EasyPeasy Carrot and Butternut Squash

INGREDIENTS

 

• 1 Tbl Olive oil
• 2 Onions, diced
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 1/2 tsp dried Chili flakes
• 1 tsp Cumin 
• 1 tsp Garam Masala
• 500g chopped Carrots
• 500 gr Butternut Squash
• 750 ml vegetable stock
• Salt & pepper to taste

METHOD

Now obviously, I didn't follow the recipe exactly and I'm sure you both have your own, but I want to be able to find it again. This is my interpretation.

1. Sweat onions for 5 minutes, add garlic, chili flakes and spices and fry for one more minute.
2. Add b'nut squash, chopped carrots, S&P, stock, and bring to the boil. Then turn right down and simmer for 20 minutes with the lid on until the vegetables are quite soft.
3. Blend soup, taking care as it will be very hot.
4. Add water as necessary and check seasoning
5. I add crumbled Stilton cheese when serving which makes it non-Vegan at this point. But it is very good.
6. According to the recipe: "Serve with homemade bread

Bon Appétit!  

 

Sweet Potato Soup

Great winter warming dish -

Easy and lekker!!

If you make it the day before, it gets even better.

Try it. 😄

SPICY PARSNIP SOUP

WITH ZINGY GINGER AND FRESH CHILLI - Jamie oliver

SERVES 4 

COOKS IN50 MINUTES 

DIFFICULTY SUPER EASY

• Ingredients:

  olive oil 

  1 knob butter 

  1 large onion , peeled and roughly chopped 

  2 cloves garlic , peeled and roughly chopped

  1 thumb-sized piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped [or, if there is none, a Tbl of ginger grounded]

  1 tablespoon garam masala 

  6 parsnips , peeled and chopped into chunks

  500 ml semi-skimmed milk 

  1 litre organic vegetable stock

  sea salt

  freshly ground black pepper 

  1 fresh red chilli , deseeded and finely sliced [or not]

  1 handful fresh coriander leaves, optional [or not]

  crusty bread, to serve

  
  

  Method:

  I've given the humble parsnip soup a new lease of life with aromatic Asian flavours and added heat.

                                        

  1.  Heat a splash of olive oil and the butter in a large saucepan.

  2.  Add the onion, garlic, ginger and garam masala.

  3.  Gently fry for around 10 minutes, until the onions are soft and sweet.

  4.  Drop in the chopped parsnip and stir together so that everything gets coated in the oil and flavours.

  5.  Pour in the milk and stock, season well and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 30 minutes with a lid on.

Creamy garlic celery soup

12 large celery stalks

2 Tbsp oil eg. olive or sunflower

1 large onion, chopped
6-8 fat garlic cloves, minced

2 Tbsp unbleached white flour

2-3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

2 tsp dried herbs eg. basil, oregano, rosemary

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or parsley and dill

1/4 cup celery leaves

1 - 1½ cups milk (regular, low fat, soy, whatever)

Salt and pepper to taste

Chopped fresh parsley/dill for garnish

Clean and trim the celery stalks and cut 10 of them in ½ inch pieces. Chop the remaining 2 stalks into smaller (1/4 inch) pieces and set aside. 

Heat 1 Tbsp. of the oil in a soup pot. Add the onions and garlic and sauté over medium heat until the onions are lightly golden. Sprinkle in the flour and stir it in until it disappears. Add the larger pieces of chopped celery, the potatoes and just enough waterto cover. Bring to a simmer then add the mixed dried herbs, fresh herbs and celery leaves. Simmer gently until the vegetables are tender (about 25 mins). Remove from heat. 

With a slotted spoon, transfer the solid ingredients to a food processor or blender and purée, in batches if necessary, until very smooth. Stir back into the soup pot. Return to a very low heat and add enough milk to achieve a slightly thick consistency. 

Heat the remaining oil in a small skillet. Add the reserved smaller pieces of celery and sauté over moderate heat until it is touched with golden spots. Add to the soup, then season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve at once, or allow the soup to stand for an hour or so, then heat through as needed. Garnish each serving with chopped parsley/dill.

From: Vegetarian Soup for All Seasons by Nava Atlas

Verdict: The kids loved it! I liked it a lot too, and I'm not a huge fan of celery flavor, but it didn't taste strong to me.

Broccoli-Edamame Soup

This recipe comes from Vegetarian Times. Through March 31, a 1-year (9 issue) subscription is only $7; well worth it; they always have delicious recipes with beautiful inspiring photos. I took this one:

Broccoli-Edamame Soup with Jumbo Goat Cheese Croutons
serves 8

VT says: "This creamy soup gets its extra richness and bright color from edamame".

I say: it was really surprisingly creamy! I didn't make the jumbo crouton and only used a teeny bit of nutmeg (I'm not a big fan but Jim likes it). Next time, I have to remember to peel the stems of the broccoli as they were very fibrous and I had to sieve the soup. That made it even smoother (and fancier).

