Kale and Lentil Soup with Gluten Free Popovers

This soup was so easy and hit the spot on a chilly fall night!  The kids love to play outside with the neighbors when they get done with their homework.  They are usually out there until we drag them in for dinner.  That's good because pretty soon the snow will be here and we will be held captive in our home for months.  I exaggerate, but you cold weather people know exactly what I'm talking about.  The point is, when it's cold outside nothing beats coming in to something warm cooking on the stove. 

I found this searching for healthy soups online at Girl Makes Food.  You can click the link for her recipe.  The only changes I made were substituting dried oregano for parsley (because I was talking on the phone and grabbed oregano instead of dried parsley), 3 cups frozen chopped kale instead of fresh (because I always have it in the freezer), regular lentils instead of red (because I had them in the pantry), and no red pepper flakes since the kids and I are wimpy.  The boys loved the soup.  It's great because it can be made in about a half hour if you have the ingredients on hand.

Ingredients

8 cups Vegetable Broth-I used organic from Costco

1 1/2 cup Red Lentils (rinsed)- I used Meijer's Natural lentils (not red)

2 Carrots

2 Onions

1 bunch of Kale-I used Organic Chopped Frozen Kale

1 clove Garlic

1/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes (optional)-skipped this

1 T Parsley-added dried oregano (oops!)

Zest of 1/2 Lemon

You put the veggies and lentils into the pot with the broth.  Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15-20 minutes.  I did 20.  Add the seasoning and lemon zest when you turn off the burner.  It's just that easy!

The only changes I will make next time is to add more carrots.  It didn't seem like enough, my boys agreed.  I'm sure fresh parsley would be perfect.  I just hope I remember next time!  And don't take a phone call.  

This soup is gluten free and vegan!

I served this with gluten free popovers from my Gluten Free on a Shoestring cookbook.  Click the link for the recipe.  Mmmmm....  The popovers are GF, but not Vegan since it has eggs.  I'm thinking you could use an egg substitute.  It's a very simple recipe, so try it.  Let me know if you do make it vegan and I'll update my page.

Kale and White Bean Soup

This soup is absolutely delicious.  My whole family loved it (hubby, 9 year old and 12 year old).  If you are looking for a new soup to try for the cool weather that is coming this fall, this is the one!  I follow a lot of blogs.  One that has really good healthy recipes is the Nourished Kitchen.  That is where I got the recipe for this soup:  The Nourished Kitchen.

I did make a few modifications, but nothing major.  I'll put my adaptations in red.  Don't ever feel you can't make something because you don't have all of the ingredients or don't like something.  Just adapt it to your liking.

Kale and White Bean Soup

• 2 cups white beans (such as cannellini beans) (I used canned, organic and rinsed them well)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda (did not need since I used canned beans)
• 1 tablespoon butter or ghee (did not need since I used canned beans)
• 4 ounces bacon (chopped) (I use Hormel 100% Natural with no nitrates or preservatives)
• 1 medium yellow onion (finely chopped) (I only had red onion)
• 2 medium carrots (peeled and finely chopped)
• 3 ribs celery (finely chopped)  (I used 2)
• 8 cups chicken stock
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 branch rosemary
• rind of a hunk of parmesan cheese (optional) (I used this)
• 1/2 teaspoon piment d'Esplette (or paprika) (I used smoked paprika from Trader Joe's)
• 1 bunch kale (trimmed of tough stems and sliced thin) (I used 2 cups organic chopped kale)
• extra virgin olive oil (to serve) (didn't add this, added fresh grated parmesan on top)

