Summer Corn Chowder

I don’t usually make soup that much in the summer.  Soup is more of a winter thing for me and we get a loooooooot of winter in these parts!  So by the time summer comes, I tend to eat a lot more simply…i.e. lots of finger food like bell pepper and hummus, sandwiches, fruit, popcorn, nuts, etc.

I decided to make an exception because this just looked so yummy.  And it was!  I hope you enjoy this tasty plant-based recipe!

Summer Corn Chowder adapted from The Minimalist Baker

Ingredients:

• olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 C.)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 small red potatoes, quartered (I left the peels on, but you can peel them if you’d like.)
• Sea salt and ground black pepper
• 2 cans of corn (or 3 ears with the kernels sliced off if corn is in season for you)
• 2 C. veggie/chicken broth
• 2 C. unsweetened plain almond milk or regular milk
• 2 TBS. cornstarch/water to make a slurry
• cheese, bacon for topping (optional)

Instructions:

1. Add a little olive oil to a medium-sized soup pot.  Add onion and garlic and sauté for 3-4 minutes.  Add a little water to keep the onion and garlic from sticking to the pan if needed.
2. Add potato, season with a little salt and pepper, and cover the pot with a lid for about 5 minutes.
3. Add 2 cans of corn.
4. Add broth and milk, cover, and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat to low. Cook about 5 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft and easily pierced with a fork.
5. Use a hand blender to blend the soup to desired consistency. I like mine a little chunky but still with some creaminess to it.  Do whatever you like!
6. Add salt and pepper to taste.
7. Mix 2 TBS. cornstarch with a little water to make a thin paste and add this to the soup. (It’s called a slurry and it will help thicken that chowder right up!)  Simmer at least 10 minutes to let thicken. The longer it simmers, the more flavorful it will be.
8. To serve, top with a little cheese or bacon, if you are feeling wild. 🙂

Yummers! Enjoy!

Pumpkin Rice Soup

Just whipped up this soup this morning before I headed off to the university.  Took less than an hour to make, and SUPER yum!  I know some people only like pumpkin in dessert type things, but I am just LOVING this soup. Hope you’ll try it!

Pumpkin Chicken-Rice Soup from Sarah

Ingredients:

• 1 C. onion, chopped
• olive oil spray + water if needed
• 2 TBS. flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 C. coconut milk or unsweetened almond milk (or use dairy milk if not plant-based)
• 2 C. veggie broth
• 2 C. pumpkin puree
• 1/8 tsp thyme
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 2 Tbs curry powder
• 1.5 C. brown rice, cooked
• 1 C. chicken, cooked and diced (optional if not plant-based)

Directions:

-Saute 1 chopped onion in olive oil spray.  Add water to the pan to keep the onion from sticking if needed.

-Take the pan off the burner to make a white sauce.  Blend in 2 Tbs of flour and 1/2 tsp salt into the sauteed onion mixture.  Slowly add 2 cups of coconut or almond milk, constantly stirring to prevent lumps from forming.  Return to heat and stir until the sauce bubbles and thickens.

-Add 2 cups veggie broth and 2 cups pumpkin puree and all the spices to the soup.  Simmer for several minutes and let the soup thicken a bit, then add cooked rice.  (Add chicken at this time too, if using.)

Tomato Soup – Quick and Speedy and Easy and Yummy!

Yummmm.  Normally this is not something I would make in the summertime – especially when its been so hot in Moscow!  But a few weeks ago, when it WASN’T as hot, I made the Cheese Muffins that I love for my roomie who was coming home from a trip in another city.  They were perfectly paired with this quick and easy to make tomato soup.

So if it’s a bit too warm out right now for you to make soup….just bookmark this for a blustery Fall day.  I know I will! 🙂

Quick & Speedy & Easy & Yummy Tomato Soup (adapted from Picky Palate)

Ingredients:

38 oz. (1077 g) canned diced tomatoes

1 C. diced white or yellow onion

1 C. coconut milk or unsweetened almond milk (can use milk or heavy cream if not plant based.)

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. garlic powder

generous sprinkling dry basil, or stir in some fresh

2 TBS. cornstarch + water to make a slurry

Prep:

Put all ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth, about 20-30 seconds.  You can blend it for a shorter amount of time if you like yours a little chunky. Transfer mixture to a medium-large saucepan and heat over a medium heat, stirring until hot.  Mix 2 TBS. cornstarch with a little water to make a thin paste and add to the hot soup.  Simmer until soup thickens a bit.  Enjoy!

Potage Parmentier

Well, I have been inspired in a whole new way recently.  I started reading Julie and Julia , the book that the popular movie from this summer was based on.  Before it became a book, it was a blog.  The book and the blog chronicle one woman’s quest to cook all 524 recipes in Julia Child’s cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Well, I’m not going to attempt that!  But the book has been inspiring me to try some yummy new recipes.  I don’t have Julia Child’s famous cookbook, but it’s amazing what you can find on the internet!  Potage Parmentier is fancy talk for “Potato and Leek soup.”

“Potage Parmentier smells good, tastes good, and is simplicity itself to make.” ~Julia Child~

“The think you learn with Potage Parmentier is that ‘simple’ is not exactly the same as ‘easy.’ “ ~Julie Powell~

Potage Parmentier, adapted from “The Way to Cook” by Julia Child

4 C. sliced leeks (clean thoroughly)

4 C. peeled and diced potatoes

6 to 7 C. broth (use vegetable broth for WFPB)

salt, to taste

2 TBS. butter or margarine

4 TBS. half and half (or unsweetened plant milk)

 

Bring the leeks and potatoes to a boil in the broth.  Salt lightly.  Simmer for about 40 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.  Mash vegetables with a fork or potato ricer.  Or puree with a hand blender or in a food processor.  Add butter and cream, and simmer for another 8 minutes or so until soup thickens slightly.  Ladle  into bowls, and garnish with parsley or chives.  

Are you ready to try Potage Parmentier?  Go for it!

 

“There’s something about peeling a potato.  Not to say that it’s fun exactly, but there’s something about scraping off the skin, and rinsing off the dirt, and chopping it into cubes…Something about knowing exactly what you’re doing, and why.  Potatoes have been potatoes for a long, long time, and people have treated them in just this way, toward the end of making just such a soup.  There is clarity in the act of peeling a potato, a winnowing down to one sure, true way.” ~Julie Powell~

Beef and Barley Soup

A great soup for a cold winter night.  This soup was easy and very filling.  Sort of a variation on beef stew.  Super Yummy!  Enjoy!

Beef and Barley Soup (from Bunny’s Warm Oven)

2 lb. lean beef stew meat, cut into 1″ cubes
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
5 c. water
4 celery ribs, chopped
4 medium carrots, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14 1/2 oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
4 tsp. beef bouillon granules (I use low sodium beef bouillon)
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 c. dry barley

In a Dutch oven, brown meat in oil on all sides; drain. Add the water, celery, carrots, onion, garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, bouillon and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 50 minutes.
Stir in barley; cover and simmer 10-15 minutes longer or until barley is tender. Makes 8 servings (about 2 quarts).