Chicken-less Noodle Soup

Here is a quick and easy soup that pairs well with sourdough toast, or open-faced sandwiches, for a quick weeknight dinner.

Chicken-less Noodle Soup
Yield: 4 servings

1 cup rice pasta spirals (or any pasta of your choice)
2 cups water
2 cups chicken-like (or vegetable) broth
1 medium carrot, sliced thinly
1 stalk celery, sliced thinly

1.  In a medium sauce pot, fill with water, add some salt, bring it to a boil.  Add pasta and cook until AL-dente about 8-10 minutes. After cooked, then drain the pasta.
2.  Meanwhile, bring broth and water to a simmer.  Add veggies and simmer until really nice and tender.  Add cooked pasta.  Serve!

*Note: You may add about a cup of veggie meat, or soy curls (reconstituted in boiling water for 10 minutes, and drained). 

Red Lentil Soup

 This is one of my favorite quick and easy, comforting soups to prepare.  And its very inexpensive to make!  Full of fiber, iron, and vitamins, there's nothing you will lack from this soup!  This red lentil soup pairs perfectly with avocado & tomato toast, or a nice tossed salad.  For our family of 3, I usually make a double batch of this so we can eat it for a couple different meals.  Hope you enjoy!
 
Red Lentil Soup
Yield: 4 servings

⅔ cup dry red lentils
¼ cup dry brown rice
4 cups water or vegetable broth
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and grated
1½ tsp sea salt*
¾-1 tsp granulated garlic
1 TB extra virgin olive oil, optional
2 TB fresh squeezed lemon juice

1.  Rinse/wash lentils and rice in a strainer with cold water.
2.  Put everything except lemon juice in a large sauce pan, and bring to a boil.
3.  Reduce heat to low, and let simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4.  Add lemon juice right before you serve if you plan on eating the whole soup at one time.  I always put the fresh lemon juice on the table when we eat, so everyone can add it themselves, and so that its fresher.

* If you are using vegetable broth instead of water, and your broth has salt in it, I usually only add only about ¾-1 tsp of sea salt.  Then, check the soup before you serve, and add more salt if necessary.  I always make it less salty, then add salt at the table if it needs it.

Thai Red Curry Soup

This soup is a go-to warm, comforting, and full-of-flavor soup.  Its one that I don't make as often as I should!  My husband and I really like Red Curry.  We think its our favorite type of curry out there!  Here's a soup I found on the internet, but I completely tweaked it, made it vegan, and boosted the flavor a bit.

Thai Red Curry Soup
yield: 8-10 servings

1 TB olive oil
2-3 TB fresh grated ginger*
1 stalk lemon grass, minced*
1 TB Red Curry Paste*
4 cups chicken-like broth or vegetable broth
3 TB Soy Sauce or Tamari (which is gf soy sauce)*
2 TB sweetener (I use agave nectar or organic brown sugar)
3 cans coconut milk*
1 red bell pepper, sliced in 1-inch pieces
1 green or yellow bell pepper, sliced in 1-inch pieces
3 carrots, thinly sliced
1 block of tofu, cubed, and browned in olive oil*
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 tsp salt (to taste)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped*

1.  Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
2.  Cook and stir the ginger, lemongrass, and curry paste for 1-2 minutes in the oil.
3.  Add the broth, while stirring continually. 
4.  Stir in the soy sauce and sweetener.  Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes.
5.  Then, stir in the coconut milk, veggies and fried tofu.  Simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the veggies are tender but still crunchy.
6.  Stir in the lime juice, salt, and cilantro.  Serve!

* You can find these ingredients in any Asian Market
Note:  With the veggies that I like to put in here, you can add whatever you like to eat.  If you like bamboo shoots, you may add those if you wish as well as anything else!

Butternut Squash Soup

Butternut Squash Soup
Yield: 6 servings

1 medium onion, chopped
15 oz. Canned Chickpeas, rinsed & drained
1 pound butternut squash, seeded, peeled & diced (½ in. Pieces)
14 ½ oz. Canned diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cups chicken-like broth
½ tsp cumin
¼ tsp salt
⅛ tsp cayenne pepper

1.  Saute onion in some olive oil at the bottom of a large soup pot.
2.  Stir in the rest of the ingredients.
3.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low.
4.  Cover and simmer until squash is tender (around 15 minutes).
5.  Serve.

Creamy Chick’n Wild Rice Soup

Creamy Chick’n Wild Rice Soup

Yield: 6 servings

1/2 cup blanched slivered almonds (or raw cashews)
1 cup water

1/4 tsp vegan lactic acid, optional
2 Tbsp grapeseed oil
½ a large onion, diced

4 large garlic cloves, minced
2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced

2 cups celery, diced

1 - 2 cups soy curls (reconstituted in boiling water, and chopped), or vegan store-bought chicken strips, or homemade gluten
6 cups chicken-like broth (or vegetable broth)
3 cups cooked wild rice
1/4 - 1/2 cup Maple Syrup (or to taste)

2 tsp Celtic grey sea salt (or to taste)


Instructions:

1.  Soak almonds (or cashews) for ½ hour in some boiling water.  Then add to blender or food processor with 1 cup water and the vegan lactic acid, and blend until very very smooth, about 4-6 minutes.  Set aside.
2.  In a heavy bottomed soup pot, on medium high heat, add the oil until it shimmers (or use broth for oil-free version).  Then add the onion, and brown until soft and starting to caramelize.  Then add in the celery and carrots and and sauté for another 3 - 5 minutes until softened.  Add garlic, stir for a minute or two.
3.  Add broth, wild rice, soy curls (or other vegan protein), and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer, on low for 20 minutes.  Then add heavy almond cream and maple syrup.  Simmer on low until vegetables are soft (around 15 more minutes), stirring occasionally.
4.  Add salt to taste.  Depending on how salty your chicken-like broth is, I just add the sea salt and maybe a little more maple syrup at the end.  A pinch of cayenne pepper, or freshly cracked black pepper is delicious as well.  Enjoy!

