Slow Cooker Vegetarian Lasagna Soup

Although it is Tuesday, it's like a Friday for me.  It's Thanksgiving week!  That does mean, however, that even if I am not at school, there is still plenty of work to be done before I host the Compound Thanksgiving.  I cleaned my house after school and then I had lots of help whipping this place into shape.  Wait until you see my dining room and den.  It's all set up to have a sit-down meal for 34 people.  Susie helped with some decorating, Nick set up my new entertainment center, Kenzie and Mom set the tables and fancied the bar and dessert tables, and Jay and Ross helped move furniture.  I could not be prouder of this place I call home.  It's a beautiful, spacious, warm place, and I love it more than I ever did.

I'll probably be busy playing hostess with the mostest for the next couple days, but I simply had to share this soup with you before I disappear into the kitchen.  It's absolutely amazing, and might be a nice way to take it easy this weekend when you are turkeyed out and need a little detox from the rich, unhealthy stuff.  

It is the world's easiest soup: dump everything into the crockpot and 7 hours later, it's time to eat.  Of course, there is the step of cooking the lasagna noodles, and the mixing of the extremely not-optional ricotta topping, but still: this is super easy and soooooo good.  I made it one day when I was having my family and Allie over for dinner, and everyone loved it.  Allie even asked for the recipe.  I can't wait to make it again, if I ever have room in my refrigerator for regular groceries.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.  It's been a tough year, but there is so much to be thankful for.

Recipe:

slow cooker vegetarian lasagna soup

from Foodie Crush

serves 10

Ingredients:

1 yellow onion

2 cups brown mushrooms, sliced

2 zucchinis, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 15-ounce can tomato sauce

1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

6 cups vegetable broth

2 bay leaves

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried basil

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 teaspoons kosher salt

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

12 ounces lasagna noodles, broken into small pieces

4 cups fresh spinach leaves

for ricotta topping:

1 8-ounce container ricotta cheese

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/4 cup parsley, chopped

1/4 cup basil leaves, chopped

generous pinch of kosher salt

Instructions:

1) Add the onion, brown mushrooms, zucchini, garlic, tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, vegetable broth, bay leaves, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, kosher salt and black pepper to the liner of a slow cooker.  Set it on low and cook for 7 hours (or on high for 3 1/2 - 4 hours).

2) Meanwhile, make the ricotta cheese topping.  Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

3) Once the cooking time is done, cook the lasagna noodles according to the package directions.  Add the cooked noodles and spinach; warm into spinach is wilted.  Ladle soup into bowls and top with a dollop of the ricotta cheese topping.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

You've got to walk a fine line with broccoli cheddar soup.  It can easily become way too rich.  I mean, you're eating broccoli, for god's sake.  It should feel mostly healthy still.  It can also be too white and creamy.  Where is all the broccoli?  Then again I am not even that in love with broccoli.  I am not a fan of super pureed soups.  I like them to have some texture to them.  But too much, and it's weird.  See what I mean about the fine line?  But I was willing to try to walk said line for Jesse's birthday, because he said it was his favorite soup.  Now, we later established that actually his favorite soup is cream of broccoli, not broccoli cheddar.  And let's not discuss the fact that he even enjoys it from a can - or "pouch" (what the hell is a pouch of soup!?)  Regardless, none of this was known on the actual birthday dinner.  I was already making the pasties I posted yesterday so he could have some steak, but I wanted something that we could both eat, so when I saw that Smitten Kitchen had recently posted a broccoli cheddar soup recipe that she deemed perfection, I decided to give it a try.

This soup perfectly walks the line.  The soup is not too rich; it tastes like vegetables, like broccoli and onion and garlic and carrot, with just enough creaminess to make it taste like a slight indulgence.  It's more green than white, with flecks or orange from the carrot.  Bottom line: this is a winner when it comes to broccoli cheddar soup.  I loved it, and even if it happened to not be Jesse's favorite soup, he liked it too.  I happily ate the leftovers at work for days.  Not too bad for a birthday dinner spread, right?

