Creamy Cauliflower soup with Rosemary Oil from New York Times

 We tried this the other day and Mahesh called it "sizzling." I normally would not make a soup that called for 1 cup of oil but I am trying to get the kids to eat more vegetables and I had many ends of bread saved up that I needed to use so I tried this, everyone liked it so this recipe is a winner in my book. The lemon zest is optional but makes the final soup taste fancier which is good for grownups. We didn't try it for the kids. 

Creamy Cauliflower Soup With Rosemary Olive Oil 

 From New York Times

Ingredients

For the Rosemary Oil:

• 1 cup olive oil
• 4 (4-inch) sprigs fresh rosemary

For the Soup:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
• 1 quart low-sodium vegetable stock, plus more as needed for reheating
• 1 medium head cauliflower, cored and broken into 1 1/2-inch florets (about 2 1/2 pounds)
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1 teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
• Freshly grated zest of 1 lemon, for serving

For the croutons (optional):

• 3 cups diced rustic country bread (3/4-inch pieces)  - OR the equivalent amount of bread loaf ends works also. 

Preparation

1. Make the rosemary oil: In a medium skillet, combine the olive oil and rosemary sprigs. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes, lowering the heat if the oil reaches a full simmer. (You want to cook it at a very gentle simmer to avoid frying the rosemary.) Carefully pour the oil and rosemary into a small bowl, leaving a slick of oil in the pan if you plan to make croutons. Allow the rosemary to cool completely in the oil while you make the soup.
2. Make the soup: In a heavy pot or Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-low. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. (Be careful not to let the garlic scorch!)
3. Add the stock, cauliflower, salt and pepper, and bring to a boil over high. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer until the cauliflower is tender when pierced with a fork, about 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, make the optional croutons: Heat the reserved skillet with the residual rosemary oil over medium. Add the bread cubes, sprinkle generously with salt and pepper, and cook, tossing often, until toasted all over, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer the croutons to a plate or board to cool.
5. Strain and discard the rosemary stems from the rosemary oil. Working in batches if necessary, carefully transfer the vegetables, stock and 1/4 cup rosemary oil to a blender and blend on high until creamy. Add more rosemary oil to taste, and blend to combine. Return the soup to the pot and bring to a simmer. If the soup seems thin, let it simmer for 5 to 10 minutes to reduce slightly. (Remember: The soup will continue to thicken as it cools.) Season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. Serve hot. Garnish each serving with a swirl of rosemary oil, a few croutons, and a sprinkle of lemon zest. The soup will thicken as it sits; add more stock as necessary when reheating. Leftover rosemary oil will keep in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Minestrone Soup

I have been looking for a good Minestrone recipe. Finally I tried this knockoff of Olive Garden soup and it turned out great even though I did a lot of substitutions. The kids liked it!

From this blog

Olive Garden Minestrone Soup

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3/4 cup onion diced
• 1/2 cup celery sliced
• 1/2 cup carrots peeled, quartered and sliced
• 1 zucchini halved and sliced (I didn't have this so omitted)
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes (my kid asked for smaller chunks, maybe try cut up tomatoes or crushed next time)
• 4 cups vegetable broth (I would up this to 6 cups next time)
• 1/4 cup tomato paste (I used 2 T. concentrate, would increase with more water)
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 1 15 ounce can small white beans drained and rinsed (Instead of this I used an equivalent amount of fresh cooked garbanzo beans because we had some on hand)
• 1 15 ounce can kidney beans drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup frozen cut green beans
• 1/2 cup small shell pasta (if soup is to be eaten later, it would be better to cook pasta seperately and add as it is served)
• 2 cups baby spinach leaves (I substituted 1 cup cut up cabbage for this, earlier in the cooking)
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Instructions

• Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add the onion, celery, carrots and zucchini to the pot.
• Cook until the vegetables are tender, 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper to taste.
• Add the tomatoes, vegetable broth, tomato paste and Italian seasoning to the pot. Bring to a simmer.
• Add the white beans, kidney beans, green beans and pasta to the pot. Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until pasta and vegetables are tender.
• Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the spinach leaves and cook for 2-3 minutes or until wilted.
• Sprinkle the parsley over the soup and serve.

