Apple Beet Ginger Soup October 10, 2007

It has been a while since I have posted any recipes. Life has been busy, we moved, got a dog, I got a new job. And in the whole hula-baloo, my cooking passed to the wayside. But it is back and hopefully with a vengance.



I had never worked with beets before, but the recipe sounded good and easy enough, so I gave it a shot. Husband loved it. He said he would eat it 4 out of 5 days. Just be careful, this soup stains, so I wouldn’t feed it to children.

Ingredients

5 beets, peeled and cut into small chunks
1 onion, peeled and cut into small chunks
1 clove garlic, minced
4 cups unsweetened apple juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp ginger

Combine the first four ingredients in a large pot. Boil for 15 minutes. Puree the mixture. Add in the salt, pepper, and ginger. Serve.

Curry Pumpkin Soup February 20, 2007

This soup would make an excellent addition to any Thanksgiving dinner. It can even be enjoyed all winter long, as it is a hearty, warming soup. It is probably also one of the easiest soups I have ever made.

Ingredients
1 Tbsp margarine
½-cup onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
¾ tsp curry powder
¼ tsp ginger
¼ tsp cumin
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1 ½-cup chicken or vegetable broth
1 15 oz can pumpkin
1 12 oz can evaporated milk

In a large pan over medium heat melt the margarine. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add in the curry, ginger, cumin, salt, and pepper. Stir to coat the onion with the spices. Stir in the broth and pumpkin and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. Add in the evaporated milk, stir to combine and puree the mixture. Makes 4-5 servings.

Avocado Pineapple Black Bean Soup February 8, 2007

It’s not often that husband gives me a concerned look when he finds out what we are having for dinner. But Avocado Pineapple Black Bean Soup did it for him. I have to admit, I was a little curious too, but the soup turned out to be quite tasty. It is also very adaptable. If you don’t like spicy food I recommend leaving out the chipotle cream sauce. The black beans aren’t necessary either, but I added them in for some extra protein and fiber. And depending on the consistency that you like your soups to have, just omit or add chicken stock.

Ingredients
Soup:
1 ripe avocado, pitted and peeled
¾ cup pineapple
1 ½-cup chicken or vegetable stock
1 Tbsp lime juice
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
¼ tsp cumin
¼ tsp garlic
½-cup black beans

Chipotle Cream Sauce:
¼ cup heavy cream
½ tsp chipotle sauce

In a food processor or with a hand blender, blend together the soup ingredients except for the chicken stock and black beans. Once the mixture is smooth place in to a pot over medium heat and add the chicken stock and black beans, mix to combine, heat through and place into individual bowls. Stir together the cream and chipotle. Drizzle over the soup and serve. Makes 2 servings.

Roasted Red Pepper Soup February 1, 2007

This is the first soup I ever made and by far my favorite. I don’t remember where I got the recipe (probably online somewhere) but I made some modifications to it to suit my tastes. The original recipe didn’t roast the peppers, but I thought it brought out the sweet flavor better when roasted.

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp butter
4 red bell peppers
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
24 oz chicken or vegetable broth
½-cup heavy cream
½ tsp black pepper

Cut the red peppers in half and remove the seeds. Flatten the peppers by gently pushing down on them and place them on a lightly greased baking sheet. Roast the peppers in a 400-degree oven for about 20 minutes or until the skins begin to blacken.

In a saucepan melt the butter over medium heat. Place the onion and the garlic in the saucepan and sauté for 5 to 10 minutes, or until tender. Once soft pour in the chicken broth, stir well, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.

Place the roasted red peppers and chicken broth mixture in a blender and gently pulse until smooth. Or use a hand blender to puree.

Return the mixture to the saucepan over medium low heat. Stir in the heavy cream and the black pepper and allow to heat through, about 5 minutes.

Serves 4

Hot & Sour Egg Drop Soup January 16, 2007

I’m not sure what possessed me to concoct this soup, but I am glad I did, because it is delicious. I was a little concerned that the soup might be bland because it lacks spices, but it was surprisingly flavorful. Husband has never been a big egg drop soup fan, but said that this egg soup was amazing. He would eat it 5 out of 5 days. A plus for me is that it was a breeze to make. It probably took 20 minutes total. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
6 cups chicken stock, reduced sodium
¼-cup soy sauce
1/8-cup vinegar
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
pinch cayenne pepper
¼-cup cold water
3 Tbsp cornstarch
2 cups mushrooms, roughly chopped
4 carrots, sliced into thin disks
2 eggs, beaten

In a large saucepan combine the chicken stock, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper. Bring to a boil. In a separate container combine the water and cornstarch and stir until completely dissolved. Add the cornstarch, mushrooms, and carrots to the stock, boil for 10 more minutes. After 10 minutes, turn off the heat and slowly pour in the beaten egg while simultaneously stirring the soup. Makes 4-6 servings.