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Archive for the ‘Soup’ Category

This recipe was inspired by what was growing in my garden, the temps being in the 90s, and the need for a quick, easy, and healthy meal.

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Serves 2

Ingredients

  • 2 medium-large cucumbers, peeled
  • handful of mint leaves
  • juice of 1 lime
  • 1.5 cups Greek yogurt (you could sub regular yogurt for a runnier soup)
  • Olive oil for garnish
  • salt to taste
  • tomato (I used an heirloom, as that is what I had in my garden)

Instructions 

  1. Dice 1/2 of one of the cucumbers and set aside.
  2. Roughly chop the remaining cucumber and combine with most of the mint leaves, lime juice, and ~1/4 teaspoon of salt in a blender. Blend until smooth. Taste and adjust salt and mint (taste will be strong, that’s ok as the yogurt will mellow it out).
  3. Add yogurt to the blender and blend until incorporated. Taste again and adjust mint and salt to taste.
  4. Chill in fridge, 30 minutes to 1 day.
  5. When ready to serve, dice the tomato and combine with the diced cucumber. Serve the soup in a bowl and garnish with a light drizzle of olive oil and the diced tomato and cucumber mixture.

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Thai Inspired Butternut Squash Soup

Thai Inspired Butternut Squash Soup

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 4-5 cups Butternut squash (1-2 squashes), cubed (I usually use I container of pre-cut squash form whole foods)
  • 1 can coconut milk
  • 1 can light coconut milk
  • 1 lemongrass stalk, halved
  • salt and pepper
  • scallops (optional)

Directions

  1. Add squash, both coconut milks, lemon grass, salt and pepper to your crock pot. Cook on low 8-10 hours.
  2. Let cool for 10-15 minutes. Remove the lemongrass stalk and the using an immersion blender blend until creamy. (Or cream in batches in a regular blender.)
  3. Sear scallops in butter or olive oil on high heat. (Optional)
  4. Serve in a bowl with scallops on top.

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This is a recipe I first had made by Ben, who usually double or quadruples the recipe as it saves well in the freezer. The original recipe is made on the stove top, and only takes an hour, however I adapted for the crock pot. It’s the perfect meal to come home to after a day of skiing or snowshoeing.

Ben’s Mom’s White Chili

Serves 4

Ingredients:

  • 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
  • 2 lbs chicken thighs cubed (note: you can use breasts if you prefer, I find they dry out in the crock pot though)
  • 1/2 chopped onion
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 can chopped green  chilies
  • 1 can chopped jalapenos (for a milder spice use another can of green chilies instead)
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon oregano leaves
  • 1 teaspoon cilantro leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
  • 2 (19-ounce) cans white kidney beans, undrained
  • Monterrey Jack cheese and sliced green onions for garnish

Directions:

  1. Place all the ingredients except for the garnish in a crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
  2. Serve with Garnish (I like to use lots of cheese!)

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Pumpkin Soup with a Kick

On a cold fall day sometimes there is nothing better than a nice hot soup. This soup is thick and rich, and with the addition of jalapenos it also packs a bit of a kick to warm you up. This soup is hearty enough to be eaten on its own, with a slice of bread and a side salad, or serve it in smaller portions as a starter.  For extra kick leave the seeds in, if you prefer a milder soup seed the jalapenos  and/or just use one.

Pumpkin Soup with a Kick

Makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

  • 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
  • 2 jalapenos, diced
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, diced
  • 1 teaspoon fresh sage, diced
  • 1 1/2 lbs winter squash (like a pie pumpkin), peeled and cut into 1/2 inch peiced
  • 2 cups vegetable stock
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1/4 cup manchego cheese
Directions:
  1. Melt butter and sauté onions until soft and golden.
  2. Add tomato, onion, garlic, jalapeno, thyme, sage and salt. Saute another minute or two, until fragrant.
  3. Add squash, stock and wine. Simmer for about 40 minutes.
  4. Remove from heat. Transfer to a blender, or use an immersion blender, to puree until smooth.
  5. Return to pot, add milk and bring back to a simmer. Add cheese, when it melts serve immediately.

