Creamy Asparagus Soup with Coconut Milk

  

Well, if you're like me, you ate way too many double chocolate espresso cookies in the last week.  Like, way too many.  And then, maybe you made a chocolate cake with coconut samoa icing to bring to a party on Friday (recipe for the icing forthcoming!).  And then maybe you had a huge helping of brioche french toast for breakfast on Saturday morning.  Maybe by Saturday night, your body had had it.

This is a soup for a detox day.  When your body is screaming for some nutritious goodness.  When all it wants is a damn vegetable, for Pete's sake.

This soup is so simple to make, and I suspect you could substitute a variety of other vegetables for the asparagus, if you don't have any of that on hand.  Or, you know, if you hate asparagus.  Try it with broccoli, or cauliflower, for instance.  I bet it would be fantastic.  Just a warning - this is a batch for a girl living alone and makes only about two cups of soup overall.  If you're cooking for several people, or if you want to have a bunch leftover, consider doubling or even tripling the recipe.

I owe the creamy texture of this to my aunt, who introduced me recently to So Delicious Coconut Milk, a lower calorie option to regular canned coconut milk.  It doesn't have a super strong coconut flavor in my opinion, and that makes it quite ideal for making creamy soups like this one without detracting from the flavor of the other ingredients.  I used So Delicious Original, which has only 80 calories per cup (and I only used one cup in the whole recipe!), but the So Delicious Unsweetened only has 50 calories, for those of you who want to trim even a few more calories off of this recipe.  Compare that to regular coconut milk, which can have - gasp - 480 calories per cup, or even lite coconut milk, with 180 calories per cup.  Not that I don't love to use regular coconut milk in my Thai curries, but it's not the most detox-friendly option.

You can feel good about eating this soup, is what I'm saying.  Your body will thank you.

Creamy Asparagus Soup with Coconut Milk
Serves 2

1 1/2 tbsp. Earth Balance Buttery Spread
1 medium onion
1/2 tsp. chopped fresh ginger
1 tsp. minced garlic
2 1/2 cups chopped asparagus (about 350 grams, or 3/4 lb.), with ends trimmed off
2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1/8 tsp. dried rosemary
2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley + more for garnish
1 cup So Delicious Original Coconut Milk (or another creamy non-dairy milk)
1/2 tsp. salt + more to taste
Pepper to taste

In a medium saucepan, melt the Earth Balance Buttery Spread.  Add the onion, ginger, and garlic and saute over medium-low heat for about 4 - 6 minutes, or until the onion starts to become translucent.

Clean and trim the asparagus and chop into small pieces (about 1 inch long).  When the onion is translucent, add the chopped asparagus and vegetable or chicken stock and bring to a simmer.  Add the dried rosemary and fresh parsley, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the asparagus pieces are very tender.

Using either an immersion blender or food processor, puree the soup until very smooth.  Return to the pot and add the So Delicious Coconut Milk and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve immediately or chill in the fridge for a few hours before serving.  Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and drizzle with a little extra coconut milk before serving.

Creamy Sun-dried Tomato Soup with Thyme

Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity.  I recited this to myself as I watched this soup simmer, resisting the familiar urge to reach into the spice cabinet and dump more seasonings in.  Stop.  Breathe.  Keep it simple. 

I'm beginning to realize how vital this concept is in culinary pursuits.  Cooking need not involve lots of heavy machinery or fifteen different spices which will only confuse your palate.  Food can be uncluttered without sacrificing flavor.

This is a soup for a cold, gray day (if possible, hold out for a snowy one) - not just for its color, which will inject some brightness into the bleakness of winter, but also for its vivid taste, which delights afresh with each bite.  The thyme and sun-dried tomatoes are perfect together, giving each other space but merging beautifully at the same time. 

It is simple, but there is no flavor sacrificed in this soup. Best of all, you can serve it to almost anyone, as it is gluten-free and vegan.

Creamy Sun-dried Tomato Soup with Thyme (Adapted from Food and Wine)
Serves 2 - 3

1 tbsp. Earth Balance Buttery Spread
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 1/2 tsp. minced or crushed garlic
2/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes (the kind packed in oil), drained and coarsely chopped
1 large tomato, diced
3 cups gluten-free vegetable or chicken broth (such as Trader Joe's or Pacific brands)
6 - 7 whole fresh thyme sprigs, divided
1/2 - 1 cup soy creamer (to taste/texture)
1 tsp. brown sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
You will also need:  A food processor or blender

In a medium-sized pot, melt the Earth Balance and olive oil together over medium heat.  Add the onion and garlic and cook over medium heat for about 4 - 5 minutes or until the onion is becoming translucent.  Add the diced tomato, sun-dried tomato, chicken broth, and 4 whole thyme sprigs to the pot.  Bring ever-so-briefly to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.  Simmer over medium-low heat for at least 20 minutes, but up to 35 or 40 minutes if you have the time.

