Vegan Gumbo

Gumbo... I read somewhere that in western Africa it is used to refer Okra. It is a very smoky, tangy, soupy broth served with a little rice. I heard it's first reference in the movie Forrest Gump. I Actually tasted it recently when I visited New Orleans. Gumbo is usually non-vegetarian, We got lucky as we found this wonderful place in New Orleans which served Vegan Gumbo and to our good luck, it was introduced just three days before we visited the beautiful city.

I have a perfect and natural substitute for liquid smoke in this recipe. Try it, you will be surprised. 

It is a very simple recipe. So let me get to it fast.

Prep time: 10-15 mins.

Cook time: 40 mins.

Servings: 3 - 4.

Ingredients:

1. Onions - 1 cup, finely chopped.
2. Tomatoes - 1 cup finely chopped or 1 to 2 tbsp paste.
3. Garlic -  5 cloves minced or grated
4. Okra/ladies finger -  4 cups cut into 1/2 inch pieces
5. Red Beans - 1/2 cup cooked. 
6. Rice - Cooked, about 1/4 cup per serving
7. Dried Thyme - 1/2 tsp.
8. Dried Rosemary - 1/2 tsp.
9. Dried Oregano - 1/2 tsp
10. Dried Red Chilli -  1, choose the heat level for the chilli you are comfortable with. 
11. Nutmeg - grate a little powder.
12. Apple Cider Vinegar - 1 tbsp
13. Dijon Mustard - 1 to 2 tbsp based on the flavor you may like.
14. Ground Pepper - To taste
15. Chilli powder - To taste
16. Soya Sauce - 1 tbsp or a little more, adjust according to how it tastes after the broth cooks
17. Salt - To taste
18. Oil - 2 tbsp.
19. Water - add enough to cover all the ingredients in the vessel and a little more to make good broth. Ready to eat broth must be around lentil soup consistency.
20. Soya nuggets - a few cooked  (optional)
21. Vegan Balls -  a few (optional)

Procedure:

• Heat oil in a medium sized vessel which can fit all the above ingredients and fit water as well.
•  Add garlic and all dried herbs except dried chilli. Saute for a few seconds.
• Add onions, a pinch of salt and saute for a few minutes till it starts to turn slightly brown. Add nutmeg powder, mix well.
• Add tomatoes and cook till it softens.
• Add okra, beans and add water and let it cook. If you use soya nuggets, now is the time to add.
• Now mix vinegar, soya sauce and dijon mustard in a bowl and add it to the vessel.
• Take the red chilli and on an open stove hold it on the fire. Let it smoke a little bit (be careful not to burn it completely). In a mortar now make a coarse powder of this chilli and add it to the mixture. If you do not have a mortar, you can chop the chilli finely and drop it in the broth.
• Add enough salt pepper and chilli powder and let the broth cook till okra is well done. Be careful with salt, you also add soya sauce , hence add salt, only if necessary 
• After gumbo is cooked, serve it in a bowl with a dollop of rice over it. If you are using vegan balls, now just drop them in the broth. You can garnish it with scallions or parsley or cilantro.

Tip:

Burning the chilli and adding the powder to the broth gives it a very nice smokey flavor. This a great substitute for liquid smoke. 

Udon Noodle Soup

Hi friends... It has been a long time since I updated the blog with any recipe. Sorry about that. From now on I will try to be regular. Since it is winter and all I want is a hot bowl of soup, I thought why not put up the recipe of this simple yet delicious soup. It if filling but not heavy. Good for dinner or lunch, just add some tofu to it and it is a complete meal. This soup calls for some sea weed and miso. Miso is fermented barley paste. You can get miso from your local Asian stores or whole foods market. There a a few different kinds of miso, but if you haven't tried it please get the white miso, it is very soft in taste, other types may get a bit over whelming. Sea weed can be omitted from the recipe, but this makes the soup a lot flavourful, try using it if you haven't tried it yet.  I have not used udon noodles in this soup [the picture], I ran out of them and had to have this soup, so managed with what i could get from the store near by. If you do not get udon noodles, you can use any thick noodle for this soup. Enough of me yappi'n...So here goes the recipe.

