Peanut Soup
Peanut Soup
With a cold spell here I have been making peanut butter sandwiches for the squirrels. I know it sounds silly, but it keeps them out of the bird feeders. Spreading the peanut butter on the bread got me to thinking about peanut soup. It’s a simple soup with a creamy texture and just a hint of heat. You could make it spicier, of course. If your only experience with eating peanut butter is on a sandwich or in cookies you might be surprised at just how good this soup tastes. I have made it with almond butter, but still prefer it made with peanut butter. This is a vegetarian recipe, but you could use chicken stock, if you like. It freezes well, too.
Peanut Soup
2 c. chopped onions
1 T. oil
cayenne pepper to taste
1 t. grated fresh ginger
1 c. chopped carrots
1 c. chopped sweet potatoes
1 c. chopped white potatoes
5 c. vegetable stock or water
1 c. tomato sauce
1 c. smooth peanut butter
1 T. sugar, optional
1 c. chopped green onions
Sauté onions in oil until tender. Add seasonings and carrots and sauté 3 minutes more. Add potatoes and stock and simmer until vegetables are tender. Puree soup in blender in batches until smooth. Return to pot and add tomato sauce and peanut butter. Add sugar if soup is not sweet enough. Warm gently and serve with green onions on top. Serves 6-8.Peanut
Bean and Barley Soup
Bean and Barley Soup
With really cold weather I can’t seem to get enough soup. I have been known to have a bowl of soup for breakfast. Why not? This soup is one I have been making for a long time. While the recipe calls for either smoked pork hocks or smoked turkey this would be a great place to use that ham bone leftover from the holidays. The combination of smoky flavor, pinto beans, barley and green beans works so well together. This is one of those soups that tastes even better the next day. It freezes well, too.
Bean and Barley Soup
8 oz. dry pinto beans, rinsed
1 T. oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots chopped fine
2 ribs celery, chopped fine
1 lb. Spare ribs or 1 lb. turkey drumstick or thigh
1 lb. ham hock or 1 lb. smoked turkey drumstick or wing
1 qt. chicken stock
2 qts. Vegetable stock or water
1 c. barley
½ lb. green beans, cut
salt and pepper to taste
1 T. parsley
Place beans in saucepan with water and boil 5 minutes. Set aside to soak 1 hour. Drain. Meanwhile cook vegetables and garlic in oil in large kettle. Add meats and stocks and bring to a boil. Stir in pinto beans. Cover and simmer on top of the stove for 1 hour. Or, if pan is ovenproof place in 350-degree oven and cook 1 hour. Stir in barley and beans and cook 1 hour more. Remove from heat and remove meat. Remove any meat from bones, shred and return to soup. Stir in parsley and adjust seasonings. Serves 8-10.
Honeymoon Soup
Honeymoon Soup
Part of creating new recipes is coming up with names for them. The silly name for this soup stems from something I made when I was a kid. I was making a sandwich with Swiss cheese on toasted rye bread. I put one slice of cheese on the bread and then proceeded to pile up all this lettuce on the sandwich. What can I say? I really like a lot of lettuce on my sandwiches. I cut it in half and was sort of struggling to eat it without the lettuce tumbling everywhere when my father came in the kitchen. He said I had made a honeymoon sandwich, lettuce alone. Get it? Let us alone. It took a second before I got it. My dad was the king of puns. The name stuck. I make lettuce soup from time time. Mostly when I have a lot of lettuce I need to use up. The lettuce actually adds nice flavor to the soup. For this one I decided to add the other elements of my sandwich by topping the soup with some shredded Swiss cheese and fresh rye bread croutons. The combination was really nice- kind of light and satisfying at the same time. Hope you’ll try it.
Honeymoon Soup
6 c. stock- I used chicken, but vegetable or beef stock would work, too
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
6 c. shredded Romaine lettuce- you can use other lettuces – I often use Spring Mix
2 T. butter or oil
3-4 slices rye bread, cubed
1 c, shredded Swiss cheese- or whatever cheese you prefer
Heat stock and simmer carrots in stock until tender. While carrots are cooking heat butter or oil in a skillet and toast the bread cubes in the skillet. Stir often so they don’t burn. You end up with nice rye croutons. You can just set them aside and add to the soup at room temperature. I prefer to warm them in the skillet right before serving.
Back to the soup- once the carrots are tender add the lettuce to the stock. It will wilt down a lot and cook quickly. Allow about 3-4 minutes for the lettuce to wilt down. Ladle the hot soup into serving bowls. Top with some shredded cheese and then the croutons. Serves 3-4.
