a few weeks ago, i shared a soup that featured parsnips. before making the soup, i had never purchased (and maybe never even eaten?) parsnips. but ever since making that soup, i’ve been hooked on them. parsnips are kinda creamy, taste like slightly-earthier carrots, and are my new favorite winter veg.

so, in addition to adding them to our old favorite roasted vegetable dish, i was on the lookout for a new parsnip recipe.

and i found this one in this month’s vegetarian times! it’s a super delicious, hearty-but-not-heavy soup. it’s absolutely perfect for these chilly winter evenings. we made some quick biscuits to eat alongside the soup, too. yum!

one year ago: quick chili
two years ago: lemon bars
three years ago: applesauce oatmeal muffins

parsnip and carrot soup

yields 6 servings
adapted from vegetarian times, january/february 2012

• 1/4c olive oil
• 4 parsnips, peeled and diced
• 5 carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 6c vegetable broth, divided
• 3/4c packed sun-dried tomatoes (not in oil), chopped and divided
• 2¼t fresh oregano
• 1t dried basil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3t balsamic vinegar to garnish
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1. heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat
2. add the diced parsnips, carrots, and onion, sautéing for 5 minutes while stirring frequently
3. add 3/4c of the broth and allow to simmer for 10 minutes, or until the broth has completely evaporated
4. add the rest of the broth (5¼c), 1/2c of the sun-dried tomatoes, oregano, and basil
5. cover the soup and bring to a boil, then remove from the heat
6. use a skimmer to take about 2c of the vegetables out of the soup
7. use a hand blender or normal blender to puree the rest of the soup, then add the reserved vegetables back into the pureed soup
8. add the last 1/4c sun-dried tomatoes and season with salt and pepper to taste
9. serve the soup in bowls with a drizzle of the balsamic vinegar over the top and enjoy!

as promised, here’s some delicious, vegetable-laden soup to help you start off the new year.

i found this recipe on orangette a few months ago, and was intrigued by the parsnips and shredded brussels sprouts – i’d never cooked with parsnips before, and i’d never through to use brussels sprouts as a garnish before. so i tried out the recipe and absolutely loved it – the parsnips turn creamy after sautéing them, and the flavors in this soup comprise something bigger and better than just a simple vegetable soup.

i actually made this way back in december, before flying back to california for the holidays. i froze most of it to eat this quarter (after eating a few generous portions, of course!), because i knew i would be craving hearty but light dinners and wouldn’t have much time to cook. i can’t wait to thaw this and enjoy it some more. yum!

one year ago: brussels sprouts with shallots and cranberries
two years ago: barley risotto
three years ago: roasted root vegetables

vegetable and barley soup

yields 6 servings
borrowed from orangette

• 3T olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 stalks of celery, ends trimmed and diced
• 3 parsnips, peeled and diced
• 3 carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 large leek, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• leaves from some fresh thyme
• 6½c vegetable broth
• salt, to taste
• 1/3c pearl barley
• 5-10 brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and shredded
• black pepper, to taste
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1. put the oil into a large pot over medium heat
2. once the oil is warm, add the onion, celery, parsnips, carrots, and leeks, stirring occasionally for about 15 minutes
3. add the garlic and thyme and cook for another 3 (or so) minutes
4. add the vegetable broth and salt to taste (the broth we used was pretty salty, so i didn’t end up adding any)
5. bring the soup to a boil, then turn the heat down and allow to simmer for 10 minutes
6. add the barley, allowing to simmer for another 20 minutes
7. add the shredded brussels sprouts, simmer for 5 more minutes, and serve with some black pepper

i love lentil soup. i’ve made two different recipes for this site, but both have been with red lentils. while i love the short cooking time for red lentils, i don’t especially love that they completely fall apart and lose their structural integrity while cooking.

this soup is the last of the dishes i made and froze before school began, and uses green lentils that stay whole while cooking. it takes a long time to simmer and cook the lentils, but the recipe makes over eight servings and is really, really yummy. trust me on this one. and go make this soup!

one year ago:
-collard greens
-red lentil soup, 2010 version

two years ago:
-cherry, almond, and apple stuffing
-sweet potato curry
- peanut butter cookies

three years ago:
-lime coconut cupcakes
-boston creme pie cupcakes
-red lentil soup, 2008 version

green lentil soup

yields 8 hearty servings
borrowed from all recipes.com

• 2T olive oil
• 2 large onions, diced
• 1t garlic, minced
• 3 carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1/2t paprika
• 3½c crushed tomatoes
• 1½c green lentils, rinsed and drained
• 1/2t salt
• 1/2t pepper
• 3/4c white wine
• 2 bay leaves
• 7c vegetable broth
• 1/2c parmesan cheese, grated (optional)
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1. in a large pot, heat the olive oil
2. sauté the onions until translucent
3. add the garlic, carrots, celery, and paprika and sauté for 10 minutes
4. add the tomatoes, lentils, salt, pepper, wine, bay leaves, and broth
5. stir the soup and bring to a boil
6. reduce the heat and simmer for an hour over medium heat, until lentils are tender
7. serve with parmesan cheese (if desired) and enjoy!