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

1. Udon noodles - 1 bundle, cooked as per the instructions on the bag.
2. spring onions - 1 bunch, finely chopped
3. carrots - 1, peeled and finely chopped
4. Garlic - 3 pods well minced
5. Bell peppers - 1/2 a cup of any or all colours mixed, finely chopped 
6. Sea weed - 1 sheet
7. Miso - 2 to 3 tsp
8. Tofu - 1/2 cup cubes [optional]
9. Oil - 2 tsp
10. White or Rice vinegar - 2 to 3 tsp
11. Soy Sauce - 3 tsp
12. Salt and pepper - to taste
13. Water - enough to make a thin borth of all the ingredients and boil noodles

Method:

• Put the noodles to cook as per instructions on the bag it came in. Make sure to add adequate salt to the water to slat the noodles.
• Heat oil in a pot which can fit in all the ingredients.
• Add garlic, carrots, spring onions, bell peppers one after the other sauteing each for a few seconds till the sweat.
• Add a pinch of salt to let them cook faster.
• Add enough water to make a broth it has to be watery. Let the water come to a boil.
• Now add vinegar and soy sauce and let it cook for a few minutes.
• Now mix miso with a bit of water to make the paste easily soluble in the broth so that it does not form lumps. Make sure you do not make it very watery. Add miso to the broth and let it cook for a few seconds.
• Now tear the sea weed sheet into a few pieces and add to the soup. stir well.
• Add the cooked and drained noodles to the broth stir ... turn the stove off. Taste it if you need salt and pepper.. if you do, this is the time to add it. Miso and soy sauce are pretty salty, you have to be careful with salt when you use both of these ingredients together. let it sit for a few minutes and serve.

Lemon Coriander Soup

I am sure you all must have tasted this delicious soup in some Indo-Chinese restaurants. It is a very simple soup to make it will get ready in about 20 minutes. Add some quinoa/barley into the soup it will become a one pot meal. I tasted this for the first time when our friends Venu and Usha took us to a restaurant near their house. So, without further adieu, i give you the recipe for this light yet satisfying soup.

Perp time: 15 Minutes

Cook time: upto 20 minutes

Serving: upto 3

Ingredients:

1. Lemon Juice - 1/4 cup
2. Coriander - a handful, not too much though.
3. Green chili - 2 to 3 (more if you like it  very hot)
4. Vinegar - upto 3 tsp
5. Garlic - 4 pods grated/minced or upto 3 tsp paste
6. Water - upto 6 cups
7. Tofu - 1 cup diced (optional)
8. Mushroom - 1/2 cup finely chopped
9. Spring onions - 1 bunch, finely chopped
10. quinoa/barley - 1/4 cup (optional) [if you choose to use barley, soak it for 4 hours prior to use]
11. Corn Starch - 2 tsp (use only if not using quinoa or barley)
12. Salt - to taste
13. Oil - 2 tsp

Method:

• Heat oil in a pot which can hold all the ingredients.
• Saute garlic and spring onions for a minute.
• Add Mushroom and saute for a minute.
• Add water and 2 tsp vinegar and add quinoa or barley if you are using them and let it boil. 
• In the mean while, take the coriander, green chili, 1 tsp vinegar and two pinches of salt and make a paste of it.
• Add tofu and the paste to the soup and stir to mix well.
• Now add the paste, salt and boil for 5 minutes.
• If you are not using quinoa or barley, mix the corn starch in cold water and mix it in the soup while adding water in the beginning. 
• Add half of the lemon juice, stir and give it a taste, if it is not sour enough, add more till you get your desired taste. Add salt mix and enjoy this soup hot.

Tip:

If you do not eat green chili, you can eliminate it and use pepper powder instead. just add some cracked pepper in to the soup after it cooks and stir well.

Roasted Red Bell Pepper Soup

Roasted Red Bell Pepper Soup

Roasted bell pepper soup needless to say is very tasty. One sip and you will be a fan of this delicious sweet, sour and peppery soup. It takes few ingredients and is also very easy to make. You can either roast all of your vegetables and make a smooth puree of them or just roast the bell peppers and saute the rest of the ingredients. Either way, this soup will taste good. If roasting all the vegetables, you will reduce cook time to a large extent. 

This soup can make a good starter, it is not too heavy. To make it more tasty, use a little sour cream or cream. 

So, let us see what it takes to make this soup.

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 10 to 40 mins depending on the method you choose.

