Cream of mushroom is generally pretty mediocre from a can, but it's a good base to make a great soup from.
In a large pot, saute 1 medium onion, sliced thinly, with a variety of mushrooms (I use portobello and white) sliced thin. When the onions are translucent, turn the heat down and add the condensed soup + 1 can of water or milk. Whisk the onions, mushrooms and soup until fully blended. Add 1/2 package frozen cauliflower and 1/2 package frozen broccoli. Keep heat at medium, cover until soup is bubbling. When soup is bubbling gently, season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and serve, garnishing with cheddar if desired.
Showing posts with label soup. Show all posts
Showing posts with label soup. Show all posts
Monday, November 2, 2009
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
what we need more of... is soup! Rainy October Soup Fun fest
Two awesome and really super easy recipes for a good hearty vegetable soup.
Veggie Chowder
thinly slice 2 small onions and several mushrooms (creminis are my fave here). Grab a bag or can of corn and a family size can of cream of mushroom soup. Also a couple potatoes, cubed. Put a large soup pot on your burner, add a little oil and turn on med-high heat. Add the onions and potatoes. Once the onions are translucent, add the mushrooms. When everything is looking maybe 50-75% cooked, add and reconstitute the mushroom soup and the can or bag of corn. Let simmer on low for 30-60 minutes, until onions and potatoes are tender. Add fresh pepper and serve.
Lentil Dal
Thinly slice 2 small onions and 2-3 medium potatoes. Get out curry powder and a soup pot. At med-high heat, add the onions and potatoes to the pot with some oil and add copious amounts of curry to the mix. When onions are translucent, add 2 cups dry picked over brown lentils and fry for a couple minutes with the curry potatoes and onions. Add water to cover and reduce heat to med-low. Lentils should be done in 20-30 minutes, simmer longer for a creamier soup. Garnish with sour cream or whole fat yogurt and cilantro.
Veggie Chowder
thinly slice 2 small onions and several mushrooms (creminis are my fave here). Grab a bag or can of corn and a family size can of cream of mushroom soup. Also a couple potatoes, cubed. Put a large soup pot on your burner, add a little oil and turn on med-high heat. Add the onions and potatoes. Once the onions are translucent, add the mushrooms. When everything is looking maybe 50-75% cooked, add and reconstitute the mushroom soup and the can or bag of corn. Let simmer on low for 30-60 minutes, until onions and potatoes are tender. Add fresh pepper and serve.
Lentil Dal
Thinly slice 2 small onions and 2-3 medium potatoes. Get out curry powder and a soup pot. At med-high heat, add the onions and potatoes to the pot with some oil and add copious amounts of curry to the mix. When onions are translucent, add 2 cups dry picked over brown lentils and fry for a couple minutes with the curry potatoes and onions. Add water to cover and reduce heat to med-low. Lentils should be done in 20-30 minutes, simmer longer for a creamier soup. Garnish with sour cream or whole fat yogurt and cilantro.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
soaking beans
Dried beans are my favorite as it's easier to cook them to your favorite consistency and flavor them accordingly. Great Northern beans are one of my favorites - give them a nice long soak, boil them up with a little broth, and they taste buttery and creamy.
Pour a pound of beans into a large bowl and give them the once over, discarding any non-bean particles and sketchy looking beans. Rinse once with cold water, then cover by 2-3 inches and let soak, about 8 hours. I try to get them soaking before work so they're ready when I get home.
After the soak, pour off the soaking water and re-cover with an inch or so of fresh water. Put into a large stock pot, turn heat to high and cover. Add stock or stock concentrate now. I like Minor's vegetable base, it goes really well with these beans. Set your timer for an hour, then take a bean out, cool it and eat it. If it's tough, keep going for another 30 minutes and try again, if you like your beans really soft, go for another hour (the skins might burst). You can also use a pressure cooker, just make sure not to overfill it and go for about 20-30 minutes at a time with presoaked beans.
I like to make quick vegetable soups out of the beans using frozen spinach and cauliflower and maybe a few tomatoes (sun dried are lovely). Since the beans are cooked, just get some water going, put the frozen vegetables in the pot and once they're thawed, throw some cooked beans in the pot and let it all mix together for 5-10 minutes at near boiling. You can also freeze the just cooked beans for future use. One pound of beans makes about 2 quarts cooked (I store them in clean yogurt containers).
