Mexican Zucchini Soup

Unbelievably simple and tasty.

1 zucchini, sliced
1 can pinto beans, drained
1 can garbanzo beans, drained
1 can fire-roasted tomatoes with chilies, with juice
2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 package soyrizo
1-1/2 cups frozen or fresh corn
1/2 tsp salt

Combine in a soup pot. Cook for 10-15 minutes, or until zucchini is tender. Serve with crushed corn chips mixed in, if desired.

Soup from a Stone

When I was a kid, there was a book I loved called 'Soup from a Stone.' It's in a poor village where people are hungry, and a visitor comes around claiming that she can make soup from a stone. (Hence the book's catchphrase: "Soup from a stone? Fancy that!") She convinces the locals to throw in little bits of whatever they've got on hand... a carrot, a potato... and before you know it, they have delicious soup!

I love soup, for many reasons. 1) It's dead simple. 2) It's generally pretty good for you. 3) It's an easy way to use up otherwise unusable things and thereby save money.

This soup started with a hunk of collard greens I'd cooked and frozen earlier this year. Then some lentils, a handful of nearly expired baby carrots, and a potato that was starting to grow eyes. Chuck in the crock pot and serve. Couldn't be easier.

Soup from a stone? Fancy that!

2 cups frozen greens

1 cup dry brown lentils

1 can diced tomatoes + 1 can water

1/2 cup sliced carrots

1 potato, peeled and diced

1 tsp vegetable bouillon (I used 'Better Than Beef')

Cook on low in a crock pot for 8 hours.

Crock-Pot Tomato Bean Minestrone

1 vegetable bouillon cube
2 cans beans, drained (I used kidney and Great Northern)
2 cans diced tomatoes, with juice
1 cup frozen corn (optional)
2 cups diced potatoes (I used leftover roasted potatoes and onions)
1 cup cooked pasta
2 cups water

Combine in a crockpot and cook on low for 4-8 hours. (You could also combine in a pot and cook on low until heated through.)

Mexican Zucchini Soup

1 tsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 zucchini, diced
1 potato, diced
1 ear of corn, kernels cut off
1 can diced tomatoes, with juice
1 bottle of beer
1 veg bouillon cube
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder

Saute the garlic in the olive oil for 2 minutes, then add everything else and simmer for 20 minutes.

Curried Tomato-White Bean Soup

This almost doesn't qualify as a recipe, it's so easy. You can sub any kind of white bean here... I even think red lentils would be good. Go go gadget five minute meals!

1 container Imagine foods creamy tomato soup
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can garbanzo beans, drained
1 can butter beans, drained
1/2 to 1 cup sun dried tomatoes
1/2 dried chipotle pepper (optional)
1 head roasted garlic, mashed (optional)
1 tsp curry powder
hummus (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a large soup pot or crockpot. Simmer until hot. Serve with hummus as garnish and crusty bread.

Tortilla Beer Soup

1 tsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 tsp chipotle powder
1 large dash cumin
2 cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes
2 cans dark red kidney beans, drained
1 bottle lager
1 cup water
1-1/2 cup frozen corn
1 flour tortilla, cut into long strips

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot. Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes, or until translucent. Add the garlic, chipotle and cumin and saute for a minute or two more. Add all the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes.

Gingery Golden Beet Detox Soup & Homemade Veggie Broth

Gingery Golden Beet Detox Soup
===================================

Tonight after yoga, we stopped by the brand-new Gateway Market at MLK, just south of 235 (is that Woodland Ave?). It's already a marvelous bright spot in the center of Des Moines, and once there's more fresh local produce, it'll be truly phenomenal. They had some lovely golden beets for $2/pound, so I was inspired to make this version of my Autumn EquiDetox Soup when I got home with my booty. I used homemade veggie broth and was surprised to discover that the finished version needed no salt. If you don't like beets, give golden beets a try. They're surprisingly mild and sweet.

