Lentil Mushroom Soup with a Kick!

 Lentil Mushroom Soup with a Kick!

This soup is multilayered and absolutely delicious - it is more than the sum of its parts! And it's so easy to make - perfect for a weeknight, especially paired with a salad and a piece of crusty baguette. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp. avocado oil or other neutral cooking oil
• 4 cups of water and enough vegetable bouillon cubes or paste for 4 cups of water OR 4 cups of pre-made vegetable stock
• 8 oz cremini mushrooms, roughly chopped or thickly sliced
• 1/2 package TJ's pre-cooked lentils (or more for heartier soup)
• 1/3-1/2 package TJ's frozen brown rice, nuked
• 3 cloves of garlic, roughly sliced
• Handful of collard green leaves, kale, or chard, torn into bite size pieces
• 2 green onions, roughly chopped
• 3 Tbsp. white wine
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• Black pepper to taste
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp. coriander
• Handful of cilantro leaves
• 1/2 can TJ's coconut milk (full or reduced fat) [if it's separated, just use half of the solidified part and half of the liquid]
• 5-6 threads of saffron, crumbled between your fingers

Directions:

1. Heat a large pot over high heat for one minute. Add oil. Add mushrooms, lower to medium-high heat, and stir frequently to prevent sticking, about 2 minutes or until just starting to brown. Add white wine and cook one more minute.
2. Add water and bring to a boil, then dissolve bouillon cubes OR add stock and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium and leave at a simmer.
3. Add turmeric, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and coriander. Stir well.
4. Add cilantro and greens and stir well. Continue cooking and stirring occasionally for 3-5 minutes.
5. Add coconut milk and sliced garlic and stir until coconut milk is dissolved, about 1-2 minutes.
6. Add lentils and rice. Stir well.
7. Turn off heat. Add green onions and saffron. Stir well and let it sit, covered, for a few more minutes before serving.

Cold Be Gone Soup!

 Cold Be Gone Soup!

It may not look like anything special, but this soup packs a zesty wallop and clears your head lickety-split! Get the tissues ready! 👍

Ingredients:

• 3 cups water
• 2 packets chicken or veggie broth paste or cubes
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced
• 2-3 small dried red chili peppers
• 1 mushroom, sliced
• 1/4 yellow squash or zucchini, sliced
• Handful cilantro leaves, ripped or chopped
• Fresh ground pepper
• Black pepper
• Hot curry powder
• Sweet curry powder
• Dried or crushed ginger
• Turmeric
• Ground coriander
• Onion powder
• 1/8 onion, sliced
• 1/2 Meyer lemon
• 1/2 lime
• 2 slices Roma tomato, chopped
• Handful garbanzo beans (+ oil for frying)

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a small pan. Add garbanzo beans and cook until slightly browned and soft. Set aside.
2. Bring water to a boil in a medium size pot.
3. Stir well while dissolving broth packets in water.
4. Add garlic slices. Tear chili peppers into pot.
5. Cover, return to a boil then lower to low-medium.
6. Add mushrooms, squash, and cilantro. Stir well.
7. Add generous sprinkles of all seasonings. Stir well. Make sure soup is simmering, not boiling.
8. Add onion, juice of the lime, tomato, and garbanzo beans.
9. Add juice of the lemon and all of the lemon skin (empty out the peel with a grapefruit spoon).
10. Continue cooking over low-medium heat until very fragrant. Sample and add additional lime/lemon or seasonings to taste. Enjoy!

STICK-TO-YOUR-RIBS POTATO & BROCCOLI SOUP

So good, your kids may even eat it.

Caveat:  I'm not sure how *real* potato broccoli soup is made...I've never made it nor even seen a recipe.  I totally made this up on the fly after a failed attempt to make potato pancake thingies, and I liked it a lot (and so did 1/2 of the kiddos), so here it is!

Ingredients:
(3-4 entree servings)

5-6 smallish red, purple and/or yellow potatoes
1 tomato (I used a huge heirloom)
Garlic powder
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 bag Trader Joe's organic broccoli florets
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese + extra for garnish
1/4 carton Trader Joe's low sodium veggie broth

Directions:

1.  Preheat toaster oven to 350.  Poke holes in tomato, cut out center and fill/sprinkle with olive oil and dusting of garlic powder.  Wrap in foil and heat in toaster oven until warmed, then thickly slice.

2.  Poke holes in potatoes.  Nuke together in a circle on a plate for 3 minutes on one side, 2 minutes on the other side.

3.  Nuke broccoli in open bag or in bowl covered with microwave-safe plastic wrap for 2-3 minutes until soft.

4.  Add 2 slices tomato, broccoli, whole potatoes, and all cheese (except garnish) to a large food processor.  Process until completely smooth (will be extremely sticky and may even stop up the processor).

5.  Scoop potato mixture into pot over low-medium heat.  Immediately add enough broth to cover and stir well.  Continue stirring and adding broth until all lumps are gone and soup has reached desired consistency.  You can use a hand blender in the pot if necessary.

6.  Serve immediately with extra cheddar cheese for garnish with toasted sourdough slices on the side.

Notes:

*Can use raw tomato to speed the process.

*Add 1/2 jalapeno to the mixture before processing to add some pizzazz.

