Cream of Red Pepper Soup

Pepared by Jeffrey

INGREDIENTS
4 red bell peppers
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, minced
1 sprig of fresh rosemary
1-1/4 quarts of chicken or light vegetable stock
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup heavy cream (divided)
paprika
salt and freshly ground black pepper


METHOD

• Heat the broiler. Put the peppers in the broiler pan under high heat and turn them regularly until the skins blacken all around.  Put them into a plastic bag (or other large sealed container) and close.  Leave for 20 minutes.
• Peel the black skin off the peppers.  Avoid rinsing them because this loses some of the natural oil and hence the flavor.
• Halve the peppers, removing the seeds, stems and pith.  Roughly chop the flesh.
• Melt the button in a deep saucepan.  Add the onion and rosemary and cook slowly over low heat for about 5 minutes.  Remove the rosemary and discard.
• Add the peppers and stock to the onion and bring to a boil.  Simmer for 15 minutes.  Stir in the tomato paste.  Process or strain the soup to a smooth puree with a stick blender or regular blender.
• Stir in half the cream and season with paprika, salt, if necessary, and pepper.
• Serve the soup hot or chilled, with the remaining cream swirled delicately on top.  Speckle the cream very lightly with a pinch of paprika.

YEILD
Serves 4

RECIPE CREDIT
(From "The Soup Bible" - Anness Publishing - 2003)

Thanksgiving Potato Soup

I present to you... another experiment... I called it (after tasting it) Thanksgiving Potato Soup.

It is.... thick. So I wonder if it actually qualifies as a soup or a side dish?

INGREDIENTS:

5 pounds potatoes roasted in oven with salt & garlic
1 onion chopped and roasted
1 bulb garlic roasted
2 boxes veggie broth
1 block smoked cheese
Salt
Pepper
1 tbs Sriracha sauce
green onions


METHOD:

Roast potatoes, onions, and garlic. Add to pot with broth. Simmer in vegetable broth for about 20 min. Chop & add cheese. Garnish with chopped green onions.

Mexican Vegetable Stew

by Jackie




INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup olive oil (I used closer to 3 tbsp or less, just poured not measured)
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 large onions, diced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 28-oz can imported plum tomatoes (about 3 cups), roughly chopped with their juice (I used organic diced roma tomatoes as I couldn't find the elusive canned plum tomato)
8 cups vegetable stock
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 carrots, thinly sliced
3 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise into sixths, then into 1-inch chunks
2 cups freshly cooked kidney beans, or 1 15-oz can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
Grated cheddar cheese (optional)
Corn chips (optional)


METHOD:

In a 6- to 8-quart pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Sauté the garlic, onions, and cumin 10 minutes, stirring often.

Add the tomatoes with their juice, the vegetable stock, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil.

Add the carrots and cook 15 minutes, then add the zucchini and cook 5 to 10 minutes, or until the zucchini is tender, not mushy.

Add the kidney beans and corn and cook 2 minutes. Remove 2 cups of the stew, puree it in a blender or food processor, then return to the pot. This will nicely thicken the stew. Taste to adjust the seasoning. If desired, sprinkle on grated cheese and break a few corn chips over each serving.

MODIFICATIONS:

All ingredients are organic, minus seasonings and oil.

Instead of using one 15-oz can of kidney beans, I used two.

Since I used low-sodium veg stock, I added perhaps an additional tablespoon of sea salt to the pot when finished.

I added a tablespoon or so of ground cayenne red pepper. Could even use more, depending on personal preference.



YIELD:
Serves 4 as a main course  
(it actually made more than that in my opinion – yielded 9 pint jars)

RECIPE CREDIT:
Quick Vegetarian Pleasures by Jeanne Lemlin

Spicy Southwestern Soup

Your soup for the day, if you choose to accept it, is a Spicy Southwestern Soup. I used a soup mix for this one. Sometimes you just don't have all the time in the world, but you can add a bit of kick to a soup mix.

INGREDIENTS

• North Bay Trading Co. Spicy Southwestern Soup Mix
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Celery
• Carrots
• Onion
• Yellow Squash
• Zucchini
• Kosher salt
• Garlic

Black Bean Soup

I must admit, I cheated. This is a quick and very easy recipe. If you opt not to buy premade Pico de Gallo, then the recipe becomes a bit more work. I was tempted to call this, "Quick and Easy Black Bean Soup" because, using my method, it is just that!