Servings: about 4

Ingredients:

1. Red bell pepper - 2 big ones
2. Tomato - 4 medium
3. Onion - 1 small
4. Celery - 1 stalk
5. Garlic - 2 pods or 2 tsp paste
6. Salt - to taste
7. Parsley - 1 tsp dry or finely chopped fresh leaves
8. Basil - 1 tsp dry or finely chopped fresh leaves
9. Black pepper powder - to taste
10. Sour cream or cream - upto 2 tsp per cup (optional)
11. Oil - 3 tsp

Method:

• You can roast bell peppers or all the vegetables 4 ways, 1. on the stove top, 2. In the oven, 3. Grill and 4. In the broiler. Whatever method be, you have to put the roasted bell peppers and vegetables in a container after roasting and cover the lid, let it cool and then peel off the skin from bell peppers and tomatoes.
• If you choose 1., then just roast pepper on the flame. If you choose to do it in the oven, rub oil on the bell peppers, wrap them in an aluminium foil, place them on a cookie sheet or a oven safe container and roast them at 450F for about 30 minutes in the mid rack of the oven. If you grill them, make sure to drizzle a little oil over them to retain moisture. If you choose to broil them, rub them with oil, line a broiler safe sheet with foil and broil for 10 to 12 minutes.
• For roasting vegetables in oven or broiler, chop them into rough chunks, apply oil, put them on a sheet lined with foil and roast in the oven for 25 mins at the same temperature as bell peppers. To Broil them, do it all just the same except you will be roasting all the vegetables including bell peppers all at once for 10 - 12 minutes. For garlic in both the cases, do not peel the skin off, just rub some oil and put them with the rest of the ingredients to roast. After it is done, garlic will slide out when you gently squeeze it.
• After peeling tomatoes and bell peppers, blend them all in the blender and follow the rest of the instruction after blending from below.
• If you do not roast all the vegetables, then saute all the rest of the vegetables one after the other in the following order. Heat oil in a pot which will hold all of the ingredients plus some more water. Now saute, grated/paste garlic, coarsely chopped onion, coarsely chopped celery and coarsely chopped tomatoes. 
• To the above ingredients, add peeled roasted bell peppers, salt, black pepper and saute for  2 minutes, turn the stove off and let it cool for a 10 minutes.
• Blend all the ingredients in a blender and transfer it to the pot in which you have cooked them. add a little water to thin the soup if it is too thick. Turn the stove back on. Add parsley and basil, cook for 5 more minutes.
• Garnish with croutons or parsely and basil or cream or all of them and serve hot to enjoy.

Tip:

• While using broiler in apartments, please open the oven door and turn the exhaust fan on at full speed. Otherwise, it will get too hot to stand anywhere in the kitchen.
• Fire roasting vegetables gives a smoky flavour, so try roasting them for this soup and see if you like the flavour.

Spinach Zucchini & Lemon Soup

Yes, an amazingly tasty and hearty soup for winter. Very easy to make and will certainly make you taste buds tango to the creamy tangy taste. Low fat and low calorie make it  good for health and can be a good starter as well. 

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

1. Zucchini - 1 medium, roughly chopped

2. Spinach - 1 whole big bunch, about 4 cups loosely packed.

3. Potato - 1 to 2 medium, chopped

4. Oil - 2 tbsp

5. Garlic - 4 pods, slightly smashed.

6. Oregano - 2 tsp dry or finely chopped fresh

7. Salt - to taste

8. Ground pepper - to taste

9 Jalapeno - 1 seeded and roughly chopped

10. Cilantro/ Green coriander - a handful

11. Olive oil - 1 tbsp [optional]

12. Onion - 1 medium roughly chopped

13. Celery - 2 stalks roughly chopped

Method:

1. Heat oil in a big pot. Add onions, dry oregano and a little salt, let it get transparent. 

2. Add potatoes and garlic and saute till potatoes sweat a little.

3. Add celery, jalapeno and let them sweat a little.

4. Add zucchini and saute till it sweats.

5. Add cilantro and spinach and close the lid till it all wilts and reduces in bulk.

6.  Add salt and pepper and enough water to almost cover all the contents and boil for 10 more minutes till potatoes are really well done.

7. Let it cool slightly and blend all the contents smooth. If you think it is too thick you can add a little more water.

8. Transfer blended soup to the pot, add fresh oregano now if you do not use dry. boil for 5 minutes. Squeeze 1 lemon's juice in to it and add olive oil and stir in the contents. Soup is ready to serve.

