De Ma Cuisine

Soup Archive

Wednesday

23

October 2019

0

COMMENTS

Turkey and White Bean Chili

Written by , Posted in Beans, Dinner, Gluten Free, Herbs, Main Dishes, Meat, Poultry, Quick and Easy, Soups

This morning started with laying in bed for an hour trying to convince myself to get up. After a week of vacation, where the only worries were which chips to eat with lunch and which movie to watch next, the to dos and weight of real life have come crashing back down. It’s enough to make me want to stay in bed until noon. Like last week. 

I haven’t slept in until noon in years. 

I took the week off from everything but cooking and the dishes. I didn’t work, I didn’t workout, I didn’t go to bed early. I needed a mental and physical break. I had our week’s meals planned, so all I had to do was follow along, or just eat the twelve bags of chips that we’d bought. 

I’d planned to make Julia Child’s Boeuf Bourguignon on Sunday, to eat while we watched Julie and Julia. It was perfection. Not just the dish, which is always the best meal I’ve ever made, but the movie itself. 

It reminded me that I’m passionate about food. That I want more than drudgery, whatever that means. It’s easy to get caught up in the everyday, every week, exhausted race to eat and go to bed so I can do it all again tomorrow. I was reminded that I want more than this. 

I don’t know what that looks like. But, I was inspired to figure it out. And then I woke up this morning. A bit depressed, with a headache, not wanting to start the day well, with a workout and some quiet coffee and journaling time. 

Vacation is good. It’s necessary. We take lots of breaks throughout the year. We’re not go go go people. We live a slow and meaningful, simple life. But even that feels exhausting after vacation. 

I got up. An hour late. I worked out. I wrote this post on my phone while I did. I had coffee and I journaled. I got stuff from the to do list done. I made turkey and white bean chili. But, still, my anxieties remain. I have all these ideas that make me feel like I’m staring into a murky pond at something that might be glimmering at the bottom. It could be a beautiful copper pot (who needs a treasure chest of gold anyways?!), or just a piece of glass that’s gonna cut my foot when I wade in. Will the waters part so I can see before I step? Probably not. It’s that thin line between irresponsibility and faith. 

Maybe it’s time to jump. 

(Uh, I told you I made chili. Here’s the recipe.)

Happy Eating!

Turkey and White Bean Chili

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 pounds ground turkey
  • 1 sweet/Vidalia, or yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 cups chopped butternut squash (or carrot and squash)
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 cloves minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon minced hot pepper (I’m using cayenne, because I grew it in my garden), ribs and seeds removed (optional – keep for more heat)
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper 
  • 1 quart chicken broth
  • 2-14 oz. cans cannellini/white kidney beans, drained
  • 2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley
  • 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
  • for serving: sour cream, and 1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions (green part only)

Directions

Heat a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the olive oil. Once it’s hot, add the turkey, onion, butternut squash, and salt (start with 1 teaspoon). Cook covered until turkey is cooked and veggies have started to soften, about 10-15 minutes (a bit longer if the turkey is still frozen), stirring occasionally. Add garlic, chile, and pepper, and cook for 3 minutes, stirring often. The butternut squash will kinda mash into everything. Good. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer about 5 minutes. Add the beans and cook until beans are heated through, about 3-5 minutes. 

Remove from heat. Stir in parsley, 1 Tablespoon of butter, and the lemon juice. Taste for seasoning and add 1 teaspoon more salt if desired. Serve topped with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of scallions, with a warmed baguette slathered with herb butter. 

To make this meal vegan, use vegan butter or just stick with olive oil, replace the meat with 1 ½ pounds of shiitakes or half tempeh and half shiitakes, use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth, use vegan sour cream.

Friday

12

February 2016

1

COMMENTS

Chunky Vegetable Soup

Written by , Posted in Beans, Dairy-Free, Dinner, Fruit, Gluten Free, Herbs, Lunch, Main Dishes, Potatoes, Soups, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian

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When in doubt, soup! I almost always want to eat soup. In hot weather and cold weather, on weeknights or at dinner parties… give me soup and I’ll be happy with my meal.

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Soup is a great way to use up whatever you’ve got hanging around in the crisper drawers of the fridge too. Sometimes there are forgotten turnips and beets in there that are given a new chance at life in soup. Way yummier than tossing them in the compost or using them for stock.

This week I had things like leeks, spinach, sweet potatoes, peas, and rutabagas on hand. But, you could add or substitute with onions, shallots, kohlrabi, carrots, turnips, radishes, brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes, or winter squash.

So many options!

I wanted to add a little more protein and even more texture to this soup, so I also added beans. I was in the mood for kidney, but black, white, or cannellini would also be fab. And when we get into spring, fava beans would be amazing! I love beans in soup.