Recipe:

broccoli cheddar soup
from Smitten Kitchen
serves 4 - 6

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small onion, chopped small
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup half-and-half
4 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
1 bay leaf
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 1/4 pounds broccoli, or 4 cups broccoli florets and stems, chopped small
1 large carrot (about 6 ounces) or 2 small, chopped tiny (1 cup)
8 ounces (about 2 1/2 cups) coarsely grated sharp cheddar cheese, plus more for garnish

Instructions:

1) Melt the butter in a large, heavy pot over medium heat.  Add the onion and garlic and cook until tender, about 3 to 5 minutes.  Stir in the flour and cook until golden, 3 to 4 minutes, then gradually whisk in the half-and-half until smooth.

2) Add the broth, bay leaf, salt, and pepper, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.

3) Add the broccoli and carrot to the broth mixture and simmer until tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.  Discard the bay leaf and adjust seasoning if needed, but err on the side of caution because the cheese will add some salt. Puree the soup to your desired texture - mine was mostly chunky - with an immersion blender or in an upright one.  Back on the stove, add the cheese and whisk until melted, about 1 minute.  Serve in bowls garnished with a pinch of cheese.

Eggplant Ravioli Soup

Last month, I was the lucky recipient of four eggplants from friends at work.  I had no plans for them, but when someone offers me eggplants from their gardens, I do not know how to say no.  So I took them all in and then started scouring my Pinterest boards for eggplant recipes, and I decided on this eggplant ravioli soup.  It was just starting to get cold, and a nice hot soup full off eggplant and ravioli sounded like sheer perfection.  And, it was.

This soup is very quick and easy.  There are only 3 steps, and one of of them is to stir in the ravioli and cook for a few minutes.  It is a perfect weeknight dinner.  The recipe actually calls for raviolini, which are mini raviolis, which I couldn't find.  The big ones worked just fine.

This soup was really good.  I ate it for days and it made great lunches.  I even brought some for work friends because it makes a huge pot.  Simple, warming and delicious.  Throw in some grated carrot or diced celery if you want it to be a little heartier - just promise me you won't add any meat.  Unnecessary!

Recipe:

eggplant ravioli soup
adapted from Wine and Glue
serves 8

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium eggplant, diced into 1/4 inch cubes
2 cloves garlic, minced
32 ounces vegetable stock
28 ounces diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 pound raviolini or ravioli (tortellini can be substituted already)

Instructions:

1) Melt the butter in a soup pot over medium heat.  Add the eggplant and garlic, season lightly with salt and pepper, and cook until the eggplant gets soft, about 5 minutes.

2)  Add the stock, tomatoes, and basil, and bring to a boil.

3) Stir in the ravioli and cook about 3 to 4 minutes until just done.

French Onion Soup with Optional Meatballs

Here's another ingenious Kitchen Treaty One Meal, Two Ways recipe.  It's a delicious French onion soup, full of caramelized onions and bursting with onion flavor, that is split in half; half remains vegetarian, and to the other half, you add mini meatballs.  Then everyone is happy!  The carnivores can slurp their soup and chomp on their meatballs, and we vegetarians can happily enjoy the flavor of onions cooked in garlic and thyme.  And let's not forget the bread with melted gruyere and mozzarella.  Now that is a step not to be skipped.  The bread soaks up the broth and the cheese is just a heavenly addition to this soup.

Key word: optional meatballs.  If you want to stick vegetarian, do it!  I sincerely think both Kenzie and Mark are vegetarian and just won't admit it yet :)

I actually made this one night at my mother's house when Mark was working.  It almost felt like the old times, cooking in my first kitchen :) The only downside is that then I feel bad taking my leftovers home, and I am a big fan of bringing leftovers to work.