Remove the whole sprigs of thyme and discard.  In batches (depending on the size of your food processor), puree the soup as finely as possible.  Return to the pot.  Add the soy creamer (adding more if necessary or if you want it to be especially creamy), add the brown sugar, and then season with salt and pepper to your own taste.  Take the remaining 2 - 3 sprigs of thyme and pull off the tiny leaves and sprinkle into the soup.  Serve with hot garlic bread or this grilled cheese.  It also goes quite well with Roasted Red Pepper Mini Meatloaves.

You can make this ahead of time and store in the fridge for a day or two until you're ready to serve it.  Heat over medium-low heat for about 10 - 15 minute until it is warmed through. 

Creamy Butternut Soup with Chickpeas

Food can taunt you.  In particular, a certain butternut squash that has been sitting on my kitchen counter for several weeks can taunt me.  Every time I walked into the kitchen, I felt a pang of guilt about not having used it. It sat there, lying motionless on its side, somehow always in my line of sight.  Whole.  Uneaten. 

Finally, I caved.  I got out my peeler and the biggest knife I had and chopped it up.  I roasted it in the oven.  And then I made it into a delicious soup.

This is the perfect soup to warm your body and your soul on a crisp fall evening.  The seasons are turning here in Swaziland; the summer rains are subsiding, and the cold fronts are creeping up on us daily, lingering longer each day.  It makes you want to come home and sit in front of a fire, sipping hot cider and reading a thick book in front of jumping, soothing, warm flames .  

You'll think about that as you eat this soup, of how comforting it is in its thickness and heartiness.  And how much of autumn it evokes. 

Creamy Butternut Soup with Chickpeas

2 tbsp. olive oil, divided

1 small onion, chopped very finely

1 small golden delicious apple, peeled and chopped very finely

3 tbsp. minced garlic or 4 -6 garlic cloves, chopped finely

1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into small cubes, roasted

½ tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. oregano

1 small bay leaf

Dash of cayenne pepper

Vegetable or chicken broth to cover (about 1 – 2 cups)

1 cup cooked chickpeas, rinsed

¼ - ½ cup coconut milk (to taste)

Salt and pepper to taste

Cooked rice (brown or jasmine) – optional

Preheat the oven to 450 F.  Peel and dice the butternut squash, toss with a small amount of the olive oil, and place in a glass baking dish.  Cover with foil and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, stirring as needed to prevent sticking.  Remove from oven and set aside.

In a pot, heat the remaining olive oil and add the diced onion and garlic.  Cook, stirring frequently, for about 3 minutes.  Add the diced apple and continue to stir for another 3 – 5 minutes, or until the onions become translucent.  Add the roasted butternut squash, cinnamon, oregano, bay leaf, and cayenne pepper and stir.  Cover with the vegetable or chicken broth and bring to a boil.  Cover the pot and reduce to a simmer, continuing to cook for another 10 – 15 minutes or until you are happy with the taste and consistency. 

If you have a hand mixer, you can puree the soup that way, or you can puree it in batches in a blender.  If you are like me and don’t have either, just take a fork or potato masher and smash it manually.  Add the chickpeas once you like the consistency, and then the coconut milk to your own taste.  Continue to adjust the seasonings, and be sure that the coconut flavor does not overpower the butternut flavor.  Add salt and pepper to taste, place into bowls, and sprinkle some parsley on top to serve.

If desired, add some cooked brown rice into the pot before serving, or serve with some crispy quinoa crackers. 

Creamy and Chunky Potato Chive Soup

This is a soup that is simple to throw together, and is bursting with flavor.  The nutritional yeast adds a slightly cheesy flavor to the soup, and the soy milk helps give it a creamier texture.  It was hearty enough to be a meal on its own and was perfect to have on a chilly autumn night.

