Want to hear something crazy? My kids like mushrooms. The list of things my husband doesn’t like is too long for this blog posting so having 2 preschoolers who like mushrooms makes me feel pretty happy. Don’t worry – they hate lots of other things (like grilled cheese).
Last week I bought 2 oz cartons of crimini mushrooms thinking I’d find the time to make a summer vegetable torta despite my husband having his 40th birthday the day before Easter while also having his father in the hospital. What was I thinking?
Monday night we got home late and in endless battle against making “noodles” I whipped this up to avoid finding these shriveled a week later and having to toss.
This takes about 15-20 minutes from start to finish. You can’t make pasta with jar sauce much faster.
You’ll need:
8 oz mushrooms (I used crimini but you can use any you have on hand)
2 TBSP olive oil (or butter)
2 TBSP onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 TBSP flour, separated
2 c vegetarian chicken flavored broth
1 c whole milk (or cream or evaporated milk)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper (or to taste!)
1/4 tsp nutmeg
This is so easy!
1. Brush dirt off mushrooms & slice.
2. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions & mushrooms and cook until onions are soft (about 4 minutes), stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
3. Stir in 2 T of flour, coating the vegetables.
4. Add broth, stirring frequently until it thickens.
5. In a small bowl, combine cream with remaining 1 T flour and seasonings. Whisk together until combined thoroughly.
6. Add mixture to soup, stirring occasionally as it thickens.
OPTIONAL: add fresh chopped thyme or tarragon!
I doubled the recipe and we had about 2 bowls of leftovers.
A surprisingly tasty, simple & quick cream of mushroom soup!
Ingredients
8 oz mushrooms (I used crimini but you can use any you have on hand)
2 TBSP olive oil (or butter)
2 TBSP onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 TBSP flour, separated
2 c vegetarian chicken flavored broth
1 c whole milk (or cream or evaporated milk)
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper (or to taste!)
¼ tsp nutmeg
Instructions
Brush dirt off of mushrooms & slice.
Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions & mushrooms and cook until onions are soft (about 4 minutes), stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
Stir in 2 T of flour, coating the vegetables.
Add broth, stirring frequently until it thickens.
In a small bowl, combine cream with remaining 1 T flour and seasonings. Whisk together until combined thoroughly.
Add mixture to soup, stirring occasionally as it thickens.
My friend, Olivia, put me onto this! Why didn’t I think of it??
All you need:
3-4 TBSP miso paste
roasted seaweed, cut or torn
16oz firm tofu, pressed & cut into small cubes
8 oz soba noodles
OPTIONAL:
green onions, sliced
shiitake mushrooms
baby spinach
crushed red pepper
Knowing how those soba noodles like to be babied, I looked at a few recipes to check on the order of things. Those of you who have cooked soba noodles know they have to characteristics that make them distinct from, like, spaghetti.
1. They expand QUITE a lot during cooking.
and
2. After cooking, they need to rinsed with cold water to avoid unsightly CLUMPING.
My advice: follow the package directions to a T. (Tee or T? I dunno!)
Here’s what I did after reading several recipes:
1. Press tofu. Also: I think FIRM tofu would be best for soup. I had extra firm so I used that.
2. Start your water for the soba. Use a medium or large saucepan since the soba will expand. Follow package instructions. I know I already suggested this. I can’t stress it enough because of my own failure to follow package instructions.
3. While that’s boiling, cut the seaweed into strips of whatever size you’d like! I used kitchen scissors.
I cut some of the strips into thirds afterwards. By the way, what’s Monkey Binky doing on the floor?
4. Drain your noodles, rinse & set aside. Do NOT skip the rinsing or you’ll have a giant clump o noodle.
5. Set 4 c of water to boil. This will be for your broth. In a small bowl, whisk together 3 or 4 TBSP miso paste with some of the hot broth water. Then add that mixture to your broth water & stir to combine. This supposedly helps avoid clumping but you can try skipping this step & just add the miso paste directly to the boiling water if you’re feeling adventurous (i.e. short on time.)
Add the seaweed & tofu to the broth and let it sit for a few minutes.
Ready to serve!
Drop some noodles in your bowl:
Ladle some broth over the noodles.
YUM!
DISCLOSURE: My broth isn’t as purdy as it could be because I was trying to save on dishes/energy use. I decided to reserve 4 cups of the noodle water to use for the broth. (Instead of tossing perfectly good hot water & starting over again.) The results tasted excellent but looked sort of murky.
Next time I’ll add shitake mushrooms & green onions.