Pour a pound of beans into a large bowl and give them the once over, discarding any non-bean particles and sketchy looking beans. Rinse once with cold water, then cover by 2-3 inches and let soak, about 8 hours. I try to get them soaking before work so they're ready when I get home.
After the soak, pour off the soaking water and re-cover with an inch or so of fresh water. Put into a large stock pot, turn heat to high and cover. Add stock or stock concentrate now. I like Minor's vegetable base, it goes really well with these beans. Set your timer for an hour, then take a bean out, cool it and eat it. If it's tough, keep going for another 30 minutes and try again, if you like your beans really soft, go for another hour (the skins might burst). You can also use a pressure cooker, just make sure not to overfill it and go for about 20-30 minutes at a time with presoaked beans.
I like to make quick vegetable soups out of the beans using frozen spinach and cauliflower and maybe a few tomatoes (sun dried are lovely). Since the beans are cooked, just get some water going, put the frozen vegetables in the pot and once they're thawed, throw some cooked beans in the pot and let it all mix together for 5-10 minutes at near boiling. You can also freeze the just cooked beans for future use. One pound of beans makes about 2 quarts cooked (I store them in clean yogurt containers).
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
4/7/09: pumpkin curry soup with naan
pumpkin curry soup sounds exotic, but is really easy. The hardest thing in this soup is the curry powder, which I make myself and will describe how to make here:
curry powder:
1 part tumeric
2 parts ground cumin seeds
2 parts ground coriander
1-2 parts ground gram masala, chiles, pepper, cardamom (especially elcha black), sea salt, mustard (pick and choose or use them all!). I grind these in a coffee grinder, well cleaned, then mix all the powders together in a shaker container with a pereforated top and a handle, which I think was bought at goodwill or the dollar store.
peel and cut two onions in half, then slice thinly (so you get nice thin strips of onion). saute in a deep skillet or pan (I prefer nonstick on gas stoves) until slightly translucent, then add the curry powder. I don't measure here, just dash it on until fragrant. cover the onions and set heat to low - allow to cook until nearly formless and very see-through.
While the onions are cooking, grab two 15 ounce cans of pure pumpkin, open and empty into a large deep pot, at least 8 quart capacity. rinse the cans out with warm water and add the rinse to the pot as well. This is a thick soup. If you like, add some broth, I use vegetable "better than bullion", and about 1-2 tsp of the concentrate. put over low-medium heat and cover.
once the onions are done, either: blend in food processor until nearly uniform, or add to the soup, mix, and ladle a couple cups at a time into the food processor before returning to the pot. I generally add some silk and smart balance (or use milk and butter) during the processing here, just a small amount of each to add a nice richness to the soup. Once the soup is as blended and creamy as you like, let simmer for a while and prep and cook the naans (i'll try to get a good naan recipe here, Randy makes those so I know less about this part). Garnish with sour cream and cilantro if desired. Good for cold nights!
curry powder:
1 part tumeric
2 parts ground cumin seeds
2 parts ground coriander
1-2 parts ground gram masala, chiles, pepper, cardamom (especially elcha black), sea salt, mustard (pick and choose or use them all!). I grind these in a coffee grinder, well cleaned, then mix all the powders together in a shaker container with a pereforated top and a handle, which I think was bought at goodwill or the dollar store.
peel and cut two onions in half, then slice thinly (so you get nice thin strips of onion). saute in a deep skillet or pan (I prefer nonstick on gas stoves) until slightly translucent, then add the curry powder. I don't measure here, just dash it on until fragrant. cover the onions and set heat to low - allow to cook until nearly formless and very see-through.
While the onions are cooking, grab two 15 ounce cans of pure pumpkin, open and empty into a large deep pot, at least 8 quart capacity. rinse the cans out with warm water and add the rinse to the pot as well. This is a thick soup. If you like, add some broth, I use vegetable "better than bullion", and about 1-2 tsp of the concentrate. put over low-medium heat and cover.
once the onions are done, either: blend in food processor until nearly uniform, or add to the soup, mix, and ladle a couple cups at a time into the food processor before returning to the pot. I generally add some silk and smart balance (or use milk and butter) during the processing here, just a small amount of each to add a nice richness to the soup. Once the soup is as blended and creamy as you like, let simmer for a while and prep and cook the naans (i'll try to get a good naan recipe here, Randy makes those so I know less about this part). Garnish with sour cream and cilantro if desired. Good for cold nights!
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