Chicken Noodle Soup

Also known in our house as Grandma's famous "chickie-noo-noo", chicken noodle soup is a staple. It's simple, satisfying, and the ultimate comfort food, right? 

You can use your own favorite pasta in this recipe. Wide egg noodles are a favorite, short vermicelli are a close second. 

I wanted to highlight one of my favorite vegetarian seasonings, Seitenbacher, on the blog today. I was looking for a chicken style broth base and my local health food store didn't have the brand I usually use. They did, however, have Seitenbacher. I decided I'd give it a try and it's become one of my favorites! It has a different combination of herbs and isn't as high in sodium as another leading brand. Look for it at your health food store. 

Also, if you're looking to add a meaty element to your soup, you could add a few diced chicken patties or reconstituted soy curls to your soup. I tend to leave the meat substitutes out. 

Ingredients:

1 Tb. oil of choice

1 small onion, diced

1 carrot, diced

1 celery stalk, diced

8 cups water

1/2 cup vegetarian chicken seasoning (McKays, Bills Best, Vegetarian Express, Seitenbacher)

2 tsp. granulated garlic

1 TB. Nutritional yeast flakes

4-5 oz. vermicelli or angel hair pasta, broken up into 2 in. pieces

Salt, to taste 

Instructions:

In a large pot, sauté vegetables in oil until crisp-tender. Add water and seasonings and bring to a boil. Add noodles of choice and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer until noodles are cooked through and veggies are tender, about 10-12 minutes. 

Serves 6. 

Southwestern Quinoa Soup

This soup is pretty versatile. Swap chickpeas for black beans and add curry powder (to taste) for a different twist on flavor. Throw in a few handfuls of chopped kale during the last several minutes of cooking time for an added nutritional boost. If you're not fond of cilantro, you can omit that ingredient. 

2 Tbs. Oil

1 sweet potato, peeled and diced

1/2 red pepper, diced

1/2 yellow or orange pepper, diced

1/2 onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed

1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed

6 cups vegetable broth or water

1 Tb. Vegetarian chicken seasoning 

1 tsp (or more) cumin

Salt, to taste

Dash oregano

Handful of cilantro, chopped

1/2 a lime, squeezed (opt)

Sauté all veggies (except beans) in oil until softened. Add quinoa and cook for a few minutes. Add beans, broth, and seasonings. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a medium boil until veggies are cooked through and potatoes and quinoa are tender. Add lime juice and cilantro during the last few minutes of cook time. Adjust seasonings to your taste. 

Serves 4-6

African Peanut Stew

It was the kind of day that merited a warm hearty stew: crisp and cool with the scent of autumn in the air. We spent the better part of the morning apple-picking as a family. I think my three-year old ate more than he picked, but that's to be expected! :-) We loaded bushels of apples into our car, turned on the heater, and headed home for some lentil soup. Later that afternoon, though, my daughter wanted to help me make something for dinner. She's actually been begging to make a really spicy salsa for her daddy, but we've put a delay on that project due to some jalapeño juice in the eye. But, I digress. She did a fantastic job carefully slicing and deseeding two jalapeño peppers for this fantastic stew.

The flavors are quasi African, and oh so delicious together. Especially when served over brown rice. There are many variations to this stew but this is the one I really enjoy. 

Ingredients

1 Tb. olive oil

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium white or yellow onion, diced

1/2 green or red bell pepper, diced

2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and chopped (see below for substitution ideas)

32 oz. vegetable or vegetarian chicken style broth

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can diced tomatoes, with juice

1/4 cup quinoa, rinsed

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. salt

1/3 cup smooth peanut butter

1/3 cup coconut milk

Handful fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped (opt.)

Instructions

Saute sweet potato, garlic, onion, bell pepper, and jalapeno peppers in olive oil over medium high heat until vegetables begin to soften. Add broth, beans, tomatoes, cumin and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes or until sweet potatoes and quinoa are completely cooked. Add peanut butter and carefully stir to incorporate. It should melt into the stew and begin to thicken slightly. Add coconut milk and cilantro and continue to cook for just a few minutes more. 

