Total Guilt-Free Soup

Most people find themselves craving soup more in the winter and colder months, but soup can have a place on a year-round menu. Soup is versatile enough to make very diet friendly and allergy free. This soup is perfect for those craving a warm bowl of great flavors, maybe on a rainy colder spring day, but won't weigh down the quest to fit into that bikini. It is totally vegan, yet high in protein and has no pasta, so is great for those avoiding wheat. 

Most recipes have the flexibility to literally trim the fat from the dish through different cooking methods. This soup is no exception as it leaves total discretion and power to the chef to decide how much and which oil to use when sautéing the vegetables before pureeing. No blender, food processor or hand-immersion blender, don't worry - just pick up a hand masher and make a soup Amish style. This will add that magic ingredient of time and care that makes all food taste so much better.

Ingredients for this soup are easy to get and make a large batch of soup suitable for freezing small portions for lunches and eating all week. 

2 sweet potatoes

2 leeks

1 celery heart (including greens)

1 bulb of anise/fennel (reserve some of the green top)

1 can of white kidney beans (or garbonzo)

5 cups vegetable stock

2 garlic cloves

herbs and spices***

Preparation 

Leeks are the most tedious vegetable to prepare in this recipe because they must be properly cleaned. They grow in sandy soil and the sand gets down in between all the layers of the leek. To avoid a gritty soup, cut the tough green tops and the very tip of the base off. Then slice the round leek in half and dice into half moon shapes. Then simply place all the cut leeks in a large bowl filled with water, or the sink filled up with water. With your hands move the leeks around and separate the segments. All the sand will fall to the bottom of the sink and the bowl. Skim leeks from the top and drain the water. 

In a large stock pot with at least a tablespoon of margarine, olive oil or grapeseed oil, start the leeks, diced sweet potatoes (skins on or off) and garlic on medium to medium-high heat. Salt and pepper these base vegetables liberally and stir until the leeks soften. Add one cup of the vegetable stock and keep on medium-high heat. Continue to stir occasionally. The stock will cook down and the vegetables will start to soften more noticeably to form a starchy thick vegetable base. While the soup is working, dice the celery and fennel. For a video of cutting fennel, see this video.

When the cup of stock has mostly reduced, add the celery, fennel and spices to the pot along with the remaining stock. Bring to high heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Add drained beans and remove from the heat. Let sit for 10-15 minutes before blending in a blender or food processor. If mashing or using a hand blender, this step can be done as soon as the soup is done. This soup can be kept somewhat rustic and chunky with a quick blend, or pureed and strained to form a smooth vegetable soup. Garnish with a sprig or two of fennel greens and fresh pepper. Some might enjoy some parmesan cheese or coconut cream for extra flavor. As is, though, this soup is full of vitamins, protein, fiber and is a great allergy-free lunch option.

***This soup is pretty basic and can be complimented by just about any herbs and spices. It is nice to reserve some of the leafy fennel tops for finishing the soup. They are pretty and have a sweet licorice flavor. The spice blend for this soup is pretty variable to include corriander, cumin, dried marjoram and thyme and tarragon and celery seed, not to mention white pepper and salt to taste. A good suggestion would be to start with a teaspoon of each of the dry spices (corriander, cumin, marjoram, thyme, tarragon and celery seed). This is by no means set in stone, though. Any one of these can be left out or substituted and it would still leave a great bowl of soup. If the soup still doesn't taste well seasoned to your tastes, increase the amount to 2-3 teaspoons. 

Soup on the Cheap

So it's Thursday, and most people are ready for Friday pay day. The pantry might be a little bare, but that doesn't mean a good meal should be hard to scrape together. Here is a quick and easy soup that is easy to adjust for any allergy and from vegan to carnivore alike. It will keep for a few days and be delicious any time of day. It is also 97.5 percent guaranteed to defend the sharp March winds and cold dip in temperatures in between welcome warm bursts.

Garlic is the feature of this soup. It has natural antibiotic properties and is known for contributing to overall health. It is easy to find now in the spice section already chopped and jarred or in the freezer section already minced. This is the best option for this soup, which calls for 20 cloves of garlic. Worried about bad breath? Always remember that two garlics cancel each other out, which is why this soup recipe makes plenty to share. It is also incredibly fast to make, so just in case you were thinking of driving to a fast food restaurant, this soup will be in your mug or bowl in 20 minutes at the most.

Ingredients

5 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1 large yellow onion - diced

20 cloves garlic (or equal amount of prepared garlic)

1-2 cups of frozen chopped spinach

2 carrots shredded

protein - either in the form of 2 eggs, 1 chicken breast, or 1 can of white kidney beans

1 tbsp of thyme

Salt and pepper to taste

Extra virgin olive oil (enough to sautee onions)

Preparation

Sautee the onion in extra virgin olive oil over medium heat until the onions get translucent. Add the 5 cups of broth and garlic to the stock pot and bring to boil. Add in  shredded carrot and spinach and return to boil. Add thyme and salt and pepper. If using chicken, chop and drop into the soup and let poach in the garlic broth. If not, add kidney beans toward end of cooking or eggs right before serving, using a fork to shred the eggs into the soup. The perfect topping for this soup is just some extra black pepper or sprinkle parmesan cheese.

