Roasted Parsnip Soup with Fresh Herb and Caper Chimichurri

DELICIOUS! We both decided this recipe belongs in our top favorite soups. Thank you, Veggie Belly, for posting it! I'm posting it here because I made a few changes.

Roasted Parsnip Soup
serves about 4

2 parsnips chopped, about 2 cups
2 celery ribs roughly chopped
1 leek stalk cleaned and roughly chopped
1 bay leaf
3 cloves Garlic, chopped
2 tbsp fresh oregano leaves
3 tbsp fresh chives
1 tbsp fresh thyme
1 tsp chili pepper flakes
1/2 tsp Turmeric for color, optional
2 cups vegetable broth
2 cups soy milk
1 tsp Olive oil & olive oil cooking spray for roasting parsnips

Preheat oven to 400F

Scrub the parsnips clean. Chop off the ends. Chop the parsnips into cubes. Spray with olive oil and mix to coat, then place on a baking sheet and roast in the oven till the parsnips are golden.

While the parsnips are roasting, heat a large, deep pot with 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Add the chopped celery, leeks, garlic and bay leaf. Cook on medium-high heat till the celery has softened a little – about 3 minutes. Now add the minced herbs and crushed chili pepper, and cook another minute. Add the turmeric, and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil. Then lower heat and simmer for 5-7 minutes. Fish out the bay leaf and discard it.

Add the roasted parsnips and milk to the stock. Place in a blender and puree into a soup – as smooth or chunky as you like.

Return the soup to the pot, and warm through before serving.


Fresh herb and Caper Chimichurri
makes about 1/4 cup

1 cup fresh Parsley leaves roughly chopped
2 tbsp fresh Oregano
Capers – 1 1/2 tbsp plus 1 tbsp of the brine (or use pitted green or kalamata olives instead)
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp water
1 garlic clove

Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend into a coarse paste.
To serve, top your soup with ~Tsp of chimichurri

Spicy cashew tomato soup

This is a real keeper - creamy, garlicky, with a memory of heat - perfect with the spinach rolls I made (too bad the rolls themselves weren't all that great). But we'll definitely be making this easy soup often. I found it here, and have added my few adjustments in italics.

Soup
1½ cups cashews, soaked in water for at least a few hours to aid processing
3 cups water or vegetable broth, to increase the vitamin quotient
1 can (28 ounces) whole peeled tomatoes or stewed tomatoes
1 tsp. cumin seed
1 tsp. fennel seed
1 tsp. coriander seed
1 serrano chile next time I'll try a couple of chipotles in adobo for variation - I usually have those around, though the serrano was very good, too.
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
~ Juice of ½ lime or lemon I used 1 whole lime plus its zest
¼ tsp. salt
Optional seasonings and garnishes
~ Pinch or two of cayenne pepper
~ Curry powder
½ tsp. dried basil
½ tsp. dill I added a healthy Tb of this AND a pinch of curry powder - but I did so earlier
~ Chopped cilantro or Italian parsley leaves, for serving I skipped this
Steps

1. In a large bowl using an immersion blender, blend the cashews with the water. Blend or chop the whole tomatoes with their juices.
2. Grind the cumin, fennel, and coriander in a mortar and pestle or clean propeller grinder.
3. Mince the chile, being careful not to touch your eyes, mouth, or skin while doing so. (Use plastic or rubber gloves if you have them.) Discard the seeds inside the chile if you want less heat. Wash hands thoroughly when done. actually I put this in my food processor, then after it got pretty well pulverized, added onion. I realized too late that the pepper gets added to the soup later, but it worked really well anyway. I wanted to be sure the serrano got really well chopped up, because last time I used it, Mike and I both got little flame-bites un-uniformly through whatever dish I'd made. for some reason the serrano is harder to tolerate for me than other pepppers (like ghost chilies - we both love the heat!
4. In a stockpot, heat the oil and sauté the onion for a few minutes, then add the celery and continue cooking. When the celery has softened, add the garlic, chile, and spices. Cook another minute or two before adding the tomatoes and cashews. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, being careful not to burn the cashews on the bottom of the pot.
5. Add the lime or lemon juice along with the salt. Adjust the flavor, if desired, using some of the optional seasonings and garnishes. Serve with cilantro or parsley, if you wish.

