Lemony White Bean Soup with Greens (and Turkey)

Another KindSoup success!  I used arugula and spinach as the greens, because that’s what I had on hand.  For the herbs, I used a combination of a few sprigs each of parsley, basil and mint, and the rest mostly cilantro.  The comments on the original recipe were strongly in favor of cilantro, which I love anyway.  

I added some ground coriander and some extra red pepper flakes.  The lemon juice really gave it a great taste.  The beans, greens and mushrooms make for a hearty, healthy soup! 

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds ground turkey (optional, leave out for vegan version)
• Use mushrooms instead of turkey.  Add them toward the end with the beans
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 3 large onions, diced
• 3 large carrots, diced
• 3 bunches sturdy greens, such as kale, broccoli rabe, mustard greens or collard greens
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin, plus more to taste
• 1/3 teaspoon red-pepper flakes, plus more to taste
• 9 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 3 quarts chicken stock (or vegetable broth)
• 6 (15-ounce) cans white beans, drained and rinsed
• 3 cups chopped fresh, soft herbs, such as parsley, mint, dill, basil, tarragon, chives or a combination
• Fresh lemon juice, to taste

Instructions

• Heat a large pot over medium-high for a minute or so to warm it up. Add the oil and heat until it thins out, about 30 seconds. Add onions and carrots, and sauté until very soft and brown at the edges, 7 to 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, rinse the greens and pull the leaves off the stems. Tear or chop into bite-size pieces and set aside.
• When the onions are golden, add tomato paste, cumin and red-pepper flakes to the pot, and sauté until paste darkens, about 1 minute. Add garlic, ginger and salt and sauté.
• (Use of a turkey is optional) Add turkey, breaking up the meat with your spoon, until turkey is browned in spots, 4 to 7 minutes. 
• Add stock and beans, and bring to a simmer. Let simmer until the soup is thick and flavorful, adding more salt if needed, 15 to 25 minutes. If you like a thicker broth, you can smash some of the beans with the back of the spoon to release their starch. Or leave the beans whole for a brothier soup.
• Add the greens to the pot and simmer until they are very soft. This will take 5 to 10 minutes for most greens, but tough collard greens might take 15 minutes. (Add a little water if the broth gets too reduced.)
• Stir herbs and lemon juice into the pot, taste and add more salt, cumin and lemon until the broth is lively and bright-tasting. Serve topped with a drizzle of olive oil and more red-pepper flakes, if desired.

 

Spicy Arugula and Almond Pesto

 From Annie Fenn, M.D.  The Brain Health Kitchen: Preventing Alzheimer’s Through Food

“A good way to eat leafy greens, along with other neuroprotective foods, like nuts, seeds, garlic, and extra-virgin olive oil.  Go beyond pasta and enjoy pesto dolloped on soup, folded into scrambled eggs, and stirred into whole grains like quinoa and farro.”  Page 105  She also recommends stirring into cashew cream to use as ‘mayo’ on a roasted vegetable sandwich.  “The nutritional yeast tastes nutty and salty, like many cheeses, but is dairy-free.  It adds a rich umami flavor to foods, thanks to its glutamate content, along with a good dose of important brain health nutrients: selenium, folic acid, and B vitamins. “

I served this as an appetizer, spooned onto Campari tomatoes cut in half.  For that purpose, use only 1/3 cup to start, then add more for the consistency you want.  For pasta sauce, probably more oil would be better.  I’ve made similar pestos with other greens, including carrot tops.  I’ve used a combination of arugula, basil, cilantro, mint.  I’ve also used other nuts.  Anything goes!  It’s a great way to use up odds and ends of herb supplies.  Another great use is making homemade stock to use for other soups.  In the freezer, I collect a large bag full of leftover ends of carrots, onions, ginger, lemon, etc.  And when it’s full, I boil up a pot of water with all of these veggies, maybe 45 minutes or so, and then use it as the broth for my next batch of soup. 

INGREDIENTS:

4 loosely packed cups of arugula

1 cup almonds, toasted and cooled (or TJs already roasted)

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (1-2 lemons)

2 Tbsp nutritional yeast 

1 Tbsp lemon zest

2 large garlic cloves

1 small serrano chile, seeds and stem removed

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/3 - 1 cup EVOO

DIRECTIONS:

Combine all ingredients except the oil in a food processor.  Pulse until you have a chunky mixture, 1-2 minutes.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Slowly pour the oil over the pesto while pulsing until uniformly green with small bits of nuts visible.  Add more oil if you like, for a thinner, sauce-like consistency.  

Use on pasta, Campari tomato halves …

Thai Chicken Satay

 From Williams- Sonoma Weeknight

Notes say very good, even better the next day.  Thicken sauce with peanut butter - good with cukes and celery.  Sugar as needed.

