Coconut Curried Red Lentil & Sweet Potato Soup

Two weeks ago it was in the mid 80's... and now it ain't. 

I want to eat salad, and peaches and drink sangria and mojitos on the front stoop gawking at the crazies on my block.

I want to sit in the park for hours, sipping on a mason jar filled with iced tea.. eating cherries, reading and soaking up the sun.

I want to go swimming in a lake and dig my feet into a sandy beach.

But....

Instead, I sit inside, curled up under a blanket eating soup and toasted buttered baguette.

Where the hell is summer??

Luckily, this soup is awesome and will make you feel good until you can comfortably dance in the streets in your bikini.

Boom, Boom, Pow....


Coconut Curried Red Lentil and Sweet Potato Soup (serves 2-4)

1 1/2 T. coconut oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 c . carrot, peeled and chopped
2 c. sweet potato, peeled and chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2" piece ginger, peeled and chopped
6 c. vegetable broth
1 c. red lentils
2/3 c. coconut milk
1/2 T. curry powder
1/8 t. cayenne
3/4 t. sea salt
black pepper, to taste
1 T. fresh squeezed lemon juice

Heat the coconut oil in a large heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook 3-5 minutes, until softened. Add the sweet potato and carrot, and cook an additional 2-3 minutes. Stir in the garlic, ginger, curry powder and cayenne and cook for another minute or two. Add the lentils and vegetable broth. Cover and simmer until the carrots and sweet potatoes are tender and the lentils soften, about 20-25 minutes. Puree with an immersion blender until creamy. Stir in the coconut milk, lemon juice and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Serve hot.

Miso Udon Soup

Sometimes there is nothing more comforting than a big bowl of piping hot miso soup. 

Miso is a paste made from soybeans, sea salt, koji (a mold starter) and is sometimes mixed with barley, rice or other grains. It is allowed to ferment from three months to three years, which produces an enzyme rich food. Miso is a complete protein, containing all essential amino acids. It aids in digestion and contains beneficial probiotics. It is also high in vitamin B12, protects against radiation, boosts immunity, lowers cholesterol and reduces the risk of developing breast, lung, prostate and colon cancer.

Add some vegetables, mushrooms, a little tofu and some udon noodles and you got yourself a nutrient dense bowl of deliciousness.

You can adapt this recipe to whatever you have on hand.  Sometimes I'll leave out the tofu or udon and pack it full of vegetables like carrot, daikon radish, kale, snowpeas, mung bean sprouts and mushrooms. Seaweeds, like arame or wakame are great and pack a huge nutritional punch. I prefer a lighter miso, like chickpea or mellow white, but when there are so many varieties, why limit yourself to just one?
Get creative and experiment!


Miso Udon Soup (makes one biiiiig bowl)
* the amounts here are all rough estimates. Use as little or as much of each ingredient depending on personal preference.

3 c. water
2 T. miso
1" piece of ginger, peeled and grated
1 clove garlic, peeled and grated
1/2 c. tofu, cut into 1/2" cubes
1/2-1 oz. udon noodles
3 shiitake mushrooms, sliced
2 scallions, sliced
2 handfuls of baby spinach
crushed red pepper flakes (opt)
chili-sesame oil or toasted sesame oil (opt)

Bring a medium sized pot of water to a boil. Add udon noodles and cook until al dente. Drain, rinse under cold water and set aside.
Place the water, grated ginger and garlic in the same pot you cooked your noodles in.  Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and add the tofu. Let simmer 2-3 minutes.  Put the miso in a small bowl. Ladel 1/2 c. of simmering water into the bowl with the miso and whisk until combined. Add the miso back into the pot and add the shiitake mushrooms. Let simmer for 2-3 minutes, being careful not to let the soup boil (it will kill off all of the beneficial bacteria and nutrients in the miso). Remove from the heat, add the spinach and let sit for a minute to wilt.  When ready to serve, place the udon noodles in the bottom of your biggest soup bowl. Pour the miso soup on top and garnish with scallions.  Add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes and a drizzle of chili-sesame oil (or toasted sesame oil), if desired.

Split Pea Soup with Fried Paneer and Curried Brown Butter

It's cold.

I'm fighting the urge to go into severe hibernation mode, where all I do is eat cheese, bread, and soup and drink copious amounts of red wine. Lounging in my sweats, reading books, and cuddling with my dogs sounds so much more appealing than eating salads and exercising when my boogers instantly freeze the minute I step outside.
Then again I also want to be able to fit in my shorts come spring, so I make some compromises.

