I have made a lot of stuff from scratch- could I make my own soup base? I could, and I did! Not soup stock, but the stuff in jars that you just mix with water for instant broth. I wanted a no-meat soup base for when I was cooking meat-free.
I made a vegetable soup base that is a mixture of vegetables, both fresh and dried, herbs, mushrooms, nutritional yeast, spices and salt. There is pretty good amount of salt, but I wanted to be able to store it in the fridge and be safe.
It worked out that every teaspoonful of the finished base has less than 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Not great, but a lot less than bouillon cubes.
If you want to make yours with less salt or no salt- you’ll have to freeze the mixture in ice cube trays and take it out of the freezer as needed. Sort of like your own bouillon cubes.
The nice part is, I can now make a vegetable soup easily and I know exactly what is in it. It can also be added to chicken or other meat-based stocks, in place of the salt, to add extra flavor.
Homemade Vegetable Soup Base
4 carrots, peeled and cubed
3 celery ribs, washed and cubed
1 large sweet onion, peeled and cubed
3 green onions, washed and cut up
1 c. sun- dried tomatoes, soaked in water 30 minutes, and drained
1 c. dried mushrooms, soaked in water 10 minutes and drained
1 c. chopped cabbage
1 c. parsley, chopped
1/2 c. chopped sweet pepper
1/4 c. nutritional yeast, optional
2 T. turmeric
8 oz. salt- I used sea salt and used a scale to weigh it. It’s around a cup but will differ if you are using a coarse salt
Combine all ingredients, except the salt, in a food processor and blend until smooth. I have a decent size Cuisinart and still had to do this in batches. Combine in a bowl with the salt and stir well to blend. Store in a clean jar in the fridge until ready to use. I ended up with about 5 cups of soup base. To use, add about 1 teaspoonful to a cup of hot water for vegetable broth. Use less or more according to your taste. Use in place of salt in other soups, stews and sauces.
Just thought I’d share another recipe for cooked pork. Seems like a lot of us have leftovers. This one uses pasta and Asian flavors for a simple dish that is ready in no time at all. Tastes pretty good, too.
Pork Lo Mein
1 onion, chopped
2 T. oil
1 can sliced water chestnuts, drained
1/2 c. green peas- you could also use green beans
2 c. diced cooked pork
8 oz. angel hair pasta -I use a very fine noodle I get at the Asian market
soy sauce to taste
Hoisen sauce or oyster sauce to taste- you could also use stir-fry sauce
sesame oil
chopped green onions
Heat water for pasta. Heat oil in skillet and cook onion until browned. Add water chestnuts and cook 1 minute longer. While onion is cooking, cook pasta. Add peas to onion mixture and stir to combine. Add the pork and heat through. Drain pasta and toss into pork mixture. Season with soy sauce and what ever Asian sauce you have on hand. Drizzle with sesame oil and top with green onions. Serves 4.
I love a good enchilada, all warm and cheesy. I really should make them more often.
These pork enchiladas are a great way to use up leftover pork roast.
Pork enchiladas are often made with a green enchilada sauce. I went with red, since I like red. I had a bottle of green enchilada sauce in my pantry, but opted to go with a homemade sauce. I love how simple the sauce is to make- and how good it tastes. Plus, when you make your own sauce, you can tweak it to suit your taste.
Same thing with the filling. I used what I had and what I like together. The pork, corn and beans are pretty traditional. I had planned on added canned green chilies, until I realized I was out. I did add some fine chopped onion and some sweet red pepper, just for flavor and texture.
That’s the nice thing about enchiladas. You can play around with fillings, based on your likes and what ingredients you have. You could just as easily make this recipe with chicken, beef or even turkey.
Just be sure to fill them up!! I used just about a cup of filling in each tortilla, when you factor in the pork mixture and the cheese. I had planned on using eight tortillas, but needed a ninth one to use up the last of the filling. Rolled them tight and crammed them in the pan. It worked out just fine.
After baking, when I went to cut them, I thought the bottom was a little tough. It tasted fine, though, just hard to cut into squares without using a knife. I thought, in hindsight, I should have put a little sauce on the bottom of the pan, before adding the rolled tortillas. I had plenty of sauce. So that is what I would suggest for you to do. Just 1/4 cup or so, to add a little moisture to the bottom of the dish. Other than that, I wouldn’t change much on this one.
So here is the recipe for my pork enchiladas. I also include the recipe for enchilada sauce. Hope you give them a try.
