Butternut Squash Lentil Soup

 

Butternut Squash Lentil Soup   https://www.acouplecooks.com/lentil-and-butternut-squash-soup/print/17435/

The truth is, I was looking for a soup to make so I could try out my new immersion blender.  Even though this soup didn’t call for one, I used it … and it was mahhhvelous!   It changed the texture to creamy in an instant.  It’ll save me from having to pour soups into the Vitamix to blend.  

This recipe is good, and does include lots of protein and greens, but in terms of taste, I did make quite a few changes.  I doubled the herbs, added a little coriander, celery and a parsnip, and didn’t have enough lentils, so I subbed in some split green peas.  Probably used more salt than called for, and did use lemon at the end.

As written below, these changes are reflected.  It seems this is a recipe worth playing with - will try adding spices from other recipes to add to the depth.  

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4.6 from 7 reviews

This hearty butternut squash lentil soup is a comforting and nutrient dense superfood soup, featuring lentils, kale, and leeks.

• Author: Sonja Overhiser
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Yield: 4 to 6 1x
• Category: Soup
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

SCALE

• 3 garlic cloves
• 3 carrots
• 3 large leeks or 1 large yellow onion (or a combination; 1leek and 1 yellow onion works well)
• (Optional - 1 celery, 1 parsnip)
• 1 medium butternut squash (4 to 5 cups diced; use frozen diced as a time saver)
• 1 bunch Tuscan kale or Swiss chard
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt - may need more
• 8 cups vegetable stock (we used 6 cups broth and 2 water)
• 1 1/2 cups brown or green lentils (if split green peas are used, cooking time will increase)
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• (2 tsp ground coriander)
• Fresh ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional) - improves the taste

Instructions

1. Mince the garlic. Peel and chop the carrots into half moons.
2. Chop the leeks (watch the video!): chop off the dark green stems and the bottom roots, then slice each in half length-wise. Place each leek half cut-side down on the cutting board, then chop it into thin half-moons. Rinse thoroughly in a colander to remove any dirt.
3. Chop the butternut squash (watch the video!): Slice off the neck of the squash and peel it with a vegetable peeler. Peel the base. Slice the base in half and scoop out the seeds. Slice the neck into thin rectangles, then into long slices. Turn the slices the other way and dice. Cut the base into thin slices and then dice into small squares. 
4. Wash and chop the kale (watch the video!). You can also wait to do this step while the soup simmers in Step 6.
5. In a large pot over medium heat, heat the olive oil; add the leeks or onions and sauté until softened, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add carrots (optional celery and parsnip) and garlic and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes until softened.
6. Add the squash, vegetable broth, lentils, thyme, oregano, and kosher salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes until the lentils and butternut squash are soft (taste test a few). In the last few minutes, add the chopped chard and simmer until tender. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. If desired, stir in the lemon juice. 

Humble Potato Leek Soup

From The Heart of the Plate by Mollie Katzen

Simple and tasty - I had mushrooms and scallions that I wanted to use up, so I added those too.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb russet potatoes, peeling optional, into 1 inch chunks

4 cups water

up to 1.25 tsp salt

2 Tbsp olive oil

4 packed cups (~2 lbs) cleaned leek rings, short of 1/4" thick

    (plus ~ 1/2 - 1 cup sliced mushrooms, and one large scallion)

Black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine the potato chunks, water and 1/2 tsp salt in a medium-large saucepan.  Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and cook, covered, until the potatoes are very soft, about 15-20 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, place another saucepan over medium-low heat for 1 minute.  Add the OO and swirl, then add the leeks and another 1.2 tsp salt and cook.  Stir for a minute or two, then lower the heat and continue to cook, stirring for 5-8 minutes.  Cover and cook over low heat for another 5-8 minutes, or until the leeks are very soft. 

3. Add the potatoes and all their cooking water to the leeks, along with black pepper to taste.  Cover the pot, turn off the heat, and let the soup sit for about 15 minutes to develop the flavor. Somewhere in there, taste to adjust the salt. 

4. You can now reheat the soup and serve as is or puree some of it with an immersion blender and reheat.  Serve hot.  Note - I didn't  care for the way it looked, so I blended all of it, in batches, in my Bullet, then seasoned with salt and pepper.

Fasolada - Greek Bean Soup - KindSoups

Fasolada - led by Shauna Simon and her husband Stefan, who is from a small Greek town

Not many ingredients to prepare, and very delicious.  The pepper gives it a kick.  Also added 2 parsnips. It's filling and can be a main dish. 

Ingredients

• Fasolia, dry white beans 3 cups or 6 cans (Cannellini, Northern White)
• About ½ cup Olive Oil (approx.)
• 6 stalks Celery, chopped
• 9 medium-sized Carrots, chopped
• (2 parsnips, chopped added)
• 3 big yellow Onions
• 12 cloves of Garlic
• 36 oz crushed Tomatoes, can or fresh
• 6 bay leaves
• 12-15 Cups water
• 2 Tablespoons salt
• 1 Tablespoon ground black pepper
• 1 cup of chopped fresh parsley – depends if you love Parsley or not (less or more is fine)

*Dry Beans need to soak for 8-12 hours. You can add 1 tsp. of salt to the soaking water. OR Use Canned Beans, already cooked.

