Spicy Thai Chicken Noodle Soup

I have recently become obsessed with Pinterest. I'm probably late on this one but if you haven't joined the world of pinning, I highly recommend it. Or, possibly not, if you want to actually get anything else done. It tends to suck up a lot of time. But if you don't mind spending some extra minutes (or hours) perusing recipes, pictures of cute animals, fashionable shoes, etc. then it's definitely worth it. My boards on Pinterest focus mostly on food of course with some cute baby stuff and fancy shoes thrown into the mix. Follow me here if you're interested in checking it out!

Anyway, I made my first recipe from Pinterest last night and since I can't actually follow a recipe without adding my own spin, I decided to finally write a post and share it with you here. The original recipe is from Fitness Magazine and looks quite delicious. I just thought it lacked a little spice and seasoning so I added a few things and adjusted to my taste. As for the spiciness, you can add as much or as little as you like depending on your taste buds. I think the bit of Sriracha (Thai hot sauce) in the soup adds a great warmth without being too spicy and then any extra on top works for a true kick. Also, this made a ton of soup. We like leftovers so no problems here but you could easily cut back on the amount of broth and noodles and make less soup. When the noodles are added to the broth, they suck up a lot of liquid. If you'd like even less soupiness, this could easily become more of a stirfry than a soup by cutting back on the broth. Either way, it's a very yummy way to experiment.

Spicy Thai Chicken Noodle Soup

• 1 tbsp sesame oil (vegetable oil would also work)
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 inch piece of fresh ginger, grated
• 1 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
• 1 cup crushed tomatoes
• 2 tbsp fish sauce (or 1 tbsp soy sauce)
• 1 tbsp Sriracha
• 6 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable stock
• 12 oz bag of broccoli slaw (shredded broccoli and carrots)
• 10 oz bag shredded green cabbage
• 8 oz brown rice noodles
• 1 cup canned bean sprouts, rinsed and drained

In a large soup pot, heat oil over medium heat.

Season chicken with salt and pepper.

Add garlic, grated ginger and seasoned chicken to the hot oil, before oil starts to smoke.

Saute until the chicken is no longer pick on the outside, about 10 minutes.

Stir the peanut butter into the crushed tomatoes.

Add tomato/peanut butter mixture, fish sauce, Sriracha and stock to the pot.

Bring the mixture to a boil. (Comes to a boil quicker if you put the lid on the pot.)

Stir broccoli slaw into the soup, reduce heat back to medium and cook for about five minutes.

While broccoli is cooking, soak the rice noodles in hot water.

Drain the rice noodles and add them along with the green cabbage to the soup.

Cook for another 3-5 minutes.

Add a pinch of salt or a bit more fish stock if needed.

Turn the heat off and stir in the bean sprouts.

Top with more Sriracha, according to taste.

Print recipe here

Vegetable Gazpacho: Perfect for a Hot Summer Night

Sometimes in the summer - especially a North Carolina summer - you just don't feel like cooking. The thought of turning on a hot stove and then standing over it for 30 minutes or so sounds unbearable. But just because you don't want to cook anything, doesn't mean you have to miss out on a healthy, homemade meal. Besides, getting takeout usually involves going outside, which will probably be hotter than turning on the oven anyway. And we all know that homemade food is better for you than takeout (not that the occasional Thai takeout meal hasn't saved me during pregnancy-induced exhaustion). But making something at home is definitely the better bet when you can. Although I love me some salads, sometimes I want other options for no-cook dinners. So instead of eating vegetables tossed in salad dressing, I blended them all together and made gazpacho. This delicious, cold soup - usually made with tomatoes - fits the bill perfectly for a healthy meal that requires absolutely no heat. It's full of good for you veggies and heart healthy fats like avocado and a touch of olive oil. I served the soup with some crackers spread with a bit of cheese and had a delicious dinner that didn't cause the temperature in my house to raise one degree. I used a blender and did the pureeing in batches. A food processor would also work, just be careful to not overfill it. Most gazpacho recipes call for onion, but I don't really like the bite of raw onion so I left it out. But feel free to include a small onion or other vegetables that you like: bell peppers would also work nicely. Basically you can throw the whole vegetable garden in there and create a delicious soup that takes very little time to prepare.

