Week 51 -- Noodle-y Oodle-y Soup

After a morning spent making cookies for a work cookie exchange, I was feeling nostalgic and ready for a low effort lunch.  I've been thinking lately about how, as kids, we ate a lot of Oodles of Noodles.  This soup is a more grown-up version but still not much work.  I used bean thread noodles, which are gluten free, but you could use ramen noodles if you wanted.

I wanted little bits of parsley in the soup like in a packaged soup, but I was out, so I used kale that I dehydrated and ground to flakes last summer.

It looks different from childhood,
but it's a lot healthier with the same fun of noodles.

Noodle-y Oodle-y Soup

2 servings of dry noodles (bean thread or your choice)
water to cover
1/4 tsp each sage, celery seed, savory, and turmeric
dash of black pepper
1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1/3 block extra-firm tofu, cubed
1/2 carrot, grated
1 Tbsp dried greens (parsley or kale)
miso to taste

1. Cook noodles according to package directions.  Drain off some water to leave desired amount for broth.
2.  Add seasonings, carrots, tofu, and greens. 
3.  Add miso to taste.

Makes two servings.

Week 26 -- Creamy Vegetable Soup

I was in the mood for peas and carrots, but I didn't want a tomato-based soup.  It was a little on the cooler side today and I was home sick dealing with seasonal allergies, so I was craving something hot and comforting.

This soup reminds me of the creamed tuna on toast my mom used to make when I was little, just without the tuna.  It would be very good served over toast or cooked grains. 

This took a while to simmer, but it wasn't very difficult and that gave me time to get this week's baked oatmeal in the oven. 

There's the finished soup.

And here's what it looked like before blending.

Creamy Vegetable Soup

Creamy broth:
1 red onion diced
2 large cloves of garlic diced
1 1/2 carrots diced
2 stalks celery diced
1/4 cup dried mushrooms, broken into pieces
1 can cannellini beans with liquid (or 1 1/2 cup cooked white beans)
4-6 cups water to taste
1/2 tsp each sage, thyme, parsley
1/4 tsp celery seed
pinch black pepper

1 1/2 cups frozen peas
1 1/2 cup diced carrot

1. Water saute onion and garlic until soft.  Add other broth ingredients.  Simmer about 45 minutes.
2. Blend broth.
3. Thaw peas.  Steam diced carrots.  Stir into broth.

Makes about 4 servings.

Week 9 -- Walnut Soup with Broccoli

I use cashews when I want a creamy soup or sauce, but I have a big bag of walnuts that I love, and they're full of healthy fat, so I decided to experiment. 

This soup isn't spectacular, but it's nice for a winter evening.  It has a rustic old-world taste, but the broccoli brightens it up. 

I have two big glass "veggie bowls."  I like to fill the bowls to the brim with veggies to steam.

These steamed veggies have no idea they're about to become a lot more close...

I didn't use my immersion blender because I wanted the soup really smooth,

plus I needed to use my regular blender for the walnuts anyway.

Lots of herbs!  The more, the merrier.

There's my beautiful soup, ready to be dished up.  The steamed broccoli is so bright!

After I jarred up my soups for lunches, I didn't have a full serving left for dinner.

The potatoes there were about to become pizza potatoes.  They have nothing to do with the soup, 

but they were so cheerful and my soup cup was lonely, so I let them join the photo.

Walnut Soup with Broccoli

1 onion

4 cloves garlic

3 stalks celery

½ cup walnuts

3 cups water

2 crowns broccoli

1 tsp each thyme, sage, and savory

¼ tsp celery seed

black pepper

1. Chop the broccoli and set aside.  Ideally, you want to let it sit at least 30 minutes.  This gives the enzymes time to activate and you get more nutritional benefit.

2. Chop the onion, garlic, and celery.  Put them in a saucepan with a little water so they can steam over medium high heat.  Once tender, turn off and let veggies cool a little.

3. Blend the walnuts with 1 cup of water.  Once smooth, add the onions, garlic, and celery to the blender.  Blend again, adding more water as needed.

4. Return soup to saucepan.  Bring to a simmer.  Add seasonings.

5. Lightly steam broccoli.  Add to soup and let simmer a few more minutes so the flavors can meld.  Don't overcook or you'll get mushy broccoli.  It's nice when it's still a little crisp.   Add water to soup to get to desired thinness, if needed.

Makes about 4 servings.