Category Archives: soup recreation

Mushroom Leek Soup – A Vegetable World Meat Delight!

Posted on by
Reply

mushroom-leek-soup-0

mushroom-leek-soup-0
◄ Back
Picture 1 of 5

The completed Mushroom Leek soup!

A week ago, I went to a great Asian grocery store called TNT Supermarket that I haven’t been to in quite sometime. This place has a ton of various foods that you normally don’t find at regular supermarkets. I entered the supermarket without a plan of what to buy, but was drawn to the variety of mushrooms and how cheap they were.

So mushroom leek soup is was!

For this soup, I did not follow a recipe. I threw together my favorite base ingredients that I normally use in soups (e.g. vegetable stock, garlic, ginger). I also love leeks with mushrooms in any dish – so they joined the party as well. And having used enoki mushrooms in the past, their texture is almost like noodles to me and I thought they would be perfect in soup that was noodle-less.

The Verdict of Mushroom Leek Soup?

This soup is very fresh tasting and meaty with a ton of mushrooms – a vegetable world meat delight! I do love how the sesame oil added asian flare to my taste buds and it played very well with the ginger.  I had the soup for dinner and for lunch two days in a row  - and I would have had it another day but I was leaving for San Diego the next morning.

Mushroom Leek Soup Ingredients:

  • 5 cups vegetable stock
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 leek, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 ginger, minced
  • 3 packages enoki mushrooms , ends trimmed off
  • 4 king oyster mushrooms, sliced thin
  • 1 package brown shimeji mushrooms, broken apart
  • 1 package white shimeji mushrooms, broken apart
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced small
  • 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
  • dash salt and pepper
  • 2 green onions, chopped finely

Mushroom Leek Soup Instructions:

  1. In a saucepan, bring the vegetable stock to a gentle boil and then keep it on simmer.
  2. In a pan add olive oil and sauté the leeks, ginger and garlic about 3-4 minutes.
  3. Add in the mushrooms and bell pepper and sauté for another 5-8 minutes.
  4. Add mushroom, peppers, and sesame oil to the soup base.
  5. Simmer for 15 minutes.
  6. Ladle soup in bowls.
  7. Garnish with green onions.
  8. Season with salt and pepper – adjust to your liking.
Soup Mistress Rating For Mushroom Leek Soup:

Healthy (+ slimming + low sodium): (4.5/5)
Presentation: (3.5/5) 
Taste: (3.5/5)

Roasted Golden Beet Curry Soup – What Beauties Beets They Are!

Posted on by
Reply

Roasted Golden Beet Curry Soup

Roasted Golden Beet Curry Soup
◄ Back
Picture 1 of 5

Yummy, Spicy Beet Soup!

Over a week ago I roasted some red beets for the very first time ever and made a delish beet salad with lemon juice, shallots, macadamia oil with sprouts and arugula. It was so easy to roast beets and very yummy and fresh. I decided that my next beet culinary adventure would be in a soup and I wanted to try golden beets instead.

This soup recipe caught my attention and yesterday I headed to New Westminster Quay (Rivermarket.com) for some fresh produce to use in my soup. My good friend Karen Carter, a mighty fine real estate agent with Remax was coming over to get paperwork signed to list my condo on the market and I decided to make the soup for her visit!

The Verdict of Golden Beet Curry Soup:

Golden Beets –beauties they are!

Karen and I really liked how the curry played with the golden beets. They seem less sweet to me than red beets and perfect for this soup. The addition of carrot and parsnip gave a warm and earthy taste to the soup. Also the cayenne gave the soup a very nice mysterious heat to the soup – I don’t think it should be omitted from this soup ever (versus optional in the original recipe). The julienned red beets on top gave a nice contrast and texture. Karen did suggest that it would have been nice to have a dollop of cream in the soup (dairy or non-dairy cream like product – perhaps almond cheese?) – I have to agree with her on that point. Would have made it look even prettier as well!