what has four ingredients, takes 5 minutes to make and tastes delicious on a warm summer evening?

chilled avocado soup!

although seattle gets a bad rap for being rainy and cold all the time, it’s really been a beautiful summer up here so far – so nice that we were prompted to make a chilled soup so we wouldn’t have to turn on the oven last week (of course, as i’m writing this it’s a pretty grey and dreary morning outside….but hopefully it will clear up!).

this soup is absolutely delicious – it’s creamy, it’s crazy quick to make, and it tastes great with toast, crackers, or homemade naan (i’ll post this recipe next, i promise!). i hope you’re all enjoying your summer, and that it’s warm enough where you are to make this tasty cool dinner.

one year ago: green bean salad
two years ago: white gazpacho
three years ago: lemon tart

chilled avocado soup

yields 2-3 servings
borrowed from (never home) maker

• 1 large haas avocado
• 1½c vegetable broth
• 1c light coconut milk
• 1t curry powder
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1. pit and peel the avocado, roughly dice it, and place it into a blender
2. add the veggie broth and blend well
3. add the coconut milk and curry powder and blend until nice and smooth
4. serve with something to dunk in (toast, crackers, naan), and enjoy!

i know that soup + summer do not necessarily go together. and i know that many parts of our country are experiencing major heat waves that make most people not want to even turn on a burner.

but this soup is light, super flavorful, and absolutely delicious!

and it will take less than 30 minutes of heat to create 6+ servings of filling but not heavy food.

and the tender squash and potatoes are perfect at the end of a long, hot summer day…or a long, rainy summer day – we’ve been having both up here in seattle!

have i convinced you to make this yet?? trust me, you won’t regret it!

if you really, really can’t bear to eat anything warm, my next recipe will be right up your alley! stay tuned!

one year ago: pico de gallo salsa
two years ago: tofu skewers and peanut sauce
three years ago: pizza dough

coconut and summer squash soup

yields 6-8 servings
borrowed from super natural every day

• 1T red curry paste, plus more if desired
• 3T coconut oil or olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3/4lb zucchini, cubed
• 3/4lb yellow summer squash, cubed
• 12oz yellow potatoes, cubed
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2c vegetable broth
• 1 can coconut milk
• 8oz tofu, cubed
• 1T olive or coconut oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• basil, optional
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1. combine curry paste and oil in a large soup pot over medium heat, stirring for 1 minute
2. add the onions and a pinch of salt, sautéing 2-4 minutes
3. stir in the zucchini, summer squash, and potatoes and sauté 4 more minutes
4. add the garlic, broth, and coconut milk, bringing to a simmer
5. lower the heat and allow the soup to continue simmering for 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender
6. in a separate pan, heat remaining 1T oil over medium heat, and add the tofu
7. allow the tofu to sit for 5 minutes, then turn it with a spatula or tongs and allow to cook 4 more minutes
8. add the tofu to the soup, season with salt and pepper to taste (and a little more curry paste if you so desire)
9. garnish with basil if desired, and serve!

i don’t know about all of you, but minestrone is my absolute favorite soup – when we went to italy, i sampled every minestrone possible, and loved the differences between the soups across the country and even in different restaurants in the same city.

last year, i found a great recipe for a super quick minestrone.

and this year, after reading that mark bittman customizable soup article, i knew i had to try his recipe, adapted for what we had on hand, of course.

after a little chopping and a lot of simmering, voila, we had an amazing minestrone! but don’t expect this to be the last minestrone i post on here…there are so very many more minestrone recipes out there!

one year ago: lentil curry coconut soup
two years ago: black bean banana empanadas

hearty minestrone soup

yields 6 large servings
adapted from mark bittman

• 3T olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
• 2 celery ribs, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2c potatoes, cubed (we used two medium red potatoes)
• dash of salt and pepper
• 15oz tomato sauce
• 5c water
• 15oz cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• grated parmesan, optional
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1. heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat
2. saute the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic in the oil for 5 minutes
3. add the potatoes, salt, and pepper, and cook for 2 more minutes
4. pour in the tomato sauce, water, and cannellini beans, then bring to a boil
5. lower the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 35 minutes
6. serve garnished with parmesan cheese, and enjoy!

