Corn & Potato Chowder

It's odd that I've found two new soup recipes this summer.  You wouldn't think a person would crave soup during the hottest months of the year.  Must be a testimony to how good these soups are.

This one comes from Kaitlin of The Garden Grazer.  Her website is chockfull of vegan recipes and I intend on spending more time perusing her site.  Click on her link above if you want to follow her corn & potato chowder recipe exactly.  I made a few changes to accommodate ingredients I had on hand.  Most soup recipes leave room for some individual taste-tweaking. 

Ingredients

I use 3 russet potatoes, cut to 1/2 inch cubes, skins on (but you can use red or gold potatoes)

1 onion, chopped

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

12-oz. bag frozen corn

1 qt. veggie broth

2 c. cashew milk (or plain almond milk)

1/2 cup nutritional yeast 

1 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika

salt & pepper to taste (I use sodium free salt and white pepper for extra kick)

The above are all of the basics to make this soup and it is delicious without adding anything more.

But for some extra veggie power, the following adds are yummy:  bell pepper, celery, zucchini.

I cook this soup in my Instant Pot, using the Saute feature and the Soup feature.  However, a large soup pot works equally well.

Instructions

Saute chopped onion with a bit of the broth over medium high heat.  Add cubed potatoes with smoked paprika, stir, and cook for 5 minutes.

Add minced garlic and cook for a minute  Add broth, milk, corn and nutritional yeast.  Increase heat and bring to light boil.

Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender

Salt & pepper to taste and add more nutritional yeast if desired. 

For a boost of greens, chop some fresh spinach and throw into the bottom of your bowl before ladling your soup.  Top soup with a sprinkling of nutritional yeast and fresh grated pepper.

Yummers!

Cauliflower Soup

I have made this recipe several times and it's a keeper.  Thank you, Dr. Fuhrman (from his "Eat to Live" book).

Without further fanfare, here it is, down and dirty and simple:

Ingredients

1 pkg. frozen cauliflower florets

2-3 large carrots, chopped

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

2 T. no-salt seasoning

7 c. combo of veggie broth and water (add some Mrs. Dash, Turmeric, celery seed, white pepper)

1 small can mushrooms

1/3 c. raw cashews (put in blender and set aside)

5 cups kale or baby spinach (will put this in the bowl right before ladling soup)

*cashew or soy milk (optional)

Bring to simmer all ingredients except cashews and kale/spinach.  Simmer on low until veggies are tender...about 20-25 minutes.

Ladle 2/3 of the soup from pot into the blender with the cashews.  Blend until completely smooth and add back into remaining soup.  Mix thoroughly.

*Can add nut milk at this time for extra creaminess, but not needed.

Ladle hot soup over chopped greens and serve.

Yummers!

Quick Mixed Vegetable Soup

It doesn't get any quicker than this!

Darn! Can't find the original post. And I wanted to give credit where credit is due. But here's the soup recipe:

3 cups frozen mixed veggies (two cups makes this one big bowl) in microwave with a little water for 4-5 minutes.

In a blender, add 1 cup of veggie broth and steamed veggies. Add couple teaspoons of nutritional yeast and a few drops of Cholulu hot sauce. Blend until pureed. Reheat until piping hot.

Serve and top with salsa (and I had some tofu cream). DELICIOUS! And takes only a few minutes to prepare from start to finish.

YUMMERS!

Tomato Soup with Black Beans and Spinach
Time to prepare: 30 minutes from start to finish
Prep Work: Very little
Serves 4
(Thank you, South Tulsa Living magazine for publishing this recipe in your March 2015 issue.)

Ingredients Needed:
1 15-ounce can black beans, no salt added, drained and rinsed
3 cups vegetable broth
1 14.5-ounce can chopped tomatoes, no salt added
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce, no salt added
1 cup salsa
1 tsp. cumin
2-3 tsp. chopped garlic
3-4 cups of fresh baby spinach leaves
½ cup nutritional yeast (you can use a bit of Parmesan cheese if you prefer)
Bragg Liquid Aminos (or reduced sodium soy sauce)

Directions:

Place drained beans, garlic and vegetable broth in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover and cook over low heat for 15 minutes. Add the canned chopped tomatoes, tomato sauce, salsa and cumin and cook, stirring occasionally, until the soup is heated through, another 5-10 minutes.

Serving up:

Place one cup of spinach leaves in the bottom of each soup bowl. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of nutritional yeast (or 1 tsp. of Parmesan cheese) and drizzle with 1 Tablespoon of Bragg’s (or soy sauce). Ladle hot soup into bowl over spinach leaves and let sit for one minute, just until spinach is gently wilted. Eat up! YUMMERS!

Notes: This soup is very easy to put together. My husband commented that even 'he can make it' and does.  Jeff cooks up a double batch of this soup in the crock pot when he goes out to our Colorado cabin and eats it throughout the week.

I got the original recipe idea from The McDougall Quick & Easy Cookbook. The book’s recipe called for black-eyed peas and frozen spinach. I started with the original recipe and then tweaked it to suit my personal tastes. I prefer black beans and fresh spinach. You can use whichever you like best.  I've used navy beans and kidney beans, too. They all add a slightly different flavor to this heart healthy soup. If you use the frozen spinach, you’ll want to add it in when you’re simmering the soup until the spinach is heated through.

Corn is another nice addition to this soup. Just add a cup of frozen corn to the simmering soup until the corn is tender. You can add additional vegetables, if you like. Onions, celery and even some leftover baked potatoes work nicely with the other flavors.

This soup is even better after it’s been allowed to sit in the refrigerator for a day or two. I love to make enough to eat once right away and then have plenty for leftovers.