Serving Suggestion:

1. You can squeeze lemon  and add olive oil to individual serving bowls as per the individual's taste as well. 

2. Top it with a few croutons to make the soup more likable.

Tips:

Chop potatoes into thin slices to reduce cook time. Thinner cooks faster.

Broccoli Soup

Imagine it snowing outside, you sit cozy on your couch and watch the whitest snow flakes falling down from the sky. Radiator making it's noise whilst heating you house and a bowl of hot soup in you hands to eat. Exactly, a dream, and that is how this soup will make you feel on a cold, chill day. Very easy to make and easy to digest, good for your health. Try it with some cheese or add cheese to this soup to make it even more yummy. If you are Vegan, please use vegan cheese and soy milk. Good appetizer as well.

Prep time: 15 minutes

cook time: 40 minutes

servings: up to 6 medium bowls.

Ingredients: [All vegetables roughly chopped]

1. Broccoli frozen/fresh - 4 cup, florets

2. Celery - 4 stalks

3. Onion - 1 medium

4. Garlic - 3 to 4 pods, crushed or 2 tsp paste

5. Carrots - 1 cup,

6. Potato - 2 medium

7. Thyme dry - 1 tsp

8. Parsley dry - 2 tsp

9. Cheddar cheese - 1/2 to 1 cup, grated (optional)

10. Milk [fat free preferably] - 1/2 to 1 cup [depending on how thick you want the soup]

11. Salt - to taste

12. Pepper - 1 tsp [alter to taste]
13. Oil - 3 tsp

Method:

1. In a big vessel, heat oil on medium heat, add parsley, thyme, garlic and onions with some salt, saute for a few seconds, put the lid on the vessel and let onions get golden brown.

2. Add Celery, potato and carrots, saute and let them sweat a little by putting the lid back on.

3. Add broccoli florets saute for a few seconds and put the lid back on to make it sweat.

4. Add sufficient water to cook the vegetables. Water so much that vegetables move around freely, not drown. Let the potatoes cook and let it cool.

5. Blend the vegetables in a blender till smooth, transfer to the vessel, turn the heat back on the stove.

6. Now add sufficient salt, pepper and let it cook for 2 minutes. You can add a little water if you think it is too thick.

7. Add milk and let it cook for 2 minutes.

8. If you are using cheese, add a little first, stir it in well till it gets incorporated and repeat till you have added all the cheese. Your soup is ready to be served.

Serving suggestions:

You can serve it with any kind of bread or some cheddar cheese. You can put a few croutons in it like i have or sprinkle some grated cheese on top. 

Tips:

Be careful while adding the cheese, you would not like the soup if the cheese gets stringy, so carefully stir it in.

Butternut squash soup

This soup is thick, rich in taste, little sweet and filling without being heavy. A good meal, if you are looking for something light and filling. Butter nut true to it's name is a hard skinned vegetable, however, when it cooks, it gets creamy and soft as butter. You can compare it to pumpkin, although less sweeter.

Perp Time: 15 to 20 minutes

cook time: 20 to 30 mins.

Servings: 6 to 8 approx

Ingredients:

1. Butternut squash - about 3 cups, or 1 entire small squash roughly chopped.

2. Celery - 3 to 4 stalks

3. Potato - 2 medium

4. Carrot - 1/4 cup

5. Onion - 2 small or 1 medium

6. Garlic - 2 to 3 pods.

7. Salt - to taste

8. Ground black pepper - to taste

9. Water/veggie stalk - 4 to 5 cups, approx. please eyeball.

10. oil - 1 tbsp

11. Rosemary dry - 1/2 tsp

12. Basil dry - 1 tsp

 13. Parsley  dry- 2 tsp (use fresh herbs if on hand. you may need little more)

14. Thyme dry - a pinch (optional)

Method:

1.  Heat oil in a pot.

2.  Saute all the dry herbs for a few seconds, add potato and 1/2 tsp of salt and let it sweat.

3. Add onion and garlic to it and saute for few seconds, let the onion get transparent.

4. add carrots and celery, let them sweat it may take 3 minutes.

5. Add butternut squash at this point and let it sweat for a few minutes.

6. Add some salt and water/stalk and let it cook till potatoes and squash gets tender. it may take upto 30 minutes.

7. Blend the cooked soup untill smooth. 

8. Add ground black pepper to it and heat it for 5 more minutes.

Tips:

1. You may add 1/4 cup of half and half/cream/milk to the soup and stir it in when heating after blending.
2. You may add roasted red bell pepper finely chopped to the soup when heating after blending. 

