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Entries in Soup (23)

Tuesday
27Oct2009

Creamy Vegetable Soup Recipe

DateTuesday, October 27, 2009 at 12:23PM

A creamy pureed soup made from leftover veggies, by Jo-Anne Vaughn.

Vegetables. Photo: Zsuzsanna KiliánMost vegetable soup recipes are made from chopped veggies left swimming in a broth.  This soup uses pureed vegetables, with an optional creamy sauce for a richer version.  Pureeing the vegetables is a great way to use up some less-than-perfect finds that  may be hanging around in the vegetable bin.  Jo-Anne, the creator of this recipe, was my former neighbor, and I can personally attest to her many cooking skills.  Sadly, the neighbors I have now don’t cook (or don’t invite me over).  Jo-Anne also contributed a Cold Cucumber Soup recipe that was quite popular here in the summer, but this one is great for cooler weather.  From Joanne:  “I whipped this together yesterday in less than 10 minutes
as I was rummaging through my vegetable bin.”

Creamy Vegetable Soup Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound or more cauliflower, broccoli, or any combination of veggies on hand.
  • ½ large onion
  • 1 potato, peeled
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1 cube chicken or vegetable bouillon  

Directions:

Bring broth and water to a boil.
Add veggies and cook together for one-half hour on medium heat.
Puree with immersion blender (or transfer to processor or blender), add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve hot with croutons, crackers or bread.
Garnish with yogurt, sour cream, optional white sauce below. 

 

Serves 4

White Sauce (optional)

Melt 1½ tablespoons butter in 1½ tablespoons flour until bubbly.
Remove from heat.
Add 1 cup 2 percent milk. Whisk and return to heat.
Continue to whisk until thickened.
Add to soup and mix.
 

AuthorTrevy Thomas | Comment1 Comment | Print ArticlePrint Article
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Tuesday
06Oct2009

Beef Stew Recipe

DateTuesday, October 6, 2009 at 11:38AM

A quick and delicious recipe for stew made with steak, from Trevy Thomas.

Beef Stew. Photo: T. ThomasI had a pound of steak in the refrigerator, and needed to make something that could hang out overnight, quickly reheat the next day, and still be really delicious.  This steak recipe exceeded my expectations.  It has been proclaimed “The Best Stew Ever.”  It would also be a perfect thing to keep simmering on the stove while passing out Halloween treats to visiting trick-or-treaters.  The way your kitchen will smell, they might want something more than candy.

Steak Stew Recipe

  • 1 pound steak (or stew beef), cubed into 1” pieces
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • Salt, pepper & cayenne
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1 cup water (or wine)
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 green or red pepper, chopped
  • 1 tomato, chopped & salted, with juice
  • 1” piece ginger, grated
  • 3/4 cup baby Portobello mushrooms, chopped
  • 4-5 small fingerling potatoes, cubed
  • 4 cups water
  • 2 bouillon cubes (vegan are good)
  • 1 splash each: Worcestershire, soy & balsamic vinegar
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1/2 cup broccoli florets

 Directions:

  1. Toss steak cubes in flour that has been seasoned with a generous dose of salt, pepper and cayenne.  
  2. Heat oil in a stockpot until shimmering, then add beef.  Brown well on both sides.  Remove beef from pot and let drain on a paper towel-lined plate.  
  3. Add 1 cup water (or wine, or a mixture of both) to hot stockpot and scrape up browned bits from bottom.
  4. Add onion, garlic and peppers and cook for a few minutes.
  5. Add tomato with its juice, ginger, mushrooms and potatoes.  Stir to combine.
  6. Add water and bouillon cubes.  Stir.  Bring to boil.
  7. Add Worcestershire, soy & balsamic vinegar.  Reduce heat to low.  
  8. Return beef to pot and simmer one-half hour.
  9. Stir in broccoli and thyme during last ten minutes.  Serve with good bread.
Beef Stew on Foodista
AuthorTrevy Thomas | CommentPost a Comment | Print ArticlePrint Article
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Sunday
02Aug2009

