Lentil and spinach soup

I have a total schoolgirl TV crush on Jamie Oliver. No kidding. He loves food, passionate about real food and is kind of cute. I can't help myself. I watched one season of his food revolution show and was swept off my feet. Swoon! So of course I had to buy his Jamie's Food Revolution cook book.

These days I am looking for recipes that are healthy, quick, easy and baby friendly. Our 11 month old son enjoys trying new foods and seems to like lots of flavor. This week I was inspired to make a lentil soup in J.O book that seemed to fit the healthy, quick, easy and baby friendly criteria. I blended the soup to make it easier for baby and I actually preferred the pureed form myself. We both ate it up for lunch, for dinner and for lunch and dinner leftovers the next day!

Lentil and Spinach Soup in Jamie's Food Revolution

2 - 3 carrots
2 - 3 celery stalks
2 medium onions
2 cloves garlic
 1 3/4 quarts chicken or veggie broth
olive oil
thumb-sized piece of ginger root
1 fresh red chili pepper (I used purple sweet chili pepper)
10 grape or cherry tomatoes
2 cups red lentils
7 cups spinach (I just threw in some handfuls, probably not that much)
salt and pepper to taste

Peel and roughly slice the carrots. Slice the celery. Peel and chop the onions. Peel and slice garlic.

Put the broth in a saucepan and heat until boiling.

Put a large saucepan on medium heat and add 2 TBS olive oil. Add all chopped and sliced ingredients and mix together with a spoon. Cook about 10 minutes with the lid askew, until the carrots have softened but are still holding their shape and the onion is lightly golden.

Meanwhile, peel and finely slice the ginger. Seed and slice the chili. Slice tomatoes in half.

Add lentils, ginger, chili and tomatoes to veggie saucepan. Carefully pour in the broth and give a good stir. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes with lid on, or until the lentils are cooked. Add spinach and cook about 30 seconds more.

Eat as is or puree in a blender.

Pistou Soup - French Minestrone

Ok ... I'm really loving The Essential New York Times Cookbook. I've made three recipes from the book so far and each has been delicious.

Last night I made Pistou Soup, which according to the cookbook is a sort of French minestrone. I've been using the same minestrone soup recipe for years and while it's good, hubby was never a big fan, and to be honest it was good but not great. I decided to give this recipe a try and it was a winner, passing the hubby seal of approval which is a big deal when it comes to soups. We both thought the soup was full of flavor ... maybe even a bit surprised by how yummy it was!

This soup is really wonderful and just as scrumptious the next day as leftovers .... I'm having some right now as I type. I made the soup vegetarian by using veggie broth rather than chicken broth.

Pistou Soup

1 TBS olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 - 2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 turnip, peeled and diced
4 cups water
2 cups chicken broth (I used veggie ... your choice)
1 TBS salt
2 large white potatoes, peeled and diced
1 large leek, white and pale green parts only, diced and rinsed well
1 zucchini, diced
2 handfuls green beans, cut into 1 inch pieces (I used frozen)
2 TBS finely chopped parsley
2 TBS finely chopped basil (wrong season for fresh basil, I used 1 TBS dried)
2 large cloves garlic, minced
2 large tomatoes, peeled, cored seeded and chopped (uh ... I just cored and chopped)
1 TBS olive oil
1/2 cup undrained canned white beans ( I used 16 oz can of cannelloni beans)
1 handful thin spaghetti broken into thirds
freshly ground pepper

1. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook 3 minutes. Add the carrot and turnip and cook 1 minute. Stir in the water and broth, bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook 10 minutes.
2. Add salt, potatoes, leek, zucchini and green beans. Simmer 20 minutes, skimming foam from surface if needed.
3. While the soup simmers, combine the parsley and basil in a medium bowl. Stir in garlic, tomatoes and live oil. Set aside.
4. Stir in beans and spaghetti into the soup. simmer 8 minutes.
5. Stir in the tomato mixture into soup, season with salt (if needed ... I did not add any more salt), pepper and simmer 2 minutes longer.

Enjoy!

Greek Lentil Soup

I was given an amazing cookbook for my birthday this year ... The Essential New York Times Cook Book! It's huge. It's hardback. It's wonderful! I could not wait to choose a recipe to try and waited only a few days before trying a soup.