Easy tomato Soup

This soup cooks quick and tastes yumm! Good as a starter and any one will love it's taste.

Prep time: 10 to 15 minutes

Cook time: 10 to 15 minutes

Servings: approx 6

 

Ingredients:

1. Tomatoes - 5 to 6 medium or 1 6oz can of tomato paste

2. Celery - 2 stalks

3. Garlic - 2 pods

4. Onion - 1 small or 1/2 medium

5. Basil Dry - 2 to 3 tsp. Use fresh if on hand, you will need a little more than 3 tsp.

6. Oil - 2 tsp

7. Water/Vegetable stalk - Please eye ball it on how thick or thin you like. to start with add less water/stalk.

8. Fat free milk - 1/4 cup

9. Sugar - 1 to 2 tsp

10. Salt - to taste

11. Ground Black pepper - to taste

Method:

1. heat oil in a pot on medium heat. 

2. Add dry basil and minced or grated garlic to it and saute for a few minutes. If using fresh basil you will want to add it after adding tomatoes.

3. Add chopped onions preferably red onions, some salt  and saute till it turns slightly golden brown.

4. Add celery and saute for two minutes.

5. Add tomatoes and let it sweat for a few minutes. If you use paste, add a little water and cook it for 2 minutes. 

6. add sufficient water and salt and cook till the mixture boils for two minutes.

7. Run the cooked soup through blender till smooth.

8. transfer it to the pot, add ground black pepper, sugar and milk and cook for two more minutes.

9. sprinkle a pinch of fresh or dry basil, soup is ready to eat.

Tips:

1. You can add sour cream/cream if you wish.

2. Croutons go exceptionally well with this soup. Just make sure you add less salt to the soup if adding croutons.
3. For a Smoother soup, you may filter it after blending it.
4. You may also add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of carrots. Just saute it after celery and continue with the steps.

Suggestions:

you may add red bell pepper to the above recipe. Just saute chopped red bell pepper after celery and continue the process. Roasted red bell pepper gives a deeper flavour. To roast a bell pepper, just do it on a stove top grill or hold it on the flames of the stove. After roasting it, put it in a closed container or wrap it in the foil till is is cool to touch. peel the skin off, chop and continue with the soup process. Roasted bell pepper is also available in markets.

Corn Jalapeno soup

This is a hot and sweet soup perfect for a rainy/cold day. It makes a good starter for a lunch/dinner menu.

Prep Time: 10-15 minutes

cook Time: 15 minutes

Servings: approx 6

Ingredients:

1. Frozen or fresh corn kernels - 2 cups

2. Jalapeno - 1 to 2 seeded.

3. Celery - 2 stalks

4. Potato - 1 medium or 2 small

5. Scallions/Spring onion - 1 bunch

6. Red Bell pepper - 1 medium

7. Salt - to taste

6. Ground black pepper - to taste

 7. water/vegetable stalk - approx 3 to 4 cups. Please eye ball it.

 8. Oil - 2 tsp

9. Oregano dry - 2tsp, use fresh if on hand.

10. Parsley - 2 tsp. Use fresh if on hand.

11. Garlic - 2 to 3 pods

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pot.

2. Add the dry herbs and garlic and saute for 15 seconds.

3. Add scallions/spring onions and saute till they sweat. If you do not have scallions on hand use 1 small or half a medium onion. save a little green parts of scallion/spring onions for garnish later.

4. Add the potato pieces and saute for a few minutes by adding a little salt. This helps bring out moisture from the potatoes.

5. Add celery and bell pepper and saute for 2 minutes.

6. Add corn 1 1/2 cups and saute for a few minutes, add water/stalk and cook it till potatoes become tender. this may take upto 10 to 15 minutes. Save 1/2 cup corn for later.

7.  After everything gets cooked, blend all  the soup in a blender.

8. Heat the soup again adding desired amount of salt and ground black pepper. add the saved corn and cook for upto 5 minutes. 

9. Add the saved scallions/spring onions and soup is ready to eat.

Tips:

1. You can add some sour cream to the soup if you wish. It gives more creamy texture.

2. You can retain a few seeds of jalapeno, please remember just a few seeds go a long way.

3. Filter the soup if you don't like the corn kernel skin.

Basic Bean Soup

Healthy Bean Soups

Bean and lentil soups are protein heaven for vegetarians. They provide us with good amount of protein and other essential vitamins and minerals. I hear people complain about not getting enough time to cook after they come home from a very hectic day of work, so they are unable to eat healthy. But Guess what? Eating healthy is not difficult, it is just training your brain to understand that healthy vegetarian food can be scumptily upmptious. I hope my blog gives people some good recipes so that they can eat healthy and get in shape.

