Category Archives: vegetarian soups

Princess & A Pea Soup Challenge at Horizons Restaurant

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Just this week I had my big brother visiting from Winnipeg. I wanted to take him for dinner at a nice restaurant with a view of Vancouver. I thought that Horizons on Burnaby Mountain was a mighty fine choice for the view.

When I read the menu the soup of the day, it really fancied me:

“Carrot & Sweet Pea Soup - Sourdough croutons, paprika oil”

So I ordered it and my brother followed suit.

Leading up to being served the soup, I imagined that it came with more than one crouton and would be very colourful to my eyes with green (for the peas) floating around perhaps in the orange broth (carrots) with some equisite kind of garnish.

This is what I was served:

The Verdict of Horizons Carrot & Sweet Pea Soup?

There seemed to be a disconnect of how it was described on the menu and what was in front of me. Don’t get me wrong, the broth was super tasty and a very nice touch with the paprika oil. But the soup overall did not wow me what-so-ever. Perhaps my expectation of a fancy dancy restaurant on one of the highest points in Burnaby was way to inflated.

 

I question if Horizons in fact used sweet peas in the soup and why did they not celebrate them floating around in a beautiful broth? Were some peas actually pureed in the soup? I don’t know and couldn’t tell if they were. Perhaps they did not use fresh sweet peas and hid them in the broth?

Also, the notion of “croutons” being plural in the description was deceiving. I only received one very thin baguette piece which got very soggy after my first spoonful. It disappointed me a tad.

 

I have been so blessed with superb soups at many restaurants I have visited in the past and would consider myself a soup princess.

So, what I am saying is this soup did not passs the princess test. I am pretty sure someone forgot to put the pea under the twenty mattresses. I was not feeling it what-soever! And the prince is asking “Where did the pea go?!!”

 

Soup Mistress (and Chris Yelland my brother) Rating for Horizons Carrot & Sweet Pea Soup:

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

Presentation: (2.5/5)

Taste: (3/5)

Soups of San Francisco – A16 is Broth-a-licious Indeed!

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Yesterday was my first day of vacationing in San Franscico and I was all by my lonesome for the first night. Tonight, I will be meeting my boyfriend and we will be venturing out together in the city as well as Napa for few days.  I’m hoping that he will help me rate the rest of the soups during the visit here.

But last night it was just me. So what is one to do all by themselves in the Cow Hallow area?

Well, walking down to Chestnut street was a mighty fine idea indeed. It seemed to be buzzing with all kinds of folks. People hanging out of pubs, cafes and restaurants. I decided to walk by A16, a restaurant that my girlfriend Sharon (whoms house I was staying at) has mentioned a few times in the past as being a great spot. It was super busy, and I lucked out being a lone diner to grab a seat at the bar.

A first, I sat between two couples and it felt so boring to me. But shortly after one couple left, three bubbly freindly women joined the bar besides me, whom I had the liberty to have a few glasses of wine and some laughs with. They were a hoot and made my evening for sure.

 From left to right: Nancy, Heida and Alicia

So what was on the menu?

I decided to have A16′s Spring Zuppa and the Octupus salad.

The Verdict of “A16 Spring Zuppa”?

The soup was not your stuffy high end soup with heavy cream. It had a wonderful tasty and delicate broth. Actually probably one of the top broths I’ve had. It had very thinly sliced asparagus morsels and oh so fine crispy fried croutons. The herbs seemed very fresh, and they definitely used some fresh English Peas – oh my, I liked how they popped in my mouth! The soup seemed simple yet very elegant and oh so tasteful. It seemed as though the soup is an au natural for your tastebuds. No need to glamourize and heavy it up with fat and cream! I am guessing that the broth was a vegetable base – the roasted spring onion oil gave a really good depth to the broth that a meat based broth may have done. Brilliant. Overall, my tastebuds felt very satisfied with A16s Spring Zuppa and my hips didn’t feel guilty what-so-ever.

 

A16 is a place to check out, they also have a wine list comprising of more than 500 selections!!

A16
2355 Chestnut Ave, San Francisco, California
http://www.a16sf.com

 

Soup Mistress Rating for “A16 Spring Zuppa”:

Healthy (+ slimming + low sodium): (4.5/5)
Presentation: (3/5) 
Taste: (4.5/5) 

Sunchoke Lentil Soup With Garnish Galore!

