Zucchini, Tomato and Potato Soup

One of my crazy jobs this summer is dog-sitting. I started in November and got a dog every couple months.  Now that it's summer and I have quite a few good reviews under my belt, I have requests every single week!  One of my favorite clients are an older couple here in town who just have me run over to let the dogs out and feed them dinner.  It's easy. And the best part is, besides the part that she always overpays me, is that the woman always leaves me goods from her garden.  Sometimes it's fresh raspberries and blueberries, sometimes lettuce, one time asparagus (that I turned into cream of asparagus on toast), and once it was a giant summer squash and an even more giant zucchini.  I actually was feeling fairly sick last week with a summer cold, and I decided that soup was the way to use up all these fresh veggies.

I tweaked the recipe a bit to include more fresh vegetables than the original: fresh corn instead of frozen, fresh tomatoes instead of canned - I only wish I had had some fresh thyme!  My tweaks made it fresher, a little bit thicker and heartier, and definitely delicious.  Soup might not be at the front of anyone's mind in the midst of a heat wave in late July, but when you have a cold and central air, it's totally doable.  Pair it with some bread from Birchwood Bread and you've got lunch. And dinner. And lunch again... repeat, etc..

Recipe:

zucchini, tomato and potato soup
from the Little Kitchen

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 white onion, diced (about 1/4 cup)
3 medium sized Russet potatoes, diced (about 2 1/2 - 3 cups)
1 medium zucchini, quartered and chopped (about 2 cups)
1 medium summer squash, quartered and chopped (about 2 cups)
14 ounce can of diced tomatoes, undrained (or 4 fresh tomatoes, diced)
2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
30 ounces chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels

Instructions:

1) In a large soup pot, heat olive oil on medium high heat.  Add onions and zucchini, cook for about 2-3 minutes.  Then add potatoes and cook for about 2-3 minutes (lower heat if needed).

2) Add tomatoes, parsley and thyme.  Cook for about 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add broth and bring to a boil.  Lower heat to a simmer.  Add corn and mix well.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Allow to simmer for 15-25 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked.

Creamy Cauliflower Chowder

It seems kind of crazy to be posting about soup on a day when I left my doors and windows open all day, talked about opening the pool, and worse short sleeves and a skirt... but then again, two weeks ago today, I had a snow day.  #newengland, am I right?

I am sure it will be soup weather again in no time (although, as much as I love soup, I am not rushing it... I love when my house isn't 50 degrees).  When it happens, this soup will go into immediate rotation.   I love cauliflower anything these days, so I was intrigued by this soup.  I recently made a different roasted cauliflower soup, but it was totally pureed, and my favorite soups have some heft to them.  This one isn't pureed at all, so there are cauliflower florets, carrots, onions and celery.  Plus there's dried thyme, roasted garlic, and shredded cheddar cheese.  Are you drooling yet?  It's thick, hearty, and delicious, and it reheats well.

It might not be soup weather today, but if it was, this would be your dinner.  Set it aside for a rainy day; I'm sure it's coming!

Recipe:

creamy cauliflower chowder
from Two Peas and their Pod
serves 6

Ingredients:
1 large head of cauliflower, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 15-ounce cans vegetable broth
1 1/4 cups milk
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
salt and black pepper

Instructions:

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place chopped cauliflower and garlic cloves on a large baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and toss until well coated.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Place pan in the oven and roast for 20 - 25 minutes or until cauliflower is tender, stirring once.  Remove from oven and set aside.

2) In a large pot, melt butter over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and cook for 2 - 3 minutes.  Add carrots and celery and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3) Finely chop the roasted garlic cloves.  Add the garlic, roasted cauliflower, bay leaf, and dried thyme to the pot.  Sprinkle flour over vegetables and stir.  Cook until flour disappears.

4) Pour in the vegetable broth and stir.  Simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the milk and shredded cheese. Stir until cheese is melted and chowder is creamy.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Danish Split Pea Soup with Dill

I have loved pea soup since forever, when Gram used to make it on Sundays.  Of course, she used to cook a ham bone in it, and that is no longer my cup of tea, so I have been making a vegetarian version.  Then I came across this Danish split pea soup with dill, and I was intrigued.  It's mostly the same soup, but with the addition of celery, celery root, and carrots, and lots of fresh dill added at the end of cooking.  This changes the color of it a little bit, do don't be freaked out at the slightly less than appealing color or orangeish-brown green!

The recipe suggests adding lightly fried onions at the end along with he dill, but let's be honest here: the dill is the star of this recipe.  It takes pea soup to another level.  The fried onions aren't necessary - but the dill is.  I think I will be adding dill to my pea soups from now on!

I had no celery root, by the way, so I added a couple of potatoes.  I think they thickened it up, maybe a bit too much but I sort of like thick mushy soups!

Recipe:

Danish split pea soup with dill
from Rhubarbarians (best blog name ever)
serves 6

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
2 celery stalks, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
1/4 of a celery root, diced
6 cups vegetable stock
2 cups dried green split peas, rinsed
1 sprig of thyme
4 tablespoons chopped dill, divided
salt and pepper
2 medium yellow onions, sliced

Instructions:

1) Heat the olive oil in a soup pot over medium high heat.  Add the chopped onions and saute until golden, about 15 minutes.

2) Add the next 6 ingredients, through thyme, and half of the dill.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer over medium low heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until peas are soft and soup is fragrant.

3) Meanwhile, saute the sliced onions in a skillet over medium high heat until crispy.  Remove from skillet and set aside for topping.

4) Season soup with salt and pepper.  Serve topped with crispy onions and fresh dill.

Roasted Red Pepper Soup

I have said this before, but roasting vegetables is life changing.  Okay, maybe I have never said that, but I swear, if there is a vegetable you think you don't like, try roasting it.  I guarantee you will change your mind.  I never liked broccoli, but we always ate it boiled into a green mush.  I roasted some just last night with some salt, pepper, lemon juice and a sprinkling of parmesan, and it's glorious.  Roasting vegetables makes them a little sweeter, and can make any little old veggie the star of a dish.

