Christmas Lima Bean Soup

Sometimes I just want to give  Heidi Swanson a big ole' hug. She comes up with some very unique and delicious recipes. To say I have been uninspired in the culinary department this month is an understatement! One thing I always seem to make more of when I'm stumped is soup. I think I made some variation of coconut curry soup at least six times in December. The kids love it, but I started to worry that they might change their minds with the frequency! We've also had potato soup, chicken noodle, tortilla, butternut squash, and roasted tomato this month. Anyway, I stumbled on this Christmas Lima Bean Recipe and the combination of ingredients looked intriguing. I didn't have Christmas Limas but I had  regular limas. My Dad made lima beans and rice in Kauai and I forgot how much I loved lima beans! One of the first things I did when I got home is go buy some lima beans!

I wanted to share this recipe because I thought it was delicious. You don't have to garnish with olives. I never met an olive I didn't love so I really liked the combination. My soup looks different than the picture on 101cookbooks because I nearly pureed the tomatoes, and of course the beans are a different color. I didn't measure ingredients and just kind of used the recipe as a guide, but I didn't skip any ingredients either. The kids don't like tomato chunks in soup so I just gave the tomatoes a quick whirl in the food processor before adding them to the soup. I used fire roasted tomatoes as well. We served the soup over rice and I have to say, it is one of my new favorites! 

Curried Cauliflower Soup

Curry Cauliflower Soup

1-2 yellow diced onions
4-5 Yukon gold potatoes cubed (I don't peel these)
1 head cauliflower chopped
1 tsp curry powder or more
1 tsp cumin
1 pinch cayenne or more
salt and pepper
lemon juice for 1 lemon
1 quart veggie or chicken  broth
milk or evaporated milk

In a bit of olive oil, saute the onions about 5-7 minutes. Add the spices and the potatoes and saute another 5 minutes. Add the chopped cauliflower. Then add the broth and a bit of water--you need to cover everything. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer and cover. If you are in a hurry this will take about 40 minutes to cook, otherwise I let it simmer all day. Puree with the stick blender and then add the lemon juice and enough milk to change the color and make it creamy. Taste and add more salt/pepper/cayenne as needed.

roasted pepper and tomato soup

Just before we left for Hawaii, I had tons of tomatoes and not a lot of time to do anything with them so I made a roasted vegetable soup. So quick and so tasty. After tossing the veggies in olive oil, salt and pepper and roasting, I just added broth, herbs and pureed. I also strained the soup at the end because it was quicker than taking the seeds out ahead of time. I added a bit of cream, but not much.

Carrot Soup with Lemon and Ginger

Here is the recipe for a wonderfully healthy spring soup I made at a cooking class this week. I didn't have time to take pictures the night of as I was busy trying to make 6 dishes in 1 1/2 hours, but the kids had some leftovers for lunch the next day. They loved it, especially the color.



















Carrot Soup with Lemon and Ginger
Bon Appétit June 1997

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 tablespoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 1/4 pounds medium carrots, peeled, chopped (about 3 cups)
2 tomatoes, seeded, chopped (about 1 1/3 cups)
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
3 cups (or more) chicken stock or canned low-salt broth
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 tablespoons sour cream
1 small carrot, peeled, grated
Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 4 minutes. Add ginger and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add chopped carrots, tomatoes and lemon peel; sauté 1 minute. Add 3 cups stock and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover partially and simmer until carrots are very tender, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly. Puree soup in batches in blender. Return soup to pot. Mix in lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)
Bring soup to simmer, thinning with more stock, if desired. Ladle into bowls. Top each with sour cream and grated carrot.

Wild Rice-Sour Cherry Soup

Here is the recipe for the soup I mentioned in the previous post (thanks Lisa!) The last time I made the soup, I added shredded chicken from a rotisserie chicken (just a little bit) and some white wine to add some depth, but it's delicious even without those additions.



Wild Rice-Sour Cherry Soup

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 or 2 carrots, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
3 Tbsp all purpose flour
3 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cups cooked wild rice
1/2 cup dried sour cherries (or cranberries)
1 cup milk or hald and half
*shredded chicken
*1/3 cup dry white wine

Melt the butter in a heavy bottomed sauce pan over medium heat. Add the carrot, celery and onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until hte carrot is tender, about 8 minutes. Add hte flour and stir until smooth. Gradually add the stock, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Increase the heat to medium-high and stir until the soup is thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the rice and dried sour cherries. Reduce the heat;cover and simmer stirring occasionally, until the cherries are softened and plumped, about 15 minutes. Stir in all the remaining ingredients. Stir occasionally until warmed through. Season with satl and pepper to taste.

White Bean and Kale Soup

Tonight I tried a new soup to go along with the cabbage salad that I am now addicted to. This recipe was found on Mothering.com. I served it with the salad and naan bread. We gobbled it up. The soup is easy and a definite keeper. If anyone lives close and wants kale and sage, we still have quite a bit in the garden.

White Bean Kale Soup

2 cups kale, finely chopped
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 large cloves garlic
3 cups cooked cannelloni beans
2 1/2 cups stock (I used homemade chicken stock)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
4 fresh sage leaves
1 teaspoon sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground
1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
pecorino cheese, freshly grated
Wash kale, remove stems from leaves. Roll up leaves and cut in thin ribbons. Set aside. In a soup pot, heat olive oil and briefly sauté garlic. Add about half the cooked beans and part of the stock. Purée remainder of beans and stock in blender, along with tomato paste and sage. Stir puréed beans into soup. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix kale into soup and simmer until kale has wilted (10 to 15 minutes). Add lemon juice and enough water to give soup the desired consistency. Season to taste. Serve topped with grated pecorino cheese.
Preparation: 30 minutes

Curried Zucchini Soup

I think I post more recipes with curry on here than any other single ingredient. This soup recipe was very simple and only had a few ingredients. It's an Everyday Food recipe. The surprising thing was that the kids thought it was great. I knew they would eat it, but I didn't know how enthusiastic they would be. But it turned out to be a keeper. Goes to show, you just never know.



1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 1/2 pounds zucchini
1 baking potato, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
1/4 cup sliced onions, toasted

Heat oil. Saute onion and 1 tsp salt until it is soft. Add garlic and curry powder. Stir constantly until fragrant. Add zucchini, potato, and 4 cups water. Bring to a boil, then simmer until the vegetables are soft, about 10-15 minutes.

Puree in blender until smooth. Serve warm or cool and garnish with toasted almonds.