Honeymoon Soup- undressed
Ready to serve
Creamy Vegetable Soup
Creamy Vegetable Soup
I must admit, for all the soups I make, this is one of my favorites. The blend of vegetables, seasonings and half and half work so well together. It is also an easy way to eat more veggies. With the colder weather I find myself eating soup almost every day. I made a batch of this soup for an event I did a while back. It was a big event so I had made a lot of it. I had a request for the recipe but I had to make another batch and scale down the amounts to something more reasonable.
Creamy Vegetable Soup
3 T. oil
2 onions, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 ribs celery, sliced
3-4 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 medium cauliflower, chopped
6 c. stock- I used chicken, but you could use vegetable
1 qt. tomatoes- I used home canned but you could use 1 (28 oz.) can
2 T. Tuscan seasoning* recipe follows
¼ c. hot sauce- or to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
2 c. half and half or milk**
In large pot heat oil and cook onions until tender. Add carrots and celery and cook a few minutes longer. Add remaining vegetables, stock, and seasonings and simmer, covered for an hour or longer. Puree soup in blender in batches until smooth or use an immersion blender to puree the soup. Return to pot and add the half and half and warm up. Adjust seasonings and serve. Makes a lot of soup – but freezes well.
*Tuscan Seasoning
½ c. dried basil
½ c. dried oregano
½ c. dried marjoram
3 T. dried minced onion
2 T. dried minced garlic
2 T. dried rosemary
2 T. dried parsley
1 t. crushed red pepper
Combine all ingredients and store in an air tight container. Use this blend in tomato sauce or other Italian dishes. Also, you can add to vinegar and oil with a little salt, if desired, to make a quick salad dressing.
** You could use almond milk, coconut milk or rice milk instead.
Aunt Josie’s Cabbage Soup
Aunt Josie’s Cabbage Soup
As the weather gets colder I find myself making more and more soup. This is one of my favorites. It is simple to make and loaded with flavor. The recipe came to me through my Mother who got it from my Aunt Josie. While I normally make it in a soup pot it can be make in a crock pot- after the onions and sausage have been browned a little. Ready in no time it is a great solution when you want home made soup but don’t have a lot of time.
Aunt Josie’s Cabbage Soup
1 T. oil
1 c. chopped onion
1 clove minced garlic
1 ½ lbs. Cooked smoked sausage, sliced or diced, I use turkey sausage
3 carrots, peeled and cubed
8 cups coarsely chopped cabbage, a small head
1 sweet pepper, seeded and chopped
1 c. tomato sauce
2 qts. Water
1-t. salt or paste type soup base
pepper to taste
3 medium potatoes, cubed
2 T. oil
1/3 c. flour
1 t. paprika
Sauté onion in oil until browned. Add garlic and sausage and cook until sausage is browned. Add vegetables, sauce water and seasonings and cook, covered 15 minutes. Add potatoes and cook, covered, 15 minutes more. In bowl combine oil, flour and paprika and stir until smooth. Ladle some hot soup into flour mixture and whisk until smooth. Repeat a few more times, until flour forms a paste. Pour this mixture into soup and simmer 2 minutes, until thickened. Serves 10-12.
Root Vegetable Soup
Root Vegetable Soup
When the air is chilly I am always in the mood for a nice hot bowl of homemade soup. This soup came about as I rummaged through the veggie bin. I had a number of root vegetables so decided to make them the focal point. I happened to have homemade beef stock, but you could easily swap it out for chicken stock or vegetable stock as well. There is a part of me that wants to call it root vegetables soup- but that sounds funny. So here it it- the recipe that was created based on what I happened to have on hand. The end result was really good.
Root Vegetable Soup
3 T. oil
1 onion, chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
2 small parsnips, peeled and sliced
6 c. stock, I used beef
2 c. peeled and diced turnips, about 2 medium
2 c. diced potatoes, about 2 medium
2 c. diced tomatoes, or a (14 oz.) can of diced tomatoes, un-drained
1 medium sweet potato, diced
1/4 c. chopped parsley
2 T. apple cider vinegar
1 T. hot sauce, or to taste
salt and pepper to taste
In soup pot heat the oil and cook the onion until light golden. Add the carrots and parsnips and cook until they are light golden, too. Add the stock, turnips, potatoes and tomatoes and bring to a boil. reduce heat and simmer, covered, until veggies are tender, about 20-30 minutes. Add sweet potatoes and remaining ingredients and cook until sweet potatoes are tender, about 10-15 minutes. Adjust seasonings and serve. Serves 6-8.
Basque Soup
Basque Soup
We made this soup in class last night. This is a vegetarian soup that should satisfy most carnivores. It is made with butter beans, tomatoes, corn and onions. Add vegetable broth and some milk and you have a rich and filling bowl of soup in no time at all. You can also make this soup vegan- we did in class last night- by using almond milk in place of the dairy milk.
