Lentil Soup with Lemon

Here is another favorite soup in my household. In fact, every member of my family loves this! And, even better, it is dairy free, gluten free, and meat free. You can't beat that!

Lentil Soup with Lemon

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil, or water sauté                                                     

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon chili powder, or to taste

1 (32 ounce) carton vegetable broth, or homemade                                                   

1 cup red lentils

1 large carrot, diced

2 tablespoons lemon juice, or to taste

3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling  *optional

1 pinch chili powder

 

Directions:

1. Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and cook until the onion has turned golden brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, cumin, kosher salt, black pepper, and 1/8 teaspoon of chili powder. Cook and stir 2 minutes more until the spices are fragrant
2. Stir in the broth, lentils, and carrot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the lentils are soft, about 30 minutes
3. Pour half of the soup into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel, and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree in batches until smooth and pour into a clean pot. Alternately, you can use a stick blender and puree the soup right in the cooking pot. Do not puree all of the soup, leave it a little chunky.
4. Stir in the lemon juice and cilantro, then season to taste with salt. Drizzle with olive oil and a sprinkle of chili powder to serve.

Minestrone with Arborio Rice

My husband, Greg, calls this soup "restaurant good". I like it because it uses stuff from my garden. But I won't lie, it is really, really good! Enjoy! (That's my garden there!)

Minestrone with Arborio Rice

Ingredients:

1/4 cup, plus 4 teaspoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 carrots, cut into a 1/4 inch dice
2 celery, sliced
1 zucchini, cut into quarters lengthwise then crosswise into thin slices
3/4 pound green cabbage, kale, spinach, chard, or collards (I use whatever is in the garden, or on hand)
1 1/2 quart vegetable broth- can be store bought or homemade
1 2/3 cup drained and rinsed canned pinto beans (one 15 ounce can)
1/2 cup Arborio rice
3/4 pound boiling potatoes (about 2) peeled and cut into a 1/4 inch dice
1 TBSP tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 1/4 tsp Himalayan sea salt
1/4 fresh ground pepper

1. In a large pot, heat 1/4 cup olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, carrots, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add the zucchini and greens (cabbage, kale, spinach, or collards). Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables start to soften, about 5 more minutes.

2. Add the broth, beans, rice, potatoes, tomato paste, bay leaf, thyme, and salt to the pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat  and simmer, partially covered, until the rice and vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Remove the bay leaf.

3. Stir in the pepper.

*Optional- add a little Parmesan to each bowl and a drizzle of olive oil.

Jessie Monds Lentil, Sweet Potato, and Kale Soup

Here is another favorite soup of ours. I got this from another Dallas girl, Jessie Monds, an amazing chef and yoga teacher (http://www.jessiemonds.com/). I have been making this soup for a few years now, and it never gets old. It is a hearty, vegan soup that is packed with nutrition.

Lentil Soup with Sweet Potatoes and Kale

1-2 tablespoons grapeseed oil

1 onion, cut into small dice

2 celery stalks, cut into small dice

2 large carrots, cut into small dice

2-4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon chili flakes

1 cup lentils, rinsed and drained

4-6 cups vegetable broth, preferably homemade

1 cup diced pureed tomatoes

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces

2-3 cups packed kale leaves, torn into bite sized pieces

 

Add grapeseed oil (enough to coat the bottom of your pan) to a large soup pot and heat over medium.  Add onion, carrot, celery, and

pinch of coarse kosher salt to hot oil and cook until softened, about 5-6 minutes.  Add chili flakes and garlic, stirring constantly for about a minute.  Next pour in lentils and vegetable broth.  Turn up the heat so the soup comes to a boil, then reduce it to medium low, cover and cook until lentils are nearly tender, about 30 minutes.

Remove lid and add tomatoes and sweet potato, adding additional broth here if necessary .  Cover and cook until sweet potato is soft, about 10 minutes.  Add kale, adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and cook until kale is wilted and sweet potatoes and lentils are completely tender.  Serve right away with olive oil and bread or cool and refrigerate for later.  It will last for a few days in the fridge.

My Favorite Soup- Vegan Cream of Potato, Cauliflower, Kale Soup

I will  admit, this is not only my ALL TIME favorite soup, but it is also my all time favorite meal! I love it so much, that I have named a day of the week after it- Souper Sunday, in which I usually make this soup. I then get to enjoy it for lunch, and often dinner, well into the week (I work full time, so it is nice having something quick and healthy on hand that I love). My 4 year old loves it, too, but for him, I put it in a Vitamix so that it is smooth, and he can't see the chunky veggies, but he is still getting all the benefits.

Forgive me that the picture isn't better. I am still a "Baby Blogger".





Vegan Cream of Potato, Cauliflower, Kale Soup

Ingredients:

Olive Oil- 2 TBSP
1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
3 Carrots, Chopped
3 Celery, Chopped
1 Medium Onion, Chopped
4-6 Clove of Garlic, Minced
6-8 Potatoes, Chopped
1 Head of Cauliflower, Chopped
1 Bunch of Kale, Chopped *Chard, Collards, or Spinach may be substituted for Kale)
8-10 Cups of Vegetable Broth (I alternate between store bought and homemade.)
1 Cup (or more, if needed) Garbanzo Bean Flour (Lentil Flour works well also)
1 16 Ounce Can Coconut Milk or Cream
Himalayan Sea Salt- To Taste
Freshly Ground Black Pepper- To Taste

Directions:

1. In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Water can be substituted if you are oil free.
2. Add garlic, onion, carrots, celery, a hefty pinch of sea salt, pepper, and red pepper. Sauté until vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes.
3. Slowly add a little bit of the flour, then stir. Add some broth, stir again, making it a thick, creamy consistency. Add more flour, then broth, repeating until all of the flour and broth are used, and the soup is a thick, creamy consistency. It will continue to thicken, so keep this in mind.
4. Add potatoes and cauliflower, turn heat to high, and bring to just a boil. Turn down heat to low, and cook for 30 minutes.
5. Add kale, stir until it wilts
6. Add coconut milk/cream. Stir until incorporated.
7. Cook for another 15-20 minutes
8. Add salt and pepper to taste.

I will sometimes add a 1/2 Cup of Nutritional Yeast if I want a cheesier flavor.