Take, for example, the red pepper.  Sure, it's okay, but does anyone ever rave about red peppers?  Well, be prepared to.  These peppers get roasted until their skins are blistery and their insides are tender and smoky and sweet.  They then become the star of this soup, helped along by onions and garlic, and flavored with fresh thyme and smoked paprika.  It's super velvety and thick - so thick that it feels like a chowder, except it's totally dairy-free and gluten-free because it is thickened with potatoes!  I can't say enough great things about this soup, except please make it with some quesadillas to dip into it.  That was the suggestion in my Meat Lover's Meatless Cookbook, and it was such a great idea.  I made beet quesadillas... stay tuned for that recipe next post!

Even if that sounds too weird for you, this soup is great for dipping but it's also great by itself.  I happily ate every last drop of it, and didn't even start to get sick of it when I was eating it for lunch and dinner.  So that's saying something!

Recipe:

roasted red pepper soup
from The Meat Lover's Meatless Cookbook by Kim O'Donnel
serves 4

Ingredients:
3 medium-sized bell peppers
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium-sized onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, smashed
1 pound potatoes (about 3 medium-sized), peeled and quartered
1 - 2 sprigs fresh thyme
3 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
2 ounces bourbon (optional)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
lemon wedges (optional)

Instructions:

1) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Remove and discard the stems and tops of the peppers and place on a baking sheet.  Roast until blistered and charred, 30 - 40 minutes.

2) Remove the peppers from the oven and place in a sealed bag or cover with a towel.  This helps remove the skins.  Wait 15 minutes.  With your hands or with the help of a paring knife, remove the seeds, veins, and skins, but do not rinse the peppers.  Chop coarsely and set aside.

3) In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat the oil, then add the onion and garlic.  Cook until the onion is slightly softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the potatoes, thyme, water, and salt.  Bring to a lively simmer, then lower the heat, cover, and cook until the potatoes are fork tender, about 15 - 20 minutes.

4) Remove the thyme, add the peppers and bourbon (if using), and stir in the cayenne and smoked paprika.  Puree until smooth and free of lumps.  Taste for salt and adjust as needed.

5) Return soup to saucepan and reheat.  Serve hot, with lemon wedges if desired.

Roasted Cauliflower and Aged White Cheddar Soup

Laura has been talking about this soup forever and for some reason, I didn't get around to making it until last month.  I don't know what took me so long, because it's delicious and right up my alley.  It's a creamy, decadent, velvety soup flavored with aged white cheddar and fresh thyme.  The cauliflower is not just a backseat passenger either; its roasted, so it's a tiny bit sweet and more complex than you usually give cauliflower credit for.

If you're feeling rushed this week (is anyone not feeling rushed mid-December?) this soup should probably make it on your meal plan, because it's pretty simple.   You do need to roast the cauliflower, which adds an extra step, but I see no reason why you couldn't roast it today on the weekend and then make it into a soup in 30 minutes tomorrow. Plus - and I don't know how I didn't notice this earlier - there is an option to make this in the slow cooker.  Even simpler.  So you have no excuses.

When I made this, I accidentally only had regular orange cheddar, not aged white.  It was a totally acceptable substitute.  However, Laura has brought me some of her soup made properly with the correct cheese, and it's incredible.  Basically you can't go wrong with any cheese, but the aged cheddar gives it an extra zing and keeps the creamy white color (the orange cheese gave it a little color, obviously).  I'll be making this again real soon.  There's currently a cauliflower in my refrigerator just waiting for its chance to be roasted and soup-ified!

Recipe:

roasted cauliflower and aged white cheddar soup
from Closet Cooking
serves 4

Ingredients:
1 small head cauliflower, cut into florets
3 tablespoons oil, divided
salt and pepper to taste
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon thyme, chopped
3 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth/stock
1 1/2 cups aged white cheddar, shredded
1 cup milk or cream

Instructions:

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Toss the cauliflower florets in 2 tablespoons of the oil, along with salt and pepper.  Arrange them in a single layer on a large baking sheet and roast in oven until lightly golden brown, about 20 - 30 minutes.

2) Heat the oil in a large sauce plan over medium heat.  Add the onion and saute until tender, about 5 - 7 minutes.

3) Add the garlic and thyme and saute until fragrant, about a minute.

4) Add the broth and deglaze the pan.  Add the cauliflower and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer, covered for 20 minutes.

5) Remove from heat.  Puree the soup until it reaches your desired consistency with a stick blender.  Back on the heat, mix in the cheese, letting it melt without bringing it to a boil again.  Mix in the milk, season with salt and pepper, and remove from heat.  Serve.

To use a slow cooker: implement step 1, 2 and 3; place everything except the cheese and milk in the slow cooker and cook on low for 6 - 10 hours or high for 2 - 4 hours.  Add the cheese and milk and cook until cheese has melted.

Potato Soup

Last month, my mom and sister both came down with the stomach bug.  It wasn't pretty.  Mom was sick for almost a week and Kenzie for a few days.  By the time they were both feeling up to eating again, I was ready with a new recipe: potato soup.  They wanted something slightly bland but still tasty, easy to digest but heart and filling too.  This recipe checked all those boxes.  Plus, it's Pioneer Woman, so it couldn't go wrong.  And she calls it Perfect Potato Soup.  How's that for a name?

Like all good potato soups, this one has a base of potatoes but also carrots, onions and celery.  There's milk and heavy cream in there too, but I changed out the cream for Greek yogurt just to make it a little less rich for the recovering sickies.  The secret spice ingredient is Cajun spice.  I know, I wasn't expecting that either, but it gives the soup a subtle heat and a lot of flavor.  Don't skip it - it wasn't too spicy for any of us, and I hate spice and they were vomiting days earlier, so you'll have to take our advice!

The other thing I really liked about the soup is that you don't blend all of it so it still has some texture.  Totally pureed soups aren't my favorites, and this one still has some nice chunks of veggies in there to sink your teeth into!