Beauty of bean soups is that they are highly filling and satisfying after a hard day. When you need all the energy and you have no mood to cook 10 different varieties to get the same nutrition. They are also good when someone is trying to recover from illness.. yummy tasty bean soups are a HUGE staple in our house hold. Men love it... i am still unable to understand the relationship between beans and mens' taste buds... neways, below is the recipe.

(This is a basic soup, i will post Photographs and variations shortly... please bear with me. Thank you)

Prep Time: 15 to 20 minutes approx (includes cleaning) 

Cook time: 1/2 hour to 2 hours

Servings: 6 approx 

Basic Bean soup...

Ingredients:

1. Beans of your choice - 1 16oz can
(pink, pinto, navy, black, red, great northern and many more) i buy the Goya cans. 1 can will make about 4 big bowls of soup.
2. Celery - 2 Stalks
3. Onion - 1 big or 2 medium sized
4. Garlic - 3 to 4 pods (can be reduced)
5. Tomatoes - 2 to 3 or 1/2 of 6 oz can of tomato paste
6. Cumin Powder - 1 to 1/2 tsp
7. Dry parsley - 2 tsp
8. Dry Oregano - 1 1/2 tsp
9. Black Pepper powder- to taste
10. chilli/cayenne/paprika powder - to taste
11. Salt - to taste
12. Oil - 2 tsp

13. Water enough to cook the beans, please eye ball it. It depends on how thick or watery you like the soup to be.

Method:

1. Take a big pot and heat oil in it. Turn the stove on medium heat.
2. Add the parsley and oregano and saute it for 15 seconds, this infuses the flavours of the dry herbs and promotes deeper flavour.
3. Add garlic and saute for about 15 seconds to infuse the flavour.
4. Add onions and half a tsp of slat saute and let it get transparent.
5. Add celery to it and saute for a few minutes.
6. Now add cumin powder, chilli powder, pepper powder and saute for a few minutes.
7. Add tomatoes and saute till it gets soft and leaves out moisture. If using paste, you may have to add a little water and let it cook for about 3 minutes.
8. Add your choice of beans from the can without draining it. Draining the beans will take away some essential nutrients. Drain the beans only if you are concerned of the gas it may form after you eat them.
9. Saute all the ingredients for 2 to 3 minutes add sufficient water and let it cook for about 1 hour atleast and the soup is ready to eat. If you want it more tangy, add some lime or lemon juice.

Tips:
1.You can prepare it ahead of time and leave it in a slow cooker. since you don't have to chop everything fine, you can actually finish the chopping and sauteing in 15 minutes when done simultaneously. so just do the sauteing and go to work, come back and cook it for an hour or put it in a slow cooker before you go to work and you have a meal ready to eat.
2. Cook it for more than an hour for additional taste, if u are in a hurry to eat, it can be ready in just 1/2 an hour (cooking).
3. Never pressure cook these soups, it will destroy all the wonderful flavors.
4. Canned beans contain salt in them, so be careful when you add salt to the soup.
5. It is always a good idea to cook in medium heat, if you are in a hurry, use high heat. Remember to stand near the stove if you cooking on high. for more flavour, simmer the stove for 5 minutes before you turn it off for soups.
6. Use a thick bottomed vessel for cooking all kinds of soup.
7. Anise root or fennel root can be used in any of the bean and lentil soups. They add a lot of aroma and unique flavour to the dish. Add about half a cup pf any of these roots.

Serving Suggetion:

You can serve almost all soups with some bread, like ciabatta, garlic bread etc. You may also garnish these soups with variety of (seasoned/plain)croutons available in the market. Just be careful when you add salt to your soup, as croutons are salty if you wish to use them in your soup as a garnish.

Vegetable Bean Soup

This Bean Soup has a lot more wholesome goodness... It includes veggies, so more fiber, more vitamins and minerals. Here goes the recipe.

