Vegetarian Delights: A Confessions of a Foodie Offspring

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Tuesday, December 12, 2023

Soup - Double-Post Tuesday

Besides being Taco Tuesday, it's also Double-Post Tuesday. Today's double post deals with soup, and includes Brothy Thai Curry With Silken Tofu and Herbs and Savory Bean Spinach Soup. Enjoy!

BROWN RICE AND BEAN SOUP

This yumminess is from Eden Foods. Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 25 minutes; Serves: 5

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 Tbsp Eden Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/2 cup onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced or 1 teaspoon roasted garlic granules

1/4 cup organic sweet corn, fresh or frozen

1/4 cup celery, diced

15 ounces Eden Rice & Pinto Beans, or Spanish Rice & Pinto Beans

16 ounces Eden Refried Pinto Beans, or Spicy Refried Black Beans

1/2 tsp Eden Sea Salt, or to taste

1 pinch Eden Black Pepper, or to taste

1 1/2 cups diced organic tomatoes, do not drain

4 cups water

1/2 tsp Eden Dried Basil

1 tsp Eden Cumin Powder

2 Tbsp fresh parsley, minced, for garnish

Directions

Heat oil in a medium soup pot, and sauté the onion for 2 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients except the parsley. Mix thoroughly, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the flame to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes or until creamy. Serve garnished with parsley.

Nutritional Information Per serving – 194 calories, 4 g fat (19% calories from fat), 8 g protein, 34 g carbohydrate, 8 g fiber, 0 mg cholesterol, 409 mg sodium

HERBED CARROT SOUP



From the December 2005 issue of Runner's World; reprinted from HerbWise: Growing, Cooking, WellBeing, by Bruce Burnett



Ingredients

2 pounds of carrots, chopped

1 large onion, diced

6 sprigs of fresh parsley, 3 sprigs of fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon of dried thyme, and 6 six black peppercorns, bundled together so that they can be easily removed after cooking

2 cloves garlic, crushed

4 Tbs of butter

6 C of vegetable stock

Freshly grated mace or nutmeg

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Lightly sauté the onion and garlic in the butter. Add the stock and carrots and simmer for about 15 minutes. Add the bundle of herbs and continue to simmer for another 20 minutes. Remove the herbs, allow the soup to cool, and put it through the blender in batches. Reheat the soup over low heat while adding the mace or nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Serve with some fresh, homemade bread and garnish with some fresh parsley and a little chopped fresh thyme.

Note: The original recipe called for vegetable or chicken stock.

SPRING MINESTRONE WITH KALE AND PASTA

This is from Kay Chun in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. For this recipe, Kay wrote, "This one-pot springtime minestrone combines asparagus, peas and kale with a healthy dose of fresh ginger. The ginger is optional, but it energizes the broth. This recipe is fairly flexible overall: You can swap green vegetables according to taste, use vegetable or chicken stock and toss in any type of short pasta. The pesto and Parmesan swirled in at the end provide brightness and richness, but you could also finish the soup with tapenade, sour cream, ricotta or even a splash of your favorite hot sauce."

Time: 20 minutes; Yield: 4 servings

To view this online, go to https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020994-spring-minestrone-with-kale-and-pasta.

Note: The recipe originally called for either chicken or vegetable stock. Since I’m posting this on a vegetarian blog, I left the chicken stock out so that it’s only low-sodium vegetable stock.

Ingredients

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 large shallots or 1 small onion, thinly sliced

2 celery stalks, thinly sliced

Kosher salt and black pepper

2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger (optional)

2 tablespoons minced garlic

2 quarts low-sodium vegetable stock

1 cup ditalini or other small shaped pasta (about 5 ounces)

8 ounces asparagus, trimmed and sliced into 1/2-inch pieces (1-1/2 cups), thinly sliced zucchini or chopped broccoli

1 cup fresh or frozen peas

5 ounces baby kale, baby spinach or torn spinach (about 4 cups)

Storebought pesto and grated Parmesan, for serving

Preparation

In a heavy soup pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium. Add shallots and celery and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add the ginger, if using, and garlic and stir until very fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add stock and bring to a simmer.

Stir in pasta and cook according to package instructions until al dente. Stir in asparagus and peas and cook until vegetables and pasta are tender, about 3 minutes longer. Stir in kale and season with salt and pepper.

Divide soup among bowls. Swirl in some pesto and top with Parmesan.

SAVORY BEAN SPINACH SOUP

This is from Eating Well, and begins, "Let a slow cooker complete this vegetarian soup. Serve it in cups as a sandwich side or ladle it into bowls for a light meal."

