Creamy Coconut and Yellow Split Pea Soup

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon olive oil

2 carrots, chopped

2 leeks, chopped

2 Bay leaves

1 cup yellow split peas, rinsed and picked over

8 cups (1.9 L) vegetable stock

1 medium zucchini, chopped

1 small head cauliflower, chopped

2 cups coconut milk

cayenne pepper, to taste

salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

Heat the oil in a large pot on medium heat. Add the carrots, leek and Bay leaves. Stir and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the peas to the pot. Stir and cook for another 5 minutes.

Add the vegetable stock. Stir well. Bring the soup to a boil and reduce it to a simmer. Simmer the soup, partially covered, for 45 minutes or until the peas are tender.

When the peas are tender, using a whisk, whisk the soup to try to break up the cooked peas. Add the zucchini and cauliflower to the soup. Using a spoon, stir well, bring the soup to a boil, reduce it to a simmer, cover and simmer the soup for 15 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender.

Add coconut milk, cayenne pepper, salt and fresh ground black pepper to the soup. Serve.

Thai Laksa (Noodle Soup)

package of Thai rice noodles, 400 g
(280 g) 1 package firm tofu, cubed
800 ml coconut milk
2-3 tsp Thai red curry paste
4 tsp nam plaa (fish sauce)
500 mls chicken or veg stock
2 Tablespoons oil, sesame or sunflower
50 g fresh bean sprouts
1 cup fresh coriander
6 stalks spring onion, finely chopped
2 head of napa cabbage
juice of 1-2 fresh limes, plus additional lime wedges for serving
2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
1 package of fresh mushrooms (shitake, oyster)
2 cloves garlic, pressed


Place noodles in pot of coiling water for 8-10 minutes. Rinse with cold water when cooked and set aside.

Bring coconut milk to a gentle boil on medium heat. Add red curry paste and nam plaa. Stir. Add chicken or vegetable stock and reduce to simmer.


Heat oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Stir fry cabbage, garlic, onion, mushrooms and bell peppers for about 5 minutes or until soft but still bright in color. Add bean sprouts and tofu and stir fry for another minute or two.


Assemble soup by adding stir fry mixture and noodles to the pot of simmering broth. Add fresh lime juice and stir through. Remove from heat. Top with fresh cilantro and serve.


Makes 4 servings.

Minestrone Soup

Needs a bit of tweaking. Didn't have the tomato paste so broth was a bit watery. But threw in a rind of parmesan to cook some extra cheesey richness into it and that I will do again.

Ingredients: 

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 cup thinly sliced Savoy cabbage
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped basil
• 2 large stalks of celery, sliced
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 1 can chopped tomatoes, with their liquid
• 1 cup canned chickpeas, drained
• 1 cup dried fusilli pasta
• 1 can cannellini or white beans, drained
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Method: 

In a large stockpot, heat oil over medium high heat. Add garlic and onions and cook until translucent. Add broth, cabbage, tomato paste, parsley, basil, celery, carrots, bay leaf, and tomatoes with their juice and cook for 30 to 40 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Add chickpeas, pasta, and beans and simmer for another 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. 

Ladle soup into bowls and serve with Parmesan cheese sprinkled over the top.

Carrot Coriander Soup

This was deeemed new favorite soup by both members of the household, a particular victory for the girl who presently wishes to subsist on smoothies and crackers. Apologies for the metric. My source is on this side of the pond and, though I haven't yet taken to weighing everything with a scale, I've learned to eyeball a kilo of carrots here and there.

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 onion , chopped
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 potato , chopped
• 450g carrots , peeled and chopped (about 3-4 large carrots)
• 1 litre vegetable or chicken stock
• handful coriander (about ½ a supermarket packet) 

1. Heat the oil in a large pan, add the onion, then fry for 5 mins until softened. Stir in the ground coriander and potato, then cook for 1 min. Add the carrots and stock, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat. Cover and cook for 20 mins until the carrots are tender.
2. Tip into food processor with the coriander. then blitz until smooth (you may need to do this in two batches). Return to pan, taste, add salt if necessary, then reheat to serve.  Serves 4.

