Category Archives: Soup / Stew

Coconut Butternut Squash Soup

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 medium butternut squash
  • 1 cup broccolini
  • 1 cup cremini mushrooms
  • 1 medium carrot
  • 1 onion
  • 3 large garlic cloves
  • 3 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 tsp pink salt or to taste
  • 1/2 tsp crushed black pepper
  • 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
  • 1 tbsp cane sugar
  • 2 cubes of Knorr vegetarian vegetable bouillon
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 400 ml can coconut milk (about 1 1/2 cups)
  • 1/4 cup dried shredded coconut

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 375F
  2. Carefully slice the squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Then, place the squash onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper skin side up
  3. Bake in the oven for 35-45min depending on the size of the squash. When the thickest part is fork tender, it’s done. Let it cool for about 10 min
  4. Chop about 1/2 cup worth of broccolini into small pieces and thinly slice about 1/2 cup worth of cremini mushrooms
  5. Dice the carrot and onion. Coarsely chop the garlic
  6. Carefully peel the skin from the tender butternut squash and scoop aside 2 1/2 cups worth
  7. Heat up a stock pot to medium heat. Add the coconut oil followed by the carrot, onion, and garlic
  8. Season with the pepper and 1 tsp of salt. Sauté for 5-8 min
  9. Add in bouillon cubes, the thyme and sauté for another few minutes. Add in the squash and the cane sugar. Sauté for another minute
  10. Add in water and coconut milk (set aside a little bit for garnish)
  11. Turn up the heat to medium high, cover, and bring it to a boil
  12. Transfer the soup to the blender or use a stick blender if you have one. Blend on medium / high until somewhat smooth
  13. Pour the soup back into the pot and cover to keep it nice and hot
  14. Heat up a frying pan on medium heat. Add in the shredded coconut
  15. Toast for a few minutes until golden brown. Set aside
  16. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel and place back on medium heat
  17. Sauté the broccolini for 3-4 min. Add in the mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Sauté for another 3-4 min
  18. Place some of the veggies in the middle of your serving bowl. Then, pour around it 1 cup of soup
  19. Sprinkle over some toasted coconut. Add some fresh cracked pepper. Drizzle some olive oil and drizzle some of the coconut milk
  20. Serve hot with your favorite bread

Serves: 4 – 6

 

Inspiration source:

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Moroccan Chickpea Stew

 

Ingredients:

  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large red onion, chopped
  • 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 large sweet potato, skinned and chopped to roughly 1 cm cubes
  • 2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tbsp sweet paprika
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon
  • fresh thyme leaves from 10-12 sprigs
  • 2 cups cooked chickpeas or 2 cans of 400 ml chickpeas
  • 2 large tomatoes, chopped or 1 800 ml can of good quality tomatoes
  • 2 tsp salt or to taste
  • 2 bunches of collard greens or baby spinach or any other green
  • 1/4 cup sweet dried raisins
  • 2 tbsp fresh chopped flat leaf parsley

Method:

  1. Heat up a pot / pan on medium heat. Add the olive oil
  2. Add the cumin seeds
  3. Once cumin seeds start crackling, add the onion and garlic and saute for 3-4 minutes
  4. Add the sweet potatoes and saute for 4-5 minutes. This will caramelize the vegetables and bring out their sweetness
  5. Add chili powder, paprika, cinnamon, thyme, salt and mix well
  6. Add the chickpeas and mix well
  7. Add the tomatoes and crush with ladle to release their juices
  8. Add 1 1/2 cups water, turn up the heat to bring to boil. Then let it simmer on medium heat for 15 minutes
  9. Add the greens to the stew along with the dried raisins
  10. Transfer about half the quantity of stew to a blender and blend to puree
  11. Pour the blended stew back into the pot and mix well
  12. Add freshly chopped parsley and serve the stew with your favorite bread

Serves: 4

Inspiration source:

Chickpea and Brown Rice Stew (Instant Pot recipe)

