Arabic Lentil Soup

You know who eats soup in the middle of July? I do.

I have no qualms about it either. Soup still needs love even in the hottest days of the year.

I don’t usually make it, though. There are two food carts in Portland that I tend to get most of my soup from—The Portland Soup Company and Savor Soup House. Fresh ingredients. Comforting classics. Stuff you can’t find in the store. The flavors rotate daily, weekly, or whenever they run out. Soup never gets old when it’s like that.

Sometimes I do try my hand at soup. You’ve seen it—Broccoli and White Bean, Beet and Leek, Eggplant and White Bean, Curried Carrot, etc. It’s just not the same, though. That’s the case with most food. It always tastes better when someone else makes it. That clearly never stops me. The blog is proof of that.

This lentil soup is simple and earthy. It’s filling qualities sneak up on you if you’re not careful. I did sneak in some chopped radish greens and a sprinkling of chili flake because I wanted just a little something extra. This isn’t meant to be an extravagant in your face soup, and sometimes that’s all you need.

Inspiration: Veggie Belly

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion, small dice [I used my food processor—laziness ftw]
• 1 medium carrot, chopped
• 1-2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
• 1 bunch of radish greens, cleaned and roughly chopped [optional]
• 1/2 cup heaping cup dried lentils [green or brown, I used brown]
• 3+ cups of water
• 1/2-1 teaspoon ground cumin
• salt to taste

Preparation

1. Heat the olive oil in a heavy soup pot on medium heat.
2. Add the onion, stirring occasionally until turning translucent.
3. Add the carrot, radish greens, and garlic, stirring for about 30 seconds. The garlic should be fragrant.
4. Add the lentils and cumin, stir to coat—about 10 seconds.
5. Add three cups of water and bring it to a boil.
6. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and cover with a lid.
7. Cook for about 30 minutes until the lentils are tender but still mostly holding their shape.
8. Check occasionally on the water level. Add more as necessary to reach the desired consistency.
9. Turn off the heat and use a potato masher to mash 1/3 [or more] of the lentils to thicken the broth.
10. Taste test. Add more cumin, salt, or chili flakes as you see fit.
11. Serve alone or with crusty bread.

Spicy Cabbage and Chorizo Stew

Do you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day at all? I don’t outside of managing to subconsciously wear green (as is the case usually; that and purple). I’m toying with making this corned beef and cabbage at some point.

While there is nothing traditionally Irish about this stew, it has cabbage in it! That counts, right?

It’s actually a spin on a Portuguese soup, Caldo Verde.

This has a really mellow, steady spice. I’m in love with Linguica chorizo. The addition of beans increased the protein, and it’s really just a set it and forget it kind of soup. The longer you cook it, the less soupy it becomes. I even used less water than the original recipe called for just because I don’t like to swim in a ton of broth. The next day yielded something a little more spicy. I love when that happens.

Inspiration: Saveur

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 8 oz chorizo, sliced 1/2″ thick
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4-1/2 tsp red chile flake
• 7 cups water
• 1lb Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1″ pieces
• 1lb green or Savoy cabbage, thinly sliced
• 15oz can navy or cannelini beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 tablespoons or more salt [I needed a lot to really highlight the other flavors]
• Ground cracked pepper

Preparation

1. Heat a large pot over medium-low heat with the two tablespoons of oil.
2. Add the chorizo and onion, cooking for 8 minutes until the onion is translucent.
3. Add the garlic and red chile flakes. Continue cooking for another minute or two.
4. Add the water and potatoes, bringing to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
5. Add the cabbage and beans, and stir until the cabbage wilts.
6. Remove from heat if you’re ready to eat or allow to simmer to thicken up the broth.
7. Use salt and pepper to taste.
8. Serve!

Broccoli White Bean Soup

Some of you were asking where I’ve been. I’m still alive, I promise. I apologize for the term papers and exams, a mildly hectic work schedule, and a house that really could benefit from a cleaning. I sit down to write because I do have lots of tasty things to share, but I get distracted by term papers. Then next thing I know it’s 2am and I have to be up in four hours to workout. That, my friends, is insanity dedication.

The weather has been absolute garbage. The groundhog wasn’t kidding about there being six more weeks of winter. It snowed today, but thankfully didn’t stick. It has been absolutely chilly. I’m ready for something a little warmer than 40 degrees.  It’s why I made this soup.

