"Cream" of Mushroom Soup with Rosemary and Thyme

In the past two weeks, I've made this soup twice!  Along with a bunch of other soups- I think we're going through 3 batches weekly.  It's soup season, and I'm making the most of it.  Soup is such a great way to warm and fill yourself up with nutritious foods, without too many calories.  Unless you add a bunch of oil or cream, but we're not doing that here!

No cream/milk and just a little oil or butter to get things started.  The rest is just pure nutritious goodness and flavor.

I used my own wild picked mushrooms that we dried during the summer, but you can use whatever is handy at the grocery store.  There is usually porcini or a mixed bag of wild dried mushrooms, found right next to the regular mushrooms.  If you don't have quite the 3/4 of a cup, that's fine- just use more regular mushrooms to help make up for it.

If you're not a fan of thyme or rosemary, leave them out.  When I made the first batch of this soup a couple weeks ago, I didn't use them and it still tasted great.  No need to substitute anything else unless you want to.

What you Need:

1-2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
1 large onion, sliced
~half bulb of garlic, peeled and chopped roughly
1-2 large sprigs EACH thyme and rosemary
12 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
3/4 cup dried wild mushrooms
1/4 cup red wine
4 cups beef broth
salt and pepper
cooked and crumbled bacon (optional, for garnish)

Instructions: 

Start by soaking the dried mushrooms.  I just go ahead and put them in the broth for this.  That way, you get to use the flavor that goes into the broth while soaking.  Put the mushrooms in a bowl or a 2 cup measuring cup, and fill with broth.  Let soak for at least 20 minutes.

While the dried mushrooms are soaking, heat the olive oil or butter over medium heat in a large pot.  Add the sliced onion, garlic, and herbs (still on their stems).  Saute for about 15 minutes, or until they begin to lightly brown.  Add the sliced mushrooms and continue sauteing for another 10 minutes.  Keep the heat on medium and stay patient- cooking them a little lower and slower will develop nice flavor. Deglaze the pan with the red wine by pouring it in, and using a spatula to stir up anything that started to stick to the bottom.

Add the now not-dry mushrooms, broth they were soaking in, and the rest of the broth. Turn up heat to bring to a boil, and then turn back to medium to reduce to a simmer.  Let simmer for at least 20 minutes.  Take off heat.  Pick out the herbs (or whatever is left on the stems) with a spoon.  If you want to have some chunks left in your soup, spoon out a couple large ladles of onion and mushrooms and reserve.  Otherwise, puree the whole batch using an immersion blender or regular blender.  If you use a regular blender, I recommend waiting about 10 minutes to let it cool a bit before transferring to the blender.  After pureeing, add the reserved mushrooms/onions back in (if you reserved).  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish with bacon, if desired.  Enjoy!

Simply Delicious Butternut Squash Soup

This isn't a particularly fancy recipe.  It's quite basic, but can be spiced up to suite your menu or mood. The wonderful thing about butternut squash soup is that you don't really need to do much to make it taste good.  Microwave the squash, add liquid and a little salty flavor, and puree.  With just that, it'll taste decent.  Now, if you want to take it up a notch, adding a few extra vegetables and roasting the squash will lend more depth of flavor.  And that's what this recipe has you do, while still coming together pretty quickly and without any fancy ingredients.

If this recipe seems like more work than you feel like on a particular night, microwave the whole squash (make sure to poke holes!!) and omit all extra veggies and the apple except the onion.  I've made it this way and it's still quite tasty.

This will make a good sized pot of soup... I think I got about 8 servings.  It's perfect reheated for lunch the next few days, and it also freezes well.

If you want to make it a little richer, you can add Greek yogurt, milk, or coconut milk at the end.  Coconut milk goes particularly well if you are using the curry powder for seasoning.

What you need:

1 medium/large butternut squash, cut in half lengthwise and seeds removed
Olive oil, salt, and pepper

1-2 teaspoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 apple, cored and sliced/chopped
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
salt and pepper to taste

Seasoning options:

1) 2-3 teaspoons curry powder (or possibly more if you have a mild curry powder)

2) 1-2 chipolte peppers in adobe sauce, added after apple and before broth.
2 teaspoons cumin

Start by roasting the squash.  This can be done ahead of time if you want.  Heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil on the cut sides of the squash.  Season with salt and pepper.  Place cut sides down on a baking sheet.  Roast for about an hour, or until tender.  Remove from oven to let cool enough to handle.  After it has sufficiently cooled, remove skin and cut into large chunks.

Heat a large pot over medium-high.  Add olive oil.  Add the onion, celery, and carrots.  Saute for 5-6 minutes, or until they begin to get a little color.  Add apple.  Saute for a couple more minutes.  Add cooked butternut squash and stir.  Add broth and your choice of the above seasonings.  Once it has come to a boil, cover, reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer for 10-30 minutes.  30 will allow more flavor-melding, but 10 is sufficient, so do what you have time for.

