Creamy cauliflower soup with wild rice

Well, I am getting worse and worse at this posting business! And I really have no excuse since I've been making all sorts of new recipes, I've just been forgetting to take pictures and post.  Here's a soup that I stumbled across and was so good, I've now made it three times. It is EXCELLENT warmed up the next day with a bit of water to loosen it up.  Feeding it to baby for lunch!  All credit to Cathy Burrell and this link: http://goodveg.squidoo.com/recipes/soups-stews/cauliflower-soup-with-wild-rice

Changes I made in brackets.

1 Tbsp butter (or margarine)
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 large leeks – thinly sliced-white part only – about 2 cups
2 cloves garlic – minced
4 cups cauliflower florets (I use one large head)
1 ½ cups yams (I use two decent sized yams)
1 ½ tsp curry powder
1 tsp ground cumin
4 cups vegetable broth – low sodium (I like half veggie, half chicken-flavoured veggie broth)
1 can (14 oz) 2% evaporated milk
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup cooked brown/wild rice mix (I used straight wild rice, and closer to 1.5-2 cups cooked)
2 oz Emmental cheese (optional, I've never added cheese and really don't think this needs it)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Wash and cut cauliflower and yams into 2-inch pieces. (Leave the peel on the yams…more flavor!) Place the vegetables on a foil lined baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes.
While the vegetables are roasting, you can start the soup. Place a large stockpot over medium heat and add the butter, olive oil, leeks and garlic. Stir for a minute and reduce heat to medium low. The leeks should slowly soften and slightly brown.
Stir every 10 minutes or so, until the roasted vegetables are out of the oven.
Cut the roasted vegetables in slightly smaller pieces and add to the leeks.
Add the broth, salt, pepper, curry and cumin powders and bring to a boil.
Turn off heat, add cooked rice, evaporated milk, and cheese (if using). Stir until the cheese is melted. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve hot.

Perfect for fall/winter!

French Onion Soup

Ah, well despite the fact that it is sunny RIGHT NOW, we had a stretch of weather here in Vancouver that included pouring rain and hail (twice).  Summer seems to be arriving in fits and starts.

The boyfriend and I have dinner almost every Thursday with a friend that lives in the same building complex - she is kind enough to watch over our kitties whenever we go away for the weekend, so we try to make them dinner as recompense as often as we can :)  Recently, she jumped at our mention of french onion soup, which the boyfriend has become quite skilled at preparing. With this crappy weather, we jumped at the idea, too.

This recipe has been adapted from a Tyler Florence recipe, so original credit to him (especially the directions), but after making it several times, we've changed up the ingredients list a bit:

1/2 cup unsalted butter (or margarine)
4 yellow onions, sliced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
3 bay leaves
2 fresh thyme sprigs
Salt and pepper to taste
1.5 cups red wine
3 heaping tablespoons all-purpose flour
8 cups vegetarian "beef flavoured" broth
1 baguette, sliced
grated gruyere/vegan white cheese

Melt the butter/margarine in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, salt and pepper and cook until the onions are very soft and caramelized, about 25 minutes. Add the wine, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the wine has evaporated and the onions are dry, about 5 minutes. Discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Dust the onions with the flour and stir. Turn the heat down to medium low so the flour doesn't burn, and cook for 10 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste. Preheat the oven to "broil".  Now add the broth, bring the soup back to simmer, and cook for 10 minutes. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls, top each with slices of bread and top with cheese. Put the bowls into the oven to toast the bread and melt the cheese.

Our friend seemed to really enjoy it, and to me, it tastes every bit as good as the french onion soup my mom used to make when I was a kid, but without the animal juices ;)

And now, since this is my blog, and I do what I want, two pictures of my kitties that our friend takes care of:

Lentil is the black one with a couple of white tufts on his chest, a wonky ear and no voicebox, and Toa (Maori for "warrior") is the white and ginger one with a slight binge eating disorder. They are both just over 4 years old and I adopted them both from the wonderful cat rescue organization here in Vancouver, VOKRA.  http://www.orphankittenrescue.com/

Have a great weekend! :)

Hearty Lentil and Vegetable Soup

It's funny, when I ate meat, I didn't like soups at all. I found them to be completely unsatisfying, and never filling.  These days, I love soups, stews, chilis...anything that can be eaten with a spoon.  They are SO easy to make protein rich and they are ALWAYS filling.  Last night, the boyfriend made his amazing lentil soup - I think he adapted it from a Food Network recipe, but I'm not sure.  It is especially lovely drizzled with some olive oil and red wine vinegar OR a few dashes of Frank's Red Hot sauce!

