Light Vegetable Soup

I'm doing a short fast to rest my intestines.  I fasted yesterday (just water) and today I'm keeping my calories very low and drinking veg/fruit juice with little to no fiber, fat, and protein.  Tomorrow I'll add more calories and fiber, keeping my fat and protein low, with a fruit and greens smoothie for breakfast and this soup for lunch and probably dinner.  After that, I'll start to add in grains (maybe oatmeal for breakfast and a mushroom and wild rice soup for lunch), then add a bit more protein (maybe a lentil soup), then a bit more fat (adding nuts and seeds), progressing until I reach my normal diet, as long as my intestines seem to handle each day healthily. 

½ tblsp olive oil
½ cup yellow onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

½ cup carrot, diced or julienned or thin sliced quarters
½ cup celery, diced
½ cup zucchini, chopped or sliced
1 cup tomato, diced (fresh or canned) with juice
3 cups vegetable broth
1 cup fresh greens, packed, rough chop
a handful of Italian parsley leaves, fresh, chopped
sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Sauté the onion and garlic in the oil in a pan on medium heat until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes, stirring (do not brown). Add the carrot and celery and cook until they begin to soften, about another 3 minutes. Add zucchini and cook until it begins to soften, another couple minutes.

Add the tomato and broth and simmer briefly. Stir in spinach and parsley and season to taste.

3 servings

Beans Revisited

After reading Decolonize Your Diet I had to revisit how I cook beans.  Now I'm skipping all the soaking, water changing, skimming...no need to plan the day before and it doesn't take that much longer to cook.  This method is so flavorful, you can eat it as a soup as is.  Here's my version:

sunflower oil from the bulk section at OB People's Co-op
1/2 yellow onion, diced from Schaner Farms
3 cloves garlic, minced from Schaner Farms
1/2 poblano chile, seeded and diced from Suzie's Farm or JR Organics Farm
small sprig of oregano from my garden
1 cup dried pinto beans, rinsed and sorted from the bulk section at OB People's Co-op
spring water from Palomar Mt
1/2 tsp sea salt from the bulk section at OB People's Co-op

Heat a medium-sized heavy pot (I like enameled cast iron) on medium-low heat and lightly cover the bottom of the pot with oil. Stir in the onions and cook with lid slightly askew until soft.  Add the garlic and chile and saute until soft.  Add the oregano and beans and cover with a 1/2 inch of water.  Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and cook covered until the beans are soft (a couple hours), checking occasionally and adding water as needed to keep them covered.  When the beans are almost done, add salt and cook until soft.

Mother's Day Dinner

Mom, do you have any requests for dinner? Will I make strawberry shortcake?  Yeees (ish).  And a salad?  I can work with that.  And that horchata I used to make?  Sounds like a plan:

Build Your Own Taco Salad
a head each of romaine & butter lettuces, torn into bite-sized pieces, from JR Organics and Solidarity Farm
1 cup dried tiger eye beans cooked from scratch, from Suzie's Farm
a bag of tortilla chips
a pint of sour cream
2-3 avocados, cubed, from Solidarity Farm
8 oz jack cheese, shredded
a pint of heirloom cherry tomatoes, cut in half
a chopped and sauteed nopale, from a friend
a few radishes, sliced thin, from Suzie's Farm
roasted tomatillo salsa
chipotle hot sauce

Top Your Own Corn Soup
(let me suggest adding roasted poblano chile, avocado & tomato)

Orange Limeade
1 cup fresh juice of limes from Schaner Farm
zest & juice of 2 oranges from Solidarity Farm
1 cup evaporated cane sugar or agave, to taste
spring water

Make simple syrup by dissolving the sugar in 2 cups of water in a pot on medium heat, stirring.  Allow to cool.  Add all ingredients into a 1/2 gallon container and fill with spring water.

Strawberry Horchata 2
1 cup brown rice
1 cup oats
1-inch stick of canela mexicana (ceylon cinnamon), special ordered from OB People's
about 6 cups spring water
3/4 cup agave, maple syrup, or evaporated cane sugar dissolved into a simple syrup, to taste
1 Tblsp vanilla extract
1 pint strawberries from JR Organics Farm

Put the rice and oats and cinnamon in a 1/2 gallon container, fill the pitcher with water and refrigerate overnight.  Blend the mixture for several minutes until it has a gritty, oatmeal texture.  Stain through a fine sieve, pressing on the solids to remove the liquid.  Return the liquid to the pitcher and compost the solids.  Add the agave, vanilla, and enough strawberries to mostly fill up the pitcher.  Blend with an immersion blender until smooth.