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Sunchoke lentil soup

Sunchoke lentil soup
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with a apple, chive, sunchoke medley

I’ve been meaning for quite sometime to make this soup when my boyfreind shared the original recipe from the Wall Street Journal back on January 13, 3013. I never had a chance to cook with sunchokes in the past nor did I hear of them till late last year. And now I notice more restaurants in Vancouver like The Acorn making Sunchoke soup. I was even more motivated to make this soup. Is this a new fad of soups? Hmmn.

The Verdict of Sunchoke Soup?
This recipe was very thought out with the great looking garnish that took it further than a garnish because it added another level to the soup with taste and texture. Two thumbs up to Chef Michael Anthony from the Gramercy Tavern in New York known for fine-dining take on hyper-seasonal American cuisine with this recipe.

 

The soup was healthy and sans cream or milk products. Loved it also because the topping with chives was exquisite and the crunchy apples a fine texture and just enough sweetness. The fried tiny Sunchoke pieces are subtle and plays well with chives and apples. The soup was very velvety and creamy like a pureed cauliflower soup (one of my favs). The bouquet spices made a strong statement in the pot of soup for a tiny packet.

I adjusted the recipe and added more lentils to make a meal out of my soup. I took it to work two days in a row for lunch and it filled me up just fine!

One thing I would do different next time if I made this soup is I would use a lighter coloured vegetable stock (like Imagine Organic Vegetable Low Sodium Stock). The stock I used for this time (Pacifico Organic Vegetable Broth) was way too orange for my liking. I would have loved to have a whiter looker soup (prettier in my opinion being more white). Oh, ya, sprinkle a little lemon juice on the apples before adding to the medley if you want them looking white for next day and store the medley in an airtight plastic container.

 

Sunchoke Soup Ingredients:

  • ¼ cup black lentils
  • pinch salt, plus more, to taste
  • 4 tbsps olive oil
  • 1 large white onion, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1 leek, trimmed and thinly sliced
  • 4 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 5 cloves garlic
  • 2 celery stalks, sliced ½ inch thick
  • 2 pounds sunchokes, all but 2 pieces (about 3 inches each) peeled and cut into ½ inch coins
  • 8 cups vegetable stock or water
  • 1 whole star anise
  • 5 cloves garlic, roughly sliced
  • 15-20 corriander seeds
  • ½ cinnamon stick
  • 1 tbsp ginger, finely chopped
  • pepper to taste
  • ½ cup apples. Cut into ¼ inch dice
  • 1 tablespoon chopped chives
Sunchoke Soup Instructions:
  1. Set a small pot of water over high heat and bring back to a boil. Add lentils and pinch salt and simmer until lentils are just tender, about 15 minutes. Drain.
  2. Meanwhile, make soup: Set a deep pot over medium heat and swirl in 2 tablespoons oil. Add onions, leeks, shallots, garlic and celery. Sweat until softened and translucent, 3-4 minutes. Add sunchokes and sweat until slightly softened, 1-2 minutes more.
  3. Add enough stock to just cover vegetables and raise heat to high. Wrap spices and ginger in cheesecloth, secure with kitchen twine and add sachet to pot. Once soup comes to a boil, reduce heat to medium-high and simmer steadily until sunchokes and fork-tender, 20-30 minutes.
  4. While vegetables simmer, assemble garnish: peel and cut reserved sunchokes into ¼ inch dice/ Set a medium pan over medium heat and swirl in remaining oil/ Once hot, sauté diced sunchokes until tender and golden all over, about 5 minutes.
  5. Mix sautéed sunchokes with cooked lentils, apples and chives. Season with salt to taste. Set aside.
  6. Once vegetables have simmered, set a sieve over a large bowl and pour soup through to separate vegetables from stock. Discard sachet and reserve stock. In a food processor, puree vegetables until smooth.
  7. Return pureed vegetables to pot and stir in enough stock to create a loose yet creamy consistency. Bring back to a simmer and season with salt and white pepper to taste.
  8. To serve, ladle soup into bowls and place a large spoonful of sunchoke-apple-lentil garnish in center of each bowl.
What I changed from original soup recipe:
  • Used black pepper instead of white pepper
  • Doubled lentils
  • Used 3/4 cup of diced apples instead of 1/2 cup
  • Used more chives, corriander and two star anise
  • Used a mix of lentils (black and brown)
Soup Mistress Rating for Sunchoke Soup:

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

Soups of San Diego – A Summery Cream Satisfaction Indeed

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Last week I had the great liberty to visit beautiful San Diego. My trip was originally for business to attend a conference on tag management software for analytics, but I was able to combine it with a few days of pleasure time.

Coming from rainy Vancouver, I was very impressed with the sunshine and shorts weather for my first two days. I had a cute tour guide visiting with me and we had a wonderful time bike riding around Coronado Island and downtown San Diego. During the week, I experienced some mighty fine restaurants and pubs.