Want to make this fancy? Take some parchment paper and spread it on a baking sheet. Sprinkle parmesan cheese in little circles spaced an inch apart, like making cookies. Sprinkle black pepper on each mound of cheese and put under the broiler. WATCH these, they'll melt quickly, but turn into delicate parmesan pepper crisps for the top of soup. 

The Best Macaroons Ever

The weekend is a time for spending a little extra time in the kitchen. A great way to spend time with friends or a loved one, even children, is to bake some cookies. This recipe is for extremely moist coconut & lime macaroons dipped in dark chocolate, and wind up being a perfect combination between a cookie and a candy. Great as gifts, for holidays or just for a sweet treat, this recipe will find its way into your collection and stay there for years.

A major complaint among most macaroons is either that they are filled with dairy or dry and lifeless. These are completely dairy free, and can be made gluten free by using rice flour in place of wheat. They taste just as good.

Ingredients
4 egg whites (can't subsitute quick whites because they won't whip up)
6 tbsp all-purpose OR rice flour
pinch of salt (1/4 teaspoon)
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 cup sugar OR 1/4 cup agave nectar (for those looking for lower gycemic levels)
Zest and juice of 1 lime OR 1/4 cup pineapple juice
1 12 oz bag of unsweetened shredded coconut (look for a brand that looks moist)
8-10 oz Dark Chocolate chips (or one dark chocolate bar broken into chunks)

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Start by beating the egg whites on high until they form soft peaks. This is done best by starting with room temperature eggs in a cold bowl. Slowly add in the sugar and continue whipping until the eggs form stiff peaks. Essentually this is meringue at this point.

> Peaks are determined by lifting the beater out of the eggs and whether the eggs cling to the beater and form rounded or sharp peaks.

Mix and sift all the remaining dry ingredients together (flour, salt, baking powder)

Use a technique professional bakers call "folding." It is best done with a spatula. Here is a video for making mousse that uses the same folding technique. It is best to pour the ingredients in slowly for this recipe and continue gently folding. This ensures that the air incorperated into the eggs does not deflate, and makes for lighter, moister cookies.

Now slowly sprinkle in the coconut following the same technique. If the coconut is moist, it is important to separate the shreds so nothing is too bulky. Zest one lime and squeeze the juice into the mixture. Fold one last time.

Spoon out cookies onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. They will not spread very much, but keep them about an inch apart. Place on the center rack in the oven for about 15 mintues or until the coconut on top is golden brown, but not burnt.

Let cool for 10-15 minutes. In the meantime, melt the chocolate in double broiler. To make a double broiler, fill a sauce pan with about an inch of water and boil. Find a bowl that will fit inside the pan but not touch the water, and drop the heat to medium. Pour in chocolate chips and stir until melted.

For a final touch, dip the macaroons in the dark chocoalte, coating the bottom and then place back on a cooling rack. These are best kept in the refrigeator, if they last long enough to keep past a day.

Enjoy! And a have a great weekend. This post will resume on Monday, February 23 and continue every Monday thru Friday from there on out.

Hippy Pad Thai in 10 Minutes

The current group of college students are part of what might as well be called the takeout generation. For many reasons, to which this blog doesn't try to understand, food has become something that must be quick, easy and prepackaged. One of the benefits of takeout is being able to eat a variety of different ethnic foods without the trip overseas. Most of these dishes are extremely hard to create because they require rare ingredients only found in specialty markets. This, however, is one tasty exception to the rule.

A great benefit to make "takein" as opposed to takeout is that it is easy to see what you're eating. This particular recipe is great for those with allergies or dietary restrictions. This is a gluten free, dairy free and vegan meal.

Corina's (Trader Joe's employee) Hippy Pad Thai

Ingredients

1 package of rice stick noodles 

1 package extra firm tofu (about 12 oz)

1 tbsp garlic powder

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup rice wine vinegar

1/3 cup soy sauce, plus more to taste

1/2 bag or about 1 cup of bean sprouts

1-2 tbsp light cooking oil (vegetable or grapeseed)

1/3 cup chopped cilantro and/or basil (fresh or frozen)

Sweet chili sauce or hot sauce to taste

Lime segments (optional)

1/3 cup chopped peanuts (optional)

The meal is as easy as soaking the noodles in water until they're soft and pliable. Start by cutting the tofu into cubes and sautéing  the tofu in oil, soy sauce and garlic powder. After the tofu is cooked on the outside, remove the tofu, add the noodles with a little bit of the water they were soaking in, plus the bean sprouts. Cook all these together for about 3-4 minutes and add the tofu back into the skillet. Top with herbs, peanuts and a squeeze of limes and serve. People can "sauce up" their dish as they like.

>Real Thai would normally contain tamarind sauce, which is not part of the college student's pantry, plus fish sauce (which isn't vegan). This may not be the most authentic version of Pad Thai, but it is cheap and easy... and darn tasty.

>Not vegan? Try adding chicken, shrimp or steak to this dish in place of tofu. Numerous vegetables could be added, as well, vegan or not.