Vegetarian Split Pea Soup

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 large onions, chopped
1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
2 cups dried split green peas, picked over and rinsed
5 cups water
juice of 1/2 lemon (reserve the zest)

a few pinches of smoked paprika


Add olive oil to a big pot over med-high heat. Stir in onions and salt and cook until the onions soften, just a minute or two. Add the split peas and water. Bring to a boil, dial down the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the peas are cooked through (but still a touch al dente). Using a large cup or mug ladle half of the soup into a bowl and set aside. Using a hand blender (or regular blender) puree the soup that is still remaining in the pot. Stir the reserved (still chunky) soup back into the puree - you should have a soup that is nicely textured. If you need to thin the soup out with more water (or stock) do so a bit at a time. Stir in the lemon juice and taste. If the soup needs more salt, add more a bit at a time until the flavor of the soup really pops.

Ladle into bowls or cups, and serve each drizzled with olive oil and topped with a good pinch of smoked paprika and a touch of lemon zest.

Serves 4 to 6.

Mushroom Barley Soup

Ingredients

1/2 cup dried porcini mushrooms
2 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, thinly sliced
3 ribs celery with leaves, diced
1/2 cup parsley
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pound fresh porcini or other mushrooms
1 tablespoon flour
6 cups water
1 cup whole barley
2 teaspoons salt


Preparation

1. Soak the mushrooms in enough hot water to cover for a half hour. Strain through a filter. Reserve the water.
2. Coarsely chop the dried mushrooms.
3. Melt the butter in a stockpot and sauté the onion, celery, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, carrot, garlic, and fresh mushrooms until soft, about 5 minutes.
4. Lower the heat and add the flour, stirring every 30 seconds for about 5 minutes or until thick.
5. In a soup pot heat the water. Add a cup of mushroom mixture at a time to the pot, stirring.
6. Turn the heat to high, and add the reserved mushroom water (about another 6 cups of liquid) and barley. Stir well and add salt to taste.
7. Simmer, covered, for about an hour or until the barley is tender and the soup is thickened, stirring often.
8. Add additional chopped parsley, mix thoroughly, and adjust seasonings.

Potato Leek Soup

This has become my signature soup as we enter month 6 of living in Ireland. So simple and while probably ho hum when I make back in the US, here it really shines from the quality of the local ingredients. The potatoes here vary more in subtlety of flavor than I ever expected a potato to be able to vary. (Likewise oats.) A good, floury variety is ideal for the soup so that by the time everything has cooked together the potatoes disintegrate into the soup with the slightest work with a masher/ricer.

6-8 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1 large leek, diced
2-3 tablespoons salted butter
5 cups water or stock

Melt butter over medium-high heat in a heavy-bottomed soup pot. Saute leeks until fragrant and translucent. Add potatoes and water/stock and cook at a medium boil for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally. When potatoes are all tender and have started to break down, mash with a potato masher or ricer. Soup may be thinned and cooled with milk, or enjoyed as it is.

Curried Cauliflower Apple Soup

Makes about 4 cups

Ingredients

* 1/2 white onion, chopped fine
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
* 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 2 apples (I used gala, but Granny Smith was recommended)
* 4 cups cauliflower flowerets (about 1 small head)
* 3+ cups Imagine No-Chic broth
* 1/4 cup heavy cream

Preparation

In a large soup pot cook onion, garlic, and curry powder in butter over moderately low heat, stirring, until onion is softened.

Peel and core apple. Chop apple coarse and add to curry mixture. Add cauliflower and broth. Simmer, covered, until cauliflower is very tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

In a blender or food processor purée soup in batches until very smooth, transferring as puréed to another saucepan. Stir in cream and salt and pepper to taste and heat over moderate heat until hot.