Serve and enjoy! This yields about 4 healthy servings. 

Substitution / Add-in Ideas:

My aunt Carol gave me a similar recipe that included diced zucchini. You would just add it at the beginning with the rest of the vegetables. 

She also uses prepared salsa instead of jalapenos and canned tomatoes. I've used a can of Rotel Tomatoes and Green Chilies and eliminated the jalapenos, but it was really very spicy. 

Tortilla Soup

This is our family's favorite new soup. A few months ago, I was asked to present some vegan recipes for a Supper Club in our neighborhood. (I posted the "chicken" enchilada recipe from that presentation previously on the blog.) We absolutely love the tortilla soup at California Pizza Kitchen, and since the supper club theme was American Southwestern, I decided to try to recreate that delicious soup. There are lots of copy-cat recipes online, but this is one of the closest I've been able to find. I've modified a recipe from www.copycat-recipes.net.

As the soup bubbled on the stove, my daughter moaned and groaned, "You're killing me, Mom!" I was alarmed. "Why?" I asked. "That soup smells soooo good! And I'm hungry." Whew...if that was all... :-)

Ingredients:

3 Tb. light olive oil

6 corn tortillas, cut into squares

3 Tb. minced garlic

1/4 cup diced yellow onion

2 cups frozen yellow and white corn, divided

4 roma tomatoes, chopped

2/3 cup tomato paste

2 Tb. ground cumin

3 tsp. salt

2 tsp. vegan chicken seasoning (McKays)

1 tsp. chili powder

6 cups water

2 cans diced mild green chiles

blue tortilla chips (opt. garnish)

fresh cilantro (opt. garnish)

fresh avocado, diced (opt. garnish)

Instructions:

In a large pot, sauté corn tortillas in olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and continue to sauté, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Cook for perhaps a minute. Add 1 cup of corn and all other ingredients (except garnishes, of course) and stir to combine. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for about 10-15 minutes. With a stick blender, blend soup until it's the consistency of a thick puree. If you do not have an immersion blender, you can process in a regular blender, but be careful to just pulse it a few times to break up the corn tortillas.

Return soup to heat and add the rest of the corn, plus the two cans of green chiles. Bring to a brief boil, then serve immediately with garnishes of choice.

This is a large amount of soup, but I promise you, it won't be around for long! :-)

Broccoli "Cheddar" Soup

This soup is rich, creamy, and delicious...you wouldn't guess that there isn't a shred of cheese in it! The cheddar-like color comes from some very secret ingredients: cooked potatoes, carrots, and onion. Pretty much guilt-free, right? Just the way I like it. 

I first tasted this soup in academy and searched high and low to find the recipe after I graduated. I honestly can't say who to give credit to for this family favorite. I'm glad they developed it, though! I have made a few modifications to suit my family's taste. 

Ingredients:

2 carrots, washed and cut into medallions

2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

1/2 onion, peeled and roughly chopped

1/2 cup cashews

1 Tb. Tahini

3 cups water

2 tsp. salt

3 cups fresh or frozen, thawed broccoli florets, cut rather small

Instructions:

Place carrots, potatoes, onion and water in a medium pot and bring to a boil. Allow to cook until the carrots and potatoes are softened (not the consistency of mashed potatoes, though) and easy to blend. Pour into a blender base and add cashews and salt. Blend until very smooth and creamy. If you have a conventional blender, this might take a little while. Add liquid if necessary to get the smooth texture and consistency you'd like. 

Meanwhile, steam broccoli florets until crisp-tender in a small amount of water. Drain and set aside. 

Pour "cheese" sauce into a large pot, add broccoli and bring to a light boil. Serve hot with crackers. 

So easy, and perfect for a cold winter day! Enjoy

White Bean Kale Soup

It's Fall, one of my favorite times of year. When the air is crisp and wood-fire smoke scent wafts on the breeze, I turn to comfort food -- especially soups and stews. This White Bean Kale Soup is a family favorite. 