Prep Time: 20 minutes approx (includes cleaning)

Cook time: 1/2 hour to 1 1/2 hour

Serving: 6 to 8 approx

1. Basic Bean Soup Recipe

(chop the following veggies coarsely)

2. Zucchini - 3/4 cup

3. Carrots - 3/4 cup

4. Any kind of squash - 3/4 cup (optional)

5. Red/green/yellow/orange/purple bell pepper or (all of them) or (any of them) - 3/4 cup

6. Green beans - 3/4 cup

Method:

1. Saute all these veggies one by one after sauteing celery.

2. Now add beans from the can and continue as in Basic bean soup recipe.

Tips:

1. Chop the veggies coarse it will save you time. If you have time on hands you can chop 'em as fine as you like.

2. It is essential for the veggies to sweat a little in the pot before adding beans. It enhances flavour.

3. If you would like to cook beans at home. Then, soak the overnight and then pressure cook them with some salt for upto 4 whistles. Do not over cook beans as they will have to cook in soup too and flavour gets lost by over pressure cooking.

4. Canned beans contain salt in them, so be careful when you add salt to the soup.

5.It is always a good idea to cook in medium heat, if you are in a hurry, use high heat. Remember to stand near the stove if you cooking on high. for more flavour, simmer the stove for 5 minutes before you turn it off for soups.

6. Use a thick bottomed vessel for cooking all kinds of soup.

 

 

Greens and Beans Soup

This soup has All the goodness of Beans and smooth flavour of Greens such as Spinach and etc.


Prep time, cook time and serving same as vegetable bean soup.

Method:

1. Follow the Basic Bean Soup Method and add a whole lot of chopped greens such as Spinach/Collard Greens/Kale or all of them to the soup.

2. You can combine a few veggies and greens as you may wish and make an even more yummy and and nutritious soup.

Tips:

1. Canned beans contain salt in them, so be careful when you add salt to the soup.

2. For Garnish, add some croutons. You get them in variety of flavours. Just watch out for the salt in the soup if your are planning to add croutons. They are pretty salty.

3.It is always a good idea to cook in medium heat, if you are in a hurry, use high heat. Remember to stand near the stove if you cooking on high. for more flavour, simmer the stove for 5 minutes before you turn it off for soups.
4.Use a thick bottomed vessel for cooking all kinds of soup.

Some More variation to Bean Soups:

1. You may soak barley for 4 hours and add it to these soups. Half a cup of barley goes a long way. This will also give additional protein and carbohydrates. Barley is good for Urinary system, so add it in your diet once in a while.

2. Quinoa is another super grain full of iron, protein and some carbs. you can find it in health food stores/organic produce stores and Whole foods stores. Cooking quinoa is fairly simple, just rinse and add it to your soup. half a cup will do. I will post a lot of quinoa recipes and pictures shortly...

 

Lentil Soup

Lentil soup unlike bean soups is easier to digest and has good amount of protein. The recipe below makes a whole lot of soup. So you can cook one day and eat for 2 to 3 days. Great one pot meal, which is good for bachelors and working families. It does not compromise on nutrition and flavour...

Prep Time: approx 20 minutes (includes cleaning)

Cook Time: 1/2 to 2 hours

Serving: approx 8 to 10.

Ingredients:

1. Lentils - 2 cups dry or 2 16oz cans.

2. Onion - 2 medium or 3 small.

3. Celery - 2 to 3 stalks

4. Garlic - 3 to 5 pods, depending on your taste. grated or finely chopped or crushed.

5. Tomatoes - 2 to 3 or 1/2 of 6 oz can of tomato paste

6. Cumin powder - 2 to 3 tsp

7. Fennel powder - 1 tsp

8. Parsley dry - 2 tsp

9. Oregano dry - 2 tsp

10. Carrots - 1/2 cup coarsely chopped

11. Green beans - 1/2 cup coarsely chopped (you can use frozen)

12. Bell peppers any kind, preferably green and red - 1/2 cup

13. Plain yogurt - 3 to 4 tsp

14. Chilli/cayenne/paprika powder - to taste

15. Ground black pepper - to taste

16. Salt - to taste

17. Oil - 2 tsp

18. Water - sufficient to cook the soup, please eye ball and add more if needed.

Method:

1. Heat oil in a big pot. Use a thick bottomed pot and cook in medium heat.

2. Add all the dry herbs and saute for a few seconds.

3. Add garlic and saute for a few seconds.

4. Add onions and a little salt and saute for a few minutes, close the lid and let it get transparent.

5. Add celery, carrots, beans, and bell peppers one after the other. saute each of them for about 2 minutes.

6. Add cumin, fennel, chilli, and pepper powders and saute for 2 minutes.

7. Add tomatoes and let all of it sweat. it will take up to 4 minutes. if you are using paste, add some water and leave it for about 3 minutes.