With the mild weather and great soups, it was very much a summery cream satisfaction for myself. The following are my three favorite soups that I had dining out during my week stay in San Diego.

Kelvin Restaurant at W Hotel
http://www.kelvinrestaurant.com
421 West B. Street, San Diego, CA

I had their Rustic Poblano Corn Soup with spiked popcorn:

The Verdict of Kelvin Restaurant Rustic Poblano Corn Soup:
On my last night I decided to have a quiet dinner at my hotel (W Hotel). This restaurant is petit but very modern and nice. I wanted to have a light dinner so I ordered the Rustic Poblano Corn Soup with the Duck Confit Quesidillas. Both paired well together. But I ended up with a not so light dinner – I was super stuffed after eating it all.

The soup seemed to have fresh kernels within the pureed base, which I thought was a classy touch. They were not mushy what-so-ever liked canned corn. I LOVED the use of tiny chopped chives (my favorite soup topper) as well as a tasty swirl of chile infused oil. The oil added a really fine touch of heat.

And the spiked corn as a garnish – oh my! It sure prettied up the soup! First ever experience of popcorn as a garnish for myself.

My waitress shared that the soup had cream, vegetable stock and rice flour.  I am sure that it had a lot of cream too. It had a very good tasting base but a tad heavy on the cream side. I also think it didn’t really need the rice flour because it was to thick for my liking (almost like risotto thick).

The taste of the soup rocked, but does not get high marks for a slimming soup from me.

Oh well, I enjoyed it but back on the treadmill I go!

Soup Mistress Rating For Kelvin Restaurant Rustic Corn Soup:

Healthy (+ slimming + low sodium): (2.5/5)
Presentation: (4.5/5) 
Taste: (4/5)

Blue Point Coastal Cuisine
http://www.cohnrestaurants.com/menu-restaurants/blue-point/
565 Fifth Avenue, San Diego, CA

I had their famous Lobster Bisque with sherry and creme fraiche (gluten-free):

The Verdict of Blue Point Coastal Cuisine Lobster Bisque:

What a special treat, I went to this restaurant twice in one week! The first time was pleasure and the second time, Tealium Software treated our team at Electronic Arts to dinner. I also had a great opportunity to sit besides Jim Sterne – one of the biggest Analytics evangelist and great eMetrics conference host and speaker. Was fun to talk analytics with him.

A few of us at the table ordered the Lobster Bisque. This soup was super rich and very tasty. The soup was perfect for my appetite because I only ordered crab cakes with it.  Jim, on the other hand couldn’t finish it because he thought it was too rich and filling – he was also waiting for his main entre. Perhaps Blue Point should offer a cup of bisque for those who may be like Jim and not want a big bowl?

The pieces of lobster in my bisque was meaty and juicy at same time. Perhaps it marinated in the soup a tad -sometime I find lobster to tough. I didn’t pick up on the Sherry in the soup – perhaps it dissipated? The seasoning was just perfect but the bisque could have used triple the amount of chives.

I would order this bisque again but perhaps replace the crab cakes with some more fresh oysters, which by the way, comes from beautiful British Columbia (my home province)!

Soup Mistress Rating For Blue Point Coastal Cuisine Lobster Bisque:

Healthy (+ slimming + low sodium): (2.5/5)
Presentation: (3.5/5) 
Taste: (4/5)

Mimmo’s Italian Village
http://www.mimmos.biz
1743 India St, San Diego, CA., San Diego, CA

I had the their soup of the day which was a Tomato Basil Soup:

The Verdict of Mimo’s Tomato Basil Soup:

The last day, I had fun hanging out with two other co-workers (Nataliya and Robert). We took a tour on the USS Midway ship and then we ventured to Little Italy for our last meal before heading to the airport.

Mimo’s grabbed our attention and both Robert and I ordered the Tomato Basil soup. I really enjoyed it – I have tried many tomato basil soups and this one makes one of the top 5 I had to date.. It was simple yet tasty like it should be. I lapped up the bowl of soup with some very fresh bread slices. And the freshly grated parmesan is a must at any Italian restaurant don’t you think?

Thumbs up for taste as well as a slimming soup from both Robert and myself!

Soup Mistress Rating For Mimo’s Tomato Basil Soup:

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

Mushroom Leek Soup – A Vegetable World Meat Delight!