Minestrone Soup

Like most people, I have been doing a lot more cooking than usual and our regular recipes have become tiresome. So I have started making new ones. This minestrone soup is pretty good! Just make sure the soup is otherwise done before adding in the pasta as it is better not overcooked.

Minestrone Soup

From Food Network

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 large onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 large carrot, diced

1/3 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1 28-ounce can no-salt-added diced tomatoes

1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes

6 cups low-sodium chicken broth (I used water and 2-3 t. of veggie bullion for this)

1 15-ounce can low-sodium kidney beans, drained and rinsed (I used white beans)

1 cup elbow pasta

1/3 cup finely grated parmesan cheese (I forgot to add this in)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (I did not have this so omitted it)

Instructions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds. Add the celery and carrot and cook until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the green beans, dried oregano and basil, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste; cook 3 more minutes.  
2. Add the diced and crushed tomatoes and the broth or water to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer 10 minutes or until veggies are almost tender and tomatoes seem cooked enough. Stir in the beans and pasta and cook until the pasta and vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Season with salt. Ladle into bowls and top with the parmesan and chopped basil.

Instant-Pot (or pressure cooker) Italian Chickpea Stew

We don't have an instant pot but I made this with a pressure cooker and it worked great so I am adjusting the recipe for our pressure cooker. The original recipe calls for homemade pesto but that is too much for me to make. I added a scoop from jarred pesto and it was a good addition but no one else even wanted any so I might skip entirely next time.

From epicurious

Ingredients

2. For the chickpeas:
   • 1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
   • 1 quart water
   • 12 ounces dried chickpeas
   • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
   • 1 small onion, chopped (about 3/4 cup)
   • 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped (about 3/4 cup)
   • 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
   • 4 cups chicken stock
   • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan or similar cheese
   • Some basil pesto (if desired)
   
   
   

   Preparation

3. Soak the chickpeas:
   1. In a large bowl, dissolve 1 tablespoon of kosher salt in the water. Add the chickpeas and soak at room temperature for 8 to 24 hours. Drain and rinse.
4. Sauté the onions:
   1. Put the pressure cooker pan on a burner over high heat. Add the olive oil and heat until it shimmers. Add the onion and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion pieces separate and soften, 2 to 3 minutes.
5. Pressure cook:
   1. Add the drained chickpeas, carrots, tomatoes with their juice, stock, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Lock the lid into place. Once the pressure cooker whistles, let it cook for 10 minutes. It will whistle occasionally. Then, turn off the heat and let the pressure come down for at least 30 minutes before touching it. Push the weight a little to see if there is still pressure inside, if it is mostly gone you can take off the weight to let the rest out. Unlock and remove the lid. 
6. Serve the chickpeas:
   1. Ladle the chickpeas into bowls and top each with a spoonful of pesto (if desired). Sprinkle with the cheese and serve. 
7. 
   

Beefless Stew

You know me, always trying to make a vegetarian version of my favorite meat foods. While this one really doesn't come close to real beef stew, it is a very good vegetarian stew in it's own right. Great for this time of year. Add crusty bread and life is pretty good. My son who is going through a picky phase with vegetables at least ate the carrots and potatoes and peas out of this soup, which I count as a success in my book.

a bit adapted from McDougall's beefless stew
 

Beefless stew

Ingredients

• 1 lb crimini or 2 medium portabella mushrooms, cut into ¾-inch pieces (about 4 cups) 
• 1½ large yellow or white onions, chopped into ¾-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
• 3 medium carrots, sliced lengthwise and cut into ¾-inch pieces (about 2¼ cups)
• 3 ribs celery, cut into ¾-inch pieces (about 1 cup)
• 1½ tablespoon finely chopped garlic (about 6 medium cloves)
• 5 cups water
• 2 pounds white potatoes (2 large), peeled and cut into ¾-inch chunks (about 6 cups)
• ⅓ cup tomato paste (half of a 6-ounce can)
• 1 tablespoon dried Italian herb seasoning (I used Herbs de Provence which is french but was still good)
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary (I didn't have this so left it out, it was fine)
• 1½ cups cooked peas (if frozen, rinse under warm water)
• butter or oil for cooking