The soup gets topped with parsley, cheese and bacon.  I left the bacon and cheese out and was happy enough with the fresh taste of the parsley.  My family topped theirs happily with bacon as well and were very pleased with their dinner.  This soup reheated wonderfully and was a good go-to for lunches.  I know it's 90 degrees out there and you aren't thinking "soup" today, but the next time you put a sweatshirt on, keep this soup in mind.

Recipe:

potato soup
from the Pioneer Woman
yield 12 servings

Ingredients:
6 slices thin bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 whole medium onion, diced
3 whole carrots, scrubbed clean and diced
3 stalks celery, diced
6 whole small russet potatoes, peeled and diced
8 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon salt, more to taste
black pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon Cajun spice mix
1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
1 cup grated cheese of your choice

Instructions:

1) Add bacon pieces to a soup pot over medium heat and cook bacon until crisp and gat is rendered.  Remove the bacon form the pot and set it aside.  Pour off most of the grease, but do not clean the pot.

2) Return the pot to medium-high heat and add the onions, carrots and celery.  Stir and cook for 2 minutes or so, then add the diced potatoes.  Cook for 5 minutes, seasoning with salt, pepper, and Cajun spice.

3) Pour in the broth and bring it to a gentle boil.  Cook for 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are starting to get tender.  Whisk together the flour and milk, then pour into the soup and allow it to cook for another 5 minutes.

4) Remove half to 2/3 of the soup and blend in batched in a blender/food processor until completely smooth, using caution.  Pour it back into the soup pot and stir to combine.  Let it heat back up as you taste for seasonings, adding more of what it needs.  Stir in cream, then stir in parsley, reserving a little for garnish.

5) Serve in bowls garnished with parsley, grated cheese and crisp bacon pieces.

Italian Wedding Soup with Veggie Balls

Yes, this is an Italian wedding soup with veggie balls, and no, I'm not sorry about that.  The traditional Italian wedding soup is packed with meatballs - depending on the recipe you're using, either chicken, pork or beef.  No thanks.  The soup usually also has some sort of greens like kale or spinach, pasta like orzo, and carrot.  Those things sound good.  Why ruin it with meat!?  Hence I was excited to see this recipe from Annie's Eats with veggie balls.  Plus she has this crazy method for making your own quick veggie broth by finely chopping up tons of vegetables (this is called a pestata) and simmering them in water and herbs.  Plus, veggie balls.

To be honest, this took hours and by the time it was ready for dinner, we were starving.  May I suggest this soup be made on a weekend? Also I think I used every utensil, pan and machine in the whole kitchen.  So be ready to clean while you work or you might be washing up until midnight. And frankly, if I am to be even more honest, may I suggest that you use a carton of veggie broth and save yourself the time of the aforementioned crazy method?   Skip the peseta. I didn't think it was better than a carton; it didn't have enough flavor for me.

The star of this recipe is obviously the veggie balls.  They're mostly made of eggplant, with parsley to make them taste fresh, garlic and parmesan to spice them up, and panko all around the outside to give them a slight crunch.  They get pan fried till they are browned to perfection.  Then they get plonked into the soup, which has been filled with tortellini, zucchini, kale, and swiss chard.

Again, I thought the broth wasn't the best that it could be, but everything else was fabulous.  I'd definitely make those veggie balls again.  And I think we all know that tortellinis are awesome.  This was a great soup for reheating, also.  I was a little worried about putting the veggie balls into my lunch container because I worried about them getting mushy, but they didn't really, so it made for a perfect lunch.  I know it's getting warm and you might not be thinking of soup, but let's be honest, last night you slept in sweatpants and you're currently wearing a fleece.  Or maybe that's just me.  Anyway, there's still time to make soup before it gets super hot and you look crazy.

Recipe:

Italian wedding soup with veggie balls
from Annie's Eats
yield 8 - 10 servings

Ingredients:
for the soup:
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 ounces fresh basil leaves
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 1/2 quarts cold water
1 bunch swiss chard, stemmed and chopped
1 bunch kale, stemmed and chopped
1 zucchini, diced
2 parmesan rinds
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
18 - 20 ounces cheese tortellini
for veggie balls:
1 large eggplant, unpeeled
1 cup panko, plus more for coating veggie balls
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large egg
extra virgin olive oil for cooking (I used vegetable oil)

Instructions:

1) In the bowl of a food processor, combine the onion, carrot, garlic, and basil.  Pulse until the entire mixture is very finely chopped and almost forms a paste (known as a pestata).  Add the olive oil to a Dutch oven over high heat and add the pestata into the pot.  Cook until the mixture has released most of its liquid and is beginning to dry out a bit, about 5 - 7 minutes.  Add the water to the pot gradually, scraping and browned bits from the bottom of the pot as you do so.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, covered, for about 15 minutes.

2) Stir in the chard, kale, zucchini, parmesan rinds and salt.  Cook covered for 25 minutes and then uncovered for 20 minutes more.  Add the tortellini during the last 10 minutes or so of cooking (according to package directions so they will just be cooked when the soup is finished).

3) While the soup is simmering, make the veggie balls.  Chop the eggplant into 1-inch cubes.  Bring a medium to large pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat.  Add the eggplant to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.  Drain the eggplant in a colander and press down firmly with the back of a spoon to squeeze out as much excess liquid as possible.  Transfer to a cutting board and finely chop the cooked eggplant, then transfer to a medium bowl.

4) Into the bowl with the eggplant, add the panko, parmesan, parsley and garlic.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Add in the egg.  Stir until evenly combined, then form the mixture into 1-to-1 1/2-inch balls.  Coat each ball in panko.  Add a generous amount of oil to a heavy skillet (about 1/4 cup) and heat over medium-high heat.  When the pan and oil are very well heated, add the veggie balls in an even layer.  Turn the balls gently as they cook until all sides are browned.  Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.  When the soup is finished cooking, add a few veggie balls to each serving.