Creamy Garlic Potato Soup

Its winter here, sort of.  Well, it doesn't feel like a Minnesota winter, at least.  Its been a "not so frigid" winter here in Northern Minnesota, and I am very thankful!  But, of course, it has still been chilly outside.  (We may never see a "California winter" on this side of the country, although, I wouldn't mind it at all one bit.)  So, what have I been making throughout the coarse of this winter?  Soup!  Soups are easy to throw together, and that is probably why I have been making them for most of our meals lately.  I'm 4 weeks away from meeting our little girl, so anything and everything simple and easy to make in the kitchen I have been preparing.

This Creamy Garlic Potato Soup is amazing.  You will enjoy every last spoonful!  I usually double or quadrupedal this recipe, especially when you have company for dinner.  Serve it with some homemade bread, and you're speaking my language.



Creamy Garlic Potato Soup


2 TB olive oil
1 cup onion, chopped
8-10 garlic cloves, minced
8 cups water (or vegetable broth)
8 Tsp vegetable broth powder or chicken-like seasoning (if you use water instead of broth)
6 cups potatoes, diced
1 cup low-fat sour cream (or Tofutti Sour Cream)
4 TB fresh dill, chopped (or 4 Tsp dried dill)
Salt to taste (optional)


1.  In large pot, heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add onion and saute until translucent; add garlic to onions and saute an additional 2-3 minutes.
2.  Add water (and broth or seasoning mix) and bring to a boil.  Add potatoes and return to boil.  Reduce heat to medium and boil gently for 10 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.
3.  Take off heat, let cool down a little.  Working with half the mixture at a time, transfer to food processor or blender.  Process until pureed and smooth.  Return to pot.  Stir in remaining ingredients.  Stir over low heat until heated through.  Serve warm.  Garnish with fresh dill if desired.   

Note:  If serving the next day, you can add the dill and salt at the end and refrigerate.  Then, when you are serving the soup, you can add the sour cream right before you serve it, or you may put it on the table and people may use a dollop as a garnish on top, if desired.  That way when you heat the soup up again it does not go sour-tasting because the sour cream had already been added to it, and it tastes much better in the end.  This is the way I serve it, unless I am bringing it for a main-coarse dish for potluck.  Bon Appetite!

Broccoli Un-Cheese Soup

This is the soup I have been craving for a while.  But, to find time in the kitchen to actually make it, that's another story.  During my pregnancy so far, I have been so busy with work, keeping the house maintained, and food on the table.  My only project right now (when I have time) is getting the baby's room ready.  So, needless to say, I was excited when today I actually have the time- and extra energy- to make this yummy soup! 

Okay.  You know that really delicious, comforting, Broccoli and Cheese "restaurant-style soup" we eat in the winter time?  The one that coats your belly as well as your palate?  Well, this is that soup that does all that and more- but without the side of guilt.  You can feel good about serving this to your family, because it is gluten-free, dairy-free, but certainly NOT taste-free! 


Broccoli Un-Cheese Soup


2 cups potatoes, cubed
2 cups carrots, cubed
1 med-large onion, chopped
3/4 cup raw cashews (or blanched-slivered almonds)
1 pound (4 cups) fresh or frozen broccoli, cut into 2 inch pieces
3/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
2-3 TB McKay's Chicken Seasoning (or alternative)
2-3 TB Celtic grey sea salt (to taste)


1.  Place potatoes in small pot, cover with water.  Bring to boil, cook until tender.
2.  Place carrots and onion in another small pot, cover with water.  Bring to boil, cook until carrots are tender.
3.  Once potatoes are tender, place in Vitamix or blender with cashews & 2-3 cups of cooking water.  Blend until very smooth.  Add to big soup pot.
4.  Place broccoli in potato pot, cover with water, bring to a boil.  Blanch a few minutes, until tender.  (You may also steam the broccoli if you'd prefer.)
5.  Once carrots are tender, put the mix into blender with some of the cooking water.  Blend until very smooth.  Add to big soup pot.
6.  Put broccoli and its water into blender.  Pulse, or blend for several seconds until everything is broken up small.  strain out broccoli, and add to big soup pot.
7.  To soup pot mixture, add yeast flakes, chicken seasoning, and salt.  Whisk everything until incorporated fully.  Add more salt to taste.  Voila!  Bon appetite!

Crockpot Black Bean Soup

Another recipe from weelicious.com that is one of my most favorite and EASY recipes on the site!  YUMMY!  I also demonstrated this at the Fargo Health Expo 2011, and everyone loved it! 

Easy Crockpot Black Bean Soup
Yield:  6 servings


1 TB olive oil
1 onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, pressed
2 cups dried black beans, soaked overnight, rinsed and drained
1 32 ounce chicken-like or vegetable broth, low sodium
1/4 cup Cilantro, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 tsp Sea Salt
1 cup water
Toppings:  sour cream, cilantro, olives, tomatoes, chips, onions.


Instructions:
1.  Heat oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat and saute onions for 4 minutes.
2.  Add chopped garlic and saute an additional minute.
3.  Place the onion & garlic mixture into the crock pot along with the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine.
4.  Cook on low for 8-10 hours.
5.  Using either a hand blender or traditional blender, puree the ingredients to your desired texture.
6.  Top with a dollop of sour cream and fresh toppings.  Serve.