Instructions

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of butter or oil in a soup pot over medium-high heat.  Add the mushrooms and fry until browned on the sides, maybe 15 minutes, stirring every few minutes to try and get as many mushroom sides brown as possible. Transfer cooked mushrooms to another bowl.
2. In the same pan add a little more butter or oil, then fry the onions, carrots, and celery for about 8 minutes, or until mostly translucent.
3. Stir in the mushrooms and garlic, and continue to cook while stirring for 5 minutes more, adding butter or oil if needed.
4. Add the 5 cups of water, potatoes, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, and paprika, and bring to a boil, uncovered. Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in the rosemary (if using). Cover and cook for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the carrots and potatoes are very tender.
5. Add the peas and cook for 5 minutes more.
6. Place 2 cups of the stew (broth and vegetables) into a blender, and blend just briefly. Stir the mixture back into the pot to thicken the stew.

Thanksgiving Ramen Bowl

So Thanksgiving here in Canada is just another weekday. I have been making these composed noodle soup bowls lately (you put all the ingredients in the bowl first, then pour the broth over the top) and I wanted to make one with the goodness of thanksgiving in it. Well it turned out fantastic! One great thing about these noodle bowls is you can customize each one -- so the vegetarians in our family had tofu, and I put some chicken in mine! We definitely want to make this again, so here is the recipe.

THANKSGIVING NOODLE BOWLS
(makes 3 hearty bowls)

Ingredients (very approx, I did not measure anything):

-- ramen noodles for 3 people -- I bought the ones in individual packs and used 3 packets
-- approx. 1/2 med winter squash like butternut
-- 5 ounces baby spinach
-- 1 lb mushrooms (I used crimini)
-- 1 inch knob ginger, sliced into 1/2" thick slices
-- 1 onion, chopped
-- 1 stalk celery, chopped
-- 4 slices bread, cubed
-- 3 tablespoons butter
-- 1 tablespoon oil
-- 5 cloves garlic, sliced thin
-- 1 T. better than bullion soup base (vegetarian)
-- 1/2 block med tofu, cubed and/or 1/2 cup cooked chicke
-- sage
-- thyme
-- soy sauce
-- green onions, sliced thin

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Measure 3 large noodle bowls worth of water into a pot -- this will become your broth! But for now it is your boiling bowl. Put pot on stove, turn on to high heat until water boils.

2. Wash and cut squash in half, clean out seeds, then slice squash with skin on into 1/2 inch slices. When water is boiling, boil squash until soft but not falling apart -- I did not time this, but maybe 10 minutes? When squash is done, remove from boiling water with tongs and set aside. When squash is cool, use a knife to cut off the peel, you should have nice rings of cooked squash.

3. Then add your ramen noodles to your boiling water, cook until done, maybe 2-3 minutes for the kind you buy already soft. Take out of pot with tongs and set aside.

4. Meanwhile, in a second pan, make Stuffing Croutons -- saute the celery and 1/2 onion in 2 T. butter until soft. Add in 1/2 t. fresh thyme and 1/8 t. dried sage. Add in cubed bread and set on medium, keep the pan on medium and keep mixing every now and then until the bread is toasted and crispy. Set aside.

5. Meanwhile, in a third pan, fry mushrooms in 1 T. butter and 1 T. oil until brown, stirring every 5 minutes or so. Dump into the broth, then in the same pan fry garlic in some oil until cooked (watch it because it burns easily!) Dump that into the broth when you are done.

6. Now you flavor the broth -- add in 1 T. of Bullion mix, 1/2 t. salt, pepper, ginger slices, the rest of the chopped onion, and 1 t. fresh thyme. Let that boil for at least 15 minutes or until onions are cooked through. Taste the broth, add more salt or soy sauce or whatever you think it needs to be tasty -- this broth will be the main flavoring of the dish! 

