LIGHT SUMMER MUSHROOM SOUP

While soup might not be the first dish that comes to mind on a hot summer day, a bowl of cold, light, refreshing soup makes for a perfect supper!  This mushroom soup is great for this time of the year: eat it cold if the day is unbearably hot, or serve it warm on a cooler evening, like the one we are having today.  Both ways are equally delicious.

You can also adjust how filling it will be by adding a variety of toppings.  I chose a touch of fresh basil from the garden, green onions, and grated carrots.

This is a slightly adapted version of a Mixed Mushroom Soup With Bok Choy from "Vegetarian soups for all seasons" by Nava Atlas.  The book has lots of interesting seasonal soups and is a must have for any soup lover.

what you need:

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 cups vegetable broth (low sodium)
• 8-10 dried shiitake mushrooms
• about 1 1/2 cups sliced small mushrooms (white, cremini, or any other)
• 2 portobella mushrooms caps thinly sliced
• 5-6 stalks bok choy, thinly sliced
• soy sauce and a variety of garnishes, like shredded carrots, herbs, thinly sliced radishes, celery, etc. (optional) 

what to do:

• In a soup pot heat the oil, add minced garlic, and saute over medium heat until fragrant (3-5 minutes).  Add the broth and mushrooms, bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and let stand for a little bit.  Strain, reserving the mushrooms.  Slice mushroom cups.
• Add raw mushrooms to the broth and simmer for another 10-15 minutes, or until the mushrooms are done.
• Taste, adjust for seasoning, add bok choy, and let cook for a couple of minutes.  Remove from the heat, cover and let stand for 10-15 minutes.
• Serve topped with garnishes, while still hot or cold.

Note: If you want a more filling version of the soup, add thin rice noodles at the end of the cooking, together with bok choy.

And if you are looking for more hot weather recipes, here are some of my favourites

summer recipes

_____
A year ago: FRUITY SUMMER LEMONADES
Two years ago: CAMPING AT MONT-TREMBLANT

BLACK BEAN SOUP

Spring is slow this year. Warm sunny days turn into cool evenings. It's raining today and apparently there is snow in the forecast. On days like today I feel like staying in bed but I have so much on my plate right now: studies, work, finalizing details of my 3-week trip... I get up early, rush through my day, and in the evening warm myself up with a bowl of soup.

what you need 

• olive oil
• 1 small onion finely cubed
• 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can diced tomatoes  (replace with 4-5 fresh cubed tomatoes)
• 2 cups tomato juice (could be replaced by 2-3 tbsp tomato paste)
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2-3 medium sweet potatoes, cubed
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground oregano
• 1 can black beans 
• 1 sweet red pepper, cut in strips
• salt, pepper to taste

what to do

•  In a large pot heat olive oil and cook onions and garlic until tender
• Add sweet potatoes, tomatoes, tomato juice, vegetable broth, sugar, and spices.  Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes (or until potatoes are tender)
• Add black beans and cook for another 10 minutes
• Add pepper, cook for 5 more minutes, taste and adjust for seasoning
• Serve with tortilla chips, guacamole, fresh cilantro, sliced green onions, shredded cheese, or a dollop of sour cream

What is your favorite recipe to keep you warm in Spring?

_____
Looking for more Spring recipes?  Here are some of my favorites:

COLD SUMMER BEET SOUP

We love soups. I guess it's pretty obvious since SOUPS category is the largest on my COOKING page. During the cooler months I have no problem whipping up a batch of warm goodness for the weekend supper but on hot summer days I am often in loss of soup ideas.

This happened yet again, a couple of weeks ago, when Eric hinted that we haven't had any soup in a while.  And then I remembered a recipe my mom "invented" several years ago.  The dark red cold beet soup is nourishing but light - making it a perfect dish for hot summer days.

What you need

• 3-4 medium beets with the leaves (peeled and cut in quarters)
• 4 cups vegetable broth (could be replaced with water)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice (could be replaced with tomato juice or lime juice)
• avocado, cucumber, green onions, dill, radishes, garlic, etc
• yogurt or sour cream (optional)

What to do

• Place beets and beet leaves in a large cooking pot.  Fill the pot with just enough water/vegetable broth to cover beets.  To ensure that the soup will have a rich red colour add lemon juice.  Bring to boil and cook until beets are tender (about 10-15 minutes).
• Once beets are cool enough to handle, remove the leaves.  Puree beets with the broth - this will be the base of your soup.  If the base is too thick add more water/vegetable broth.

