African Yam & Peanut Soup with Ginger and Pineapple

Everybody Likes Sandwiches was one of the first blogs I read. And I remember from years ago that this soup was one of Jeannette's favourites from my favourite cookbook. It's taken me a million years to make though - I think because I was scared of the full can of pineapple that you add. I do not enjoy fruit in my meals usually. But not surprisingly, I really enjoyed this soup! Loved it even. It's very well balanced, and you can taste the ginger, peanut butter and a bit of pineapple.

Sweet potatoes and peanut butter are definitely one of my favourite combinations in a soup. I've made this pureed sweet potato & peanut stew with chickpeas, which is sort of similar to this one. But this soup has pineapple, tomatoes, red bell pepper, cilantro and no chickpeas. They both have coriander, cumin, onion, and ginger. Both are delicious and I can't choose between them!

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Curried Sweet Potato, Carrot and Red Lentil Soup
Curried Chickpea Soup
Thai Coconut Corn Stew
Curried Sweet Potato Soup

African Yam & Peanut Soup with Ginger and Pineapple
Adapted from Rebar: Modern Food Cookbook

Serves 8

8 cups vegetable stock
1 tbsp canola oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 tsp salt
6 tbsp minced ginger
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp ground cumin
2 tbsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp chili pepper flakes
1 tsp paprika
1 red bell pepper, diced
3 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
14 oz (398 mL) can water packed pineapple, drained with juice reserved
3 ripe tomatoes, chopped
5 tbsp natural smooth peanut butter
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
juice of 2 limes, or more to taste

In a soup pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and saute for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic, ginger and spices, and saute until soft and golden. Stir in red pepper, sweet potatoes and salt and cook until they start to stick to the bottom of th epan. Add the vegetable stock, bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer. Cover partially and simmer until sweet potatoes are tender.

Add pineapple (with or without the reserved juice - I didn't add the juice), tomatoes, and peanut butter, and simmer for 30 minutes. Puree the soup.

Return the soup to the pot and simmer for 10 minutes. Season to taste with more salt and/or pineapple juice. Just before serving, add cilantro and fresh lime juice.

Hearty Pumpkin and Bean Stew (Porotos Granados)

Yesterday I was super excited about 2 things (well I'm still excited today). One is that I started the Runners World 8 week beginning runner's training program! (E is going to do it with me too.) I used to run 3 times a week but then I overdid it and hurt my knee. I've tried to get back into running many times but my knee always ends up hurting so it's discouraging. I think I've just been trying to do too much too soon so I'm going to try and take it really slow and stick to this program. Right now I'm doing it on a treadmill - and for those of you who run on a treadmill, what do you think is a good beginner's jogging/running pace? I saw 4.5 mph as a suggestion but that feels so slow to me. Which is probably good.

The other thing I'm excited about is crocheting!! It's been too long since I crocheted. I want to crochet these hexagons and/or a turtle. And now to awkwardly segue into talking about this soup...

Doesn't hearing a recipe name in another language sound so much more exciting? I'd much rather eat porotos granados, than hearty pumpkin and bean stew.

This soup was good but I didn't love it, which doesn't mean you won't, because I'm picky about my soups and don't love super beany things usually. Which this was. It has navy beans, onion, tomatoes, pumpkin and corn - and I liked the idea of this combination. But to make it again, I'd add more herbs/spices (paprika, oregano, cumin, basil).

I look forward to trying the other soups and stews from this cookbook! If you've tried any please let me know your favourites and I'll try those first.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Pureed Sweet Potato & Peanut Stew with Chickpeas
Curried Chickpea Soup
White Bean and Roasted Garlic Soup
Hungarian Mushroom Soup

Hearty Pumpkin and Bean Stew (Porotos Granados)
Adapted from Viva Vegan!

There's basil in the photo, but I don't think it added enough to the soup to make it worth it so wouldn't bother adding it.

1 lb navy beans, soaked at least 8 hours, then drained
6 cups cold water, plus 2 cups water
2 bay leaves
Scant 1/8 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large (1/2 lb) yellow onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1 1/2 tsp paprika
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried basil
3 roma tomatoes (about 1/2 lb), seeded and diced
1 lb pumpkin (or other squash), peeled, seeded and diced into 1/2 inch cubes
2 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed and briefly pureed
1 tsp salt

In a soup pot, add the beans and 6 cups water, bay leaves and baking soda. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 45-60 minutes, or until the beans are tender. Skim and discard any foam.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onions and jalapeno pepper. Stir and cook for 10 minutes, or until the onions are soft and transparent. Add in the paprika, oregano, cumin and basil, stir and cook for 30 seconds, then turn off the heat. When beans are done, add the onion mixture, 2 cups water, tomatoes, pumpkin and corn.

Bring the stew to a boil over high heat, stir and lower heat to a simmer. Cook for 30 to 40 minutes, until the pumpkin is very soft and easily mashes if pressed against the side of the pot. If desired, puree a portion of the stew.

