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It’s Not Only Good Soup, It’s Good For You!

It seems I still cannot get enough of soups these cold wintery days.  We had a snow storm yesterday, so I made this hearty 7 bean soup for supper.  You can use any dried bean mix; I got a life time sized tub at Costco.  Since I have not been able to get out for a run in almost a week, I have been trying to eat extra healthy and minimize snacking.  This soup is really filling and is good for lunch or supper.

Hearty 7 Bean Soup

• 1C Mixed Dried Beans
• 1 Medium Onion, chopped
• 2-3 Stalks Celery, chopped
• 1 Carrot, chopped
• Olive Oil
• 1 box Chicken Stock
• 1 28oz Can diced Tomato
• 2C water (optional)
• ¼ Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
• ½ Teaspoon Thyme
• 1 Teaspoon Basil
• ½ Teaspoon Cumin
• Fresh Ground Salt and Pepper
• Parmesan Cheese

Soak the beans overnight, then Drain.

In a large pot, sauté the onions, celery and carrot in olive for about 5 minutes, until the onion is translucent.  Add the drained beans, and the remaining ingredients. You can leave out the water if you like a thicker base.  You can also add your own spices.  Above is a suggestion for a traditional tomato flavor base.   Indian curries would be good too. When serving, sprinkle fresh grated parmesan cheese on top.

This Christmas, there was a fitness theme in our family for many of the presents – GPS watches for running, winter running jackets, windbreakers, other athletic wear, ear muffs for running.  In keeping with the fitness theme, we tried our best to temper the over indulging with healthy meals whenever possible.  Here is a soup I made today, knowing that all bets are off for the Chinese feast awaiting us tonight.

Easy Cream of Broccoli Soup

• 2 tablespoons olive oil (or butter)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 box chicken broth
• 6-8 cups chopped broccoli
• 3 tablespoons veg oil (or butter)
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups milk
• Fresh ground salt and black pepper to taste

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in medium sized stock pot, and saute onion and celery until tender. Add broccoli and broth, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Puree, either with an immersion blender in the pot, or pour the soup into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel, and carefully start the blender, using pulses to get the soup to puree.  Puree in batches and pour back into pot.  You can puree until smooth, or leave a few chunks (my preference).

In small saucepan, over medium-heat melt 3 tablespoons butter, stir in flour and cook the roux.  Add milk and stir white sauce until thick and bubbly.  Add to soup. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Optional:  in the white sauce, add grated cheddar cheese to make broccoli cheese soup.

I still find it hard cooking for only two.  I’m used to making big meals, with lots of sides – something to please everyone.  I’m now starting to prepare simpler dishes, and experiment more.  Often, I’ll bring home something from the grocer that interests me, then look for recipes online.  This week it was Beets. Beets, together with poppy seeds, are typical in dishes of the northern Italian regions.  I read that an upscale Italian restaurant in New York had a beet and pasta dish as a signature meal, so I decided to try my own version.  This dish is striking with its ruby red stain and specks of poppy seeds.  I don’t think I would like it as a main, but it makes a great side.  Try it, You’ll like it! (Provatelo, vi piacerà!)

Pasta with Roasted Beets

• 3-4 large beets, cleaned
• 1 12oz package pasta noodles (Eden Organic Kamut & Quinoa Twisted Pair)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 Shallots, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ cup pasta water
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
• 4 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Wrap the beets in foil and place on a cookie sheet.  Roast for an hour until the beets are tender.  Let cool until you can handle them.

About 15 minutes before beets are done, sauté chopped shallots in olive oil over low heat so they caramelize.

Start cooking your pasta.  I used an organic pasta made from Kamut and Quinoa.  You can use any pasta, even spaghetti.

Peel and cut beets into chunks. Wear gloves or a plastic baggie over your hand to keep your hands from staining. I use the back of a paring knife and scrape; the skin should come off easily. Add the beets to a food processor and process to a rough puree, making sure there are some chunks remaining as well.  It is halfway between a chop and a puree.

Add the beets and salt to the shallots.

When the pasta is done, add the ½ cup pasta water to the skillet and stir.  Drain the pasta and put into the skillet with the sauce.  Sprinkle poppy seeds over top.  Stir to combine.  Keep some extra pasta water in case you need to add more back.  You don’t want it too dry.