Onion Confit

I decided to try my hand at my first-ever onion confit. It was slightly more laborious than I expected-- the cooking and tending time in the oven lasted exactly the duration of one itty-bitty's nap-- and when it was done I thought, "Um, OK, now what am I going to do with all of this onion confit exactly?" But turns out it is very worth it. This is a nice "staple" to have handy in the fridge. I've reached for it countless times in the past week as a surprising zazz to turkey sandwiches, in making a vinaigrette to go over a spinach salad, and as a sturdy basis for an onion and goat cheese quiche. Oh, it was meant to go with chevre. Those French know what they're doing.

The confit's swan song proved no less dazzling as I warmed about 1/4 cup of the confit with a cup of leftover roasted cauliflower in 2-3 cups of vegetable broth. Once it was all simmered together for 15 minutes or so, I buzzed it through the blender with a dash (>1/4 c) of half and half. A little dollop of creme fraiche topped it off and weee-- never again shall cauliflower languish in my fridge.

Here is the recipe for the onion confit, adapted from a cookbook called The Vegetarian Table: France.

4 T butter
5 lbs yellow onions, cut into slices 1/4-3/8 inch thick (about 7 cups)
1/4 c olive oil
8 dried bay leaves
4 T herbes de Provence
1 T freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Cut butter into several chunks and place them on 2 large baking sheets. Place baking sheets in the oven to melt the butter, about 4 or 5 minutes.
Remove the baking sheets from the oven and spread out the slices onions on them. The layer of onions should be about 1 inch deep. Tuch the bay leaves amongst the onions, the sprinkle the onions with the herbs and black pepper. Drizzle olive oil evenly over the top.
Put baking sheets back in the oven and cook the onions, turning them in the oil and butter every 10 to 15 minutes, until they have turned a light golden brown and have reduced in volume by nearly half, 1-1 1/4 hours.
Remove from oven and let cool. Transfer to 1 or more clean, dry jars and cover tightly. Store in refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Roasted Root Vegetable Potage

I love the word "potage." It makes my homey soup of whatever I happen to have going limp in the refrigerator drawer sound downright sexy. Here's what got whipped up into a creamy soup today. (The blended soup kick is partly my preference, partly a way to increase the odds that a formerly omnivorous toddler who lately prefers crackers to vegetables will consume something flavorful and nutritious.) I used some homemade chicken stock I had in the freezer, but as a most-of-the-time vegetarian, I would have otherwise made this with vegetable stock.

4 carrots, peeled and chopped into 1" pieces
4 parsnips, peeled and chopped into 1" pieces
4 turnips, peeled and chopped into 1" pieces
4 stalks of celery, chopped into 1" pieces
3/4 of a yellow onion, diced
6 cups of chicken stock
1/4 c olive oil
salt and white pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss carrots, parsnips and turnips in olive oil, reserving a little but of the oil for the soup pot. Roast for 45 minutes or until brown.

When vegetables are out of the oven, saute onion and celery in olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes, until onion is fragrant and translucent. Add chicken stock and roasted vegetables. Reduce heat. Let all the ingredients simmer together for 20 minutes or so. Transfer to blender and blend into a smooth consistency for a creamy soup. Season to taste with salt and white pepper.

Post soup note: the carrots give this soup a beautifully pale, orange color, while the sweetness of the parsnips and the pepperiness of the turnips are a great flavor pairing. I estimated the amount stock I used and so when I blended it it was still a bit thick. A little water brought it to the perfect consistency, however.

Fennel and Lima Bean Soup

1/2 a white onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 c chopped carrots
1/4 c white wine
2 c frozen lima beans, thawed
1/4 c (or more) fresh fennel, green tops and stalk, chopped
1 container of Imagine No-Chicken broth
1/2 t white pepper
1 t dried thyme
1 t dried parsley

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil in the bottom of soup pot over medium heat. When transclucent, add white on all other ingredients. Cook together for 30 minutes or so. Then transfer to a blender and process until smooth.