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Beef Ramen Broth

I wanted to add this since my Ramen recipe points to my homemade broth. While in my Ramen recipe I add some of the flavoring packet that comes with the noodles this broth can stand alone if you prefer a more delicate broth. I like the added flavor of the packets along with the fattiness you get from making broth with real beef. I use my crock pot to make this recipe extra easy.

Ingredients

  • Beef Bones, I save bones cut from raw meat (such as chuck steak) that I use for stews. You can also use marrow bones or bones reserved for broth.
  • Ginger root, about 4 – 5 1 inch pieces, peeled.
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled
  • Salt, to taste
  • 2 Tablespoons soy sauce

Directions

  1. Combine ingredients in a pot and bring to a simmer for at least 6 hours, and up to 12. I use my crock pot and put it on two 6 hour cycles of the high setting.
  2. Strain broth once finished.

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Ramen

No, not the stuff you remember from college, I’m talking a homemade broth with fresh noodles, meat and veggies served with an array of condiments to dress it as your own. Making it your own when preparing it is the really lovely thing about ramen, and once at the table everyone has their own unique way of altering it (much like Vietnamese Pho.) Serve this dish with an array of Japanese condiments such as soy sauce, chilli soy sauce, chilli flakes, chilli garlic sauce, chilli oil and fish flakes,.If you are vegetarian, sub the beef broth for veggie, omit the meat and add more vegetables. If you don’t like one of the vegetables in the recipe, or want more, sub them out for something else or just add more (such as corn or bamboo shoots.)

Like much Asian cooking the trick here is to prep EVERYTHING before you start cooking so that once you are done you can serve the dish steaming hot. This includes setting the table, making sure everyone has drinks for their meal, laying out the array of condiments and prepping all the vegetables and garnishes before you start to cook. Ramen noodles are delicate, if they sit too long in a hot broth they get mushy, and mushy noodles just aren’t as good!

Ramen

Serves 2

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups broth (either make your own, obviously the better choice, or use beef broth)
  • Fresh ramen noodles (such as Sun Noodle Brand)
  • 1 head of baby bok choy, halved lengthwise
  • 2 shiitake mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 egg
  • 2 scallions, sliced for garnish
  • 1 sheet nori, sliced for garnish
  • 1/3 lbs BBQ Pork (which you can find at your local asian grocery store)

Directions:

  1. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil (this will be to cook the noodles). Also bring pot that you will use to steam the veggies to a boil. ( I use the same pot of water to both steam my veggies and cook the noodles.) Bring broth to a boil in a separate pot, add half of sauce packet that came with the noodles ot the broth.
  2. Prep mushrooms and bok choy and arrange in a steamer basket.
  3. In a pot with a clear lid, place egg and fill with half an inch of water. Bring to a boil over a high heat, once boiling reduce to medium and cook for 4 minutes. Do not remove lid. After 4 minutes, remove from heat and let sit for 3 minutes, do not remove lid. After 3 minutes remove eggs and place in cold water. Peal eggs once cool enough to touch.
  4. Steam vegetables for 3-4 minutes, until they are until mostly cooked. Do not over cook, leaves of baby bok choy should not be too wilted.
  5. Cook noodles as instructed by the package except 30 seconds less (as noodles will continue to cook in the hot soup broth).
  6. In serving bowls, divide noodles into the two bowls. Arrange hot BBQ pork, bok choy, and mushrooms around the edges of the bowl. Slice egg in half and add half to each bowl. Ladle half the broth into each bowl. Garnish with scallions and slices nori.
  7. Serve immediately with soy sauce, chilli oil and chilli flakes. (I also include chilli soy sauce and chilli garlic sauce in my spread.)

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