Curry Laksa

I'm finished my exam!! I'm done schooling forever. Well I might change my mind one day but I have no plans to continue. It's been 9 years of post secondary education which is enough for me. Now I have to wait until December to see if I passed and become certified. Ahhh waiting isn't fun. But I'm really happy my exam is over, now I can get back to fun things like cooking healthy meals, blogging and my new found love yoga. :)

This is another recipe from Appetite for Reduction. I've never eaten or made laksa before so I can't vouch for it's authenticity but we enjoyed it. It was a bit sour (is it supposed to be?) and while the flavour was nice, I wish it was stronger. Not my favourite recipe from Appetite for Reduction, but it was still good. I think marinating the tofu beforehand and then cooking it separately would improve the dish because the sauce/soup isn't flavourful enough to infuse the tofu during cooking. Maybe marinating it in curry paste, lime juice, and soy sauce then pan frying it?

By the way, have you guys made this pasta with ruby chard and cranberries yet? I've been making some variation of it a lot recently, using up the plethora of greens from our CSA. Delicious!! I can't wait to eat it for lunch today.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Lime Peanut Noodles with Seitan, Kale and Carrots
Kung Pao Noodles with Peanuts and Wok Fried Vegetables
Last Minute Sesame Noodles
Vegetarian Pho

Curry Laksa
Adapted from Appetite for Reduction

Serves 4

3-4 tbsp red curry paste
1 small red onion, thinly sliced into half-moons
1 red pepper, seeded and sliced thinly
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Shanghai bok choy
4 cups vegetable broth
2 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1 block extra firm tofu (about 14 oz), cubed
8 oz pad Thai rice noodles
3/4 cup light coconut milk
3 tbsp lime juice (from 1 or 2 limes)
3 tbsp agave
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Put a big pot of water on to boil for the noodles. In the meantime, prep all your veggies.

Preheat another 4 quart pot over medium high heat. Place 3 tablespoons of curry paste in the pot and mix in the onion and peppers. Saute for about 2 minutes. Use a little nonstick cooking spray if it seems to be sticking excessively. Add the garlic and ginger, and saute for another 2 minutes. Add the bok choy stems, broth, soy sauce, and salt, and bring to a slow rolling boil (no need to cover). Add the tofu and cook for 10 more minutes..

At this point, your water for the noodles is probably boiling, so cook the noodles. They should be done in 5 minutes; drain and set aside.

Add the coconut milk, lime juice, agave and bok choy leaves to the curry and mix, being gentle so as not to break the tofu. Taste for salt and spice. You may want to add more curry paste. Ladle into bowls and top with cilantro.

Pureed Sweet Potato & Peanut Stew with Chickpeas

The first time I made this soup, I was very silly and added the full amount of lime juice. Have I not learned to only add a little bit of the required citrus, taste, then add more if necessary?! Adding too much citrus can really ruin a soup, and then you have lots of sour soup to eat. So the next time I made it, I added half the amount and extra peanut butter, and it was perfect. And I love that it's a nice thick soup. Try the soup before adding the lime, it's really good like that too.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Curried Sweet Potato, Carrot & Red Lentil Soup with Ginger
Curried Chickpea Soup
Cocoa-Coconut Chili
Curried Split Pea Soup

Pureed Sweet Potato & Peanut Stew with Chickpeas
Adapted from Eat, Drink & Be Vegan

1 tbsp olive oil
6 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 cups onions, diced
1 cup celery, diced
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cumin seeds
3 1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp paprika
2 cups vegetable stock
3 cups water
5 tbsp grated ginger
3 tbsp natural peanut butter
2 cups cooked chickpeas
2 tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice (optional)

In a large pot on medium heat, add oil, sweet potatoes, onion, celery, garlic, salt, cumin seeds, ground coriander, and paprika, and stir to combine. Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring once or twice. Add stock, water, and 2 1/2 tbsp ginger. Stir to combine and increase heat to bring mixture to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15-18 minutes or longer, until sweet potatoes have completely softened. Stir in remaining ginger and peanut butter. With a blender, puree soup until it is smooth. Stir in chickpeas, and lime juice (if using).

Curried Sweet Potato, Carrot & Red Lentil Soup with Ginger

I love making soup, and this one comes together so easily and quickly. I have some other favourite soups that are more involved, but for a tasty weeknight soup where you just throw everything into a big pot, simmer then puree, this one is perfect. I'm still pining for an immersion blender though!

I haven't posted an Abby photo in a while!

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Curried Sweet Potato Soup
Greek Red Lentil Soup with Lemon, Rosemary and Feta Cheese
One Wild Chick Soup
Vegetarian Pho

Curried Sweet Potato, Carrot & Red Lentil Soup with Ginger
Adapted from Dinner with Julie

1 tsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
1/2 cup dry red lentils
1 medium or 2 small dark-fleshed sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 tsp curry powder
4 cups vegetable stock
salt, to taste
1/4-1/2 cup plain yogurt (optional)

In a medium pot, heat a drizzle of oil over medium-high heat and sauté the onion, garlic and ginger for 3-4 minutes, until soft. Add the lentils, sweet potato, carrots, curry powder and stock, along with a cup of water. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down, cover and simmer for half an hour, until the vegetables are very tender.

Season with salt, add the yogurt (if you’re using it) and use a hand-held immersion blender to puree it right in the pot. Alternatively, transfer it in batches to a blender and puree until smooth or mash it roughly with a potato masher.

Serve hot. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to a week, or cooled and frozen for up to 6 months. Serves 4.