Vegetable Gazpacho

• 2-3 large tomatoes, diced
• 2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded and diced; reserve 1/2 of 1 cucumber
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 1/2-1 cup tomato or vegetable juice
• 1 avocado
• 1 bunch basil, divided
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 lime
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2-1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

In a blender or food processor, chop up tomatoes, 1.5 cucumbers and zucchini. Add about 1/4 cup tomato juice to help the vegetables combine. Do this in batches if needed, making sure everything is finely pureed.
Dice the remaining 1/2 cucumber into small cubes and reserve.
Roughly chop half of the avocado and add to the blender. Cut the other half into cubes and reserve.
Chop half the basil and add to the blender. Thinly slice other half and reserve.
Add balsamic vinegar, 1/4 - 1/2 cup tomato juice, juice of half a lime, and about 1/2 tsp of salt to blender and puree until well combined. (Amount of salt will vary depending on saltiness of tomato juice).
Pour all of the pureed soup into a large bowl. Stir in diced cucumber (I like the added texture, but puree everything if you want a totally smooth soup).
Add more tomato juice if too thick. Stir in olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add more lime juice, if desired.
Soup can be served immediately or refrigerated for up to a day before serving.
Garnish each bowl with a few chunks of reserved avocado and ribbons of basil.

For a printable recipe click here

Slow Cooked Chicken and Rice Soup

I am happy to report that we are now able to enjoy all of the deliciously hot water we want, thanks to some very hard working people at the gas company. We only suffered through about a week of no hot water, but if you have ever shared a similar fate, you know that that week seems to take forever. But for the past week or so, we've been enjoying hot showers, a functioning dish washer, and a much easier method of hand washing dishes. But even with hot water, it's sometimes nice to make an entire meal that involves very little clean up. Entire meals that can be made in one pot are great for when you want something satisfying and simple. One way to get a great meal with minimal effort is through the use of the slow cooker. This is not a gadget I've spent a lot of time with, but I do have one and it certainly helps to make an easy dinner. The best part about a slow cooker is that, once you have the chopping and measuring done, all you have to do is press a button and forget about it. These meals are especially great if you have some time in the morning to get things prepared, so then it can cook all day and be ready to go when you want to have dinner. You could also prep everything the night before and simply pour it all together and hit the on switch in the morning. It's such a wonderful feeling to come home after a day of work or errands or school and know that dinner is already waiting for you. And as far as clean up goes, you probably will only have a knife, cutting board and the slow cooker pot. Doesn't get much easier than that. If you don't have a slow cooker, this soup could easily be made on the stove in a large soup pot with a lid. Set the soup on the lowest heat possible and cook for an hour or two, as opposed to 6-8 for the slow cooker. It's best to stir occasionally if the pot is on the stove since you do run the risk of burning the bottom. But it is still a relatively painless and easy to make soup, either way.

Chicken and rice soup is a great alternative to chicken noodle soup, especially for those of us who are gluten-free. But even for the noodle lovers out there, pasta can get overly mushy and fall apart when left in liquid too long. Brown rice, on the other hand, holds up nicely and only gets more flavorful the longer it's in the soup. And don't worry, chicken and rice soup can cure as many ailments as the classic bowl of chicken and noodle. (Note: I am not a doctor and don't actually know if soup cures anything, but I do know it tastes good.) The soup is also full of low fat chicken and healthy vegetables, making it a great dish if you aren't feeling well or even if you just want something healthy to balance out all the cookies and pies from the holidays.

Slow Cooked Chicken and Rice Soup (serves 4-6)

• 1 small onion, diced
• 3-4 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 3-4 celery stalks, chopped
• 2.5 - 3 cups mixed vegetables (I used broccoli and cauliflower florets)
• 1 cup brown rice
• 3 cups cooked chicken, chopped (I used 2 large chicken breasts)
• 1 cup water
• 6-7 cups low sodium chicken stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, or 1 tsp dried
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Combine all vegetables, brown rice and chicken in the pot of a slow cooker.
Pour in 1 cup water and enough chicken stock to fully cover everything.
Season with bay leaf, thyme, salt and pepper.
Cover and cook on low heat for 6-8 hours. This just gets better the longer you cook it.
Season with a bit more salt and pepper if needed.