Prep Time: 15 minutes; Additional Time: 5 hours; Total Time: 5 hours 15 minutes; Yield: 6 servings

To view this online, go to https://www.eatingwell.com/recipe/259615/savory-bean-spinach-soup/.

Ingredients

3 (14 ounce) cans vegetable broth

1 (15 ounce) can tomato puree

1 (15 ounce) can white or Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup converted white rice

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

8 cups coarsely chopped fresh spinach or kale leaves

Finely shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions

In a 3-1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker combine broth, tomato puree, beans, rice, onion, garlic, basil, salt, and pepper.

Cover; cook on low-heat setting for 5 to 7 hours or on high-heat setting for 2-1/2 to 3-1/2 hours.

Stir spinach into soup. Serve with Parmesan cheese.

WHITE BEAN, RICE AND DILL SOUP

This is from Naz Deravian in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. For this recipe, Naz wrote, "This cozy, comforting pot of soup comes together quickly with a few pantry staples. Creamy canned navy beans and jasmine rice add body to a base of softened vegetables stained with turmeric. You may be tempted to add stock, but be assured that using water is enough here. The sum of the ingredients can stand on its own and doesn’t need the added boost of stock. (If you do add stock, be mindful of the amount of salt you use.) The dill – which can be dried or fresh – and turmeric brighten up the soup and offer a bright reminder of spring any time of year."

Time: 45 minutes; Yield: 6 servings

To view this online, go to https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1023869-white-bean-rice-and-dill-soup. While you're at it, I recommend signing up for The New York Times cooking enewsletter, if you haven't already.

Ingredients

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

2 large carrots, scrubbed and finely chopped

2 celery stalks, finely chopped

1 large yellow onion, finely chopped

Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and black pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

Red-pepper flakes (optional), to taste

1/3 cup white jasmine rice, rinsed

2 (15-ounce) cans navy beans or cannellini beans, rinsed

1 tablespoon dried dill or 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill

Lemon (optional), for serving

Preparation

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium. Add the garlic, carrots, celery and onion; season with a good pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened, about 10 minutes.

Add the turmeric and red-pepper flakes (if using) and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the rice, stir and cook for 1 minute. Add the beans and dill; season everything well with salt (about 1-1/2 tablespoons) and black pepper to taste. Stir and cook for 1 minute.

Add 6 cups of water, stir, partially cover, raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Cover completely, reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the rice is completely soft and has released its starchy goodness, and the beans are creamy on the inside, about 30 minutes. Taste for seasoning as the soup simmers. Serve with lemon, if you like.

BROTHY THAI CURRY WITH SILKEN TOFU AND HERBS

This is from Yewande Komolafe in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. For this recipe, Yewander wrote, "A jarred red curry paste is the central flavor of this wonderfully restorative and nourishing broth. Coconut milk lends a subtle creaminess, and the cherry tomatoes become bright little jammy bursts. You can use fresh tomatoes when in season, but canned tomatoes do just as well. Ladle the piping hot broth over seasoned tofu pieces and fresh herbs: The delicate silken tofu used here will absorb big flavors from the surrounding liquid."

Total Time: 30 minutes; Yield: 6 servings

This was featured in "Three Restorative Recipes to Warm From Within", and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1022862-brothy-thai-curry-with-silken-tofu-and-herbs.

Ingredients

2 (14-ounce) packages silken tofu, drained

2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as grapeseed

2 shallots, peeled and minced

3 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced

1 (1-inch) piece ginger, scrubbed and grated

3 tablespoons red curry paste

1 (14-ounce) can cherry tomatoes or fresh cherry tomatoes

1 quart vegetable stock

1 (13-1/2-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk

Salt and black pepper

1/4 cup soy sauce

1-1/2 cups mixed fresh herbs, such as cilantro, basil and dill

2 scallions, thinly sliced

1 lime, cut into wedges, for squeezing

Preparation

Pat the tofu blocks dry with a clean kitchen or paper towel. Cut each block into 3 slices.

Heat a medium Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high. Add the oil and shallots, and stir until softened, 2 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger and curry paste, stir, and cook until fragrant and the paste turns deep red, 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, stir and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the tomato juices thicken slightly, 4 minutes.

Pour in the vegetable stock, stir, increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer to slightly reduce the liquid, 10 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk, season to taste with salt and remove from the heat.

While the broth is simmering, divide the soft tofu into 6 bowls. Break each slice into 4 or 5 pieces. Season each bowl of tofu with 2 teaspoons of soy sauce and a few cracks of black pepper, and top with about 1/4 cup of the fresh herb mix.

Ladle the hot broth and tomatoes over the bowls of silken tofu. Top with sliced scallions and serve hot, with lime wedges for squeezing.

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