*Letting a kid put her own cheese on top of her soup seems to increase the likelihood of said kid eating said soup (at least according to my own entirely non-scientific research).

CLOUDY DAY RAINBOW SOUP

CLOUDY DAY RAINBOW SOUP

If you're anything like me, you need something warm and filling on a cold day. You won't be able to stop eating this!

Ingredients:

(Makes 4-6 bowls)

Vegetable oil (not olive oil)

1 yellow onion, thickly sliced

1 package Trader Joe's sweet potato spears

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 bunch cilantro leaves, torn or roughly chopped + extra sprigs for garnish

2-4 tsp. coriander powder

Black pepper, to taste

Juice of 1 lime

Several tablespoons crushed garlic

1-3 tsp. ginger powder

1 quart broth (chicken or veggie)

Several cups water

Handful spinach

1 lb. dried black eyed peas

6-8 tomatoes, roughly chopped

[Optional: 1/2 jalapeno, finely diced]

Directions:

1. Soak and rinse black eyed peas according to package prior to starting cooking process.

2. Heat oil in a large soup pot over low-medium heat. Add bell pepper, [jalapeno] and onion. Continue stirring for a few minutes.

3. Meanwhile, snip corner of sweet potato package and microwave on high power for 5 minutes. Carefully remove from package and chop.

4. Add sweet potatoes to pot and stir. Add half lime juice, 1 teaspoon coriander, 1 tablespoon garlic, 1 teaspoon ginger, and a good shake of black pepper and stir well but gently (to prevent the sweet potato from getting mushy).

5. Add cilantro leaves and black eyed peas. Add broth plus enough water to cover the mixture by several inches.

6. Stirring well, turn heat to high and bring soup to a boil. Turn heat to low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally.

7. After 10 or so minutes of simmering, add tomatoes, other half of lime juice. Add more ginger, coriander, garlic and pepper to taste, stir well, and recover.

8. After another 10 or so minutes of simmering, add spinach and stir well.

9. Simmer another 15-20 minutes, or until black eyed peas are tender.

Notes:

*For picky kiddos, beans and sweet potatoes may be easily mashed up in their bowl with a fork.

*Hearty enough to satisfy even a devoted carnivore. Make it more complete with a green salad and garlic wheat toast.

*Try substituting kale for spinach (and then let me know how that works out!).

KABOCHA SQUASH & SAGE SOUP

KABOCHA SQUASH & SAGE SOUP





Ingredients:
(Makes 2 entree sized bowls)

1 Kabocha squash, sliced in half vertically, seeds removed
Olive oil
1/4 cup water
1 small apple, skinned, cored and halved
1 small yellow onion, sliced
6-8 small fresh sage leaves, cut into tiny bits
Fresh ground pepper
4-8 oz. half and half
8-12 oz. low sodium chicken or vegetable broth

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Rub cut side of squash with olive oil, prick once or twice with a fork, then roast in a lightly oiled pan for 30 minutes. Remove and cool down for at least 15 minutes before scooping squash out of shell.

3. Add apple and a bit more water if necessary. Continue roasting, turning apples occasionally, for 30 more minutes.

4. Meanwhile, heat approximately 4 Tbsp. olive oil in small skillet over low-medium heat. Add onion and stir. Heat for a few minutes, then sprinkle with pepper to taste and sage. Stir and cook several more minutes, until onion is tender and lightly browned.

5. Add all ingredients to a food processor and puree for approximately 30-45 seconds, until almost smooth.

6. Serve immediately with a sprinkling of parmesan or other strong cheese and a sage leaf for garnish.

Notes:

*I like to use a grapefruit spoon for de-seeding squash.

*Try substituting shallots or leeks for the onion.

*If you'd like to make this ahead, stop at step 5, store in the refrigerator in one container (so flavors mix). When ready to serve, proceed with pureeing, then microwave each bowl covered with a paper towel for approximately 2 minutes, stirring half way through.

*Start with the above proportions, adding broth and/or half and half to reach desired consistency.

*Set aside some of the cooked squash for feeding babies.

*Great served with a salad and parmesan garlic toast.

NOTHIN' BETTER THAN HOMEMADE CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

NOTHIN' BETTER THAN HOMEMADE CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP
(Makes 3-4 bowls)

Ingredients (as I made it, with what I had on hand):

3 stalks celery, thickly sliced

8 baby carrots, thickly sliced

1/4 red onion, cut into chunks

1/4 package Trader Joe's Organic Whole Wheat Rotelle

1/2 carton Trader Joe's free-range chicken broth
Water

1 tsp. crushed garlic (or 2 cloves)

1 can Trader Joe's chunk chicken in broth

1/4 tsp. sage powder

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/4 tsp. paprika

1/2 ground thyme

1/2 tsp. oregano

1/2 tsp. basil

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

1. Combine broth with enough water to almost fill a medium-sized pot; add garlic and bring to a boil.

2. Add pasta and boil for 1/2 of package cooking time (approximately 6 minutes).

3. Reduce heat to low boil, add vegetables, chicken (with broth), and spices; stir and cook for remainder of time on package (approximately 6 minutes more).

4. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer additional 10 minutes or so.

Notes:

*Unbeatable as a get-well gift.

*Tastes even better after sitting for a while in the fridge.