Creamy and Chunky Potato Chive Soup

1 tbsp. olive oil

One small onion, chopped
3 – 4 tsp. minced garlic
2 large potatoes, chopped
Vegetable or chicken broth to cover
¼ tsp. oregano
¼ tsp. parsley
¼ - ½ cup chives, chopped
3 tbsp. nutritional yeast
½ cup soy creamer
Salt and Pepper to taste



Heat the oil in a pan over medium-high heat and add the onion and garlic.  Saute until the onion has turned translucent and then add the potatoes.  Add just enough broth (I used a vegan chicken-flavored one) to cover the potatoes, and add the oregano and parsley.  Bring to a boil and cook for about 10 - 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are very tender and the broth is at least reduced by half.  Using a potato masher, mash about half of the potatoes, leaving some to create a more chunky texture if desired.  Add the nutritional yeast, soy creamer, and chives, and add salt and pepper to your own taste. 
Serve with a crusty bread or as a first course.

Spicy Black Bean Soup

The supermarket here in Swaziland is one of those places where I never know which previously elusive ingredient will suddenly be staring me in the face when I walk in. Gluten-free pasta? Check. Dairy-free, gluten-free parmesan topping? Check. Soy milk? Check. Marshmallow fluff? (You know, the stuff you used to eat on peanut butter-fluff sandwiches?) Check. Taco seasoning and taco shells? Check. But despite the fact that I have access to such rarities as these, I have not seen black beans before here in Swaziland. Recently, thought, as I was passing by the dried bean and lentil shelf, I noticed a pile of small bags filled with them! This is the first recipe I’ve made with them so far, and I think it turned out pretty well. Mine ended up being fairly spicy, so be cautious with the number of chili peppers you add. I had jarred peppadews on hand and threw them in, but they are absolutely not necessary for this soup. If you don’t have peppers at all, you could just sprinkle in some cayenne pepper instead. The main flavor in this dish comes from the aromatic cumin, so if you’re going to be liberal with any ingredient, that’s the one.  Perfect to make a dreary, rainy, cold day better.

Spicy Black Bean Soup

1 cup dried black beans, pre-soaked or 1 can black beans, rinsed
1 – 2 tbsp. olive oil
1 – 4 chili peppers
6 – 8 peppadew peppers (optional)
4 – 6 tsp. minced garlic
1 medium onion, diced finely
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 – 2 tsp. cumin (or more to taste)
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. oregano
1 bay leaf
Dash of cinnamon
Salt and pepper to taste

Pre-soak the dried black beans for 12 hours with a ratio of one cup of beans to four cups of water. Rinse, place in pot and cover with 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil and cook for about an hour. Drain the beans and set aside. Or, if you are using canned beans, rinse them and set aside.

In a non-stick skillet, heat the oil. Cut the stems off of the chilies and pierce the peppers several times with a knife. Place them in the skillet and cook over medium heat for about 4 – 5 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to sauté for another 2 – 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium sized pot, fry the diced onion in a scant amount of oil. When the onion has become translucent, add the fried garlic and chilies to the pot. Next add the spices and stir well to mix.

Add the rinsed beans to the pot and stir into the spice mixture. Next, add the vegetable or chicken broth to cover the beans. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for at least one hour. The flavors will only intensify and develop more as you let it simmer, so the longer the better. I simmered mine for about 2 hours, adjusting the spices for my own taste. Towards the end of the cooking time, add salt and pepper to your own taste. Remove the chilies from the soup if desired, or leave them in for some extra heat.
Using a potato masher or an electric hand mixer, puree about half of the soup for a thicker consistency. Serve on its own or topped with freshly chopped tomatoes, chives, or Tofutti sour cream.

Alternatively, fry up some eggs and toast and top them with this soup!

Moroccan Chickpea Stew

This is a beautifully satisfying soup that is rich in flavor and protein. With Moroccan-inspired flavors, it is easy to throw together and is a delicious way to enjoy those chickpeas you've had in your pantry forever but haven't used yet. Instead of thin egg-like noodles, I took some regular gluten-free spaghetti (mine was corn-based) and broke it into little pieces for this recipe. Let this simmer for about an hour and you will end up with a meal that is both tasty and healthy.

