We finally got some snow here in Portland although it only lasted a few hours it was truly beautiful for a short while. Growing up in California I’ve spent very little time in the snow and I’m always struck by how still and silent the world seems when it is blanketed in white. While I was sloshing through all the slush left over from our little storm I started dreaming about a nice warm comforting bowl of soup. Since I’ve been trying to avoid meat, dairy, gluten and sugar I had to think about my usual bowl of soup a little differently. I thought maybe a coconut based soup with some Indian spices and then I found this recipe from my favorite blogger Heidi Swanson and dinner was served.
Lentils are a great source of protein, don’t need to be soaked before cooking and an entire cup of cooked lentils contains just 200 calories. This soup tastes rich and decadent but won’t weigh you down. To bulk it up a little bit more you could serve it with some quinoa or brown rice or maybe a nice spoonful of yogurt.
Red lentil coconut soup
adapted from 101 Cookbooks
Ingredients:
- 2 cups red split lentils
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 red bell pepper cut into 1/2 inch dice
- 1 fresh jalapeno or serrano chili, finely chopped, including seeds
- 1 tablespoon fresh peeled and minced ginger
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/3 cup tomato paste
- 7 cups water
- 1 can unsweetened light coconut milk
- 1 15-ounce can of chickpeas
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
- fresh cilantro and lime wedges for serving
Method:
Heat the tablespoon of olive oil in a dutch oven or large soup pan and add the onions, bell pepper and jalapeno and cook for 5-7 minutes until the vegetables have softened and start to take on some color. Add the garlic, ginger, spices and tomato paste and continue to cook for 2-3 more minutes until the mixture is toasty and fragrant. Add the water, coconut milk, lentils and chickpeas and cook uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes adding the lime juice at the end of cooking. Taste and adjust with more salt or more lime juice if desired. Serve the soup topped with a sprinkling of fresh cilantro and some extra limes on the side.
I’ve been in the mood for soup, the kind that warms your hands and your heart. Soup is a dish that always makes me think of home, which is odd since my mom wasn’t known for making soup. But it does make me think of comfort and care, the perfect dish to snuggle up to the fire with, what we turn to when we are recuperating from a dreadful cold. When I was a child I refused to eat breakfast food and my favorite thing to eat first thing in the morning was a packet of Lipton’s cream of chicken soup. I remember how excited I would get to see the steam coming out of the mug and I’d float little pieces of bread on top of the oily surface and then drown them with my spoon and slurp them up with a squeal of delight.
This soup fulfills my desire for a big bowl of home with tiny orzo pasta, big spicy meatballs and lots of greens to make me feel slightly virtuous. I adapted the recipe from the Barefoot Contessa and made a few modifications, based on what I had available and I added some zucchini and cannellini beans to up the fiber content. Happy eating!
Italian wedding soup
Ingredients:
for the meatballs:
1 1/4 lbs of chicken sausage
2/3 cup bread crumbs
3 tablespoons milk
2 cloves minced garlic
3 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley
1/4 -1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper as desired
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan, plus extra for serving
1 extra large egg, lightly beaten
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
for the soup:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup minced onion
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup zucchini
10 cups chicken stock
1 cup orzo pasta
1 15 1/2 ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
12 ounces fresh baby spinach
Method:
for the meatballs:
Combine the breadcrumbs and 3 tablespoons of milk in a medium bowl and let sit for 5 minutes to let the breadcrumbs soak up the liquid. Add the sausage, garlic, parsley, red pepper, parmesan, egg, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper to the bowl and toss gently to combine. Shape the meatballs into roughly 40 1 1/4-inch meatballs and place on a sheet pan.
for the soup:
Heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a soup pot. Add the onion and carrot and saute until softened. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Drop the meatballs one at a time into the broth and let cook for 8-10 minutes and then add the pasta, beans and zucchini and cook for 9-10 minutes more until the pasta is tender and the meatballs are cooked through. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust as necessary. Add the spinach and cook for 1 minute, until the spinach is just wilted. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with additional cheese as desired.
It’s still rainy and cold here in Portland so that means soup weather to me. When it’s gray outside I love to turn to a nice hearty bowl to warm the insides. This soup is filling and packs a ton of flavor. The nice thing is that I sneak a lot of vegetables into the meatballs so it’s a way to get my guys to eat their veggies without a fuss. I love to make this on the weekend and it freezes beautifully, so on nights when I work late I can have dinner on the table in just a few minutes. Don’t be daunted by the list of ingredients, it comes together quickly and if you replace the brown rice with white you can shave 30 minutes off the cooking time if you are in a rush.
Now I will admit that this isn’t the lightest dish in my cooking arsenal but it’s hearty and satisfying. I find that if I focus on only eating “diet” friendly foods my cravings just take over and all I start to think about is cheese and chocolate and all the other things I’m not supposed to eat. I am finally learning after years of dieting that for me moderation and portion size is key. So there is nothing on my diet that isn’t allowed, I just have to make sure to eat a little less of the foods that are richer and look to my other meals to balance everything out. So when you are looking for a little comfort food try this soup, you won’t be sorry! Happy eating!
look at all those veggies, it can’t be that bad for you right?
Albondigas soup
Ingredients:
Meatballs:
- 2 large fresh poblano chiles
- 1 pound ground beef (10% fat)
- 1/2 pound pork chorizo
- 1/2 cup coarsely grated zucchini
- 1/2 cup grated carrot
- 1/4 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 garlic cloves, pressed
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
Soup:
- 2 dried ancho chiles
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 small onion, quartered
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 9 cups low-salt beef broth
- 1 cup coarsely grated zucchini
- 1 cup corn kernels, frozen is fine
- 1/4 cup brown rice
Toppings:
- 3 tablespoons (or more) vegetable oil
- 4 corn tortillas, cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 tablespoon (or more) fresh lime juice
- 1/2 avocado for garnish
Method:
For meatballs:
- Line large rimmed baking sheet with plastic wrap. Char chiles over direct flame or in broiler until blackened on all sides. Enclose in paper bag and steam 10 minutes. Stem, seed, and peel chiles, then chop finely (should yield about 3/4 cup).
- Place chiles in large bowl. Gently mix in beef, chorizo and all remaining ingredients. Using moistened hands and scant tablespoonful for each, roll meat mixture into 1-inch meatballs. Arrange meatballs on sheet.
For soup:
- Stem and seed chili and then toast in dry skillet until it becomes soft and pliable. Place the chili and vinegar in a small saucepan and add water just to cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook until mixture is reduced by half. Combine the chili broth with the garlic and onion in a blender and puree until smooth. Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add puree, chile powder, cumin, rice, corn and broth and bring to rolling boil. Reduce heat to very low, and cook 20 minutes.
- Increase heat to medium and drop in meatballs, 1 at a time. Return soup to simmer. Cover and cook gently until meatballs and rice are cooked through, stirring occasionally and adjusting heat to avoid boiling, about 30 minutes. Season soup with salt and add lime juice by teaspoonfuls until happy with the taste.
For toppings:
- Heat 3 tablespoons oil in heavy medium skillet over medium heat 1 minute. Add half of tortilla strips. Cook until crisp, gently separating strips with tongs, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer strips to paper towels to drain. Repeat with remaining tortilla strips, adding more oil if needed.
- Ladle soup and meatballs into bowls. Garnish with tortilla strips, avocado, cilantro and extra limes if desired.