Okay, that’s a lie. I made this soup because I wanted to use the new soup crocks I bought at Sur La Table for $5. It just so happens to be quick, cheap, easy, and healthy. Don’t skimp on the garnishes. Shaved parmesan and toasted pine nuts really add to the normally flat flavor of broccoli and white beans. I think when I calculated it out, it had well over 20g protein per serving. Thanks, beans!

Inspiration: Whole Living

Ingredients

1. 1lb broccoli, cut into florets
2. 2 tablespoons olive oil
3. 1 small yellow onion, diced
4. 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
5. 15oz cannellini beans drained and rinsed
6. 2 1/2 cups veggie (or chicken) stock
7. Salt and pepper to taste
8. 1 tablespoon pine nuts, toasted
9. 1/2 oz shaved parmesan

Preparation

1. Steam broccoli by preferred method. I usually place the pieces in a large, microwave save bowl. Insert a splash of water and cover with something hard like a plate. It took between 3-5 minutes depending on the size of the chunks.
2. Keep a handful of florets for garnish.
3. In a heavy bottomed saucepan, cook the onions on medium heat.
4. Once they start to become translucent, add the garlic. Saute for a few more minutes.
5. Add beans and stock, bringing the stock to a simmer.
6. Remove pan from heat and add in the broccoli.
7. Puree in batches until smooth.
8. Season with salt and pepper.
9. Divvy up into smaller bowls and top with parmesan and pinenuts.

Icelandic Stew

Andrew and I have been on a No Reservations binge. We don’t have cable, but we do have Netflix. There are something like nine seasons available to watch, and we’ve caught the travel bug something fierce. It’s that countdown to Italy to blame. We’ve been watching Bourdain go all over the world to try out new food. It would be such a rad job. Jealous is an understatement.

One of the places we want to go is Iceland. Something about it just seems stunning and unlike most places we’ve been. There just so happened to be an episode on it. We watched. At some gym where all the bodybuilders workout, they were cooking up some Icelandic Stew. It was simple, hearty, and looked oh-so-good. I mean, c’mon, vegetables, lamb, and broth? Sold. Since Google is my friend, I found more than one recipe. It’s my kind of recipe, too. “Here’s your general staples. Add these if you like them. Cook as much as you want.” That’s the gist. I can get behind that. It didn’t hurt that I wanted to try out my new Lodge dutch oven.

Stews like this are totally meant to sit and cook a long time. It needs to sit and stew awhile [haha]. And frankly, it’s even better the next day. I don’t know why that is exactly, but who am I to mess with success. The first night of Icelandic Stew 2012 was much more soupy. It wasn’t bad to say the least. It was still hearty and awesome. You focus on the huge chunks of fresh veggies and the chunks of pork. Yeah, I had pork. I couldn’t find lamb to save my life. Pork was totally okay. We saved the leftovers for lunch the next day. The leftovers were far and away the star of the show. It took an awesome stew and raised it to new heights. It wasn’t brothy anymore, and everything had soaked it up. It was much more rich and creamy. I can see why they thrive on this kind of food in such cold climates. It was perfect on a cold, rainy, disgustingly dreary day.

I really don’t know what about it makes it so Icelandic, but I like it whatever it is.

Ingredients

• 1lb pork stew meat
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 medium carrots, chopped
• 1/4 cabbage, shredded
• 1/2 small rutabaga, chopped
• 2-3 small red potatoes, chopped
• 1/2 head cauliflower, chopped
• 1/4 cup brown rice
• 6 cups of water
• 1 sprig of fresh rosemary

Preparation

1. Bring the water to a boil in a large pot on medium-high heat.
2. Add the meat.
3. Lower the temperature to medium and cook for 30 minutes.
4. Add the rice and reduce temperature to low.
5. After 10 minutes, add all of your veggies. I had way more veggies that could fit in my pot. That’s a damn shame.
6. Add the sprig of rosemary.
7. Put a lid on the pot and simmer everything together for at least 20 minutes.
8. Taste test and see what salt or pepper is needed.
9. I simmered it for at least another hour before serving the first time. Then let it cool and refrigerate overnight serving the rest for lunch the next day.
10. Favorite addition? A ton of hot sauce. It had to happen.