One Wild Chick Soup

The flavour of this soup is really wonderful. It's a vegan version of chicken noodle soup (minus the noodles, though of course you can add those in). The recipe calls for wild rice but as wild rice is really expensive, I just used brown basmati and it was still delicious.

After a week of being home, I think I'm pretty much back to feeling normal. We didn't experience much jet lag on our trip to Turkey and Greece, but coming home was quite different. I finally took our photos off the camera this morning so if there are any good ones I'll share some here!

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Vegetarian Pho
Curried Chickpea Soup
Curried Split Pea Soup
White Bean and Roasted Garlic Soup

One Wild Chick Soup
Adapted from Eat, Drink & Be Vegan

Makes 6-7 servings

1 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, diced
1 1/2 cups celery, diced
3/4 cup carrots, diced
5 large cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup brown basmati rice, rinsed
1/4 tsp sea salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tsp dry mustard
2 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried marjoram
1/2 tsp dried sage
3 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas
4 cups vegetable stock
3 cups water
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp nutritional yeast

In a large pot on medium heat, add oil, onions, celery, carrots, garlic, rice, salt, pepper, dry mustard, dried thyme, oregano, marjoram, and sage, and stir to combine. Cover and let cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring once or twice. Add chickpeas, stock, water, and bay leaves and stir to combine. Increase heat to bring mixture to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 45-55 minutes, until rice is fully cooked. Puree a portion of the soup (I did about 1/4 of it) and stir it back in. Stir in the nutritional yeast and cook for 2-3 minutes. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, and serve.

Vegetarian Pho

I've been wanting to try making pho at home for a loooong time but had some fears. What if the broth wasn't right?! What things should I add?! One day when I was feeling brave, we went on a mission to the large Asian grocery store here. I had to find fresh pho noodles, mushroom balls, maybe some sort of special tofu, and a fun leafy green. (I love the variety of greens at Asian grocery stores - my favourite is pea tips, though we ended up trying pea shoots in the pho.)

This is just a simple bowl of vegetarian pho, but the feeling of accomplishment and excitement made it a really happy and magical experience. Sometimes I can get way too excited about food. I haven't had pho in a really long time, so I wasn't sure how "accurate" the broth was (though I knew it was amazing), but E said that it tasted like pho should. Pho success! I got the recipe from Leng, and then modified it a bit according to what we had. So I've mostly kept her original recipe and written in my notes.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Thai Coconut Corn Stew
Pad Thai
"The" Peanut Sauce
Udon Noodles with Peanut Sauce and Seitan
Soba Noodles with Zucchini Ribbons

Leng and Long’s Pho
Adapted from A Fat Cat Created A Vegetarian

Serves 2

1/2 small yellow onion, chopped
1 tbsp oil
1/2 cup finely chopped mushrooms, any kind will do
8 cups of vegetable broth
3-5 star anise pods
1 tsp of whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
2-3 Tbsp. of vegetarian fish sauce (It would still taste fine if you don’t have this) (Ashley note: I think I added a bit of soy sauce because I didn't have vegetarian fish sauce.)
Ginger, just cut off a small “leg” the sizes vary all the time. Cut piece in half (Ashley note: I used 1 tbsp minced ginger.)
1/2 pound of extra firm tofu, cubed
Mushroom balls, optional
16 oz package of fresh pho noodles
2 to 3 big handfuls of leafy greens (ie. spinach, pea tips)

Topping plate:
1 lime, cut into wedges
1/4 small yellow onion, very thinly sliced
Slices of green onions
Mint & basil sprigs
Jalapeno slices
Mung bean sprouts
Black pepper, hoisin & Sriracha hot sauce
(Ashley note: We only added lime, yellow onion and hot sauce.)

Heat oil in a large saucepan on high heat, add chopped onions and mushrooms. Stir. Cook for 5-10 minutes.

Add vegetable broth, star anise, cloves, cinnamon, vegetarian fish sauce and ginger. Stir. Bring broth to a boil. Add tofu cubes & mushroom balls. Bring to a boil. While soup is coming to a boil distribute each large serving bowl with an even amount of pho noodles. About a handful for each person, you’re not going to use the whole package. (Ashley note: We used 1/2 the package for the 2 of us.) These noodles are super long, but do not cut them.

Once soup comes to a boil turn off heat, remove star anise and ginger pieces (if not using minced ginger). Ladle soup directly onto noodles in prepared bowls. Serve with topping plate and sauces. Serve hot!

Note: Cover the noodles in your bowl completely, so that it will not become soggy as you eat it.

Curried Chickpea Soup

Though I'm pretty picky with my soups, making soup makes me feel really happy and peaceful. I love that I can just quickly and unevenly chop up vegetables, throw them into a pot with spices and herbs, simmer away and have delicious smells emanate. I love seeing the floating vegetables and bobbing bay leaves. Ahh soup, why can't you always be as delicious as this curried chickpea one?