I eat healthy during the day, you know... fresh juice, yogurt and kale, kale, kale.
I take my dogs for a long walk and do some yoga.
I take all my supplements to keep that immune system revved up....

..and then I put on my sweats, pour a glass of wine and make some soup with cheese and bread.

This soup has a good amount of butter, but in my mind the healthy benefits of split peas totally counteract that. Plus butter is good, so whatevs.

A little pan fried paneer cheese gives the soup a little texture, but is totally optional.  Paneer may be difficult for some of you to find, but if you can get your hands on some, I totally reccomend it.

Serve this soup with some hunks of crusty bread for dipping.

Don't forget the wine.

Split Pea Soup with Fried Paneer and Curried Brown Butter (serves 2 as a main, 4 as a starter)
Adapated from this recipe from Heidi Swanson at 101 Cookbooks.


2 T. unsalted butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1/2 t. crushed red pepper flakes
6 1/2 c. water


1 1/4 c. yellow split peas


3 T. unsalted butter
1 T. Indian curry powder
1/2 c. coconut milk
sea salt, to taste


2 oz. paneer, cut into 1/2" cubes
2 T. neutral oil (sun
flower, grapeseed, canola etc..)


Combine 2 T. butter, onion, garlic and crushed red pepper flakes in a large soup pot over medium heat until onions are softened. Stir in the split peas and water, cover, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to simmer and cook until split peas are mushy, about 1-1/2 hours. 


Meanwhile, heat the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until it starts to brown. Stir in the curry powder and sautee until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and set aside.


Heat 2 T. neutral oil in a sautee pan over medium heat. Add the paneer and cook until golden brown on all sides. Transfer to a paper towel to absorb any excess oil.


When the split peas are done cooking, stir in coconut mik and 1 t. salt.
Puree with an immersion blender until it's silky smooth.
Stir in half the brown butter and more salt, to taste.


Serve drizzled with the remaining brown butter and the fried paneer cubes.

Minestrone

It's just a bowl of soup.

Packed with kidney beans, carrots, spinach and a rich tomato broth.

Basil and oregano and thyme and crushed red pepper flakes.

A splash of balsamic for a little bit of zing.

Yeah, this soup's got it goin' on.

This is my staple winter soup. It's quick (especially if you use canned beans), hearty enough to pair with a nice hunk of crusty buttered bread, and is highly versatile.  In other words, you can throw this together with whatever bits you have in your fridge, it will be ready in less than a half hour and will fill you up good.

It's also supercheap, so you can eat this all week when you just spent all your money on booze and that $40 bottle of cold pressed organic extra virgin olive oil with the pretty label that you HAD. TO. HAVE.

Minestrone  (serves 4)

3 T. extra virgin olive oil
2 medium carrots, diced
1 large onion, diced
5 cloves garlic (about 2 T.), minced
1-16 oz can kidney beans, rinsed and drained (or appx. 2 1/2 c. cooked beans)
1- 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
4 c. vegetable broth
2 c. chopped spinach
1/2 t. crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
2 t. dried basil
2 t. dried oregano
2 t. dried thyme
2 t. sea salt
1/4 t. black pepper
1 T. balsamic vinegar

Heat the olive oil in a medium sized soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic, carrot, basil, thyme, oregano, crushed red pepper flakes and a pinch of salt and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Stir in the kidney beans, broth and crushed tomatoes. Cover, bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes, then uncover and cook the soup for an additional ten minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in the salt, pepper and balsamic vinegar.

This recipe is a basic template.  You could switch up the beans, using chickpeas or cannelini. Throw in some kale or chard or maybe some red bell pepper.  Or if you want to make it even heartier you could add some cooked pasta or top it with some croutons.

Greens and Beans

Well... It's safe to say I'm officially sick.
It all started with a sore throat.
I pumped my body full of echinacea, vitamin C, zinc, goldenseal and some crazy mushroom extract. I drank fresh vegetable juice and sipped on tea.. and drank my weight in water.
I peed alot.

Apparently my immune system is on vacation because I now feel like I've been hit by a truck..  Runny nose, chest congestion, sinus pain and all that other nonsense that comes with having a cold.

When I'm sick I crave hot ginger tea with honey, carbonated water with lemon, epsom salt baths, blankets, and simple comfort food.

Greens and beans is my go to meal when I'm feeling sick or in need of a nutritional boost.

It's got all the good stuff: kale, onions, garlic (LOTS of garlic), cannelini beans, crushed red pepper, and a rich vegetable broth. Although I try to avoid dairy when I have a cold, a nice dusting of grated pecorino makes it all the better!