Carrot Ginger Soup and Sesame Dressed Salad

The soup is quick and easy.. and vegan. The salad ended up being kind of elegant in its simplicity by virtue of using a few things that I jsut happened to have on hand (hard boiled eggs, raw broccoli sticks.) Of course, it too could be vegan without the egg (although I personally love the flavor combination of egg and sesame). This made a nice, light dinner on a hot, steamy evening.

Carrot Ginger Soup

1 carton of Imagine No-Chicken broth
7-8 carrots, peeled and sliced
1/2 medium white onion, chopped
1 1/2 T grated fresh ginger (I grate a frozen piece of ginger, it's easier to handle and it dissolves as soon as it is heated.)
salt, white pepper & freshly grated nutmeg to taste
2 T sunflower oil

Heat oil in the bottom of a dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and saute until translucent. Add ginger and stir to dissolve, about 1 minute. Add broth and carrots and cook, covered, for about 20 minutes. Transfer soup to blender and puree until smooth. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste.

Makes 4 servings

Salad
2 c herb salad, or other baby greens, mix
1/4 c Trader Joe's broccoli slaw (this is basically just raw broccoli and carrots cut into shoelace-size sticks)
2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and sliced
1 T black sesame seeds

Dressing
3 T rice wine vinegar
1 T sesame oil
1 T tamari
pinch of sugar

Combine all ingredients in a jar and shake. Drizzle onto salad.

Makes 2 servings

Shittake and Beansprout Noodles

Improvising something Japanese-ish with pantry items from way back (kombu and bonito flakes) and whatever was on hand. Additionally, most of the things for this dish are available at the big chain corporate grocery store right around the corner from my house, which I hate to shop at, and seldom do, but on this particular day convenience won out.

Dashi:
1 inch chunk of fresh ginger, cut up into smaller bits
1 large spring onion, chopped
8 cups of water
2 sheets of dried kombu, rinsed
1 1/2 packages (about 5 T) dried bonito, tied up in a little steeping bag

Noodles:
1 package Nasoya Japanese style noodles
4 T black sesame seeds
4 hard boiled eggs
1 package of bean sprouts
4 T spring onion, chopped
1 package of shittake mushrooms, sliced
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 c baby spinach
3 T sunflower oil
1 T sesame oil

To make the dashi, bring water to a boil and add kombu, ginger, and onion. Cover. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add bonito and let simmer for 10 more minutes.

Boil noodles. They only take 3-5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
In a pan over medium-high heat, heat sesame and sunflower oils. Add garlic and onion and saute until translucent. Add mushrooms and beansprouts and saute for 10 minutes, or until mushrooms are cooked through and tender. Stir in spinach and cook 2-3 minutes more, until spinach is wilted but still bright green.

Serve noodles in a bowl topped with warm mushroom mixture, slices of hard boiled egg, sprinkling of black sesame seed and a ladle or two full of dashi. Tamari may be added to taste.

This made extra dashi which ought to freeze well and be useful to have on hand for future okayus or noodley brothies.

Creamy Curried Cauliflower Soup

I took the curried cauliflower recipe from this old post and buzzed it through the blender with about 3 cups of vegetable broth and 1 cup of goat's milk. It made a thick, hearty soup that is nicely spiced.

Zucchini Soup with Cinnamon, Cumin and Goat's Milk

Original recipe calls for buttermilk, but I substituted goat's milk here and it's still very yummy. The fennel seed is a pivotal flavor here.