Instructions  I skipped 1-2 since I used canned

1. Toss the beans in a large mixing bowl, cover with hot water by 2 inches and stir in baking soda. Soak for 18 to 24 hours, changing the water once or twice. Drain and rinse well.
2. Transfer the soaked beans into a large stock pot, cover with water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until beans are tender - about 1 1/2 hours. Drain.
3. Melt butter in a large stock pot until it froths. Stir in bacon and cook until crispy. Stir in onion, carrots, celery and garlic. I added 3 cloves of garlic since it didn't really say how much to add.  Stir frequently, and fry until fragrant - about 10 minutes.
4. Pour in chicken stock, add rosemary, bay and the rind of a piece of parmesan cheese. Simmer over medium heat, covered, for 20 to 30 minutes.
5. Remove from heat, stir in piment d'Esplette I used smoked paprika, beans and kale. Cover and allow the kale to wilt in the residual heat of the soup for about 5 minutes. Salt as needed and serve with extra virgin olive oil.

LOVED this recipe.  Enjoy it!!!

Chicken and Dumplings

When the weather starts to change, there is nothing like good old comfort food.  I will admit as a kid I hated chicken and dumplings.  I don't know if I had an undercooked dumpling first try and decided it wasn't for me, but I had to give it a go for myself.  It just looked delicious in the picture.  So it had to taste good, right?  They did not disappoint.  Scrumptious!

Be sure to double the batch.  You will be happy that you did.  Even now I am trying to figure out how to hide the leftover in the fridge so that I can have it all to myself.  What's great about this recipe is that with a few substitutions (pasta or rice), you can have a whole different soup!  

I didn't have parsley on hand, so I used the leafy top of the celery.  It worked and tasted great.  My boys gave it the two thumbs up and are ready for me to make it again.  

This recipe came from my Everyday Food Magazine (October 2012).  

Chicken and Dumplings

Ingredients

• 5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, divided
• 1 small yellow onion, minced
• 1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
• 2 carrots, diced medium
• 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, divided
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups diced cooked chicken
• 1/3 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• Salt and pepper
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, plus more for topping
• 1/2 cup whole milk

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons butter over medium-high. Add onion, celery, and carrots and cook until onion is translucent, about 4 minutes. Add 1/4 cup flour and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Gradually add broth, stirring constantly, then bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in chicken and green beans and season with salt and pepper.
   
2. Make dumplings: Whisk together 1 cup flour, baking powder, 1 teaspoon coarse salt, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Cut in 2 tablespoons butter. Stir in milk. Drop heaping spoonfuls batter on top of chicken mixture. Cover and simmer until dumplings are cooked through, about 12 minutes. Serve topped with additional chopped parsley.
   
   serves 6
   

Easy Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese Croutons

This recipe is from Barefoot Contessa Foolproof: Recipes You Can Trust.  This was the reason I purchased the Food Network Magazine.  This soup picture was on the cover, and it looked delicious.  I love all things Ina...I have yet to get this new cookbook, so this was my way to quickly cook from her cookbook without actually having it.  Give it a try, it's so worth it!

Serves:  4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons good olive oil
• 3 cups yellow onions, chopped (2 onions)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
• 4 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
• Large pinch of saffron threads
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup orzo
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• Grilled Cheese Croutons (see below)

Directions

In a large pot or Dutch oven such as Le Creuset, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Stir in the chicken stock, tomatoes, saffron, 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, fill a medium pot with water, add 2 teaspoons salt and bring to a boil. Add the orzo and cook for 7 minutes. (It will finish cooking in the soup.) Drain the orzo and add it to the soup. Stir in the cream, return the soup to a simmer and cook for 10 more minutes, stirring frequently.
Serve hot with Grilled Cheese Croutons scattered on top.

Grilled Cheese Croutons
4 (1/2-inch-thick) slices country white bread
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
4 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated
Heat a panini grill. Place the four slices of bread on a cutting board and brush lightly with the melted butter, being sure to butter the corners. Turn the slices over and pile Gruyere on two of the slices. Place the remaining two slices of bread on top of the Gruyere, buttered sides up.
Grill the sandwiches on the panini grill for about 5 minutes, until nicely browned. Place on a cutting board, allow to rest for 1 minute and cut into 1-inch cubes.