as i’m sure most of you have noticed by now, we rarely make dishes that take longer than 30 mins to make, except for special occasions.

but with our current state of excess leafy greens from our csa box, we jumped at the chance to make this soup, which calls for 2 cups of any leafy green you have on hand – spinach, arugula, beet greens, kale, or chard.

although the soup simmers for an hour, the prep time takes less than 15 mins, leaving you free to have fun while it cooks (or free to study, if you’re a student like me). allowing it to simmer for so long creates broth, chickpeas, and greens infused with incredible flavor and fantastic texture. so the next night you have some extra time to make dinner, and a fridge full of greens, make this yummy soup!

one year ago: stuffed squash
two years ago: quinoa cereal

chickpea & greens curry soup

yields 8 servings
borrowed from vegetarian times

• 1T olive oil
• 1t curry powder
• 1t ground cinnamon
• 1t ground turmeric
• 1/2t chili powder
• 1/4t ground nutmeg
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2c rinsed and chopped fresh greens – your pick of spinach, arugula, beet greens, mustard greens, kale, or chard
• 15oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 4c vegetable broth
• 15oz can coconut milk
• cilantro, optional, for garnish
• plain yogurt, optional, also for garnish
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1. heat oil in a large pan over medium heat
2. add curry powder, cinnamon, turmeric, chili powder, nutmeg, and onion, sautéing for one minute
3. next, add the greens and allow to cook for 2 minutes, stirring as needed
4. pour in the chickpeas, tomato, broth, and coconut milk
5. once the soup begins to boil, turn down the heat and allow to simmer for one hour
6. serve with cilantro and a scoop of yogurt if desired, and enjoy!

friends, it’s been a roller coaster week here in seattle. there’s been lots of cold weather (brr!), lots of school stuff for me, lots of work stuff for mike, a loss in mike’s extended family.

after all of that, we took a much needed day off of school work and mike’s work to celebrate mike’s 31st birthday yesterday. we made a delicious breakfast at home, then went to the harry potter exhibit, and had dinner out with family. good times!

the temperatures are looking even colder here for the week ahead, though, so i’m going to share  my latest version of lentil soup – one of my favorite cold weather foods.

i made a version of lentil soup way back in 2008, but every time we made it, i felt like there was something missing. so when orangette posted a recipe for lentil soup last month, i knew i had to try it out. this has become my go-to lentil soup, completely replacing the old recipe. mmm…i think i need to make some again soon!

lentil soup recipe aside, i can’t believe next week is going to be thanksgiving already! what are you planning on making?

one year ago: sweet potato curry and peanut butter cookies
two years ago: boston creme pie cupcakes and lentil soup, 2008 version

2010 red lentil soup

yields 6 servings
borrowed from orangette

• 4T olive oil
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2T tomato paste
• 2t ground cumin
• 1/2t salt
• 1/4t pepper
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• 2 quarts vegetable broth
• 2c water
• 2c red lentils, washed and picked through for stones
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 lemon, juiced
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1. in a soup pot, heat the oil and add the onions and garlic, sauteing for 4 mins
2. stir in the tomato paste, cumin, salt, pepper and cayenne, and cook for 2 more minutes
3. add the broth, water, lentils, and carrots
4. bring the soup to a simmer, then cover and reduce the heat
5. simmer the soup for 30 minutes, or until the lentils are soft
6. optional step – use an immersion or regular blender to blend half of the soup, then add it back to the rest to create a thicker soup
7. add the lemon juice, stir, and serve immediately with a dash of cayenne on top and some good bread or biscuits

during my break from posting (thanks to my awesome sister-in-law, who wrote about crazy cake), i also took a weekend-long study break with our fantastic friends (k & b), who flew up to seattle.

we had a fabulous time exploring and eating our way through this city. you guessed it, though, we definitely spent more time eating than exploring! we somehow found room for sandwiches at paseo, breakfast at roxy’s, sushi at nijo, indian food at india bistro, and gelato at fainting goat.

in between all of the eating, we managed to squeeze in two giants world series games (fear the beard!), plus a trip to the chittenden locks, the olympic sculpture park, a walk around green lake, and a halloween party in redmond. it was a great weekend.

before the party, we wanted to make something quick, hearty, and yet still kind of light so we’d have time to watch the world series game, get into our costumes, and be full but not stuffed with food (like we were for much of the weekend).

k suggested making this soup from a recipe in the amazing cookbook super natural cooking, by heidi swanson, and was (impressively!) able to recite it from memory while we were at the grocery store.