Speaking of leftovers, today was our first day back at work after Christmas break, which meant I'm back in the swing of packing lunches.  I am debating what I can pack for Mark, because he is notorious for losing our Tupperware.  Or, and this might be even worse, he leaves them in his classroom for weeks and then brings home mold-filled, gag-enducing sludge.  He is so busy at work that there are many days when he doesn't get to eat lunch, so I can't demand that he bring home his containers every day.  What do you do to make sure your husband (or children!) don't lose your Tupperware?

Recipe:

French onion soup with optional meatballs
from Kitchen Treaty
serves 3 vegetarians and 3 carnivores!

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 - 5 yellow onions, sliced (about 7 cups)
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 heaping teaspoon)
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
8 cups vegetable broth
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons salt
fresh ground black pepper
4 - 6 1-inch thick slices French bread
butter for bread
1 1/2 cups shredded gruyere cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
if you're making the meatballs:
2 cups vegetable or beef broth
1/2 pound ground beef, 90% lean
1/4 cup Italian-seasoned bread crumbs
1 egg
1 clove garlic, minced (about 1/2 teaspoon)
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
fresh ground pepper to taste

Instructions:

1) In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and add the olive oil.  Add the onions and cook for about 30 - 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until very soft, medium brown and caramelized.  Add the sugar about 10 minutes into the cooking to help the onions cook down.

2) Stir in the garlic and dried thyme  Cook for about two minutes.  Stir in the flour.  Cook for another minute or so.

3) Add the vegetable broth, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and bay leaf.  Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low and simmer, covered, for about an hour.  Continue to summer over low heat while preparing the meaty half of the soup.  Skip to skip 7 if you're not making the meaty half.

4) Meanwhile, make the meatballs.  In a medium bowl, using a fork, mix together the ground beef, bread crumbs, egg, garlic, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper until all ingredients are well-incorporated.  Scoop out tablespoonfuls, roll into balls, and set aside.

5) After the soup has cooked for an hour, into another large saucepan over medium heat, transfer two cups of the soup plus another 1/2 cup or so of the onions with a slotted spoon.  Add the two additional cups of broth (either beef or more veggie).  Bring to a boil, then simmer.

6) Carefully drop the meatballs into the meaty soup and continue to simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes until cooked through.

7) Butter the French bread on both sides and place on a cookie sheet.  Broil on high heat until golden brown; turn over and brown the other side.  Remove from the oven, but keep the broiler on.

8) Ladle the vegetarian soup into three oven-proof bowls, and ladle the meaty soup into three bowls as well.  Place on piece of French bread on top of each bowl of soup, then sprinkle each with 1/4 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup gruyere.  Carefully place the bowls on a cookie sheet and broil on high until the cheese is melted and bubble, then serve.

Spiced Lentil Soup with Coconut Milk

When I came across this recipe, I was pretty pumped.  First of all, you know my new love for lentils in soups.  Second, the fact that it has coconut milk in it was very intriguing (not to mention coconut oil).  And lastly it calls for interesting things that I have never even cooked with, like lemongrass.  I knew my family would probably be pretty skeptical, but I was excited to try out spiced lentil soup with coconut milk.  And by the time I was done making it, the rest of my family was intrigued as well because it makes the house smell really good!

Let me just say that lemongrass might be my new favorite thing.  It's a little twiggy-like, like a mixture between a leek and a stick.  You can peel off the outer layers and then you really need to mince what is left because it can be kind of hard to chew.  But it smells amazing!  It's so lemony and bright and makes me want to just gnaw on it.  Luckily I controlled myself and just used it in the soup.

Another reason why the soup was so cool is that it has awesome flavor combinations that you might not expect in a soup: things like cardamom, cinnamon (a half teaspoon!), and citrus juice (I used lemon).  When you saute the onions and lemongrass with the spices, the whole house smells like... I'm not sure where.  India? The Caribbean? Something exotic and spicy and sweet-and-savory at the same time.

I ended up using spinach as my leafy green just because I had it on hand.  The spinach bites ended up being my mother's (and my!) favorite ones, which is surprising because she doesn't like spinach that muc, but it made for a nice soft texture in among all the tender lentils. 