1 tsp olive oil
1 golden beet, sliced thinly
1/3 cup uncooked quinoa
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 apple, diced
2 cans diced tomatoes, with juice
1/2 cup uncooked pearled barley or 1 cup cooked kamut
2 cups veggie broth
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 knuckle-sized piece fresh ginger, grated
fresh pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a medium-large soup pot. Add the beet slices and saute for 5-10 minutes, or until the beets are starting to yield to a fork. Add the quinoa and stir for another 2 minutes, or until the quinoa is popping in earnest. Add the garam masala, garlic and apple and stir for another minute or so. Add the tomatoes, barley or kamut, and veggie broth. Grate the ginger into the soup. Bring to a boil and cook for 20 minutes, covered, or until the quinoa is translucent and the beets and barley are tender. Season with pepper to taste.

Homemade Veggie Broth
=======================

2 carrots, diced
1/2 an onion, diced
3-4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped or smashed
2-3 sundried tomatoes
1 apple, chopped
2 bay leaves
10-15 peppercorns
1/4 tsp sea salt
8-10 cups water

Put in a covered crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Butternut Squash Soup w/ Crispy Eggplant Strips

Paula's Butternut Squash Soup

1 tsp olive oil
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 apple, diced
1 tsp curry powder
1/3 chipotle pepper, pounded to powder
1 veg bouillon cube
1-1/2 cups water
1 butternut squash, cooked, peeled and cubed (or 4 cups puree or 2 packages frozen squash)
orange juice to taste

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot. Add the onion and apple and saute for 5 minutes, or until softened. Add the curry powder and chipotle dust and cook for 1 more minute, stirring. Add the bouillon cube, water and squash and let simmer for 20 minutes, or until everything is soft. Puree about half the soup with a stick blender. Taste and add orange juice until all the flavors wake up.

Crispy Eggplant Strips

1 eggplant, cut into 1/4-inch thick strips
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup bread or cracker crumbs
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
a few shakes black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
all-purpose flour
plain soy milk or water
canola oil
1/3 cup marinara sauce for dipping

Sprinkle the eggplant strips with salt and let sit for a few minutes. Mix the bread/cracker crumbs, yeast, pepper and garlic powder together in a bowl. Set up your assembly line: eggplant strips, bowl of flour, bowl of soy milk, bowl of breadcrumb mixture, frying pan. Heat a thin layer of canola oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Take each eggplant strip, dip it in flour, then in soy milk, then coat it in breadcrumbs. Fry on each side for 3-4 minutes. Serve warm with warmed marinara sauce.

Hearty Vegetable-Barley Soup

I threw this together last night because I needed something easy and filling; when I ladled it out into bowls, my boy happily sighed: "I love this kind of soup!" Which just goes to show you that sometimes the simplest food can be the best.

1 tsp olive oil
1 leek, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, thinly sliced
1 potato (preferably Viking Purple), diced
1 can diced tomatoes, with juice
1 can Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup pearled barley
1/3 cup red lentils (optional)
1 veg bouillon cube
2 cans of water
1 bay leaf
1 small dried chipotle pepper (optional)
1 tsp white miso (optional)

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add the leeks, garlic and carrots, and saute for a few minutes, or until everything begins to brown. Add the tomatoes, potato, beans, barley, lentils, bouillon cube, water, bay leaf and chipotle pepper and mix well. Cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the potatoes and carrots are tender. Turn the heat down to low. Remove the bay leaf and chipotle pepper and stir in the miso until dissolved.

Note: I got Viking Purple potatoes at our farmer's market. I don't normally care for white potatoes, but these are wonderfully creamy and have an almost velvety texture.

Autumn EquiDetox Soup

This soup is light, nourishing and packed with antioxidants and vitamins to help clear out toxins and ward off autumn chill.

1 tsp olive oil
1 carrot, thinly sliced
1 small winter squash, diced (butternut or delicata)
2 cups summer squash, ribboned
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 can diced tomatoes, with juice
1 dried chipotle pepper
3 cups water
1 vegan bouillon cube
1 small apple, diced
1/3 cup uncooked barley
1/4 tsp garam masala


Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, diced squash and carrot slices. Saute for 5 minutes, or until browned. Add the water, bouillon cube, tomatoes, chipotle pepper, apple and barley and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer, add the garam masala, and cook for 40 minutes, or until the barley are chewy and the squash is tender.