Red Lentil Soup

This soup is so much more awesome than the name implies.  Red lentil soup doesn't suggest all the flavor packed into it, with the brightness of lemon and the spice of garam masala.  It doesn't explain the presence of carrots, onions and celery (or leeks, in my case, since I was out of celery).  It doesn't speak of bay leaves or the fact that this soup has so much flavor, it doesn't even need garlic.

It just makes you think of red lentils, and if you're not like me, you may have no idea that lentils even came in red.  Red lentils are actually quite different from the more common green or brown lentils.  They are pre-split, so they cook much faster than their counterparts.  They also turn to mush, so they're perfect for soups.  They add protein, fiber, and a nice yellow color (yes, it's weird, but red lentils turn yellow when they cook).

Back to the soup itself.  The recipe is kind of like a blank canvas, because it suggests dressing it up however you want.  Top it with gremolata or Greek yogurt.  Spice it up with Italian herbs or a seasoning blend.  It also suggests the teaspoon of garam masala, which I am immensely glad that I decided to add, because I can't even slightly imagine the soup without it.  I will be posting it as a mandatory ingredient!  I know Indian food isn't for everyone, but this soup is.  It's not overly Indian-y, just super tasty, hearty, warming, quick, easy, healthy, and wonderful.

Recipe:

red lentil soup
from The Kitchnn
serves 4

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large carrot, diced
2 large ribs celery, diced
1 small yellow onion, diced
1/4 teaspoon salt, plus additional to taste
1 cup red lentils
4 cups water or low-sodium broth
1 whole bay leaf
2 tablespoons lemon juice from 1/2 large lemon

Instructions:

1) Ina  medium saucepan or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the carrot, celery, onion, and 1/4 teaspoon salt, stir to combine, then cover and let the vegetables sweat until the onions are soft and translucent.

2) Add the lentils, water or broth, and bay leaf.  Bring up to a boil, then turn the heat down to low and let simmer, covered, until the lentils begin to fall apart, about 20 minutes.

3) Turn off the heat, stir in the lemon juice, and add salt to taste.  Ladle into bowls and serve.  Leftovers will keep refrigerated for 5 days and reheat well.

Chilean Lima Soup

I don't know what it is about lima beans but they are awesome.  They're creamy and tasty and soak up whatever lovely sauce or broth you put them in.  I have fond childhood memories of the lima beans from Bishop's in Lowell (a Lebanese food place that is sadly no longer in business; see, I have always loved Middle Eastern food!).  They were served in a thick and flavorful tomato sauce and I have never found a recipe that matches it.  The struggle is real.

But there was no struggle with this soup.  Back to the beans: can we talk about how healthy they are, besides being so delicious?  They have fiber, protein, potassium, zinc, iron, copper, magnesium and manganese.  I don't even know what half of those things are but I know you need them.  Oh, and they can help stabilize blood sugar, which is good since the doctors all thought I had diabetes a few weeks back (I don't).

Besides the amazing lima beans, this soup has a lot going on.  It's more flavorful than you can imagine, what with dried sage, basil (both fresh and dried) parsley, rosemary, not to mention garlic and onion powder.  Besides the beans, there is corn, onion, butternut squash, and tomatoes.  Basically everything good you can imagine is there in the soup.  It was delicious the first night, and reheated very well (I would know, because I brought it to lunch at work all week long).  It made a pretty big batch.

Apparently, April 20 is Lima Bean Appreciation Day.  But I wouldn't wait that long to make this soup.  It's like 20 below zero out there tonight; it's soup weather now.

Recipe:

Chilean lima soup
from Jennifer's Kitchen

Ingredients:
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups peeled and diced butternut squash
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups water
1 1/2 cups canned crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 cups canned diced tomatoes
1 16-ounce package frozen green baby lima beans
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon packed fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1.4 teaspoon dried sage
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup frozen corn

Instructions:

1) In a large soup pot, saute onion in oil over medium heat until onions begin to turn translucent.

2) Add squash and garlic and sauté for two more minutes or until garlic softens.

3) Add water, tomatoes, lima beans, and seasonings except for salt.  Cover and bring to boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes.

4) Stir in corn and add salt to taste.  Cook until heated through.

Lemon Garlic Orzo Soup

Is it just me, or does it seem like everyone is sick?  I don't know if it was the stress leading up the holidays, or ebola, or what, but there are a lot of sick people out there.  I've been coughing for nearly 2 weeks now.  Mark's mother is sick and missed the Christmas Eve party.  My friend Courtney's mom had a cold.  I have seen at least 4 Facebook statuses about people's bodies "needing a break."  So here's the break/ cure/ most delicious chicken-less version of chicken soup for sick people: lemon garlic orzo soup.

Mark got the stomach bug about a month or so back.  It wasn't pretty, and he missed his cousin's wedding over it.  Once he was ready to eat again, I wanted to make him some chicken noodle soup - obviously, sans chicken.  His dad always adds lemon to chicken soup - I think it's a middle eastern thing, and it's a great idea.  It brightens everything up and makes the broth really pop.  It promises to make the most flavorful chicken soup that you ever had.

So, you have this hot, bright, lemony broth full of both lemon juice and zest, and in it you also have onion, garlic, carrot, and orzo.  I used whole grain orzo since I had some left over.  I also added in some celery, about 2 stalks, just because I had it and thought Mark could use some more veggies. The dried basil adds even more flavor to the broth.

Are you one of the sickies this week?  Or maybe you just need to detox from all the delicious holiday sweets you've eaten.  Either way, this is probably something you need to add to your menu this week.

Recipe:

lemon garlic orzo soup
from Petit Foodie
serves 2

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 carrot, roughly grated
6 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup orzo
1/2 lemon, zest and juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon dried basil

Instructions:

1) In a large pot, heat olive oil.  Add in garlic and onion.  Sauté until translucent.

2) Add in carrot.  Saute for just a few minutes.

3) Pour in chicken broth.  Season with salt and pepper.

4) Add orzo.  Cook until tender with a slight bite.