Besides the fact that the lentils have to cook for 20 minutes, this was a pretty quick soup to make.  While you boil the lentils, you work on sauteing the onions anyway, so you can do two things at once, while making your house smell Indian/Caribbean and intriguing your family.

In the end, I thought this soup was awesome, and my mother, who had been skeptical, ended up eating it for lunch two days afterwards.  It is definitely weird, but I knew that when I set out to make it.  Weirdness was expected, appreciated, and devoured.

Recipe:

spiced lentil soup with coconut milk

from Sprouted Kitchen, originally adapted from the Traveler's Lunchbox and Once Upon a Tart

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup lentils, rinsed (green suggested)
4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
1 1/2 tsp. tumeric OR curry powder (I used turmeric)
2 tsp. dried thyme or 1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
1 Tbsp. coconut oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 stalks lemongrass, outer layer removed, lower portion finely minced
1 tsp. sea salt, plus more to taste
1/2 tsp. cardamom
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
pinch of red pepper flakes to taste
pinch of fresh grated nutmeg
1 1/4 cup coconut milk (use full fat)
3 Tbsp. lemon, lime or orange juice
a few handfuls of swiss chard, spinach or kale
1 cup flake coconut, toasted (optional - I did not use this or the cilantro)
chopped cilantro, for garnish (optional)

Instructions:
1) Add the rinsed lentils, broth, thyme and tumeric or curry powder to a large pot. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes.

2) While the lentils cook, heat the coconut oil in a pan. Add the onion and saute until just browned. Add the lemongrass, salt, cardamom, cinnamon, pinch of red pepper flakes and some fresh ground nutmeg and saute another minute. Add the onion mixture to the lentils and stir, keeping the heat on a low simmer.

3) Add the coconut milk and greens and simmer another five minutes, stirring occasionally until just wilted. Taste for salt and spice and add as you prefer. Finish with the citrus juice and serve warm with toasted coconut flakes and cilantro on top.

Pasta Fagioli

Today I had all these great plans to make a recipe that I was super excited about, until I noticed it requires an overnight step.  Damn.  Don't worry - you will see this recipe soon.  So for today, I had to change courses.  Kenzie helped me come up with a new idea: a soup called pasta fagioli.  Literally it means pasta and beans in Italian, so what is not to love there?!

Dad used to make this soup when we were kids, and it's amazing.  But beware: it is one of those recipes that is very different based on whose recipe you use; I often order it when I am at an Italian restaurant, and I get mad when it has weird things like sausage or ground beef in it (okay those things make me mad no matter what).  The pasta fagioli Dad used to make had ditalini pasta, cannellini beans, and onions in a delicious garlicky tomato broth, and that was it.  I wanted to be picky with my recipe, and when I found one from Skinny Taste, it passed my close inspection.  It did add chopped carrot and celery, which as far as I can remember Dad did not, but I think that they would be a welcome addition.  What really made me decide to try out this recipe in particular was all the spices: whole tablespoons of parsley and basil flakes, plus a teaspoon of oregano.  I knew it was going to be good.

This is a pretty fast soup to make.  You just saute the onions and garlic, and basically then add everything else and simmer.  The recipe says you can puree the beans to hide them from picky eaters, but I wanted my beans to stay whole.  It simmers for 20 minutes once you bring it to a boil, so I even had time to start my favorite cheddar cheese bread while it was cooking.  I like dinners that have a little down time built in. 

I doubled the recipe and ended up using little elbows instead of ditalini, which I was sad about but it was all my grocery store had.  And I ended up using a whole pound of the pasta, rather than the 12 ounces that doubling it would require.  Other than that, I stuck to the recipe, and it was a good plan.  The soup is very hearty, healthy (less than 260 calories for 2 cups!!), and very delicious.  A sprinkling of parmesan on the top just brings out the wonderfulness of the soup.  It was very popular with everyone here, and we had quite a housefull tonight.  I will be happy to have it for lunch this week.