Btw: both kids showed their usual level of disinterest in it the first night but I now realize they are not big dinner eaters. They eat most of their food during the daytime. The next day they scarfed down 2 bowls each! Which tells you the leftovers are great too…
Hoo boy – I bought this head of cauliflower at the Farmer’s Market on Wednesday because it was $1.00. I thought I’d roast it and eat it, standing at the counter, while the kids ate their noodles. But then I realized, since I had a loaf of rustic bread all ready to pop into the oven, I better make a soup to go with it.
Last time I did a cauliflower soup, it was a creamy one with cheddar cheese and a potato. Alas, I had no potatoes having used them up in my Gardener’s Pie last week so I checked out another recipe. It was easy! I was able to do this while unloading the dishwasher, helping someone to various art supplies spread far & wide across the house, and picking up all the toys scattered across the backyard.
But I’m glad you didn’t see the kitchen/house afterwards!
YOU NEED:
INGREDIENTS:
2 TBSP olive oil
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2-3 carrots, finely diced
2 celery stalks, finely diced
1-1/2 heads cauliflower, roughly chopped (I only had 1)
2 tsp fresh parsley (or 1 tsp dried parsley flakes)
2 quarts low-sodium vegetable broth (I used Vegetarian Chicken Bullion)
2 tsp dijon mustard
2/3 c grated cheddar cheese
4 TBSP butter
2 c whole milk
6 TBSP all purpose flour
OPTIONAL: 1 c half & half
1. Saute onion in olive oil over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, until browning, stirring occasionally.
2. Add carrots & celery and cook for another 4 minutes.
I used a red onion because I had it! To me, it made no difference.
Lookit how cute and tinily diced those carrots & celery are.
Tinily?
3. Add the cauliflower & parsley. Hoo boy it’s time for me to get a new parsley plant. I need two going at all times as my poor parsley can’t keep up with the demands placed upon it. This is all I could get!
That “undead” finger is actually my pinky. So photogenic!
I only had one head of cauliflower but next time I’ll use 1-1/2 heads as my soup needed more.
Turn heat way down, cover & cook for about 15 minutes on LOW. Feel free to stir every so often.
4. Add 1 or 1-1/2 quarts of the broth. Save that last 1/2 quart to decide if you need it or not depending on how you like your soup. Heat to boiling, then turn down heat and simmer.
5. Melt butter in a small saucepan. I used the same soup pot I started my soup in until realizing that pot was way too small. So there are a few onions in there. No bigs!
6. Now whisk your milk & flour together. Add that mixture to the melted butter, stirring to combine. **Now here’s an option for you: add 1 c half & half to the white sauce you just made. I didn’t do that b/c I never have half & half in my house.** You will have a thickened sauce. Pour that milk/flour/butter mixture into the soup and stir.
7. Add 2 tsp dijon mustard to the soup as well as 2/3 c grated cheddar cheese. I think mine needed the cheese because I used 1% milk instead of whole milk. If you use whole milk AND half & half, you might want to omit the cheese. Or add it! What, me worry?
Let soup simmer for another 15 minutes. Add salt & black pepper to taste!
2 quarts low-sodium vegetable broth (I used Vegetarian Chicken Bullion)
2 tsp dijon mustard
⅔ c grated cheddar cheese
4 TBSP butter
2 c whole milk
6 TBSP all purpose flour
OPTIONAL: 1 c half & half
Instructions
Saute onion in olive oil over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, until browning, stirring occasionally.
Add carrots & celery and cook for another 4 minutes.
Add the cauliflower & parsley.
Turn heat way down, cover & cook for about 15 minutes on LOW. Feel free to stir every so often.
Add 1 or 1-1/2 quarts of the broth. Save that last ½ quart to decide if you need it or not depending on how you like your soup. Heat to boiling, then turn down heat and simmer.
Melt butter in a small saucepan.
Now whisk your milk & flour together. Add that mixture to the melted butter, stirring to combine. **Now here’s an option for you: add 1 c half & half to the white sauce you just made. (For extra creaminess…)** Regardless of the half & half, you will have a thickened sauce. Pour that milk/flour/butter mixture into the soup and stir.
Add 2 tsp dijon mustard to the soup as well as ⅔ c grated cheddar cheese. I think mine needed the cheese because I used 1% milk instead of whole milk. If you use whole milk AND half & half, you might want to omit the cheese. Or add it! What, me worry?
Let soup simmer for another 15 minutes. Add salt & black pepper to taste!
Serve with rustic bread & grated cheddar to top.