Tomato soup

1 med onion
6 tomatoes (used 4 romano, 1 home grown, 1 heirloom)
3-4 cloves crushed garlic (or to taste)
8 cups broth (or broth/water, water)
3 tbs tomato paste
1 cup precooked brown rice
dash of liquid smoke
s. handful of fresh oregano, chopped
s. handful of fresh basil, chopped
white miso - start with a teaspoon, increase if you feel it is needed
1 tbs Braggs
Fresh pepper
1/3 c. nutritional yeast
pinch of hot pepper flakes or more, to taste

Saute onion, add garlic (to taste--I used 3 cloves), saute for a bit. Add tomato, tomato sauce, rice, water, spices, nutritional yeast, and liquid smoke. Add Braggs and salt to taste. Boil for ~1/2 hour, or until water volume is about half what you began with. Add 1 tsp miso, check flavor, add more if needed.

Serve with croutons.

Celery soup

lovely with some crusty homemade garlic bread, this evening's meal is courtesy of mike, who has been doing the lion's share of cooking lately due to my workload. we had some celery that we feared would succumb to the dreaded limp-celery disease, where it's only good for broth making, so of necessity found this easy, tasty (and healthy) soup. I didn't feel guilty about taking seconds on this, and there's a small serving's worth for lunch tomorrow. this might be good with different herbs - mike added a touch of curry (1 tsp); or sage, dill - use your imagination! other changes: add in roasted veg, or small cubes of potato, stir in a bit of milk - do what you will, because the celery is just lovely in this, holds its own.

added note: I heated the leftover portion today, and added about 1/2 c of cubed, cooked carrot, 1/2 tsp of srichaca sauce, and some salt to taste. even better!

more scavenging from the postpunk forum- soups!!

Granny Smith Apple And Yam Soup With Glazed Pecans
http://www.telemundodallas.com/holiday- … etail.html

Indian Cumin-Scented Coconut Milk Stew With Basmati Rice
http://www.kcra.com/food/2954212/detail.html

Polynesian Peanut Soup With Toasted Coconut (the smell of this soup cooking is heavenly !)
http://www.wftv.com/fourthofjuly/3742553/detail.html

Sweet Potato-Ancho Bisque with Apple-Pecan Salsa & Roasted Red Pepper Cream
http://www.cbsatlanta.com/holidayrecipe … etail.html

Tortilla soup with avocado-corn salsa
http://www.wftv.com/fourthofjuly/4120226/detail.html

Yukon Gold Potato Soup with Black Olive Caviar [skip the egg topping, just olives and chives)
http://www.nbc6.net/news/2124732/detail.html

Calzones and soup

An interesting meal tonight, though in terms of flavor coordination, it's not so terrific. Taking elements singly, however, it was tasty and filling! I'd been wanting to make the tamarind lentils from Veganomicon, but putting it off because lentils are hard on my colitis. I arrived at the notion of filling small calzones with the mixture, so I'd be eating less of it. Using the 'Isa pizza' dough recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance, I added turmeric and a pinch of cayenne before rolling out 14 little calzones. Success! They were tender and spicy (oh, and I added a healthy pinch of crushed pepper flakes to the lentils, as well - we like it hot!)

With it, I did a potato leek soup:

2 T extra-virgin olive oil
1 leek, rinsed well and sliced thin
1 medium yellow onion, diced
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 russets potatoes, diced
2 T chopped fresh chives
3 c vegetable broth
1 c soy milk
2 T Bragg's
1 T dried parsley
1 pinch of hot pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste

1. Saute onion and garlic over medium heat until onion's translucent
2. Add potato and vegetable broth. Simmer until potatoes are very tender.
3. Use an immersion blender or other blender to make the soup as smooth (or chunky!) as you like it.
4. Put it all back in the pot, adding all other ingredients.

