Friday, September 3, 2010

Soup's On

There has been a shift and it happened in a single evening. The air has become cool, the clouds are darker and heavier only allowing the sky blue to poke through intermittently and the lake has changed from the turquoise blues and heavenly greens of summer to dark blue with a thin black line as the horizon. Today I can not look out my window and fool myself into thinking I am looking at the ocean. It is Lake Michigan and she is saying “fall is near”.




Split Pea Soup



2 c. split green peas, picked through and rinsed
3 c. chopped onion
4 c. filtered water
1 T. garlic powder
1 T. onion powder
1 cube vegan bouillon
Sea Salt and Pepper to taste

In a large stock pot, sauté the onion in the olive oil until soft on medium heat, about 4 minutes. Add the peas and water and stir well. Add the garlic powder, onion powder and vegan bouillon and simmer for 30 minutes on medium heat or until peas are tender. If the soup starts to boil, turn down the heat and continue to simmer.

Once the peas are tender remove from heat and season to taste with sea salt and pepper. Take half of the soup, including most of the liquid and puree in a blender. Add back the puree to the chunky soup. You can add more sea salt and pepper if desired. Garnish with a sprinkle of paprika.

Enjoy!

Notes: Rapunzel Bouillon is the best. You can purchase at Whole Foods or other health food stores. I prefer the herb without salt. It is completely vegan and delicious.

Remember to hold the lid of the blender in place with a hot pad or kitchen towel when blending a hot liquid. I learned the hard way!

If you want to add a little something extra to the soup, a couple drops of red wine vinegar per serving really adds to the flavor – just a couple of drops. You could also use a little lemon juice.

Yields approximately 4 cups of soup.

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Kale Salad

Kale is a powerhouse of a food. High in fiber, vitamins A, C, K and iron, kale is a food that makes you feel good. This salad is super simple to prepare and high on the delicious scale. It holds up well for a picnic and can be made a day ahead and kept in the fridge.




Kale Salad

1 bunch organic kale
10 oz. grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup pine nuts
1 lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ tsp. sea salt
Fresh ground pepper

Tear kale off of stem into bite size pieces (approximately 1 inch). Wash kale well and dry. Place in large salad bowl. Add in the tomatoes, cranberries and pine nuts. In a smaller bowl, juice ½ the lemon and remove any seeds. Whisk in the olive oil, sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Pour lemon juice mixture over the kale and mix with hands until evenly coated. Enjoy!

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Trying Something New

Sometimes it is difficult to try new things. We take comfort in what we know, it’s familiar and that familiarity feels good. We like knowing what to expect, which is my theory for why some folks continue to eat the same crappy, nutritionally void, imitation food at certain chain restaurants with those drive-thru windows for your convenience.

I was never a big fan of cold soup. Soup with out heat, I just didn’t get it…until last summer when my friend E.B. made this amazing corn soup. I said I would have a small portion (just to be polite) and ended up having two large bowls and offered to clean up so I could have what was left with out anyone looking!

Get what you can from your local farmer’s market, the fresher your ingredients the better it is. You may even find yourself wondering how something so delicious and creamy could be so good for you.



Raw Corn Soup
Adapted from Food and Wine article by Ani Phyo

4 cups of corn
1 clove garlic
1 ¾ cups filtered water
2/3 cups raw cashews
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons sea salt
Pinch of fresh ground black pepper
Chopped fresh cilantro or chives for garnish

Place 3 cups of corn in blender (reserve 1 cup for garnish), garlic clove, water, cashews, olive oil and salt and pepper. Blend until smooth. Pour into individual bowls. Garnish with remaining corn and chopped cilantro. Enjoy!

Note: if you use a high powered blender like a Vita mix your soup will be rather frothy, let it sit for a few minutes before pouring into bowls.

Serves 4