Carrot Soup (Dairy Free)

Posted on February 25, 2012 by kitchenbelle

I forgot how much I loved this broccoli soup recipe. I’m not sure why I haven’t made it in so long. I love that it is non-dairy and meat free. It is a delicious accompaniment to a panini for an easy make ahead week night dinner. Also, it stands perfectly well on its own or with a piece of crusty bread for lunch. You may be wondering why I am talking about broccoli soup if this post is about carrot soup. Well, after re-discovering my love for the broccoli soup I decided to try the same recipe swapping out the vegetable.

This carrot soup turned out really well! I love how it has a creamy texture while it does not contain any milk or cheese. It reminds me very much of the soups my host mother in France prepared for me during my term abroad in Rennes. Whenever we had a particulary hardy lunch, say on a Sunday or a holiday, she would prepare a light dinner of pureed soup like this one. Anything that reminds me of France is a winner in my book!

Side Note: I find it so funny that I posted the broccoli soup recipe exactly three years ago today!

Carrot Soup:

  • olive oil
  • 2 leeks, cleaned, root and green woody top removed, thinly sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
  • 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
  • 8 fresh carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces PLUS
  • 2 fresh carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
  • 48 ounces of vegetable broth (you can use chicken broth or stock if you prefer)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • a pinch of cayenne
  • salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 425 F.

Drizzle a baking sheet with olive oil and place the 8 2-inch carrot pieces in a single layer on the baking sheet. Roast for approximately 20 minutes or until carrots are soft. Half way through roasting turn carrots over.

Add some olive oil to the bottom of a large soup pot.  (I used my Le Creuset.)   Warm the oil over medium-low heat.  Add the leeks, onion, garlic, and two chopped carrots.  Stir and cook until the onions are translucent. [Note: The above step is extremely important for a maximum flavor soup.  If you aren’t in a rush, cook these ingredients over low heat for a long period of time (even to the point of caramelization if you’d like, though it is not necessary) to fully cultivate the flavor.]

Add the potatoes and roasted carrots to the large soup pot.  Add the broth or stock and bay leaf.  Bring to a rolling boil and then reduce to a low boil.  Stir occasionally, cooking for about 20-25 minutes, or until the vegetables are all tender.

Take the pot off the heat and remove the bay leaf.  If you have an immersion blender, use that to puree the soup.  Alternately, cool the soup in the fridge for a few moments then puree in a traditional blender or food processor, one cup at a time.  Return the pureed soup to the cooking pot and warm it through.  Season generously with salt and pepper.

Filed under: Appetizer, carrot, Main Dish, soup | 2 Comments »

Lentil and Brown Rice Soup

Posted on September 22, 2011 by kitchenbelle

The weather has been a little strange lately. We had a few gorgeously crisp fall days followed by some summer-like weather. Today is rainy and humid. That said, we are technically in soup season and there’s nothing like a pot of soup simmering on the stove to warm the house and beckon your family.  Soup is so practical too–make one large pot at the beginning of the week and reheat it for several lunches and dinners during the days that follow.  Better yet, freeze the leftovers. This recipe is chock full of nutrients and fiber.  It is also hearty, filling, and delicious.

Ideas:

–Transform this recipe to vegetarian by using vegetable stock in place of the chicken broth and beef stock.

–Serve with a warm crusty baguette for a wonderfully satisfying weeknight meal.

–For easy entertaining, make a pot and invite some friends over to watch a football game (go Patriots!)

–Perfect for a Halloween dinner because it won’t require your attention while you answer your door to trick-or-treaters!

Lentil and Brown Rice Soup:

  • 6 cups chicken broth
  • 4 cups beef stock
  • 1 1/2 cups dry lentils (picked over and rinsed)
  • 1 1/2 cups long-grain brown rice
  • 1  28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
  • 3  14-0unce cans diced tomatoes with garlic and olive oil
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 1 large stock of celery, chopped
  • 3 large cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 large carrots, chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 teaspoon thyme
  • 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
  • 2 handfuls of fresh spinach
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper

In a large pot (I used Le Creuset) combine broth, stock, lentils, rice, tomatoes, onion, celery, garlic, carrots, oregano, thyme, bay leaf, and vinegar. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and cover pan. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 45-55 minutes or until the lentils and rice are tender. Stir in spinach, salt, and pepper. Don’t forget to remove and discard the bay leaf.