Moroccan Chickpea Stew

 ½ tbsp. olive oil

1 onion, diced

5 – 7 cloves garlic, diced (or minced garlic)
1 ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
1 ½ - 2 tsp. ground cumin
1 ½ - 2 tsp. paprika
1/8 – ½ tsp. cayenne pepper
6 – 7 small tomatoes, diced
1 ½ - 2 cups cooked chickpeas or 1 can chickpeas, rinsed
2 – 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
½ cup frozen spinach
A handful of gluten-free spaghetti noodles broken into small pieces
Salt and Pepper to taste





Heat the oil in a pot and add the onion. Cook for about 3 minutes and then add the garlic and continue to cook for about 3 -5 more minutes.

In a small bowl, mix the cinnamon, cumin, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Add it to the onion and garlic and stir to combine. Continue to cook for another 1 – 2 minutes to allow the flavor of the spices to come out.
Add the chickpeas and tomatoes to the mixture and stir to combine all of the ingredients well. Add enough water or stock (vegetable or chicken will work) to cover the chickpeas. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat. Simmer for about 35 – 40 minutes, adjusting spices as desired. You may have to add more water or vegetable stock if too much steams off.

When you are happy with the taste of the soup, add the frozen spinach and spaghetti noodles and cover again. Cook until the noodles are done and serve alone or with some gluten-free flatbread.

Quick and Easy Lentil Bean Soup

Yesterday I got home and was in one of those moods to make something fast and with no fuss. I had some leftover brown rice and some leftover flour tortillas (which double beautifully as flatbread, it turns out), and I am determined to be creative with the ingredients I already have in my cabinets so I can cut down on my grocery costs. Living on about $300 per month is a challenge for an avid cook and baker like me, but I am determined to eat delicious food despite being a poor volunteer in a developing country! And tonight, I succeeded. This is a very easy soup that came together in about 15 minutes total, and I ended up eating it with two pieces of my homemade flatbread from the other night, made warm and crispy in the toaster. The flavors are simple; I didn’t spice it up too much, but you could add any spices to give it a more distinct flavor.

Quick and Easy Lentil Bean Soup

2 green onions, chopped
1 15-oz. can lentils, drained and rinsed
1 15-oz. can butter beans, drained and rinsed
2 tbsp. tomato paste
1 – 2 cups boiling water
1 chicken or vegetable bouillon cube
salt and pepper to taste
garlic powder to taste

Heat through and simmer for 5 – 10 minutes. Adjust spices to taste and serve as a soup, with bread, or with rice.

Diana's Taco Soup

The last week I was living in my apartment in St. Louis with my lovely roommates, we decided to make a big pot of one of our favorite easy dinners to use up some of the food I had left: taco soup. Kyle got this recipe from his mother, Diana, and we've made it many times since then because it is so easy to put together, and so delicious. I altered a few things - I added twice the taco seasoning originally called for because I omitted the dry ranch mix - but it turned out wonderfully. It will be ready in as little as 15 minutes, or you can let it simmer and bubble for longer than that to achieve an even richer flavor. It's super easy to make, and it is ready so quickly that this would be perfect for a night when you don't have much time to throw dinner together but still want something filling and satisfying. Serve topped with anything you'd put on a taco that you can tolerate: tomatoes, onions, sour cream, cheese, guacamole, etc. And we top ours off with Fresh Gourmet brand tortilla strips - the fiesta flavor is our favorite, but all of them are good, and most are gluten-free. If you don't have those, any corn chips will work!

Diana's Taco Soup

Makes 4 - 6 servings

1 pkg of ground turkey OR vegetarian/vegan meat substitute
2 packets Old El Paso taco seasoning (or your favorite gluten-free brand)
1 can corn with liquid
1 1/2 can of water
1 can pinto beans
1 can mild chili beans
1 can diced tomatoes (the ones that include onion & garlic add nice flavor)
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 pkg dry ranch mix (I omitted this, but in case you are able to find one that suits your dietary needs, I'm including it as it's part of the original recipe)

Brown the meat in a large pot. When it has been cooked, drain the fat and return the meat to the pot. Add the packets of Old El Paso seasoning and stir to mix, and then add the rest of the ingredients listed. Stir well and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for at least 15 minutes to allow the flavors to mix, but longer if you'd like a little more depth of flavor to develop. Serve topped with any ingredients you would normally use on a taco: chopped tomatoes, chopped onions, guacamole, Tofutti sour cream, cheese (if you can have it), and corn tortilla strips (Fresh Gourmet Fiesta brand is my personal favorite to have with this soup).