I love lentil soup although my hubby is not such a fan. In order to please us both I decided to make this soup along with other Mediterranean foods including falaful, pita, tzatziki, hummus, etc. We had a scrumptious Greek buffet for dinner which was fabulous! It's a good thing I decided to include all those side dishes because as it turned out I misread the soup instructions and allowed only two hours cook time rather than three, so there was actually no soup for dinner that night.

The soup was amazing for lunch the next day though!

So, if you like lentil soup (and even if you don't) give this one a try. Allow plenty of time for cooking as it does cook forever but it's worth it. I shared this soup with co-workers and they all raved about it. Even my hubby said it was delicious!

Faki (Greek Lentil Soup) from The Essential New York Times Cook Book

1 lb green lentils
8 cups warm water
1 large onion, chopped
 2 - 3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 small stalks celery, finely chopped
5 - 6 canned Italian-style plum tomatoes and their juices
1 large bay leaf
4 sprigs parsley
chopped mint, basil or oregano to taste (I used about 2 TBS mint)
 1/3 cup olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
red wine vinegar

1. Wash and pick over the lentils, and place in a soup pot with warm water to cover. Let stand for 1 hour.
2. Bring the pot of lentils to a boil. Add the onion, garlic, celery and tomatoes, cover and simmer for 1 hour.
3. Stir in the herbs and oil and season with salt and pepper. Continue to simmer, covered, for another 1 1/2 hours or until the soup is very thick and the lentils are tender. Stir occasionally. Add 2 TBS red wine vinegar toward the end.
4. Serve hot with additional vinegar on the side if desired.

*** a couple cooking notes suggested in book***
use regular green lentils
be generous with the salt as the lentils really soak it up
it makes ALOT of soup so be ready to share it or freeze it

White Winter Root Veggie Stew

Here is a nice cream based stew that has lots of good root veggies in it for winter time.

White Winter Root Veggie Stew (adapted from cooking li.ght)

1 baking potato, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (or 3-4 yukon gold potatoes)

2 TBS butter

1 1/2 cups chopped onion

3 cups thinly sliced leek (about 3 large)

3/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 turnips, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 small celery root, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 cup veggie broth

1 cup water

1 cup low fat milk

1 cup half and half

1. Place potato in a medium bowl. Cover with cold water. Set aside.

2. Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion to pan, and cook 5 - 7 minutes until soft but not browned, stirring occasionally. Add leek and the next 4 ingredients through celery root to pan. Cover with lid and reduce heat to low, cooking 15 minutes.

3. Drain potatoes. Add potatoes to pot. Stir in water and broth. Cover and simmer 20 minutes or until veggies are tender, stirring occasionally.

4. Heat milk and half-n-half in a small saucepan over medium heat to 180 degrees or until tiny bubbles from around the edges. Do NOT boil. Gradually stir in hot milk into veggie mixture, stirring constantly. Turn heat off and serve.

Cheddar beer soup

If you love cheddar cheese and beer you will probably love this soup. I've made this yummy soup a couple of times now but am going to try something a little different tonight; this pot of soup will have an added potato for a little extra yumminess!

Cheddar beer soup

(Inspired by Cooking Light)

2 cups chopped onion

1 potato, peeled and chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 (12 oz) bottle of beer (not dark ... stick to a pale ale or lager)

4 cups veggie broth, divided

1/2 cup flour

2 cups 2% milk, divided

3/4 to 1 cup shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese (or less if you are watching your weight/ calories)

1/4 tsp ground pepper

1/4 tsp finely chopped fresh chives

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over med-high heat. Add onion and potato, saute for about 5 minutes. Add garlic, saute 1 more minute.

2. Pour in beer, stirring to loosen browned bits. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes until onion and potato is tender.

3. Place beer mixture and 1 cup broth in a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid. Place clean towel over opening in blender lid and blend until smooth. Return pureed mixture to pan. Stir in remaining 3 cups broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.

4. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup, level with a knife. Combine flour and 1 cup milk, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Add flour mixture and remaining 1 cup milk to pan. Cook 12 minutes or until slightly thickened. Remove pan from heat. Gradually add cheese, stirring until smooth. Sir in pepper.

Enjoy!