I first experienced kale in academy, when I worked for a garden nursery and greenhouse. We planted hundreds of pots of flowering and decorative kale for people to use in their Fall/Winter landscaping. I never knew you could actually eat it! :0) Now that I am older, I've found that kale is a very versatile and delicious addition to our diet. Add it to smoothies, toast it into "chips", replace spinach or collard greens with it in soups, toss in salads...the possibilities are endless. And the best part? Listen to this: Kale is a nutritional powerhouse! Read Web MD's article here. 

"What makes kale so exceptional? Here is why it's a superstar vegetable -- One cup of kale contains 36 calories, 5 grams of fiber, and 15% of the daily requirement of calcium and vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), 40% of magnesium, 180% of vitamin A, 200% of vitamin C, and 1,020% of vitamin K. It is also a good source of minerals copper, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus. Kale’s health benefits are primarily linked to the high concentration and excellent source of antioxidant vitamins A, C, and K -- and sulphur-containing phytonutrients. Carotenoids and flavonoids are the specific types of antioxidants associated with many of the anti-cancer health benefits. Kale is also rich in the eye-health promoting lutein and zeaxanthin compounds. Beyond antioxidants, the fiber content of cruciferous kale binds bile acids and helps lower blood cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease, especially when kale is cooked instead of raw."  

Fantastic! I think I'll serve up another helping of soup... 

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup diced yellow onion

4 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped

32 oz. vegetable broth

4 cups chopped, de-veined kale

2 cups diced tomatoes in juice

1 can (14.5 ounces)  cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 tsp. salt

Pepper, opt.

1 tsp. dry basil or several leaves fresh basil, torn

Directions:

In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes longer. Add basil, broth, kale, beans and tomatoes and cover. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until the broth has reduced and soup is thickened slightly. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with parmesan or parmesan style sprinkle and toasted crusty bread.

Spiced Carrot Ginger Soup

It started out yesterday with a slight tickle in the back of my throat. Ugh. No! I popped two Ester-C tablets, hoping that they would keep the cold at bay. No luck. By this morning, my nose had become a leaky faucet. I wanted to snuggle deeper down into the covers and stay in my pajamas all day! Something sounded good...something warm and comforting, but spicy enough to kick this bug out of my system. Spiced Carrot and Ginger Soup. 

Carrots and ginger both contain important properties for boosting your immune system. According to an article on the LiveStrong website, dated December 2, 2010, "Carrots contain vitamin A and vitamin B1, which are two important vitamins for keeping your immune system healthy and able to fight off infection. Adding carrots to your diet while you have a cold may motivate your white cells to work more efficiently at ridding your body of the virus causing your symptoms." Read more here.

"One of the benefits of ginger is its effects on congestion and its abilities to help fight colds. The use of ginger for combatting the common cold has been a staple of Ayurvedic medicine for centuries and was popular even before scientific research began revealing how powerful ginger truly is. For those who are suffering from congestion or a cold, consuming ginger may be extremely advantageous." Click on this link for the entire article.

So, with those two amazing ingredients as the base of this recipe, my cold symptoms should be gone in an.....Ha...haAChooO! Sorry. Let's just get to it...

Ingredients:

1/2 medium yellow onion, diced

1 Tb. olive oil

1 Tb. fresh ginger, peeled and minced

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 1/4 cup sliced carrots

1 Tb. vegetarian chicken seasoning mixed with 2 cups water, or 2 cups vegetable stock

1/8 tsp. turmeric

1/8 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. coriander

1/8 tsp. allspice

1/2 tsp. cumin

pinch red pepper flakes

1 1/2 cups pureed acorn squash (You could use butternut, too.)