although i had earmarked this recipe when i was first gifted the book (incidentally, by k & b themselves), i had yet to make it. so i jumped at the chance to try out another one of heidi’s recipes, which are always amazing – every recipe i’ve made from her cookbook or her website has been a winner!

between the butternut squash, lentils, tomatoes, and broth, i think it’s the perfect fall/winter meal – it’s both filling and tasty, and made in under 30 minutes, which left us plenty of time to get dressed up in our costumes. can you guess what we were?

one year ago: chocolate pumpkin cupcakes
two years ago: ratatouille

butternut squash and lentil soup

yields 8 main dish servings
adapted by k from super natural cooking

• 1¼c green or black lentils, picked over and rinsed (or two packets of pre-cooked black lentils from trader joe’s!)
• 2T olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2c butternut squash (or two packets of peeled and cubed butternut squash from trader joe’s)
• 28 oz can of crushed or diced tomatoes
• 1c broth (or water, if you don’t have broth or bouillon around)
• 1t salt
• 1 dash chile powder or smoked paprika
• parmesan cheese, optional
• bread, optional
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1. if using uncooked lentils, boil 5c of water in a large pan and allow the lentils to simmer for 20 minutes until tender, then drain
2. in a separate large pan, heat the oil over medium heat and add the onion, sautéing for 5 minutes
3. add the squash, tomatoes, and broth, and simmer for 10-20 minutes, until the squash is soft
4. add the drained lentils, salt, and chile powder or paprika, bringing the soup up to a boil again
5. serve, garnishing with parmesan cheese and bread on the side as desired

well, folks, this has been a big week for us up here in seattle, complete with family, food, a live show, and school!

the week began with saying good-bye to mike’s family, who came up here to celebrate mike’s sister’s birthday. and celebrate we did! we explored new restaurants (phoenecia and the original pancake house), ventured into new-to-us parts of seattle, and made some amazing dishes with them, including butternut squash lasagna, honey glazed tofu with couscous, and the above-pictured blackberry pie. yum!

on the day mike’s fam left, we received our first csa box. we’ve been meaning to subscribe to a csa for a long time, but it wasn’t until mike found a groupon coupon for half off the first box that we finally took the plunge. and what an exciting plunge! the box was delivered to our house by 6am on monday, and filled with delicious fruits and vegetables from local farms, including nectarines, peaches, plums, corn, bok choy, beets, lettuce, arugula, and potatoes.

so mike and i excitedly began skimming through our favorite cookbooks and found a recipe that used both arugula and potatoes from the box, as well as parmesan cheese, onions, and beans that we had on hand. perfect!

and i have to say, this soup was absolutely delicious – it’s a recipe that will definitely be in our fall dinner rotation. the combination of veggie broth, potatoes, onions, a little white wine, and the spicy/peppery arugula created an extremely full flavored, complex, and savory soup. despite packing a huge flavor punch, the soup itself was very light, and lived up to the cookbook’s promise that it would take your taste buds to tuscany. seriously, folks, this is one fantastic soup!

in between saying bye to mike’s fam and making food from our csa box, we were lucky enough to score free tickets to a flaming lips show at the paramount theater in downtown seattle (via mike’s friend from high school, who works for them). the theater was absolutely beautiful, as you can see below, and the show was amazing – so if you’re thinking about seeing the flaming lips live, i can’t recommend it enough!!

oh, right, and somewhere in between all that, i began school! i wolfed down a bowl of granola, greek yogurt, and csa-box peaches, hopped the bus to campus, and had to pinch myself to make sure that it was actually my first day of graduate school, and that i’m really, finally, heading towards my masters degree in public administration. speaking of, i have tons of homework already, so i should prob go work on that. see y’all next week!

one year ago: oatmeal
two years ago: back from vacation (no recipe, just pictures from our trip to maine, boston, nyc, and ann arbor)

arugula, potato, and red bean soup

yields 4-5 main dish servings
borrowed from moosewood’s simple suppers

• 2T olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3c diced red potatoes
• 3c vegetable broth (i love rapunzel bullion)
• 1t salt
• 14oz can of small read beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2c white wine (or 2T lemon juice)
• 1 bunch arugula, washed, dried, and roughly chopped
• 1/4c basil, washed, dried, and chopped
• salt and pepper to taste
• lemon wedges (optional)
• grated parmesan cheese (optional)
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1. in a soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat
2. once the olive oil is warm, saute the onions and garlic for 2 minutes
3. add the potatoes, broth, salt, red beans, and wine, and bring to a boil
4. reduce the heat, cover the pan, and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender
5. add the basil and salt and pepper as needed
6. line bowls with a handful of arugula, and ladle the soup over the greens
7. squeeze a wedge of lemon over the soup, sprinkle with parmesan, and enjoy!