Carrot Soup with Croutons and Asparagus

I first had this soup about 3 years ago at my very good friend's birthday party. Everyone at that party, myself included, fell in love at first bite. Reportedly, some party guests felt the urge to hug the cook. The soup was that good. After much begging, I received a copy of the recipe. And that dear friend posted the recipe on her blog. I insist that you make this soup. It's amazing.

To go along with the soup I made homemade croutons and crispy asparagus. Both recipes couldn't be easier. You'll notice that both recipes have almost identical ingredients and methods. They're so simple they almost aren't even recipes. But really, simple food is the best food.

Simple Croutons:

• Day old bread, 4-5 thick slices
  
• Olive oil, about 1 tablespoon
  
• Garlic powder
  
• Salt
  
• Pepper

Preheat your oven to 275. Cut the bread into cubes. Drizzle the olive oil over the bread. Sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste. Toss the bread. Spread on a baking sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes, until crisp. Top your soup with the croutons.


Crispy Asparagus:

• 1 package asparagus
• Olive oil, about 1 tablespoon
• Garlic powder
• Salt
• Pepper

Preheat your oven to 400. Cut off the ends of the asparagus spears. Drizzle the olive oil over the asparagus. Sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste. Pop into the oven for about 20 minutes, until very crispy. Eat them straight up or dip them in your soup.

Chili Mac

I know all of you north of Florida have been experiencing cold weather and even snow for a few months now. But here in good ole’ sunny Florida, this week is the first week of consistently chilly temperatures; and when I say “chilly” I mean the highs are just at or below 70 degrees, with nights in the 40’s or 50’s. So what did I make to celebrate these chilly temperatures? Chili! I thought about following a recipe but that seemed boring. So I looked at a few different recipes and then I just winged it. Turns out, chili is pretty hard to mess up. I love to serve mine over some macaroni with a sprinkling of cheese, but feel free to serve yours straight up. Here is my version. Feel free to add or subtract whatever you like.

Basic Vegetarian Chili:

• 1 package veggie crumbles (optional)
• 1 large can diced tomatoes
• 1 can Rotel tomatoes (diced tomatoes with green chilies)
• 3 cans beans, any variety, drained and rinsed (I usually do a dark/light kidney bean combination)
• 1 can vegetable broth
• Olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 4 oz. frozen butternut squash, defrosted
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• 1 teaspoon red chili flakes
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• Salt and pepper, to taste

In a large soup pot, bring to medium/medium high heat, coat with olive oil. Sauté onions, bell pepper, and carrot until soft, about five minutes. Add garlic, sauté for one minute. Stir in the squash. Add beans, tomatoes and rotel tomatoes with liquid. Stir in spices. Add vegetable broth. Cover and bring to a boil. Uncover, reduce heat, and simmer for one hour or until ready to serve. Serve over macaroni, sprinkle with cheese.

A few tips about this recipe:

• The veggie crumbles are completely optional. They are really tasty, but if you don’t have them on hand I wouldn’t run to the store to get some just for this recipe. I’ve made this recipe with or without them and it is equally delicious.
• The squash is also optional, but highly recommended. It gives this chili some added veggie power and makes it somewhat silky and smooth.
• Feel free to adjust the heat level of the chili to your liking.

Vegetable Broth (from the new kitchen)

Wow, it's been a long break. Too long. But never fear, I am finally done moving, and fresh from a Publix trip, my pantry and fridge are now fully stocked for some new, fabulous recipes. First up, something savory. I've been wanting to make vegetable broth from scratch for a while now. I googled some recipes the other day and pretty much realized, it's something you just have to make up. Here's what I did, based on the ingredients I had in my produce drawer.

Vegetable Broth:

• 5 cloves of garlic, smashed
• 1/2 large onion, cut into chunks
• 1 cup baby carrots
• 2 stalks celery, plus extra celery leaves, cut into chunks
• 1 potato, cut into chunks
• Small handful of parsley
• 5 small tomatoes, cut into chunks
• 4 oz. sliced mushrooms
• 3 bay leaves
• 1-2 teaspoons soy sauce
• Salt
  
• Pepper
• 8 cups water

Cut all your veggies into chunks. Feel free to not peel them, leave the paper on the garlic/onions, etc. Throw all of your veggies and herbs into a stock pot. Cover with 8 cups of water and bring to a boil.


Reduce to a simmer, add soy sauce and pepper. Simmer for one hour. Taste and add more salt if desired. Strain your broth, put into some Tupperware, and refrigerate/freeze until you need some vegetable broth. This recipe made about 6 cups.

Don't throw those veggies away; I snacked on them right from the pot once I strained the liquid. Yum.

Hearty Vegetable Soup

I'm sorry it's been such a long time since I've updated. The holidays were a super busy time for me. Lots of cooking and eating, but not so much photographing and writing down recipes. But I'm back with lots of great recipes in store for the new year.

While it is starting to warm back up slightly, for the past few weeks it's been really really really cold. Well, it has been by Florida standards any way. So here is my hearty, go to meal when it's cold outside. It's quite easy, what I call a "chop and drop" recipe. Chop up whatever vegetables you have, and drop them into a pot.

Hearty Vegetable Soup:

• Olive oil
• 1 onion
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 bell pepper
• 2 stalks of celery
• 2 carrots
• 2-3 handfuls of escarole
• 1 can of white beans
• Veggie sausage of your choice
• 2 cartons of vegetable stock
• Fresh or dried herbs of your choice
  

Start out by chopping up the vegetables. It really doesn't matter if it's a dice or a rough chop, as long as all of the pieces are roughly the same size. Then chop up the sausage. Heat a saute pan. Pour in the olive oil and saute the onions and garlic. When the onion is soft, add the sausage and brown. Add the rest of your veggies into the saute pan, except for the escarole. While the veggies are sauteing, in a decent sized pot (one big enough to fit all of your veggies in addition to the liquid) fill with your vegetable stock and bring to a simmer. When the broth is simmering add the escarole and herbs. Add beans. Add all of your sauteed veggies and sausage. Let simmer for a few minutes. Either serve right away, or lower the heat and serve when ready.

Some tips about this recipe:

• The vegetables I listed were just a base. You can use whatever vegetables you want. Those are just my favorites and the ones I had on hand that day. Feel free to add or omit whatever vegetables you like.
• Even if you're cooking for one, don't be afraid to make a big pot of soup. It freezes well and is a great supper to reheat on nights you really just don't feel like cooking.
• Pasta, barley, rice, or any type of starch is also great in this soup. Just be sure not to add it too early or it'll be overcooked and mushy. For example, if your pasta takes 8 minutes to cook, throw it into the soup about 8 minutes before serving.