Turn off the heat.  If you an immersion blender- awesome!  Just puree up that soup until smooth.  If not, use a blender.  Let the soup cool a little first (maybe wait 10 minutes), and then transfer in batches to your blender.  Blend each batch until smooth.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

And that's it!  If it's a little too thick for you taste, thin with water, broth, or milk.  Enjoy!

Spicy Salmon Soup with Escarole and Mushrooms

I finally made it to the Public Market in Rochester last weekend and came away with a wonderful find: salmon pieces for $2 a pound!  They were the scraps that were too small to be sold as nice looking pieces of fish, but they looked very fresh and came from a reputable fish vendor, so I couldn't pass up the deal (and it ended up being the best salmon I've bought in a long time!).

And what does one do with scraps of salmon?  Make soup!  ...Or just broil and serve small pieces- it's not like we're particularly fancy around here.  But the soup idea came to me and I ran with it.  I spied some escarole at a neighboring vendor and knew it'd pair perfectly with the salmon.  Add some mushrooms, onion, and garlic form my supply at home, and I was set!

I give a wide range on the soy sauce amount- start by adding a little and add more to taste.  I kept our batch pretty low on it, but added more to my individual servings.  If you have fish sauce and/or sesame oil, feel free to add a little of both to add a little more oomph to the flavor.   Also, bok choy could definitely be subbed in for the escarole, or spinach would work too!

This makes four large servings, and you can make them heartier by adding a fried egg on top.  Serve with extra chili-garlic and green onions as a garnish.

What you need:

1 teaspoon coconut oil
1 small-medium onion, thinly sliced
10 ounces mushrooms, sliced
4-5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 bunch escarole, washed and torn into pieces
1 pound salmon, cut into chunks or strips
2-5 tablespoons soy sauce
~6 cups water
1 tablespoon chili-garlic sauce, plus more for garnish if desired
green onions for garnish


Start by heating a large pot over medium-high heat.  Add the coconut oil.  Add the onion and garlic, and saute for 2-3 minutes.  Add the mushrooms and saute for another 2-3 minutes.  Add the escarole and continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes.  Add the water, soy sauce, and chili-garlic sauce.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium.  Add the salmon. pieces, making sure all pieces are fully submerged.  Bring back to a boil, and then reduce heat to a low simmer.  Let cook for 3-4 minutes, or until salmon is cooked through.  When it is fully cooked, it will be opaque and flake apart.

Add additional soy sauce and chili-garlic sauce to taste.  Serve with a fried egg and chopped green onion on top if you're feeling it. :-)  Enjoy!

Coconut Curry Butternut Squash Soup

It was a rainy fall day- perfect for soup!  This soup is easy to make and delicious.  I made sauteed mushrooms and some Quick Sauteed Seafood to top it.

What you need:

1 medium butternut squash (I actually had a pretty big one, but only used a little over half of it in the soup)
1 teaspoon coconut oil (or oil olive or butter)
1 medium-large onion, chopped
4-5 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 1/2 inches of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
~3 tablespoons curry powder (or a red curry paste would be better... but I didn't have any!)
4 cups chicken broth
1 can (15 ounces) light coconut milk (or 1/2 of a can of regular.  Trader Joe's only had light, but I usually get the regular and use half.  The light stuff is just watered down regular anyway)

Start by roasting the squash:
      You can do this a few different ways.  I always bake/roast it.  This time I did it whole.  Heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (no need to preheat).  Poke your squash a few times with a fork.  Bake for about an hour and a half, two hours if you have a large squash.  The squash should be tender.

Now, for the rest:
      Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add in the onion, ginger, and garlic.  Saute for 3-5 minutes.  Add in the curry powder.  Stir that around for a minute or two and let it get nice and fragrant.  Add a little chicken broth and deglaze the pan.  Add the rest of the chicken broth and the roasted squash and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and let simmer for about 15 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Add in the coconut milk.  Puree with an immersion blender or regular blender (just be careful if using a regular one... might want to let it cool a bit!).

Top with green onions, some crushed red pepper, greek yogurt, or whatever else you feel like.  Or this Sauteed Seafood recipe.  Or leave it plain, 'cause that's tasty too.

Another "Borscht" Recipe

I'm not sure I know what authentic borscht tastes like- I've only had the kind my mom makes (from a recipe she found somewhere) and the kind I make (made up new each time, often based on what ingredients I have at the time).

But this is tasty and the beet is the predominant flavor, so I figure it is close enough to the real thing to call it borscht, for lack of a better title.

The other borscht recipe I have posted here is a little different and the directions are for making it in the CrockPot.  This time, I did it on the stove, but this recipe could be made in the CrockPot as well.