INGREDIENTS:

1-2 large limes

1/3 cup rice vinegar

1/3 cup chunky peanut butter

1/4 cup fresh cilantro

1 Tbsp ginger, minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 Tbsp soy sauce

3 Tbsp light brown sugar, firmly packed

1 Tbsp Asian sesame oil

4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves, about 1.5 pounds, cut into thick strips

Romaine lettuce, 1 small head, cored and leaves shredded

1 peeled cucumber, sliced

DIRECTIONS:

1 Marinate the chicken - Place bamboo skewers in cold water .  Grate 1 tsp zest from the limes and squeeze 1/4 cup juice.  In a glass bowl, whisk together the zest and juice, vinegar and PB until smooth.  Stir in the cilantro, ginger, garlic, soy, brown sugar and sesame oil.  Reserve about 1/2 cup of the mixture in a separate bowl for use as a sauce.  

2 Add the chicken to the marinade and turn to coat.  Let stand at room temperature for at least 10 minutes, or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 hours.

3 Prepare a gas or charcoal grill rack or preheat a broiler.  Remove the chicken, discard the marinade and divide the strips among 8 skewers, threading the strips lengthwise.  Place the skewers on the grill rack on on a baking sheet and place under the broiler.  Cook, turning once, until seared on the outside and opaque throughout, about 6 minutes.  Divide the lettuce, cucumber slices and chicken skewers among 4 plates.  Drizzle with some of the reserved sauce and serve, passing additional sauce.  

Tandoori Style Halibut

From Williams-Sonoma Weeknight 

INGREDIENTS:

Plain yogurt, 1 cup

Lemon juice from 1/2 lemon

Ginger 2 Tbsp grated

Yellow onion, 1 small, finely chopped

Garlic 2 cloves, minced

(NOTE can use 1 TBP garam masala instead of the 5 following spices)

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground turmeric

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp ground allspice

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

salt

Halibut fillets 4, about 1.5 pounds total, skin removed

Steamed white rice for serving

DIRECTIONS:

Prepare the yogurt marinade - stir the yogurt, lemon juice, ginger, onion, garlic and 5 spices and 1/2 tsp salt.  Add the halibut to the marinade and turn to coat.  Reserve some of the marinade.

Cook the fish - broil, turning once until opaque throughout, 8-10 minutes.  Spoon the rice onto 4 plates and top with the halibut.  

quinoa chia seed pudding with fruit

Quinoa Chia Seed Pudding with Grapefruit and Pomegranate

Make these creamy quinoa and chia seed puddings now and they'll be ready for you as a grab-and-go breakfast, post-workout snack, or pretty dessert for up to 5 days.

Course Breakfast, Dessert  Prep Time 10 minutes  Cook Time 25 minutes  Servings MetricUS Imperial INGREDIENTS For the pudding: 1 cup cooked white or red quinoa, or a mix See Note ¼  cup black chia seeds 1½  cups unsweetened, unflavored cashew milkor another plant-based milk up to 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup optional ½  teaspoon  pure vanilla extract ¼ teaspoon almond extract For the topping: 1 grapefruit peeled and cut into segments ½  cup pomegranate seeds

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine the chia seeds and milk in a small bowl and refrigerate until plump, about 1 hour. Fold in the cooked quinoa (see note, below), up to 1 tablespoon of maple syrup, if using, and the vanilla and almonds extracts. 
2. To serve, divide pudding between 4 jars. Top each with grapefruit pieces and pomegranate arils.
3. Serve right away or keep, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. 

RECIPE NOTES

Note:

Quinoa is traditionally cooked with the absorption method (like rice)—boiled in a certain ratio of water to quinoa until done, then set aside to steam. The problem with this method, I have found, is that it isn't foolproof. It's hard to check for doneness without lifting the lid and releasing the steam. Sometimes the quinoa comes out soggy rather than fluffy, or it's not done enough. Plus, cooking quinoa like rice means you have to remember the water:quinoa ratio—was that 2:1 or 3:1?

Now I almost always boil quinoa like pasta. Just like with pasta, you won't need measure a certain ratio of water to quinoa. And, you can taste for doneness before draining, ensuring perfectly fluffy quinoa every time.

To cook quinoa like pasta, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add ½ cup quinoa and cook until tender (you'll notice a tiny tail form on each grain when it's done), 12 to 15 minutes. Drain in a fine mesh sieve and return to the warm pan. Cover and steam for 5 to 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Depending on your quinoa, ½ cup dry quinoa makes 1½ to 2 cups cooked. Store leftover quinoa in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Stir into oatmeal, toss into a salad, or include in a veggie wrap.