• Prepare your favorite toppings: thinly slice radishes, chop cucumbers and green onions, cube avocado, mince garlic and dill
• To serve; ladle soup in a bowl and garnish with an assortment of toppings.  Add a dollop of sour cream or yogurt, if desired.

Note:
For a more filling dish, add silken tofu to the soup base.  Puree well.
You can add chopped cooked beet leaves as a topping as well.

Easy peasy soup

To add more green colour to this place here is a green pea soup - easy to make, light, and perfect for a spring dinner.
In fact the soup is so easy it requires only 2 main ingredients but you can experiment with flavours - I've included some suggestions at the end of the recipe

What you need

2 tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 cups frozen green peas
3-4 medium potatoes, quartered
4 cups vegetable broth
1/2 tbp fresh terragon, minced
1/2 cup milk or cream (soy milk for a vegan version)
salt and pepper

What to do

• In a soup pot heat olive oil.  Add garlic and let cook for 2-3 minutes.
• Add potatoes and vegetable broth.  Cook until potatoes are almost ready (about 5-7 minutes).  Add peas and terragon and cook a bit more until potatoes are fully ready.
• Puree soup, add milk, stir, and adjust for seasoning.

Note: Other vegetables to try in this soup: fennel, turnips, celeriac, or rutabaga.

Pretty easy, eh?  What's your favorite easy soup recipe?

_____
Here is another easy soup recipe: CILANTRO AND CHICKPEA SOUP

Borsch or borscht

It has been a while since I've shared a recipe over here.  In my defence, winter light is dull and grey in this part of the world and in January/February it is challenging to take bright, interesting pictures of food.  Luckily I found a colourful sunny image, taken by Eric for PassiFlora magazine.  The recipe comes from my mom and I have to tell you that  I absolutely LOVE my mom's borscht.  When I stopped eating meat she adjusted her traditional recipe to make a delicious vegetarian version.  Eric loves it too.  So much that soon after visiting my mom a couple of weeks ago, where we had borscht and pies, he asked me whether I could make some more soon.
For all you borscht-craving people, here is our family recipe:

What you need

• 2-3 tbsp olive oil
• 4 medium beets - cleaned, peeled, quartered
• 5-6 tomatoes (could be replaced with  canned ones - 2 cans), cubed.  Keep the juice from tomatoes
• 1 medium onion, chopped (small cubes)
• 2 carrots, grated
• 2-3 bay leaves
• 4-5 stalks of celery (with leaves), chopped
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1 small cabbage, cut thinly or shredded
• 3-4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 medium bunch of parsley, shredded
• 2-3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• salt and papper

 What to do:

• In a big pot, heat up about 2 liter (8 cups) of water.  Add tomato juice - this makes water acidic and beets will keep their colour, while cooking.
• Add beets and cook until soft.  Remove from the pot (do not discard water).  Shred half of beets and roughly cube the rest (my mom usually leaves a couple of very big pieces for my sister who loves biting into big chunks of beets).  Transfer beets back to the pot.
• Meanwhile, heat up olive oil in a skillet and fry onion until golden.  Add shredded carrots and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

 
Notes: 

Now you are ready to cook all your vegetables.  My mom does not like to over-cook her veggies, so she adds ingredients in batches.  Celery and potatoes take longer to cook so they go in for about 5 minutes.  Than she adds cabbage and lets it cook for just a little bit, and so on.  You can experiment with the cooking time and the order in which you are adding your veggies, so consider next steps as a guidelines.

This is also a good time to adjust the amount of broth.  You want your borscht to be hearty but not as thick as a stew.
 

• Bring water and beets to boil.  Add bay leaves, celery and potatoes.  Let cook for 5-7 minutes
• Add shredded cabbage and let the soup get to boil
• Add onion-carrot mix and red pepper and once again, get to boil
• Add tomatoes and cook for 10-15 minutes.  Salt and pepper to taste.
• Add parsley and garlic.  Close and let stand for 5-10 minutes (or longer)

Notes:  You can bring borscht back to boil before serving.

Traditionally borscht is eaten with a dollop of sour cream but I prefer it bright and red as is.   Another typical accompaniment to borscht is a slice of black rye bread (I like mine rubbed with garlic but a little bit of garlic butter could do the trick).
BTW, borscht can be made a day in advance and it actually tastes better on the second day. 