Roasted Golden Beet Curry Soup Ingredients:

  • 6-7 golden beets, peeled and chopped
  • 1 red beet (for garnish)
  • 1 parsnip, peeled and chopped
  • 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1-1/2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
  • 1 tsp curry powder
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp coriander
  • 1/4 tsp cumin
  • 1 -1/2 inch fresh ginger, minced
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 tsp smoked sea salt
  • 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
  • 2 cups water, divided
  • 4-5 cups vegetable broth
Roasted Golden Beet Curry Soup:
  1. Preheat oven to 200°C.
  2. In a large baking pan or oven dish, toss beets, onions,  parsnip and carrot with oil and all spices. Roast the red beet whole by itself for garnish.
  3. Pour 1 cup water over the mixture and cover in foil. Roast for 1 hour.
  4. Blend using an immersion blender or puree in batches in a food processor, adding vegetable broth half a cup at a time followed by remaining water (up to 2 cup) until you reach your desired consistency.
  5. Add soup into a pot on stove top, add cinnamon stick, simmer on low for 10 minutes.
  6. Adjust curry and salt to taste.
  7. Ladle soup into bowls.
  8. Julienne red beet and garnish on top of soup.

What I changed from original soup recipe:

  • Used more beets (6-7)
  • Roasted a red beet separately and used it is  garnish julienned
  • Used 1 onion versus 1/2 onion
  • Doubled, curry, coriander, cumin, cayenne
  • Used a cinnamon stick after soup pureed and simmered it for 8-10 minutes
  • Used fresh ginger minced instead of ground ginger
  • Used more vegetable stock
Soup Mistress Rating (and Karen) for Roasted Golden Beet Curry Soup:

Healthy (+ slimming + low sodium): (4.5/5)
Presentation: (3.5/5)

Taste: (4.5/5)

 

A New Year Start With a Super Green Pot Of Morgans Soup

Posted on by
2

A super green soup

A super green soup
◄ Back
Picture 1 of 8

The completed soup. Super duper healthy for you!

On New Years Eve before going out with some of my friends, I made a huge pot of probably the greenest and healthiest soup I made to date. This was a pot of soup for my New Years detox and to take to work that week for my lunches.

I follow Vega on Facebook (clean plant-based nutrition products) and they’ve posted this soup recipe a few times since October/November. It looked awesome and sounded super healthy with kale, swiss chard, broccoli, asparagus –  I’ve been wanting to add more Kale in my diet.

Benefits of Kale:
Kale is very high in beta carotene, vitamin K, lutein, zeaxanthin, and rich in calcium. Along with other brassica vegetables, kale is also a source of indole-3-carbinol, a chemical which boosts DNA repair in cells and appears to block the growth of cancer cells. Read more here.

The Verdict of Morgans Green Soup:
Right after New Years, I somehow got a fever/flu and I was very glad that I had this huge pot of soup all made and sitting in my fridge. I definitely, think it helped me recoup and fight the fever faster. The soup was not the best tasting soup, but the healthiest I probably had. The original recipe seemed a tad bland. I did try to adjust and add in freshly squeezed lime juice, more garlic as well as some very fine chopped red thai chile. The soup needed some acidity as well as a little more heat. Perhaps it was because I was sick and my taste buds weren’t 100%. In the end, I would make this soup again for my lunches, but probably not one I would make for dinner guests. Not everyone would appreciate it as much as I and it is not a “wow, this soup is awesome” kind of soup. Also, next time I would chop the asparagus pieces way smaller – I didn’t like how big I did them in the soup (hard to pick up with spoon).

Morgans Green Soup Ingredients (with my adjustments, I also doubled the recipe so that I had a huge pot for a few days and froze some in ziplocks for a later date.)