8. Soak the lentils for atleast 1 hour or more. If using canned, you can omit soaking. if you had no time to soak, just rinse it and put it in the pot, saute it and add enough water for everything to cook.

9. Add enough salt and cook for about 1 and a half hour if unsoaked, 1 hour if soaked and 1/2 for canned lentils. If using canned, do not add any more salt until you taste it at the end.

10. Add yogurt and cook for a minute. Soup is ready to eat. You may add more yogurt if you like into individual bowls.

Tips:

If in hurry you can use high heat, however, make sure you stand near the stove. Simmer for 5 minutes before you turn the stove off for a little extra taste.

Variations:

1. You can add red lentils aswell. 
2. You can add 1/2 cup worth quinoa or barley to it. If using barely, make sure you soaked it atleast 4 hours prior to it's use.
3. Green leafy veggies and other veggies in the vegetable bean soup also go with this soup. However, the above given combination gives the best taste.

Aash

Aash:

This is a highly nutritious Iranian soup. Filled with lentils, chick peas, blacked eyed peas and wholesome goodness of a bunch of different greens make this soup very delicious. Aash basically means soup in Persian, this is a heavily aromatic and heavy in the tummy soup. Have a bowl full of this and you will forget eating for the rest of the day :D.

Prep time: 30 minutes approx (including cleaning) 

Cook time: 1/2 hr to 2 hrs.

Servings: 8 to 10 approx.

Ingredients:

1. Black eyed peas - 1 16oz can

2. Chick peas - 1 can 16oz or half if you don't want too much.

3. Lentils - 1 16 oz can.

4. Big onion - 1 or 2 small medium onions.

5. Garlic - 4 to 5 pods

6. Parsley - 2 tsp (dry) you can use fresh herbs if available.

7. Chives/scallions - 4 tsp(dry) if using scallions about 1/4 cup.

8. Dill weed - 1/4 cup

9. Cilantro/coriander - 1/4 cup

10. Mint Leaves - 1/4 cup

11. Spinach - 2 cups or more if you like

12.Turmeric - 1/4 tsp

13. Ground black pepper - to taste

14. Salt - to taste

15. Oil - 2tbsp

16. water - enough to cook, please eye ball it. approx 6 to 7 cups.

17. Kashk*/Wine vinegar/sour cream - 1/4 cup

*Kashk is a yogurt based ingredient, used in Persian cooking. You will find it at middle eastern stores or where a lot of middle eastern people shop for groceries. Only substitute it if you absolutely cannot find kashk. It is the main ingredient which gives this soup an unforgettable taste. It is salty, so when you add salt to the dish, add less so it gets adjusted when you add kashk.  It is generally found as white dry balls or now in liquid form. Next best substitute to Kashk is sour cream.

Method:

1. Heat oil in a big pot.

2. Saute all the dry herbs first for a few seconds.

3. Add Garlic and saute for few seconds.

4. Add onions saute for a few seconds and add salt mix and close it till it gets slightly golden brown.

5. Now add Mint, dill, parsley, chives, scallions, turmeric and saute for a few minutes.

6. Add spinach and let it wilt slightly.

7. add all the beans from the can, add sufficient water and let it cook for atleast 20 minutes.

9. Now add cilantro and cook for 2 minutes.

10. Add kashk and black pepper and cook for a 3 to 5 minutes.Aash is ready to eat.

Tips:

1. You can soak all the peas and lentils overnight and cook them using the above method. However, it will easily take up to 2 hours for it to finish cooking. if you do not have enough time, use the can version. It cooks a lot faster.

2. If you hate garlic. Do not chop or grate them into your dish. Just crush them and add them to the dish and pull them out when the cooking is done. you will have the garlic flavour but no garlic. This trick can be used for all the dishes which uses garlic.
3. Canned beans contain salt in them, so be careful when you add salt to the soup.
4.It is always a good idea to cook in medium heat, if you are in a hurry, use high heat. Remember to stand near the stove if you cooking on high. for more flavour, simmer the stove for 5 minutes before you turn it off for soups.
5. Use a thick bottomed vessel for cooking all kinds of soup.

Goes well with Persian naan, if you can't find it, you can use pita bread.