Grilled Plantains w/ Black Bean-Corn Relish & Gingered Mangoes & Strawberries

Grilled Plantains
1 semi-ripe plantain, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch thick slices
2 tsp sucanat or sugar or maple syrup
1/4 tsp lime juice
dash salt

Rub the slices with lime juice and sprinkle with sucanat and salt. Generously oil the grill pan and grill for 3-4 minutes on each side.

Black Bean-Corn Relish
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
kernels from 2 ears of corn
1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp lime juice
1/4 tsp garlic powder
a few shakes chipotle hot sauce

Combine the corn kernels and a little water in a small saucepan. Cook the corn for 3 minutes, or until no longer raw. Drain the corn and add to the black beans. Add lime juice, cumin, garlic powder and hot sauce and mix well.

Gingered Mangoes & Strawberries
2 ripe mangoes, peeled and diced
5-6 strawberries, quartered
2 pieces crystallized ginger, chopped or 1/4 tsp grated fresh ginger

Combine the mangoes, strawberries and ginger in a bowl and mix well. Let set for a few minutes, then serve!

Garden Greens Soup

I made this up on the spot tonight when my proud gardener boy presented me with several bowls of freshly picked greens from the back yard. I needed something light and filling to take to work tomorrow... on Tuesday I'm getting my first cholesterol test in 5 months. Wish me luck...

1 veg bouillon cube
4 cups water
2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
1 jar diced tomatoes, with juice
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup quinoa
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
1 bunch kale, washed and trimmed
1 bunch swiss chard, washed and trimmed
ground pepper to taste
2 dashes Tobasco
2 dashes lime juice

Boil 2 cups of the water and pour over the bouillon cube. Stir to dissolve. Pour into the bottom of a large soup pot. Add the garlic, tomatoes, beans, quinoa, nutritional yeast and remaining water and turn on high. Boil for 5-10 minutes, or until the quinoa start rising to the top. Lower the heat to a simmer and add kale & swiss chard. Cook for another 3 minutes, or until the greens are wilted. Season to taste with pepper, Tobasco and lime juice.

Sundried Tomato Pesto

1/2 cup dry sun-dried tomatoes (not in oil)
1 cup water
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/3 cup pine nuts
1 tbsp dried basil
1/4 tsp salt
fresh ground pepper (to taste)
2 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil

Put the sun-dried tomatoes in a bowl. Boil the water in a kettle and pour it over the tomatoes, then cover and let sit for 10 minutes, or until the tomatoes are soft. Drain and set aside. Put the pine nuts in a dry saucepan and heat over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring, or until just golden.

Crush the basil, pine nuts, garlic, salt & pepper in a mortar and pestle until they form a thick paste. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl, add the olive oil and tomatoes, and pulverize with the pestle. Finish the mixture off with a hand blender until smooth.

Toss with pasta or gnocchi and consume!

Creole Okra, Tomatoes & Corn

A co-worker of mine brought this to our Mardi Gras potluck, and it was surprisingly delicious. Okra is a vegetable I've always been skeptical of (something about the combination of hairy and slimy that turns me off), but this is genuinely delicious. We served this with Red Beans and Rice Deluxe for a killer combination.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tsp onion powder
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can diced mild green chiles, drained
1 can diced tomatoes, juice reserved
1-1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning
1 dash each salt and pepper
1 16-oz. package frozen okra pieces
1 cup frozen corn

Drain the tomatoes and the chiles over a large bowl to catch the juices. Saute the onion powder and garlic in the olive oil until they start to brown, then add the chiles, tomatoes and Cajun seasoning. Cook for 3-5 minutes, then add okra, corn and reserved tomato juice. Cover and cook until heated through and the okra is no longer crunchy.

Pink & Purple Asian Noodle Soup

3-1/2 cups water
1 cube bun rieu chay soup base (Vietnamese veg bouillon)
1 small handful dried laver, crumbled (optional)
3 Tbsp diced firm tofu (optional)
1 bundle somen noodles
hot chili sauce to taste (optional)

Put the water, bouillon and laver in a saucepan and heat until boiling. Add the tofu and noodles and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until the noodles are soft. Season each serving to taste with hot chili sauce.

Ingredient Notes: I got all these ingredients at the Double Dragon Asian Market on 2nd Avenue for a combined total of less than $10. The resulting soup was filling, extremely tasty and it took less than 5 minutes to throw together.