Garlicky Cream of Celery Soup

This was originally posted at Vegetarian Recipes Around the World by Shari Clayton Brownlee. I have made several changes.

6 servings

* 12 large celery stalks
* 2 T margarine, divided
* 1 large onion, chopped
* 8 cloves garlic, minced
* 2 T unbleached white flour
* 3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
* water
* 2 tsp salt-free herb-and-spice seasoning mix (I didn't have this)
* 1/4 c mixed chopped fresh parsley and dill (I used dried)
* 1/4 c celery leaves
* 1 to 1-1/2 cups soymilk, as needed
* Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
* Chopped fresh dill or parsley for garnish

Trim 10 stalks of celery and cut into 1/2-inch dice.
Trim the remaining 2 stalks, cut them into 1/4-inch dice, and set aside.

Heat a tablespoon of the margarine in a large soup pot.
Add the onion and garlic and saute over moderate heat until the onion is lightly golden.
Sprinkle in the flour and stir it in until it disappears.
Add the 10 stalks of celery, the potatoes, and just enough water to cover.
Bring to a boil, then add the seasoning mix, fresh herbs, and celery leaves.
Simmer over low heat until the vegetables are tender, about 25 minutes. Remove from the heat.

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

Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of margarine in a small skillet.
Add the reserved celery and saute 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 dill or parsley.

Veggie Soup & Dumplings

posted at the PostPunk forum by bekajoi

Soup base:

1 leek, cut into rounds (white part only, or 1" of greens if they look good)
1 onion, chopped
4 small carrots, chopped
2 ribs celery, halved, then chopped (to make them smaller)
1/4 t thyme (dry, or bunch fresh)
1/4 t parsley (dry, or bunch fresh)
1 bay leaf
veggie oil (couple Tbs, enough to saute' in)

Dumplings:

2c flour
1 t salt
1.5 t celery salt
4T melted margerine or oil
1/2 cup water
6 T (or 1/4c + 2 T) "milk"


Heat oil, add onion,leek, bay leaf, thyme, and parsley and cook on a low setting for 10-12m until soft and transluscent. bring up the heat to med or med-hi and add the rest of the veggies. Stir occasionally until carrots are done or mostly done.

Add 8 cups water (2 quarts), dash salt. Cover and bring to a boil.

While water is working up to a boil, put the dumplings together:

Knead on lightly floured surface for 1 min. Let dough rest 5 min. Roll out to 1/8" thickness and cut into 2 x 1" strips (or whatever size you find easy to work with, though they'll take longer to cook if they are bigger).

Drop into boiling broth, cover and simmer 30-45 min. (the non-egg version needed to cook longer than my original version, but I'm also high altitude. Taste for done-ness~ They'll seem mealy if they're not done yet. When done they are sort of like thick noodles or a biscuit or something. Yummy and hearty) If in doubt, let them sit another 5 minutes and taste again.

Spicy Sweet Potato Soup with Collard Greens

From Peter Berley’s Fresh Food Fast. This was posted on the PostPunk Kitchen forum.

INGREDIENTS
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups diced onion
2 tsp. kosher salt, plus additional to taste
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 small jalapeno with seeds, minced
1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
1 tsp. coriander seeds, toasted and ground, or 1 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1 can coconut milk (14 oz)
1 small bunch collard greens, tough stems removed and leaves cut in 1/2 along the rib, and then crosswise into 1/4 inch strips
1 lime, cut into wedges
1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro for garnish

1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, warm the oil. Add onion and pinch of salt, and saute until softened, for 3 to 4 minutes.
2. Add sweet potato, garlic, jalapeno, ginger, coriander, turmeric and saute for 2 minutes. Add 2 cups water, the coconut milk, and 2 tsp. of salt, raise the heat, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered for 15 minutes.
3. Add the collard greens to the soup and simmer, uncovered, until tender, about 10 minutes. Add a bit of water if soup is too thick.
4. Ladle the soup into 4 wide soup plates, and top with a spoonful of jasmine rice. Squeeze lime over all and sprinkle with cilantro.

tomato and garlic bread soup

(cadged from epicurious some years back, and tweaked) http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/TOMATO-AND-GARLIC-BREAD-SOUP-102453

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil (preferably extra-virgin) (my note - no way I use this much oil start with 1/4 c.)
9 garlic cloves, minced (well, yah. best method is to throw garlic & oil in the processor 'til combined and creamy. ad stuff here, if you want, like herbs, hot pepper flakes. live!)
8 ounces crusty white sourdough bread, cut into 1-inch pieces (just buy a round loaf of any good rough peasant bread, cube it (best if a touch stale), then mix it up with your oily garlic mess in a very large container. throw in some good sea salt, too.