Add a liberal amount of grated fresh Parmesan after plating and serve immediately.

I often joke that it is great that I have found that one special person I want to annoy for the rest of my life.  The truth is, that although our wedding was fourteen years ago, the celebration continues today.  I am not saying that every day is a dream or that there aren’t times when we get frustrated or cranky with each other, but we love and respect each other so we are happy.  It’s as simple and as difficult as that.

To celebrate our 14^th anniversary we went to Moxi’s for supper, then home for a new cheesecake I decided to try.  I recently found a recipe for a Neapolitan cheesecake which sounded delicious, but had four (!) packages of cream cheese, and about 100 steps.  It was also loaded with sugar and carbs.  I decided to see if I could simplify and make low carb, and was quite pleased with the results. Enjoy!

Neapolitan Cheesecake

• 1 100g bag of ground almonds
• 1 packet splenda
• 2 T butter, melted
• 2 packages of cream cheese
• 3 eggs, separated
• 2 semi-sweet (or unsweetened) chocolate squares
• Sugar-free Strawberry Jam
• Vanilla
• 3/4 C splenda

Mix ground almonds, splenda packet and butter.  Press into a small 8” spring form pan and bake at 300 degrees for 5 minutes.  Set aside.

Beat three egg whites until fluffy, but not hard.  Set Aside.

Beat three egg yolks with ¾ C splenda.  Add cream cheese and beat until smooth.  Gently fold in egg whites.

Take out 1/3 of mixture and mix with 2 melted squares of chocolate.  If using unsweetened, you may want to add more splenda.  Pour into spring form pan.

Take out another 1/3 of mix and add vanilla.  Gently layer on chocolate.  I used small spoonfuls to make sure it didn’t disrupt the chocolate.  You can put in freezer for 5 minutes if very runny; to firm up (helps keep layers clean).

Add 2 generous tablespoons of strawberry jam to the remaining mix.  Gently layer over the vanilla, taking care to keep the layers clean.

Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour.

You can make white chocolate curls from a vegetable peeler as a garnish if you like, or use whipped cream as a topping.

It seems like I can never muster more than a few sentences for my blog lately.  I’ve tried several times, but always end up putting it aside.  So, I am trying a new approach… Recipes!  Food is, and always has been, a big part of my life.  Nothing gives me more pleasure than preparing a meal with love for family and friends.  Yesterday, my best friend Elaine gave me a new immersion blender; not just any blender, a KitchenAide!  So, last night I had to try it out.  With only a very few groceries, I didn’t have many options, but did have a fresh cauliflower in the fridge, along with some root vegetables I always have on hand.  I decided to try a cauliflower soup, and I must say, was delighted with the results.  Enjoy!

YUMMY CAULIFLOWER SOUP

• Olive oil
• Onion, finely diced
• 1-2 Carrots, finely diced
• 1-2 Celery stalks, finely diced
• Cauliflower Head (rough chop)
• 4C Chicken Broth or Stock (1 carton)
• Fresh or dried Parsley (chopped)
• 1-2 Bay leaves
• 4 Tablespoons Flour
• 2 cups Milk (or cream)
• Salt, pepper

In a large soup pot, add a few swirls of olive oil. Add the onion and cook for a few minutes, or until it starts to turn translucent. Add the carrots and celery and cook an additional couple of minutes.  You just made a Mirepoix!  (Flavor base for many soups).

Add cauliflower and parsley and stir. Cover and cook on low heat for 15 minutes.

Pour in stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer. Add 1 or 2 bay leaves.  I suggest using low sodium stock so you can control the salt.  It’s all about control, people. Cauliflower and control.

In a medium saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons olive oil. Add the flour, stirring constantly, while it thickens and cooks. I add some salt and pepper too. Add milk slowly to the oil, whisking constantly. Heat until it just starts to boil and take off heat immediately. Congratulate yourself – you just made a white sauce 🙂

Add white sauce to the simmering soup. Remove bay leaves. With immersion Blender, puree the soup.  You can leave some cauliflower chunks if you prefer (I do).  Check seasoning and add more salt or pepper if necessary.

Note – my choice is to ALWAYS use butter, but my husband doesn’t like it – so I have opted for healthier olive oil.

(disclaimer:  Nothing was measured – it rarely is.  The above ingredient list is best guess)