Lemon Orzo Soup

I have a habit of going to the library to get the next book in a series I am reading, and walking out with a bag of books I can hardly carry.  This includes the next 4 books in the series, just in case someone comes and wants it before I finish the one I'm on...am I the only one who does this?  Then I just renew them until I can't renew any more.  Anyone?  Okay, maybe it's just me.

What else is in the bag you ask?  Cookbooks...LOTS of cookbooks.  This past time they had a lot of NEW ones too!  In MY section!  So it is only natural for me to take all the new ones to peruse at my leisure, right?  Well, I do it.  I usually take about half back the following day after I skim the pages and know I won't cook from them, because I feel guilty for taking so many books.  I know I'm weird...no need to point it out.

So you are wondering where this is going, right?  And if it's leading to the soup?  It is.  I found this cookbook by Eva Longoria and it has a LOT of recipes that I would like to try.  One of my childhood favorites is the Lemon Rice soup.  I have always had it when dining out, and have never attempted to make it at home.  This soup is made with orzo instead of rice.  It sounded similar and an easy accompaniment to the paninis I was making for the boys for dinner.

When my  husband works late, we do easy dinners.  The boys mostly request breakfast for dinner, paninis, or homemade pizza.  We went with paninis and soup since it was a little chilly out yesterday.  I think I added to much lemon, so will be careful adding that next time, but I still loved it.  The kids decided to have extra paninis and skip the soup.  That's okay though, it was tart. 

Boys sandwiches are always with the same ingredients per their request, sun dried tomatoes and fresh mozzarella.  I add basil to mine.  YUM.

Here is the recipe:

Lemon Orzo Soup

Ingredients 

4 to 5 cups Chicken or Vegetable Broth (home made or store bought)

1 cup dried orzo pasta

Juice from 1 to 2 small lemons (2 to 4 tablespoons juice)

2 large egg yolks 

Pinch of kosher salt

In a small saucepan, bring the chicken broth to a boil. Stir in the orzo and cook until al dente, 8 to 9 minutes. The soup should be very brothy. Add more hot stock if necessary. Stir in the lemon juice.

In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks. Stir the hot broth into the egg yolks 1 tablespoon at a time, up to 6 tablespoons. This tempers the yolks and prevents them from cooking too fast and curdling. Stir the yolks into the soup. Add a pinch of salt, or to taste. Ladle the soup into 2 to 4 soup bowls and serve at once.

Potato-Leek Soup

I love potato-leek soup.  I will almost always order it if it's on a menu.  But this is my first time trying it out for myself.  This was an extremely easy recipe!  I got it out of my Great Food Fast Cookbook from Everyday Food.  There are a lot of healthy, simple recipes in this book.  I use it a lot.  For me this isn't the "best" recipe, but it is really good.  And with some tweeks it will be fantastic!   I will definitely add another potato next time to thicken it a little bit.

For those of you confused on what a leek is...

...these are leeks.  Leeks have a mild onion flavor and are in the same category as onions and garlic.  They are good in everything.  I think they add a certain yum that nobody can quite put their finger on when tasting.  I've had a cold lingering for weeks and soups just make me feel better.  This soup did not disappoint.

For this recipe, we are only using the white part of the onion.  Just chop the tops off and remove the roots from the bottom.

Cut these in half and then slice them thin.  

Put them in a bowl of water so that the dirt and sand can fall out.  Bring leeks, water, broth, and salt to a boil, then simmer for 25 minutes. 

Puree the soup in batches, then add the cream and fresh snipped chives.

Enjoy!  Add an extra potato!

Here is the recipe I used:

POTATO-LEEK SOUP
Serves 4

6 medium leeks, whites only, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise, cleaned
2 cans (14.5 oz each) reduced sodium chicken broth
1 baking potato (8 oz), peeled and diced
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup snipped fresh chives

1.  In a large saucepan, combine the leeks, broth, potato, 2 cups water, and 1 teaspoon salt.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until the vegetables are very tender, 20-25 minutes.