Beet and Leek Soup

I’ve stopped feeling perpetually hungry. That’s what I always felt throughout the week consuming only fruit, vegetables, and nuts/oil. I knew I’d dive back into the world of carbs and protein sometime Friday. It started with a mediocre turkey sandwich. Well, half of it. That’s all I could finish. It left me feeling a little off—head woozy, stomach uncomfortable—for a good 15-20 minutes after eating it. I’m sure my stomach wasn’t really sure what to do with the new substances. The rest of my night consisted of a piece of cactus candy, two iced teas, an arancini [fried rice ball filled with mozzarella], some sauteed chicken with olive oil, olives, and caramelized red onions. The chicken was absolutely melt in your mouth.  The red onions sweet and punchy. The olives the perfect amount of salt. I swooned with every single bite. I finished the night off with a small [read: 8oz] glass of Lagunitas Cappucino Stout. Today, a chorizo breakfast burrito smothered in avocado salsa and some chicken and vegetable curry.

I kept expecting to generally feel like hell, crumble beneath gastrointestinal issues, curl up into the fetal position and cry, but none of that happened. I found myself eating slower, savoring flavors. I found myself extremely aware of salt content. I found myself constantly reaching for my water glass. In short, it was a new experience to the same ol’ food I’ve known and loved. My portions stayed smaller thanks to a smaller stomach. I have a fonder appreciation for what I’m shoveling in my mouth. The only unforeseen side effect of all this is I’ve noticed how much more protein and carbs make me hiccup and/or want to burp. It’s bizarre. I have to admit it was a little comforting digging into a fat plate of veggies with the curry tonight.

One of these jars of beet soup that didn’t get eaten the other night is sitting in the fridge at work. I fully intend to eat it on Monday. It’s such a rich, velvety soup without a single bad ingredient in it. The original recipe had you roasting beets, but I cracked open two of the jars of canned beets my grandma gave me. Talk about a time saver. All I had to do was roast some garlic. While pureeing the soup in the food processor, it became very apparent that the bowl of the processor had cracked. No, my kitchen didn’t look like a bloody murder scene, but it was definitely on the verge. Luckily, no soup was sacrificed. The processor is a hand-me-down from my grandma—a Regal Moulinex La Machine II. Thank god for eBay. I was able to pick up another bowl. I don’t use the processor that often to justify buying a fancy one, and frankly it’s pretty rad to have something that old that works really well.

PS – Remember to take the bay leaf out before you puree. Not that I forgot or anything…

Inspiration: Whole Living

Ingredients

• 3-4 medium beets [or two jars/cans of beets]
• 1 leek, thinly sliced
• 6 unpeeled cloves of garlic
• 2 tablespoons olive oil + more for drizzling
• 2-3 cups of water
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1 bay leaf
• salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. If you’re going to roast your beets, scrub them and cut the tops off. Drizzle them in oil and wrap in a foil packet.
3. Make another foil packet of your unpeeled garlic cloves. Drizzle them with garlic, too.
4. The beets will take about an hour, the garlic 30 minutes. Plan accordingly.
5. Peel and quarter your beets if you roasted them.
6. Pop the garlic out of their peels once they’re cool enough to touch.
7. In a large pot, heat the olive oil on medium until a drop of water sizzles.
8. Add the leeks. Stir to coat with oil.
9. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are nice and soft—about 6-8 minutes.
10. Add the beets, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, and water. I started with 2 cups and increased it to 2 1/2 when done. I wanted a thicker soup.
11. Season with salt and pepper.
12. Bring to a boil and reduce to heat to a simmer for 5-10  minutes.
13. Remove the bay leaf and remove from heat.
14. Puree the soup with your favorite method–food processor, blender, etc.
15. Return to the pot and stir in the lemon juice.
16. Taste. Add more salt and pepper if necessary.
17. Do a little dance if you didn’t get any on your clothes.

 

Eggplant and White Bean Soup

I realized the other day that when Andrew is out of town, I tend to hang out in the land of vegetarianism a lot. It’s certainly not a conscious thing, but more of a convenience thing. I’m either using up random odds and ends in the kitchen, not wanting to go to the meat counter for just one serving [I could freeze the rest, but I’m not a fan of that if I can help it], or trying out a veggie only dish that I know Andrew probably wouldn’t love.

Enter this eggplant and white bean soup.

It’s thick. It’s hearty. It has very little ingredients. You can customize the texture to your heart’s desire. It feels a lot more “meaty” than I was expecting. Usually pureed soups, while delish, tend to leave me hungry not long after. This isn’t the case. Considering the pot made two “large” servings [AKA dinner and lunch], it meant I was eating a can of beans and an eggplant at each meal. That’s intense, and I loved every minute of it.