For a printable recipe click here

Happy Thanksgiving and How To Make Homemade Stock

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! This is one of my favorite holidays. What's better than a day devoted entirely to cooking and eating delicious food with your friends and family? My mom and I spent most of yesterday cooking and preparing for the big feast today. As with any big dinner party, we like to get most of the work done ahead of time so we can actually enjoy the company of our guests. We will start the day with a Turkey Trot in my parents' neighborhood followed by an afternoon of hanging out, watching sports and getting the meal together. We usually eat around 5pm - late enough to be nice and hungry but not so late that we go into an immediate food coma afterward.

Since I'm getting ready to head over to my parents' house, I'll make this quick. I just wanted to share some tips on making homemade stock so that no one makes the tragic mistake of throwing away all of those delicious bones leftover after the turkey has been devoured. So after everyone has eaten - and before the calming effects of tryptophan have taken over your body - take all of the meat off of the bones and keep it to be used later for turkey soup or pot pie (more on that to come). Then store the bones separately to be used tomorrow morning for homemade stock. A clean trash bag works really well for this if you don't have any giant, turkey-sized Tupperware on hand. After you have those nice turkey bones all ready to go, all you need is a few simple ingredients to make a delicious homemade stock. Use it all for leftover turkey soup or freeze it for later use this winter.

Homemade Stock

• Bones of a turkey or chicken, meat, skin and fat removed
• 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
• 3-4 celery stocks, chopped, leaves removed
• 3-4 carrots, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 8-10 parsley stems, leaves removed (save the leaves for another use)
• 1 tsp whole black peppercorns
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• Water

In a large stock pot, combine bones, vegetables and herbs.
Pour in enough cold water to fully cover everything.
Bring stock to a boil and then reduce heat to low.
Simmer slowly for 4-5 hours, skimming the fat and foam off of the top every once in awhile.
The stock should be a golden color and taste like turkey/chicken.
Strain the liquid out and let it cool before storing in airtight containers in the refrigerator or freezer. This stock won't be salted like most store-bought stocks, so adjust future recipes accordingly.

For a printable recipe click here

Roasted Sweet Potato and Pumpkin Soup

To continue with my current obsession with pumpkin, I decided to combine it with two other favorites this time of year: sweet potatoes and soup. I've made pureed sweet potato soup before so I decided to change it up a bit by using a combination of pumpkin and sweet potato. In addition, I roasted the sweet potatoes ahead of time, which adds an additional layer of flavor that can only be achieved with the high heat of roasting. As an added bonus, the soup cooks a bit quicker since the pumpkin and sweet potatoes are both cooked through ahead of time. You could always roast sweet potatoes one night as a side dish and just throw in a couple extra to save for the soup. Or cook them in the morning and then throw everything together at night for a quick and healthy dinner. Since I had a small pumpkin on hand from the farmers' market, I used fresh pumpkin, but canned would also work. Just substitute 1 can of pureed pumpkin (unsweetened) for the two cups of cooked pumpkin. The spices used in the soup combine some traditional Indian spices with the flavors associated with fall and pumpkin pie. They work together to add a warmth to the soup without being at all spicy. Serve the soup with some toasted bread and you're good to go for a great, comforting meal.

Roasted Sweet Potato and Pumpkin Soup (serves 4)

• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced (about 3 cups chopped)
• 2 cups cooked pumpkin (or 1 can pureed pumpkin)
• 1 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 small onion, chopped small
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh ginger
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1/4 tsp coriander
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• Salt and pepper, to taste

To roast sweet potatoes, toss chopped potatoes with 1/2 tbsp olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook in a preheated 425˚ oven for about 30 minutes, until fork tender. Reserve in refrigerator until ready to use.

For pumpkin, slice in half and remove all seeds and pulp. Place in a baking dish, cut side down, with 1/4 inch of water. Bake in a 350˚ oven for 45-60 minutes, until fork tender. Let cool and scoop out pumpkin flesh.

