Kimchi Soup

Sometimes Kimchi is just too intense a flavor when it is not accompanied by a meat protein. As a pescatarian, I still want to enjoy Kimchi.  The label on this jar did not indicate its level of heat like salsa when it's labeled 'hot.' Looking for a savory idea, I thought soup. It turned out to be a delicious cabbage soup with additional mild, white cabbage.   The next day, I sauteed some green squash and mushrooms and added the cooked, soft vegetables to the leftover soup and loved it.  Also, I think that this would be great served cold, like a Japanese-type gazpacho.

Yield: 4 cups, two servings 

Ingredients:

1 C Jongga Nappa Cabbage Kimchi 

1 C shredded green or white cabbage, any variety

1 TB Better Than Bouillion Reduced Sodium Vegetable Soup Base (1 tsp per cup of water)

3 C Water

Bring covered water to a boil with Soup Base, add Kimchi and cabbage.  On medium heat, heat covered soup to a boil, then lower temperature and simmer for ten minutes, until cabbage is thoroughly softened.

  

Sweet Potato Soup from Jeanne Jones "Canyon Ranch Cooking"

This recipe is delicious and golden in color.  I served this hot but I'm sure that it would be wonderful as a cold soup or salad dressing with a bit of extra virgin olive oil as suggested by the recipe author, Jeanne Jones.

Ingredients:

1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
1/4 tsp each: salt, pepper, cinnamon
1 1/2 C fat-free chicken stock
2 cups fresh orange juice

Combine the sweet potatoes and onion in a large saucepan (I used a soup pot) and cook, covered, over low heat until the onion is soft and translucent, about 12 minutes.  The smaller the dice, the faster it will soften.

Add the garlic, cinnamon, salt and pepper and cook for three more minutes.

Add the chicken stock and orange juice and cook until the potatoes are soft.

Blend until smooth.  I used a wand mixer right in the pot, easy clean up.

129 calories, 29 g carb, 3 g protein, 0 fat, 271 mg sodium

Versatile Vegetable Soup with Tortellini

This wonderful soup filled our home with the aroma from food simmering on the stove. I used the largest pot I own to make plenty of soup for the freezer, to enjoy at another time. This soup recipe is very basic although I had never cooked eggplant immersed in liquid.

12 one cup servings

ingredients:

2-3 TB olive oil
2 TB minced garlic
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup diced, cubed zucchini
1 cup chopped carrots
2 cups halved or sliced mushrooms (any variety)
1 peeled, chopped small eggplant
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes (low sodium)
1 15 oz can rinsed, drained garbanzo beans (low sodium)
2 cups spinach (fresh or frozen)
8 cups, approximately, vegetable or chicken broth or soup (low sodium)
¾ tsp pepper
1 TB Italian seasoning
1 TB basil
1 pkg fresh (or dried) tortellini of your choice

optional:  salt to taste, parmesan cheese

On medium heat, heat pan with olive oil and garlic.  Saute onion until translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add eggplant and continue to sauté for another 5 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients except spinach and pasta.  Add the broth (or soup) to cover all of the vegetables in the pot. Increase the heat to high and bring the soup to just below boiling.  Cover and simmer twenty five minutes.  Without the lid on the pot, add spinach and pasta. Cook on medium heat until the pasta is tender, about 8 minutes.  Sprinkle with parmesan cheese if desired.

I made this with chicken filled tortellini and sliced baby portabello mushrooms.
Delicious!
Variations - add:
-any pasta, dry or fresh; egg, wheat or rice
-cooked rice
-cubes of cooked or leftover chicken or turkey
-any green leafy vegetable such as kale, chard by extending the cooking time

This is how the soup looked when the fresh pasta was added. Beautiful!

my version of Weight Watchers Garden Vegetable Soup

makes 12 servings


3 cups sliced carrots
1/2 cup diced onions
4 minced garlic cloves

8 cups fat-free beef, chicken or vegetable broth
3 cups diced green cabbage
2 cups chopped spinach
2 cups diced zucchini
3 Tb tomato paste
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 TB dried Italian seasonings
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt

Optional: omit 1/2 tsp salt

Spray a large saucepan with nonstick cooking spray, heat. Saute the carrots, onions and garlic over low heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add broth, cabbage, spinach tomato paste, basil, oregano and salt (if desired).  Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer about 15 minutes.  Stir in the zucchini and cook 3-4 minutes more. Serve hot.  Freeze some.