5) Squeeze in juice of half a lemon and add zest.  Season with salt, pepper and basil.  Let simmer and adjust seasonings if needed.

Pumpkin and Black Bean Soup

As I said before, when I roast pumpkins and make my own puree, there always follows a time when I am scrambling to use it up.  In addition, I randomly have a huge bag of pepitas (the insides of pumpkin seeds) taking up far too much prime space in my baking cabinet.  When I saw this recipe on Pinterest, combining both pumpkins and pepitas, I knew I had to try it out.

I loved the colors of this soup: red and yellow bell peppers, orange pumpkin, black beans, and even green jalapeños if you're feeling brave, which obviously I wasn't.  All the vegetables get cooked down with onions, garlic, and cumin.  Vegetable broth gets tossed in too, and then when it's all cooked, it gets pureed.

I've come to understand that I don't like pureed soups.  I like them to have some texture, some things to chew on while I'm eating.  So I pureed it a little bit, but I left most of the soup in tact.

Of course, don't skip the final part: topping the soup with pepitas and Parmesan cheese.  It adds a little crunch and creaminess to the soup.

As expected, this soup tasted like fall in a bowl.  The black beans give it some protein and all the vegetables give it a lot of flavor.  I'm finding that having an abundance of pumpkin puree and pepitas is a great problem to have when it forces you to try out recipes like this one!

Recipe:
pumpkin and black bean soupfrom The Skinny Fork

Ingredients:
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 small onion, diced
1 jalapeño, seeded and diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups reduced sodium vegetable or chicken stock
1 14.5-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 12.5-ounce can pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste
pepitas and grated Parmesan for topping

Instructions:

1) Lightly coat the inside of a large pot with non-stick cooking spray and add in the bell peppers, onion, jalapeño, and garlic.  Saute over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until the vegetables start to soften and become fragrant.

2) Add in the remaining ingredients except for the pumpkin seeds and cheese, and increase the heat to medium-highto bring the mixture to a boil.

3) Once it all comes to a  boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes or until the liquid has reduced by about half .

4) Use an immersion blender to blend down into a creamy soup.

5) Season with salt and pepper and ladle into bowls.  Top with pepitas and grated Parmesan.

Slow Cooker Pearl Couscous Soup

Wow, life has been so insane lately.  And not in a good way.  I sometimes feel like I am about to literally explode with all the craziness going on in both my personal and professional lives.  Cooking and baking usually helps me relax at times like these, except for the fact that I've been too busy, not to mention that the kitchen is out of commission while Alex rips our floor out and tiles it.  So mostly I've just been not really eating (I guess it's a new type of wedding workout? I've lost 4 pounds...).  Luckily for you, I do have a small backlog of recipes to share, so that will get us through the next week.  After that, the floor will be done, I will be on April vacation, and maybe at least some aspects of my house will calm down!?

Anyway... let's talk about soup.  What better comfort food is there?  And when you can get it done in a slow cooker on a cold, busy March day, what more can you ask for?  This soup has pearl couscous, which I haven't used before, but I definitely love it.  It's kind of like a little round noodle.  Then there's kidney beans for protein, and lots of veggies like onions, carrots, bell peppers, and tomatoes.  It's flavored with oregano, salt and pepper - so nothing too crazy, but it all comes together in the slow cooker to make a really delicious soup.  I brought the leftovers for my lunch for days until it was gone.  My family liked it too; they always appreciate when my soups have beans to help fill them up, and it always helps when it tastes delicious :)  I'm wishing I could whip up a batch of this right now!

Recipe:

slow cooker pearl couscous soup
from Vegan in the Freezer
yield 6 - 8 servings

Ingredients:
1 cup pearl couscous, not cooked
2 15-ounce cans red kidney beans, drained
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup carrots, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 can (14.5 - 15 ounce) diced tomatoes
1 cup spaghetti sauce
4 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions:

1) Heat the butter in a skillet.  Add the onions, bell pepper and carrots.  Sauté until the onions become translucent, about 10 to 15 minutes.

2) Add the sautéed vegetables to the crockpot.  Add the remaining ingredients and stir well.

3) Cover and cook on low 2 - 3 hours.  Check the couscous at 2 hours for tenderness.

Split Pea Soup

Sorry for the lack of blog posts this week.  After every vacation, it takes me a while to remember how to juggle work, cooking, and blogging!  This was a very busy week too, not even counting work: sleepover with Linny, Celtics game, driving through a snow squall to get my ring back from the jeweler, going out to eat - I feel like I will need to rest up for the majority of the weekend to recover!  But luckily the majority of the week was a good one, and it helped that I had this pea soup for lunch for the first two days of it.  I was extra happy to have it on Monday after a bitter cold recess duty in 9 degree temperatures!  This is a great, healthy, warming soup that my mom has dubbed "the best pea soup ever."  I take that as a huge compliment, since pea soup was one of my grandmother's specialties.

The best news is how easy the soup is!  You basically just have to sauté some onions, and then add split peas, garlic and a bay leaf.  Add chicken broth and simmer for 45 minutes, and then puree it all at the end.  What made this recipe different than ones I have seen before is the edition of a cup of milk after it has all pureed.  I think it helps the soup be extra creamy.

If - no, when I make this soup again, I think I want to add some carrots and maybe some potatoes.  It's delicious but I think it would raise it to the next level.  The recipe recommends topping the soup with bacon, which I obviously didn't do, but I think it would be a good addition as well.  It's definitely a great pea soup that may even be able to win over the people that claim not to like pea soups :)

Recipe:

split pea soup
from 100 Days of Real Food
makes 8 servings

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
pepper to taste
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 pound dried split peas, picked over and rinsed
8 cups chicken stock or broth
1 cup milk
optional  toppings and accompaniments: hot sauce, chopped bacon, ham, sausage or hot dogs plus biscuits or toast on the side

Instructions:

1) Heat the oil over medium heat in a large soup pot.

2) Add the onions and season with salt and pepper.