Pork Enchiladas
2-3 c. cubed or shredded cooked pork
1½ c. corn, cooked and drained well, I used frozen corn
1 can (15.5 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained well
½ c. minced onion
1 c. diced sweet pepper
1 recipe enchilada sauce- recipe follows- or 2 c. bottled enchilada sauce
3 c. shredded cheese- I used a cheddar/Monterey Jack blend
8-9 (8-inch) flour tortillas
Non-stick spray or enough oil to grease the pan
Chopped parsley or cilantro, optional
Lightly grease or spray with cooking spray a 9×13-inch baking pan. You can put ¼ cup of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of the pan, if you like. Set aside. In mixing bowl, combine the meat with the veggies and ½ cup of the enchilada sauce. Stir to blend. Add salt, if needed. Place about ¾ of a cup of the mixture down the center of a tortilla. Add about 3 tablespoons of the cheese. Roll up tightly and place seam side down in the pan. Repeat with remaining ingredients until all the filling is used up. I was planning on using 8 tortillas, but had enough filling for an extra one. As the pan gets full, you have to kind of push them together to get them all in. You will have leftover cheese. Pour the remaining sauce down the center of the tortillas and cover with foil. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake 15 minutes longer. Remove from oven, sprinkle the remaining cheese down the middle and return to the oven to melt the cheese. You can turn off the oven at this point. Just let the enchiladas sit in the oven for about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit at least 10 minutes before serving. You can add a sprinkle of chopped parsley or cilantro just before serving. Serves 6-8.
Enchilada Sauce
3 T. oil
3 T. flour
1 T. chili powder, or a bit more to taste
1 t. paprika
1 t. cumin
1 t. garlic powder
½ t. oregano
½ t. salt, or more to taste
2 T. tomato paste
1 t. apple cider vinegar
Fresh crushed black pepper
2 c. stock- chicken, veggies, I used pork
Combine oil and flour in a small saucepan. Cook over medium low heat until mixture warms and thickens. Add spices, tomato paste and vinegar. Heat a few minutes, stirring constantly. This will add a toasted flavor to the spices. You should smell them more as they warm up. Slowly add the stock, whisking until smooth. Keep cooking, turning heat up to medium. Once mixture thickens and gets bubbly, turn down to low and simmer a few more minutes. Makes 2 cups.
My friend Kim and I used to laugh at the covers of all the December issues of women’s magazine. They were lined up by the check-out at every grocery store. They always declared it was “The Best Christmas Issue Ever!!!” It was just something that struck us both funny.
When I made this soup, I knew it was extra good. A friend was over and I gave him a bowl to taste. He looked at me and said, wait for it…”This is the best cauliflower soup you ever made.”
I didn’t have a name for the soup yet, so I decided to call it My Best Ever Cauliflower Soup. I thought it was funny- I hope you do, too. It is also a nod to my sweet friend. Kim would have gotten the joke.
The soup lives up to its name. It has plenty of flavor, even without the toppings. With the toppings, it becomes something very special.
If you are looking for a really good and easy soup recipe- I suggest you give this one a try.
My Best Ever Cauliflower Soup
3 T. oil 1 large onion, chopped 1 small head cauliflower, chopped- about 6 cups 1 qt. chicken stock, but you could use beef or vegetable stock instead 1 qt. canned tomatoes, I had home canned, you could use a 28 oz. can of tomatoes 4 ribs celery, chopped 2 potatoes, peeled and diced 2 T. curry powder, I used my homemade curry powder 2 t. turmeric 1 t. cumin Salt and pepper to taste
Mushroom topping: 2 T. oil 1 onion, diced 1 lb. baby Portobello mushrooms, sliced 3 T. chopped parsley Salt and pepper to taste
Additional toppings: Green onions, sliced Cashews, you could also use peanuts Sesame oil
Heat oil in soup pot and cook onion until tender. Add cauliflower and cook about 5 minutes longer. Add remaining ingredients and cook, uncovered, until vegetables are very tender, about 30 minutes. While soup is cooking, make mushroom topping. Heat oil in medium skillet and cook onion until golden. Add mushrooms and cook until mushrooms are almost caramelized, about 10 minutes. Add parsley and cook a few more minutes. Set aside until ready to use.
Once soup veggies are tender, puree until smooth. To serve soup, ladle some hot soup into a bowl. Top with some of the mushrooms and add a few green onions, cashews and a drizzle of sesame oil. Serves 6.