Slightly Simplified Strawberry Tres Leches Cake
1+1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 stick butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup evaporated cane sugar
2 backyard eggs
1/2 tsp homemade vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
about a cup cajeta made runny - stop cooking when it reaches the consistency of thick cream (30-45 minutes)
1 cup heavy cream 
3 Tblsp powdered sugar
1/2 inch of vanilla bean
1 pint strawberries, hulled and quartered, from JR Organics Farm

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter the sides of a 9"-round cake pan, then line the bottom with parchment paper and flour the sides.

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and set aside.

Place the softened butter and the sugar in a mixing bowl. Using the paddle attachment of an electric mixer, beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating each until just combined. Mix in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture alternating with the buttermilk in 3 stages. Mix until each addition is incorporated, taking care not to overbeat. Scrape the cake batter into the prepared pans. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown, the sides pull away from the pan and chop stick poked in the center comes out clean. Poke holes all over the surface of the cake. Slowly pour on the cajeta, allowing it to be absorbed.  Allow cake to cool completely.

In a separate bowl, whip cream to soft peaks, add the powdered sugar, scrap in the vanilla seeds and whip to combine.
 
To serve, top each slice of cake with a pile of strawberries and a heavy dollop of whipped cream.

Serves 8-12

Adapted from Rick Bayless.

Simple Soups for Healthy Holidays

During the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, it can often be difficult to want to spend the time to meal plan and cook. With stresses and flu season, we know this is a time of year when it’s very important to feed ourselves and our loved ones wholesome, quality foods. Between shopping, parties, family obligations, normal life and increased pressures, fast-food options may be increasingly tempting and good intentions for eating healthfully can go out the window. But with just a few ingredients and minimal prep time, you can have a healthy, home-cooked soup. Warm and comforting on a cool winter day, soups can easily be turned into a meal by serving them with a loaf of crusty, whole-grain bread and a salad.

Don’t want to make a big mess in the kitchen? You don’t need much equipment to make these soups:

• a cutting board 
• a good chef’s knife (or whatever knife you like to chop with 
• a pot with a lid, preferably a heavy pot, such as enameled cast iron 
• a hand-held immersion blender, which is the easiest and safest way to blend hot ingredients for smooth soups

Making these one-pot recipes means that clean-up is quick and easy, too.

These soup recipes are simple, hearty, comforting, delicious, inexpensive, and easy to put your own spin on. You could make your own stock by saving your vegetable trimmings, which can be collected and frozen to be used at a later date. Or for a quick, ready-made option, use bouillon or boxed vegetable broth. Because most of these soups are blended smooth, the veggies that need to be prepped can be coarsely chopped into roughly 1-inch cubes to get these soups going fast. Don’t want to peel the vegetables? Scrub them clean and leave the peels on for a more rustic soup, which works great with most root vegetables, such as potatoes and carrots, as well as thin-skinned winter squash, like kabocha, delicata, maybe even butternut.

Each recipe is enough for a family, to be reheated and enjoyed throughout the week, or frozen in individual servings to eat later. These recipes are also gluten-free and offer options so that they can be made dairy-free.

Want a little bit more advanced version? These recipes include ideas for different variations to mix things up to suit your tastes. Fancy them up with suggested garnishes. Holiday Bonus: soup poured into shot glasses and garnished with a pinch of microgreens are a great party appetizer!

Winter Squash Soup

Leek & Potato Soup

Carrot Ginger Soup

Tomato Soup

Vegan Chili

...or find even more soups here!

Tuscan Vegetable Soup

Basically a hearty minestrone without the pasta. All veggies found from my favorite farmers at the Little Italy Mercato...

1 tblsp olive oil
½ cup yellow onion, chopped
8 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup carrot, diced or julienned or thin sliced quarters
½ cup celery, diced
½ cup zucchini, chopped or sliced
¾ cup cooked kidney or cannellini beans, (reserve cooking liquid for broth if cooked from scratch)
¾ cup green beans, fresh, chopped into 1” pieces
1½ cups tomato, diced (fresh or canned) with juice
6 cups vegetable broth
½ cup fresh spinach, packed, destemmed, rough chop
a handful of Italian parsley leaves, fresh, chopped
sea salt, fresh ground black pepper and red pepper flakes to taste
a handful of fresh basil leaves, julienned

Sauté the onion and garlic in the oil in a pan on medium heat until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes, stirring (do not brown). Add the carrot and celery and cook until they begin to soften, about another 3 minutes. Add zucchini and cook until it begins to soften, another couple minutes.