What you need:

2 teaspoons olive oil
large pinch of salt
1 medium onion, chopped into rough pieces
1/2 of a head of garlic, peeled and chopped
3 stalks of celery, sliced
1 small leek, sliced
4 beets (mine were about 2.5 inches in diameter, scrubbed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
6 cups beef broth
1-2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Tahini (optional, but I think it really enhanced the flavor)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Add onions, garlic, and celery, along with the pinch of salt.  Saute until slightly softened.  Add the leek and beets and continue sauteing until the leeks are also softened and everything is starting to brown a bit.  Add the broth and Worcestershire sauce.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until beets are cooked, but not mushy.  Turn off heat, add the Tahini and apple cider vinegar, and blend with an immersion blender. If you want, you can only blend it halfway, so that there are a few chunks left.

Drizzle with Tahini for garnish, if you want.  Enjoy!

Spicy Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

I haven't been posting many of the soup recipes I've been making lately because I figured it would be soup overload (I've been making at least a couple batches a week of different types of pureed vegetable soups). But this one was too good to not write down and consequently forget about.  It's definitely pretty spicy, and I like spicy things.  Just use a milder type of hot pepper, such as jalapeno or Serrano, and also maybe take out the seeds if you don't want it very spicy.  

What you need:

1 large butternut squash, cut in half or quartered, seeds removed
Olive oil spray
Salt and pepper
1-2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium/large onion, chopped
2 small hot peppers (I used Thai chili peppers), stems removed
2 chipotle peppers plus a bit of adobe sauce
2 small apples, cored and roughly chopped
2 stalks of celery, sliced
5-6 cups chicken broth
2 cups milk of choice (I used a combination of 1% and almond milk... if I hadn't been running out of the almond milk, I would have just used that)
1/4 cup fat free cream cheese (optional- I added it because mine was a bit too spicy and I figured this would help mellow it out)
1 tablespoon garlic-ginger paste


Start by heating the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Spray a baking sheet with olive oil.  Season cut side of the butternut squash with salt and pepper, and then place, skin side up, on the baking sheet.  Roast for 45 minutes to an hour, or until cooked through.  Let cool a bit and remove skin.  Chop roughly.

Heat 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil in a large pot on medium-high heat.  Add onions, peppers, and celery, along with a generous pinch of salt.  Saute for 5-10 minutes, or until vegetables are softened and browning slightly. Add in the apple and saute for a couple more minutes.  Add the roasted squash and the broth.  Bring to a simmer while stirring occasionally   Cover and reduce heat to medium-low.  Simmer for 20 minutes.  Turn off heat, add the milk, cream cheese, and ginger-garlic paste.  Puree with an immersion blender until smooth. Enjoy!

Simple Pumpkin Soup (Crock-Pot)

There's no roasting or sauteing prior to putting this is in the Crock-Pot... it's super simple and you don't need to dirty an extra pan.

I made this to go with teriyaki salmon (not posting the recipe because I was in a hurry and really don't know what I did to make the teriyaki sauce). On top is a drizzle of Sriracha hot sauce and dot of my new favorite dipping sauce for fish, chicken, or...anything.  See at the end of this post for details.

What you need:

1/2 pound fresh pumpkin, skin and seeds removed and cut into 1-2 inch chunks (or use some canned pumpkin for this... I actually did a some of each because that's what I had)
1 medium carrot, cut into 1/2 inch slices and halved
1 medium onion, chopped roughly
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped roughly
2 small hot peppers (optional), stems removed
1 cup chicken broth
2 cups Silk coconut milk (the refrigerated stuff... or just use regular low-fat milk)
1/2 cup coconut milk from a can
1 tablespoon Ketjap Manis Marinade (Thai version)
1 tablespoon Thai fish sauce
Garlic-ginger puree/paste (or a bit each of garlic and ginger powder, but you may need extra salt or soy sauce in this case, because the puree or paste is usually a bit salty)

Put pumpkin, carrot, onion, bell pepper, hot peppers, and chicken broth in slow cooker.  Cook on high until everything is soft, which should be 4-5 hours.  Add milks, Ketjap Manis, fish sauce, and garlic-ginger puree/paste.   Puree everything with an immersion blender.  Enjoy!

UPDATE:

Just made this again with a few little changes... it was equally delicious, but slightly different flavored.  I used only the fresh pumpkin this time, subbed a yellow summer squash in for the bell pepper, and omitted the Ketjap Manis Marinade and garlic-ginger puree, but added two chipotle peppers.  It has a bit of a kick, so if you don't like spicy, use less chipotle or maybe omit the two hot peppers.  Yum!



Awesome Sauce (to use on top of this soup or on anything else):

1/2 cup each low-fat yogurt and fat-free cream cheese
1/4 low-fat mayonnaise
2 teaspoons + Sriracha hot sauce (I go with a tablespoon or more, but I like it spicy)
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Mix well.  Done!