1/2 cup coconut milk

1/4 cup orange juice

1 tsp. salt

Instructions:

In a medium pot and over medium heat, sauté onion in olive oil until it begins to clarify. Add minced garlic and ginger and stir to combine. Allow to sauté for a minute, then add sliced carrots. Continue to cook until carrots begin to soften. Add broth and spices, including red pepper flakes, and bring to a boil. Cook until carrots are completely soft.  Add pureed squash, coconut milk, orange juice, and salt during the last few minutes of cooking. Transfer all ingredients to blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Pour back into pot and bring to a simmer. Check for seasoning and salt if necessary. Serve immediately. This was especially tasty with some hearty croutons!

Enjoy while I nurse my aching joints! :0)

Yield: 3-4 servings

Lebanese Style Lentil Soup

We used to attend a small group designed especially for families when we lived in Salt Lake City. It was one of those delightfully necessary things that every parent with small children knows: a safe place to go to socialize with other adults while your children play with other children and their (exciting/new) toys. :0)

One cold winter evening, we slipped and slid across town to the host's (Lisa and Glenn, you know who you are!) home where we were greeted with this amazing lentil soup, amongst other steaming soup choices. The combination of flavors were delicious and I asked to have the recipe. It's still one of our favorites.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup brown lentils

8 cups vegetable or vegetarian chicken stock

1 large potato

1 bunch fresh or 1 lb. frozen spinach (or you could substitute chard)

1 medium onion, diced

4 T. olive oil

1/2 cup coarsely chopped (washed) cilantro or 1 tsp. ground coriander

3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

salt to taste

1/4 tsp. pepper or Pepper Like Seasoning from The Vegetarian Express

1/2 tsp cumin

3 Tb. fresh squeezed lemon juice
Lemon slices (optional)

Instructions:
Rinse lentils well. Combine lentils and stock in a large soup pot. Cover and bring to a simmer. Peel potato and cut into small cubes. Add to lentils. Cover and simmer about 20 more minutes. Wash fresh spinach well and cut into strips. Add to soup, cover and continue cooking until lentils are tender (about 20 more minutes). Meanwhile, sauté onion and garlic in olive oil until onion is soft and semi-clarified. To the onion mixture, add 1/2 cup cilantro and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Add onion/cilantro mixture to soup during last 5 minutes of cooking. Stir in salt to taste (maybe about 1 1/2 tsp), pepper, cumin and lemon juice.

(Side note: I prepared this last night and didn't have cilantro. I altered the directions to suit my situation. I had 1 lb. frozen spinach, so I added it to the onion/garlic and sautéed them together with the 1 tsp. dried coriander. It was good, but the fresh cilantro is better.)

Make this a complete meal with crusty artisan bread and a tossed green salad.

Makes 6 servings (1 2/3 cup size)


*This is a family recipe from L. B.

Southern Inspired Collard Green Soup

This delicious hearty soup has become one of my favorites. Nutrition meets Soul Food. Warm, savory, and satisfying-- perfect for cool autumn evenings.  My 5-year-old proudly proclaims: "I LOVE Collard Greens!" when she finds out I've made this for dinner and my toddler gobbles it up, too.

You could substitute any white bean and use spinach, kale, or chard and it would be just as tasty.

Ingredients:

1 Tb. olive oil

2 cups chopped onions

1 bay leaf

2 stalks celery, diced

2 medium carrots, diced

2 tsp. salt (Salt to taste, really)

6 cups vegetable stock or vegetarian chicken broth

1 15 oz. can black eyed peas, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup pearled barley (eliminate for gluten free)

3 Tb. minced garlic

1 large bunch collard greens, stemmed and chopped

Ground black pepper to taste

Instructions:

Heat oil in a large soup pot. Add onion, bay leaf, celery, carrots and salt. Cook over low heat for about 10 minutes, then add stock or broth and barley. Cover, bring to a boil, then lower heat. Simmer for 20 minutes or until vegetables and barley are tender. 

Add black eyed peas, garlic, and as much of the collard greens as you can fit. Cover and wait a few minutes for the greens to cook down. Keep adding the greens in batches until they are all incorporated. Add black pepper to taste and adjust salt. 

Serve hot, garnished with a little parsley and a spoonful of parmesan or romano cheese (eliminate for vegan version, of course!).