3) Once the onions have softened, add the garlic, bay leaf, and split peas, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

4) Add the broth and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low  Simmer and stir occasionally for 45 minutes or until the peas are tender.

5) Remove soup pot from heat, discard the bay leaf, and puree using a hand-held immersion blender, or in batches in a freestanding blender.

6) Stir in the milk and ladle warm soup into bowls.  Add your favorite topping and enjoy.

Vegetable Soup with Garlicky Croutons

A warming, hearty vegetable soup with all the colors of the rainbow: orange carrots, green baby spinach, red tomatoes, white fingerling potatoes.  Top it off with some brown cubes of multigrain bread. Sometimes the best part of a meal is how beautiful it is. But that's not the best part of this soup. The best part is how good it is!

The flavor of this soup is excellent.  Besides all the vegetables, I love the use of fresh thyme sprigs (one of which I lost until I found it in my lunch at work... and I never found the bay leaf... oops!  Don't tell Mark or Alex who think you can die form eating those).  And then there's the croutons.

Oh, the croutons. Do not skip the croutons.  They are mandatory.  They are just average cubes of multigrain bread, but when you stir fry them in butter and garlic, they turn into something magical.  I will confess that I had trouble getting them crusty and started to get scared that I was going to burn them, but once I took them off the heat, they crisped up nicely.  They aren't so crispy the next day, but I soak them in the soup anyway so it doesn't really matter.

I ate this soup for dinner, and so did my enthusiastic family.  My mom kept saying how much she loved it. I was more than happy to eat it for lunch all week long at work.  I will say that next time I will probably add some beans for protein - I'm thinking white beans will work well. But other than that, this soup recipe is a keeper.

Recipe:

vegetable soup with garlicky croutons

from Annie's Eats 

yield 8-10 servings

Ingredients:

for the soup:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 medium onion, chopped

2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

28 ounce canned tomatoes

4 cups vegetable stock

1 bay leaf

3 sprigs fresh thyme

parmesan rind (optional but recommended)

12 ounces fingerling potatoes, cut into 1/4-inch thick pieces

4 cups baby spinach leaves

salt and pepper, to taste

for the croutons:

3 cups multigrain bread cubes

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 - 4 cloves garlic, minced

salt and pepper

Instructions:

1)  In a Dutch oven or large stockpot, melt the butter over medium high heat.  Add the onion, carrot, and celery to the pot and cook until mostly softened, 6 - 7 minutes. Stir in garlic and sauté about 1 minute, just until fragrant.  Stir in the diced tomatoes, vegetable stock, bay leaf, thyme and the parmesan rind.  Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and let cook 20 minutes.

2) Add the chopped fingerling potatoes to the pot and simmer just until the potatoes are fork tender.  Stir in the spinach and cook until fully wilted.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Remove the bay leaf.

3) While the soup is simmering, make the croutons.  Heat a large skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium heat.  Melt the butter over medium to medium-low heat. Stir in the garlic and cook about 1 minute.  Stir in the bread cubes, stirring occasionally, until they are golden brown and crisp on all sides (adjusting the heat if necessary).  Serve the soup warm with the croutons on top.

Beef Stew with Beer and Paprika

Our last day of Christmas vacation - which by the way got extended by 2 snow days and was thus a full gorgeous 2 weeks - a bunch of the Compounders decided to go play ice hockey.  They all trekked down early, and Mom, Rachael and I drove down to watch (hey give me credit for hiking home in the snow... I was exhausted).  I thought it was a perfect day to cook up something warming and hearty.  My mom had been asking for a beef stew lately... well, you know me and meat, but even I have been known to eat a beef stew (especially Gram's!) every now and then (mostly picking around the beef).   I also figured this would be a minimal-meat-touching meal.  I decided to get the Pioneer Woman's recipe; she really knows her stuff when it comes to comfort food.  I have a new respect for her amazingness.  More of her recipes coming soon.

It was pretty funny telling my family that we were having stew for dinner.  They all tried to guess what strange type of stew I would be making: lentil?  Quinoa?  I got to say, "no, beef," and watch them all burst into grins.

Browning the beef wasn't pleasant, but it wasn't too bad either.  Then you cook the onions and garlic in the same pan, add some water and beef bouillon, and flavor it with all sorts of interesting things like worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, beer (a whole can!), paprika, and even a little sugar.  Carrots and potatoes round out the stew. It simmers for 2 hours, getting all rich and thick and far more complex-tasting than you'd expect.

The end result?  Everyone loved it. My mom said it was the best beef stew ever!  Besides the fact that my family kept yelling that they "loved the meat,"they all agreed the broth was really excellent too.  I wouldn't have minded a bunch of other vegetables, but the carrots and potatoes were delicious in there anyway.  All the leftovers were gone by the next day, and in fact I have already been begged to make this again so many times that I bought the ingredients yesterday.  More beef stew is in our future.

Recipe:

beef stew with beer and paprika
from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 pounds stew meat
1 whole medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 12-ounce can beer
4 cups beef stock (or 4 cups water and 4 beef bouillon cubes)
2 cups water (additional, if needed)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoon sugar
4 whole carrots, washed, unpeeled, and roughly sliced (I peeled mine)
4 whole new potatoes, quartered
minced parsley (optional)

Instructions:

1) Heat oil and butter in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Brown meat in two batches, setting aside on a plate when brown.  Cut pieces in half.  Set aside.

2) Add diced onions to the pot/  Stir and cook for 2 or 3 minutes until softened, then add garlic for another minute.  Pour in beer and beef tock, then add Worcestershire, tomato paste, paprika, salt, pepper, and sugar.  Add beef back to the pot.  Stir to combine.  Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.  The liquid should cook down to a thicker state.  If it gets too thick or reduces too much, add additional water as needed.

3)  Add carrots and potatoes, then cover and cook for an additional 30 minutes.  If stew gets dry, just add a cup of hot water to replenish the liquid - I did not have to).  Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

4) Serve in bowls next to crusty French bread.  Sprinkle with minced parsley, if desired.