7. Add all the soup ingredients directly into the empty soup bowls -- I like to fill approx. 1/2 with noodles, then stick 3-4 slices squash in on one side, then a big handful of spinach (fresh is OK because the hot broth will wilt it down) then 1/2 cup tofu or chicken per bowl.

8. Carefully ladle boiling hot broth onto your ingredients. Add approx. 1/4 cup stuffing croutons and sliced green onions onto the top. Serve! (with hot sauce and extra soy sauce, if you like)

Corn Chowder - light and delicious!

We went apple picking this weekend, and the farm also offered U-Pick corn as well! Of course we had to take some home. I decided to make some corn chowder with our fresh corn, and I was glad I did! This recipe is a lot lighter than some of the other recipes I googled, and truly worthy of corn just off the stalk. The real genius here is making a corn cob broth that captures every last bit of sweet corn essence.

The minimalist's Corn Chowder

Adapted from Mark Bittman

Ingredients

• 4 to 6 ears corn
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tomatoes, cored, seeded, and chopped, optional
• 1 cup milk
• Parsley for garnish

Preparation

1. Shuck the corn and use a paring knife to strip the kernels into a bowl. Put the cobs in a pot with 4 cups water; bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, put the butter or oil in a saucepan and turn the heat to medium-high. When the butter melts or the oil is hot, add the onion and potatoes, along with a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens, about 5 minutes; add the tomatoes if you're using them and cook, stirring, for another minute or two.

3. After the corn cobs have cooked for at least 10 minutes, strain the liquid into the onion-potato mixture. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down so the mixture simmers. When the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes, add the corn kernels and boil for 3-5 minutes or until tender. Add the milk and heat through. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary, garnish with parsley, and serve.

Colcannon Potato Soup

This soup is the perfect thing on a cold winter day. I suggest you go and make it right now. You can thank me later. 

Colcannon Potato Soup Recipe

• Prep time: 20 minutes
• Cook time: 50 minutes
• Yield: Serves 6 to 8
• slightly adapted from this recipe

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp butter
• 2 cups sliced leeks (green and white parts only)
• 2 cups sliced and chopped green cabbage
• 2 cups sliced and chopped kale
• 4 cups peeled and diced Russet potatoes (about 3 pounds, 3/4-inch dice)
• 6 cups water
• 1 Tablespoon better than bullion veggie bullion
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 4 green onions, thinly sliced

Method:

1 Melt butter in a large, heavy bottomed soup pot on medium heat. Add the sliced leeks, cabbage, and kale, toss to coat with the butter. Lower the heat to low, cover and gently cook until the greens are wilted, about 12 to 15 minutes.


2 Add the diced potatoes to the pot, along with the water, bullion, and bay leaves. Increase heat to bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer, and cook until the potatoes are softened and falling apart, about 15 to 20 minutes.


3 Remove from heat. Swirl in the pepper, sour cream, and sliced green onions. Taste and add more salt and pepper to taste.

simple lentil soup

This time of year it really hits the spot!

From allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

6 cups vegetarian stock, or water 1 pound red lentils 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1 large onion, chopped (I added in 1 carrot, chopped)

1 tablespoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/2 cup chopped cilantro 1/4 - 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (I used 2 small lemons)

Directions:

1.	heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Stir in garlic and onion, and cook until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 10 minutes.
2.	Add stock, lentils, cumin, and cayenne and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes or until lentils are tender.
3.	Carefully puree the soup in a standing blender, or with a stick blender until smooth. Stir in cilantro and lemon juice before serving.
	** for baby food, make soup without salt, pepper, or cayenne, then separate and puree desired amount for baby, add the salt, pepper and cayenne into the adult soup **

African Peanut Soup

This is one of those recipes that I don't make very often, but wish I made more because it is so delicious and satisfying. It is an extremely variable recipe, in addition to the ingredients below you could throw in pretty much whatever extra veggies you like or happen to have on hand: carrots, cauliflower, fennel, whatever. For a vegan soup, it offers that strong flavor that usually only meaty soups provide. Delicious!