Instructions

• Chop the celery and the carrots. Chop the onion thinly, and chop the garlic.
• In a pot, heat the olive oil and cook the vegetables for 10-15 minutes on medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes & beans, stir. Add water & bring to a boil.
• Lower the heat and add spices except parsley. Let the soup simmer about a 1/2 hour.
• Add a few Tablespoons of Olive Oil & Chopped Parsley at the end.
• Optional – Add small chunks of Feta when serving soup, or serve on the side.

 

Vegetarian ‘chicken’ soup with matzo balls - KindSoups

Carol Weil led this vegetarian version of soup in advance of Passover.  I added our family’s matzo ball recipe.  The soup was very good, with miso adding the umami missing from the chicken.  It’s helpful to cut the veggies into bite size pieces, and leave them in the soup.  I also chopped about 1/3 of the dill and parsley after cooking, and returned them to the soup.  It was very tasty! 

To make it vegan, you can try using an egg substitute like flax egg.

Vegetarian Jewish “chicken” Matzah Ball Soup

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons of miso (or more depending on umami taste preference)
• 6 large onions, quartered through the root 
• 18 garlic cloves, roughly chopped 
• 9 large carrots, peeled and cut into chunks 
• 9 celery stalks, cut into chunks 
• 3 large parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks 
• 3 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pound), peeled and cut into chunks 
• 3 tablespoon onion powder 
• 4 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder 
• 1 1/2 small bunches dill, plus chopped dill for serving  
• 1 1/2 small bunches flat-leaf parsley 
• 6 bay leaves 
• 4 1/2 tablespoons coarse kosher salt, plus more as needed 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

• In a large soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
• Add the carrots, celery, parsnips, sweet potatoes, onion powder, and garlic powder. Tie the dill and parsley bunches together at the stems with kitchen twine and add to the pot along with the bay leaves and 9 quarts of water. Increase the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, partially cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has reduced by about a third, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• Remove the vegetables and strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl. Return the broth to the pot and stir in the salt and pepper. Discard all the vegetables and herbs except the carrots and celery. Cut those into bite-size pieces and return to the pot.
• Stir in miso and, if desired, more salt, 1 teaspoon at a time.
• Serve hot, topped with chopped dill.

OPTIONAL Matzo Balls Recipe: makes about 8 balls

this is just an add-on for soup that will become family dinner, not a general add-on for all the donated soup

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup seltzer
• 3/4 cup matzo meal
• 1/8 tsp salt, or more to taste
• Ginger powder, depending on your preference (optional)
• 1 Tbsp grated onion or sprinkle of onion powder (optional)
• 2 Tbsp canola oil

Directions 

• Beat 2 eggs.
• Add seltzer, matzo meal, salt, and optional ginger powder and onion. Then add oil.
• Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.
• Remove from refrigerator while you boil a pot of water. Wash hands, then coat them with canola, roll mix into 1-1.5 inch balls. Drop each into the pot as you go. Keep at a slow- medium boil, allowing the balls to rise to the top and remain there. Cook with the lid mostly on, for about 30 minutes.
• Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate then add to heated broth or refrigerate until ready to use.

*Feel free to experiment and add your favorite herbs or spices in small quantities. 

Turkish Lentil Soup - KindSoups

Turkish Lentil Soup

Loved the combination of spices before the lemon and mint were added.  Almost didn’t add them because I didn’t want to ruin the taste - but it was even better afterwards.  Relatively easy prep also.  I had sweet potatoes on hand, so used them instead of Russets - all delicious.  Part of KindSoups Around the World in 2023.  Unfortunately, there was another earthquake in Turkey on the day of the zoom meeting.  The KindChef, Alexa Abelatey, whose husband is from Turkey, showed us the geography and where the 3 earthquakes occurred.  

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 medium yellow onions, diced
• 3 large carrots, peeled and diced
• 3 medium Russet potatoes, peeled and diced (or sweet potatoes)
• 6 garlic cloves, sliced
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 3 teaspoons cumin
• 3 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 3/4 teaspoons black pepper
• 3/4 teaspoons cayenne OR Aleppo pepper
• 15 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 3 cups red lentils, picked through (for small stones) and rinsed
• 3 teaspoons dried mint
• 3 lemons
• 
  
