Mean, Green, Cold-Fighting Machine

It has been raining since 8:30 this morning here in Bellingham...

That, on top of what I'm starting to believe is more cold than allergies inspired this green concoction that I plan on nomming on for the next few days. The flavors in this soup were inspired by my uncle. He's been instructed to go on a low-sodium diet, so I didn't add any salt to this soup - just BIG flavors like basil, oregano, rosemary, garlic, onion, and paprika. YUM! I don't miss the salt one bit.

Sodium is hidden in many processed foods - even ones that don't taste salty. Pay attention to the nutrition facts labels on your packaged foods, or better yet don't eat them!  "If it doesn't look like something pulled out of the ground or off a plant, you probably shouldn't be eating it" has become something of a personal mantra.

The overwhelming greenness of this soup was definitely by accident... you could use whatever veg you've got in the fridge.

 

What I used:

• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 2 Tsp rosemary leaves, chopped
• 2 Tsp dried basil
• 2 Tsp oregano
• 1 Tsp paprika
• 2 Tsp black pepper
• 1/2 day-old avocado, smashed
• ~1.5c leftover blanched asparagus (my friend and I made sushi yesterday)
• 1 head broccoli, cut into bite-sized florettes
• 4c low-sodium vegetable broth + 4c water (or more veggie broth if you're not on a college budget)
• 1 can kidney beans (~2c), rinsed
• 1c green lentils, rinsed
• 2c raw spinach (kale would have been good, too!)

Building the Machine:

1.  Heat olive oil in large soup pot over medium heat.
2. Add garlic, onion, and basil, oregano, paprika, pepper, and rosemary, cook until onions are translucent.
3.  Smoosh in the avocado and add the broccoli and asparagus.
4. Add vegetable broth and water and return to a boil.
5. Add kidney beans, lentils and spinach. 
6. Cook on med-low heat until lentils are cooked through (~30min) or longer. I was Skyping with a friend in Minnesota so my soup simmered for over an hour.

What's in all that green stuff, anyway?

Asparagus is a great source of vitamins A, B6, and C, as well as calcium, zinc, magnesium, and fiber. Spinach is another source of vitamin A and K, the B vitamins, fiber, and iron. Avocado provides potassium, vitamins C and K, and folate. Broccoli is a rockstar: a good source of Protein, Thiamin, Pantothenic Acid, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium and Phosphorus, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Potassium and Manganese. Lentils are a great source of fiber and protein, as well as iron, phosphorous, and copper. 

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/legumes-and-legume-products/4338/2

Photo from http://thestonesoup.com/blog/2007/09/on-asparagus-and-spring/

Tomato-kale-garbanzo soup

Tomato soup base was on sale this week. However, I can't eat plain tomato soup... it's a texture thing, I think. I was able to produce from my refrigerator some rosemary that needed to be used, garlic, and kale. Stella (my cat) picked the garbanzos from a lineup of black, kidney, and garbanzo beans. Good choice, Stel!

• 4c tomato soup (I buy the reduced-sodium kind and then add flavors other than salt... more on this later!)
  
• 3c water
• 1 bunch kale, chopped into 1-2" pieces (makes 3-4c)
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 2 Tbs chopped rosemary (I used fresh rosemary, dried would be fine)
• 1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp oregano
• 1 TBS black pepper

1. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot with a lid.
   
2. Add garlic and rosemary, cook until garlic softens.
3. Add kale and 1/2 c water. Cover the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the kale is wilted. This looks like A LOT of kale... you'll be surprised how much it wilts down.
4. Add garbanzos, paprika, pepper, and oregano and stir together.
5. Add tomato soup base and remaining water until your soup reaches a soupy (rather than stewy) consistency... I needed about 3c water.
6. Bring the soup to a slow boil and then turn heat to low. You can serve the soup immediately, or simmer it for a while to let the kale soften a bit more, and the rosemary and oregano flavors to infuse (what's the fancy pants chef term for this?) into the soup.
   

A note on low-sodium products:
READ your nutrition facts labels! Many soups, seasoning packets, and other processed and packaged foods contain nearly as much sodium per serving as we need in a whole day! Yikes! There is some research linking high-sodium diets to higher blood pressure... and other research that disproves this (and suggests that only ~40% of the population has sodium-sensitive hypertension). Either way, there are a lot more phytochemicals in spices and herbs like rosemary, paprika, and oregano than in table salt, and they make foods taste SO much better! Pass the herbs, please!

Butternut Squash Soup

More squash!
Butternut squash has more vitamin A than pumpkin, is high in many of the B-vitamins, and is a good source of the minerals iron, zinc, copper, calcium, potassium, and phosphorus. It's high in dietary fiber as well.

You will need:

One 2-3# butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed (use a large spoon to scrape out the seeds -- it's like carving a pumpkin!)
1/2 large onion, roughly chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 small potato, cubed
Whatever other veggies you have... I had a handful of baby carrots that needed to be used.
2 Tbs olive oil
4c vegetable stock (I used low-sodium)
1-2 Tsp each of black pepper and nutmeg
1/2 Tsp cinnamon
1/2 TBS salt

Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Saute onion, celery, potato and celery until onion is translucent. Add cubed squash, vegetable stock, and spices. Cover with a lid and simmer for 30-40 minutes, or until squash is soft all the way through. Transfer contents of the pot to a blender or food processor (I had to do it in two batches), and blend until smooth.

Taco Soup

I made tacos with friends and had a bunch of leftovers, as well as a bunch of veggies I needed to use. The original plan was to use a low-sodium vegetable broth as the base, but spicy black bean soup was on sale today (and you can't tell me spicy black bean doesn't sound more delicious!)

I used:
2 TBS olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 onion
1 green bell pepper
1 ear corn, boiled and cut off of cobb
1/2 packet (1 1/2 TBS) taco seasoning
2 c chopped red cabbage
1 zucchini, cut into bite-size pieces
1 box (~4 c) spicy black bean soup
2 c water
3/4 c quinoa

1. Heat olive oil in a large (!) pot. Saute' garlic and onion.
2. Add taco seasoning, green bell pepper and zucchini and cook, stirring frequently for 2-3 minutes.
3. Add cabbage, corn, black bean soup, water, and quinoa. Stir, bring to boil, and let simmer until quinoa is cooked (about 30 minutes).

Easy enough, right? This makes enough soup (or stew... the quinoa sucked up all the water and thickened it) for 5-6 people... which means a week of leftovers for me!! This would also be good over a baked potato or as taco filling.