Adapted from So Easy, So Delicious by Ellie Deaner. Buy it!

Filed under: beans, Fall, Main Dish, rice, soup, spinach, tomato, VEGETARIAN | 2 Comments »

Easy and Light Weeknight Corn and Chicken Chowder

Posted on April 8, 2010 by kitchenbelle

I don’t usually make rich meals on weeknights, however, for some reason this recipe caught my eye.  And, as it turns out, it isn’t actually all that rich! It wasn’t super heavy the way chowders typically are. I used 1 % milk and not an ounce of cream and this was still so wonderfully flavorful and filling.  I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this meal!  

The original recipe does not call for potatoes but I decided to add them for some texture and color.  (I am really digging red bliss these days!) And rather than use thyme (a spice I am a little iffy about) I garnished the dish with some fresh chives, which are a little more subtle and add a freshness that I have really been seeking these days.  I also bumped up the amount of corn. 

Because of all of my additions, the actual amount of chowder was less than some might like, which was fine with me because I love all things chunky as opposed to liquidy.  If you would like more actual liquid (soup) I suggest bumping up the amount of milk to 4 cups.

 I meant to make some corn muffins to accompany this, but I forgot.  Plus, baking AND cooking on a school night? I think that would shift this from an easy and light weeknight meal to a plan ahead savory Sunday supper. 😉

P.S. I am in the market for a new camera. I would welcome any and all suggestions!  (I cannot sort out how to get the white balance where I need it to be with this little point and shoot!)

Easy and Light Weeknight Corn and Chicken Chowder:

  • 1 pound small red potatoes (red bliss)
  • about 1 pound chicken breast
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 3 ribs of celery, finely chopped
  • 1/2 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 3 cups milk (I used 1%)
  • 2 cups frozen sweet yellow corn kernels
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • a few shakes of red pepper flakes
  • lots of salt and pepper to taste
  • 3-4 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender. When done strain away water and let potatoes cool in a colander.

Meanwhile, cook chicken breast on grill pan or in saute pan.  Once cooked, remove from heat, use two forks to shred and set aside.

In a large Dutch over melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and jalepeno and cook for at least three minutes, or until tender.   Stir frequently. Note: Let these ingredients cook for as much time as you have. This will be the base of the flavor of the chowder so the longer you let these cook the more flavorful the final product will be.  (I try to “melt” the onions and celery as long as possible to hide them from my husband!)

Add flour and cook for one minute, stirring constantly.

Stir in milk, chicken, corn, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil.  Cook until thick, about 5-10 minutes. Stir in potatoes and cook until potatoes are heated through. Serve in bowls and garnish with freshly chopped chives.

Adapted from Quick Chicken-Corn Chowder on MyRecipes.com.

Filed under: chicken, chives, corn, Main Dish, soup | 3 Comments »

Escarole Soup

Posted on September 10, 2009 by kitchenbelle

Sept

Wow–it has been a while!  It has been a whirlwind of a summer and the reason for my recent absence is that my husband and I just returned from a fabulous vacation in Spain.  We had a really fantastic time and I have returned so inspired and excited to get cooking with some newly acquired Mediterranean perspective!   We ate so much delicious food and I cannot wait to recreate some of the dishes.

With so many family birthdays and exciting celebrations of all sorts during the summer, I spent quite a bit of my time baking, as you can tell:

Yikes!  Though it seems counterintuitive to spend so many hours indoors baking in a hot kitchen during the peaks of summer heat, in an odd way, it makes some sense.  Summer tends to be a time of indulgence.  Ice cream becomes a priority and my husband plays on 2-3 softball teams each summer, which prevent regular balanced sit-down dinners each night.  Also, when the weather is nice and there are more hours of sunlight we are less likely to sprint home immediately after work to settle in and eat dinner.  Now that fall is here (man do I love fall) it is time to get back into a routine and return to the table for long warm meals.   