Heat remaining 1/2 tbsp olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat.
Saute chopped onion and ginger until soft and translucent, but not brown, about 8-10 minutes. Season with about 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.
Stir in allspice, coriander and cinnamon and cook for another minute.
Add cooked sweet potato and pumpkin. Pour in enough stock to cover everything, should be about 4 cups.
Bring to a boil, turn heat to medium low and simmer long enough to heat everything through and let the flavors combine, about 10-15 minutes.
Remove from heat and puree with an immersion blender, or in batches, in a food processor.
Season with a bit more salt and pepper, if necessary, depending on how salty the stock is.  
If the soup is thicker than you'd like, stir in a bit more stock or milk/ cream.

For a printable recipe click here

Chicken Sausage, White Bean and Cabbage Soup

Nothing beats spending time with close friends and I got to do just that this weekend in LA. One of my college roommates is getting married in December and just had a bachelorette/ bridal shower weekend. Weddings are a great motivator to get friends together, regardless of where we all live. For this particular weekend, I got to spend time with three of my closest college friends who now live in Texas, San Francisco and LA. Considering the fact I live in North Carolina, we don't get to see each other that often. So hopefully our whole group of friends will just continue to get married so that we can all see each other on a somewhat regular basis. :) But marriages or otherwise, it is always wonderful to spend time with close friends.

This weekend was a great couple of days of relaxing by the pool, catching up and eating great food. But with only two days in LA and two long cross-country flights on either end, I was totally worn out when I got home this morning. After a short nap to try to recover from a red-eye home, I dragged myself out of bed and attempted to start my week as usual. A trip to the grocery store was, of course, in order as was trying to decide what I wanted to make for dinner. The rainy, gray day we had today, combined with being drained from the weekend, made me want something hot and comforting, without too much effort. A hot bowl of soup was exactly what I needed. Something hearty and healthy that I could feel good about eating that would also make me feel better after a long day. This soup combines the protein of chicken and beans with the healthy crunch of green cabbage. The red pepper flakes add a slight touch of heat in the background while the fennel in the sausage adds a subtle sweetness. Served with some toasted bread, it's an entire meal in one bowl that's both satisfying and comforting.

Sausage, White Bean and Cabbage Soup (Serves 6)

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium white onion, small dice (about 2 cups chopped)
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 pound mild Italian chicken sausage
• 4-5 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 15 oz can white beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 head green cabbage (I used savoy)

In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat.
Saute onions until tender, about 8 minutes.
Add carrots and continue cooking for another 5 minutes.
Season with salt, pepper, garlic and red pepper flakes; cook for another minute.
Remove sausage from casing and break into small chunks in the pot.
Toss with vegetables to brown meat, cooking for another 8-10 minutes.
Pour in stock, enough to cover everything; bring to a simmer.
Add white beans and cabbage, stirring to combine.
Simmer, covered, until cabbage is wilted but not mushy, about 10 minutes.
Generally the sausage will contain enough salt for the soup, but check seasoning and add more salt or pepper if needed.

For a printable recipe click here


Chicken Sausage, White Bean and Cabbage Soup

Sweet Potato Soup

Last Saturday's farmers' market had the feel of a fair or a street festival. The sun was shining and people came out in droves. Kids were running around on the grass, adults were enjoying samples from Chef Dave Alworth of Guglhupf, and local musicians were playing their tunes for anyone passing by. Despite being a full week into the month of October, the weather was more reminiscent of late spring or early summer with temperatures near the 90's. You would have had a difficult time convincing anyone that it is in fact fall here in Durham.

Photo courtesy of http://www.durhamfarmersmarket.com

Unless you took a close look at the produce available at many of the market's vendors. Sure there was the occasional basket of zucchini, fresh corn and summer tomatoes, all evidence of the long summer season we are blessed with in North Carolina. But more abundant were the baskets of winter squash: pumpkins of all sizes, acorn squash, butternut squash, you name it. Root vegetables joined the mix with some beets and turnips and, one of my personal favorites, the sweet potato. I love the flavors of fall and sweet potatoes embody the season better than almost any other food. They are delicious when mashed and whipped, a perfect side dish at Thanksgiving. They pair wonderfully with the fall/winter spices of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. They are naturally sweet all by themselves but are even sweeter when candied or baked into a pie. And despite their sweetness, they are actually incredibly good for you. They are full of Vitamins A & C, beta carotene and dietary fiber. But feel free to leave that out when you serve them to friends or kids. Just let them enjoy how delicious they are.