• Instructions

•  Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Once the oil is hot, add the diced onions and sauté for 4 minutes.
• Add the diced carrots and diced potatoes to the pot. Sauté for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add the garlic cloves and stir for 30 seconds.
• Add the tomato paste, cumin, salt, paprika, oregano, black pepper, and cayenne. Stir for 30 seconds and then deglaze the bottom of the pot with a small amount of the chicken or vegetable stock.
• Add the remaining stock and lentils. Stir and increase heat till the soup is boiling. Reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.
• If the soup is getting too thick, add water or more broth. Remove the soup from the heat and stir in the dried mint. Using an immersion blender or a stand blender, blend the soup till it’s creamy and all the ingredients are incorporated.
• Optional Paprika Oil – Heat the oil in a small pot and add the paprika. Stir to combine and remove from heat. Continue to stir till fully incorporated.
• Serve with lemon wedges. If you’d like, add a sprinkle of chopped parsley and a drizzle of paprika oil

Health and Safety Information

In order to protect the the quality of our KindSoup program, we ask that volunteers conscientiously observe the following guidelines:

• Start with clean hands and wash again frequently as needed throughout the cookiprocess.
• Start with clean kitchen surfaces and utensils (antibacterial wipes do a great job).
• Keep longer hair tied back.
• Follow other common sense procedures, such as never returning a tasting spoon to the pot!

Thank you for maintaining a high cleanliness standard for our KindSoup donations!

Curried lentil, tomato and coconut soup - Ottolenghi

From Ottolenghi Simple

I made this for the first time and it was delicious.  You can adjust the heat with more or less curry or red pepper flakes.  I usually cut down the curry from directions in a recipe, but I had a mildish curry (from Abdul) and used just about 1 Tbsp.  Topping it with cilantro was good.  I used lite coconut milk, about 1/2 - 2/3 of a can, and didn't use any to top it off.  Seemed good to all of us that way.

Per the book, you can blend it if you like, but I prefer feeling the textures of the lentils, cilantro stems...

INGREDIENTS: 

2 Tbsp sunflower oil

1 onion, finely chopped (1 1/4 cups)

1 Tbsp medium curry powder

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

2 garlic cloves, crushed or minced

2" piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped (? 1/4 cup per book)

3/4 cup red lentils, rinsed and drained

1 can (14.5 oz) chopped tomatoes (used fire roasted)

1 1/4 cups cilantro stems, roughly chopped, plus 1/4 cup leaves to garnish

2.5 cups water

salt and black pepper

1 can coconut milk (or less)

Can serve with lime slices - I didn't see this until after the fact

DIRECTIONS: 

1) Heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and fry for 8 minutes, stirring frequently until soft and caramelized.  

2) Add the curry powder, pepper flakes, garlic and ginger and continue to fry for 2 minutes, stirring continuously.  

3) Add the lentils, stir through for 1 minutes, then add the tomatoes, cilantro stems, water and 1 tsp of salt and a very generous grind of pepper.

4) Pour the coconut milk into a bowl and gently whisk until smooth and creamy (lite milk doesn't really get creamy).  Set aside 1/4 cup for serving; add the remaining milk to the soup.  Bring to a boil, then decrease the heat to medium and simmer gently for 25 minutes, until the lentils are soft but still holding their shape.  Add a little bit more water (~7-10 Tbsp) if needed to thin. 

5) Divide the soup among 4 world, drizzle with the reserved coconut milk, sprinkle with cilantro leaves and serve. 

Freestyle Ramen

Adapted from https://damndelicious.net/2014/10/13/easy-homemade-ramen/

EASY HOMEMADE RAMEN

yield: 4 SERVINGS

 

prep: 10 MINUTES

cook: 20 MINUTES

total: 30 MINUTES

The easiest ramen you will ever make in less than 30 min. And it's so much tastier (and healthier) than the store-bought version!

I adapted this with the ingredients I had available.  I had forbidden rice ramen, so I used that and traditional wheat ramen.  Also used a little red onion with the garlic and ginger.  Used arugula instead of spinach, and added okra because I had it.  To keep it vegan, use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth, and omit the eggs.  It was very good, especially for a quick meal.

4.9 stars (33 ratings)

INGREDIENTS

• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 4 cups reduced sodium chicken broth (used veg Better than Bouillion)
• 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon reduced sodium soy sauce
• 3 5.6-ounce packages refrigerated Yaki-Soba, seasoning sauce packets discarded* (used forbidden rice ramen and usual wheat ramen)
• 3 cups baby spinach
• 1 carrot, grated
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced

INSTRUCTIONS

• Place eggs in a large saucepan and cover with cold water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute. Cover eggs with a tight-fitting lid and remove from heat; set aside for 8-10 minutes. Drain well and let cool before peeling and halving.
• Heat olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
• Whisk in broth, mushrooms, soy sauce and 3 cups water.
• Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until mushrooms have softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in Yaki-Soba until loosened and cooked through, about 2-3 minutes.
• Stir in spinach, Narutomaki, carrot and green onions until the spinach begins to wilt, about 2 minutes.
• Serve immediately, garnished with eggs.

NOTES

*Yaki-Soba is ramen-style noodles and can be found in the refrigerated aisle of your local grocery store.

*Narutomaki is a type of kamaboko fish cake and is mainly used as a garnish in noodle soups such as ramen or soba.

This Easy Homemade Ramen recipe is brought to you by DAMN DELICIOUS