Hearty Lentil and Vegetable Soup

Kenzie, I apologize ahead of time for this post.  And for the soup.  I know it combines all your worst ingredients ;)

So.  Lentils and mushrooms!!!  Mmmmmmm!

But in all seriousness, despite the fact that this soup includes Kenzie's worst nightmares, it was soooo good.  No one else in the house would eat it, besides me and my mom.  Everyone hates mushrooms, and as I said, Kenzie also hates lentils.  But that was totally okay with me and Mom: we got to eat it in peace all by ourselves for the next few days.  I was happy to bring it to lunch at work - it almost made going back after our two-week break acceptable :)

This was the first recipe I made when we got home from Florida, and I was feeling climate shock.  It was perfect soup weather (since we were snowed in and enjoying 2 snow days).  We were in need of a nice healthy and hearty soup, full of goodness like mushrooms, carrots, onions, celery and lentils, and flavored with tomato paste, garlic, and thyme.  It ends up tasting a lot like a stew - and with those big meaty mushrooms, I swear you won't miss the meat.  My mom didn't.  And she usually does.  We both seriously loved this soup.  In fact I am currently craving it.  Make it soon.... just not if you are having Kenzie over.

Recipe:

hearty lentil and vegetable soup
from Main Street Cuisine
serves 6-8

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium onions, thinly cut into rings
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 10-ounce package white mushrooms, cut in half or quartered
1 cup lentils
4 carrots, thinly sliced
3 ribs of celery, chopped
1 carton vegetable broth
1 cup water
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

1) In a large Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add onion and sauté until translucent, about 3-4 minutes.  Add minced garlic and continue to sauté another 1-2 minutes.  Raise heat to medium-high, adding mushrooms and stirring another 3-4 minutes.

2) Add lentils, carrots, celery, vegetable broth, water, tomato paste, and dried thyme.  Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer.  Cover pot and let simmer for 20 minutes.

3) Taste soup and adjust seasonings with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Vegetable Paprikash Soup

Maybe I was the only person ridiculously excited about watching the remake of the Sound of Music on TV a few weeks ago... it felt like that... but I was excited enough that I decided to cook an Austrian/Hungarian/German feast for dinner that night to celebrate.  I was singing the songs in my head all week, and even gave my students the option to watch it in exchange for a no homework deal.  Needless to say, I was pumped.  I spent lots of time while I was bored in the waiting room at my doctor's office looking up recipes, and I decided to make vegetable paprikash soup.  Yeah, I know, that's Hungarian, which isn't exactly Sound of Music setting, but close enough (didn't they use to call it Austria-Hungary!?)  I also made spaetzle, which I ended up adding to the soup, but you will have to wait for that recipe till the next recipe post :)

I can't say enough how awesome this soup is.  I very happily ate it for lunch all week, along with my mother.  It's flavored with paprika - obviously - and sour cream, and full of vegetables like corn, carrots, potatoes, and peas.  It was so flavorful and exotic.  Add the spaetzle to it and you've got yourself an amazing dinner.  The original recipe recommends adding homemade herb dumplings; since I was making the spaetzle, I didn't make the dumplings, but I am fairly certain that they would be just as exquisite.

Again, I was probably the only person who was excited to watch the movie, because everyone ended up leaving the house except for my mom, so we were the only two to eat this meal, along with Mark. But all three of us gave it rave reviews.  Alex and Rachael came home later and tried it, and even Alex had seconds and said that it was very good.  I will definitely be making some paprikash soup in my near future!

Recipe:

vegetable paprikash soup
from Rolling in the Dough
serves 6

Ingredients:
paprikash soup:
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 carrot, peeled and sliced
1 medium potato, peeled and cubed
1 cup peas or green beans (frozen is fine)
1 cup corn (frozen is fine again)
4 - 6 cups vegetable stock
1 cup sour cream

herb dumpings:
1 potato, peeled, chopped, steamed until tender
salt and pepper to taste
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, or 2 tablespoons dried
up to 1 cup whole what pastry flour

Instructions:

1) In a large pot, sauté the onion in olive oil over medium heat until onion begins to soften and brown.  Add salt, paprika, and pepper, and continue browning until a darker golden color.  Add carrot, potato, peas/beans, and corn, and lightly sauté for less than a minute before adding the vegetable stock.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer.  Simmer, uncovered, for about 1 hour.

2) Make the dumplings: mash steamed potatoes with a rover or pastry blender.  Add egg and seasonings and mix well.  Add flour until dough is fairly stiff but still a little tacky.  Dust your hands with flour and knead the dough a little more in the bowl or on a floured counter.  Allow to rest 15 - 30 minutes, then pat out into a square and cut into small pieces.

3) Bring pot of water to boil.  Add dumplings to the water and simmer gently until they float to the top, from 4 to 7 minutes.  Lift dumplings out with a slotted spoon, transfer to a buttered plate, and continue with remaining dumplings.  Set aside.

4) Add the sour cream to the soup, one large dollop at a time, and whisk into the soup.  If the soup os too thin, add more sour cream.  When ready to serve, float dumplings in each bowl as you serve it.  You can also add the dumplings to the soup and allow them to warm up before serving.

Curried Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

There is just something about butternut squash and apple together that I like.  It's the sweet, creamy, fall-ness of the combination that makes me pin anything that has both words in it.  I've made a butternut squash and apple soup before, and it was good but not earth shattering.  I was intrigued by this soup and the fact that it has curry powder in it as well, so when Kenzie brought home one of her work friend's surplus squashes, I decided to give it a try.

It was pretty quick and easy to make, and in the end you get a soup that is perfect for a cool day in the fall.  There is a touch of tart sweetness from the apples (and cider as well) and a creaminess from the pureed squash - no cream needed!  The curry powder makes it a tiny bit spicy, but not too spicy for me and I am a big baby when it comes to that.  Warming, filling and healthy at only 130 calories per serving, it's a pretty good soup for this time of year.  With that said, don't think for a second that I am changing my mind on my hatred towards fall.  I still hate it and miss the summer.  But I do enjoy butternut squash.