If this sounds good, you might also like:
Hungarian Mushroom Soup
Curried Split Pea Soup
Thai Coconut Corn Stew
White Bean and Roasted Garlic Soup

Curried Chickpea Soup
Adapted from Rebar

Serves 8

8 cups vegetable stock
1 tbsp oil
1 yellow onion, finely diced
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 bay leaves
8 garlic cloves
3 tbsp minced ginger
1 jalapeno peppers, seeded (more if you like it spicy)
1 red pepper
6 ripe tomatoes
1 tsp cumin, ground
1 tsp coriander, ground
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp turmeric
3 cups canned chickpeas
1/2 can coconut milk
1/2 bunch cilantro, minced

1. Heat the oil in a soup pot and add onion, 1 tsp salt and bay leaves. Saute until the onions are soft and golden. Meanwhile, place the garlic, ginger, jalapenos, pepper and tomatoes in a food processor and pulse until the vegetables form a rough puree. Set aside.

2. Add all the spices to the sauteed onions and continue cooking and stirring for 5 minutes. Add the vegetable puree and another 1/2 teaspoon of salt and simmer until small blobs of oil pool on the surface. Add the chickpeas and stock and bring to a simmer. Cook several minutes, then add the coconut milk. With an immersion blender or regular blender, puree a portion of the soup to thicken it. Simmer and season to taste with salt and crackked pepper. Add chopped cilantro just before serving.

Cocoa-Coconut Chili

I've been trying to update my blog everyday to get through the backlog of food I have to blog about, but I should realize that I won't really have time to update on weekends. I need to save the posts and space them out so as not to overwhelm people during the week! So my trip to Trader Joe's was a success of course. I wish I could say I came home with a virtuous bunch of food but I wasn't comfortable bringing back refrigerated or frozen stuff, since I didn't know how long it would take to cross the border. And they have so many different fun treats so I had to try some!

Mostly I bought junkfood and trail mix (which I guess the kinds I bought are kind of junkfood). I'm really looking forward to trying the garlic basil pasta and lemon pepper papparadelle! The box mac & cheese is for E as he loves trying different ones. The Blenheim California apricots are not good. I'm sticking with the Turkish ones from now on. I don't love dried apricots (or fruit) to begin with but want to start eating them more often for a small source of iron.

Onto the recipe! I've mentioned before that Eat, Drink & Be Vegan is one of my new favourite cookbooks right? It's an outstanding cookbook. I have so many new favourite dishes from it. One of them is this cocoa-coconut chili. I was super intrigued by it - cocoa + coconut in a chili?? Sounded weird but also so interesting. And it turned out really delicious. I'm not a big chili fan but really loved this.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Curried Split Pea Soup
Thai Coconut Corn Stew
White Bean & Roasted Garlic Soup
Hungarian Mushroom Soup

Cocoa-Coconut Chili
Adapted from Eat, Drink & Be Vegan

Makes 7-8 servings

1 tsp oil
2 cups onion, diced
1 1/2 cups celery, diced (I used about 8 ribs)
1/2 cup red or yellow bell peppers, diced
6 medium cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp sea salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tbsp mild chili powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp allspice
3 tbsp Dutch-processed cocoa powder
2 cans (796 mL) diced tomatoes
1 can (398 mL) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (398 mL) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (398 mL) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (398 mL) light coconut milk
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 cup frozen corn kernels

In a large pot on medium heat, add oil, onion, celery, bell pepper, garlic, salt, pepper, chili powder, cinnamon, and allspice and stir to combine. Cover and cook for 7-9 minutes, stirring occasionally; reduce heat if onions or garlic starts to burn. When onions start to soften, add cocoa and stir for 1-2 minutes, then add tomatoes, beans, coconut milk, and coconut, and stir to combine. Increase heat to bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in corn kernels, and cook another 5 minutes to heat through. Remove cover to let liquid reduce if desired.

Curried Split Pea Soup

Curried split pea soup

It takes me so ridiculously long to post about things that I make that sometimes I have photos of food where I totally can't remember what it was. Just now I was preparing this post and got the photo ready then realized that it was a photo of a different soup. So I spent some time going through my cookbooks trying to figure out what soup that one was... Turns out it was a Tibetan lentil soup from Fresh at Home which was good but not as memorable as this curried split pea soup.

The split pea soup imposter - Tibetan lentil soup.

I don't think I've ever had split pea soup before or maybe never even had split peas. And what is a life if you have never tried split pea soup! I bought my split peas from the bulk section, you know the containers where you pull down the tab to fill your bag? I was delighted to see how green the split peas were. I just assumed split peas were always a yellowish colour because of the peas they put in the front of the container for display (which must be old). As I was grating the carrot into the soup before serving, I was wondering why I was doing it. E suggested that it was to mimic bits of ham. I know this isn't quite a traditional split pea soup but I really enjoyed it.

I'm getting married 1 month from today!!! (And still don't have a cake confirmed haha.)

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Thai Coconut Corn Stew
Greek Red Lentil Soup with Lemon, Rosemary and Feta Cheese
White Bean and Roasted Garlic Soup
Hungarian Mushroom Soup

Curried Split Pea Soup
Adapted from Vegan with a Vengeance

1/2 tsp olive oil
1 onion, cut into 1/4" dice (about 2 cups)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1 1/2 tsp salt
7 cups water
424 g dried split peas (original recipe called for 454 g, I didn't have enough)
1 carrot

In a stockpot, saute the onions in the olive oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, spices and salt. Saute for 2 more minutes.

Add the water and stir well. Add the split peas. Cover and bring to a boil.