Add the beans, tomato and stock and simmer briefly. Stir in spinach, parsley, basil and season to taste.

Serve with a crusty, toothsome bread.

Serves 6

Simple Cream of Cauliflower Soup

...or broccoli, or a mix of the 2, whatever you picked up at the North Park farmers market today...

3 tablespoons Spring Hill butter
1 onion, chopped
2-3 pounds of Romanesco cauliflower from Suzie's Farm, chopped
1/2 - 1 cup of Strauss whole milk (cream on the top preferred)
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

In a medium pot over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter.  Add a large handful of chopped florets and cook, stirring, for about 10 minutes.  Transfer them to a bowl and set aside.

Melt the remaining butter in the pot.  Add the onion and the rest of the cauliflower and cook, stirring, until the onions are translucent and soft.  Add water until the veggies are barely covered, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes.  Blend until smooth with an immersion blender.  Add milk, salt & pepper to taste.  Garnish with the cooked florets.

Bean Soup from Leftovers

We made bean and rice burritos yesterday.  And after eating beans from scratch, we end up with a bit of leftover beans in a lot of beany broth - which lends itself very well to being turned into soup on this cold and rainy day...

(amounts are approximate and will vary depending on how much leftovers you have)

a cup of cooked beans in a few cups of beany broth
1/2 cup or so of leftover cooked rice
1-2 tablespoons olive oil or Spring Hill butter
1/2 onion, chopped
1-2 carrots, quartered and thinly sliced
a celery rib, diced
a few cloves of garlic, minced
any other veggies lurking in your fridge? some roasted cauliflower? sugar snap peas? tomato? a handful of chopped greens?

In a pot, reheat the beans in their broth as you cook up the rest of the ingredients (if you have a parmesano cheese rind you've been saving, add that to the pot, too).

In a separate pan, saute the onion, garlic, carrots and celery (this is also a good time to add any dried herbs or spices you want) until just soft and add them to the beans along with the rice.  Saute any additional veggies until just soft and add them, too or add already cooked veggies straight into the pot.  Fresh greens or herbs go in last.  Gently simmer for a few minutes.  Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

Tomato Soup

Based on a recipe from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone (which is like my bible)...

2 tablespoons Spring Hill butter or olive oil
3/4 cup onion from Schaner Farm, chopped
1/2 cup carrot, celery, or fennel chopped
1/2 tablespoon dried basil
pinch of ground clove
a 28 ounce glass jar of tomatoes (strained, crushed, diced, whole or stew your own!)
3 cups of vegetable stock
1/2 cup of milk of your choice, optional (cream, goat, soy, nut...)
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat and saute onion, celery, basil and clove until the vegetables are soft and start to brown.  Add the tomato and stock, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes with lid askew.  Puree until smooth, stir in milk and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve with grilled cheese sandwiches, or garnish with your favorite crackers and/or grated cheese (mozzarella, jack, smoked cheddar from Spring Hill...)

4-6 servings (yields 7 cups of soup)

Sugarsnap Pea Soup

This was a what-do-I-have-to-make-soup-right-now recipe and it turned out awesome...

1&1/2 tablespoons Spring Hill butter or oil
1/4 of an onion from Schaner Farm
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
1/2 teaspoon rosemary from Suzie's (dried up from Thanksgiving)
1 potato from Sage Mountain Farm, quartered and sliced thin
1/2 cup white wine leftover from Thanksgiving
5 cups fresh sugarsnap peas from Suzie's, tough ends removed, chopped
sea salt
4 cups vegetable stock
freshly ground pepper

In a large pot, melt 1/2 tablespoon of butter on medium high heat and saute 1 cup of chopped pea pods, just for just a couple minutes and set aside.  Melt the rest of the butter in the pot and saute the onion and herbs until soft.  Add the potatoes and wine, bring to a boil and simmer until most of the liquid have evaporated.  Add 4 cups of peas, hot stock and a bit of sea salt, bring to a boil, cover and reduce to simmer for 15 minutes.  Puree until smooth, season to taste, add that 1st cup of sauteed peas and garnish with buttered croutons.