3 large onions, finely chopped (or more)
8 cups chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth (even when I was omni I used veg broth)
2 28-ounce cans peeled plum tomatoes, drained, crushed
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (if you're going to use cheese, this is where you want your reggiano. it counts bigtime in this dish. it's all about fresh, savory flavors - mouth heaven, baby)

1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil (for garnish)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese shavings (like I said. also, use a veggie peeler, pass the chunk of cheese round the table)

Preheat oven to 300°F. Mix 1/2 cup olive oil and 3 minced garlic cloves in large bowl. Add sourdough bread pieces and toss to coat. Arrange bread in single layer on large baking sheet. Bake until golden, stirring once, about 20 minutes. Set garlic-bread croutons aside.

Heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until very tender, about 25 minutes. Add remaining minced garlic and cook 1 minute. Add chicken stock, crushed tomatoes and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Simmer soup uncovered 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Add garlic-bread croutons to soup and cook 1 minute. Ladle soup into bowls. Sprinkle with thinly sliced basil and Parmesan cheese shavings. (er, not. don't add the croutons before serving. let people build their soups, building little piles of garlic croutons, basil, and cheese fragments. you'll thank me, really)

this stuff freezes so well. and it's great to take to lunch, just pack your go-withs separately. I can guarantee your coworkers will be asking for the recipe. could it be simpler?

Black Eyed Pea, Rice, & Mustard Green Stew

All credit here to the blog More to Love Vegan, which really IS more vegan to love, not to mention an absolutely delightful writing style (and don't I just sound veddy veddy!) I can't wait to try this. I'll have to sub out the 'chicken' stock since I have no 'chickenish' flavoring and only our own wonderful veg stock - maybe I can put in some sage, etc.

1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 medium onions, finely diced
3 bay leaves
2 celery ribs, diced
3 garlic clove, chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 tablespoons celery leaves, chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cups black eyed peas (from 1 cup that has been soaked for at least 8 hours)
1.5 litres massel "chicken" stock
sea salt to taste
fresh ground pepper to taste
1 bunch mustard greens
1 cup cooked brown rice

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a wide soup pot over medium heat until it becomes fragrant

2. Add the onions, bay leaves, celery, garlic, thyme, chile flakes, smoked paprika, cumin and celery leaves.

3. Cook stirring occasionally, until the onions have browned, about 20 minutes.

4. Stir in the tomato paste, then add the beans (drain them first if you used soaked dried) and the 1.5 litres of stock

5. Simmer, covered, until the beans are tender. Season with salt and pepper

6. Cut the mustard greens off at their stems and wash them. Add directly to the beans and let simmer for approximately 3 minutes.

7. Make your final seasoning adjustments.

8. Add a few spoonfuls of rice to each bowl and top with the stew. Serve with tabasco or hot sauce of choice.

Curried red lentil stew with chickpeas and rainbow chard

Recipe adapted from Epicurious, and copied intact from http://everybodylikessandwiches.blogspot.com/

2 T olive oil
1 large onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 heaping T of a medium-spiced curry paste
1/2 t dried red chili flakes
5 1/2 c vegetable broth
2 c red lentils
1 large bunch of rainbow chard, tough stalks removed, coarsely chopped
1 can chickpeas, rinsed & drained

In a large pot, heat oil and saute onion and garlic until soft, about 5 minutes. Mix in curry paste and dried chilies and stir until well blended. Add broth and chard and bring to a boil. Add lentils and turn down heat to a simmer, adding the chickpeas to the mix. Cover and stir occasionally until lentils are tender, about 15 minutes. Serve over brown rice and top with yogurt, if desired.