Green Veggie Soup

ANOTHER pureed soup.... Yep.  They've just so tasty, healthy, and the perfect lunch the next day.  I can't stop making them.  This one is composed of a bunch of green things... leeks, zucchini  cucumber, green onion, herbs...  Super healthy and delicious as well.  I served it with pan-seared filet mignon and "fake" mashed sweet potatoes.  And merlot.

What you need:

1-2 teaspoons oil olive
1 large leek, sliced thinly
1/2 head garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
Salt and pepper
2 medium/large zucchini, sliced medium-thin
1/2 large cucumber, peeled, sliced medium-thin
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 cups chicken broth
1 green onion, sliced
1 cup mixed fresh herbs (I used basil, mint, and thyme), leaves only
1/2-2/3 cup fat-free cream cheese
1/2-1 cup almond milk
1-2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar


Start by sauteing the leek and garlic in the olive oil over medium heat.  Sprinkle in a bit of salt and pepper.  When they begin to soften, add the zucchini and cucumber.  Cook, for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally  until the zucchini and cucumber are translucent.  Add the wine and bring to a simmer.  Add the broth, partially cover, and reduce heat to medium-low.  Simmer for 20 minutes.  Turn off heat.  Add the green onion, herbs, cream cheese, almond milk, and vinegar.  Puree with an immersion blender until smooth.  Season with additional salt and pepper if necessary.

Garnish with red pepper flakes and a teeny splash of half and half.  Enjoy!

Crockpot Tomato Soup

Last night while I was eating out, I had an AMAZING tomato soup... which tasted like pure cream with a little tomato mixed in.  Mmmm...

And it made me want more tomato soup.  But, I can't really justify making such creamy goodness at home, so I made something a bit lighter, but delicious in a different, more wholesome way.  

If you've been reading my blog much at all, especially the soup recipes, you'll notice that I often use fat-free cream cheese.  Even if you're not usually a fan of fat-free products, you seriously should try this stuff.  It only has about 30 calories in 2 tablespoons, and most of that comes from protein.  While it doesn't taste exactly like the real stuff, I personally think it still works wonderfully in a lot of dip and soup recipes (but perhaps be wary about baked things like cheesecake).  

I didn't go crazy with the extras in this recipe, but I could definitely see adding parmesan cheese, fresh basil, or maybe even a homemade pesto dolloped on top.  This is a good base recipe that could be modified to make it more interesting.  And a little extra creaminess would make it better, so if you're not watching fat or calories, I'd definitely add in a little real cream instead of the milk.  

What you need:

1 medium onion, cut into quarters

1 red bell pepper

1 large-ish carrot, cut into large chunks

Olive oil spray

2 stalks of celery, roughly sliced

1 1/2 can crushed tomatoes

2 cups chicken broth

salt, pepper, garlic powder, Season-All

1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce

3/4-1 cup fat-free cream cheese

1/2 cup Silk coconut milk (or regular milk or cream)

2-3 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

Goat cheese and red pepper flakes, for topping (optional)

Croutons (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Spray a baking sheet with olive oil.  Place onion, bell pepper, and carrot pieces on it.  Spray again with the oil and lightly sprinkle with salt.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until beginning to brown.  The bell pepper and onion should be completely cooked, but the carrot may still be somewhat hard.  Let bell pepper cool, and then remove its skin, stem, and seeds.

Place celery in crockpot, followed by the roasted vegetables.  Pour the crushed tomatoes and chicken broth over the top.  Cook on high for 4 hours.  Remove lid, add about 1 teaspoon EACH pepper, garlic powder, and Season-All, plus the worcestershire.  Add the cream cheese, milk, and vinegar.  Puree until smooth.  Season with additional salt, pepper, garlic, or Season-All if necessary.

Serve with goat cheese and red pepper flakes sprinkled on top, and some croutons or toast on the side.  Enjoy!

Cauliflower-Mushroom Soup

And the soup obsession continues...

For lunch today, I finished up my soup leftovers from the previous two soups I posted and was sad that I would have no more leftover soup for lunches.  Solution: make more soup!

I served this with Spicy Barbeque Shrimp and decadently topped it with bacon, goat cheese, and fried onions.  

What you need:

1 medium head of cauliflower, cut into bite-size pieces

Olive oil spray

Salt and pepper

1-2 tablespoons butter

1 small onion, chopped

1 leek, sliced

1/2 head of garlic, peeled and chopped

1 portobello mushroom

8 ounces button mushrooms

1/2 cup dry white wine

4 cups chicken broth

1/4 fat free cream cheese

1/2 cup milk of choice

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Toppings: bacon, crumbled goat cheese, fried onions

Start by roasting the cauliflower: Heat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.  Spray a baking sheet with olive oil and spread cauliflower florets across it.  Spray again and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast for 25-30 minutes (flipping once or twice), or until cauliflower is cooked through and slightly browned.  