Serves 4

Tuscan Winter Vegetable Soup

This recipe is based on my take on minestrone, winterized (by what is available at the farmers market in general and Suzie's farm stand particularly) for these chilly days. Leave the skin on if you use kabocha or delicata squash. 

1 tablespoon olive oil
½ cup onion, chopped
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1 teaspoon minced fresh sage
½ cup diced fennel
½ cup diced carrot, beet, or turnip
1 cup winter squash, chopped into ½" cubes
¾ cup (cooked, canned or fresh) cannellini beans
¾ cup any type of bush beans with an edible pod (green bean, yellow wax, dragon's tongue...), remove tough end, chopped on a diagonal in 1" pieces
6 cups vegetable stock
1 cup kale, dandelion or mustard greens, chopped
sea salt
freshly ground pepper
red pepper flakes

Sauté the onion, fennel, garlic, herbs and in oil in a large pot on medium heat until they start to soften. Add carrots, squash and bit of salt and cook until they start to soften. Add beans, greens, and stock, bring to a boil, and simmer with lid askew until the squash is soft, about 10 minutes. Season to taste.

Garnish with fresh parsley and/or Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.

Mushroom Soup

¼ cup olive oil or butter
½ ounce dried wild mushrooms, rehydrated in 2 cups hot water (save the mushroom liquid)
1 pound fresh white, cremini, or portobello mushrooms, chopped (save stems for stock)
2 medium onions or leeks, white & pale green parts, chopped (save dark green parts for stock)
1 large bulb fennel, chopped (leaves and stalks reserved for stock)
5 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, destemmed, chopped (save stems for stock)
1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped (save stems for stock)
6 cups vegetable stock
1 cup almond milk
seasalt
freshly ground black pepper
fresh parsley, chopped (save stems for stock)

Prep all your ingredients and then use scraps to make your own stock.

Sauté 2 tablespoons butter or oil & mushrooms in a wide pot on medium-high heat until the mushrooms releash their liquid and then start to brown, sticking to the pot.  Add the onion, fennel, 2 tablespoons of oil and cook, stirring until lightly caramelized. Add garlic, thyme & sage and cook a few more minutes. Add the mushroom liquid and stock; bring to a boil and simmer covered for 20 minutes. Add the almond milk; puree (if you want it to be smooth) and season to taste. Garnish each serving with parsley.

Makes about 4 quart

Variations
Use celery instead of fennel.
Use cream or milk instead of almond milk.
Add 2 more cups of stock and 1 cup of wild rice, barley, or wheat berries while simmering.
Add a cup of wine after cooking garlic & herbs; simmer until most of the liquid evaporates before adding the rest of the ingredients.

Carrot Ginger Soup

It took me forever to come up with a carrot soup recipe that suited my tastes - the surprising addition of salsa is what finally did it for me.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup yellow onion, coarsely chopped (from Schaner Farm)
2½ teaspoon ginger, fresh, chopped
3 large cloves garlic, minced (from Schaner Farm)
2 cups carrots, chopped (from J.R. Organics Farm or Suzie's Farm)
¼ cup salsa
3 cups vegetable stock
sea salt
freshly ground pepper

Sauté the onion in the oil in a pan on medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger; cook another 2 minutes. Add carrots and salsa; cook for 1 minute. Add broth, bring to a boil, and simmer covered until carrots are soft, about 20 minutes. Puree and season to taste.

Garnish with crema, sour cream, cilantro, onions sprouts or microgreens

Serves 4-6

Winter Root Vegetable Stew with Cobbler Dumplings

If the weather forecast can be believed, we've got some cold days and colder nights headed our way, which makes me think of making this recipe. It's Thursday so I'm headed to the North Park farmers market to hit up Suzie's Farm, J.R. Organics, Smit's, and Spring Hill Cheese.