Here goes:

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb bag of black beans
• 2 cups veggie stock
• 2 cups fresh Pico de Gallo (if you're in the Milwaukee area, I bought mine at Sendiks in Whitefish Bay)
• fresh cilantro
  
• 1 lime
  
• 1 T ground coriander
• salt to taste
• chili powder to taste
• fresh avocado for garnish
  

(The Pico de Gallo ingredients are as follows:  fresh diced tomatoes, fresh minced jalepeno pepper, diced red onion, fresh cilantro, lime juice)

METHOD:

• Cook the black beans per package directions. 
• When done, mash slightly with a potato masher or use an immersion blender. Do not puree completely. Most of the beans should remain whole. Mashing slightly gives the soup a thicker texture and allows the bean flavor to combine with the other ingredients. 
• Add vegetable stock, lime and seasonings. 
• Let cool for about 30 minutes to an hour. 
• Add fresh pico de gallo and more cilantro if desired.
  
• Refridgerate overnight to let soup rest which allows flavors to meld.

YIELD:

8 cups


Serve warm, topped with fresh avocado and cilantro. You can also top with more pico de gallo, sour cream, green onions or tortilla chips!

Enjoy!

Tuscan Bean Soup

Today I have for you Tuscan Bean Soup. I have tasted this recipe before, made with canned Great Northern beans, but I've never made it. Yesterday I went all out and not only made the soup but cooked the beans from scratch, also a first for me. I've been wanting to give it a try for ages and the soup group was the perfect excuse. So thank you.

Tuscan Bean Soup

INGREDIENTS

2 cups diced onions
1 cup peeled and diced carrots
4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 tablespoon olive oil
15 large sage leaves
6 cups cooked pinto, Roman, or small red or white beans* (I used Great Northern white beans)
or three 15- or 16-ounce cans, undrained
3 to 4 cups vegetable stock, bean-cooking liquid, or water (I used half veg stock / half bean-cooking liquid)
salt and ground black pepper to taste

*2 cups dried beans will yield about 6 cups cooked


METHOD

If using dried beans, soak, then cook the beans. Drain (saving the cooking liquid if you plan to use in recipe) and set aside.

In a soup pot, sauté the onions, carrots, and garlic in the olive oil on medium-low heat until the onions are translucent and the carrots are tender, about 10 minutes. Stack the sage leaves and cut them crosswise into thin strips. Stir the sage into the vegetables. Add the cooked beans and 3 cups of the vegetable stock, bean-cooking liquid, or water. Continue cooking on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the soup is hot and simmering, 5 to 10 minutes.

Carefully ladle about 3 cups of the soup into a blender and purée until smooth. Stir the purée back into the soup. If you wish, add more stock or water for a less thick consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Gently reheat the soup and serve hot.

YEILD
approximately 8 cups (64 oz.)

by Jacquette

The Great Pumpkin Soup

Here's the more veracious recipe:

INGREDIENTS
1 lg can pumpkin puree
2-4 cups veggie or chicken stock, depending on how thick you like your soup
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk (light) or 1/4 cup cream **
1/4 cup sugar (skip this if you used sweetened coconut milk!)
1 orange (for zesting and for it's juice)
3-4 carrots
1 to 1/2 butternut squash
cayenne pepper to taste
2t white pepper
2t powder ginger

GARNISH
cilantro
toasted pumpkin seeds

METHOD
Mix the first four ingredients together in a 4 quart pot
Meanwhile, slice and dice the veggies and roast them in the oven until tender. Careful not to over cook or burn! If you prefer, you can boil them.

Add cooked veggies to pot. Add zest of the orange. Carefully squeeze the juice of the orange into the pot, stirring every few moments so that the ingredients gently blend.

Add spices to your liking. I added cayenne, white pepper and ginger.

** IF you do not want to use cream or coconut milk, add a little more veggie stock.


Here's the more simple recipe!

INGREDIENTS
1 lg can pumpkin puree
2-4 cups veggie or chicken stock (depending on how thick you like your soup)
1/4 cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 orange (for zesting and for it's juice)
2t white pepper
2t powder ginger


METHOD
Mix the first 4 ingredients together in a 4 quart pot. Add zest of the orange. Carefully squeeze the juice of the orange into the pot, stirring every few moments so that the ingredients gently blend. Add spices to your liking.


Both recipes are great and both can be made either with veggie stock or chicken stock. If you do happen to make this soup, I'd love to hear how it turned out, so consider coming back and leaving a comment if you did just that!

SOURCE
Myself! I concocted this potion. Please feel to add or subtract ingredients and spices to your liking. The soup is pretty forgiving.

Ciao for now!