Notes
If soup is too chunky, puree ⅓rd of it using a blender or immersion blender. Be CAREFUL if you use a regular blender as the heat can make it explode out! It never happened to me – it happened to a “friend” of mine.
Yesterday in L.A. it was cold out. And grey. What I mean is, we had to wear socks & jackets. But we didn’t – we wore flip flops.
Anyway, what better meal to come home to at the end of the day than a thick, warm soup with homemade croutons? Try this for your next Meatless Monday (since it’s now Tuesday…)
I made a barley vegetable soup a few month ago and it was really good but this one is WAY better. I had bought a bag of dried split peas a few weeks earlier because I thought they’d be tasty but I wasn’t sure exactly what to do with them. Since I still had some barley in my cupboard, I looked for a recipe combining the two and VOILA! With some adjustments I had a hearty, thick and really tasty soup. It called for croutons and since I didn’t have any I made ‘em! This is the first time and I want to tell you – make croutons as often as you have soup. They are REALLY easy to make & add that extra something that soup sometimes needs.
Here we go! You’ll need these items:
SOUP INGREDIENTS:
2 c dried yellow split peas, rinsed & drained
6 carrots, chopped
6 stalks celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3/4 c pearl barley, rinsed & drained
1 bay leaf
salt & pepper, to taste
3 garlic cloves, minced
1-1/2 TBSP olive oil
5 TBSP bouillon (I used vegetarian chicken flavored – you can also use vegetable broth or whatever you have on hand!)
10 c + 8 tsp water (adjust for desired thickness)
Let’s get started!
1. Saute chopped onions in the olive oil until soft and translucent, about 4 minutes. Add crushed garlic for another minute. Be sure to stir occasionally to coat with oil.
2. Add carrots and celery. Stir to coat with oil and sauté for another 3-4 minutes.
3. Add split peas and powdered bullion/water to pot OR vegetable broth. Cover and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat, add bay leaf and barley.
5. Simmer covered for about 2 hours.
No, it’s not 1:20PM. 60 minutes + 60 minutes.
D’OH!!! That’s a long time.
6. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Add water/broth as needed. I like my soup sort of thick so I didn’t. Sprinkle some croutons on top & serve.
How to make the croutons??
You’ll need:
CROUTON INGREDIENTS:
6 oz whole grain bread, cut into 1/2″ cubes
Olive oil
2 TBSP butter (or, you can just use 2 more TBSP olive oil which is just as tasty)
1 TBSP Dijon mustard
NOTE: I used one of my homemade breads that I froze a few weeks earlier. If it doesn’t get eaten within the first day or so, I freeze it for croutons. I hadn’t actually made any croutons, EVER, but I knew I would! That said, you can use any old bread you have – so next time you have a couple of heels from your Oroweat sandwich loaf – wrap them tightly in plastic wrap or a ZipLoc and freeze ‘em!)
This is so easy!
1. Preheat oven to 375. Cut bread into 1/2″ cubes.
2. Heat olive oil in saucepan. Melt butter in oil over medium heat. (Incidentally, you can also just use oil if you prefer.)
3. Pour heated oil/butter and mustard over bread cubes & toss to coat.
4. Spread bread cubes across a cookie sheet evenly.
5. Bake for about 12 minutes. Taste one – it should be crunchy, not chewy. If it’s chewy return it to the oven for another 2 minutes.
Author: Christina Cox (soup adapted from Food.com, croutons from Annie’s Eats)
Recipe type: Soup
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6
Hearty, thick soup topped with crunchy croutons. Perfect for a chilly afternoon!
Ingredients
SOUP INGREDIENTS:
2 c dried yellow split peas, rinsed & drained
6 carrots, chopped
6 stalks celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
¾ c pearl barley, rinsed & drained
1 bay leaf
salt & pepper, to taste
3 garlic cloves, minced
1-1/2 TBSP olive oil
5 TBSP bouillon (I used vegetarian chicken flavored – you can also use vegetable broth or whatever you have on hand!)
10 c + 8 tsp water (adjust for desired thickness)
CROUTON INGREDIENTS:
About 6 oz whole wheat (or whatever you have on hand) stale or frozen bread, cut into ½” cubes
2 TBSP olive oil
2 TBSP butter (OR skip the butter and just add 2 TBSP more olive oil)
salt
1 TBSP Dijon mustard
Instructions
SOUP INSTRUCTIONS:
In a large pot, saute onion in olive oil for about 3-4 minutes or until translucent. Add garlic & sautee for 1 minute more.
Add chopped carrots and celery, sautéing for another 4 minutes.