Bring heat back down to medium; simmer for about an hour, until the peas are tender. Grate in the carrot and serve.

Thai Coconut Corn Stew

I told you that Eat, Drink & Be Vegan was my new favourite cookbook right? Well this soup is another reason why. I loooooooove corn and I looooooooove corn soup. I love creamed corn, I love corn on the cob, I love those canned baby corn, I love frozen corn, I love corn muffins and corn bread. And I especially love this Thai coconut corn stew. I almost always prefer my soups pureed, as this soup is, and I liked how after pureeing, you add in some extra corn kernels and diced bell pepper for a bit of texture. I thought the soup tasted "Thai" if that makes sense - with the lemongrass (my first time using it!), lime, cilantro, ginger, coriander and coconut milk. This soup is definitely in my top favourite soups ever and possibly top favourite meals? It's so well flavoured. (Oh and I'm showcasing for the first time my new bowl! I've been eyeing this bowl for years and finally bought it.)

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Greek Red Lentil Soup with Lemon, Rosemary and Feta Cheese
White Bean and Roasted Garlic Soup
Hungarian Mushroom Soup
Middle Eastern Chickpea Soup

Thai Coconut Corn Stew
Adapted from Eat, Drink & Be Vegan

Makes 4-5 servings

1/2 tbsp oil
1 cup onion, diced
1 cup celery, diced
3 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
3/4 tsp coriander seeds
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 stalk lemongrass
4 cups frozen corn kernels
2 cups vegetable stock
1 can (14 oz) light coconut milk
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 tsp lime zest
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
1/3 - 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

In a large pot on medium heat, add oil, onions, celery, garlic, ginger, coriander seeds, salt, and red pepper flakes and stir to combine. Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, cut off lower yellow bulbous portion of lemongrass,and remove and discard tough outer leaves along with upper portion of stalk. Using a chef's knife, "bruise" the bulbous portion to release flavour: cut a few slits and using pressure of knife, open and bruise stalk. Add it to the pot, along with 3 cups corn kernels, stock, and coconut milk, and increase heat to bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Remove lemongrass, and with a hand blender, briefly puree soup to make it a little creamier. Return lemongrass to pot, and stir in remaining 1 cup corn kernels and diced red bell pepper. Cover and cook for another 5-6 minutes on medium-low heat. Stir in lime zest and lime juice (adjust to taste). Season with additional salt if desired. Just before serving, stir in cilantro.

Greek Red Lentil Soup with Lemon, Rosemary and Feta Cheese

Now that the weather is cooler I'm back into making soups! Luckily I've come across some really amazing ones to share with you guys. I love lentils in soup, especially split red split lentils. I love how they fall apart mmm. So creamy and delicious. In addition to lentils, the soup has lots of other yummy things - onion, carrots, rosemary, oregano, lemons, chile flakes, and feta. A simple ingredient list with such a tasty result. The feta is a great addition but the soup is delicious without it (and then it's vegan!)

If you can use fresh herbs, of course that would be better but I used dried. The recipe gives the option of pureeing or not and I almost always prefer pureed soups so that's what I went for. I wasn't sure about adding the lemon juice for two reasons. One is because some recipes call for the addition of vinegar when I don't think it belongs. I've made several things like that and have stopped listening to the recipes and started listening to myself! Not that I don't love vinegar - I really do. But I just don't want all my food to have that sourness. And the other reason I was scared of adding the lemon juice is because of this awful experience I had once with carrot orange soup where I juiced some oranges and failed to measure the amount of juice before adding it to the soup. Disgusting!! Well not disgusting but I defnitely did not enjoy the orange flavoured soup.

This is a delicious, filling and easy soup to add to your repertoire. Do you have any favourite soup recipes? I've tried out so many but so few are keepers.

I was trying to take photos of Abby but every time I bring out the camera she runs towards it so it's really difficult to get anything other than a blur! When I took this photo, I was tapping my nails on the fridge. She loves it when we do that or scratch at things, then she gets ready to attack it. She was hiding behind the wall peaking around to see.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
White Bean and Roasted Garlic Soup
Curried Sweet Potato Soup
Beet, Barley & Black Bean Soup
Hungarian Mushroom Soup

Greek Red Lentil Soup with Lemon, Rosemary and Feta Cheese
Adapted from Rebar: Modern Food Cookbook

2 cups red split lentils
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 tsp salt
8 garlic cloves, minced
3 carrots, diced
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp red chile flakes
1 tsp dried rosemary
2 tsp dried oregano
2 bay leaves
8 cups vegetable stock
zest of 1/2 lemon
juice of 1 lemon
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 tsp minced rosemary
pepper to taste

1. Rinse lentils thoroughly in a colander under cold running water. Set aside to drain. Heat oil in a soup pot over medium-high heat and saute onion with 1/2 tsp salt until translucent. Add garlic, carrot, pepper, chiles, herbs, bay leaves and 1/2 tsp salt. Stir well and saute until the carrots are just tender. Add rinsed lentils and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, partially covered, until the lentils are soft and falling apart. If you like, the soup can be pureed or left as is. If you choose to puree, remove the bay leaves first.

2. Season the soup with lemon zest, lemon juice and more salt and pepper to taste. Before serving, stir together the feta cheese, rosemary and pepper. Spirnkle over hot bowls of soup and enjoy!

