Sweet Potato and Kale soup

Nothing beats a hearty bowl of soup in the winter.  As I've mentioned previously, sometimes its hard for me to find really tasty vegetarian recipes.  Thanks to my awesome brother for this recipe.  Though he is not a vegetarian, his lovely wife is, and he does a great job of finding recipes that taste awesome, but also provide protein and lots of nutrients.  We all know Kale is a "super food" and that we should make it a staple in our diets, but c'mon, it's like eating leaves off of a tree!  Not with this recipe!  You'll be eating and loving it!

Sweet Potato and Kale Soup

Chop up one small or half of a large onion.  Add to large stockpot with 1 tbsp EVOO.
(Haha, right now, my bro is cringing because I said EVOO!  :)

 

 Add seasoning.  You could use a premixed blend of Italian seasoning.  I added parsley, oregano, and cumin.  I never measure - sorry!

 While onions are softening, chop up sweet potato into bite sized pieces.  I like to peel them, but you could always leave the skin on!

My bro's recipe calls for 12 cloves of garlic.  12!  I know that seems like a lot, but since it's added early, they really mellow out but still add a punch of flavor.  I only had 7 tonight, but they were big.  Feel free to adjust to your own person feelings about garlic.

 If those onions are soft, go ahead and add 6 cups of veggie broth.  I used 6 cups of water and two tablespoons of "Better than Bouillon" vegetable base.  Add potatoes and garlic.  Add two cans of beans, drained and rinsed.  I like to add white and kidney beans for color and variety.

(Side note: I have a 5:00pm Barnacle Baby.  That means that if I want to cook at all, I can only do it one handed since I'll have to support 22.5 pounds on my hip with the other hand.  So, I put everything together in the pot at this point (with the heat off) and went to pick up T from daycare.  All I had to do later was add kale and adjust settings on the stove - super easy for moms of barnacles!)

Really starting to look good huh?  Bring everything to a boil and then simmer for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, wash and break 6 dense curly leaves of kale into bite sized pieces.  I love to use my salad spinner for this step.  Makes it so easy!

Add kale and let simmer for 10 more minutes.  I love how bright green the kale turns once you add it.

Add salt and pepper to flavor as desired, I didn't add any.  So yummy and healthy!  Not only will this soup have you eating kale, you'll actually like it!  It keeps its crunchiness without being overpowering.  My sweet hubs said this was my best batch yet!

Easy satisfying soup

T and I are finally getting over the cold that was gifted around during Christmas.  All that is left is the lingering cough.  A few days ago, knee-deep in tissues and no way to medicate myself, my only thought was "I want soup".   Being a vegetarian, shopping for soup becomes very tedious and time consuming.  You have to read every single ingredient on every single can.  I've noticed my stores are carrying less vegetarian soups these days too, so my choices are limited.  Being sick with limited options, I decided to make my own vegetarian tomato and basil soup.

Surviving a grocery shopping trip that evening, we got home and I whipped up this delicious soup in no time.  Many thanks to my friend Julie for the recipe some time ago, it truly is delicious!

Ingredients:
Fresh ripe tomatoes - 3 large, diced
1.5 tbsp vegetable flavored "Better than Bouillon"
6 cups water
fresh basil - chopped roughly
minced garlic to taste (I added two minced cloves)
day old Italian bread
olive oil
cheese - sliced provolone is really good.  I forgot it that night and used shredded mozz instead.

Directions
Heat oven to 350F.
Slice bread on angle to one inch thickness.
Spread out in a single layer on cookie sheet, apply olive oil and cheese to tops.  Toast in oven until bread is crunchy and cheese is nicely melted.

Bring water to a boil and add "Better than Bouillon" (you could use regular broth or a bouillon cube, but I found this was mighty tasty and easy to use).  Add chopped tomatoes and turn heat down to a simmer for 10-15 minutes.  Add garlic and basil and simmer for a couple more minutes.

Here's where it gets good.  It's where tomato soup meets french onion soup. Just before serving, place toasted bread in a bowl and ladle soup over. 

The bread soaks up so much flavor but provides some heartiness to the otherwise light soup.  The heat of the soup makes the melted cheese nice and gooey.  If you're not a "soggy-bread" fan, like my loving husband, you could just serve the bread on the side and dip into the soup.  The combination though is so yummy!  Even T liked it!  I did warn her that, being a vegetarian, this would forever be my version of chicken soup, so get used to it!  Haha, poor girl!

*I should mention that the Better Than Bouillon I used I received as a free gift  when they launched their facebook page and were doing a giveaway.  They were overwhelmed by the responses they got and ended up limiting what they could give away.  I think I got mine because I wanted the vegetarian base!  This stuff is awesome though, and they are in no way compensating me now for including them in this recipe.  I am done with buying boxes of vegetable broth or rock hard bouillon cubes!

Corn and Potato Chowder

There's something about brisk autumn air that makes chowders and hearty soups so appealing.  Easy, one pot recipes are awesome too, especially when a certain 19-month old insists on you picking her up every time you're at the stove! :)

So, I know this isn't a recipe/food blog, but I had to share this recipe because it was so good and it was completely vegetarian!  Even so, it was hearty enough that my non-veggie hubs loved it and had seconds (OK, I did too!)

This recipe was originally from the Disney Family Fun page, but I've made some modifications.  I'll star the changes I've made:

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil*
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 ribs celery, finely chopped*
• 5 1/2 cups vegetable stock*
• 1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
• 2 large all-purpose potato, peeled and diced*
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and diced*
• 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon salt, to taste
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• Black pepper, to taste

In general, I doubled the potatoes and celery, added a sweet potato for color, and substituted veggie stock for chicken stock. I'm always adding more veggies to recipes! :)  I'm sure you meaties out there would love to add bacon to this recipe, but it definitely doesn't need it!

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan or medium soup pot.
2. Stir in the onion and celery.
3. Partially cover the pan and cook the vegetables over moderate heat for 9 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add the veggie stock, corn, potato, and salt and bring the mixture to a low boil.
5. Lower the heat, cover the pot, and simmer for about 7 minutes, until the potatoes are just tender.
6. In a small bowl, whisk together the cream and flour.
7. Stir the mixture into the soup with the pepper.
8. Bring the soup back to a low boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 8 minutes.

Altogether, this took me about 40 minute to prepare.  Super easy, very satisfying, and definitely delicious!  Garnish with chopped dill or parsely, I totally forgot to do this! Serve with rolls or bread and you have yourself a meal!

Of course, this recipe was found via Pinterest, my new best friend in the kitchen!

Source: familyfun.go.com via Melissa on Pinterest