_____  
More Russian food at SAS-does: Olivie salad
 

Potato spinach soup

This soup is one of the dishes that was created, tweaked and adjusted during the cooking process.  I love when this type of experimentation happens but unfortunately it's a little bit difficult to sum it all up in a recipe post ... I will do my best.  

This creamy soup started with  a recipe from a cookbook.  The original "Jamaican style spinach soup" from "Fresh at home" called for nutmeg, allspice, ginger and cayenne pepper.  Somewhere between chopping the onion and peeling potatoes I realized that I was totally not in the mood for spicy Jamaican soup - I craved something herby.  So out went all spice and nutmeg and in came basil, oregano, and Herbes de Provence.  Later on, when the soup was heating to be served I decided to make it creamy and added nutritional yeast and a little bit of milk.  Here is my final recipe.  Feel free to treat it as a guideline and create your own potato spinach soup.

What you need

3 tbsp of olive oil

1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp minced fresh ginger
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp oregano (fresh or dried)
1/4 tsp Herbes de Provence

2 potatoes, peeled and diced
4 cups chopped zucchini
6 cups vegetable stock
1 cup chopped fresh spinach
1/2 cup milk (soy milk for vegan version)
1/2 cup nutritional yeast

2 tbsp miso

What to do

• Heat oil in a pot.  Add onion, celery, garlic, and ginger.  Cook until onion is softened
• Stir in basil, oregano, and Herbes de Provence.  Add potatoes, zucchini, and stock.  Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer until potatoes are soft (10-15 minutes)
• Remove from heat and add spinach, milk, yeast.  Stir in miso and adjust the seasoning.
• Blend soup until smooth (do not forget to let it cool before blending).
• Reheat and serve.

day 28

A typical Sunday: breakfast, groceries, cuddles, cooking, dinner, crafting....  Yet, every Sunday has something special.  Today, we picked apples from our trees.  We washed, cored and sliced them.  There are now 7 "ziploc" bags of cut apples in the freezer, ready to become pie-fillings or maybe apple jellies.

We also made an amazing pumpkin soup: light, filling, and fast to make.

• Cut one medium pumpkin in half.  Remove seeds, fill with a mix of your favorite herbs and spices (I used branches of marjoram and oregano from the garden, and a little bit of thyme).  Sprinkle with salt and fresh pepper and roast in the oven at 300F for 30 minutes or until tender.

• Prepare roasted garlic: wrap head of garlic in aluminum foil and throw in the oven together with pumpkin.

• While pumpkin and garlic are roasting, cube one small onion and a couple of celery stalks.  Also, roughly cube two Granny Smith apples and one sweet potato.  Finally, mince 1 teaspoon of fresh ginger.
• Heat up a little bit of olive oil and cook onions, ginger and celery for 5 minutes (until onions become translucent).  Add apples and sweet potato; cook for 2-3 minutes.
• Add 3-4 cups of vegetable broth, bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes (until potato is ready).  You can also add a couple of bay leaves and a branch or two of herbs you used for the pumpkin.
• Blend potato-apple base until smooth.
• By this time pumpkin and garlic should be ready.  Cool pumpkin down and then scrape off the flesh and add to soup base.  Add roasted garlic to the soup (simply cut one of head's ends and squeeze out the pulp).
• Blend the soup and add water/broth to obtain desired consistency.  You can also add a little bit of cream to make the soup a little bit smoother.
• Adjust seasoning, reheat the soup, and serve.  You can garnish it with parmesan petals, roasted pumpkin seeds, or fresh herbs.
• Enjoy with  a slice of freshly-baked bread.

Roasted Pepper Soup

I usually plan beforehand what I will be making for supper.  I decide on the recipe, write a shopping list, then we drive to buy all the ingredients ... you get the idea?!  Well, last weekend nothing was planned, instead Eric and I ended up at the grocery store wondering what we would like to eat and what we should buy....  Eric remembered my YELLOW PEPPER SOUP

soup ... but alas I could not remember the exact list of ingredients.  So I experimented and ended up making my version of Roasted pepper soup.

