Check for seasoning, and add Parmesan to taste to round off the flavours.
7. This is classy enough for a starter, but I like it best for lunch in a big bowl with a good drizzle of my best peppery extra virgin olive oil, a grinding of black pepper and an extra sprinkling of Parmesan.© Jamie Oliver 2002
   http://www.jamieoliver.com