Carrot Ginger Soup

Adapted from Fine Cooking Magazine 

Ingredients:

2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 medium white onion, diced
1 leek, thinly sliced (about 1/3 cup)
2 stalks of celery, diced
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger (about a 2 inch piece of ginger)
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp course sea salt
5 cups low sodium vegetable broth
4 tbsp orange juice
1-3/4 lb. carrots, peeled, quartered lengthwise, and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/4 cup thick yogurt, preferably Greek
Ground black or white pepper, to taste
Juice from 1/2 medium lime
1/3 cup chives or green onions, thinly sliced

Instructions:

In a 4- to 5-quart saucepan or Dutch oven, heat the vegetable oil over medium-low heat. When hot, add the onions, leeks, celery, ginger, garlic, and a pinch of kosher salt. Stir well, cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the aromatics are softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in 1 tsp salt. Add the carrots, vegetable broth, and orange juice, stir well, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are very tender and the soup is full-flavored, 7 to 20 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and let the soup cool for 5 minutes. Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender (fill the jar no more than half full and vent the lid, topping it with a folded kitchen towel to prevent hot splashes). Wipe the pan clean and put the soup back into the pan. Add the yogurt and lime juice. Season the soup with salt and pepper. Taste the soup and adjust the seasonings with more salt, pepper, or lime juice as needed. Ladle into 8 soup bowls and garnish each serving with 1 to 2 tsp. chopped chives.

Dal: Indian Spiced Red Lentil Soup with a Kick!

Since moving to San Francisco, Indian cuisine has become one of my favorite genres of food. Everything about Indian food makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside and gets my tummy grumbling away. Chicken Tikka Masala and Palak Gosht, a super hot (I'm talking 4 jalapenos with seeds kind of hot) lamb and spinach dish are two of my favorites; both I have successfully recreated at home with much fanfare. Dal is something I always enjoy whenever an Indian restaurant visit is upon me, but it's not something I had been able to find a recipe for that didn't require me to visit an Indian grocery store. Then while perusing the Food Network website the other day, I came across a Dal recipe created by Wolfgang Puck. I made several alterations to the recipe, but what I ended up with came out quite tasty and fragrant...just ask my coworkers who every day this week have asked me "Ooooh something smells good, what are you eating?"

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups diced onions
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 jalapeno peppers, cored, seeded and minced (I like my dal spicy, so I left the seeds in from 1 of the jalapenos)
1 tablespoon cumin seeds, toasted and crushed
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cups red lentils
2 tablespoons finely minced ginger
2 tablespoons Garam Masala (an Indian spice blend that can be found at specialty stores - I like the one from Penzeys)
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon sugar
1 bay leaf
1 cup diced tomatoes
3/4 tablespoon rice vinegar
32 ounces low-sodium chicken broth

Instructions:
1. In a large pot, melt the buttter and stir-fry the onions just until wilted, do not brown.
2. Add the garlic, jalapeno, cumin, lentils, ginger, garam masala, salt, pepper, sugar and bay leaf. Saute for 1 to 2 minutes, until you can smell of the spices fills your kitchen.
3. Add the tomatoes and deglaze with the vinegar.
4. Add the chicken broth, bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer and cook until lentils are tender, stirring occasionally.

Servings: Makes about 6, 1 1/2 cup (~13 oz) servings

It's cold, it's raining, it's time for SOUP!!!

I've lived in San Francisco for the past 3 years and somehow every year I manage to forget that when January rolls around, it basically rains for 2 months straight. Now, I am not a huge fan of standing outside umbrella-less in the rain, but I do enjoy snuggling up on the couch with a warm blanket and big bowl of hot soup. Homemade soup is relatively easy to make, the prep time required is often a minimal 20-30 minutes (depending on the amount of veggies needing to be chopped or diced) and most of the cooking time consists of effortless, occasional stirring of a simmering pot of soup. The best part about all of the following soups is that they freeze well and reheat beautifully after an overnight refrigerator thawing. Try a few of them out. My favorites are the Brazilian Black Bean and the Minestrone. Enjoy!

All of the following recipes are based on versions created by Mollie Katzen. I have altered or adjusted some of the ingredients in each recipe.


Brazilian Black Bean Soup
The orange juice and cumin in this soup give it an incredible, tropical flavor.