I love to toast some crusty artisan bread, tear off a piece and dip it into my soup...Mmmmm. I'd make this again for dinner if I hadn't already made it twice in two weeks. I think I'll make Lebanese lentil soup instead...

Happy, healthy eating! 

Serves 4-6 (We have to double it in my house)

Three Bean Chili

Our church hosts an annual Chili Cook Off in the fall and this was my entry. At that point in time I was trying an elimination diet for my newborn son: no dairy, no soy. I took this recipe because it was chock full of vegetables and taste, but had no soy products such as Morningstar Farms Griller Crumbles. I have adjusted a few things recently, cutting back a bit on the spice and adding vegetable broth to reduce the sodium content. Enjoy this hearty chili with some crunchy cornbread on a cold winter night.

Ingredients:

1 Tblsp. Olive oil

1/2 medium onion, chopped

2 bay leaves

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 1/2 tsp. salt

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

3 cloves garlic, roughly minced

2 (4 oz.) cans diced green chiles

1 (15 oz.) can peeled, diced tomatoes in juice

1 (15 oz.) can vegetable broth

2 Tblsp. chili powder

1 (15 oz.) can Great Northern beans

1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas

2 (15 oz.) cans black beans, or 4 cups homemade black beans

1 (15 oz.) can whole kernel corn, drained

Instructions:

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in onion, celery, bay leaves, cumin, and salt. Saute until onion is tender then mix in carrots, garlic, and green chiles. When vegetables are heated through, add chile powder, diced tomatoes, vegetable broth and beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer approximately 45 minutes. Stir in corn and continue cooking for 5 minutes before serving.

Southwestern Potato Corn Chowder

So, my family are huge fans of southwestern style food. My husband and I spent some time in New Mexico and came to appreciate the versatility of chiles. We've always enjoyed corn chowder, but one day I thought to include some green chiles....WOW! That added a new dimension to an old favorite. Today I spent some time actually writing the recipe down as I made it. (Unfortunately, I rarely do that. Then when something actually turns out, I can't remember how to replicate it!)

Ingredients:

1/2 yellow onion, diced

3 medium-large russet potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 can yellow sweet corn (I used the creamed variety, but regular will do just as well)

4 cups cauliflower

1 4-oz. can green chiles

1/2 tsp. granulated garlic

1 tsp. cumin

2 1/2 scant tsp. salt

pepper to taste

Instructions:

In a medium stockpot, cook cauliflower. Peel potatoes and cube, then cook in a large soup pot with just enough water to cover (about 3 cups). Spray a small saute pan with cooking spray and saute onion. When cauliflower is tender, place in a blender with sauteed onions and about 1 1/2 cups of water. Blend until smooth and creamy. Add cauliflower mixture to potatoes in pot, then pour in drained corn and green chiles. Add seasonings and combine well. Simmer soup for about 20 minutes until it begins to thicken slightly. Serve hot!

You can adjust the seasonings to taste.

Enjoy! :0)

Curried Red Lentils

I happened upon these delightful split red lentils a few years ago, and developed one of our favorite recipes. One thing I appreciate about the red lentil is that it cooks so quickly. The stew was done before my brown rice could finish cooking!

Ingredients:

1 celery rib, diced

1 carrot, diced

1 small onion, diced

1 C. red lentils

2 C. vegetable broth (I made mine with 4 Tbs. vegetarian chicken broth and 2 cups water)

1 C. water

1/2 can lite coconut milk

1 Tb. curry powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. granulated garlic

pepper to taste

Instructions:

In a medium saucepan, saute celery, carrots and onion. When they are softened, add red lentils. Cook for a few minutes before adding broth and water. Bring to a boil and add seasonings and coconut milk. Cook on medium-high heat until the soup begins to thicken slightly, then turn down and simmer until the lentils look slightly smooth and creamy. Stir occasionally to keep from sticking.

This stew is great served over brown rice. We even eat it over whole wheat toast sometimes!