Melt butter in a large pot over medium-low heat.  Add onions, leek, garlic, and a hefty pinch of salt to the pan.  Cook until softened and then add the mushrooms.  Cook for a few more minutes until the mushrooms are softened.  Add the white wine and deglaze the pan.  Add the broth and roasted cauliflower.  Bring to a boil and then let simmer for 20-30 minutes.  Turn off heat.  Add cream cheese, milk, and vinegar.  Puree with an immersion blender until smooth.  Add salt and pepper to taste (I only needed to add pepper).

Top with the bacon, goat cheese, and fried onions if you like.  Enjoy!

Cucumber, Leek, and Avocado Soup

I overstocked on cucumbers last week and they've been getting to the point where they needed to be used up.  So... soup!  Soup is always a good way to use things up.  And I had most of an avocado to use up as well as some leeks that were borderline slimy around the edges.

This could probably be served at any temperature... I tasted it hot right after making it, but served it lukewarm once I had finished the rest of dinner.  Both were delicious. Tomorrow I'll see how it works chilled for lunch.

I served this with crab cakes and a red pepper and chipotle sauce that I made to go with the crab cakes.  It looked pretty on top of the green of the soup.



What you need:

1 teaspoon oil olive
1/2 head of garlic, peeled and chopped
2 leeks, sliced thinly
Salt
2 medium english cucumber, peeled and sliced
1/2 white wine
2 cups broth of choice (I used seafood concentrate broth because I was out of chicken broth and was serving this with crab anyway)
2 chipotle peppers
3/4 large avocado (I used the local variety... they are similar to "Florida" avocados back in the States... milder flavor and lower in fat than Hass and much larger)
2 cups Silk Coconut Milk (or regular milk)
3 tablespoons fat free cream cheese

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Add leeks, garlic, and a hefty pinch of salt.  Saute until beginning to soften and then add the cucumbers.  Keep cooking until cucumbers are very translucent.  Add the wine and broth and bring to boil.  Turn off heat. Add the chipotle peppers, avocado, coconut milk, and cream cheese.  Puree until smooth with an immersion blender.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Try serving with a little goat cheese on top or my new crab cake sauce (once I post it).  Enjoy!

Chipotle Vegetable Soup

Mmm... I love pureed soups.  And nice autumny ones like this help me feel more like it's Fall, even though it doesn't seem like it here in the Caribbean.  This came about because I had certain things that needed to be used up in the fridge, the vegetable mixture is a little random.  I'm sure variations depending on what you have in your vegetable drawer would work as well.  

I served this with Pan-Seared Red Snapper and garlic bread for Rob.

What you need:
1 pound fresh pumpkin
1 large carrot
olive oil spray
salt and pepper
1 medium onion, chopped roughly
1 head of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
3 stalks of celery, sliced
1 yellow or red bell pepper, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2-3 canned chipotle peppers plus a little of the adobo sauce (I used 2, but was torn between wanting more.  The flavor definitely came through with two, but 3 would have added some nice heat)
3 cups broth of choice (I used seafood in this because I was serving it with fish and had concentrated seafood broth packets that I wanted to try... but normally I'd use chicken)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 spicy V-8 juice (or tomato juice)
2 cups Silk Coconut Milk (or regular milk- I like this because it is slightly sweet which is nice with the pumpkin, and tastes richer than skim milk, which has comparable calories)
3-4 tablespoons fat-free cream cheese
1-2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
goat cheese and red pepper flakes


Start by roasting the pumpkin and carrot.  This can be done ahead of time if you want.  Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Cut pumpkin into VERY rough chunks (maybe a few inches across) and the carrot into smaller rough chunks (about 1 inch pieces).  Spray a baking sheet with olive oil and spread the pumpkin and carrot across it.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Spray again with oil and then roast for about an hour, or until cooked through.  Set aside (or refrigerate until ready to use if doing this a while ahead).

Now for the rest of the soup: Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil over medium-high heat in a large pot.  Add onions, celery, garlic, and bell pepper.  Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and just slightly beginning to brown.  Add in the roasted pumpkin and carrot, the broth, the soy sauce, and the spicy V-8.  Bring to a boil and then lower heat to medium-low and cover with a lid.  Let simmer for 20 minutes.  Add the milk, cream cheese, and apple cider vinegar.  Use an immersion blender to puree.  At this point, you may want to add more salt and pepper... I did (but I like salty and peppery).

Serve with a little crumbled goat cheese and red pepper flakes on top.  Enjoy!