  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 2 onion, diced
  • 1.5 head garlic, minced
  • 3 inch ginger, minced
  • 2 small red thai chile
  • 4L (16 cups) vegetable broth
  • 2 cups cauliflower, chopped
  • 2 cups broccolini, chopped
  • 1 bunch swiss chard, chopped, stems and leafs separated
  • 1 bunch kale, chopped
  • 4 cups spinach (not packed)
  • 2 (14oz) can coconut milk
  • 1 bunch asparagus, cut thinly on an angle
  • 1 lime, juice
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 bunch green onions, cut thinly on an angle
  • pepper, freshly cracked, to garnish
  • 1 parsnip

Directions

  1. Heat oil in a pot. Sauté onion about 5-6 minutes. Add garlic, red thai chile and ginger, sauté for 2-3 minutes.
  2. Add in vegetable broth, cauliflower and broccolini. Bring to a boil. Simmer soup for 10 minutes.
  3. Add in swiss chard, kale and spinach. Let greens wilt in soup for 2-4 minutes.  Add in coconut milk.
  4. In high-powered blender (or use immersion hand blender), blend soup until completely smooth. If soup is too thick, add more broth or water to thin it out.
  5. Add asparagus into soup and continue to cook until asparagus is cooked, about 3-5 minutes.
  6. Add in lime juice
  7. Heat 1 tbsp in a small fry pan and fry the diced parsnips till a tad golden, cool on a paper towel.
  8. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
  9. Garnish with green onion, parsnip, chili flakes and freshly cracked pepper.

Add sliced asparagus into soup and cook 3-5 minutes until asparagus is cooked. Serve with green onions, chili flakes and fresh cracked pepper.

Orignal soup recipe link: http://myvega.com/blog/2012/morgans-green-soup

What I changed from the original recipe:

  • doubled most ingredients to get a huge pot of soup
  • olive oil instead of coconut oil
  • broccolini instead of broccoli
  • added julienne fried parsnips as a garnish
  • omitted chile flakes for garnish – with the red thai chile, it was already hot enough.

Soup Mistress Rating for Morgans Green Soup:
Healthy (+ slimming + low sodium): (5/5) 
Presentation: (3.5/5) 
Taste: (3/5)  

Happy As A Clam Spicy Chowder For The Holidays

Posted on by
Reply

Happy As A Clam Spicy Chowder

Happy As A Clam Spicy Chowder
◄ Back
Picture 1 of 9

Happy As A Clam Spicy Chowder (Top View)

Just this last week I wanted to make a nice holiday dinner for a very special fella in my life (Graeme) who was coming up from Las Vegas. We are both pretty healthy eaters (most of the time) and I didn’t want to make the traditional Christmas turkey, stuffing and gravy kind of deal for our meal. I thought, why not a seafood menu since Vancouver has the best and freshest seafood available? So a trip to Granville Island was in store for me.

On the menu for the evening was:

  • tomatoes with basil, bocconcini and peach balsamic
  • dungeness crab cakes with orange marmalade horseradish sauce
  • spicy clam chowder with fresh clams
  • gluten-free white & dark chocolate bread pudding with walnuts, frangelico cream sauce and raspberry coulis.
I have adjusted and tweaked this chowder recipe in the past when I made an Oyster Chowder. l wanted to use a similar base with the Clam Chowder because I loved the tangy creamy taste that had a bit of heat.



The Verdict of Happy As A Clam Spicy Chowder

I love this chowder base and would use it in the future for other chowders, especially with smoked salmon, shrimp and halibut chowder. I would though add in some fresh shucked corn into a halibut chowder. Graeme also gave the soup a two thumbs up and accepted a second helping. He did mention that it had a nice smokey flavour, almost gouda like. It did not have gouda but I used a premium smoked bacon with goat yogurt that may have given that rich smokey flavor. Graeme did mention that it could have used a tad more lemon. I did use Meyer lemons for an expiriment but next time I will revert back to plain old lemons as they seem to be tangier and dependable. I loved using fresh clams versus canned clams – they seemed to be happier in my bowl and my tummy – so meaty and not rubbery like their cousins! Oh, ya, don’t overdo it with the red thai peppers – they are very spicy goddesses!