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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)

Veganlicious Soup Options in Vancouver’s Lower Mainland is Plentiful

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For the last three weeks I have been participating in a vegan challenge and it has been a mighty fine journey. I must confess that I did have one slip up just 3 days in. I confessed to my challenger. He displayed disbelief and disappointment of my news – I felt like a gigantic fricken loser! After that naughty episode, I got back on the program instead of just throwing in the towel. I was determined to do it!

At first I thought it was going to be very difficult to find good vegan grub in Vancouver and the lower mainland, but after being a week and half into my challenge, I was overwhelmed by the options – and plentiful indeed!

The Outcome?
Over the last few weeks I felt super great and realized that I was treating my body well with this diet choice. I am considering becoming a vegan close to full-time (well…minus 2-3 days per month. I do love having an egg and prosciutto once in a while as well as butter on my hot air popcorn!). Read more on veganism here.

Below are vegan soups that I want to share with you that are from my favorite vegan friendly spots to date in Vancouver/ Lower Mainland:

Paradise Vegetarian Noodle House
http://www.paradisevegetarian.com/
8681 10th Avenue, Burnaby, BC

I had their #12 Soup: Veggie Chicken Rice Noodle Soup (Pho Ga)

The Verdict of Paradise Vegetarian Noodle House Veggie Chicken Rice Noodle Soup
Refreshing sunshine on a grey day for me! I was astonished how the slices of veggie chicken had the texture like any juicy meat basting in a fine broth. The soup was served with sprouts and lemon on the side, which soon joined the party in my bowl. The broth seemed very flavorful and hint of a creamy broth. I’d love to find out how they make their broth and try to recreate it at home.

I am sure that I will visit this place frequently on the way home from work. I was surprised that it was so close to home and that I walked by it many times when shopping at Choices. A nice spot indeed with a humble and cute atmosphere. The lady who served me was so passionate about the food and even gave me a recipe book on organic vegan cooking! So sweet!

I also tried the vegetarian ham and the vegetarian chicken….very nice tasting nuggets dipped in a sweet chile sauce….pass a napkin please!

Soup Mistress Rating For Veggie Chicken Rice Noodle Soup:

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

Nuba, Healthy Fresh Lebanese
http://www.nuba.ca/
1489 East Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC

I had their vegan soup of the day, it was a Roasted Tomato Soup.

The Verdict of Nubas Roasted Tomato Soup
Wow and wow. The soup was very yummy. It also looked and tasted creamy to me. But what was the cream if it was the vegan soup of the day? I asked the server what was in the soup and was totally surprised that it was not a complex soup what-so-ever. I expected some magical spices or additional ingredients as well as some vegan cream-like ingredient. He mentioned that it did not have any cream and it was the powerful food processor that made the soup so fluffy and creamy. Also the soup just had bay leave and thyme – that’s it!

KISS – Keep it simple soup! It must have been the good quality tomatoes or the particular technique of roasting that delighted my taste buds!

Soup Mistress Rating For Nubas Roasted Tomato Soup:

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

Bandidas
http://bandidastaqueria.com/
2781 Commercial Drive, Vancouver, BC

I had a small bowl of their Tortilla Soup. It was made of roasted tomatoes in a rich vegetable stock.

The Verdict of Bandidas Tortilla Soup.

The soup was very nice, chunky and thick. The base was pretty tasty and who doesn’t like avacados? I do think it could have used some corn and the chips were a tad too salty for my liking. Something that was not stated on their website is that they have vegan cheese and vegan sour cream. I was going to opt out of the cheese, but when I read the vegan options on their printed menu I was delighted!

Although the soup receives a decent review from myself, the superstar dish was their tacos. You must have the tacos with your soup or just stay home in your jammies!

I had the following 3 tacos, they were killer and very unique:

  1. Bobcat – Roasted potatoes, caramelized onions, purple cabbage pinto beans, cheese, sour cream, & roasted salsa
  2. Stella – Kale, butternut squash, roasted salsa, pinto beans, cheese, & sour cream.
  3. Ronny Russel – Roasted yams and onions, fresh guacamole, black beans, green salsa, purple cabbage & toasted pumpkin seeds.

 

 

Soup Mistress Rating For Bandidas Tortilla Soup:

Healthy (+ slimming + low sodium): (4/5)
Presentation: (3/5)
Taste: (3.5/5) 

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

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Roasted Golden Beet Curry Soup

Roasted Golden Beet Curry Soup
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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

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A super green soup

A super green soup
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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)  

Tomato Root Soup On Top of Grouse Mountain Could Use Grind Workout

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Yesterday, my girlfriend Karen and I decided to get some fresh air and exercise up on Grouse Mountain (a very pretty local ski hill in the North Shore of Vancouver). So early in the AM, we strapped on snowshoes and hiked up the Snowshoe Grind. The Grind was a killer workout indeed and we had an appetite for lunch by 11am, so we visited Attitudes Bistro for a sandwich and soup.