What you need:

5 peppers (you can mix and match colours: 2 red 2 yellow 1 orange)

cooking spray (could use olive oil instead)

1 1/2 tsp olive oil 

1/2 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves

2 celery stalks, cubed

2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 carrots, cubed

1/2 tsp paprika

2 bay leaves

pinch of dried coriander

1/4 tsp dried basil

1 bunch parsley, minced

about 1L vegetable broth

salt, pepper

a pinch of sugar, if peppers are not very sweet

1 1/2 tsp Champaign vinegar (can be replaced by white wine vinegar)

pinch of dried coriander

crème fraiche and parsley leaves for serving (optional)

 What to do:

• Preheat oven to 500 F (260 C).
• Place peppers on a jellyroll pan. Lightly coat peppers with cooking spray. Bake at 500 F for 30 minutes or until blackened on all sides, turning occasionally. 
• Place peppers in a large zip-top plastic bag; seal. Let stand 20 minutes. Peel and discard skins. Cut in half lengthwise; discard membranes and seeds.
• While waiting for peppers to cool down, heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions, celery, and garlic; cook for 5-7 minutes, until onion becomes soft and translucent .
• Add potato, and carrot; cook another 5 minutes. Stir in paprika, coriander, basil and bay leaf. 
• Add broth, half the parsley and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 20 minutes or until vegetables are very tender. 
• Stir in roasted pepper halves; simmer 5 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Stir in vinegar, remaining parsley, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper.
• In batches, puree soup using a kitchen blender (or use an immersion blender).  If soup becomes too thick, add vegetable broth 2-3 tablespoons at a time.
• Serve garnished with parsley and/or creme fraiche (for a vegan version, replace creme fraiche with vegan sour cream or omit altogether)

Creamy Leek and Potato Soup

I think it's time to share one of my recipes.  Winter days can be quite chilly, here in Montreal, this is why creamy soups are part of our family's weekly menus.  A couple of weeks ago I had a craving for a creamy, hearty, leek and potato soup.  I found several recipes online but most of them called for bacon (not veg) or heavy cream ... or both.  I wanted the soup to be hearty but not too heavy so cream was out of question.  Instead I used a little bit of milk (soy milk would work great too) and added a secret ingredient (roasted garlic) for a deep, rich flavour.  Yum yum yum

What you need:

2 large leeks, white and pale green parts only

about 1 pound of potatoes (5 large ones), peeled and cubed roughly

2 tbsp olive oil (or butter)

1/2 cup dry white wine (optional)

5 cups vegetable stock

1 roasted garlic

2 bay leaves

4-5 springs of thyme

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup of milk (non-dairy milk for a vegan option)

What to do:

• Halve the white part of the leek lengthwise and slice thinly cross-wise.   Rinse well under cold running water to remove any sand and dirt
• Heat oil in a large soup pot.  Add leek and saute for 3-4 minutes (until soft)
• Add wine and cook for another minute
• Add potatoes, broth, spices, and garlic pulp.
• Bring to boil, then turn down heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are very soft.  Remove woody thyme stems (if any).
• Working in batches, puree soup in a food processor or blender (if you own an immersion blender, puree the soup directly in the pot.) 
• Add milk and adjust the seasoning.  Reheat soup, if necessary before serving

Tips and Suggestions: 

You can add other vegetables, like carrots and/or celery.

Bon appétit and stay warm!

Creamy Parsnip Soup

Here is my slightly adjusted version of Martha Stewart's parsnip soup with roasted almonds.  It is flavourful and comforting, yet easy to make - an ideal meal for busy winter evenings.

What you need

2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 pound parsnips (about 4 medium), peeled and coarsely chopped
1 small potato, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 fennel, coarsely chopped

2 celery ribs, chopped
3 1/2 cups vegetable broth or water
1/4 cup heavy cream (for a vegan version, replace by soy milk or soy creamer)
1/2 tsp fennel seeds

salt and pepper to taste

What to do

• Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion, fennel, celery, parsnips, and potato, stirring occasionally, until almost tender, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and half of celery seeds. 
• Add broth/water, and simmer, partially covered, until vegetables are tender, 13 to 15 minutes.
• Puree mixture in a blender with cream until smooth. 
• Divide soup among 4 bowls; sprinkle with remaining fennel seed. Season with pepper.
• Makes 4 servings

Peanut and Squash Soup

The peanut butter squash soup is my all time favorite. It's only due to my love for weird food combinations that I decided to make it for the first time (I was not a big fan of either squash or peanut butter back then, but 2 minuses are usually equal to 1 plus, right?) and was it ever yummmy. I think I will never have enough of this one...... I should make it for supper today!!!!!

Hailing from Senegal, this mildly spicy, slightly sweet soup would be well complemented by a side of stewed collard greens or Swiss chard. 