It’s perfect for those cold, winter days…never mind that I ate it cold the next day for lunch. I’m just that weird.

Inspiration: Stonesoup

Ingredients

• 2 medium sized eggplants
• 2 cans white beans [don’t drain!]
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil or butter
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2-4 tablespoons lemon juice

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 450º.
2. Slice the eggplants in half and place them face down on a baking sheet.
3. Bake for 30-40 minutes until soft and deflated.
4. In a large saucepan, saute the onion in the butter or olive oil on medium heat until soft and translucent–about 10-15 minutes.
5. At the beans and their liquid to the onions and bring to a simmer.
6. Scrape the eggplant flesh into the onions and beans.
7. Puree as much you’d like, either with a blender or food processor [I did about 1/2-3/4].
8. Taste and season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice.
9. Serve.

Tomato Soup with Poached Eggs

It’s freezing here.

Okay, so it’s really freezing at night, but we’re still only getting into the 40’s during the day. What happened to our mild winters? At least it’s been foggy sunny. I’ll take that over the rain any day.

It’s totally soup weather, though. Or anything comforting, really.

But I wasn’t in the mood to go to the store last night, so soup was on the menu. It’s a super simple tomato soup, nothing fancy at all. The star of the show is poaching eggs. Yes, in the soup. Now that is something I can get into. I love poached eggs. I love like tomato soup most of the time [depends on how brothy it is]. When you break into the egg, the yolk adds creaminess to the soup. It’s divine.

If you have some crusty bread, you can put it on the base of the bowl and ladle your soup and egg over the top. I’m not a fan of mushy bread, so that didn’t happen. At all. I still toasted some regular cracked wheat for dipping. I also sprinkled some blue cheese in there because I’m a rebel.

So good.

Inspiration: Framed Cooks

Ingredients

• Olive oil
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• Red chile flakes, to taste
• 28oz can [jar] of chopped tomatoes [thanks, Grammy!]
• 2 cups of water
• Salt
• Fresh cracked pepper
• 4 large eggs [I only used two since I knew I would only be eating two that night. Overnight poached eggs are a no].
• Bread, for serving
• Blue cheese, for sprinkling
• Fresh/dried basil, for garnish

Preparation

1. In a deep walled skillet, add a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan on medium heat.
2. Once the oil is hot, add the garlic. Saute until it starts to change colors.
3. Add tomatoes, a pinch of chile flakes, salt and pepper. Go light. You can always add more later.
4. Bring to a boil.
5. Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer and cover.
6. Leave simmering for 10 minutes, tasting occasionally and adding more chile, salt, or pepper as necessary. I used a ton of chile flakes and cracked pepper.
7. Once the 10 minutes are up, crack a single egg into a bowl.
8. Pour the egg from the bowl into the simmering soup.
9. Repeat for as many eggs as you’re using.
10. Cover the soup again for 3-4 minutes until the egg whites are cooked and yolk is to your desired consistency.
11. Toast bread for consumption, either in the broiler or toaster. Put it in your soup or dip. Your choice.
12. Ladle the soup and eggs into a bowl, top with basil and blue cheese if using.
13. Enjoy.

Lentils Martinique

Now that the cold sinus thing stuffy nose is mostly gone, I’m finally back on a workout kick. I was definitely going through withdrawals. The weather has been less than pleasant so even the walks at lunch have been out. Drowned rat is a good look, no? I even missed the gym the other day. I haven’t been since my membership lapsed in June, and it took until now to miss it a little bit.

I’ve still been hooked to Bodyrock. 12-15 minute workouts where I’m super sweaty, tired, and/or want to die are my jam. It hurts so good.

The stormy weather made me bring out the crock pot, too. I’ve had Allie’s recipe for Lentils Martinique bookmarked for awhile, waiting until Andrew was out of town again to try it out. It was supposed to be 100% vegan, but I bought chicken broth out of habit. It yields a lot of ridiculously healthy food. I ate it for dinner, lunch twice, breakfast (sorta) twice, and Roma even got some on occasion. That left 1-2 more portions, but I didn’t freeze it.

The flavor is slightly sweet, and stew-like. The texture is thick and creamy, and at 18g of protein and 17g of fiber per serving (assuming 6 servings) for under 300 calories? That’s pretty awesome. It kept me full for awhile, no doubt about it. I’m a little jealous because Allie was able to get all the ingredients for $5.50. Thanks to New Seasons, it was closer to $12 for me. It’s still cheap in the world of price per serving.