Greens and Beans (serves two)

2 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 large bunch of kale, stem removed, rough chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3 T. finely chopped garlic
1 15 oz. can cannelini beans (about 2 cups), rinsed
1/2 t. crushed red pepper flakes, or more to taste
4 c. vegetable broth
Salt and pepper, to taste
Grated pecorino romano (optional, but delicious)

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add the onion along with a pinch of salt and pepper and cook 3-4 minutes until onion becomes translucent.  Add the garlic, crushed red pepper flakes and beans and cook for two more minutes, stirring constantly.  Stir in the kale and broth, cover and cook until kale is tender, about five minutes.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.  Serve piping hot with a dusting of pecorino romano and a drizzle of olive oil to seal the deal.

French Lentil Soup with Kabocha Squash and Fennel

Normally I'm a butternut girl.

Butternut soup. Coconut butternut curry. Butternut risotto. Butternut pizza.

I love me some versatility.

Fortunately, there are so many varieties of squash available this time of year.. buttercup, delicata, carnival and hubbard.. just to name a few.

This time around I snatched up a kabocha squash and scoured the internet for a recipe.

Kabocha is the generic japanese word for squash, but refers most commonly to the squash of the buttercup type.  The exterior is bluish green and the flesh is deep yellow.  It has a rich, sweet flavor and is often dry and flaky when cooked.

I had been craving a lentil soup for awhile and was psyched to come across this recipe from Heidi at 101 cookbooks.  I picked up some fennel, leeks and ginger and got to work.

French lentil soup with kabocha squash and fennel (serves 4)


1 1/2  lb. kabocha squash
1/2 c. water
1 T olive oil
1 c. french lentils
5 coins ginger, 1/8" thick
1 whole star anise
6 c. water
1 t. sea salt, plus more to taste
1/4 c. olive oil
1 medium onion diced
1 leek, sliced
1 fennel bulb, medium dice
2 c. collard greens, thinly sliced into ribbons.  (kale or chard would work well too)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees with a rack in the top third of the oven.
Cut the squash in half and remove the seeds.
Oil and salt the squash and roast cut side down (in a rimmed baking pan) with the 1/2 cup / 120 ml of water poured into the pan. Roast until tender, about 35 to 45 minutes. When cool enough, scoop out cooked squash and set aside.
In the meantime, in a medium saucepan, combine the lentils, ginger, star anise and water. Simmer until tender, about 30 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon salt.
In a large stockpot combine the olive oil, onion, leeks, fennel and additional salt. Cook covered over low heat until vegetables soften, about 7 - 10 minutes.
Remove the star anise and ginger coins from the lentil sauce pan, then add the lentils, lentil broth and squash to the vegetables in the stock pot. Stir well and cook for another 15 minutes or so, allowing the flavors to blend. Add collard greens during the last five minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning here with more salt if needed.



I topped these with some homemade garlicky croutons, per Heidi's suggestion. 

Butternut and root vegetable soup

It may look like baby food.

It's not.

It's soup.

Soups are one of my favorite fall/winter time dishes.  Throw a bunch of vegetables/ beans in a pot. Add some stock. Cook it while you snuggle on the couch, drink wine and facebook stalk people from your past.

In no time you'll have a bowl of piping hot deliciousness. 

This soups has fall written all over it.  Look closely.

Butternut squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips... some stock and a little onion and thyme.

The great thing about soups is that they can be made with whatever you have lying around the house.  I just happened to have all of these vegetables on hand. Don't like parnips, leave 'em out. No broccoli, so what.. I just added it to bump up the nutritional content.

Butternut and root vegetable soup (serves 2-3)

2 c. butternut squash
2 medium sweet potatoes
1 large parsnip
1 medium potato
3 medium carrots
1 small onion, diced
1 c. broccoli floretts
vegetable stock (or broth)
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 t. dried thyme, or more to taste
salt and pepper, to taste

Peel the carrots, potato, sweet potato, parsnip and butternut squash and cut into 2 inch pieces.  Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat.  Add the onion and sautee 3-4 minutes.  Stir in the carrots, sweet potato, potato, parnip, and butternut squash, thyme and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add enough vegetable stock to just cover the vegetables.  Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the vegetables can be easily pierced with a fork (about 20 minutes). Add the broccoli, turn off the heat and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes.  Scoop vegetables, along with a little bit of the cooking broth into a blender and blend until creamy, adding additional broth if the soup seems to thick.  Pour into a separate soup pot, and repeat with the remaining vegetables. You may not use all of the broth, depending on how thick you like your soup.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and reheat if necessary.