Image from Cooking Light

 1 1/2 tsp peanut oil

4 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash

1 cup chopped onion

2 tbsp minced garlic (about 6 cloves)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cumin (I've put the whole spoon and added more once the soup was ready)

1/4 tsp ground coriander (I've put the whole spoon and added more once the soup was ready)

4 cups vegetable stock

3/4 cup reduced-fat creamy peanut butter

2 tbsp tomato paste

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

• Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
• Add squash and next 5 ingredients (through coriander); sauté 5 minutes or until onion is tender. 
• Add broth, peanut butter, tomato paste, and pepper, stirring well to combine; bring to a boil. 
• Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes or until the squash is tender. Sprinkle with cilantro.
• Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)

Spiced Chickpea and Tomato Soup

Another Martha Stewart recipe:

Image from Martha Stewart

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 dried hot red chilies, chopped or 1/2 tsp red-pepper flakes

1 tsp ground coriander

3/4 tsp coarse salt

1/8 tsp caraway seeds

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 can (15oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 1/2 cups crushed canned tomatoes with juice

1/2 cup drained jarred roasted peppers, rinsed

3 1/2 cup vegetable stock

Parsley for garnish

• Using the mortar and pestle crush garlic, chilies, coriander, salt, and caraway to form a paste
• Heat oil in a saucepan; add garlic mixture and cook until just softened, for about 3 minutes
• Stir in chickpeas, tomatoes, roasted peppers, and stock. Simmer, stirring often for 15 minutes.
• Pure soup, rewarm if necessary. Serve with a dollop of vegan sour cream and spring of parsley.

Makes 6 cups.

Golden Lentil Stew (Martha Stewart)

Here is a recipe of a lentli stew from Martha Stewart. Do not be scared by the long list of ingredients, the soup os very easy to make. It is a very unusual combination of salty, sweet, and flavourful. The smell made me almost think of homemade apple-spice pie.

The recipe is slightly modified from its original.

Image from Martha Stewart

This slightly sweet Moroccan chickpea and lentil stew, known as harira, is brightened by spices and lemon.

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 can of chickpeas, rinsed
8 cups homemade or low-sodium store-bought vegetable stock
4 cups water
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro, plus 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped
3 tsp coarse salt
4 celery stalks, finely chopped
4 ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 cup yellow lentils, rinsed
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/8 tsp ground cloves
5 oz orzo or vermicelli (or any other small pasta), broken into pieces
1/2 cup chopped, pitted dates
2 tbsp coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus whole leaves for garnish
1 lemon, cut into wedges

Directions

• Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, and cook 5 minutes. Add chickpeas, stock, and water, and simmer until tender, about 45 minutes.
• Mash garlic, finely chopped cilantro, and salt into a paste. Add garlic paste, celery, tomatoes, lentils, tomato paste, lemon juice, and spices to pot. Simmer until lentils are tender, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Add pasta and dates, and cook, stirring occasionally, until pasta is al dente, about 10 minutes. Stir in coarsely chopped cilantro and parsley. Garnish with parsley leaves, and serve with lemon wedges.

Serves 6-8.

Easy Soup

Here is a soup recipe that my friend found in one of her cookbooks. It's very easy to make and full of flavour. Feel free to modify and adapt it to your taste:

Cilantro and Chickpea Soup

The original recipe:
4-5 garlic clove, minced
1 big bunch of parsley, chopped
1 can of chickpeas
~5 cups of vegetable stock.
1-2 tsp of olive oil
Lemon juice to taste

In a big sauce pan heat oil.
Add garlic and parsley and sauté for 2-3 minutes on medium heat.
Add chickpeas and sauté for another 2 minutes.
Add broth, bring to boil, simmer for 4-5 minutes.
Serve hot and add some lemon juice to the plate.

I also made it with 2 small potatoes (I added them at the same time as chickpeas and simmered soup for a bit longer, until potatoes were cooked) and some frozen corn. Since I love cilantro I tend to use 1/2 bunch of parsley and 1/2 bunch of cilantro (coriander).