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This soup makes for a great lunch or dinner. It’s wonderful with homemade croissants, apple-cheese toasts, or just on its own with a squeeze of lemon and a good book.

Happy Eating!

Chunky Vegetable Soup

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 52 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 7 minutes

Yield: 8

Chunky Vegetable Soup

Ingredients

  • 1 T olive oil
  • 2 C leek/onion/shallot, chopped
  • 5 C any: kohlrabi, carrot, rutabaga, turnip, winter squash, brussels sprouts, cabbage, collards, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, potatoes, radish; peeled, if warranted, chopped
  • to taste salt
  • dash cayenne (or may use 1/2 to 1 small hot pepper, ribs and seeds removed, minced)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 T rice vinegar
  • 7 C veggie stock
  • 1 t fresh thyme (or 1/4 t dried)
  • 1/2 t dried rosemary (or 1/2 T fresh)
  • 2 T fresh basil (or 2 t dried)
  • to taste pepper
  • 2 C greens (kale, spinach, chard, mustard greens, mizuna, bok choy... anything that you have on hand will work), chopped
  • 1 1/2 C beans (black, kidney, white, cannellini)
  • 1 C peas (frozen, or shelled fresh peas or fava beans)
  • lemon wedges, for serving
  • good olive oil, for serving

Instructions

  1. Heat a soup pot over medium-low. Add olive oil. Add leek-cayenne (if you're using dried herbs you may add them now too). Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10-15 minutes, or until the veggies are getting tender. Add garlic and vinegar and cook for 1 minute more. Add the stock through pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes. Add the greens, beans, and peas and cook for 3 minutes more. Taste and adjust seasoning if desired.
  2. Ladle into bowls and serve with a squeeze of lemon and a drizzle of olive oil.

http://www.de-ma-cuisine.com/chunky-vegetable-soup/

Thursday

1

October 2015

0

COMMENTS

Cream of Squash Soup

Written by , Posted in Dairy-Free, Dinner, Gluten Free, Herbs, Lunch, Main Dishes, Roasting, Soups, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian

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This summer, like most summers, I planted a garden. We used the compost that I’d been working on for a year. We bought organic dirt, and I rummaged around for the seeds that I’d been saving. Some were from packages (and probably a few years old at best), some saved from last year’s Abundant Harvest Organics produce. They were planted with eager anticipation. It happens every spring. The daily ritual of watering, peering into the black dirt to see if there’s even one sprout. And for days, there’s nothing. And then it’s like a thousand tiny miracles happen overnight. There are tiny sprouts, some shyly emerging from the dirt, as if unsure. Some are a bit more bold and brave, seeming to grow inches in minutes.

Most of the brave ones are squash.

My composter is the type that you add kitchen scraps to and then roll around outside to mix it up. So it doesn’t have a layer of dirt dirt at the bottom the way some do. It doesn’t bother me to have partially decomposed fruits and veggies mixed in with the dirt. No big deal. Except that I didn’t know that it’s really best to add the compost about a month before you plant. Gives the volunteers some time to die off.

Now I know.

I’d planted summer squash, watermelon, cantaloupe, green beans, snap peas, tomatoes, basil, potatoes… and more. I ended up with a few of the things I’d hoped for and some that I hadn’t intended at all.

Winter squash. In the summer. Oh well, the growing process is fun no matter what I end up with. And I learned something from it, so double win.

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Thankfully the winter squash will keep foreeeeeeever on the counter. I harvested this spaghetti squash in like July (um because I accidentally pulled out the plant when I was clearing out some dead vines). I was saving it for something special… or just fall. I don’t really know. It just didn’t get eaten and all-of-a-sudden it’s soup time again and the winter squash are screaming to be used.

I will comply.

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Every year I look forward to fall so I can get back to the thing I love most: All. The. Soup. It’s one of the best ways to get so many veggies into a dish. Today I had peppers (sweet and chile), onion, carrot, garlic, and squash (both summer and winter) on hand. I had a ton of garlic chives and fresh basil too.

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I roasted the squash yesterday so that this would be pretty quick. A bit of olive oil on the inside and out, a hot oven, an hour or so, and they’re done. I let them cool and then refrigerated overnight. All I had to do to the squash today was scrape it out and add it at the right time. Easy.

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I’m always amazed at what happens when veggies, stock, vinegar, and some salt are simmered for a while. It’s a little like magic.

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This is pretty much a straight up vegetable soup, until you add the coconut milk or cream. That’s what makes it extra special. But, if you don’t have either, don’t sweat it. Just make an awesome Squash and Carrot Soup and call it good.