2 tablespoons oil (I like olive) or butter
2 cups (about ½ pound) leeks (or onions), julienned
1 fennel bulb, chopped (about 1½ cups)
3 cloves garlic, peeled & minced
¼ pound fresh mushrooms, roughly chopped (I like cremini)
1 ½ pounds (3-4 cups) root vegetables, chopped (I like Yukon potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and maybe a turnip or rutabaga)
4-5 cups vegetable stock
1 tsp fresh parsley, stemmed & minced
1 tsp fresh thyme, stemmed & minced
sea salt & fresh ground black pepper to taste

1. Prep the veggies: trim dark green parts (keep for stock) from the leeks, score leeks lengthwise, then cut the leeks into pieces about 1 inch in length; wash thoroughly and drain. Chop fennel & veggies into about ¼-½ inch cubes (keep roots end, fennel fronds and stalks for stock). Roughly chop mushrooms (save stems for stock).

2. Make the stock.
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 carrot, chopped
any vegetable scraps
1 bay leaf
3 fresh sage leaves
2 springs fresh parsley
2 springs fresh thyme

In a large pot, heat 1 tablespoon oil on high heat, add the onion, garlic, carrot, and vegetable scraps (tops, peels, stems, ugly or tough parts. Nothing rotten or dirty. No onion skin, garlic skin, nor stinky veggies such as turnips or rutabagas), stirring occasionally until you see some caramelization. Cover completely with water, about 6 cups, add herbs and bring to a boil, add ½ tsp sea salt and simmer for 30 minutes.  Strain out the vegetable pieces.

3. Make the cobbler dough:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ tsp sea salt
8 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces (6 if you add cheese)
1 cup milk
½ cup grated cheese (cheddar, gruyere, parmesan…), optional
1 tablespoon fresh herbs, chopped (chives, parsley, thyme, sage…)

In a medium bowl, mix the flours, baking powder, and salt.  Work the butter into the flour mixture with your finger tips, until the texture is crumbly.  Stir in the milk until well combined, then mix in the cheese and herbs.  Set aside.

4. Make the stew: in a deep, wide skillet, melt butter or heat oil on high, add leeks, fennel, mushroom, thyme, and garlic, stirring frequently, and cook until the mushrooms give up their liquid and start to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the chopped winter veggies; cover completely with stock and season with a bit of salt. Bring to a boil and stir in the parsley.  Drop large spoonfuls of the cobbler dough on top of the stew; reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Season with salt & pepper after portioning stew and cobbler into bowls for serving.

Serves 6

Variations

• Instead of or in addition to roots, use other vegetables as the season provides: winter or summer squash, Brussels sprouts, sugar snap peas...
• Make a gluten-free version by eliminating the cobbler topping or adapt this recipe for shepard's pie

DIY Vegetable Stock

Making your own vegetable stock is pretty easy, it really doesn't take too long, and can make a huge difference in the quality of your soup. If you're planning ahead or if you hate to throw anything away until its fully used (even before it hits the compost!), hang on to your clean vegetable scraps (tops, peels, stems, seeds, ugly or tough parts) whenever you're cooking. You can freeze the scraps until you're ready to make stock. If you're about to make soup, prep all your veggies first, save your scraps and use them to make your stock.

This method works best if your making soup with lots of scraps (corn cobs or squash skins & seeds) or if you've squirreled away veggie scraps in your freezer. If your scraps are meager, add an onion, a few carrots, a few celery ribs and a few crushed cloves of garlic for a very basic stock. Rough chop veggies before adding them to the pot.

I start with a little olive oil in the pot (on medium-high heat, stirring occasionally) and caramelize the veggie scraps before adding water for a rich vegetable stock. Once you've got a nice fond (but do not burn!) in the pot, add your herbs (such as a bay leaf, a few springs of fresh parsley and thyme, a few fresh sage leafs) and give a stir while it cooks a couple minutes. Then add enough water to cover your veggies (if you've saved bean broth from cooking beans from scratch or a parmesan cheese rind, you can add that now, too), a bit of sea salt and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain out the veggies and your stock can go straight into the soup (or freeze it for later).

What if the stock is weak?
The easiest fix is to boil the stock down to concentrate the flavors. Or you can add "cheater" ingredients to richen the flavor: veggie bouillon cubes or powder (this is the cheater ingredient I keep on hand), sprinkle in a bit of nutritional yeast, or liquid amino acids.

What doesn't go in the stock? 
Never use rotting vegetables; send those straight to the compost bin (the quality of your food can only be as good as the ingredients that go into it). It is also a good idea to avoid using veggies that get stinky when overcooked (like broccoli, cabbage, kale, turnips, etc). I also avoid onion and garlic skins and pepper because I think they make the stock bitter when boiled for a long time. Don't use strong tasting (or strong colored) veggies or herbs (fennel, beets, basil, rosemary...) in the stock unless they are also used in the soup.