Simple Chicken and Vegetable Stew (CrockPot Recipe)

This is SO quick and easy to make.  Well, quick if you don't count the 4-5 hours it takes in the CrockPot.  But, it's only 10 minutes of prep to start and maybe another 5 minutes near the end.  And it's tasty- reminds me of chicken and dumplings, minus any actual dumplings (though you could add some in if you wanted).  I usually brown the meat I am using when I do things in my CrockPot (to add flavor), but today I didn't feel like it.  In fact, I didn't even feel like taking the chicken out to thaw early enough.  So I put it in completely frozen and obviously un-browned.  And, yep, it's still delicious in the end, and WAY less work.  You could even put everything in the pot the night before and refrigerate it until morning and let it cook while you are at work, or running errands, or whatever.

What you need:

11/2-2 pounds chicken tenderloins, frozen or thawed (just cook a little less if yours are thawed)
1 medium onion, chopped into rough chunks
2 stalks of celery, chopped
8 ounces cremini or button mushrooms, either sliced in half or quartered
1 medium yellow summer squash, cut into 1 inch slices and quartered
1 (13 ounce) can of 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup
2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons dried parsley
2 teaspoons dried oregano


Place chicken in the crockpot first.  Top with the onion and celery, then the mushrooms, and finally the squash.  Pour the cream of mushroom soup, the worcestershire sauce, and a 1/2 cup of water over the top.  Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours.  Remove cover and add the cherry tomatoes.  Scoop out a couple tablespoons of the broth and place in a small dish.  Stir the cornstarch into this and keep stirring (or whisking) until smooth.  Add back into the crockpot.  Add the garlic powder, pepper, parsley, and oregano.  Keep cooking on high for 20 minutes uncovered to let it thicken a bit.  And done!

Try serving it by itself, with croutons, or over rice. Enjoy!

Pumpkin and Butternut Squash Soup

Pretending that it's Fall even though it never feels that way on Saba.  I was going to make a purely pumpkin soup, but they didn't have the fresh pumpkin in the grocery stores that they usually have.  However, they did actually have butternut squash, which is a rarity.  So I got that and a can of pumpkin and made do.  The results were pretty great and I didn't miss the fresh pumpkin at all.  Try serving it with croutons (I made some homemade ones) and maybe a little goat cheese.

What you need:

1 medium/large butternut squash

Olive oil spray

Salt and pepper

1 medium/large onion, chopped

1 leek, white part only, chopped

2 small/medium apples, cored and chopped, peeling optional (it all gets blended in the end, and the peel is healthy, and less work!)

5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin

4 cups chicken broth

4 cups Silk coconut milk (not the regular canned kind.. that would make this really high fat and creamy- though probably delicious, so I go for it if you aren't concerned about the fat) OR try regular skim/ 1% milk or maybe almond milk

Start with roasting the squash:

Heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Slice squash in half lengthwise, scoop out seeds, spray with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and place cut-side down on a baking sheet.  Roast for 40 minutes to an hour, or until it is cooked thoroughly (easily pierced by a fork).  Remove from oven and let cool until you can remove its skin.

For the rest of the soup:

Spray a large pot with olive oil.  Heat over medium and add the onion, leek, apple, and garlic.  Sprinkle in a little salt to get things going.  Cook until softened and just slightly browned.  Add in the roasted squash and can of pumpkin.  Stir and let brown just SLIGHTLY.  Add in the chicken broth and let simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.  Turn heat off, add in the milk and puree with an immersion blender until smooth.  Season with additional salt and pepper if needed.  Annnnnnd, that's it!  Pretty simple to make and super tasty!  Enjoy!

Mushroom, Onion, and Leek Soup

This was so good.  I can't wait to eat the leftovers tomorrow for lunch when it will probably be even better.  It was my first time making mushroom soup and my ingredients are a little random, because I just went with what I had and what I felt like throwing in.  But it turned out great, so now YOU should go out and buy these random ingredients so that you can make it too.  I did use a little real butter because there is something about mushrooms sauted in butter that can't be faked, but otherwise this is pretty darn healthy.  I served it alongside some broiled pumpkin butter-topped salmon and bagel chips (I was going to make homemade croutons for it, but ended up running out of time).  Anyway, the soup was awesome.

What you need:

2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, chopped
8 ounce container button mushrooms, sliced
1 portabella mushroom, sliced
1 leek, sliced into thin rings
1 head fresh garlic, cloves peeled and roughly chopped
2 1/2 cups beef broth
1 packet Onion and Mushroom Soup/Dip mix (I used Lipton Recipe Secrets)
1-2 teaspoons black pepper
3/4 cup 1 % milk
1/4 cup fat free cream cheese
1/4 cup red wine (I used a merlot)
Dried parsley
Shredded Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes (optional)


Start by sauteing the onions, mushrooms, and garlic in the butter over low heat.  After a couple minutes, add the leek.  Cook for another few minutes, or until everything is softened and JUST beginning to brown.  Add the beef broth, packet of soup mix, and the black pepper.  Simmer for 20 minutes.  Turn off heat, add the milk and the fat free cream cheese, and use an immersion blender to puree everything.  Stir in a little dried parsley and the red wine.  Season with extra garlic powder and black pepper if you like (I did this, but I like things garlicky and peppery).  Garnish with a bit of parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes.  Enjoy!