Creamy Winter Soup from PassiFlora magazine

2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 medium parsnips, peeled and cut in big cubes
3 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
6-8 cup of vegetable broth
1 can of white beans, rinsed
4 tablespoon minced fresh dill, divided. More for serving
½ teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)
½ cup vegan cheese (optional) could be substituted with soy milk and 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast.
2 tablespoon simulated bacon bits (optional) for serving

blender
soup pot

• In a big soup pot heat oil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, add onions, and caramelize until rich copper-brown, mixing to avoid burning.
• Add celery and parsnips and sauté for 3-5 minutes. Add potatoes and 6 cups of broth; bring to boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer with a lid on for 10 minutes. Add beans and 2 tablespoons of dill and simmer for another 5-10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
• Add the remaining dill and puree soup in batches in the blender or food processor. The secret to this soup is to blend it thoroughly into smooth creamy mix.
• Transfer the soup back to the pot, add liquid smoke, and mix thoroughly. Taste and adjust for seasoning and add more broth if desired. Reheat the soup, mix in grated cheese before turning of the heat.
  
• Serve decorated with dill springs or simulated bacon bits.
  

Pin It

Broccoli Rabe, Butternut Squash, and White Bean Soup

One of the reasons I like Fall is that I can start making delicious hot soups. The Broccoli rabe soup has a very delicate taste - it makes me think of spring for some reason.

If you are not sure what broccoli rabe is check out Cook's Thesaurus:

broccoli raab aka broccolirab aka broccoli de rape aka rape aka raab aka rapini aka cima di rapa aka choy sum aka Chinese flowering cabbage - this slightly bitter cooking green has long been popular in Italy and is now catching on in America. It's best to just eat the florets and leaves; the stems are quite bitter.

This recipe comes from Cooking Light magazine

2 cups (3/4-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash

1 tbsp olive oil, divided

8 oz broccoli rabe (rapini), trimmed

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1 garlic clove, minced

4 1/2 cups vegetable stock

1 (16 oz) can cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 tsp salt

• Preheat oven to 450°.
• Arrange squash in a single layer on a jelly roll pan coated with cooking spray. Drizzle with 1 1/2 teaspoons oil; toss well to coat. Bake at 450° for 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Set aside.
• Cut the broccoli rabe crosswise into thirds. Cook broccoli rabe in boiling water 5 minutes; drain. Set aside.
• Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add squash, stock, and beans; cook 10 minutes. Place 1 1/2 cups vegetable mixture in a blender or food processor; process until smooth. Return pureed mixture to pan; stir in broccoli rabe and salt. Cook 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
• Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 3/4 cups)

Gazpacho

I have been fascinated by the idea of a cold soup for a while, however every time the mercury rises I loose my appetite completely and a mare thought of a soup (cold or hot for that matter) makes me ..... let just say not very happy.

Yesterday was not too hot and after overeating during my trip to Toronto I decided to cook something fast, simple, and light. I browsed several recipe sites to get an idea of what I can put in my gazpacho. I have to admit that I have never had gazpacho before. Probably there are rules and regulations on what you can put and what you can not but I just went with my appetite and taste to make this:

GAZPACHO

6 medium-size tomatoes
1 red bell pepper
2 small cucumbers (they are sold here as Lebanese). If you don't have small cucumbers use the regular ones
2 garlic cloves
2 purple shallots (I know those are rare to find. Do not hesitate to use either purple onion (1/2 or even 1/4 should be enough) or regular shallots)
1 tsp of ground cumin
1 ripe avocado
3 cups of vegetable juice (I used V8)
1 tsp sherry vinegar (you can use lemon juice instead or even white balsamic vinegar)
5-7 springs of cilantro
Pinch of sugar
Salt and pepper

Peel tomatoes. To do so, make an x-shaped cut on the bottom of each tomato. Put them in a sauce-pan and cover with boiling hot water. Wait for 2-3 minutes. You will notice that the skin next to the cut is peeling off and all you have to do is remove tomatoes (careful not to burn yourself) and peel off the rest of the skin.


Coarsely chop the pepper, cucumbers, onions, and garlic. Combine them with tomatoes in a big soup pot.
Using hand-held blender, blend vegetables until smooth. You can also use a regular blender for this purpose.
Add cumin, vinegar, sugar, cilantro, and avocado. Blend until smooth.
Add V8. I would recommend adding it slowly and mixing throughout to give the soup required consistency. Also try the soup to adjust for seasoning.

Feel free to experiment with different herbs and spices. You might want to check out this website for some unsual Gazpachos, such as Oriental or White Gazpachos.