Ingredients:
2 cups dry black beans, soaked in plenty of water overnight
4 cups water
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 cups chopped white onion
10 garlic cloves, minced
2 1/2 tsp cumin
2 tsp salt
1 medium carrot, diced
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
1 1/2 cups orange juice
3/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Instructions:

1. Place the soaked bean in a large soup pot (3 quarts or larger) with all of the water. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer until tender (about 1 1/4 hours)
2. Heat olive oil in a medium-sized skillet. Add onion, garlic, cumin, salt, and carrot. Saute over medium heat until the carrot is just tender. Add the bell pepper. Saute an additional 10-15 minutes. Add this mixture to the beans.
3. Stir in the orange juice, black and cayenne pepper.
   
4. Puree about 2/3 of the soup in a food processor or blender and then return the puree to the soup pot. Simmer over very low heat 10-15 minutes. Optional: serve with cilantro and fresh salsa.

Servings: Makes 6, 1 1/2 cup (~13oz) servings
Nutrition facts (per serving): 312 calories, 4 g fat, 796mg sodium, 56.3g carbohydrates, 12g fiber, sugars 10.4g, protein 15.8g.


Cream of Tomato
The cloves give this soup a unique flavor. It is unlike any other tomato soup I've had.

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp celery seed OR 1 medium stalk of celery, diced
1/2 tsp ground cloves
2 Tbsp flour
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes, pureed
1 tsp honey
1 cup skim milk

Instructions:

1. Heat the oil in a large soup pot. Add onions, bay leaves, salt, pepper, celery seed, and cloves and saute over medium heat until onion is soft and translucent (~10 minutes).
   
2. Using a whisk, stir constantly as you sprinkle in the flour. Stir continuously and cook 5 more minutes.
3. Stir in the tomatoes and the honey. Cook over medium heat for 15 more minutes, stirring frequently to avoid sticking.
   
4. Turn the heat to a simmer and drizzle in the milk. Remove the bay leaves and serve immediately.

Servings: Makes 6, 1 cup (~8oz) servings
Nutrition facts (per serving): 86 calories, 2g fat, 480mg sodium, 14g carbohydrates, 3g fiber, sugars 8g, protein 3g.

Minestrone
Delicious! I never knew soup could taste this good.

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 stalks celery, minced
1 medium carrot, diced
1 small zucchini, diced
1 tsp oregano
3/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp basil
1 medium bell pepper (any color)
3 cups water
14 1/2oz can tomato sauce
1 cup canned kidney beans (you can use fresh, but you must cook them first)
1 cup dry whole wheat pasta shells (or any other shape you like)
1/2 cup freshly minced parsley
parmesan cheese

Instructions:

1. Heat olive oil in large soup pot. Add onion, garlic, and salt. Saute over medium heat for 5 minutes, then add celery, carrot, oregano, pepper, and basil.
2. Cover and cook over very low heat for 10 minutes.
3. Add bell pepper, zucchini, and water. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Add beans and simmer 5 more minutes.
4. Bring the soup to just boiling. Add pasta, stir and cook until pasta is tender (~12 minutes). Serve topped with parsley and parmesan.

Servings: Makes 6, 1 1/2 cup (~12oz) servings
Nutrition facts (per serving): 210 calories, 5.3g fat, 953mg sodium, 33.5g carbohydrates, 8.3g fiber, sugars 7.5g, protein 9.8g.

Fresh Corn Chowder

This recipe was created by Mollie Katzen and is included in her cookbook, The Enchanted Broccoli Forest. It is incredibly delicious as-is, the only alteration I made was increasing the amount of celery as it gives the soup a fresh, crisp flavor. Everyone loves this chowder. Even Pablo the dog (posing here with the final product) can't resist the delicious scent that fills our house whenever I make this soup!

Ingredients:
1 medium potato, peeled and diced small (about 2 cups diced)
2 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 cups minced onion
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 medium stalks celery, finely minced
1 small red bell pepper, finely minced
5 cups (approximately 4 to 5 cobs' worth) fresh white corn
White pepper to taste
3 tablespoons minced fresh basil
1 cup skim milk, at room temperature

Instructions:

1. Combine the potatoes and water in a small pot. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer, cover, and cook until potatoes are tender. Set aside.
2. Melt the butter in a large soup pot. Add the onion, thyme, and salt, and cook over medium-low heat, stirring. After about 5 minutes, add celery. Five minutes later add the cooked potatoes with all their liquid, the red bell pepper, the corn, and a few shakes of white pepper. Stir well, cover, and reduce heat. Cook quietly for about 5 minutes longer.
3. Using a food processor, purée about half the solids in some of the soup's own liquid. Return this to the soup pot, and let it rest until serving time.
4. Stir in the basil and milk about 10 minutes before serving time. Heat the soup to serving temperature. Serve immediately.