Chickpea & cabbage soup

I've copied this from the wonderful Lisa's Kitchen blog, but made a number of changes (and added more after eating it!)

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
3 c shredded cabbage
1 large tomato, diced
8 cups vegetable stock
1 large sweet potato, diced into about 1/2" cubes
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup chopped collards or other, similar greens
juice of 1 lemon (or 3 T)

Crush some of the rinsed chickpeas using a potato masher, then set aside.
In a large saucepan, cook the onion and garlic in 2 tablespoons of veg broth over medium-low heat for 10 minutes or until the onions are soft. Stir in the cabbage and tomato, cover, and cook for another 10 minutes or until the cabbage is cooked but not falling apart. Combine these vegetables with the chickpeas and set aside.

Return the saucepan to the stove and add the potato and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, stir in the chickpeas, vegetables and remaining ingredients, and simmer for at least 10 minutes to let the flavors mingle, or let the soup simmer for up to an hour before serving.

Note: I threw in about 1/2 c of soy curls also, since I had just gotten some, and because I wanted to see how they held up to simmering. The answer is: very well! Other good additions to this soup could be pearl barley, quinoa, and beans of some kind. The broth was incredible!

Fava bean & fennel soup

Dried fava bean & fresh fennel soup with biscuits (not polenta, as the recipe calls for). Also I managed to cut off the fennel fronds - I put them in the freezer bag I keep for veg stock, so will add a touch more fennel to compensate. Notes later, after we eat. I'm thinking this may be too thick, and may make quite a bit of soup (may need to freeze some, in other words).

1 pound fava beans (or other beans)
2 quarts water or stock (I used our own vegetable stock)
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
salt to taste
2 fennel bulbs
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper or more, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Soak the fava beans overnight or use a quick-soak method (cover with 2 inches water, bring to a boil for one minute, remove from heat and let stand for an hour). Drain.

(If you're using unpeeled fava beans, peel them now.)

Put the fava beans into a large pot with 2 quarts of water, the fennel seeds, and salt to taste (about 1 teaspoon). Bring to a boil; reduce heat to very low and simmer, uncovered, until beans start to break down, about 1 to 2 hours. As they cook, mash them against the bottom and sides of the pot (or with a potato masher) to form a coarse puree. Keep cooking until beans are thick and porridge-like.

While the beans are cooking, prepare the fennel by removing the tops from the bulbs and chopping the feathery fronds. Measure out 2 tablespoons and set aside. Remove the thick outer layers from the bulbs and quarter. Cut out the tough core that begins in the middle of the bulb and extends to the bottom.

Slice the bulbs thinly and set aside.

Once the beans have broken down and become thick, add the fennel slices, 1 1/2 tablespoons of the chopped fronds, the red pepper flakes, and 3 cups of the remaining water. Cook uncovered until the fennel is tender, about 30 minutes, adding more water if it gets too thick. Add salt to taste.

About 15 minutes before the end of cooking, I added approximately 1/2 - 3/4 c of round (pea sized pasta (I found these in a middle Eastern shop, and find them to be a terrific addition to soups) .

Makes about 6 servings. Per serving (without pasta): 283 Calories (kcal); trace Total Fat; (0% calories from fat); 20g Protein; 47g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 72mg Sodium; 6g Fiber. Weight Watchers Core (or 5 Flex points).
Most of the recipe is taken from here, which is itself an adaptation from an Italian cookbook called Verdura.

I made a few changes but we both thought this soup was fantastic - subtle but hearty, full of flavor and texture. I did not add the additional liquid recommended, but will probably do so on reheating this.

We took a walk today, as we had yesterday - 51F right now, and another unbearably blue sky, slight cool breeze. Light from the creek playing on the underside of tree limbs, crystal chips in the macadam pathway shining, shadow stripes of trees across the path, the sound of distant traffic (soothing, a bit, but I would still like to not hear it), creek trickle sound, the sound of our feet.