This soup is certainly no exception. It plays off the natural sweetness of the sweet potatoes by adding the spicy bite of fresh ginger and a touch of cayenne pepper. The peanuts on top not only add a crunch that contrasts with the smoothness of the pureed soup but also adds a salty note to balance out the heat. This soup would be perfect for a cool night in fall or winter but if the warm weather comes back, I promise it still tastes like fall even if it feels like summer outside. This soup would make a great starter or serve it as dinner like I did with a sauteed vegetable and toasted crusty bread.

Sweet Potato Soup (Serves 4)

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cup chopped)
• 2 tbsp ginger, peeled and chopped (from a 2 inch piece)
•  3 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped (4-5 cups chopped)
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 1/4 cup dry roasted peanuts, roughly chopped

Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat.
Saute onion and ginger for 5-8 minutes, until onion is soft and translucent.
Add carrots and season with cumin, nutmeg, cayenne, salt and pepper; saute for another 3-4 minutes until spices are fragrant.
Add sweet potatoes, stirring to combine.
Pour in enough stock to just cover the vegetables.
Bring the soup to a simmer and cover, cooking until the vegetables are very tender, about 15 minutes.
Remove the soup from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Puree the entire pot either with an immersion blender or, in batches, in a food processor.
If the pureed soup is too thick, add a bit more stock.
Adjust the seasoning if necessary and reheat slightly if soup cooled significantly.
Serve garnished with 1 tbsp of peanuts.

For a printable recipe click here



Sweet Potato and Ginger Soup

Cucumber Gazpacho

Recently my mom was given a full bag of beautiful garden grown cucumbers. Unfortunately, my mom does not like cucumbers so there was no way she could use them all even if she just fed them to my dad. Lucky for me, she handed the bag over to me to come up with some creative way to use all of those cucumbers. Although I like cucumbers in salads and mixed with tomatoes and feta, I didn't think I could use them all that way before they started to go bad or I started getting sick of them. So instead, I decided to make a cold cucumber soup of sorts. I love all different types of gazpacho, which are cold soups generally based around tomatoes. After a quick search on Epicurious, I found a recipe that I liked enough to use as a base and went from there.

To be honest, I didn't have very high hopes for this soup as I was making it. I don't have a food processor or blender (I'm holding out for a possible wedding present!), which would have made this much easier. Instead I used an immersion blender, causing a fair amount of splatter. I was also afraid there wouldn't be enough flavor since cucumbers are pretty mellow on their own. However, the cool and creamy soup was absolutely delicious and was made even better by the sweetness of the shrimp on top and the crunch of the cucumbers left out of the pureeing process. Cold soups are especially wonderful when it's so hot outside and the thought of cooking over a hot stove and then eating a hot meal sounds less than pleasant. I served this soup as an appetizer but with some bread and maybe a tossed salad, this could also serve as a meal. This recipe makes only about 2.5 to 3 cups of soup so plan accordingly.

Cucumber Gazpacho

• 6-8 small cucumbers or 2-3 large
• 3/4 cup, loosely packed fresh herbs (I used basil and mint)
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and chopped
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1/3 cup low-fat plain yogurt
• Salt and pepper
• Hot sauce
• 1/4 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

Remove the peel and seeds from the cucumbers. To easily remove the seeds, cut the cucumbers into quarters lengthwise, then cut into each quarter on a diagonal.
Small dice about 1/4 cup of the cucumber and set aside. Roughly chop the rest, about 3.5 cups.
Separate 1/4 cup of herbs and finely dice. Add to the reserved cucumber.
Combine the chopped cucumber, 1/2 cup herbs, garlic, ginger, olive oil and yogurt in a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth.
Season with about 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper and a few dashes of hot sauce.
Pour into an airtight container and refrigerate for at least one hour.
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Cook the shrimp for about 1 minute, until pink throughout. Remove and let cool.
Chop the cooled shrimp into small pieces and combine with reserved cucumber and herbs. Season with a pinch of salt and black pepper.
Adjust the seasoning in the soup and ladle into individual bowls. Top each with a small mound of the shrimp and cucumber mixture.