2 carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, diced
1 med. sized onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 cups vegetarian chicken-flavoured broth
1 can diced tomatoes (14oz)
1 cup red lentils
2 bay leaves
1 sprig fresh thyme
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
salt and pepper

Soften the vegetables with cumin in a large pot with olive oil. Add salt and pepper. Add the broth, tomatoes, lentils, bay leaves and thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the vegetables and lentils are tender, about 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. In a blender, purée until smooth. Add more broth if necessary. Add parsley and adjust seasoning to taste. The boyfriend made his usual oven-toasted pita chips brushed with olive oil and salt to go with it and we were both stuffed after only one bowl.  Enjoy!

Split Pea Soup

Oh I love split pea soup! It is SO hard to find in supermarkets without that ubiquitous ham.  But after trying a few online recipes and adjusting to my tastes, I think I've got a winner:

1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 large onions, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 potato, diced
salt and pepper to taste
1 bay leaf (optional)
2 cups dried split green peas, picked over and rinsed
5 cups stock (I used one cube of veggie stock, one of chicken-flavoured)

a few pinches of smoked paprika added during simmering and nice on top as garnish :)

Add olive oil to a big pot over med-high heat. Stir in onions and salt and cook until the onions soften, just a minute or two. Add carrots, celery and potato and stir another few minutes. Add the split peas and water. Bring to a boil, dial down the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the peas are cooked through but still al dente. Using a large cup or ladle, scoop out 2/3 to 3/4 of the soup into a blender and puree. Return the pureed soup to the pot to reheat - you should have a soup that is nicely textured. Smooth, yet with veg chunks. Continue to season with salt and pepper to taste. Serving with drizzled olive oil on top and extra paprika is optional :)  We like to eat this with homemade pita chips. Just cut into triangles, brush with oil, add salt and bake to desired crispness. Enjoy!

Black Bean Tortilla Soup with Avocado & Tomato Salsa

So THIS recipe was stolen from my Food Network app and they apparently stole it from "La Dolce Vegan".  I'm not normally a fan of black bean soups, but this one was enough to make my meat-eater boyfriend groan with pleasure and request it many times since. I think it's because it's blended afterwards, thick, flavourful and the chips inside....oh man.  Try it. It's gooooood.

Also, I've since made the "salsa" separately for topping on fajitas, tacos and more. Also good. I've added my personal tweaks directly into the recipes.

Soup

1 small onion, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups vegetable stock (I use vegetarian chicken-flavoured stock)
1x19 ounce can black beans, drained
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder (I used maybe 2 tsp)
1 teaspoon dried oregano (I used maybe 1.5 tsp)
1/2 teaspoon salt (I added more, I have a salt problem)
plain tortilla chips

Salsa

1 medium tomato, chopped
1 avocado, cubed
1/4 cup cilantro, minced
1 green onion stalk, minced
1 tablespoon oil (e.g. flax, hemp, olive)
2 teaspoons fresh lime or lemon juice
salt to taste

In a medium soup pot on medium heat, sauté the onions in oil until translucent. Add the celery, carrots, and garlic and sauté for 2-3 minutes.  Add the stock, beans, chili powder, oregano, and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Cover with lid and simmer for 15-20 minutes. With a blender or food processor, blend half or all of the soup until smooth (be.careful when blending hot liquids). Return to pot and reheat.

While the soup simmers, in a medium bowl, stir together the tomatoes, avocados, cilantro, green onions, oil, and lime/lemon juice. 

Put a large spoonful of the salsa in the middle of the soup and place tortillas along the outside of the bowl, dipping and crunching as you go :)