White Bean and Roasted Garlic Soup

I used to dislike soup but when I started trying to eating healthier, I tried to incorporate more soup into my diet. Over the past couple of years I've only come across a handful of soups that I really enjoyed and this is one of them. And it's healthy. And filling! And easy! AND cheap! You should be convinced by now. It has a really great garlic flavour too. The red and yellow pieces you see are some roasted peppers I added - though I prefer the soup without them.

In addition to not being a big soup fan, I also didn't like beans. Over the past couple of years I've been trying to eat more beans (for protein and because they're so good for you). Black beans were the first ones I came to like, chickpeas I think I'm just used to, but now I've discovered cannellini beans (used in this soup) - delicious and my new favourite!

Other soups I've made:
Hungarian Mushroom Soup
Middle Eastern Chickpea Soup
Curried Sweet Potato Soup
Beet, Barley & Black Bean Soup

White Bean and Roasted Garlic Soup
Adapted from Vegan with a Vengeance

Basically my adaptations were to reduce the oil and salt, and use dried sage (instead of fresh) and crushed fennel (instead of seeds). The only thing I'd change when I make it next time is to maybe use less vegetable broth to make it thicker.

1 tbsp olive oil
2 small onions, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
a few dashes fresh black pepper
1/4 tsp fennel seeds, ground
4 cups vegetable broth
3 cups cooked cannellini beans
1/4 tsp sage, dried
1 bay leaf
2 heads garlic, roasted*

In a stockpot over medium heat saute the onions in the oilve oil for 5 to 7 minutes.

Add the salt, black pepper, and fennel seeds; saute for 1 minute. Add the broth, beans, sage and bay leaf, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaf. Add the roasted garlic and puree in batches in a blender or preferably a food processor.

*To roast garlic: Preheat oven or toaster oven to 350F. Slice off the top of each bulb, just enough to expose the tops of most of the cloves. Wrap in aluminum foil and bake for about 30-45 minutes. You know it's done when the cloves are very soft and squishy. (This is my way of roasting garlic - not from the cookbook.)

Hungarian Mushroom Soup

I saw Lisa post about this Hungarian mushroom soup quite a while ago and always had it in the back of my mind to try it. It's an easy soup to make, yummy and something a little different (at least for me). This is one of those warm, comforting soups. (And I love sour cream in soup!)

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Mushroom Crescents
Curried Sweet Potato Soup
Pasta with Portobello Mushrooms in Mustard Wine Sauce
Middle Eastern Chickpea Soup

Hungarian Mushroom Soup
Adapted from Cathy T (AllRecipes) found on Lisa's Kitchen

My adaptations were to use 1 tbsp of butter and 1 tbsp of oil (instead of 4 tbsp butter), vegetable broth instead of chicken broth, 1 tsp of dill instead of 2, and 1/2 tsp salt instead of 1 tsp. I'd also recommend sauteeing the mushrooms longer than 5 minutes - I'd sautee them maybe 10 minutes until most of the water was released.

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon oil
2 cups chopped onions
1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 cups vegetable broth

1 cup milk
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
ground black pepper to taste
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup sour cream

1. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Saute the onions in the butter for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and saute for 5 more minutes. Stir in the dill, paprika, soy sauce and broth. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.

2. In a separate small bowl, whisk the milk and flour together. Pour this into the soup and stir well to blend. Cover and simmer for 15 more minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Finally, stir in the salt, ground black pepper, lemon juice, parsley and sour cream. Mix together and allow to heat through over

Middle Eastern Chickpea Soup

Finally something healthy after my seemingly never ending slew of baked goods! I really don't eat cookies and things all day, but baked good recipes are generally always more successful for me than recipes I try out for meals. Most likely due to the fact that I try and find healthy recipes for lunches and dinners, and not all healthy recipes are super delicious so I don't end up posting about them all the time.

So apparently it's time for me to get into making soups again! Though I can't really handle having soup more than a couple of times a week (at least not for my main course). Maybe if it was a brothy soup but the ones I make usually aren't, like this one. It's another recipe from Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special. Almost everything I've made from this cookbook has been either good or really good so I'm sure I'll continue through some more soups this winter from it.

Overall I quite liked this soup though next time I will play with the spices a bit more. I also need to find a new curry powder. I love curry powder so I love adding lots of it to things but when I did that recently in a tofu salad it made my tongue feel weird. I didn't really enjoy that. The problem is my bag of curry powder is huge... Ah well I should just pick up a different kind.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Curried Sweet Potato Soup
Beet, Barley and Black Bean Soup
Choklay's Tibetan Lentil Soup

Middle Eastern Chickpea Soup
Adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special

I changed too many things to note them here but the recipe is basically the same with the addition of carrots and celery, replaced red potato with sweet potato, extra amounts of the spices, and curry powder instead of turmeric.

1 sweet potato
3 to 4 cups vegetable stock
2 15-oz cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
2 carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp + 1 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp + 1 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp curry powder
1/8 tsp cayenne
ground black pepper to taste
2 cups diced tomatoes
chopped fresh parsley

Poke the sweet potato with a fork all over, then microwave it on a plate on high for a few minutes. Depending on the size it can take up to 10 minutes, so just keep checking and microwaving until it's done (really soft and mushy). If you have the time and prefer it you can go ahead and roast the sweet potato. Either peel the sweet potato and put this in a blender or food processor, or peel the skin off and put the insides in the blender.