For a printable recipe click here

Carrot Ginger Soup

As promised in my last post, I will share with you the carrot and ginger soup I made from a recipe I found in Bon Appetit magazine. This incredibly simple soup is surprisingly complex in its layers of flavor with the sweetness of the carrots balanced by the unique spiciness of ginger with just a hint of heat from cayenne pepper at the end. It definitely also benefits from something salty. The magazine recipe calls for chopped peanuts, which would probably taste great. Since I didn't have any peanuts, I left them off but appreciated the saltiness of the focaccia bread dipped into the soup. Although I'm generally more of a fan of soups in the cold winter months, this soup is definitely good enough to make now, despite the heat outside...hopefully you have air conditioning in your kitchen anyway. (If not, I suggest finding somewhere that does!) The soup was included in a spring edition of the magazine because carrots are currently in season. A similar soup made with winter squash (butternut or pumpkin) would be great during the colder months when those are in season.

The most work involved in making this soup is the peeling and chopping of the carrots. If you have a sharp peeler and sharp knife, this shouldn't take too long. Also, don't worry too much about the carrots looking good since they will all be pureed in the end. You want them to all be roughly the same size--the potatoes as well--so that everything cooks evenly. For the ginger, I again recommend a microplane but a box grater would also work. If you don't have either of this kitchen items, mince the ginger as small as possible. Once the vegetables have cooked and are quite tender, you can puree it either in batches in a food processor or with an immersion blender, depending on which you have and which you prefer.

Carrot Ginger Soup

• 1.5 tbsp butter
• 1.5 pounds carrots, peeled, sliced into rounds
• 1 medium to large onion, chopped
• 1 medium white-skinned potato, peeled and chopped
• 2.5 tbsp minced peeled fresh ginger
• 5 cups + low sodium vegetable or chicken broth
• cayenne pepper
• salt and black pepper
• roasted peanuts, chopped (if desired)

Heat the butter in a large soup pot over medium heat.
Add carrots, onion, potato and ginger. Season with a pinch of salt.
Saute until the vegetables start to become tender, but without browning, about 10 minutes.
Add 5 cups of broth and a pinch of cayenne pepper.
Bring to a boil, turn the heat down and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
Let the soup cool a bit before pureeing it completely.
Return the soup to the heat and add a little more broth to thin it to the desired consistency.
Season with salt and pepper and a bit more cayenne, if desired.

For a printable recipe click here

White Bean and Winter Squash Soup

Since this terrible cold weather refuses to leave NC, I continue to crave hot, comforting foods that might do a little to ward off the winter blues (I'm not a huge fan of winter, if you couldn't tell). One of my favorite comfort foods is soup and this one definitely hits the spot. As an added bonus, it's super healthy and works as a complete meal, with some good bread for dunking of course. And did I mention it only takes about 30 minutes? Adding the cabbage at the end is up to you. I like the contrast of textures between the thick, creamy pureed soup and the slightly crisp cabbage. But the soup is definitely great without it as well. And if you do use the cabbage, save the rest for an easy stir fry (more on that soon). So try not to despair as the cold long overstays its welcome and consider it just a good reason to eat large quantities of piping hot soup.

White Bean and Winter Squash Soup:

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2-3 carrots, diced
• 2-3 celery stalks, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 15 oz cans white beans (such as Great Northern)
• 1 10 oz package frozen winter squash (usually a mix of butternut and acorn)
• 2-3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1/2 head of cabbage (I used Savoy)
• Salt and pepper