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Like most soups, this will probably taste best tomorrow, so I’ll just go ahead and add it to the menu again.

Happy Eating!

 

Cream of Squash Soup

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour, 48 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours, 3 minutes

Yield: 3-4

Cream of Squash Soup

Ingredients

  • 1/2 spaghetti squash (or other variety), seeds removed (once cooked, roughly chop the spaghetti-like strands so they aren't too long)
  • 1 t + 2 T olive oil
  • 2 1/2-3 C veggies (any): bell or sweet pepper, summer squash, carrots, parsnips, cauliflower, celery, green beans, radish, chile pepper (ribs and seeds removed), onion, shallot, leek; diced
  • to taste salt
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 t maple syrup or honey
  • 1 T balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 t dried (or 1/4 T fresh) thyme
  • 4-6 C veggie stock (could also use chicken)
  • 1/4 C fresh herbs: basil, garlic chives, parsley; diced
  • coconut milk or heavy cream, for serving

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat oven to 350F.
  2. Brush squash with 1 t olive oil (inside and out). Roast cut side down for about 60 minutes, or until flesh is tender. Set aside. (This step can be done ahead of time, squash cooled and refrigerated for up to a few days.)
  3. Heat a soup pot over medium-low. Add 2 T olive oil. When oil is hot, add veggies and salt. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add squash and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes. Add balsamic vinegar and cook for 1 minute. Add thyme (if using dried) and stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, or until veggies are tender. Add fresh herbs and cook for 3-5 minutes more. Taste and adjust seasoning if desired.
  4. Serve with a bit of coconut milk or cream swirled into each bowlful of soup.

http://www.de-ma-cuisine.com/cream-of-squash-soup/

Monday

31

August 2015

0

COMMENTS

Thai Basil and Peanut Soup

Written by , Posted in Appetizers, Dairy-Free, Dinner, Gluten Free, Herbs, Lunch, Main Dishes, Pasta, Rice, Sides, Soups, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian

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Soup, how I have missed you!!

I’d kinda forgotten about soup. I don’t know how. It’s one of my favorite things to cook and eat. Ever. Ever. EVER! I’m aware of the weather. It’s been about 97,000 degrees out lately and it’s just going to get hotter. But, I just can’t help myself.

This is my take on a Thai-peanut-kinda-spicy-oh-so-good soup. And yes, I said peanut. Peanut butter, to be exact. Just trust me, it works.

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To start, I raided the veggie drawers in the fridge. Cabbage, green beans, lemongrass, and chile peppers all made the cut (bell peppers, carrots, broccoli, and greens could also be added, but you’re not missing out without them).

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Then I went to the pantry. Found some peanut butter, ginger, liquid aminos (gluten-free soy sauce substitute – I ran out of the real stuff yesterday), and onion. Along with some tofu from the freezer, the veggies went into a soup pot with some coconut oil to cook away. A few minutes later, the peanut butter and other goodies went in. This soup came together in no time at all.

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I added some veggie stock. Keeping things vegan today. A 30 minute simmer was all it took. If you’ve got less time, that would work too. Just cook until it tastes great to you.

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In the last few minutes of cooking, I added the noodles to some boiling salted water. You can use whatever kind of noodles you prefer – I used soba, but rice noodles would be great too. You can totally add a little more liquid to the soup and cook the noodles that way. I thought about it, but wasn’t sure if we’d have leftovers and didn’t want to risk soup-logged noodles the second time we’d eat it. Since we’re trying to conserve water in the kitchen, I let the pasta water cool and dumped it on the lawn a few minutes ago (ahem – I have no idea if lawns like pasta water, so try at your own risk).

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There are many things that you could do differently. As noted earlier, you could swap some of the veggies and you could use rice pasta if you want to go gluten-free. You could also use rice instead of pasta. It’d be a different soup, but I think it’d still be great. You could also add some coconut milk. I would have done this, but my grocery shopping was already done when I made up the recipe, so it was a use what I have on hand kinda day. However you make it, I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. We had it for lunch today and Tim said that it tasted like something you’d find at a fancy restaurant. Well, shucks, honey, that was a nice thing to say. (I agree… I may or may not have licked the bowl.)

Happy Eating!