Thai Coconut-Curry CHicken Noodle Soup

I love Thai food but our area seems to lack a good place to eat out, so I was thrilled when I found this recipe! Easy and delicious! I altered a few things from the original and would actually prefer the soup with tofu rather than chicken, but overall this is a warm, flavorful soup. This entire soup from start to finish takes less than an hour, so don't be overwhelmed by the long list of ingredients. The recipe is not as difficult as it may first appear - it is actually pretty simple.

Thai Coconut-Curry Chicken Noodle Soup

5 cups water
7 -8 oz pad thai noodles, broken in half or quarters (makes eating them easier once in the bowl!)
1 TBS olive oil
1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots (use onion if shallots are not available)
1/2 small orange habanero chili, seeded and chopped
1 small hot red chili, seeded and chopped
1 - 2 TBS Green Curry paste
1 1/2 tsp curry powder (I used closer to 1 tsp to lessen the curry flavor for hubby)
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp ground coriander
2 garlic cloves, minced (ooops, left this out and didn't miss it at all)
4 cups "no chicken" broth (found at natural food stores like Whole Foods or Weaver Street Market)
2 cups veggie broth
1 (13. 5oz) can Coconut milk
1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breast, cooked and chopped OR tofu
1/2 cup choped green onions
1 TBS sugar
2 TBS fish sauce
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
16 oz bag of fresh spinach leaves

1. Bring 5 cups water to a boil in a large pot. Add noodles and cook according to package directions, usually about 5 - 7 minutes until tender but not over done. Drain and set aside.

2. Using the same pot (cutting down on dishes!) add oil to pot over med-high heat. Add chili peppers, shallots and next 5 ingredients though garlic. Saute about 1 minute, stirring constantly.

3. Add broth and bring to a boil. Add coconut milk, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.

4. Add chicken, onions, sugar, fish sauce, and spinach to pan, cook 2 minutes. Stir in cilantro and noodles to pot and serve!

If you have a favorite veggie like snow peas or carrots they may be a nice addition to this soup. Be creative and try adding something else if you like!

***if using tofu you may want to add it earlier on so it has time to gain flavor from the soup. Experiment and let me know how it works out and when you added it to the soup)

Avocado and Veggie Soup

I love this soup in the summer time! It is actually a hot soup, as strange as it may sound with avocado. This is an easy soup to make and does not take much time to cook. Trust me, it is delicious! This is not a main course style soup, so plan to serve it with some other dish so bellies leave the table full and satisfied! A mexican style salad would be a great match with this soup. You can either blend half the soup, all the soup or none of the soup ... your choice!

Avocado and Veggie Soup

2 large avocado

2 TBS lemon or lime juice

1 TBS olive oil

1 can of corn, drained

2 tomatoes, chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 - 2 leeks, chopped (rinsed well before and after chopping)

1 red chili, chopped

1/2 tsp dried cumin

2 cups veggie broth

2/3 cup 2% milk

1. Peel and mash avocado using a fork. Stir in lemon or lime juice, set aside.

2. Heat oil in a pan over med-high heat and saute the corn, tomato, garlic, leek, chili and cumin for about 3 - 5 minutes until veggies are softened.

3. Add avocado, broth and milk and cook over medium heat 5 - 10 minutes until heated, stirring gently.

Smokey Black-Eyed Pea Soup

This is a good, hearty soup. Not much else to say about it, other than we are eating it tonight. Use any fake bacon you like, but I prefer the temphe fakon bacon for this recipe.

Smokey Black-Eyed Pea Soup from Cooking Light

4 - 6 slices temphe Fakon Bacon, chopped

3 cups onion, chopped

4 - 6 cloves garlic, mashed

3 cans black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained

2 cups veggie broth

1 tsp dried thyme

3/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

1 - 2 cups arugula OR trimmed watercress

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add small amount of olive oil, then add fakon bacon, onion and garlic. Saute until just browning.

Add black eyed peas and next 5 ingredients (through pepper)

Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes.

Place 1/2 the bean mixture into a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid to allow steam to escape. Place lid on and a towel over the opening. Blend until smooth. Pour pureed soup into a large bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining bean mixture. Once blended, put all together and stir in arugula.

*** I got a bit lazy tonight and decided NOT to blend the soup. You know what? It was really tasty as is! So, if you want a smooth soup, take the time and throw it into the blender, but if you are short on time, don't worry about blending. Another note, go light on the salt. I am salt sensitive, and a little goes a long way. I did not put any where close to the amount called for, and it was at the upper end of my tolerance. ***