P.S. The picture of purple shallots comes from the Muffintop blog

Soup and Salads

Monday was my sister’s belated birthday celebration. I guess, “celebration” is too big of a word for a family gathering of 3 over some soup, salad, and cake, but it felt like a celebration to me, partially because I finally cooked. I did not cook anything for last 2 months. I am not sure why that was happening – my appetite was absent (blame the heat) and those rare moments when I would be hungry I would crave unhealthy junk food.

But Monday was different: Monday I went to the grocery store, picked up a lot of veggies, brought 4 huge grocery bags full of goodies home, and started chopping.

My sister wanted something light and cool for the hot summer evening. After checking out my extensive recipe collection I decided to make salads and soup (my dad loves soup and even if he would not like the Asian flavor of edamame salad he would definitely enjoy my green pea soup).

First on the list was a tried and true veganized recipe of a “Greek Dinner Salad” (do not confuse with The Greek Salad, they are completely different). The recipe comes from a 2005 issue of Eating Well magazine.

Greek Dinner Salad

Dressing:
3 tbsp soy yogurt
3 tbsp vegan mayonnaise
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp agave nectar
½ tsp salt

Salad:
1 medium zucchini, finely diced (2 cups)
1 large bell pepper, finely diced (1 ½ cups)
1 bunch radishes, finely diced (1/2 cup)
1 15-oz can of chickpeas, drained
Boston lettuce leaves for serving

1. To make the dressing, whisk together all the ingredients until creamy
2. Toss all the ingredients (apart from lettuce leaves) in a large bowl. Pour over the vegetables, toss gently. Spoon into lettuce leaves for cups and serve.

To counterbalance the sweetness of the Greek dinner salad I prepared the Edamame salad with sesame dressing. This is a slightly modified version of this salad from the Vegetarian Times magazine.

Edamame and Greens with Sesame Dressing

Dressing:
3 tbsp roasted sesame oil
2 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce

Salad:
1 ½ cups edamame

4 cups salad spring mix
1 cucumber, sliced
8-oz baked teriyaki tofu, cubed
1 green onion sliced
toasted sesame seeds

1. To make the dressing, whisk together all the ingredients until creamy.

2. To make salad: cook edamame according to the package instructions (boil for 2-4 minutes). Rinse under cold water to cool. Drain well.

3. Divide spring mix among 4 plates.

4. In a medium bowl combine edamame, greens, cucumber, tofu, and green onions. Pour over 1/4 of the Sesame Dressing and mix well. Scoop the salad on top of the greens and drizzle with the reamaning dressing. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.

I could not find any baked seasoned tofu (usually I get Asian flavored one) so I decided to try the mock chicken breasts (I don’t remember the name of the company that makes them – I’ll update this post from home with the brand name andmaybe even a picture). I pan-fried them for couple of minutes, cut it in cubes and added to the salad. All in all the chicken breasts were very good. I would definitely use them again in salads or sandwiches. I also think they would be delicious under gravy or sauces with a side dish of rice/mashed potatoes.

If you are not sure where to find edamame, try any Asian stores. They usually have them in frozen section and they come shelled or not.

This is how both of the salad looked:

Pea and spinach soup with coconut milk was a big hit. My dad enjoyed it so much that he asked me to prepare it again. The original recipe, which comes from one of the special issues of “Fine Cooking” 2006 calls for fresh peas, I didn’t have any fresh ones so I used frozen but the result was great. One great thing about crème soups is that you don’t have to care about sizes of cut vegetables.

Pea and Spinach Soup with Coconut Milk

2 large leeks, white parts and pale green, quartered and sliced (try using spring onions if you don't have leeks)
1 tbsp oil
2 tbsp basmati rice (use quick cooking rice if you want to speed up the cooking process)
1 tsp salt
2 tsp curry powder
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
4 cups vegetable stock
2 cups of peas
4 cups coarsely chopped spinach, any thick stems removed
1 cup coconut milk

1. In a soup pot, heat up oil and stir in rice. Add leeks, salt, curry powder, cilantro, and 1 cup of the stock

2. Cook over medium-low heat at a vigorous simmer for about 12 minutes (if you are suing quick-cooking rice, cook for 3-4 minutes).

3. Add the remaining 3 cups of broth, the peas, and the spinach and bring to boil.

4. Boil for about 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir I coconut milk.

5. In a blender or food processor, puree the soup in batches until smooth. Taste for salt, season with pepper and garnish with cilantro leaves.

If you prefer a soup with more texture, puree 1 cup and return it to the pot, season, garnish, and serve.