Quinoa and Vegetable Soup

Hello everyone, my biggest apologizes for my very long hiatus!! I was desperately trying to find time to try new recipes and post, but with all the events in my life, it just was not happening! I spent the summer getting ready for baby #2. Our son, David, was born August 23rd, healthy, perfect and absolutely beautiful. Then came the task of trying to adjust to having a rambunctious (and very jealous) toddler & a newborn...I was happy to have ANYTHING on the table for dinner. So I ended up making tried and true recipes. No time to experiment, especially if it did not turn out, I did not have the energy to make something else. I treat this blog as my online cookbook, so I try to put up recipes that I have tried, liked and will be returning to!! Had a chance to make this soup on the weekend, and it was a hit, especially now that the weather has cooled off; this was perfect to warm up to! I hope you enjoy it as well. I got the original recipe off of Pinterest. It called for couscous instead of quinoa and to make it in the crock-pot instead of the stove-top, up to you, do whatever is easiest. But I would recommend to saute the veggies before adding to the crock-pot, it just gives it so much more flavor!!

Ingredients:
4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (I used a home-made chicken stock)
14½ oz can diced tomatoes,undrained
15 oz garbanzo beans,rinsed and drained
1 cup zucchini, diced
1 cup small cauliflower florets**
1/2 medium green bell pepper,diced
1 medium onion,peeled and chopped
1 rib celery, sliced
1 carrot, diced
2 bay leaf
1 clove garlic,peeled and minced
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme or parsley
salt and freshly ground black pepper,to taste

1/2 cup quiona, cooked

**Since I am nursing, I did not add cauliflower, cruciferous vegetables are tough on tiny tummies!

Directions:
1. Prep veggies: zucchini, cauliflower, bell pepper, onion, celery & carrot .
2. Heat oil in frying pan, add veggies and saute for 5-7 minutes.
3. Heat chicken broth in pot, add diced tomatoes, garbanzo beans, sauteed veggies, bay leaves.
4. Let all these ingredients simmer for 25-30 minutes. Then add the garlic, herbs, salt and pepper. I let it all simmer for and additional 5 minutes and then add more after checking for taste. This is how my momma taught me how to make soup. I am sure you can add all the ingredients at once too!
5. While the soup was simmer, prepare the quinoa or couscous. For quinoa it's 1 part uncooked quinoa to 2 parts water, bring to boil then simmer for 15-20 minutes. I add a little butter and salt to it while it is cooking. Besides being the "new craze" it is really healthy for you, and has a delightful little crunch. It adds texture to the soup.

I kept the soup and quinoa separate, and when it came time to heat up the soup after day 1, I mixed them together when I was reheating. 
I found this soup went well with brie cheese and multi-grain crackers.

Here is the link to the original recipe and if you prefer to make it in the crock-pot. Plus their picture is much more professional than mine. I did not get out the DSLR camera for this post, was happy to have remembered to take it on my iPhone!! Often times when I do try out a good recipe, I forget to take pictures and wait to make it again to put up on the blog!

http://slavasrecipes.com/slow-cooker-garbanzo-and-couscous-soup/

Asian Mushroom Noodle Soup

Ingredients: (makes a huge pot of soup, I halved the recipe)

• 4 servings Soba noodles
• 8 cups chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 8oz of mushrooms
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
• 4 green onions, sliced finely
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves
• Hoisin sauce
• Chili paste
• Soy sauce
• Sesame oil
• 4 tablespoons roasted peanuts, crushed (optional) 
• for some added protein you can add either 4oz shrimp or firm tofu 

 Instructions:

1. In a medium pot over medium high heat, add chicken stock. When stock reaches a boil, add noodles and cook according to directions.
2. In a sauté pan over medium high heat, add oil. Add garlic, ginger, and mushrooms: saute until the mushrooms are soft and lightly browned. (Then you can add the tofu and shrimp if you choose, sauté for another 4 minutes.)
3. Add mushroom mixture to stock.
4. Season to taste with the  hoisin, chili paste, soy sauce and sesame oil. Add cracked black pepper for some heat.

My Healthy Twist on Cream of Mushroom Soup...shhh its a secret

Thank you trialx.org for pic ;)

Believe me you will not taste the difference...I even fooled my husband ;)

Ingredients:
12-16 oz. soft tofu <---that's the secret!
1 cup water
1 1/4 cups portobello mushrooms
2 medium yellow onions
4 cloves garlic
2 stalks celery
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt, plus more to taste
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
freshly ground black peper
fresh or dried thyme
2-3 Tbsp. dry sherry or dry Marsala
6-7 cups any basic vegetable broth
2 1/2Tbsp. Arborio rice
1 tsp. sweet paprika
1/3 cup chopped fresh dill or parsley

Method:

1. Clean and coarsley chop the mushrooms. Chop the onions; you should have about 3 cups. Mince the garlic and chop the celery to get about 3/4 cups.
2. In a nonstick skillet, heat 2 Tbsp. olive oil, add the chopped onions and a pinch of salt, and cover over gentle heat, stirring now and then, until the onions are soft and golden, about 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a second skillet, heat the remaining 1 Tbsp. oil with the butter and saute the garlic in it over medium heat for about 2 minutes. Add the the mushrooms, 1/2 tsp. salt, and black pepper and thyme to taste. Raise the heat to high and saute the mushrooms, stirring often, until they give up their liquid, sizzle, and begin to turn darker brown, 7-8 minutes. Add a splash of sherry or Marsala and stir as it cooks away.
4. When you get a spare moment, blend the tofu an water together.
5. While the mushrooms and onions are sauteing, put the broth, rice and celery into a soup pot and simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes. (Remember, if you are using canned broth you should dilute it, about 2 parts broth to 1 part water, or it will be too salty.) When the mushrooms and onions are ready, add them to the pot along with the paprika and tofu, keep simmering, covered, for another 15 minutes. remove the soup from the heat and stir fresh dill or parsley. Taste and correct the seasonings with a pinch more salt if needed.

**I pureed this soup to a semi-rough stage with an immersion blender until it was somewhere between smooth and chunky. Of course, you can puree to any degree of smothness you like. Add a bit more water or broth if the soup seems too thick.

Black Bean Soup...Panera Style

One of  my favorite soups from Panera Bread is their Black Bean. So one day when I was there and enjoying it, I thought to myself, "this cannot be difficult to make". I looked online, yep...definitely easy to make! I got the recipe from Spark People Recipes. The only changes I made was that I cooked my own beans while they used canned; and I used vegetable bouillon cubes instead of chicken. I was so pleased with the results of this soup that I used the same recipe base but I subbed the black beans for red lentils. Again...delicious.

The final product with some sour cream, avocado, cilanto sprigs
& a side of corn bread

Cooking my own black beans...remember to soak overnight if
you decide to take this route

The soup ingredients

saute, saute, saute

All done and ready to be eaten :)

(p.s.- for the soup recipe click on the Spark People Recipe link in blue above ;)

Smooth Beet Soup...a nutritional powerhouse!

Love that there aren't many ingredients!

1 1/2 pounds beets (about 6 medium) trimmed & scrubbed

4oz. shallots (about 4 medium) peeled & cut into 1/2 inch slices

2 garlic cloves

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1-2 tsp. balsamic vinegar

1/4 tsp both salt & pepper

2 Tbsp toasted chopped walnuts

4 tsp. snipped fresh dill

4 tsp. low-fat plain Greek yogurt

1. Preheat oven to 400F

2. In a shallow baking pan place beets, shallots and garlic. Pour the olive oil over the beets and stir to coat the vegetables. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and roast until the beets are very tender when pierced with a knife, about 50 minutes.

3. When the beets are cool enough to handle, peel the skins off. Coarsely chop them and place them in a food processor with the garlic and shallots.

4. Pour 1 cup of water into the pan and use a wooden spoon to scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan (place the pan over low heat, if necessary, to help scrape the bottom clean). Transfer the water and drippings to the food processor. Process until smooth. Transfer to a saucepan and add 2 cups water. Heat over medium heat and stir in 1-2 tsp. balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.

5. Spoon soup into four bowls and top each with walnuts, dill  & yogurt.

an easier version to Borscht

Recipe taken directly from this book

So I have a new friend, and her name is Jillian Michaels. Wasn't really looking for any of her books, she is more known as a workout guru. Which by the way, I have 4 of her DVDs and they are fabulous & butt-kicking!! But since I was doing her workouts, I wanted to know her mentality on nutrition. The book featured is her cookbook, but the theory behind this cookbook is in her other book 'Master Your Metabolism'. Bascially she links how 10 of our hormones control our metabolism, mood, appetite & how it gets processed in our body. It was quite interesting because I have never read it coming from this angle, and from my nursing perspective it made a lot of sense!! She talks about: insulin, thyroid, estrogen, progesterone, testosterone (yep women have it too), DHEA, norepinephrine, epinephrine, cortisol, & growth hormone. She also stressed how the chemicals in our environment also effect these hormones: everything from our cosmetics to pesticides, and much more in between. Planning to purchase both books, waiting for the cookbook to come out with the Kindle edition. Since I am such a book worm, had to buy a Kindle bc my book library was getting much too big. Plus we have been moving every 9-12months, and packing & moving those books is a real haul!

Barley Chili in 30min flat

Need to make a quick & hearty stew, but don't have the time?
Bought a box of barley for my beef & barley stew and they had this recipe on it so decided to try it out yesterday and it was fabulous!

4cups chicken, beef or veggie broth
2cups of pureed/crushed tomatoes or salsa
1 can of petite diced tomatoes
a few bay leaves
1cup quick cooking barley
spice it up with: chili powder, cajun, cayenne pepper, cumin
   (everyone has their own heat levels, so that's why I don't put measurements!)
1 green zucchini, diced
1cup carrots, diced
(you can also add diced celery or any other veggies on hand: peppers, mushrooms, onions, etc)
1 can corn
1 can black or pinto beans.
1-2 cloves of garlic, crushed
salt and pepper to taste

In a dutch oven or pot, combine the first 6 ingredients until they just come to a boil. While they are heating up, saute the veggies in some olive oil with a little salt & pepper until they are tender, about 5min. Add to pot, hopefully things are simmering in there, reduce heat and allow to simmer for 20min. You will also need to stir from time to time so that your barley does not settle to the bottom of the pot & burn. (This allows it to thoroughly cook). Then add in your corn, beans, garlic, salt & pepper simmer for another 5-10min until barley is tender. That is it! All done, serve with tortilla chips or corn bread. Top with reduced-fat sour cream and cheddar cheese for an added delight!