Cold Cucumber Soup Recipe

DateSunday, August 2, 2009 at 1:50PM

Cucumbers. Photo: Shannah PaceThis cold cucumber soup recipe showed up in my email box just in time.  Our garden is overflowing with cucumbers and yellow squash (which I’m totally tired of).  So when my husband said, “The cucumbers are going to start rotting,” I told him I just needed to make a cucumber soup.  Poof, that same afternoon, my friend, Joanne, sent me a recipe.  She must have the same problem at her house.  I’ve been trying to get her to become one of our regular Home Cooks, so this is a good sign.  From Joanne:  “On a very hot summer day I decided to convert a hot cucumber bisque receipe full of cream and butter to this low-cal delicious alternative.”  We’re making it this afternoon.  I’m going to try further reducing the fat by replacing most of the butter with olive oil, and I’m hoping Joanne isn’t shaking her head at me.  Happy summer.

Cold Cucumber Soup Recipe

by: Joanne Vaughn

  • 2 -3 medium cucumbers, peeled and cut into medium pieces
  • 2 white onions, peeled and cut into medium pieces
  • 4 Tbs Smart Balance or butter
  • 3 cups or more, chicken broth, (Swansons, homemade or vegetarian)
  • 1 cup plain, low fat or nonfat yogurt
  1. Heat butter in a 3 quart pan, add onions and cucumbers to melted butter.
  2. Stir occasionally over low heat for 10/15 minutes.
  3. Add broth and cook at low simmer for 15/20 minutes.
  4. Cool. Puree in glass blender or with handheld blender until seeds disappear
  5. (no need to strain). Add salt and season to taste.
  6. Chill and add +/- 1 cup plain, low fat or non-fat yogurt and
  7. stir until well mixed. Chill, garnish with mint or dill and thin cucumber slices.
Cold Cucumber Soup on Foodista
AuthorTrevy Thomas | Comment2 Comments | Print ArticlePrint Article
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Friday
24Apr2009

Green Garlic Soup and Pea Shoot Salad

DateFriday, April 24, 2009 at 8:50AM

Recipes for Dreamin' Green from Heather Forsyth


Soup and Salad 022 The farmers market is open, the farmers market is open!  This little piggy went to market and came home with bunches of fresh green garlic and a bag of sweet pea shoots and visualized whirled....okay, I'm a bit delirious about gresh greens!  Find your local farmers market and go get some goods!  Mostly what you'll find this early, depending on where you live, are fresh greens like arugula and spinach, also radishes, green garlic, spring onion, herbs, and bedding plants to take home so you can have your own homegrown tomatoes this Summer.  Green garlic and pea shoots are two wonderful things that you can only get for a couple of weeks, so get them now!  Green garlic is mild and tender, it looks like a scallion but tastes more like a shallot.  It's great in stir-fries, soups, eggs, almost anything.  Pea shoots are the fresh tender leaves from pea vines.  They're beautiful!  And unlike most greens, they're not fragile, so you can eat a dressed salad the next day and still find it fresh and crispy.


Green Garlic Soup Recipe (Serves 4)


Ingredients:Soup and Salad 025



  • Big bunch of green garlic (6-8 shoots), cleaned and sliced, the white part from the root up and about 4" of the green stems

  • 3 T. butter

  • 2 T. chopped onion

  • 4 small potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters

  • 3 c. vegetable broth

  • salt and pepper

  • splash of lemon juice

  • 4 big T. yogurt

  • a T. or so fresh chives, chopped, for garnish


Directions:



  1. Melt 3 T. butter in soup pot.  Add green garlic and onion and saute for a few minutes.  Add potatoes, stir them around a minute or two more, then add the broth and salt and pepper. Simmer until everything is very soft, about 20 minutes.

  2. Cool briefly, then lift the vegetables from the pot, reserving the broth, and puree in food processor, blender, or food mill until smooth.