from allrecipes.com

African Peanut Soup

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 2 large red bell peppers, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes, with liquid (I prefer to use 1 14-oz can tomatoes, and 1 1/2 cups salsa)
• 8 cups vegetable broth or stock (or water)
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder (optional)
• 2/3 cup extra crunchy peanut butter (I use smooth too if it is all I have)
• 2/3 cup uncooked brown rice or barley

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium high heat. Cook onions and bell peppers until lightly browned and tender, stirring in garlic when almost done to prevent burning. Stir in tomatoes (or tomatoes and salsa) vegetable stock, pepper, and chili powder. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
2. Stir in rice, cover, and simmer another fifteen minutes or until rice is tender. Stir in peanut butter until well blended, and serve.

White Bean Soup with Kale

YES MORE SOUP. Stop complaining and eat your dinner! No laughing at the dinner table!

Ahem. In the interests of transferring the recipes we use most often to this blog, here is what I daresay is Our Favorite Soup. It is infinitely variable to use up whatever mountain of obscure CSA vegetables you may or may not have on hand, and always delicious no matter what you put in it. I present to you:

White Bean Soup with Kale
adapted from allrecipes.com

• 1 tablespoon olive oil or canola oil
• 8 large garlic cloves, crushed or minced
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1/2 large fennel, chopped (optional)
• 1 or 2 large carrots, chopped
• 1 red or green bell pepper, chopped
• 4 cups chopped raw kale (can use spinach, swiss chard, collards -- any green)
• 4 cups low-fat, low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• 2 (15 ounce) cans white beans, such as cannellini or navy, undrained (or 1 cup dried white beans, cooked)
• 4 plum tomatoes, chopped (or 1/2 to 1 large can tomatoes)
• 2 teaspoons dried Italian herb seasoning (or just whatever herbs in the oregano/basil/marjoram family you feel like eating)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup chopped parsley (I only put this in once in a while)

Directions

1. In a large pot, heat olive oil. Add fennel, garlic and onion; saute until soft. 
2. Add carrot, bell pepper, saute until soft. 
3. Add kale and saute, stirring, until soft.
4. Add broth, tomato, herbs, salt and pepper. Simmer 15 minutes, or until you think greens are cooked through and tender enough. 
5. Add cooked white beans, simmer 10 minutes, until flavors are melded and that tomato scummy sign of a finished soup rises to the top. 
6. Sprinkle with chopped parsley, mix it all together.  
7. Eat! Or wait until the next day, when it gets even better. 

Potato Leek soup

Slightly adapted from this Alton Brown recipe to make it a bit healthier and use what we have on hand, this tastes much more decadent then it really is (a splash of heavy cream would also be good here too):

Ingredients

• 1 pound leeks, cleaned and dark green sections removed, approximately 4 to 5 medium
• 2 teaspoons butter
• Heavy pinch salt, plus additional for seasoning
• one pound of potatoes, scrubbed, eyes and brown spots cut out, cut into one inch chunks
• 1 quart vegetable broth
• 1 cup buttermilk or plain yogurt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon snipped chives

Directions

1. Chop the leeks into small pieces.

2. In a 6-quart saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the leeks and a heavy pinch of salt and sweat for 5 minutes. Decrease the heat to medium-low and cook until the leeks are tender, approximately 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the potatoes and the veggie broth, increase the heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and gently simmer until the potatoes are soft, approximately 45 minutes.
4. Turn off the heat and puree the mixture with an immersion blender until smooth. Stir in the buttermilk and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning if desired. Sprinkle with chives and serve immediately, or chill and serve cold.