2.  Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender, transferring to a clean bowl as you work.  Stir the cream into the pureed soup and season with salt.  Garnish with chives.  Serve immediately.

3.  If desired, chill the soup:  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and chill until cold, at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.  If necessary, thin with water and season with salt.  Serve the soup in chilled glasses, garnish with chives.

Irish Beef Stew with Guinness

 

Each year I try a new dish to make for St. Patrick's Day.  This year I chose Irish Beef Stew with Guinness.  I was surprised there weren't potatoes in it!  I think if I made it again I would definitely add them, but I was sticking to the recipe.  It was still very good!  I served it with Irish Soda Bread and Guinness of course!  

 

The recipe came from The Guinness Recipe Sight.  Click on the link to find a TON of recipes that include Guinness.

 

 

It's really simple, just takes quite a bit of time to cook.  It cooks low in the oven for two hours!  On the stove top you brown the meat, add the onions, seasoning and all the other ingredients.  Put the lid on and cook in the oven.

 

 

Add salt and pepper at the end.  I just realized I forgot to add them!  It was still delicious!

 

We all had shamrock cookies with our names on them too!  Here's my place at the table.

We demolished the soda bread!

Here is the link to the Irish Soda Bread:

http://janiscooks.blogspot.com/2011/03/irish-soda-bread.html

Here is the link for the shamrock cookies:  

http://janiscooks.blogspot.com/2011/03/shamrock-cookies.html

Hope your St. Patrick's Day was fun and you tried something new!

Irish Beef Stew with Guinness

2 tbsp olive oil
3 bay leaves
2 lbs beef stew meat, cut into 1 1/2 inch to 2 inch cubes (with some fat)
1 large yellow onion, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch slices
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 tsp dried thyme, whole
1 tsp dried rosemary
2-3 tbsp all-purpose flour
3/4 cup beef stock
1/2 cup Guinness
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1/2 lb carrots, sliced
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat a 6-quart stove-top casserole and add the oil and the bay leaves. Cook the bay leaves for a moment and then add the meat.

Brown the meat on both sides on high heat. Add the sliced onion and cook for a few minutes until it is clear. Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic, thyme, rosemary and flour, and stir well until smooth.
Add the beef stock and stout; simmer, stirring, until the stew thickens a bit. Add the remaining ingredients and cover.

Place the pot in a 275 F oven for about 2 hours, stirring a couple of times. Check for salt and pepper before serving.

Serves 4-6

Pasta e fagioli

This has to be one of my most favorite soups.  I have had a cold for this last few days and when I have a cold (which is rare!), I want soup!  Chicken noodle, minestrone and pasta e fagioli are my favorites.  Plus it is winter and we just had a blizzard!  Definitely calls for soup, right?

I found this recipe in my Giada De Laurentiis Giada's Family Dinners cookbook.  It does not disappoint and is very easy!  Here are the steps:

Saute onion, garlic and pancetta.  Now, I never have pancetta on hand always forget to get it at the grocery store.  What I do always have on hand is Canadian bacon and prosciutto.  I used Canadian bacon for this.

While that is sauteing, you need to make a sachet of herbs.  Fancy talk for put some herbs in cheesecloth.  I just realized I forgot to add the bay leaf, lol, but it all turned out fine.  Cut the herbs small enough to fit in the cloth and then tie it with kitchen twine.

See, easy!  If you don't have cheesecloth you can just tie the herbs together and put them in the soup.

Here I have added the chicken broth, red kidney beans (rinsed and drained) and the sachet of herbs.  Cover this and bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.

Put about a cup of the bean mixture in a blender and puree until it is smooth.  DO NOT USE A FOOD PROCESSOR.  I thought I would save myself from bringing out the big old mixer by using my small food processor.  All of the liquid came flying out and it was not pretty.  So use the mixer.  :)

Add it back to the soup and bring back to a boil.  Then add your macaroni noodles and cook about 8 minutes.  I used whole wheat pasta so I cooked it 10 minutes.  