Recipe:

curried butternut squash and apple soup
from Sharp.com
Serving size: 1/6 of recipe.  130 calories, 4 grams fat, 1 gram saturated dat, 55 milligrams sodium, 0 milligrams cholesterol, 26 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams fiber, 2 grams protein, 11 grams sugar

Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
2 cups chopped onion
1 rib celery
4 teaspoons curry powder
2 medium butternut squash (about 2 1/2 - 3 pounds), peeled, seeded and cut into cubes
3 medium apples, peeled, cored and chopped
3 cups water (can substitute with chicken stock or vegetable broth... I used half water, half veggie broth)
1 cup cider

Instructions:

1) In a heavy saucepan or Dutch oven, combine onions, celery, butter and curry powder.  Cover and cook over low heat until vegetables are tender (10 - 15 minutes), stirring often.

2) Add cubed squash, chopped apples, and liquid (water, stock or broth) and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 20 to 30 minutes or until squash and apples are cooked thoroughly.  Strain liquid and set aside.

3) Puree the apple-squash mixture with one cup of the strained liquid.  Add cider and remaining liquid to reach desired consistency. Garnish with grated apple, yogurt, or low-fat sour cream.

Olive Garden Minestrone Soup

Let's be honest: the best part about Olive Garden is the breadsticks.  But a very close second best thing is the minestrone soup.  Hearty, healthy, full of vegetables in a salty tomato broth... delicious (especially when you use a breadstick to sop up the last few drops!... okay I need to make the breadsticks next).  Rachael and Alex especially love Olive Garden and go there frequently; Rach rarely asks for specific recipes from me, so when she requested the OG minestrone, I agreed to check it out, especially since I love the soup as well.  I found a copycat recipe from key ingredient.com, which isn't a site I was familiar with, so I was a little nervous.  Luckily, there was no need to worry.  This soup is absolutely delicious.

It's chock full of lots of vegetables, from frozen green beans to zucchini to 2 types of beans to celery to carrots to baby spinach... and that's not all of them.  This is no thin little chicken noodle soup; this thing is a meal in and of itself, and a healthy one at that.  The broth is flavored with fresh parsley and dried basil, oregano, and thyme, so even without all the veggies, it is popping with flavor.  Add pasta shells to the mix and you have a truly excellent soup.

Rachael, queen of the OG, agreed that the soup was delicious and dubbed it the best thing I ever made; she said it was very close indeed to Olive Garden's recipe.  My whole family loved this soup; it makes a pretty big batch (8 1 1/2 cup servings) but we ate it all happily for dinner and brought it for lunches all week long.  I will be making this soup again - soon, if Rachael has any say in the matter!  If you've been looking for a go-to minestrone recipe, you've just found it.

Recipe:

Olive Garden minestrone soup
from Key Ingredient
yield 8  1 1/2 cup servings

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup minced white onion (about 1 small onion)
1/2 cup chopped zucchini
1/2 cup frozen cut Italian cut green beans
1/4 cup minced celery (about 1/2 stalk)
4 teaspoons minced garlic (about 4 cloves)
4 cups vegetable broth
2 15-ounce cans red kidney beans, drained
2 15-ounce cans small white beans or great northern beans, drained
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup carrot, shredded
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
3 cups hot water
4 cups fresh baby spinach
1/2 small shell pasta

Instructions:

1) Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot.

2) Saute onion, celery, garlic, green beans, and zucchini in the oil for 5 minutes or until onions begin to turn translucent.

3) Add vegetable broth to pot, plus drained tomatoes, beans, carrot, hot water, and spices.

4) Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.

5) Add spinach leaves and pasta and cook for an additional 20 minutes or until desired consistency.

Expect the biscuit recipe up next!

Broccoli-Cheese Soup

I've been excitedly waiting to share this recipe; I am still working my way through a backlog but finally it is time to present the broccoli-cheese soup.  Now let me start by saying that I am not a huge broccoli fan, and thus I am really not a big broccoli cheddar soup fan either.  However, last year at the Big E, Kenzie and I had broccoli-cheese soup from the Vermont building (for anyone who doesn't know, the Big E is the Eastern States Exposition and is basically a giant fair in West Springfield, MA every September; the best part - for me - is the food).  We got it in a bread bowl and totally devoured it  What stood out to me was that it wasn't super thick, the broccoli hadn't totally fallen apart, and it had thin egg noodles in it.  I'm not sure what made me order it in the first place, but I have dreamed about it for a year.  You can bet that this year at the Big E, the Vermont building was my first stop.  And imagine my excitement when I got up to the counter and found the recipe on little slips of paper!!!!

To make this even more exciting, the recipe is really simple.  There are really only 3 steps, and it comes together really quickly.  I also like to tell myself that it's not as unhealthy as you might think for a broccoli cheese soup; it calls for no cream, just milk, and I used our usual 1%.  There are only 2 tablespoons of butter that the onions get sautéed in... and okay fine there is a pound of cheddar cheese  but it's not called broccoli-cheese soup for nothing :)

This soup is so, so good.  Cheesy but not too thick, studded with green broccoli and thin noodles, creamy but still thin enough to be considered broth.  Everyone loved this soup - even Amelia who doesn't like soup, and my mom who is always picky.  This is a definite make-again for the next time we have broccoli sitting in the fridge :)

Recipe:

broccoli-cheese soup
from the Vermont building at the Big E
makes 4 quarts

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup chopped onion
2 10-ounce packages chopped broccoli
6 chicken bouillon cubes
1 pound or 4 cups cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon salt
6 cups water
6 cups milk
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
4 cups fine egg noodles

Instructions:

1) Saute onions in butter for 3 minutes.  Add water and bouillon.  Bring to a boil.  When bouillon is dissolved, gradually add noodles and salt.  Boil 3 minutes uncovered.

2) Stir in broccoli and garlic powder.  Cook 4 minutes or until broccoli is tender.

3) Add milk and cheese.  Cook until cheese melts.