Happy As A Clam Spicy Chowder Ingredients:

  • 100 grams double smoked bacon, cut into ½ inch dice
  • 2 large shallots, finely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 carrots (approx 1 cup), diced small
  • 2 celery (approx 1 cup), diced small
  • 2 red thai chile, finely chopped
  • 1 red pepper (approx 3/4 cup), diced small
  • 4 medium red potatoes (approx 2.5 – 3 cups), diced small
  • 2 small bottles of clam juice (2 x 296ml)
  • 3 cups white wine
  • 1 large tomato, diced small
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 cups goat yogurt
  • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
  • 2 lbs fresh clams
  • 3 teaspoon chives, finely sliced
  • dash of salt and pepper

Happy As A Clam Spicy Chowder Instructions:

  1. In a large pan, sauté bacon over medium heat until brown and crisp, approximately 3-5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to plate and allow to rest.
  2. Add in shallot, garlic, carrot, celery, red thai chile, red pepper and potatoes. Sauté for 2-3 minutes.
  3. Add in oyster juice, 2 cups wine, tomato and water, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 – 15 minutes.
  4. Add the goat yogurt, lemon juice, thyme and bacon to pan. Heat through until potatoes are soft, but do not boil at this point. Reduce heat to low. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  5. In a separate pot, steam clams in a cup of white wine for a few minutes or until they open up.
  6. Distribute the clams in bowls. Throw away any clams that have not opened up.
  7. Ladle soup over clams in bowls and garnish with chives.

Soup Mistress Rating for Happy As A Clam Spicy Chowder For The Holidays:

Healthy (+ slimming + low sodium): (4/5) 
Presentation: (4.5/5) 
Taste: (4.5/5) 

Beef Pho Bo – A Vietnamese Soup Repeat is a Must!

Posted on by
Reply

Beef Pho Bo - Vietnamese Soup

Beef Pho Bo - Vietnamese Soup
◄ Back
Picture 1 of 4

The completed Beef Pho Bo (Vietnamese Soup)

Tonight  I invited my very good friend Sharai (plus house sitter + niece + cool nerdette) over for some Beef Pho Bo (Vietnamese soup).

I have been meaning to try a Pho (Vietnamese soup) recipe all last winter but never done so. Tonight was perfect timing to give it a whirl since I knew Sharai really loved Pho. I wanted to treat her to a soup night and thank her for house sitting my place over the last 5 weeks when I was in Vegas.

The Verdict of Beef Pho Bo?

The best thing about making this soup was the aroma in the house -  it was unbelievable! Cloves, ginger, star anise, fish sauce and beef – oh my! They are having a mighty fine party in my pot!

Sharai and I both agreed that the original recipe simmering time of 1.5 hours can be extended to a half day or all day event. The broth was superb, but I can imagine if it was simmered longer it would be served up in the VIP section in heaven!

The soup was flavorful, refreshing and the meat just cooked perfect by the broth being poured over it. I added additional pea shoots that was not called for in the original recipe and think it was a fine choice indeed. I also used beef back ribs instead of beef short ribs (a recommendation from my butcher at Safeway).

This Vietnamese soup is definitely going to be a repeat in my home!

Beef Pho Bo Ingredients:

  • 24 cups water
  • 4 lbs beef back ribs
  • 1 lb beef inside round rouladen (thinly sliced beef)
  • 3 inch piece ginger – large chopped pieces
  • 3 garlic gloves, large chopped pieces
  • 5 star anise
  • 7 whole cloves
  • 1 stick cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon black peppercorn
  • 5 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 1 package rice vermicelli noodles
  • 8 lime wedges
  • 4 green onions, large chopped pieces
  • 3 cups bean sprouts
  • 1 bunch pea shoots
  • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
  • 1/4 thai basil
  • sriracha sauce

Beef Pho Bo Instructions:

  1. Add water, beef back ribs, ginger, star anise, garlic, cloves, cinnamon stick, peppercorns and fish sauce to a very large pot. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer with lid on for 3-4 hours.
  2. Remove broth from heat and strain broth.
  3. Put pot back on stove, stir in noodles and wait 10 minutes or when noodles have softened.
  4. Ladle noodles into large deep soup bowls. Place bean sprouts, pea shoots, lime wedge, basil, cilantro, green onions and thinly sliced raw meat on top of the noodles.
  5. Ladle broth over soup, enough to cover and slightly cook the thinly sliced beef.
  6. Drizzle sriracha sauce over top of soup.
  7. Grab some chopsticks and/or spoon – enjoy!!