Vegetable Broth (short cut)

I have made vegetable broth a couple of different ways.  The first two times I made it the traditional way, using onions, celery and carrots in water with some basic seasoning and simmered on the stove top for an hour while the vegetables cooked and created a thin watery soup base.  Another time I used these same vegetables plus one cup of lentils, giving the broth more body.  But I hated straining out the vegetables and tossing them, even though they are mush and have little flavor at this point.  Given a choice, I prefer to saute those same veggies in a pan and then heap them on my plate and eat them, just like that!

When I found this recipe for 'instant dry veggie broth' I was skeptical but knew I would have to try it. I am posting the recipe link here.   This recipe is now one of my 'top ten favorite pantry items.'  It takes only one tablespoon of dry mix to make one quart of soup broth.  I keep a jar of it made up and on hand in the refrigerator to add to recipes and use for sauteing vegetables (in place of oil or spray).  This dry powder mixes with water quickly whenever you might need some soup stock.

All three variations pictured above utilize the instant vegetable soup broth.  I saute my vegetables in a pan on the stove top (mushrooms, onions, celery, carrots, bell peppers, carrots), toss in some sprouted lentils and a small amount of cooked brown rice or cooked whole grain linguine and then just add in a quart of the vegetable broth, heat and serve up.

Soup's On!

Cauliflower Soup

This is a simple soup to make.  A bit of time and the following ingredients are all that is required to achieve this 'scrumptiousness in a bowl.'

Here's what you'll need:

Soup Base

2-4 cups cauliflower florets and thinly sliced stems, fresh or frozen.  I use an entire head of cauliflower or one 16-ounce bag of frozen.  Cook the cauliflower until fork tender.  Use whatever method you are most comfortable with.  I get good results in the microwave.

2-3 cups almond milk, unsweetened (use whatever milk floats your boat)

Pour your milk into a blender and add 1/2 of your cooked cauliflower.  Liquify until smooth.
**Rev. 10/30/14:  I've started using my immersion blender instead of my counter-top blender.  So much easier! Remove a cup of your steamed cauliflower from the pot and set aside.  Add your milk and blend with immersion blender. Add the cup of cauliflower to your blended soup base.

Add 1/2 tsp. white ground pepper.  This pepper has got a little kick so use less to start and taste before adding more. 

Your soup base is finished.  See?  Easy!

Now, gather together the following vegetables:

Mushrooms, onions, bell peppers, spouted lentils  I like my mushrooms Portobello and sliced thickly, my onions, sweet....my bell peppers in all the rainbow colors and my lentils sprouted to about 1 - 1/2 inch.

Clean, slice, dice and saute them in your favorite way.  I use a bit of non-stick spray to coat my pan...and Parkay Spray on my veggies, along with a few of Mrs. Dash's no-salt seasonings.   I do not use oil or butter (apologies to all my Paleo family and friends).  I encourage you to use what tastes best to you.  If you have never tried the water saute method, this is the perfect dish for a 'first time.'

I like my veggies al dente and sauteed long enough to incorporate all the natural flavors.   You can cook them for as little or as long as you like and then turn the heat way down and cover with a lid. 

In the microwave or on the stove top, bring your cauliflower soup to a soft simmer.   Ladle hot soup into serving bowl.  Then scoop up and add 1-2 cups of cooked veggies.  Enjoy!

**Notes from experience:  The first time I made this soup, I kept it very simple, adding only a few bits of diced red bell pepper and some lightly sauteed mushrooms.  The next few times I made it, I started using different vegetables and lots more of them.  As you can see in the photo, may ratio of sauteed veggies is much greater than the amount of soup base.  Broccoli is another great veggie to add to this mix but it will change the flavor of the dish because of its own distinct flavor.  I eat lots of broccoli so decided to keep this dish broccoli-free.  Zucchini squash is another wonderful addition to this saute mix and I've used shredded carrots, too.

Final note:  When I make enough to have leftovers, I refrigerate the soup and the veggies separately...and reheat them separately, as well.  The soup presents more lovely when the soup is ladled first...and veggies added to the soup.  I'm just sayin'. 

Hearty Black Bean Soup

This recipe was given to me by my friend, Laurie Jo. Absolutely Scrumptious! But because I never could leave well enough alone, I added a small amount of meat and topped it with some other fun stuff right before serving. Laurie Jo knows me and will say "Kimber can't help herself, it's in her chart!" Thanks for sharing, Firlgriend...it's really yummers good stuff...and I'll be making this at Mom's house on one of those chilly North Idaho winter days!

3 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
4 cups of water with 3 beef bouillon cubes (low sodium, if you've got them)
2-3 tsp. chopped garlic
2 medium onions, chopped (original recipe calls for purple onions, I use what I have on hand)
1/4 - 1/2 pound ground turkey sausage-cooked, drained, crumbled
1 can Ro-tel diced tomatoes and green chilis or 1 1/2 cups medium heat salsa
1 can chopped tomatoes with the juice, no salt added
2 Tbls. ground cumin and 2 tsp. chili powder
2-3 T. lime juice
Fat free cottage cheese and medium heat salsa for topping

In large soup pot, spray with non-stick coating, over medium heat, toss in garlic and onions and cooked sausage. Stir for a couple of minutes and add rinsed black beans, Ro-tel chilis, canned tomatoes and juice, water and bouillon cubes, lime juice and seasonings. Stir well and bring to gentle boil. Continue to stir until everything is well blended and boullion cubes are completely dissolved (sometimes I dissolve the cubes in the 4 cups of water before adding to the soup). 

Reduce heat, cover and let simmer for approx. 25-40 minutes. Remove from heat and get ready to serve up.

Top each serving with a small amount of cottage cheese and salsa. Serve with a couple of warm corn or flour tortillas on the side.