  3. Return puree to pot with broth.  Stir it all up, add a splash of lemon juice, taste and adjust the seasonings, and get it nice and hot.

  4. Serve in bowls with a dollop of plain yogurt and sprinkle of fresh chives.


Pea Shoot Salad Recipe


Ingredients:



  • 1 bunch of fresh pea shoots

  • 8 slices bacon, diced, fried crisp, and drained

  • 10-12 shavings from a hunk of parmesan cheese

  • vinagrette dressing (whisk together balsamic vinegar, olive oil, tsp. of dijon mustard, smidge of honey, salt and pepper)


Directions:



  1. Fill the sink with cold water, plunge in the pea shoots, swish them around, lift, drain, and blot dry with kitchen towel.

  2. Whisk together dressing in bottom of salad bowl, add pea shoots, toss.

  3. Add bacon and parmesan and toss some more.

  4. Eat.


Soup and Salad 027


Soup and Salad 026

AuthorHeather Forsyth | Comment2 Comments | Print ArticlePrint Article
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Monday
23Mar2009

Easy Minestrone with Pesto Toast

DateMonday, March 23, 2009 at 5:10AM

By guest author, Heather Forsyth.


Minestrone 001


We had guests for dinner Saturday night, one of whom is a vegetarian, so I had fun creating a meatless menu for the first time in awhile, since I became omnivorous almost a year ago.  We started with asparagus (served with egg, toast crumbs and capers), continued with homemade mushroom ravioli with brown butter sage sauce and roasted beets, then this light but very flavorful version of minestrone soup.  After tongues wagged dry over more wine, we ended with individual chocolate souffles.  Most of this menu is not for quick cooks, but the soup got rave reviews, and mostly cooked itself, so I thought I'd post the recipe to share.  It's a nice seasonal segue soup as it relies on root and canned vegetables, but early spring greens for the pesto.  It makes six servings, but you can make fewer servings at a time by making just as much pesto toast as you need.


Minestrone Soup with Pesto Toast



  • 4 T. olive oil
  • 1/2 onion, chopped
  • 2 stalks celery, chopped
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 2 small, red-skinned potatoes, cubed
  • handful of raw shredded cabbage
  • 1 15 oz. can small, white beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 14 oz. can stewed tomatoes
  • 1 T. tomato paste
  • 4-5 c. vegetable broth
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 T. fresh parsley, minced
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 6 slices of coarse crumb bread, about 1/2" thick, toasted
  • 6 T. Pesto (recipe below)


In a soup pot over medium heat, warm olive oil and add onion, celery and carrots, saute for a few minutes until vegetables begin to relax.  Add potatoes, cabbage, tomatoes, tomato paste, beans, 4 cups of stock and about a teaspoon of salt to the pot.  When it's quite hot, but not boiling, reduce heat, cover and simmer gently until vegetables are just tender (this may take 60-90 minutes depending on your stove).  Add garlic and parsley, additional salt and pepper to taste, and additional vegetable broth, if needed.  You want this soup to be fairly brothy as the toast will soak up some of the broth.  Simmer for about 5 minutes more.  Spread 1 T. pesto on each slice of toasted bread.  Ladle soup into wide bowls, top with pesto toast, and serve.


Pesto:  2 c. bitter greens, packed (I used a mixture of mostly arugula, with some spinach), 6-8 T. olive oil, 1/2 c. toasted walnuts, 6 cloves of roasted garlic, 1/2 c. parmesan.  Place the garlic in their skins in a heavy skillet over medium heat for several minutes until skins begin to brown and cloves soften.  Cool and remove skins.  Place all ingredients and 6 T. of olive oil in food processor and blend.  Check for consistency; if it seems to thick add additional olive oil until it becomes spreadable.  If you don't want to bother roasting the garlic, you can use raw, but I'd use 3 cloves instead of 6, at least to start.

AuthorHeather Forsyth | Comment3 Comments | Print ArticlePrint Article
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