Simple Butternut Squash Soup

The very simplest soup, great for a very cold wintery day with few ingredients. I purchase butternut squash in the market already cut and peeled in chunky pieces and that saves a lot of hard work although I think that a freshly peeled squash might taste better. Nevertheless, this soup is fast and delicious!

1 large Butternut Squash (about 20 oz.) peeled and cut into chunks

1 Tb Penzey's Vegetable Soup Base and 5 cups of water or 5 cups of broth (vegetable or chicken)

1 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground white pepper

Bring the 5 cups of water with the soup base or broth to a boil in a covered pot. When the liquid is boiling, add the Butternut Squash, ginger and pepper. Cover the pot and when it returns to a boil, lower the heat to simmer for about ten minutes. Cook until the squash is tender. Using a blender or immersion stick blender(see below), process the squash pieces to smooth texture. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary. While blending, the soup may cool, re-heat to serve. Add croutons if desired.

15 minute homemade soup from frozen vegetable soup

Tonight's dinner began with a golden and delicious soup with a magical ingredient: Penzey's Powdered China #1 Ginger from Penzey's website: China #1 whole peeled ginger is the finest in the world. It is virtually fiber-free, yielding a buttery-soft powder when ground, and is much better than the woody fresh ginger found in many supermarkets (stays fresh longer too). Chinese ginger has a strong, true flavor with lemony overtones, making it perfect for all baking recipes-especially gingersnaps, gingerbread, molasses cookies, coffee cakes, fruit breads, pies and muffins. For 4 portions: Begin with Tabachnick frozen vegetable soup. Following package directions, defrost the soup on high power for two minutes. Squeeze defrosted soup from the plastic pouch into a 3-4 cup microwaveable bowl. Add chicken broth to fill bowl. Add a cup of chopped fresh, raw vegetables. My favorites are mushrooms and green squash adding beautiful color to the soup. Add to taste: powdered ginger and powedered, granulated garlic. The ginger and garlic will add flavor and color to the soup. Delicious!

A variation of Golden Butternut Squash Soup

Look at this gorgeous color!
I eliminated most of the butter to saute the chopped onions and added two carrots. I also made the soup with two onions instead of one in the recipe below. Also increased the nutmeg to 1/2 tsp. Tastes sweet and flavorful.

Golden Butternut Squash Soup

Recently  I saw a restaurant advertisement in a travel magazine that included a shiny white coffee cup and saucer filled with a yellow soup. What made is so special was the tiny scallop threaded on a skewer across the top edge of the cup. Inspired, I made a beautiful golden butternut squash soup that will be served in a porcelain coffee cup at a dinner party tomorrow evening. The soup smells sensational and tastes sweetly smooth before adding cream! I am skewering a shrimp across the top and found some glass martini olive skewers that are perfect for shrimp. Here's the recipe for a beautiful soup that's ready in less than an hour. Freeze some for another time.

Serves 8

2 tb unsalted butter

1 onion, chopped fine

3 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1 1/2" chunks

5 cups chicken broth (try Pacific Natural Foods organic free range)

1/4 tsp nutmeg

salt and pepper

Optional:

1/2 C heavy cream

Melt the butter in a large covered pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the squash, broth and nutmeg. Increase the heat and bring the soup to a boil. When bubbles break the surface, reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook until the squash is tender, about 20 minutes.

Puree the soup until smooth. I prefer a hand (stick) blender that I use in the soup pot. You can also process in batches using a food processor or blender.

At this point, the soup can be cooled, covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for 2 months.

Reheat over low heat. If desired, stir in the cream. Adjust the consistency; if the soup seems to thick, thin it out with additional broth or water. Before serving, season with salt and pepper, sprinkle individual servings with more nutmeg, to taste.