Grundhauser Hungarian Chicken Goulash with Cornbread

The recipe for this Hungarian goulash has, I'm sure, been tweaked over the last few generations of my family, so that it may not really resemble the original recipe as closely anymore. For one thing, in my family, the traditional beef is usually replaced with chicken. But regardless of that, this recipe has a special place in our family. This recipe sits in a frame that my mom keeps sitting on our mantlepiece, "Grundhauser Hungarian Goulash" displayed in slightly faded letters with the measurements . This recipe is a piece of my family's history. And even though this recipe is not an exact science and is never quite the same as the last time you made it, it is unfailingly comforting and delicious and hearty. And it's so easy to throw together, and as long as you have a few hours to let it simmer, you will have a delicious stew with plenty for leftovers. We served this with "Yankee Cornbread" from the Gluten-free Pantry. I made it with my Little Sister (with Big Brothers Big Sisters) last night, and in her words, "This is the BOMB!"

Grundhauser Hungarian Chicken Goulash

1 tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 1/2 - 2 lbs. chicken, cut into bite-size pieces
4 medium potatoes, chopped
1 small bag baby carrots OR 4 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
4- 7 tbsp. sweet Hungarian paprika (to taste)
2 - 5 tbsp. spicy Hungarian paprika (to taste)
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. cayenne Pepper (if desired)
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper (to taste)
1/2 tsp. salt (more to taste)
4 cups chicken broth (I used Pacific Low Sodium), or water
Tapioca or Potato starch to thicken, if desired

Chop onion and saute in 1 tbsp. olive oil until tender or translucent. Add the chicken pieces and cook over medium heat for 4 - 5 minutes, then stir in 4 heaping tablespoons of sweet paprika, 1 heaping tablespoon of spicy paprika, and 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper, and stir into the chicken. Continue to saute for another 4 -5 minutes until the chicken is browned. Pour in enough of the chicken broth to cover the chicken, bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat.

Simmer for at least 1 - 1 1/2 hours until the chicken is very tender, then add the carrots and enough broth to cover it all again. Adjust the seasonings as desired (I added more of both kinds of paprika and ground pepper several times during the cooking time). Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for another 20 minutes, then add the chopped potatoes and, once again, enough broth to cover. Simmer until the potatoes are tender (roughly 20 more minutes).

Mix about 1 tbsp. potato or tapioca starch in a bowl with 1 tbsp. water and combine to remove the clumps. Add the starch mixture to the goulash and stir in until it has reached the desired thickness. Serve with cornbread or on its own!

Creamy Carrot Cilantro Soup

While my grandma is rehabbing her recently broken leg, she is stuck away from home for a few weeks, and thus away from decent food, much less delicious food. And since she also has strict diet restrictions, she can't even eat all of the unappetizing food that they put in front of her. I remembered that she liked this soup when I made it for once her last year, and aside from being an incredibly healthy meal choice, it is also perfect for this time of year, as the weather starts to turn chilly and a hot bowl of soup sounds especially cozy. And besides, it doesn't get much more comforting than soup when you're sick.

Creamy Carrot Cilantro Soup

1 lb. carrots (baby carrots are fine, too)
1 -2 tbsp. sunflower oil/olive oil
1 tbsp. Earth Balance "Buttery Spread"
1 onion, chopped
1 celery rib, diced finely
2 small Yukon potatoes, or 4 red potatoes, peeled and chopped into bite-size pieces
4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
3 - 5 tsp. ground coriander (to taste)
1 - 2 tbsp. chopped cilantro
1 cup soy milk
salt and freshly ground black or white pepper

Trim and peel the carrots and cut into chunks. Heat the oil in a skillet and saute the onion over gentle heat for 3 - 4 minutes, until slightly softened. Dice the celery and chop the potatoes. Add them to the onion in the pan, cook for a few minutes, then add the carrots. Cook over gentle heat for 3 - 4 minutes, stirring, and then cover.

Reduce the heat even further and sweat the vegetables for about 8 - 10 minutes. Shake the pan, or stir occasionally, so the vegetables do not stick to the bottom. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Half-cover the pan and simmer for another 10 - 12 minutes, until the carrots and potatoes are tender. Melt the Earth Balance "Buttery Spread" in a small saucepan and saute 3 tsp. ground coriander for about 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat, add the chopped cilantro, and saute for about another minute. Set aside until required. Process the soup in a food processor or blender and pour into a clean saucepan. Stir in the soy milk and the cilantro mixture. Season to taste, adding more coriander, salt, and pepper as desired, and heat gently just until hot (but not boiling).