Thai Basil and Peanut Soup

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 42 minutes

Total Time: 57 minutes

Yield: 2-4

Thai Basil and Peanut Soup

Ingredients

  • 2 T coconut oil
  • 1 C tofu, chopped
  • 1 C green beans, chopped
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1-2 chiles, ribs and seeds removed (if desired), diced
  • 1 C cabbage, chopped
  • could also add: bell pepper, summer squash, carrot, broccoli, greens
  • 2 stalks lemongrass, use only an inch or so from the bottom, tender inside layers, chopped
  • to taste salt
  • 2 cloves garlic, diced
  • 1/4 t ground ginger (or 1/2 to 1 t fresh, diced)
  • 1-2 T liquid aminos or soy sauce
  • 1 T rice vinegar, divided
  • 1/4 C peanut butter
  • 4-6 C veggie stock
  • 1/4 lb. soba noodles or rice noodles (or rice, cooked)
  • 1/4 C Thai basil, chopped, some reserved for topping

Instructions

  1. Heat soup pot, add coconut oil. When oil is hot, add tofu through salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally for about 8-10 minutes. Add garlic (and if using fresh ginger, add it now), cook for 1 minute. Add dried ginger (if using), soy sauce/liquid aminos, 1/2 T rice vinegar, and peanut butter, cook for 1 minute. Add stock and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes.
  2. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. During the last few minutes of the soup's cooking time, add the pasta to the water. Cook according to package's directions. Drain and rinse with cold water.
  3. Remove soup from heat. Stir in Thai basil and remaining 1/2 T of rice vinegar. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
  4. To serve, pile some noodles in a bowl and pour soup around them. Top with the reserved Thai basil.

http://www.de-ma-cuisine.com/thai-basil-and-peanut-soup/

Monday

13

July 2015

0

COMMENTS

Watermelon and Mint Gazpacho

Written by , Posted in Breakfast, Brunch, Dairy-Free, Dessert, Drinks, Fruit, Gluten Free, Herbs, Kid-Friendly, Quick and Easy, Snacks, Soups, Vegan, Vegetarian

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When I get a watermelon that’s as perfectly ripe and sweet as the one that came in our Abundant Harvest Organics box today, I have a really hard time not eating the entire thing in one sitting. I like to slice the melon in half and just eat with a spoon. If I can stop myself, I like to save the center for last, because it’s the best.

But, if you can resist, here’s a fun way to eat watermelon… in soup!

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It’s a cold soup though, don’t worry. It’s called a Gazpacho. Traditional gazpachos often consist of raw veggies and have a tomato base. But, there are many variations, including this simple watermelon one.

Since everything will be blended up, you don’t have to be too careful about how the watermelon is cut. I figured large chunks would work just fine. The seeds of a watermelon are edible (and some say they’re even good for you), but I don’t like to eat them. They ruin the texture for me. I don’t even like chunks in my ice cream. Tim says that’s weird, but I’m fine with my choices. If you want to leave the seeds in and blend them up, that’s fine with me.

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Watermelon pairs well with things like orange juice, maple syrup, and balsamic vinegar, so I added a little bit of each.

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It also tastes great with some refreshing mint. I added about 15 smallish leaves. You could add way more or way less, depending on how minty you want it. Basil would be another great addition (along with or in place of the mint). If you don’t want to add the herbs that’s fine. But, they add a cool, fresh burst of flavor.

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If the melon is already chilled, you can consume immediately. If not, pop it into the fridge for an hour or so before serving. You could serve it as a gazpacho, just on its own. You could add a dollop of yogurt or whipped cream. You could freeze it in an ice cube tray and use it in place of ice or frozen fruit in smoothies or summer drinks, or just pour it into a glass and drink it.

If you have cantaloup or honeydew melon on hand, they’d be a great addition, or could be used in place of the watermelon.

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I don’t really like change, especially when it comes to my favorites. That’s why I prefer a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, I love to re-watch Gilmore Girls, and I think watermelon is best served super freezing cold, halved and eaten with a spoon. But, with change comes learning new things and growth, so I’m ok with it (ahem, in moderation). I will bravely taste a new dish at Thanksgiving, try watching a new show, and I will, for the first time ever, branch out and do something different with watermelon. And I will enjoy it.

Happy Eating!

Watermelon and Mint Gazpacho

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Yield: 2-4

Watermelon and Mint Gazpacho

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 - 3 C watermelon (or cantaloupe or honeydew or mixture of all 3), seeds removed, cut into large chunks
  • 2 t balsamic vinegar
  • 1-2 t maple syrup
  • 1/4 to 1/2 C orange juice
  • 10 to 12 large or 15-20 small mint leaves

Instructions

  1. Blend all ingredients until smooth.
  2. Then either: Chill and serve as a gazpacho.
  3. Freeze in an ice cube tray for summer drinks and smoothies (use in place of ice cubes or frozen fruit).
  4. Make into a sorbet in an ice cream canister (freeze according to manufacturer's directions).

http://www.de-ma-cuisine.com/watermelon-and-mint-gazpacho/