I grated fresh parmesan cheese and had it on the side to add to each serving.  It definitely made the dish even better.  Tried to send hubby to the store for crusty bread, but I got "the look" so it didn't happen.  :)  I think that would be a great addition to the soup!

 

Pasta e fagioli

Ingredients

• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 large sprig fresh rosemary
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 3 ounces panchetta, chopped
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 5 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 (14.5-ounce) cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 3/4 cup elbow macaroni
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Pinch red pepper flakes, optional
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

Wrap the thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf in a piece of cheesecloth and secure closed with kitchen twine. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and butter in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, pancetta, and garlic and saute until the onion is tender, about 3 minutes. Add the broth, beans, and sachet of herbs. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, then decrease the heat to medium and simmer until the vegetables are very tender, about 10 minutes. Discard the sachet.

Puree 1 cup of the bean mixture in a blender until smooth. Before putting the puree back into the soup, add the macaroni and boil with the lid on until it is tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Return the puree to the remaining soup in the saucepan and stir well. Season the soup with ground black pepper and red pepper flakes.

Ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle with some Parmesan and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil just before serving.

Gazpacho with a Special Guest Chef

Do I have to admit that I have never had gazpacho until yesterday?  I had a guest blogger talk me into   it...The Tipsy Gourmet.  She is a food blogger like me who enjoys good food, good friends and lots of laughs!  

Whenever we get together, fun things happen.  I was happy to have her and her son Wes over to cook, play with the boys and enjoy a cup of coffee.  

I had a ton of tomatoes on the counter, so she suggested gazpacho.  I admit, I was like Um, yeah, that sounds...um...yeah.  Once she looked up my favorite celebrity chef's recipe:  Ina Garten (The Barefoot Contessa), how could I say no?  Here is where you can find her recipe:  Ina Garten's Gazpacho Recipe. 

All of the ingredients were in the house, except for tomato juice.

We decided to just make it.  I put a 28 ounce can of whole tomatoes into the food processor.

And then put it through a strainer to take out the seeds.

Billie started by cutting up a giant cucumber I picked out of the garden.  She took all the seeds out of it, cut it into chunks, and put it into the food processor. 

Fellow bloggers hard at work.  We make a pretty good team!

The recipe called for red peppers, but my husband bought this ridiculously large bag of mini peppers, which were mostly orange...so there you go.  Use what you have in your house!  There is no need to go out and buy red peppers if you have orange or green in your fridge. I cut and seeded these.  Billie gave them a large chop and put them in the food processor.

Next the beautiful Roma tomatoes.  I love to grow these.   You can do so much with them!  And they are delicious!

Here is The Tipsy Gourmet ready to take a few pictures for her own blog.  

Next came the red onion.  The recipe called for a whole red onion, but we did half.  Later we decided 1/4 cup would have been plenty.

Four cloves of garlic, minced.

Billie added all the processed veggies to a large bowl, while I got the white wine vinegar, olive oil and tomato juice ready.  She also added salt and pepper.

Here is our bowl of gazpacho.  I couldn't wait to taste it!  It smelled delicious in my kitchen!

Here is one of our photographers, Wes (Billie's son), taking a shot of us for her blog.

Wishing for crusty bread doesn't make it appear.  We settled for a regular grilled cheese.  It did the job!  The boys had a sandwich too.

Billie got the kids plates ready while I started on another project.

Nicholas, food critic and photographer for Janis Cooks.

Marcus (in the blue shirt), official taste tester.  Wes, official taste tester and photographer for The Tipsy Gourmet.  

Here is the project I was working on while she got the boys sandwiches on plates.  I know I made a Caprese tart before on this blog, but this time I used Roma tomatoes.  It was a lot easier to clean them, much quicker to make, and oh so delicious!

Hope you enjoyed our collaboration.  I loved cooking with Billie and blogging this.  Maybe we can do this every month!