The soup of the day was tomato and root vegetable – the server said it was one of the better ones (had tomato, parsnips, celery, & carrot) , so Karen ordered a bowl and I ordered a cup with a sandwich.

The Verdict of Attitudes Bistro Tomato Root Soup?
Karen loves soup and most of the time we are out, she orders soup. I decided to get her perspective on this soup as well. For the most part, we agreed that the soup was ok, and could have been improved in a few ways.
  • The soup seemed kind of bland and could have used:
    • a dollop of cream with a fresh herb (perhaps basil)
    • chunks of another vegetable would be nice to add some texture
    • some sort of nice garnish, perhaps a bit of fried shredded parsnips
I did love how the parsnips played with the tomato soup base. This is one soup I would like to try to make myself at home with modifications noted above.

Soup Mistress (and Karen) Rating for Tomato Root Soup:
Healthy (+ slimming + low sodium): (4.5/5)
Presentation: (3/5)

Taste: (3.5/5)

Oh, ya. With the soup I had the Roasted Vegetable Sandwich. I highly recommend the sandwich – it was fabulous and had arugula, artichokes, hummus, tomato & organic flat bread. The soup needs some refining to be at the same level as the sandwich! Perhaps a Grind Workout!

Butternut Squash Pear Quinoa Soup With Blue Cheese

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Butternet Squash Pear Quinoa Soup

Butternet Squash Pear Quinoa Soup
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The completed Butternet Squash Pear Quinoa Soup with blue cheese.

Just last week, I picked up a great cook book: Quinoa Revolution: Over 150 Healthy, Great Tasting Recipes Under 500 Calories. It has some amazing recipes -  I would have never thought of using Quinoa in so many ways! From breakfast wake-ups to mushroom lasagna as well as numerous soups – oh my! There is a good handful of soups I want to try out. This is only my second soup I made with Quinoa to date.

Since it is squash season now, this soup definitely caught my attention having pears. Pears are one of my favorite fruits. And why can’t it be in a soup?! And blue cheese is soooo good on anything!

So What Are The Benefits of Quinoa?
Quinoa is a source of complete protein. Furthermore, it is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is also a source of calcium, and thus is useful for vegans and those who are lactose intolerant. Read more on Quinoa here.

I also like the fact that Quinoa is gluten-free and considered easy to digest. Using Quinoa as a thickening agent in soups instead of wheat flour is a great gluten-free option!

The Verdict of Butternut Squash Pear Quinoa Soup with Blue Cheese?

I really love this soup. It was smooth and rich to my taste even though I omitted the cream/ milk in which the original recipe called for. The blue cheese should not be omitted though – it finishes the soup just right. I also think replacing dried sage with fresh sage gave it a fresher taste. This vegetable soup is packed with protein because of the Quinoa and seemed to have filled me up just right. Using the hand blender until the soup is a velvety delight is key. I also added in more vegetable stock and a very generous grind of pepper. The original recipe didn’t call for pepper -  I think pepper is a rockstar in most soup cases and should never be snubbed!

Butternut Squash Pear Quinoa Soup With Blue Cheese Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1.5 cups onion, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup quinoa
  • 5 cups butternut squash, diced
  • 6.5 cups low sodium vegetable stock
  • 2 cups fresh pears, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped fine
  • 4 tablespoon blue cheese
  • 1 teaspoon pepper

Butternut Squash Pear Quinoa Soup With Blue Cheese Instructions:

  1.  Heat up olive oil in large pot on medium heat
  2. Add onions, garlic and salt. Cook until the onions and soft and opaque, approx 7-8 minutes.
  3. Add the quinoa, butternut squash and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil and simmer covered about 20 minutes.
  4. Add in the pear and fresh sage.
  5. Puree the soup with a hand blender or in batches with a food processor/blender.
  6. Return soup to the pot. Add pepper to your tasting.
  7. Garnish each bowl of soup with crumbled blue cheese and serve!

What I Changed From The Original Recipe:

  • replaced butter with olive oil
  • added more onions, butternut squash
  • added more vegetable stock and omitted whole milk/whipping cream
  • used fresh sage instead of dried sage
  • used a tad more blue cheese

Soup Mistress Rating for Butternut Squash Pear Quinoa Soup With Blue Cheese:

Healthy (+ slimming + low sodium): (4.5/5)
Presentation: (3.5/5)
Taste: (4/5)