Basque Soup
1 c. chopped onions
1 1/2 c. chopped celery
1/4 c. oil
1/4 c. flour
3 c. milk*
1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can whole kernel corn, undrained
3-4 cans butter beans, drained and rinsed
3-4 cups water and 1T. paste-type vegetable soup base
or 3-4 cups vegetable broth
pepper to taste
hot pepper sauce to taste
shredded mild cheese, optional
Sauté onions and celery in oil until tender. Stir in flour until smooth and add milk, stirring to keep lumps from forming. Stir over medium heat until milk has thickened and begins to boil. Stir constantly as mixture simmers for an additional minute or two. Add remaining ingredients, except cheese and bring up to a simmer. Adjust seasonings. Ladle into bowls and top with cheese, if desired. Serves 8-10.
Note: You can use almond, rice or soy milk in place of the dairy milk, if you like.
Pantry Vegetable Soup
Pantry Vegetable Soup
I’ve been using stuff up and not going to the grocery store for almost 3 months now. Sometimes it takes some creative thinking to put an interesting meal together. When in doubt I can always make a good pot of soup. Soup comes easy to me. I grew up with a Mom who really knew how to make great soup. Can’t make a pot of soup without remembering her. I wanted to make a vegetable soup today so I looked around to see what I had on hand and ended up with this. Started with the basics, onion, celery, carrots. Then I added home canned tomatoes and pinto beans. Threw in some dried zucchini and dried mushrooms, too. I had a little broccoli in the freezer so I tossed that in as well. Some basil from the freezer, dried herbs and some other seasonings and it was good to go. Here is the recipe but this is the sort of soup that can be adjusted according to what you have around.
Pantry Vegetable Soup
2 T. oil
1 onion, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 ribs celery, sliced
1 c. chopped cabbage
3 cloves minced garlic
1 pint jar canned tomatoes- or a 14.5 oz. can
6 c. water
1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained- I used a p[int jar of home canned beans
1/2 c. dried mushrooms
1/2 c. sliced dried zucchini
2 T. vegetable soup base – I use home made-
1 c. chopped broccoli
salt and pepper to taste
hot sauce to taste
dried and frozen herbs to taste- I used Tuscan seasoning and a frozen cube of basil with olive oil.
Heat oil in soup pot and add the onion, cooking until golden. Add remaining ingredients, except the herbs, and cook, covered, until veggies are tender and dried veggies are re-hydrated. This will take about 30 minutes. Add herbs and let simmer 10 minutes longer. Adjust seasonings and serve. Serves 4-6.
Spiced Split Pea and Rice Soup
Spice Split Pea Soup with Rice
I made this soup the other night and a friend requested I share the recipe. I like it because the split peas are cooked until tender- but not cooked to mush. With the addition of spices like cinnamon and cardamom it has a wonderful flavor and is pretty quick to make. This is a vegetarian version, but feel free to use chicken stock, if you prefer.
Spiced Split Pea and Rice Soup
1 c. dried split peas, green or yellow
3 c. water
2 c. chopped onion
2 cloves minced garlic
2 bay leaves
1/2 t. each cumin, cinnamon and cardamom
1/4 t. cayenne, or more to taste
2 c. vegetable stock
2 t. lemon juice
1/2 c. cooked rice
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c. chopped parsley or cilantro
Rinse peas and cook them in the water until tender, about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, cook onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add the spices and cook 5-10 minutes longer, being careful not to burn them. Add this to the peas along with the rest of the ingredients and heat through. Adjust seasonings and serve. Serves 4.
Peanut Soup
Peanut Soup
I taught a vegetarian cooking class yesterday at the Nature Center for the University of Mount Union. One of the dishes we had was a peanut soup. Rich and flavorful it was a big hit with the students. I think you will like it, too. A different way to eat peanut butter for a lot of us. You could use almond butter or cashew butter instead of the peanut butter, if you like.
Peanut Soup
2 c. chopped onions
1 T. oil
cayenne pepper to taste
1 t. grated fresh ginger
1 c. chopped carrots
1 c. chopped sweet potatoes
1 c. chopped white potatoes
5 c. vegetable stock or water
1 c. tomato sauce
1 c. smooth peanut butter
1 c. chopped green onions
Sauté onions in oil until tender. Add seasonings and carrots and sauté 3 minutes more. Add potatoes and stock and simmer until vegetables are tender. Puree soup in blender in batches until smooth. Return to pot and add tomato sauce and peanut butter. Warm gently and serve with green onions on top. Serves 6-8.