Curried Chickpea Tomato Soup

With my last batch of Potato Scones, I froze some of the unbaked scones by wrapping them in Saran Wrap and then sticking them in a Ziploc bag. I forgot to defrost them before starting this soup, so I just popped them straight onto a baking sheet and baked them for 30 minutes at 375. They didn't rise very well, but they were still damned addictive.

16 oz. (1/2 box) Imagine creamy tomato soup
1 can chickpeas, drained
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 heaping teaspoon mild curry paste OR curry powder
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
1 dash each liquid smoke and chipotle Tobasco (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a soup pot and simmer on low for 15 minutes, or until heated through.

Irish Stout Stew

Another month, another office potluck. :) This week was St. Paddy's-themed, and with it came a whole slew of potato-based recipes. We had this stew with potato scones the night before, and there were scant leftovers to take to work the next day.

1/2 tsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, thickly sliced
1 tsp celery flakes
1 pinch sage
2-3 Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into chunks
1 can braised wheat gluten, drained
2 tsp Pickapeppa sauce or A-1 sauce
1 bottle stout beer
2 cups veggie broth
1/3 cup Imagine creamy tomato soup (optional)
3 bay leaves
1 tsp white miso
1 handful fresh parsley

Heat the olive oil and add the garlic, carrots, celery flakes and sage. Cook for 5 minutes over medium heat, then add the potatoes, gluten, Pickapeppa sauce, stout, broth, bay leaves and creamy tomato soup. Simmer for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft. Add the miso and parsley, stir to dissolve, and serve.

Ingredient Notes: Guinness is not actually vegetarian, since it's filtered through a substance derived from fish bladders. All Samuel Smith brand beers are a safe bet (we used their oatmeal cream stout); you can also use Sam Adams cream stout.

Creamy Tomato Soup

This is what we have when I'm starving and need something tasty and super-quick. It's our version of fast food, and it's very soothing. We usually have store-bought garlic bread and/or rolls along with it... this week I also added Asian Fruit Salad.

1 package creamy tomato soup (something other than the canned condensed variety... look for jars or aseptic containers. Imagine organic creamy tomato is a good vegan brand.)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 handful julienned sundried tomatoes
1/2 tsp garlic powder
4-5 leaves fresh basil, torn into bits
2-3 dashes Tobasco sauce

Pour the soup into a saucepan and add the diced tomatoes and garlic powder. Turn the heat up to medium and heat until it's hot all the way through. Just before serving, add the torn basil leaves.

Butternut-Apple Soup w/ Spinach & Sage

Adapted from minutemeals vegetarian.

1/2 cup pine nuts
1 apple, grated
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried sage
2 cups cooked butternut squash (frozen is okay)
most of a bag of fresh spinach leaves
1/3 cup hard apple cider
3 cups veggie broth
salt and pepper to taste
nutritional yeast to taste

Spread the pine nuts in a baking dish. Cook them at 350 degrees until toasted.

Heat the olive oil in the bottom of a soup pot. Add the garlic, sage and apple and cook over medium heat until the garlic is getting golden. Add the squash, broth, cider and seasoning and heat through. Add the spinach leaves and 1 handful pine nuts and stir until wilted but still vibrant green.

Serve soup topped with toasted pine nuts.

Butternut-Curry-Coconut Soup

I never get Asian soups right on the first try. They're always missing something, no matter how closely I follow the recipe. This one took a bit of tinkering, but it was marvelous the next day (and the day after):

1 tsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 slices fresh ginger
1 lime, zested and juiced
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp Thai red curry paste
1-1/2 cups butternut squash puree
4 cups vegetable stock
salt to taste
2 handfuls cilantro leaves
3-4 basil leaves, thinly sliced
1 can light coconut milk
1 10 oz package silken tofu
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 Tbsp sucanat or sugar

Sautee the oil, garlic, ginger, lime zest, curry paste and tumeric for a few minutes, or until the garlic is starting to brown. Add the butternut puree and tofu and cook for a few minutes more, then add the vegetable stock and salt. Cook for 20 minutes or so, then add cilantro, basil, coconut milk, tomatoes, lime juice and sugar. Cook for a few more minutes, taste, adjust seasoning. Remove from heat. Using a handheld blender, puree the soup and serve.