Inspiration: Forgotten Beast

Ingredients

• 1lb of lentils, picked through to toss out any gross ones
• 10oz bag of frozen, chopped spinach, thawed
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, cubed
• 8oz can crushed pineapple
• 15oz can lite coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon coriander
• 1 tablespoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon mustard powder
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3 1/2 cups of broth

Preparation

1. Toss everything in the crock pot except for the spinach and pineapple.
2. Stir well.
3. Turn crock pot on low for 8-9 hours or high for 4-5.
4. After the cook time, stir in the spinach and pineapple.
5. Serve [it’s actually good cold, too].

Saturday Stuff

I finished out the rest of the week trying to follow along with the LearnVest recipes, but by Friday I was completely burned out. It’s probably okay when you’re only eating it for dinner, and sharing it with someone, but lunch/dinner of the the same things plus making recipes out of the same ingredients all week, it’s totally and completely overkill.

I made this soup-turned-stew:Thursday night with a bunch of the leftover stuff I had–spinach, garlic, turnip, black beans, parsnip, onion, radish, pork, carrot, broth. I was going to toss the quinoa into it but went with pasta just in case I ended up making the pork fried quinoa [I didn’t]. Since I cooked the pasta in the soup, it soaked up almost all of the broth and turned thick and stew-like. I was okay with it, but after two bowls, and having 2+ more leftover for lunch the next day, I was ready to chuck it all out the window. I had a sweet potato, black bean, and pork salad the two times earlier in the week, so when an opportunity came up to go out for Hawaiian food for lunch [loco moco + rice + mac salad] I ran went. The leftover soup is still sitting in the fridge, and I don’t care.

Andrew came home last night, and while we were snacking on cake and dill hummus and pita chips [great combo, I know] I mentioned that I had the stuff for pork fried quinoa. I was obviously not very convincing and gladly went to the store to pick up some fat rib-eye steaks, potatoes, and mushrooms. I was glad to grill at that point. Steak is just a vehicle for me to eat sauteed mushrooms anyway.

I also finally finished up my second can of pumpkin this fall.

These smoothies took up the bulk of it every morning [besides the failed cinnamon rolls and a cake that is coming soon]. This was easily my favorite smoothie to date. Pumpkin helps hide up the fact that I have protein powder up in there pretty well. I like the protein powder well enough, but even with a half-scoop it usually dominates the flavor of most smoothies. The key is to add a huge dash of cinnamon. Pumpkin just isn’t the same without it.

Ingredients

• 1 cup coconut milk [or milk of choice]
• 1/2 scoop protein powder [I’m almost out of Garden of Life Raw Protein Powder]
• 1/2 packet NuNaturals Stevia [or sweetener of choice]
• 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
• Large dash of cinnamon
• Handful of spinach

Preparation

1. Put all ingredients into a blender.
2. Blend.

Drunken Pumpkin Chili

Just because I loaded a crock pot full of pumpkiny, cozy chili does not mean I acknowledge that fall is now here and the weather has now changed to torrential downpour for the next 6+ months.

It’s more like I had leftover pumpkin, was going to see some friends and watch the Timbers game, and had been dying to try this since Erika posted it. The beauty of chili is you can pretty much put whatever you want in it and it comes out just fine. I went a little carnivorous and added some beef stew meat.

Do you know how weird it is to go to bed and wake up smelling chili? So weird. I think it partially affected my dreams and partially kept me up because I’m secretly paranoid that the crock will burn the house down. That’s what I get for starting it at like 10pm.

I really liked the consistency of the chili. I had to tweak the taste a little more before it was done, but that’s what I love about it. It’s forgiving. I wanted autumny, pumpkiny beer, but the store I went to was sold out of the kind I wanted. I went with Lagunitas IPA instead. It blended right in. I didn’t have as much pumpkin as I should have, and that is for shame. Next time.

Inspiration: Lenses and Limes

Ingredients

• 1lb beef stew meat
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 14oz can pumpkin puree
• 1 large sweet onion, chopped
• 1 cup beer of choice
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
• 28oz can stewed tomatoes + juice
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. In a large skillet heat the olive oil on high.
2. Add the beef chunks and sear all sides.
3. Put the beef and all other ingredients inside a crock pot.
4. Stir.
5. Cook on low for 8-12 hours. After 8 hours, stir occasionally to really thicken it up and keep the sides from sticking.
6. Serve alone or with crusty bread.