Winter Squash Soup

Folks love this simple soup and always ask me for the recipe. I made it for the Art of Agriculture event at Wild Willow Farm last year and I'll be making again at the Farm for a fundraiser for Seeds @ City Urban Farm.

My very favorite squash is butternut and I also love pumpkin (so many varieties!), kabocha, honeybear acorn, delicata and tahitian, but use your favorite winter squash or a mix...

1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
2 cups onion, coarsely chopped
5 cups butternut or your favorite winter squash, peeled, seeded & chopped (keep the skin, seeds and scrapings for your stock)
5-6 cups vegetable stock
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
2 teaspoons fresh sage, chopped
2 teaspoon fresh parsley, chopped
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Sauté the onion and squash in oil in a large pot on high heat stirring frequently until lightly caramelized, about 10 minutes. Add herbs and broth, bring to a boil, and simmer covered until the squash is soft, about 20 minutes. Puree and season to taste.

Makes about 8 cups

Garnish with sage puree, fried sage leaves, chopped parsley, diced and cooked root vegetables or roasted veggies, sprouts or micro greens, and/or buttered croutons.

Variation
Try roasting the squash before cooking the soup.

Sage Puree
10 sage leaves, blanched
¼ cups extra virgin olive oil

In a blender or with an immersion blender, blend sage and olive oil until very smooth.

Buttered Croutons
Melt a tablespoon (or so) of butter in a skillet over medium heat, toss in cubed bread (just enough to make a single layer in the skillet), salt and pepper to taste and sauté until golden brown.

Ode to Julia: Leek & Potato Soup

This recipe is based on Julia Child's. It's one of my very favorite soup recipes and was very popular at Roots. It's simple, hearty, comforting, delicious, cheap, and easy to put your own spin on...

3 cups leeks, julienned
1 cup onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
3 cups gold or red potatoes, well scrubbed & chopped (I leave the peel on for a more rustic soup but you can peel it if you prefer)
4 cups vegetable stock
sea salt & fresh ground black pepper to taste

Heat oil or butter over medium-high heat in a large pot. Add the leeks and onions; cook until soft, about 5 minutes, stirring. Add the potatoes and stock. Bring to a boil; let simmer for 20 minutes. You can leave the soup chunky, or just blend half, but I prefer to blend (with an immersion blender) until mostly smooth. Salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish options
sour cream or crème fraîche, grated cheese, crumbled blue cheese or cherve, fresh chopped parsley, chives or green onion, buttered croutons, blue cheese crostini…

Variations

• add in other vegetables (in with the potato or diced, sauteed, and added as a garnish): carrots, parsnips, turnips, rutabga, cauliflower, winter squash, sorrel, spinach, kale…
• sweet potato & leek soup: use sweet potatoes instead of gold or red, garnish with grated gruyere cheese and fresh minced rosemary
• broccoli potato soup with cheddar: add a bunch of broccoli (rough chop florets; peel and shred stalks) to the last 5 minutes of simmering. Garnish with shredded cheddar cheese.

Kitchen Tip
Julienned Leeks
With a paring knife, remove the tough, dark green parts of leaves (save for stock). Starting at the root base, insert the knife through the leek and draw up through the top. Repeat, cutting leek lengthwise into thin strips. Cut into 1½ inch sections, removing root base. Place julienned leeks in a bowl of water and swish vigorously to rinse away all dirt.

Two bowls of Chili

Black Bean Chili  a Roots favorite...

2 teaspoons olive oil
½ cup onion, chopped (from Schaner Farm via the Little Italy Farmers Market)
½ cup mild chile (such anaheim or pasilla - lots of options from Suzie's Farm),  chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano (dry your own from Schaner or Suzie's Farm)
cayenne to taste (start with a pinch, if you're wimpy; up to 1/2 teaspoon if you like it spicy)

1½ teaspoon paprika
3 large cloves garlic, minced (from Schaner or Sage Mt Farm)
¾ cup tomato, fresh chopped or crushed canned in glass
juice of ½ an orange (from the Schaners)
3 cups cooked black beans

salt to taste

Sauté the onion, chile, and spices in the oil with a few pinches of salt in a pan on medium heat until soft, about 10 minutes, stirring (do not brown). Add garlic and tomato and cook for 2 minutes. Add orange juice and beans with their liquid and cook uncovered for 15 minutes. Salt to taste.