 

Ingredients:

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium / large yellow onion, diced
  • 1 large fennel bulb
  • 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 cup brown rice
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 2 bay leaves
  • Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
  • 4 cups (950 ml) vegetable broth
  • 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt or to taste, depending on the salt level in the vegetable broth
  • 1 cup chickpeas, cooked or from a can
  • 2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
  • 1/2 cup Italian flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
  • 1 to 2 cups baby spinach or kale (or other greens of choice), chopped roughly
  • 1 (14.5-ounce / 410g) can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 (8-ounce / 227g) can tomato sauce
  • 1 to 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Method:

  1. To the pot, add the oil and put it on sauté mode
  2. Add onion, fennel, garlic and sauté for 3-4 minutes
  3. Add rice, pepper flakes, bay leaves, salt, black pepper and sauté for 2 minutes
  4. Add vegetable broth, chickpeas, thyme leaves, parsley leaves, spinach leaves, crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce and gently mix well
  5. Cover the pot and switch it to a mode with cooking time of 15 minutes
  6. When cooking is done and cooled, open pot, add lemon juice and gently mix well
  7. Serve with your favorite bread

Serves: 4

Inspiration source:

https://www.rainbowplantlife.com/blog/vegan-instant-pot-fennel-chickpea-stew

Greek chickpea stew

 

Ingredients:

  • 750 gm chickpeas
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 cup chopped celery
  • 1 cup chopped onions
  • 1 cup chopped carrots
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh thyme
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
  • lemon zest of 1 large lemon, about 1 tsp
  • lemon juice of 1/2 lemon, about 1 tbsp
  • 2 vegetable bouillon cubes (such as Knorr’s Vegetarian Vegetable Bouillon)
  • 1 cup water
  • salt (only if needed since the bouillon cubes will add sufficient salt to the stew)
  • ground black pepper, 1 tsp

For garnishing

  • 1/3 bunch dill, finely chopped
  • 2-3 tablespoon(s) olive oil

Method:

  1. If you are starting with raw chickpeas, make sure to soak them for 6-8 hours and then cook them till they are soft. We prefer steam cooking in an instant pot or pressure cooker.
    If you are starting with canned chickpeas, just drain them with some running water to get rid of the liquid.
  2. From the cooked / canned chickpeas, puree about a cup and put aside.
  3. Heat the 2 tbsp olive oil a pot / pan on medium heat.
  4. To the hot oil, add chopped celery, onions, carrots and garlic and sauté for 8-10 minutes till desired level of softness. Sautéing will mildly caramelize the vegetables and bring out their sweetness.
  5. Instant Pot: If you are using Instant Pot for this recipe, do steps 3 and 4 in the Instant Pot. For step 4, cook on high setting under pressure for 5 minutes. When it’s ready to open, go on to the next step.
  6. To the pan / pot, add the thyme, rosemary, lemon zest, bouillon cube, pepper and sauté for 3-4 minutes.
  7. Add the cooked whole chickpeas, 1 cup water and bring to boil.
  8. Stir in the chickpea puree, lemon juice… mix well and cook for a couple of minutes.
    The stew is ready! Taste and add salt only if needed.
  9. When serving, top the stew with finely chopped fresh dill, extra virgin olive oil and serve with warm pita bread.

Serves: 4

Notes: 

  • Fresh herbs and lemon juice makes this stew extraordinarily tasty and flavorful. Try not to use dry herbs and not substitute lemon with lime!