Original recipe from: http://www.theblackpeppercorn.com/2012/01/beef-pho-vietnamese-soup-pho-bo/

This soup got thumbs up from Sharai!

Soup Mistress Rating for Beef Pho Bo:

Healthy (+ slimming + low sodium): (4.5/5)
Presentation: (4.5/5)

Taste: (5/5)
 

Soup Spark is Lit! Roasted Garlic & Mushroom Soup with Quinoa

Posted on by
2

Roasted Garlic & Mushroom Soup with Quinoa

Roasted Garlic & Mushroom Soup with Quinoa
◄ Back
Picture 1 of 12

The completed Roasted Garlic & Mushroom Soup with Quinoa

Yikes! This is my first blog post since May! Somehow my passion for playing golf and training for my first half marathon ate up all my time over the last few months.  But heck, it’s never too late to start back at er! It is fall here now and somehow my soup spark has been lit again!

Every once in a while when I receive Costco’s bi-monthly magazine I flip through the pages just to read the recipes. For this September/October issue, I found this great looking soup recipe that had quinoa in it.  I have had a bag of quinoa for quiet sometime and been meaning to make a quinoa salad or something, but never looked into any recipes to date. I have not thought of using it in soup.  But soup it is today!

The Verdict of Roasted Garlic & Mushroom Soup with Quinoa?

The original soup recipe was good, but with some fine-tuning, I transformed it into a splendid soup for myself!  Somehow it seemed a tad bland so I added more pepper and freshly squeezed lime juice, which seemed to have lifted it up quite nice! Also goat yogurt is highly recommended or even give Greek yogurt a try – they both will give the soup a nice creamy taste! Just make sure you swirl it around in your soup before digging in!

Roasted Garlic & Mushroom Soup with Quinoa Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1 pound sliced cremini mushrooms
  • 1 pound sliced shitake mushrooms
  • 5 cups low sodium vegetable stock
  • 2 cups water
  • ½ cup quinoa
  • 1 tablespoon roasted garlic
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • 2 cups fresh baby spinach
  • 1/8 cup of fresh lime juice
  • ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 cup goat yogurt

Roasted Garlic & Mushroom Soup with Quinoa Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 200C. Cut top of garlic bulb off, place on tin foil enough to cover the whole bulb, sprinkle olive oil, wrap and bake in oven for about 30 minutes. Cool then spoon out garlic.
  2. Heat oil in large saucepan or pot over medium heat.  Cook onion for about 8 minutes, then add in mushrooms and cook for 7 more minutes until mushrooms are softened.
  3. Remove 2 cups of the mushroom/onion mixture and put aside till later.
  4. Add in stock, water, quinoa, roasted garlic, thyme, salt, pepper. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for approx 15 minutes until the quinoa is tender.
  5. Puree soup with hand blender (or in blender and return back to pot).
  6. Stir in reserved mushroom/onion mixture. Cook gently until evenly heated through and stir in lime juice and spinach.
  7. Ladle into bowls
  8. Garnish with a dollop of goat yogurt and grated parmesan.

Original soup recipe from:  Costco Connection, September/October 2012 edition, reprinted from: Quinoa Revolution: Over 150 Healthy Great Tasting Recipes Under 500 Calories by Patricia Green and Carolyn Hemming.