Borscht in the Slow Cooker

Delicious, beautiful, and chock full of nutrients.  This made a nice light supper in combination with a bit of leftover crab dip I needed to use up.  And the next night, we ate the borscht leftovers as a side to steak.  

This isn't a terribly authentic borscht recipe, but it's healthy, tasty, and easy to make, so who cares?  Enjoy!

What you need:

3-4 medium beets, thoroughly washed, ends trimmed off, and cut into rough chunks

1-1.5 cups chopped fresh pumpkin or winter squash (really I was just trying to use this up- you could substitute with carrots, which is what I saw in different recipes I looked at before making this)

1 apple, cored and cut into rough chunks

1 leek stalk, roughly chopped

1 celery stalk, roughly chopped

1/2-1 full head garlic, cloves peeled

3 packets beef seasoning or bouillon cubes (I used Swanson Flavor Boost, concentrated broth)

1 medium onion, roughly chopped

4 slices turkey bacon

Some sort of creamy topping*(sour cream is traditional, but see below for my healthier choice)

Dump the beets, pumpkin (or winter squash or carrots), apple, leek, celery, and garlic into the crockpot.  Saute the onion and bacon in a lightly greased (I use olive oil spray) frying pan and season with a little salt and pepper.  Once browned, add a half cup of water to the pan and scrape around with a spatula to loosen any browned stuff at the bottom of the pan (adds flavor).  Stir in the beef seasoning.  Pour this over the vegetables in the pot.  Cook on high for 3 hours, or until all vegetables are tender.  Use an immersion blender to puree it all up.  Season with additional salt, pepper, or garlic powder if necessary.  Enjoy!

Cottage Cheese and Roasted Garlic Topping:

3/4 cup cottage cheese (I used 1%)

1/4-1/2 cup fat free Greek or plain yogurt

2 whole heads of roasted garlic (cut the tops off, spray with olive oil, season with a little salt and roast at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20-30 minutes, or until soft)

1/2-1 teaspoon black pepper

fresh or dried parsley

salt (if necessary)

Blend everything together in the blender.  Done!

Roasted Tomato and Garlic Gazpacho

A nice refreshing soup- perfect for this hot weather we've been having on Saba.  Serve it with some shrimp, guacamole, and tortilla chips. 

What you need:
4-5 medium-large tomatoes
2 heads garlic (this may sound like a lot, but roasting it really mellows the flavor.  But you can always cut back if you're not a garlic fan)
1 small-medium cucumber, peeled
1 small red pepper, chopped into blendable chunks
1 small onion, roughly chopped (about 1/3 cup chopped)
2 jalapenos or serrano peppers, roughly chopped.
1-2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper, to taste
Soy sauce or Worcestershire (if you think it needs it)
Cilantro, for garnish


Start by roasting the tomatoes and garlic:
Heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Spray a baking pan that will fit the tomatoes and garlic with olive oil.  Poke a few fork holes in the tomatoes.  Cut the tops off of the garlic heads.  Place the tomatoes and the garlic in the pan and spray again with olive oil.  Season with a little salt and pepper.  Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the tomatoes are a little charred and the garlic is soft.  Let cool.

Dump your chopped vegetables into the blender.  Add the tomatoes and squeeze the garlic from its paper shell.  Add in the lemon juice and vinegar.  Start blending and slowly add some water to get things going.  Once smooth, add salt and pepper to taste (and maybe a little soy sauce or Worcestershire if it needs a little something more.  I actually cannot quite remember if I did, but I think I might have).  Chill for an hour or two and then serve into bowls and garnish with the cilantro.  Enjoy!

Thai Pumpkin Curry (Sauce or Soup)

I made this as a sauce for the Slow-Roasted Salmon I posted, but it could also serve as a thick soup as a light main course (or poured over a salad of lettuce, tomato, and cucumber, which is what I ate for lunch the next day after the salmon).  

The first step to this recipe is roasting some vegetables.  This can be done ahead of time and the roasted vegetables can be kept in the fridge until you're ready to make the rest of it.

Roasted Vegetables:

3 cups chopped fresh pumpkin (about 1 and a half inch square pieces)

1 large carrot, chopped into 1 inch slices

1 medium-large onion, quartered

4-6 small green Thai hot peppers

Salt and pepper OR curry powder

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.  Spray a 13 x 9 pan with olive oil and spread the vegetables across it.  Spray them again and season with salt and pepper OR curry powder.  Roast vegetables until soft and slightly browned.  You may need to take the peppers out early so that they don't get too crispy.  Set vegetables aside while you start the rest of the curry.