In this blender, add to the sweet potatoes 1 cup of stock and puree; then transfer to a soup pot. Combine the chickpeas and about 2 cups of the vegetable stock and blend until very smooth. Add the chickpea puree to the soup pot and heat gently, stirring frequently.

Meanwhile, in a skillet, heat the oil and saute the onions, garlic, celery, carrot, salt, cumin, coriander, curry, cayenne and black pepper until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Stir the sauteed onions into the soup. If the soup is too thick, add more vegetable stock. When the soup is hot, stir in the diced tomatoes and cook for a few more minutes. Add more salt and black pepper to taste.

Serve topped with parsley.

Curried Sweet Potato Soup

This soup was really really awesome. I've recently started to make soup a lot more often again because the weather has been getting colder and it's a good easy way to eat a healthy meal full of lots of vegetables and stuff. As soon as I saw this soup in the October Shape magazine, I knew I had to make it. Red peppers, kale (or some other leafy green), sweet potato, beans, curry and coconut milk. Sounded like it would be the perfect soup and for me it was. And not only is it full of deliciously delicious things, it's super easy to make. This is my new favourite soup and one of my new favourite meals. Unfortunately I haven't had the chance to make it again in the daylight to get a better photo though...

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Sweet Potato Badi
Beet, Barley and Black Bean Soup
Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili
Choklay's Tibetan Lentil Soup

Curried Sweet Potato Soup
Adapted from October 2008 Shape Magazine

My soup ended up being quite thick so you might want to add extra vegetable broth if you want to thin it out.

1 large sweet potato
3/4 cup canned light coconut milk
2 1/4 cups vegetable broth
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced into 1/2 inch pieces
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
19 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 packed cups coarsely chopped kale (or other leafy green like baby spinach)
1/4 tsp sea salt (you might want to add more salt, I always put less than recommended)

Microwave sweet potato on high for 4 to 6 minutes or until very tender. Split potato in half with a knife. Use a pot holder to hold each half and scoop pulp into a soup pot; discard skin.

Add coconut milk and mash with a potato masher or fork until mixture is fairly smooth. Stir in broth, bell pepper, and curry powder. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.

Stir in beans and heat all the way through. Stir in leafy greens; keep stirring until just wilted. Stir in salt.

Beet, Barley & Black Bean Soup

I've missed a couple of months for the No Croutons Required event, but I'm back with a delicious soup! The theme this month is soups or salads featuring legumes. When I make soup, I like having a good variety of vegetables, a grain (like barley), and protein (beans usually). I was very anti-bean before but since I started to try and eat healthier and take better care of myself, I've been slowly accepting them and trying to incorporate them into my diet frequently. Soups are a great way to do that! And what bean is more accessible than the black bean (in my mind anyway).

Well since I love beets, and this soup is a meal in itself, you can guess that I loved it. I've never used tarragon in my cooking at home, and have only had it a few times when out. I like it but it's something different to get used to. I think this soup could benefit from a variety of herbs, and it actually calls for 1/2 cup of fresh dill. Which is a lot of dill, even though I love dill - so I put that as optional in the recipe.

I thought I'd have more time to update my blog now that school is finished but it turns out I've found many other things (including work) to fill up all my time! Currently I'm looking for an apartment and obsessing over places. I hope the place we find has a relatively decent size kitchen with some counter space! I can't wait to try out my grandma's convection oven for baking (which is currently in storage but will be taken out when I move).

Other soups I've made:
Choklay's Tibetan Lentil Soup
Baked Bean Soup
Corn Chowder
Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili

Beet, Barley & Black Bean Soup
Adapted from Vegan with a Vengeance

1 tsp olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped (about 2 cups)
5 cloves garlic
2 tsp dried tarragon
Black pepper
8 cups water
4 medium-size beets, cut in half & half again, sliced 1/4 inch thick
3/4 cup pot barley
2 tbsp soy sauce
15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained (about 2 cups)
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Dill (optional)

In a stockpot over medium heat, saute the onion in the olive oil for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, tarragon, and pepper; saute until fragrant (about a minute). Add 8 cups of water, the beets, barley, and soy sauce, cover, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the beans and simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent the barley from sticking together, or unitl the barley is tender. Add the balsamic vinegar. Add dill if desired.

Choklay's Tibetan Lentil Soup

I'm submitting this soup to Food Blogga's Beautiful Bones event. Since May is Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month, Susan is hosting this event to promote awareness about osteoporosis. Check out her post which mentions the risk factors and many examples of calcium rich foods. I had no idea that tomatoes and spices have calcium! Anyway, the calcium rich foods my soup has are lentils, carrots, tomatoes, garlic, and potatoes.

This soup is good, filling, healthy and I plan to make it again! The flavour combination of cumin, coriander and lentils was really good. For a while now, I've been really hooked on red split lentils (which cook really fast and are so delicious). I haven't ventured out and tried many other types of lentils though, which I should.