What I changed from original soup recipe:

  • Used olive oil instead of vegetable oil
  • Doubled the mushrooms and used shitake as well as cremini
  • Used 5 cups of stock versus 4 cups
  • Added lime juice
  • Added goat yogurt
  • Used more pepper

Soup Mistress Rating for Roasted Garlic & Mushroom Soup with Quinoa:

Healthy (+ slimming + low sodium): (5/5)
Presentation: (4/5) 
Taste: (4.5/5) 

Sweet and Sour Napa Cabbage Apple Soup – A Great Pick Me Up Soup

Posted on by
Reply

Sweet and Sour Napa Cabbage Apple Soup

Sweet and Sour Napa Cabbage Apple Soup
◄ Back
Picture 1 of 9

The Completed Sweet and Sour Napa Cabbage Apple Soup

Yesterday I decided to make this refreshing soup. I was looking for something to pick me up because the night before I had one too many glasses of wine with my girl friends.

I decided to replace regular green cabbage with napa cabbage – it is somewhat milder and a bit sweeter. Napa cabbage is a good source of vitamin C, folate, calcium, potassium, and manganese. Read more on the nutritional value here: http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/3035/2

The Verdict of Sweet and Sour Napa Cabbage Apple Soup? I did like the sweet and sour taste of the soup. It seemed more on the sweet side to me though – so if you are not a sweet soup kind of person, this is not for you. Myself, I do like savory as well as sweet soups. This soup did in fact pick me up and make me feel like I did not have wine the night before. It was a great pick me up soup. I would make this soup in the future. I think this soup could also be served cold in the summertime or used as a base (simmered down more) to cook chicken in and served it over some rice.

Sweet and Sour Napa Cabbage Apple Soup Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 4 cups napa cabbage, finely chopped
  • 2 apples, peeled and diced (plus few slices for garnish)
  • ½ cup apple juice
  • 14oz canned tomatoes
  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 3.5 oz pineapple with reserved juice, finely chopped
  • 4 cups water
  • 2 teaspoon wine vinegar
  • ¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
  • salt and pepper

Sweet and Sour Napa Cabbage Apple Soup Instructions:

  1. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium sauté onions for about 5 minutes or until soft (not browned).
  2. Add cabbage and sauté for another 2 minutes.
  3. Add apples and apple juice,  and cook for 5 minutes.
  4. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, pineapple, vinegar, and water.
  5. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 1 hour until fruit and veggies are soft.
  6. Take soup off heat, add lime juice and puree soup with hand blender (or in food processor working in batches).
  7. Return soup to rinsed out pot, and heat up soup on low.
  8. Add pepper and salt to taste.
  9. Ladle soup in warmed bowls.
  10. Garnish with thin apple slices.

Original Recipe: Soup Bowl, An inspiring Collection of Soups, Broths, and Chowders,  Sweet and Sour Cabbage Soup (page 137)

What I Changed From Original Recipe:

  • omitted raisins and orange juice
  • added lime juice and tomato paste
  • omitted tomato juice
  • used more cabbage and napa cabbage instead of regular cabbage
  • used more pineapple and the reserved juice

Soup Mistress Rating for Sweet and Sour Napa Cabbage Apple Soup:

Healthy (+ slimming + low sodium): (4.75/5)
Presentation: (3.75/5) 
Taste: (3.85/5) 

Spanish Chickpea and Chorizo Soup – Definitely a Bowl Licker!

Posted on by
Reply

Spanish Chickpea and Chorizo Soup

Spanish Chickpea and Chorizo Soup
◄ Back
Picture 1 of 11

The Completed Spanish Chickpea and Chorizo Soup

My soup-a-holic friend Noel Pullen shared this Spanish Chickpea and Chirizo Soup – it is one of his favorite soup recipes (actually one of his wife’s favorites). The Tomato Basil Organic Soup is his other favorite. Both soups are original soup recipes from Jamie Oliver.

I didn’t change much of the original recipe, but I did add cumin and paprika, which are ussually found in Spanish dishes. I must say that I really love cumin.

The Verdict of Spanish Chickpea and Chorizo Soup? Wow – Noel’s wife has good taste buds indeed. This soup recipe is a keeper for sure! I am not sure if this soup will ever make it to the freezer because I had it last night and then today for lunch. This is one soup that rocks for flavor the first day and the flavors explode even more the next. I felt like licking the bowl because the base was so good. I also like how the prosciutto cooks a little and the hammy texture is so nice with the chorizo. For each and every spoonful, you are most likely to get one of the meats!