Inspiration source:

https://akispetretzikis.com/categories/ospria/revithada

 

Black Bean Soup

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Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 stalks celery, chopped
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tbsp ground cumin
  • 1 pinch black pepper
  • 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans
  • 1/2 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn
  • 1/2 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 tsp salt or to taste
  • 2 cups water

For garnishing

  • 2 spring onions, chopped
  • 1/2 avocado, chopped (optional)
  • some sour cream

Method:

  1. Heat oil in a pot over medium-high heat.
  2. Add onion, celery, carrots, garlic and salt and sauté for 5 minutes.
  3. Season with chili powder, cumin powder, and black pepper; cook for 1 minute.
  4. Add a can of beans, corn and water and bring to a boil.
  5. Meanwhile, in a food processor or blender, process remaining 1 can beans and tomatoes until smooth.
  6. Stir into boiling soup mixture, reduce heat to medium, and simmer for 7-8 minutes.
  7. Garnish with spring onions, avocado, sour cream and serve

Serves: 4

Inspiration source:

https://www.vitamix.com/ca/en_us/Recipes/Tortilla-Soup

Sweetcorn Soup

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp oil (any vegetable oil / peanut oil)
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 green chili, finely chopped
  • 2 small / medium size carrots, diced
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 slice (100 g) cabbage, chopped
  • 2 spring onions, chopped
  • 1 tsp salt or to taste
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper (or to taste)
  • 1 can cream style corn
  • 1/2 can of garbanzo beans (optional)
  • 1 cup water

Method:

  1. In a medium pan, heat the oils on medium heat
  2. Add diced carrot and salt and cook for about 2 minutes
  3. Add chopped chili, bell pepper, cabbage and cook for 2 minutes
  4. Add spring onions, mix well and cook for 2 minutes
  5. Add cream style corn and bring to boil
  6. Turn off the heat and serve the soup hot

Serves: 2

 

Tortilla Soup

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Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 medium size onion, diced
  • 1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped
  • 2 small / medium size carrots, diced
  • 2 stalks celery, diced
  • 1/2 yellow squash, diced (optional)
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 slice (100 g) cabbage, chopped
  • 2 Tomatoes, diced
  • 1 teaspoon taco seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 tsp salt or to taste
  • 1/2 cup cooked corn kernels (optional)
  • 1/2 cup canned black beans (optional)
  • 2 cups water

For garnishing

  • 1 spring onion, finely chopped
  • 1/2 avocado, chopped (optional)
  • 2 ounces (60 g) tortilla chips

Method:

  1. In a medium / large pan, heat the oil on medium heat
  2. Add onion and garlic and saute till onion becomes translucent
  3. Add diced carrot, squash, celery and salt and cook for about 2 minutes
  4. Add pepper, cabbage, taco seasoning and ground cumin cumin and cook for 2 minutes
  5. Add tomatoes, mix well, cover the pan and cook for 2 minutes and then turn off the heat
  6. Transfer the cooked vegetables to a high power blender that can handle hot liquid, such as Vitamix
  7. Heat the water, add the hot water to the blender and secure blender’s lid
  8. Turn machine on at slow speed and slowly increase speed to High (10)
  9. Blend for 30 seconds to 1 minute to the desired consistency
  10. Add corn kernels and black beans and pulse-blend 3-4 times
  11. Take out the soup in a serving bowl, top with spring onions, avocado and crushed chips and serve hot

Serves: 4

Inspiration source:

https://www.vitamix.com/ca/en_us/Recipes/Tortilla-Soup

Remarks:

  • We tried the original Vitamix recipe a couple of time but were turned off by the taste of raw garlic and onion. We are very happy with this modified recipe where all the vegetables are stir-fried and mostly cooked before blending them.

Spicy Ethiopian Lentil Stew (Instant Pot recipe)

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Ingredients:

  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 1/2 tsp. freshly grated ginger
  • 1 1/2 tbsp. berbere spice blend, to taste (https://www.amazon.com/Frontier-Berbere-Seasoning-ORGANIC-Bottle/dp/B005WDVQHG)
  • 1/2-1 tsp. cayenne pepper, or to taste, optional
  • Poblano pepper chopped into medium size pieces, optional
  • 1 1/2 cups dried split red lentils, washed 3 times
  • 4-5 medium size tomatoes diced or 1-14 oz. can diced tomatoes
  • 3-4 San Marzano tomatoes diced, from can, optional
  • 3 medium red potatoes, about 3/4 lb. total, cut into cubes
  • 3-4 celery ribs, chopped into medium size pieces
  • 2 carrots, chopped into medium size pieces
  • 32 fl oz vegetable broth
  • 3 cups fresh baby spinach leaves, sliced and lightly packed
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt or to taste