Green soup

We make this soup when we have extra greens to use up, very common with our Glenn Valley CSA box this time of year (tomorrow we are getting 5 bunches of greens!!). Tastes great, with a fresh, minty, soury kick that I love and extremely healthy to boot. Based on this recipe, but I have changed it quite a bit here:

INGREDIENTS

-- a generous splash of olive oil or (1T.) knob of butter
-- 3 large shallots, chopped (or 1 small onion)
-- a couple pinches of fine-grain sea salt
-- pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
-- 3-inch sprig of mint
-- 1 1/2 pounds yellow or green summer squash, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices/chunks
-- 1 bunch greens (swiss chard, spinach, kale, etc), washed and roughly chopped
-- 3/4 pound potatoes, un-peeled, cut into 1/4-inch thick pieces (optional)
-- 3 medium cloves garlic, chopped
-- 3 cups lightly flavored vegetable stock or water
-- 2 t. lemon juice
-- 2/3 cup buttermilk or yogurt
-- can garnish with: fresh herbs, toasted almonds, a generous drizzle of olive oil/ melted butter, and/or some crumbled feta (I am not much of a garnisher though)

METHOD:

1) Heat olive oil/butter in large thick-bottomed pan over medium heat. Stir in the shallots or onion, salt, red pepper flakes. Saute until shallots are tender - a couple minutes.

2) Stir in the greens, and allow greens to wilt down, a few minutes.

3) Add in squash and potatoes, and cook until the squash starts to get a bit tender - a few minutes.

4) Stir in the garlic, and then add the stock (or water) to the pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer, stirring occasionally until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.

5) Add mint and puree with a hand blender. If you like a silkier soup feel free to pour the soup through a strainer.

6) Slowly whisk in the lemon juice and buttermilk or yogurt, taste, and adjust the seasoning - adding more salt and/or lemon juice if needed.

As you might guess, this recipe is infinitely variable and easy to adjust based on whatever you have on hand.What makes it is the fresh green taste of the greens and zucchinni mixed with the fresh mint, lemon, and yogurt flavors.

carrot soup

We like this soup a lot and I want to remember the recipe

CARROT SOUP

• 1 teaspoon oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1/2 jalapeno, chopped
• 2 pounds carrots, cut into medium dice
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger (I use fresh)
• 1/2 head fennel and fronds, chopped OR 1/2 tsp fennell seed (better with real fennel though)
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Saute onion, garlic, celery, jalapeno, and fennel in the bottom of a soup pot
2. Add in carrots, ginger, and vegetable broth, boil until carrots are tender
3. Puree soup, add in salt and pepper to taste, sometimes I also add in a tiny bit of cinnamon

Vegetarian split pea soup

There's nothing better on a cold winter day than a big pot of healthy soup. This version comes together super-fast due to the use of a pressure cooker.

Vegetarian Split Pea Soup

Adapted from Allrecipes

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups dried split peas, yellow preferably
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 7 cups water
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 3 potatoes, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme or savory, or both (UPDATE: I have recently decided I don't like dried thyme and now use fresh instead)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:

1. In a pressure cooker over medium high heat, saute the oil, onion, celery, bay leaf and garlic for 5 minutes, or until onions are translucent.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients, then close pressure cooker and cook for 4 whistles. Allow pressure to come down naturally, it can take a long time for a very full pot.
3. Puree the soup and taste for seasonings. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Rutabaga Carrot Soup

My mom used to mash rutabaga and carrot together as a side dish, I really liked it when I was a kid. I wanted those same flavors, but in a soup. I found this recipe online, and tweaked it a bit to come up with something more along the lines of what I was looking for. Rutabaga can turn some people off, in this soup it's pepperiness is mellowed out by the sweetness of carrot and creaminess of potato.

INGREDIENTS:

-- 1 tablespoon olive oil
-- 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced leek (white and pale green parts only) -- be sure to wash the leek well before and after chopping because there is always dirt hidden in there.
-- 1/2 cup thinly sliced celery
-- 1 garlic clove, minced
-- 4 cups 1/2-inch pieces peeled rutabagas
-- 2 cups 1/2-inch pieces potatoes
-- 2 cups sliced carrots
-- 8 cups veggie broth
-- salt and pepper, to taste

METHOD:

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-low heat. Add leek, celery and garlic and sauté until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add rutabagas, potatoes, carrots, and broth. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 45 minutes.

Puree about half the soup, either in a food processor or with a stick blender. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle soup into bowls and serve.