Spanish Chickpea and Chorizo Soup Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 large (5.5 ounces) chorizo sausage, chopped
  • 2 cups onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 sticks of celery, chopped
  • 8 fresh tomatoes, deseeded and roughly chopped
  • 1 (14 ounce) can of good quality chickpeas, rinsed with water
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 5 cups low sodium chicken stock
  • 1 lb fresh baby spinach
  • sea salt and fresh ground pepper
  • 2 ounces of prosciutto, finely chopped
  • 2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced thinly (egg slicer can come in handy!)

Spanish Chickpea and Chorizo Soup Instructions:

  1. Heat olive oil up in large saucepan, saute chorizo until fat comes out.
  2. Add onion, garlic and celery. Turn heat to min and cook slowly for 10-15 mins with lid on – don’t colour onions.
  3. Add tomatoes, chickpeas, cumin, paprika and chicken stock.
  4. Bring to boil, lower heat and simmer for 40 mins.
  5. In meantime, place eggs in pot of cold water, bring pot to a boil then turn off heat, cover and let sit for 20 minutes. Rinse eggs in cold water and peel.
  6. When soup has simmered for 30 minutes, add in baby spinach.
  7. Puree about 1/3 of mixture or use the handheld blender for about 4 seconds.
  8. Season with salt and pepper
  9. Add prosciutto and stir for 1 minute.
  10. Ladle soup among serving bowls.
  11. Add sliced egg on top of soup.

Original Recipe: http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/soup-recipes/scrumptious-spanish-chickpea-chorizo

What I changed from original recipe:

  • added cumin and paprika
  • used baby spinach and did not chop it
  • used 3 cloves of garlic instead of 1
  • used low sodium chicken stock
  • added spinach close to the end of simmer stage
  • sliced the eggs for garnish instead of grating

Soup Mistress Rating for Spanish Chickpea and Chorizo Soup:

Healthy (+ slimming + low sodium): (3.75/5)
Presentation: (3.5/5) 
Taste: (4.75/5) 

Garlic Broth With Pan Seared Halibut

Posted on by
Reply

Garlic Broth with Halibut

Garlic Broth with Halibut
◄ Back
Picture 1 of 8

The Completed Garlic Broth With Seared Halibut.

Wow, today we had a windy day here in the lower mainland of Vancouver with gusts as high as 80 km/h! I walked my dog this morning and we were blown away a few times with some gusts. I was chilled right down to the bone all day. I thought it was a perfect day to have hot garlic broth with some halibut.

I had my eye on this recipe which originally called for scallops, but I thought it would be great to substitute it with halibut pieces. Halibut is a very beautiful fish, I wanted to celebrate it in a delicate yet tasty broth versus hiding it in a soup with many ingredients (like a chowder).

Garlic Broth With Pan Seared Halibut Ingredients:

  • 1- 1/2 large garlic bulb separated into peeled cloves
  • 2 celery stalk, chopped
  • 2 carrot, chopped
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 15 peppercorns
  • 6 parsley stems
  • 1/2 red thai chile pepper, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 6 cups water
  • 8 oz halibut
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • fresh cilantro for garnish

Garlic Broth With Pan Seared Halibut Instructions:

  1. Combine garlic cloves, celery, carrot, onion, peppercorns, parsley stems, red thai chile, tomato paste and water in a saucepan with good pinch of salt.
  2. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, simmer partially covered for 45-50 minutes.
  3. Strain in a fine sieve into clean saucepan. Keep warm over low heat.
  4. Cut halibut in small chunks
  5. Season halibut on both sides with salt and pepper.
  6. Heat up olive oil over medium-high. When pan is hot, cook the fish for about 3 minutes, until lightly browned. Turn, reduce the heat to medium, and cook about 3-4 minutes longer, until the fish is firm/opaque in the center and browned on both sides.
  7. Divide halibut pieces among bowls
  8. Ladle soup over the scallops, then garnish with cilantro leaves. And enjoy!