I spent this whole football-y day in the kitchen making this soup, the aforementioned cheese bread, and two other recipes as well.  You will have to wait for those though; I am trying to be like a true food blogger and only post one recipe at a time.  Trust me: they're worth waiting for.

Recipe:

pasta fagioli
from Skinny Taste

Servings: 5 • Serving Size: about 2 cups • Old Points: 5 pts • Points+: 6 pts
Calories: 254.5 • Fat: 3.4 g • Protein: 10.3 g • Carb: 47.5 g • Fiber: 6.8 g

Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 15 oz. can cannellini beans
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
1 large bay leaf
1 tbsp basil
1 tbsp parsley
1 tsp oregano
2 (14 oz. each) cans fat free chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
2 cups water
salt and pepper to taste
6 oz dry ditalini pasta or other small pasta
grated parmesan cheese for topping (optional)

Directions:

1) In a deep pot, saute onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat.
2)  The can of beans with one can water in electric blender until almost smooth.

3) Add blended beans to pan then add the can of tomato sauce, celery, carrots, chicken broth, basil, bay leaf, parsley, oregano, salt and pepper. Add1 cup water and bring to slow boil. Let simmer for 20 minutes stirring occasionally. Add pasta and cook uncovered until pasta is al dente, according to pasta directions.

4) Ladle soup into bowls and top with grated cheese (extra).

Happy One Year Blogiversary!

First of all, today is my first blogiversary :)  It was one year ago today that I nervously googled  "how to start a blog" and found my way to blogger.com.  I secretly sat in my mom's blue chair and started my first blog post on my phone (yes it took me forever to type it out).  I told no one for a week or so, and then it was only immediate family.  By April, I let the cat out of the bag on Facebook, and before I knew it, people I hardly knew were stopping me in the grocery store to ask why I was buying tow bags of flour- was it bagel time again?  Now don't get too excited; the majority of my readers are my aunts, coworkers, and friends.  But it's still pretty cool when people tell me that they have tried one of my recipes, or when they ask for my advice on what to bring to a party. 

To be honest with you, I am still entirely shocked about how the past year has gone. A year ago today, I was making cupcakes that called for lime zest, and hacking the peel into large, bitter chunks because my grater was dull.  I wasn't sure I was going to succeed with my New Year's resolution, since let's be honest: who ever does?  How many Januaries have I joined gyms for two months?  But this time, I really wanted to succeed.  I wanted to learn how to cook and bake, and blog, too, but I never really thought I would keep up with it.  And yet I have!  Over 3,400 page views and 162 posts... what a year!

And the best part about the whole thing is that I learned this year that I absolutely adore making food for the people I love.  This is not something that I would have expected; I thought I might get through the year, but never thought I would find my new favorite hobby.  There is nothing I love more than bringing a piece of cake on a plate to my cousin Pat, who will eat any and everything I make.  I adore serving my family a steaming hot casserole, watching and waiting nervously to hear their thoughts.  I like to search for the perfect carbless recipe for my diabetic uncle Tuck.  I love when Kenzie pins recipes and writes "Bridge, get on this."  I love pot lucks, parties, and dinner guests.  I love to cook and I love to  bake.

Ironically, I do not love to blog.  I have always loved to write, but I find myself sometimes inwardly groaning when I have had an intense day in the kitchen; I know I still have a lot to write about before I can hit the hay!  I considered stopping the blog today on my blogiversary, but after backlash from my "fans" (AKA my aunts and sisters!) I have decided to continue the blog, but only post when I have a new recipe to share.  No one needs to hear every time I make another baked Alaska or another batch of bagels.  The point of this blog is still the same: I want to keep a list of recipes that I have tried, and I hope to be able to share my favorites with you.  But I will only post when I have tried out something new.  I hope this new format works for you, because I am pretty excited about it :) 

Thank you to everyone who has read, commented, pinned, or even asked me the quickest way to chop cilantro.  It has meant a lot to me to hear that you have tried my recipes or even looked at this page at all.  I am looking forward to 2013 like you wouldn't believe!