Heat oil in a large soup pot.
Saute onions, carrots, celery and garlic over medium-low heat till soft but without browning, about 10 minutes.
Drain and rinse the beans, add to pot.
Add enough stock to fully cover the beans and vegetables, more can be added later to achieve desired consistency.
Bring the soup up to a simmer.
Meanwhile, in a microwave-safe dish with a small amount of water, cook the squash on high for about 5 minutes.
Add squash to simmering soup and cook for about 15 minutes, or until vegetables are soft.
Add the thyme sprigs for the last 5-10 minutes of cooking.
When soup is cooked, take off the heat and remove the thyme sprigs.
Puree the soup with an immersion blender or, in batches, in a food processor. Be careful as the soup will be very hot. Puree to desired consistency, adding broth if needed.
At this point the soup is good to go with some salt and lots of black pepper.
OR you can add the cabbage, thinly sliced and washed.
Put the soup back on the heat and stir continually until the cabbage is wilted. Check the seasoning and enjoy!

For a printable recipe click here

French Onion Soup

One of the many skills I am expected to master at culinary school is knife work. Starting in the first quarter all the way to the last, we are tested on how accurately we can small dice a carrot, allumette a potato (another word for julienne aka matchstick), and segment an orange, just to name a few. In line with my usual need to succeed, I have been practicing my knife skills out of class to ensure that I do well. I recently bought a large bag of onions and proceeded to small dice (1/4 inch cubes) the entire bag. I was then left with a giant mound of chopped onions and incredibly teary eyes.

Stinging eyes aside, I decided to put my onions to good use and make French onion soup. We had just made it in class so I knew what it should look and taste like. I used a slightly different recipe than we had, primarily because I didn't have any sherry on hand. The onions take a long time to cook down to the desired colored (note: very dark) but only need an occasional stir so make this sometime when you are working on something else or on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Also, this soup is traditionally made with thin slices of onions so no need to take the time to small dice them like I did.

The results are definitely worth it: a rich, sweet soup that gets even better when topped with toasted bread and melted cheese. Actually, I think most things are better with toast and melted cheese but that's another story altogether.

French Onion Soup

• 3 lb onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/2 c red wine
• 3-4 c chicken or beef stock
• 2 tsp fresh thyme
• Salt to taste
• Bread or baguette, sliced to 1/2 inch, toasted.
  
• Gruyere, provolone, or any firm, strong cheese, grated
  

Melt the butter in a large pot.
Saute the onions until fully caramelized and dark brown, stirring occasionally so they don't burn. (Allow them to sit for awhile after each stir in order to get color; this can take up to 45 min).
Deglaze the pan with the red wine, scraping to get all the bits off the bottom.
Add the stock, enough to cover the onions by about an inch.
Stir and let simmer for about 15 minutes.
Add the thyme and salt to taste.
Top each bowl with toasted bread and grated cheese.
Place each bowl under the broiler for a few minutes, until cheese is bubbly and slightly brown.

For a printable recipe click here

A Bowl Full of Comfort

I know I've said this before, but there's nothing better than a hot bowl of homemade soup when it's cold outside. Except maybe a soup that's easy to make. This minestrone is basically made by putting a bunch of ingredients in a pot and letting it cook. And it can be altered to include whatever vegetables you particularly like or happen to have on hand. The beans and pasta make minestrone hearty enough to be served as a meal and it's full of veggies, so it's good for you too. This soup would be perfect to make on a Sunday afternoon when you have some time to chop the veggies and then the leftovers can be used for healthy lunches during the week. Or prep the veggies ahead of time and use canned beans to reduce the cooking time. Either way, this soup definitely fits the bill for comfort food. If you want to make it completely vegetarian, use vegetable stock instead of chicken. And feel free to add carrots, leeks, squash or any other vegetables you like.

Minestrone:

• 1 c dry pinto beans (or 1 15 oz can)
• 1 c dry Northern beans (or 1 15 oz can)
• 6 canned plum tomatoes plus 3 T of the liquid (San Marzano tomatoes are good)
• 4 celery stalks
• 3 zucchini
• 2 potatoes, peeled
• 1 small bunch asparagus, ends trimmed
• 1 medium red or yellow onion, diced
  
• 1/2 c frozen peas
• 3 T olive oil
• 4-6 c low-sodium chicken stock
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 lb small pasta shells

Soak the beans overnight in cold water if using dry.
Drain the beans and add them to a large soup pot.
Cut up all of the vegetables into approximately the same size pieces: 1/2 dice for celery, zucchini, potatoes and tomatoes; 2 inch spears for asparagus.
Add the veggies, olive oil and salt and pepper (start with a teaspoon of each) to the pot.
Add enough stock (or stock plus water) to cover the veggies by about an inch.
Bring soup to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 1-1.5 or hours until the beans are tender (If using canned beans, cook till potatoes are soft).
Once all of the ingredients are cooked through, return the soup to a boil and add pasta.
Cook at a boil for 8 minutes or until pasta is cooked but not mushy (follow package directions).
Add more salt and pepper to taste.
Top with grated parmesan cheese and enjoy!