Original Recipe: Soup Bowl, An inspiring Collection of Soups, Broths, and Chowders,  Seared Scallops in Garlic broth (page 195)

What I Changed From Original Recipe: The first time I tried the original recipe the broth was a bit tasteless as well as clear (didn’t look to appealing). I adjusted the original recipe a fair bit:

  • Doubled carrot and celery.
  • Used more garlic and peppercorns.
  • Used halibut instead of scallops.
  • Added tomato paste.
  • I peeled the cloves (original recipe called for unpeeled).
  • Added red chile pepper to give it a tad of heat.
  • Simmered for longer period to extract the flavors more from garlic as well as vegetables.

Soup Mistress Rating for Garlic Broth With Pan Seared Halibut:

Healthy (+ slimming + low sodium): (4.5/5)
Presentation: (4/5) 
Taste: (4.25/5) 

Arugula Soup with Poached Egg and Truffle Oil

Posted on by
Reply

Arugula Soup

Arugula Soup
◄ Back
Picture 1 of 12

The Completed Arugula Soup with Poached Egg and Truffle Oil

I love arugula and poached eggs, but I would have never thought of them together in a soup. When I saw this recipe in one of my cook books, it intrigued me. Hmmn, a poached egg with truffle oil is a nice touch indeed! I decided to give the recipe a whirl with few modifications.

The Verdict of Arugula Soup with Poached Egg and Truffle Oil? I found the original recipe a little bland, so the second time around I added garlic. Also, this is one soup that lends itself to a fair bit of pepper – it goes well with the potato/arugula base. I really love the idea of the egg, but there is no room for a poached egg on the hard side – a very soft and runny egg makes this soup very good indeed. I would even put two eggs in one large bowl of soup if that is all I was to have for my meal.

Arugula Soup with Poached Egg and Truffle Oil Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 cups leeks, chopped
  • 3 – 1/2 cup new potatoes, chopped
  • 2 garlic gloves, finely chopped (additional adjustment the second time I attempted this soup)
  • 4 cups low sodium vegetable stock
  • 5 oz arugula
  • 1 teaspoon white vinegar
  • 4 eggs
  • 6 tablespoons goat yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons white truffle oil
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Arugula Soup with Poached Egg and Truffle Oil Instructions:

  1. Heat oil in a large, heavy based saucepan.
  2. Saute leeks for about 5 minutes on medium heat, until soft and glistening.
  3. Add potatoes, garlic and saute for a further 3-5 minutes.
  4. Add vegetable stock, bring to a boil and simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are really tender.
  5. Remove from heat and add the arugula, let it wilt for about 10 minutes.
  6. While arugula is wilting in soup, bring a deep skillet of water to a boil; add the vinegar, and then turn down to a gentle simmer. After soup is blended (step 8), crack the eggs in each corner and turn off the heat. Let sit for 3 minutes or until the eggs start to float up.
  7. Transfer the soup to a blender and pure until smooth (I usually count to 25 seconds).
  8. Return soup to pan, stir in yogurt, and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. If soup is to thick at this stage, add more vegetable stock to your liking.
  9. Heat soup up, but do not boil.
  10. Divide the soup between 4 bowls, top each with a poached egg, and serve with fresh grinding of black pepper and drizzles of truffle oil.

The Original Recipe: Soups no-fuss recipes for Hearty Soups, author Tonia George (Hard cover book, page 50)

What I changed from original recipe:

  • Replaced butter with olive oil
  • Replaced chicken stock with low sodium vegetable stock
  • Replaced heavy cream with goat yogurt
  • Adjusted and converted ingredients to measurement in cups
  • Added garlic

Soup Mistress Rating for Arugula Soup with Poached Egg and Truffle Oil:

Healthy (+ slimming + low sodium): (4.5/5)
Presentation: (3.5/5) 
Taste: (3.5/5)