2 1/2 c veg broth (Imagine No-Chicken broth)
1 lb. zucchini, cut into chunks
1 T olive oil
1 small onion, chopped (1 c)
1/2 t minced serrano chile, or to taste
1/2 t whole fennel seed
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1 1/2 c goat's milk
Chopped cilantro or mint, for garnish
Kime wedges, for garnish

Bring broth to a boil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add zucchini, reduce heat to low, and simmer, covered, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until zucchini is barely tender and bright green. Cool.
Meanwhile, heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onion, serrano, fennel seed, cinnamon, and cumin, and saute for 7 to 10 minutes, or until onion is soft. Cool.
Place zucchini and onion miztures into blender and pulse until well chopped but textured. Transfer to bowl, stir in milk and season with salt and pepper. Chill at least 2 hours. Serve garnished with sprinkling of cilantro and lime wedges.

Serves 4

Creamy Pea Soup

This soup is made with goat's milk as an experiment and I think the tang of the goat's milk compliments the other flavors nicely. Regular milk or soy milk could certainly be used instead. It's a fast and easy soup.

1/2 package frozen peas
1/2 onion, diced
1 box Imagine No-Chicken broth
1 t white pepper
1 t dr1ed thyme
1/2 t salt, optional
1/2 c goat milk

Combine all ingredients except milk in a deep saucepan. Bring to a boil on medium heat. Let it all cook together for 15 minutes. Then transfer to a blender and process until smooth. Add goat's milk and process until jst incorporated.
Serves 4.

Squash Bisque

Quick and easy, tweaked from the Cascadian Farm squash box...

2 t olive oil
1/2 c onion, finely chopped
1/4 c celery, chopped
1 T ginger root, minced
2 c veg stock, I used No-Chicken Broth
1 10 oz. package of winter squash, defrosted
<1/4 t cayenne pepper
1/4 t nutmeg, freshly ground
1/2 c soy milk, Silk Unsweetened

Heat oil in a medium sauce pot. Saute vegetables and ginger over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Stir squash in thoroughly. Simmer for 20 minutes until soup has thickened and vegetables are tender. Add pepper, nutmeg and soy milk.

Serves 4

Broccoli Soup

I'm counting points again to make up for the last few months spent baking instead of jogging. WW'ers should know that this one is zero points and lots of flavor. I almost creamied it up with some soy milk, but this simple, light version made a nice, comforting snack at the end of a long day.

Boil for 20-25 minutes at medium heat:
4 cups (1 box) of Imagine No-Chicken broth
1 10 oz. package of frozen broccoli
1/4 c diced onion
1 T minced garlic
1 t white pepper
2-3 t dried thyme

Then whiz through blender until smooth.

Lentil Soup

I'm so happy with how this turned out. It tastes very close to the lentil soup we've loved for years from Sultan's.

1 c chana dal lentils
1 carrot, chopped
1 potato, diced
1 tomato, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 t cumin
juice of 1 lemon
1 t salt

Wash and drain lentils. Peel and chop vegetables. Add to soup pot and cover with water, about 6-7 cups. Boil until lentils are tender, about 30-40 minutes. Transfer to blender and blend to a smooth consistency. Return to soup pot over low heat and add cumin, lemon juice and salt. Cook until flavors come together, 5 minutes. Serve with a sprinkle of sumac, wedges of lemon, and (optional) sambal olek red pepper sauce.

Hungarian Mushroom Soup

1 shallot, diced
1 leek (white parts only), diced
2 c. no-chicken broth
1 c. unsweetened Silk soymilk
1 lb. baby bella mushrooms
2 1/2 T flour
1 T paprika
1 1/2 t tamari
1 t fresh cracked pepper
3 T olive oil
1/4 c fresh dill
1/4 chopped, fresh parsley
1 T fresh lemon juice
salt to taste (a pinch)



Heat 2 T oil in the bottom of a soup pot over medium heat. Saute shallot and leek for 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and rest of oil and saute for another 5 minutes, or until mushrooms start of give up their juices and all becomes fragrant. Add dill, paprika, tamari and broth. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

In a separate bowl, whisk flour and soymilk together. Add to soup and stir well. Cover and simmer 10-15 minutes more, stirring occasionally.

Add salt, pepper, lemon juice, parsley and let heat through just before serving.

Makes 4 servings.