2 tsp olive oil
2 cups chopped onion (about 4 small)
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth (or 2 veggie broth cubes & 6 cups water)
3 cups frozen shelled edamame (= one 12 oz bag from Trader Joe's)
1 lb broccoli - stems & florets chopped (= one bunch from TJ's; peel stems first!)
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 ½-inch-thick slices from skinny whole grain baguette
4 oz. aged goat cheese, shaved (or soy cheese if you want to keep it vegan)

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and nutmeg, season with salt & pepper, if desired. Sauté 10 minutes. Stir in ½ cup broth, scraping bottom of pot to lift off any brown bits. Add remaining broth, edamame, broccoli, garlic. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, 20 minutes.

Meanwhile preheat oven to 350F. Arrange baguette slices on baking sheet, bake 6 minutes until crunchy on both sides. Remove from oven, arrange cheese over toasts. Return to oven and bake 6 minutes more, or until cheese has softened.

(When broccoli stems are soft:) Working in batches, transfer soup to blender and blend until creamy and smooth. Return soup to pot and warm over low heat. Ladle soup into 8 shallow soup bowls; float 1 cheese crouton in center of each bowl.

PER SERVING (1¼ CUP SOUP AND 1 CROUTON): 195 cal, 12g protein, 9g total fat (4g sat fat) 19g carb, 15mg chol, 174mg sodium, 5g fiber, 5g sugars

Tamarind Sweet Potato Soup

Much as I love lemon, the soup as made according to the recipe below [from Slow Cooker Cooking by Lora Brody] had too strong of a lemon flavor, overpowering the tamarind and lemongrass. The 2nd time I made this, I left out the lemon, and also used 1/2 the amount of ginger.

3 lbs (1 bag) sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 piece (2-by-1 inch) fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 large onion, peeled and diced
1 stalk lemongrass, outer leaves discarded, cut into large sections; bash a bit to split and release flavor
1 Tbsp toasted mild sesame oil
1 1/2 tsp tamarind paste
1/4 cup plum vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 cups orange juice
finely grated zest of 1 large lemon
2 cups vegetable stock

Place all of the ingredients in the insert of your slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 4 1/2-5 hours or until the potatoes are extremely tender. Remove and discard the lemongrass. Puree potatoes and cooking liquid with a hand-held immersion blender, adding more water if needed until desired consistency is achieved.

Taste and season with salt and pepper if desired.

Easy Gazpacho

I made this for dinner last night, and Nicki asked me to post the recipe. Works great when it's hot like it has been here, because it's nice and cold and doesn't require any cooking in a hot kitchen.

Gazpacho

16 oz canned diced tomatoes
1 cup cucumber, peeled and seeded
1 medium sized bell or sweet Italian pepper
1 large red onion
2 cloves garlic
2/3 cup of olive oil
juice from 1 lemon
1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dried parsley (or 1 Tbsp fresh if available)
1 teaspoon dried oregano (ditto)
salt to taste

Finely chop the onion, garlic, cucumber and pepper (works best if you mince them in a food processor). Combine the finely chopped ingredients in a blender with the tomatoes and the olive oil, lemon juice, Worcestershire, vinegar, herbs and salt. Blend until smooth.

Chill in the refrigerator at least 4 hours before serving. Serve cold with tabasco sauce, if desired.

Tante Ellen's Gazpacho

I have only had Gazpacho twice, once before you were born and again at Elizabeth's birthday party. Not made it because Jon says he doesn't like it... but I think I'm going to make it anyway, now that I have the recipe. 

Also, Tante Ellen said she made it according to the recipe but felt something was missing so she looked in the dictionary and found the vinegar part which made it just right! so here it is...

"GAZPACHO

3 Cups V8 (or tomato juice with worcestershire sauce, not quite the same, imo)

1/4 C lemon juice

2 cloves garlic, peeled

5 ripe tomatoes, peeled

1 small onion in chunks

1 carrot, peeled and in chunks

1 cucumber, peeled and chopped (about 2/3 European cuke)

1 green pepper, de-seeded and quartered

1/4 C fresh parsley

1/4 C fresh basil or cilantro

1/4 olive oil

1 small jalapeno pepper (I used sambal instead)

1 tsp salt or to taste

1 tsp pepper (ditto)

and dash vinegar as per dictionary (we use white balsamic)

In food processor, combine 1 C tomato mixture, lemon juice, garlic, 1/3 of the carrot, onion, cucumber, green pepper, parsley and basil

repeat process using 1 C tomato mixture, olive oil, sambal, 1 tomato and 1/3 remaining vegetables.

repeat process using the last cup and the remaining vegetables. 

Mix 3 batches together, add salt and pepper - and vinegar - to taste.

Refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving. Garnish with chopped cuke or tomato or croutons, or slivered basil or a drizzle of olive oil.

So there it is!"