In addition to the overabundance of sweet treats, you may have also noticed some changes on Kitchenbelle.com!  Yes–we got a facelift!  I’d be happy to hear your thoughts about the new design.  Please email me with any suggestions or feedback: kitchenbelle at ymail dot com.

And now, onto the soup!  I did some major food shopping immediately upon returning from vacation. In Whole Foods, I picked up a leaflet advertising meals for under $15.  This escarole soup caught my eye.  In need of something easy, filling and nutritionally sound to make for dinner–something that could sit on the stove while I continued to unpack and restore order to the apartment–I settled on this soup.

The moment it began simmering our place smelled like my grandmother’s!  She used to make escarole soup all of the time when I was a child, yet I didn’t realize it until the smell evoked the memory.  The sense of scent is a wonderful thing.

I adapted the recipe by cooking the garlic and olive oil with just the smallest pieces of bacon fat.  I was incredibly and pleasantly surprised by how unbelievably flavorful this soup turned out.  What I found especially strange is that I did not even use any salt AND I used low sodium broth–something I very rarely do. 

Escarole Soup:

  • 3-4 cloves of garlic, sliced thin
  • 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes (less or more depending on your preference)
  • 1 very thin strip of bacon or bacon fat
  • One large bunch of escarole, rinsed, dried and chopped
  • One 48-ounce can of chicken broth
  • Two 14-ounce cans of Pinto beans, drained and rinsed

Heat oil on medium-low and add garlic, bacon, and red pepper flakes.  Be careful not to burn the garlic.  Add the chicken broth and escarole and  bring to a boil for about 15 minutes or until the escarole wilts.  Add the pinto beans and simmer for 20-25 minutes.  Remove bacon.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve with crusty bread for dipping.

Adapted from Whole Foods leaflet.

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Filed under: Appetizer, beans, escarole, Side, soup | 4 Comments »

Fish Stew

Posted on March 4, 2009 by kitchenbelle

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“I would even bring this in for lunch tomorrow.” 

There it is, folks, in the words of my husband who 98% of the time prefers a plain old deli sandwich to leftovers for lunch.  That’s how much he (we) enjoyed this!

This stew has just about all of the positive qualities you would seek in a weeknight supper. 

  1. Really  easy
  2. Really quick (easy doesn’t always = quick)
  3. Really healthy
  4. Really low in calories (healthy doesn’t always = low cal)
  5. Really fresh
  6. Really delicious

(Wow–that is a lot of reallys. )

Also, I think what we really (uh-oh, there is another one) liked about this dish is that it strays from how we typically eat fish.  In the spirit of Lent I have had my eye out for some good fish recipes, and since we eat a fair amount of baked fish I wanted to try something a little different.  This recipe hit the mark.  It is flavorful, light, and has a pleasantly surprising kick to it. 

A couple of recipe notes: In our freezer I had some corn shaved from the cob that had  just been waiting for a purpose.  What a special touch of flavor and freshness it added to this meal!  If you happen to have some fresh corn (or other veggies for that matter–mushrooms or peas would work well) toss them in!  Secondly, I replaced the water (originally called for in the recipe) with chicken broth.  Though it adds a few more calories and a tad of sodium, in my opinion the flavor boost is definitely worth it.

I served this with grilled slices of bread for dipping.  Really YUM.

Fish Stew:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 large leek (or 2 celery stalks), chopped
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1.5 cups corn
  • 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
  • 1  14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, not drained
  • 2 cups chicken (or vegetable) broth
  • 1 pound white fish of your choice, cut into chunks (I used dover sole–any white fish would work well)
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
  • cayenne pepper and kosher salt, to taste

Heat the oil in a dutch oven (I used my Le Creuset) over medium heat.  Add onion and cook until soft.  Add leek (or celery) and chili powder.  Cook until tender.

Stir in the worcestershire sauce, diced tomatoes (with juice), 2 cups of broth and cook for about 10 minutes.  Add the corn and fish.  Cook for 3 minutes or until the fish is done.

Season with salt and cayenne until you’ve reached your desired flavor.  Stir in parsley.

Adapted from Easy Fish Stew from Cooking Light found here on Recipezaar.

Filed under: corn, fish, Main Dish, soup | 2 Comments »

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