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. 

Windy Days Call for Soup

Cold days in late winter seem more cruel than most. Often they come just as cruel as in December, but are sandwiched between ones that are often quite mild. The dance between the coat closet and back deciding to retire that winter coat for the year can make a person hungry. Add to that winds that seem to slice through even several layers of clothes, and soup is just the meal to patch up the seasonal conflict.

Many soups can be creamy and calorie-filled, but since it is getting closer and closer to spring time, broth-based soups rich in vegetables and lean protein deliver all the warmth without the extra pounds thick sweaters long for. Soups are often the true test of a great chef, but are often the most simple dish to make. They have pretty much no rules. They cook long enough that even ingredients a few days past their peak can be enjoyed, and are forgiving to mediocre chopping and all other kitchen woes.

The easiest way to take a soup to another level is by using stock or broth instead of water. Even vegetable juice can be used, just be careful to look for reduced sodium always. Salt creeps into dishes very easily when using help from the store and taking it out of a dish is something no expert can help with. Grocery stores often have most vegetables pre-chopped and frozen. This is a very economical option and often the vegetables are very fresh.

This is a good skeleton recipe for soup. With chicken and noodles this becomes chicken noodle soup, but can be adjusted for vegetarians and people avoiding gluten. It is fast and easy and needs nothing more than a cutting board, knife, stock pot, ingredients, a little patience and a lot of appetite.

Ingredients

6-8 cups of broth (chicken or vegetable)

2 cups of chopped onions (fresh or frozen)

3-4 ribs of diced celery

2 carrots, diced

2 portobello caps

2 potatoes, diced OR 4 oz of any pasta OR 1/2 cup of any rice

3 chicken breasts or 5 chicken tenderloins (poached and diced)

Salt & Pepper

2 cloves garlic (fresh or frozen)

Bay leaf (optional)

Basil (fresh or dried)

Parsley (fresh or dried)

2 tbsp ground corriander

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

slice of lemon (optional)

Preparation

First chop all the ingredients first. Have them ready to go into the pot like an assembly line. This prevents any further frustration.

Start by sweating onions in olive oil with salt and pepper and garlic. Sweating is done on medium low heat. The objective is to bring out the moisture in the onions and not to caramelize them. After about 5 minutes once the onions begin to soften, add the potatoes and about 1/2 cup of the broth. Keep the heat on about medium until the potatoes break down and get very soft. Add a little bit of broth if all of it evaporates and continue stirring often. This process builds the base of the soup and helps make it thick in the end.

After about 20 minutes, add the rest of the broth and vegetables and chicken (optional). A good option in place of chicken is lentils. They need no presoaking and soften in about 30 minutes. Also go ahead and add the herbs at this point as well. Bring to a simmer and cover for about 30-40 minutes... if you can wait that long. Remove the bay leaf (they aren't edible) and serve with a slice of lemon.

>If using pasta, add about 20 minutes into the cooking process. With rice, add as soon as the soup starts to simmer. 

>This is a great way to use up other vegetables, too. Zucchini is wonderful, so are canned tomatoes, etc. One of the best ways to add an extra vitamin boost is to open up a whole bag of baby spinach and wilt into the soup right before serving. It wilts down to a reasonable amount and makes soup almost like a salad - great for vegetarian options.

Feel free to comment on any recipes or a soup that you'd like to see recreated.