You can also add rotisserie chicken or turkey (if you have some left-over from the holidays) or cubed chicken breast to add a protein punch!

Broccoli 'n Cheddar Soup....PANERA style

Panera Bread has a great selection of soup, especially their creamy Broccoli and Cheddar.
I wanted to make a healthier version of all the copycat recipes and it turned out great!!

• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3/4 medium chopped onion
• 1 1/2 cups carrot, julienned
• 1/2 cup melted heart healthy margarine
• 1/2 cup flour
• 3 cups low-fat milk, with a couple of tablespoons of reduced-fat sour cream
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 3/4 lb fresh broccoli
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)
• 12 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt and pepper--to taste 

1. Saute onions in olive oil until transparent, add julienned carrots. You may need to add more olive oil to prevent burning. Saute both on medium heat for a few minutes, set aside. 
2. Cook melted margarine and flour using a whisk over medium heat for 3-5 minutes (use the pot that you are going to make the soup in). Stir constantly and add milk and sour cream mixture. Continue to stir until  your mixture starts to thicken.
3. Add chicken broth and simmer for 20 min. Occasionally stirring with whisk.
4. Add the broccoli, carrots and onions. Cook over low heat for 10-15 minutes.
5. Add salt, pepper, nutmeg...I added a clove of minced garlic for flavor!

Serve with grated cheese and crusty bread!!

Eggplant & White Bean Soup

I love the cooking blog STONE SOUP....it has great recipes with only 5 ingredients, every time!

And if you sign up for her emails, she will send you 2 free e-cookbooks !!

You forget how simple and delicious recipes can be, as long a you have quality ingredients.

This soup was great, not to mention quickly prepared. It almost tasty meaty (minus the meat). I did add sauteed portabello mushrooms to it. Lots of garlic and black pepper.

If nothing else, check out the website, her pictures of this dish are amazing! .

http://thestonesoup.com/blog/2011/04/vegetarianism-for-carnivores-a-simple-idea-for-healthier-eating/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+stonesoup%2FzQie+%28stonesoup%29

Satisfying Beef Barley Stew

I recently went to Williams-Sonoma "Soup for Supper" cooking class, and instantly feel in love with the Beef Barley soup. These classes are great because they are FREE. They actually make the soup in front of you, giving you tips and best of all: give you a sample....just to wet your palette. They also made a Carrot Ginger soup and let us try their jarred Tuscan White Bean Soup they sell in the store....yum, that was my lunch.

What I love best about this soup: very tender beef, the mushrooms give it an earthly balance and barley...very healthy :) Pair along side with a grilled cheese sandwich....soup for supper!

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/beef-barley-soup.html  <--link to the recipe
**I did not use the butter in the recipe, I sauteed my onions & mushroom in olive oil

Cold Days deserve some Hot Chili

What's up with all this snow? I'm ready to put away the sweaters, but for now making a warm bowl of chilli will do. I mixed a few recipes together to get a chili that is packed with more veggies!



4tsp. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb. ground beef (or turkey)
1 c. celery, chopped
1 c. mixed color bell peppers, chopped
1-2 carrots, grated
2x 10oz. canned tomatoes (reserve liquid)
12oz. kidney beans (drained & rinsed)
12oz. pinto beans (drained & rinsed)
2 bay leaves
1-2 T chilli powder
1/8tsp cayenne peper (or more if you want a nice kick)
1 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste

1. In skillet heat oil, add onions, celery, bell pepper and carrots saute till fragrant and soft. Then add ground beef, cook until brown.
2. Heat tomatoes and beans in large pot until there is a light boil, add beef & veggie mixture, spices and garlic. Check the seasonings and adjust if needed. Simmer for around 30min on low heat. (The longer the better) If consistency is too thick add water. Chilli is better the next day allowing for all the flavors to mix in!
3. Serve with sour cream (reduced-fat), cheese, avocado, bread......mmmm

Had some cauliflower in the fridge

http://www.greenkitchenstories.com/white-velvet-soup-a-la-my-new-roots/ <-(Pics from their website too!)

When I was cutting the cauliflower, I chuckled to myself: "Hey this looks like a slice of brain on a CT scan!" You know your a nurse when you are amused by that! I enjoy following the Green Kitchen Stories Food Blog (link is above with the recipe).
Thanks for posting this great soup, it has a nice roasted flavor!
I always use a recipe as the template and then change things up...
I used 4c. vegetable stock instead of diluting it with water and canned white kidney beans, which makes the recipe even easier and quicker!