What You Need For the Curry:

3 Tablespoons chopped fresh ginger 

Couple of cloves minced garlic (or more)

2-3 Tablespoons Thai Red Curry Paste

1 teaspoon EACH Garam Masala and ground Coriander

1/2 can coconut milk

Ketjap Manis OR Soy Sauce

2 teaspoons fish sauce

1 cup Milk

Roasted Vegetables (from above instructions)

2-4 dried Thai hot peppers

1 teaspoon Kaffir Lime Leaves

1 can minced clams, NOT drained

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1/2 cup sliced red peppers.

Start by skimming off a glob of the thick coconut cream from the top of the coconut milk can.  Add this to a large greased pot along with the ginger, garlic, curry paste, garam masala, and coriander.  Fry these together until the spices become fragrant and have browned slightly.  Add in the rest of the coconut milk (altogether using half of the can), a couple splashes of Ketjap Manis or soy sauce, the fish sauce, milk, roasted vegetables. and dried hot peppers.  Let simmer for a bit (maybe 5-10 minutes), then use an immersion blender to puree everything.  Add some water if necessary.  Add the Kaffir lime leaves, can of clams, the mushrooms, and red peppers (and possibly more water, depending on how thick you want it).  Let simmer for another 5-10 minutes.  You also may want to add a bit more Katjap Manis, fish sauce, or some garlic powder after a taste test.

Enjoy on its own or as a sauce for the salmon! 

Curry Pumpkin Soup

A thick and spicy pumpkin soup for colder weather.

What you need:

3/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 finely chopped ginger

3-4 chopped hot peppers (I'm not sure what variety mine were, but they probably comparable to jalapenos on the spiciness level)

1.75 ounces red curry paste (this is the amount that came in the packet I bought- probably 2 tablespoons.  My soup was pretty spicy, so you may want to use less)

1/2-1 3/4 cup coconut milk, depending on how creamy you want it.  I didn't use much because I was trying to keep it light, but I added a bit more to a small bowl later to see the difference and would say that using more does taste better and also cuts the spiciness.

5 cups roasted fresh pumpkin, pureed (see note below on roasting pumpkin)

4 cups of chicken broth or 4 chicken bullion and 4 cups water

2 teaspoons soy sauce

Greek Yogurt, Goat Cheese, Cilantro, and Roasted Pumpkin Seeds (garnish)

Saute the onion, ginger, and hot peppers in a skillet sprayed with oil until slightly browned and softened.  Add the red curry paste and mix in, allowing the spices the brown slightly before adding the coconut milk.  If you are not sure how much to use, just start with a little right now, and add more after the soup is about done if you think it needs it.  Add the pumpkin, chicken broth, and soy sauce.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes.  You may need to add more water during this if it becomes too thick.

After it is finished, you can puree everything if you want a completely smooth soup.  I didn't, and thought that the chunks of pepper, onion, and ginger were nice to come across.

Serve with a dollop of the yogurt or cheese, cilantro and pumpkin seeds.  Enjoy!

Roasting Pumpkin:

Cut your baking pumpkin (not the same as the type you make jack-o-lanterns out of) in half if it is small, or quarters if it is larger.  Scrape out the messy inside, saving the seeds if you have plans to roast them.  Spray the inside with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place on baking sheet and roast at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 hour or until soft and cooked through.  Let cool before pureeing.

Swiss Chard and Pumpkin Soup

A healthy, filling soup that is perfect for fall (even though I'm not experiencing that on Saba anyway).

What you need:
3-4 cups Homemade Chicken Stock (I made mine by simmering water, celery, onion, and garlic with the chicken carcass from a chicken that I roasted)
Cooking Spray or Olive Oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 small hot peppers, chopped
1 small bunch of swiss chard, chopped- stems separated from leaves
Salt
2-3 cups of cooked pumpkin (I used fresh, you could also use canned)
2 teaspoons EACH black pepper, coriander, cumin, and chili powder
2 tablespoons garlic powder

Saute the onion, peppers, and swiss chard stems in cooking spray or a bit of olive oil.  Add a pinch of salt here to help them cook.  When they have softened and browned slightly, add the leaves from the swiss chard and a spash of chicken broth.  Add the spice.  Continue sauteing until leaves have completely wilted.  Add the pumpkin and chicken broth.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, for 45 minutes to an hour.  If too much liquid is lost in this process, add a bit of water.

I was orginally going to make this a pureed soup, but decided I liked it all chunky.  You could try pureeing though if you like those types of soup.  Serve hot or cold.