Method:

  1. To the Instant Pot pot, add the oil and put it on sauté mode
  2. Add onion, carrots, potatoes and sauté for 3-4 minutes
  3. Add celery, poblano chili and salt and sauté for 2-3 minutes
  4. Add garlic, ginger, berbere spice and cayenne and sauté 2-3 minute more
  5. Add washed lentils, tomatoes and stir a few times
  6. Add 32 fl oz vegetable broth, cover the pot and switch it to a mode with cooking time of 15 minutes
  7. When cooking is done and cooled, open pot and put it to sauté mode
  8. Stir in spinach, add lemon juice and continue to cook just until spinach is wilted, about 2 minutes
  9. Turn off the pot and serve the stew with rice or any bread

Serves: 5-6

Inspiration source:

https://www.connoisseurusveg.com/spicy-ethiopian-lentil-stew/

Remarks:

You can add a bit more berbere and cayenne, if desired.

Mediterranean Lentil Soup with Spinach

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup brown lentil (whole), washed, soaked overnight and drained
  • 1 onions, sliced
  • 3-4 celery ribs, chopped
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tomatoes, chopped
  • 2 teaspoon cumin seed powder (preferably, freshly roasted and then ground)
  • 1 cup baby spinach, chopped
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp salt (or to taste)

Method:

  1. Put InstantPot on saute mode
  2. Add oil to the pan
  3. Once oil is hot, add onion and saute for a couple of minutes
  4. Add carrots and celery and saute for a couple of minutes
  5. Add garlic, salt and ground cumin and saute for a couple of minutes
  6. Add lentil and tomatoes and saute for a couple of minutes
  7. Add 3 cups of water, cover the cooker and switch InstantPot to rice mode (10 minutes cooking time)
  8. Once the soup is ready, add chopped spinach and serve hot with pita bread or any hearty bread

Serves: 4

Inspiration source:

This is an attempt to reproduce awesome lentil soup we had at Zaytouna Mediterranean Grill in Freehold Township, New Jersey

Remarks:

Lemongrass Soup

Lemongrass Soup

Lemongrass Soup

Ingredients:

  • Peanut oil – 2 Tbs
  • Onion – 1 large
  • Lemongrass – 3 Tbs, chopped into ¼ inch-thick pieces
  • Garlic – 3 cloves, minced
  • Ginger – 1 Tbs, minced
  • Sweet potatoes / Yam / Rutabaga or any such root vegetable or assortment of such root vegetables – 3 cups, peeled and cut in ½ inch pieces
  • Soy sauce – 3 Tbs
  • Brussels sprouts / mushrooms – 3 cups, halved / quartered
  • Red bell pepper – 1 large, cut into 1-inch strips
  • Cilantro leaves – 1 cup, chopped
  • Lime juice – 2 Tbs

Method:

  1. Cook (steam / grill / sauté) the root vegetable and keep aside
  2. Heat 1 Tbs oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Saute Brussels sprout / mushrooms for 5 minutes, or until beginning to brown. Add bell pepper and sauté for 3 minutes, or until soft and then keep aside
  3. Heat 1 Tbs oil in a large pot over medium – high heat. Add onion and sauté for about 7 minutes, until it becomes brown
  4. Stir in lemongrass, garlic and ginger and sauté for 2-3 minutes
  5. Add soy sauce, 5 cups water and bring to boil
  6. Stir cooked root vegetables, Brussels sprout / mushrooms, bell peppers, cilantro and lime juice into the soup. Season with salt and pepper

Serves: 6

Inspiration source:

October 2007 issue of Vegetarian Times magazine