Add split peas and water/bullion OR broth (depending what you have on hand.) Bring to a boil, then turn heat down and add bay leaf and barley.
Simmer for about 2 hours. Soup will be thick and cloudy (not clear.) Add water/broth to achieve your desired thickness. Or just leave it alone!
CROUTON INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375.
Heat olive oil on medium-high heat in small saucepan. Add butter (or just double the olive oil and omit the butter). When butter is melted, in a medium bowl, pour over bread cubes. Toss to coat.
Spread bread cubes evenly on a cookie sheet, salt to taste & bake for 12 minutes. Cool and test one cube. It should be crunchy. If it’s chewy, bake for another 2 minutes.
Notes
This actually might serve more than 6. Good in refrigerator for 3-4 days. They will stay good in the freezer up to 3 months.
It has been warm here all week. Like in the 80′s. But I didn’t let that stop me from making a vegetable barley soup with homemade rustic bread! In LA it cools down at night anyway so even people from So. Cal. can snuggle inside…
Here’s what you need:
Btw: you can change out the veggies according to what’s in season near you, what you have in the house, what you like etc.
INGREDIENTS:
2 TBS olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
4 carrots, shredded
1 zucchini, chopped
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (14.5 oz) can garbanzo beans
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
3 bay leaves
freshly ground black pepper to taste (or pre-ground!)
1 tsp salt (adjust to taste based on the salt content of your broth & diced tomatoes)
fresh ground pepper to taste
First chop your onion. People, I want to share how I chop onions. I am not a chef or anything so, if you already have a great way, or a way you learned at Le Cordon Bleu etc. just go on by. Otherwise, after years of the most inefficient chopping, I’ve been using this technique.
Here we go:
First, cut off that useless end. By useless, I mean the end that was never connected to anything. AKA the “tunic.” (NOT the roots.)
Now, place that cut side down & cut the onion in half through the root.
You have two halves. Take the skin off both of them. Place one of the halves on its side.
and cut very thin slices. (Unless you need chunky pieces!) I have been conditioned by my family to make onions DISAPPEAR so I cut them pretty thin. Once you’ve made all your slices, rotate the onion (keeping it together) and slice them thinly the other way.
You should have some pretty small pieces.
Prep all the vegetables first. I do it the night before when the kids are asleep… I decided to grate the carrots because they cook a lot faster and are more challenging for the kids to pick out. It’s fun to watch them try!!
Now we can start cooking!
1. Heat a large pot (this makes a lot of soup) using medium heat. Add oil & when it’s heated, add onions, stirring to coat. Cook for about 4-5 minutes or until onions are translucent.
2. Add garlic, stir & cook for another minute. Add celery & stir to coat. Saute another 1 minute.
3. Add zucchini & carrots, stir to coat. Cook another 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
I threw the bay leaves at this point, then took them back out. Just wanted to see if you were paying attention…
4. Add spices & sugar and stir to combine evenly.
Try to collect your thoughts while this is going on.
I don’t know why everyone is in the kitchen?
Take away breakable dishes from the 1 year old.
5. Add tomatoes & garbanzos.
Mmmmmmm…
6. Add barley, broth & bay leaves.
7. Bring to a boil. Then turn down & simmer on low for about 45 minutes or until the chick peas & barley are soft.
A yummy, healthy, hearty soup that pairs perfectly with a loaf of crusty bread!
Ingredients
2 TBS olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
4 carrots, shredded
1 zucchini, chopped
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (14.5 oz) can garbanzo beans
32 oz vegetable broth (start with this amount & then add another 16 oz if desired – it is a thick soup)
3 bay leaves
freshly ground black pepper to taste (or pre-ground!)
1 tsp salt (adjust to taste based on the salt content of your broth & diced tomatoes)
fresh ground pepper to taste
Instructions
Saute onion in a large sauce/soup pan for 4-5 minutes or until onion is translucent. Add garlic, stir & cook for another minute. Add celery & stir to coat. Cook for another minute.
Add zucchini & carrots, stir and cook for another 4 minutes.
Add sugar & spice(s) & stir to coat evenly.
Add tomatoes, garbanzos, barley, 32 oz of the broth (you can add more later if desired as soup will be quite thick) & bay leaves.
Heat to boil, then simmer on low for 45 minutes or until barley & garbanzos are soft.
Add salt/black pepper and/or additional broth if needed.
Notes
Next time I’ll try it with cauliflower and/or mushrooms. I like crimini mushrooms b/c of the flavor. I might try it without the garbanzos next time too.
Adapted from AllRecipes “Beaker’s Vegetable Barley Soup.”