Garnish Options: crema, cheddar or jack cheese (from Spring Hill), avocado, cilantro, green onions


Simple Vegan Chili
½ tablespoon olive oil
½ cup yellow onion, chopped
½ cup celery, chopped

1 teaspoon cumin, ground
¼ teaspoon cayenne
3 cups diced tomato (fresh or canned)
3 cloves garlic, minced 

3 cups cooked kidney beans, drained or with liquid if you want it soupier

salt to taste if using fresh tomato and cooking your own beans.

In a large pot, saute onions and celery in oil over medium heat, stirring occasionally until onions just begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a simmer.  Great served next to corn bread.

Variations
Add other ingredients: corn, greens, or sauteed carrots or zucchini.
Add or sub other beans: black beans, black-eyed peas, garbanzo beans… 

Simple Corn Soup

This is a very easy, very delicious recipe that you can tart up in many delectable ways...

4 ears corn, remove husk (save and dry for tamales) and silk (save for stock)
1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1/3 cup grated potato
Sea salt to taste

Cut the kernels off the cobs and set aside.  Put the cobs, silk (for the health benefits), and any other appropriate veggie trimmings if you got 'em, in 5 cups water, bring to a boil and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.  Strain out the veggie parts and now you've made your own broth.

In a soup pot, melt the butter (or heat the oil) on medium heat.  Saute onion for a minute, add potato and about a cup of the broth.  Cover and simmer until soft, about 15 minutes.

Add the rest of the corn broth and half the corn kernels.  Simmer for a few minutes and then blend the soup until smooth (be careful! it's hot).  Add the remainder of the corn kernels and salt to taste.  Serves 4.

Variations:
garnish with roasted tomatillo salsa, a little lime zest, sauted poblano chile, avocado & tortilla chips

garnish with diced heirloom tomatoes, julienned basil or parsley

kitchen scraps beyond composting

Of course we could compost our kitchen scraps but some can be used in other ways as well:

Make stock (or freeze for later) from scraps of onions (but not too many of the papery, bitter tasting skins), leeks, garlic, carrots, parsnip, celery, mushrooms - even hard cheese rinds - to make stock later. For a quick veggie stock, caramelize veggies scrapes in a little bit of oil and add any other scrapes from your soup recipe, herbs (such as bay leaf, parsley, thyme, and sage), enough water to generously cover and a bit of salt if you like. Bring to a boil and simmer for a half hour for a rich vegetable stock. Strain out the veggie bits and compost or feed to animals (my dogs always loved these super soft veggies)

Carrot tops and peels are also great raw for dog snacks (some dogs like raw broccoli and other veggies or fruits as well)

Feed chickens and ducks your greens, tomato bits, strawberry tops, melon rinds & seeds...

Broccoli stems can be peeled and chopped small or grated, raw in slaw or salads, or cooked where ever you use the florets.  I actually prefer crisp broccoli stalks to the florets.

Save and dry corn husks (for tamales), silk (for beneficial tea), and save the cobs for stock.

Tough vegetable parts (like chard stems and leek greens) can be sautéed until soft for eating.

Use stale bread and heels for bread crumbs and croutons (or freeze for later).

Increase nutrient value and decrease waste if you leave peels on and scrub vegetables clean when cooking with carrots, potatoes, parsnips and turnips.

If unpasteurized (raw) juice starts to "go bad," keep it loosely covered and it will eventually turn into wine or vinegar (I've currently got apple juice and blueberry juice converting in my cupboard).

If unpasteurized (raw) milk starts to sour (but still smells pleasant), use it in baking (pancakes or breads), desserts (cakes, cheesecake or custard), cooking (like mashed potatoes, soups, casseroles, or scrambled eggs), turn it into cheese...

After cooking, reuse nutrient-rich (unsalted) pasta and potato water in bread making, baking, soups or other recipes that call for water. Or use it in the garden!

Use leftover cooked grains to feed your sourdough starter.

Soak lemon or other citrus peels in distilled vinegar for a homemade cleaning product. Or grate & dry the peel to use the zest for later.

Freeze overripe fruit to save for smoothies, jams & fruit crisps.