This recipe was adapted from Cooking with Canada's Best. The cookbook also gives a recipe for pesto to be served on top. Feel free to use store bought pesto or just use parmesan cheese like I did. And go ahead and invest in a good parm. It's pricier than the kind you find in the pasta or pizza aisle, but it's much better and the stronger flavor means you use less.

For a printable recipe click here

Pumpkin: So much more than pie

Although the winter months lack the abundance of produce available in the summer, there are some wonderful winter vegetables that make hearty dishes perfect for cold temperatures. I love all types of squash, which are plentiful in the fall and early winter. One underused squash is pumpkin. Although many people make pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving, we tend to forget that it's a wonderful ingredient in savory dishes as well. For this soup, I used a whole pumpkin but feel free to use the canned kind as it saves time and is always available. (Just make sure you don't buy sweetened pumpkin.) For instructions on how to cook the whole pumpkin, check out PickYourOwn's website, complete with pictures and tips.

Curried Pumpkin and Cauliflower Soup

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 4-5 carrots, diced
• 3-4 c vegetable stock or water
• 1 head of cauliflower
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 2-3 c cooked pumpkin or 1 15 oz can pureed pumpkin
• 1/2-1 c milk or cream (optional)

Heat olive oil in a soup pot.
Saute onions, celery and carrots for a few minutes.
Cut cauliflower into florets and add to pot with stock or water.
Season with cumin and salt and pepper.
Bring the soup to a boil and then simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes or until cauliflower is tender.
Add pumpkin and heat through.
Puree the entire soup with an immersion blender or food processor.
Season to taste.

I liked the soup this way but milk or cream would definitely be a nice touch and make a richer soup. Serve with toasted bread and enjoy pumpkin in a whole new way!

For a printable recipe click here

Brussel sprout soup?

Weird, I know. But it was actually good! I wanted to come up with a creative way to use the massive amounts of leftover brussel sprouts we had from Thanksgiving. I love brussel sprouts, but even I couldn't eat the almost 4 cups we had left over. Our brussels were simply boiled in salted water with some butter and parmesan cheese at the end. But roasted brussels or those cooked with onions would also work great. The soup I came up with is similar to a pureed zucchini soup my mom makes. It's a great way to eat more vegetables and produced a thick, creamy soup great for these cool nights. So give this a try if you have leftover brussels or even if you just want to try a new way to eat veggies. Enjoy!

Brussel sprout soup:

• 1/2 onion
• 1-2 carrots and celery
• 2 medium russet potatoes
• 3-4 c vegetable stock
• 3-4 c cooked brussel sprouts (or try zucchini or broccoli)
• 1/2 c parmesan
• 3/4 c milk
• S and P

Mince and saute the onion, carrots and celery (known as mirepoix in culinary lingo) in a bit of olive oil in a soup pot.
Peel the potatoes and cut into small cubes
Add the potatoes and enough stock to cover them; bring to a boil and simmer for about 10 min or until the potatoes are soft
Add the brussel sprouts and more broth as needed.
Once the brussels are heated through, use an immersion blender to puree the entire mixture. (A food processor would also work)
Add the parmesan cheese, milk and salt and pepper to taste.
Stir and enjoy!

You can make this soup as thick or thin as you want, depending on how much broth and milk you use. I used lowfat milk which tasted great and kept it healthy but cream would make a more decadent soup, so your choice. I served it with some toasted whole grain bread, great for dipping, and some leftover swiss chard (clearly I love veggies!). But the soup could definitely stand alone and be very satisfying.

For a printable recipe click here