Now, on to the recipes!

Last night was freeeeezing.  It was about 23 degrees and no matter how high we got the woodstove going, nothing made us warm, so it was the perfect night for soup.  Mark got me another soup magazine - I think for Christmas?  To be honest all I can remember that he gave me is the ring ;) Anyway, in the magazine is an intriguing recipe for a vegetarian Indian soup called spinach lentil.  I have never cooked with lentils, but I was reading about them and wondered, why the hell haven't I!?  They have no cholesterol and hardly any fat or calories; plus they are full of protein (a vegetarian's best friend!), folate, dietary fiber, and iron!  Hello, perfect little legume!

This soup has a lot of dicing and mincing, which took a while (even with my amazing new knives), but I was surprised just how quickly dried lentils cook.  The whole soup was ready in about an hour.  A note about the lentils - it called for yellow lentils, but I couldn't find them so I bought red and it worked just fine.  The final result is a soup that Mom said may be the best I have ever made.  It is very flavorful, with cumin, coriander and turmeric (a new spice for me!), not to mention garlic, onions and fresh ginger.  Right at the end, you toss in tomatoes, spinach and cilantro, so there are lots of veggies in there.  The lentils get partly mashed with a potato masher to help the soup be a little thicker and creamier, but not so smooshed that it loses texture.  This is a delicious, filling, warming soup.  I recommend serving it with the ginger-cilantro basmati rice like the recipe suggests; while it was far more labor-intensive than normal rice (more dicing and mincing!), it makes a delicious accompaniment.  I suggest spooning a bowlful of soup, and then plopping the rice on one side of the bowl.  You can mix them up if you like (Rachael did), but I liked taking a bite of each to fully appreciate both flavors!  Enjoy :)

Happy New Year, and bring on 2013!

Recipes:

Spinach and lentil soup
from Cuisine's Splendid Soups and Stews Magazine, January 2013

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup sliced onion
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon minced jalepeno (clearly I skipped this!)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 cup yellow lentils (I used the entire little bag)
7 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
2 dried bay leaves
1 cup seeded and chopped Roma tomatoes (I used more like 2 cups)
1 bag fresh spinach, chopped
2 tablespoons butter (skip this; it isn't needed.  I didn't add it and didn't miss it at all)
salt and black pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions:

1) Melt two tablespoons butter in a large saute or saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add onion, garlic, ginger, jalapeno (or not), cumin, coriander, and turmeric; saute until onion is softened, 3-5 minutes.

2) Stir in lentils to coat with spices and butter.  Add broth and bay leaves.  Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, and cook until lentils are tender, 5-10 minutes.  Mash mixture until about half the lentils are smashd for body, but the soup still has texture.  Remove and discard bay leaves.

3) Add tomatoes and spinach, stirring until spinach wilts.  Stir in the butter at this point if you are using it, but I recommend not.  Season soup with salt and pepper and garnish with cilantro.

Ginger-Cilantro Basmati Rice

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup sliced onion
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoons minced garlic
1 cup dry basmati rice ((I used Jasmine)
2 cups water
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1) Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  Add onion, ginger and garlic; cook 3 minutes.

2) Stir in rice to coat with butter, then add water and bring to a boil.  Reduce mixture to a simmer, cover, and cook rice for 20 minutes.

3) Let rice stand 10 minutes; stir in cilantro and season with salt and pepper.

Black Bean Soup with Sweet Potatoes

I'm back at it, folks.  I realized when I was in the kitchen this year that I was really slacking.  So I apologize again for the lack of posts at Christmas time, but I am back with a delicious soup recipe to share!

Last fall, before I started my blog, Mark randomly bought me a soup magazine, and I made this black bean soup with sweet potatoes a few times.  It was basically one of the recipes that was so successful, it made me decide to make cooking my New Year's resolution. We all liked it.  Anyway, my mom is sick and has been for almost a week, so we decided she needed soup.  I offered to make this soup, since in our crazy pre-Christmas house cleaning, I found this old magazine again.  She agreed, and it feels like ages since I made a good meal for my family, so I was happy to get back in the kitchen (and to use my new knives!!!  Thanks Rachael and Alex!)