Other soups I've made:
Baked Bean Soup
Corn Chowder
Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili

Choklay's Tibetan Lentil Soup
Adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special

1 1/2 cups dried red split lentils, rinsed
6 cups water
1 tsp oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 fresh chile, seeded and finely minced
1 carrot, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch cubes
1 potato, diced into 1/2 inch cubes
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
3 cups (28 oz can) undrained canned chopped tomatoes
3/4 tsp salt

In a nonreactive soup pot, bring the lentils and water to a boil; then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a medium saucepan and saute the onions, garlic, and chile for 5 minutes. Add the carrots, potatoes, coriander and cumin and saute for another minute, stirring to prevent sticking. Remove from the heat and set aside.

When the lentils are tender, stir the canned tomatoes into the soup pot. Add the salt and sauteed vegetables. Cover and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, until all of the vegetables are tender. If you like, take 2 cups of the soup out and puree them, then add back to the soup.

Baked Bean Soup

Healthy, filling, a unique taste, easy to make - what more can you ask for in a weeknight meal? I wasn't sure if I liked it at first, maybe because of the molasses or the vinegar (which made it slightly tangy). But when I added lots of pepper (which I don't usually do) it made it quite tasty. The pepper really complemented the flavours in the soup. And some grated Gruyere on top, yum even better.

I'm submitting this to the Cooking to Combat Cancer 2 event. This soup has a few cancer fighting ingredients: onions, tomatoes, carrots, and beans. I think we could all use some cancer fighting power so I try to eat lots of good, healthy, cancer fighting foods! Other cancer fighting foods include berries, cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage), flax, garlic, whole grains, dark green leafy vegetables, green tea, soy (in moderation), red grapes, avocados (my favourite!), chili peppers, grapefruit, mushrooms, nuts, oranges, and lemons (source, source - found through Mele Cotte). With so many choices, I'm sure everyone can easily add some more of these foods into their diet.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili
Corn Chowder

Baked Bean Soup
Adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special

Serves 4 to 6

2 cups chopped onions
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup diced celery
1 cup peeled and diced carrots
1 tbsp chili powder
3 tsp Dijon mustard*
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups (14 oz can) undrained canned stewed tomatoes
1 2/3 cups (15 1/2 oz can) cooked kidney beans**
2 tsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp molasses
1 tbsp soy sauce
salt & pepper to taste

In a soup pot on medium-high heat, saute the onions in oil for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are translucent. Add the celery, carrots, and chili powder and continue to cook until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the mustard, water, tomatoes, beans, vinegar, molasses, and soy sauce. Cover and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat and gently simmer for about 15 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

*Reduce this amount if you're not a big mustard fan. I love mustard so I might add more next time.
**The recipe suggests white beans, but I think any bean would be fine.

Note: Feel free to play around with the amount of mustard, molasses, vinegar and soy sauce to suit your taste. I think sweet potato would be tasty in this soup too.

Corn Chowder

I'm a day late for the No Croutons Required event but hopefully the lovely Holler & Lisa will still accept my entry! This month it's spicy soups, and I have to admit that I don't love eating a lot of spicy food. I'd rather be able to taste my food with only a bit of spiciness, and not have my nose start running! (Though occasionally I do love eating sushi with tons of wasabi, but that's a different kind of spicy.) The soup I made was corn chowder, and the original recipe calls for 2 jalapeño peppers but I am wimpy so I only put in one.

When I was growing up, I loved that my birthday was in August because it meant I got to eat corn on the cob for my birthday. Now I often forget about corn, so it was great to come across a recipe for corn chowder. I'm really on a soup kick right now, which has not yet been evidenced in my blog but trust me when I say there are many soups to come! I'm loving soups because they're something that are relatively easy to make, you always get leftovers, and they can often be quite healthy.

I loved how thick and filling the soup was. I'd like to try and create my perfect corn chowder so to make this soup again, I'd try swapping out the potatoes for sweet potatoes, use less rosemary (as I'm not a big fan), use more onion, and maybe try adding another herb. I just realized that I photographed this soup in the exact same way, in the exact same bowl as I did for the last No Croutons Required Soup! How unimaginative. Or maybe it should be a tradition or maybe I need to get more soup bowls!

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili
Santa Fe Pasta Salad
Parmesan Corn Risotto Cakes

Corn Chowder
adapted from Vegan with a Vengeance

Serves 4 as a meal.

1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium-size onion, cut into 1/4 inch dice
1 large red bell pepper, finely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 cup carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice (approximately 3 carrots)
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried thyme
A few dashes black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups vegetable broth
3 cups frozen corn kernels
2 medium-size russet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/2 inch chunks
1 bay leaf
Pinch cayenne
1/4 cup plain soy milk
2 tsp maple syrup

In stockpot sauté the onions, bell peppers, carrots and jalapeño in the olive oil over medium heat until the onions are translucent, about 7 minutes. Add rosemary, thyme, black pepper, and salt; sauté 1 minute more. Add the broth, corn, potatoes, bay leaf and cayenne. Cover and bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the tomatoes are tender. Uncover and simmer 120 minutes more to let the liquid reduce a bit.

Remove the bay leaf and puree half the chowder either using a hand held blender or by transferring half the chowder to a blender, pureeing till smooth, and adding back to soup. Add the soy milk and maple syrup, and simmer 5 more minutes. Let sit for at least 10 minutes and serve.