Italian White Bean Soup - Veg, GF and Kids Love It!

I have determined that the best way to feed the family lunch this winter is to focus on easy, quick, filling and savory soups. With fresh fruits and veggies now at a premium, I've turned to grains and legumes for the season. I found a good basic recipe at AllRecipies.com for Italian White Bean Soup. I made a few changes to adapt the recipe to our needs and items I had on hand. I also read through the comments (one of the reasons I love this particular recipe website) and got a feel for the desired end result. One great feature of soups that are thickened by using beans or potatoes is that you can create a rich and filling soup easily that doesn't rely on creating rues or utilizing the fat content of dairy.

Total cooking and prep time was about 1 hour, most of which was the simmering of the broth to cook the beans.

These are all ingredients that are easy to find in the winter and are inexpensive. No fancy cooking techniques needed!

I adapted the recipe ingredients as follows:

• soaked white dry beans ahead of time vs. the canned beans. I had the time and they are less expensive.
• swapped some Swiss chard I had for the spinach. the ribs of the leaves will be crunch in your soup. I opted to remove them in my soup. It is your choice.
• used vegan, gluten free, soy free veggie bouillon cubes and water for the canned broth. 
• doubled the garlic
• substituted 1 large leek\ for onions (for a soup like this, I prefer the buttery flavor that leeks impart to soups)
• salt and pepper to taste
• shredded fresh basil added at the end

Tips for preparing:

•  Add oil, celery, and leeks to the stock pot/large pot. Saute the leeks until translucent. Then add garlic and cook for about 1 more minute. You want the garlic to have a sweet and pungent flavor. It the garlic browns it will impart a bitter taste to your soup. 
• Add the water and bouillon /broth, beans, and spices to the pot and bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to simmer the soup.NOTE: If you are using beans that are not pre-cooked, you'll have to simmer the broth for longer than using pre-cooked or canned beans.
• Using a slotted spoon, remove about 1 cup of the veggies and beans from the pot and set aside. Run the remaining broth, veggies, and beans through a food processor or blender. You want a very smooth and moderately thick liquid.
• Return the liquid to the pot. Add the reserved veggies and beans along with the chard. turn the stove burner off. Wilt the chard leaves. 
• Add the basil and lemon juice, stir, and serve immediately. Enjoy! We served this with gluten free bread and Earth Balance.
• KID-FRIENDLY NOTE: My kids both loved the broth - which is very rich, tasty,and nutritious given that it was created with pureed beans and vegetables. Neither were thrilled with the greens or the actual beans and thus ate around them. In the future I will serve their soup from the puree prior to adding the veggies back in and adding the greens. All in all, I call it a success!

Glorious Green Pea Curry Soup - Give Peas a Chance!

Even if you hate peas, I strongly urge you to give this a try. You cannot possibly be as sworn off of peas as I was before trying this. I credit this dish for getting me turned around on peas. For that, I am forever thankful.

This is yet another great recipe I was introduced to at my yoga teacher training. To be clear, I still resist peas. Years of habit energy. Until the day in 2004 that I experienced this soup, I would have testified under oath that I loathed peas and would never willingly put one to my tongue. According to family legend, even as an infant I refused any baby food with peas in it. After a few very unfortunate experiences with peas as a child, the sight or smell of them alone was enough to trigger the gag reflex.

Arriving to lunch after a full morning of yoga with a growling belly, I found pea soup and salad as the offering. To say I was dismayed was an understatement. I held out for a while, until I realized the salad would not hold me for the afternoon training. I decided to at least give the soup a try before getting in my car and driving to a local gas station for a Snickers bar. I placed a small serving in my bowl. I returned to my seat and stared at it for a time. Finally, summoning courage, I brought the spoonful to my mouth. I sniffed the spoon tentatively. Registering a pleasant aroma, nothing like the pungent split pea and ham soup that my mother made weekly for my entire childhood, I gave it a try and was pleasantly surprised. After a few more spoonfuls I broke into a smile and ate two large bowls!

Ingredients

• 6 cups cold water
• 1/2 cup basmati rice
• 4 tsp green Thai curry paste
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/8 cup minced fresh ginger (2 inches)
• 1 stalk lemongrass, while part only
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1/2 cup whole coconut milk
• 1 lb frozen peas
• 1/8 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1/8 cup chopped fresh mint
• 1/8 cup fresh chopped cilantro
• 1/8 cup tamari or coconut aminos
• 1/8 cup fish sauce (optional)

Directions

1. Place cold water, curry paste, garlic, ginger, lemongrass and lime juice in a large pot and bring to a boil. Turn down heat and allow to simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. A trick for the lemongrass: Separate the blades of lemongrass and bruise them with the back/dull side of your chopping knife, meat tenderizer, or pestle and add to the soup, much like you add a cinnamon stick to hot cider. This will impart the flavor of the lemongrass to the soup and allows easy removal of the blades prior to pureeing the soup. This will lend to a smoother soup. Here is a good article: http://www.finecooking.com/item/30372/how-to-bruise-lemongrass-to-release-its-flavor
2. Add coconut milk and peas. Simmer for another 5 minutes.
3. Add herbs, fish sauce, and tamari. If you are soy-free, you can substitute raw coconut aminos and 1.5 tsp salt. (Since the aminos are raw, cooking them will diminish their nutritional value for which you are paying a premium. Wait until the soup has been pureed, run through a sieve, and has been removed from the heat. Add them and allow the soup to sit for 5 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.)
4. Do not cook the soup further. Puree the soup immediately, using either an immersion blender or a food processor. The soup may be a bit grainy. I suggest pouring the puree through a strainer, using a whisk to assist with this. This will result in a completely smooth and thinner soup. If you'd like a bit more body, you can run some of the strained solids through a food processor a second time to achieve a smoother texture and then add them back to the soup until you reach the desired texture.
5. Add salt to taste. Add the coconut aminos at this time if you are substituting these for the tamari.