Mmmmm!

The soup comes together in about 45 minutes.  The hardest part is the cutting of the sweet potatoes, but I swear, with my new Henckels, it wasn't too bad!  The soup is flavored with some interesting spices, like cumin, coriander, and aniseed.  I didn't have aniseed but I used a coupel drops of anise extract. Then I got to use my immersion blender, which is always fun.  When the soup is made, you remove 3 cups of the beans and potatoes, and blend all the rest; then you put the vegetables back in so that it's not just puree.  Then, there are two garnishes, and let me tell you: do not skip the garnishes.  They really make this soup's flavors pop - especially the lime slices.   Please oh please do not skip the lime slices!  I decided that every single bite had to be first spooned on top of the lime slice first to get lots of tangy lime juice.  The other garnish is plain yogurt, which makes the soup creamy and pretty - not to mention it cools it down a bit when it's right off the stove.  After eating it, Mom said it was the best she had felt all day, so I hope it is working :)  Everyone who tried it loves it; it is filling and flavorful and absolutely delicious.  And it gets even better after a couple days in the refrigerator, too.  Christy: make this soup :)

Recipe:

black bean soup with sweet potatoes
from The Best of Fine Cooking: Soups and Sandwiches magazine (2011)
yields about 14 cups, or 8 servings

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
3 medium cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1  1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon aniseed
freshly ground black pepper
2 quarts chicken or vegetable broth
4 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into medium dice
kosher salt
1/2 cup plain yogurt for garnish
8 paper-thin lime slices for garnish

Instructions:
1) Heat the oil over medium heat in a large pot.  Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until they start to soften and brown slightly, about 8 minutes.

2) Add the garlic, coriander, cumin, aniseed, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.  Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

3)  Add the broth, black beans, sweet potatoes, and 3/4 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil over high heat.  Skim any foam as necessary.  Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the sweet potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.

4)  Using a slotted spoon, set aside 3 cups of the beans and potatoes.  Puree the remaining soup in batches using an immersion blender.  Return the reserved beans and potatoes to the soup and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve topped with a dollop of the garlic and a lime slice.  Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Using the immersion blender!

Soooup!

Tonight I was just in the mood for soup.  I am not sure why, since it is the warmest day we have had in months, but maybe it is just that I adore all soups, and I always have. On our first date, Mark took me to a little soup restaurant because he said he had noticed that I liked to eat "mush."  With soup and mashed potatoes on the top of my food lists, I guess he is right.  I was surprised to realize that so far in this 3 months of my cooking resolution, I had not attempted a single soup!  So tonight was the day.

Mark and I went to Stop and Shop without a real plan in mind, but knowing that we were low on time.  He grabbed two of his beloved marinated pork loins, and I quickly browsed one of my favorite cooking blogs and came up with a tortellini soup with beans and chard.  Perfect: a meatless soup with tortellinis! We grabbed what we needed andwent home, and I bet we were eating close to an hour later.  It was pretty quick, pretty delicious, and pretty beautiful (the chard is the most gorgeous deep green color, and I am so glad I got multicolored tortellini!).  Definitely a hit. 

I doubled the cans of beans, since 1 can in a big pot of soup really is not enough protein (I ended up not having 2 cans of cannelinis, so the other can was pink beans), and I also doubled the tortellinis beause I adore them.  I realize this sort of diminishes the healthiness of the soup, but I did not add the parmesan rind (simply because I didn't have one) and so I claim that it evened out.  Mark grated a little fresh parmesan on our bowls of soup, and it was pretty damn great.  Mom had seconds!  That's always a great sign. It ended up just being the 3 of us home, so there is plenty for me to take to school tomorrow.  One more day till the weekend, and I have some rather amazing things planned :)

Recipe:
Tortellini soup with beans and chard