Leek and Asparagus Soup

I got the base of this recipe from the cookbook "A Beautiful Bowl of Soup" and I adapted it.

Ingredients

1 lb asparagus, trimmed and cut in 1"-2" pieces
1-2 T oil (or butter)
2-3 cups sliced mushrooms (crimini or white button)
2-3 leeks (depending on the size) white parts only, cleaned and sliced
Curry powder to taste (1-2 tsp)
Cumin to taste
2-3 cups vegetable stock
2 cups milk
Salt and pepper

 

Method

Steam asparagus until tender crisp. I like to set some of the tips aside to add later.

Saute mushrooms and leeks in oil or butter until tender but not brown.

Add curry and cumin, salt and pepper and stir to blend.

Add the stock and asparagus and simmer 5 minutes.

Add milk and simmer until heated through.

Puree with a hand blender (or in batches in the blender). Consistency is up to you.

Adjust seasoning.

Add asparagus tips and heat through.


Update:  I've also made this with the addition of grated carrots and chopped parsnips. I'm sure you can other root vegetables as well - sweet potatoes, butternut squash both come to mind.

Mulligatawny Lentil and Chickpea Soup

I got the base for this recipe from this site and then made quite a few changes. I adjust the seasoning to suit my taste (usually adding more) and the amount of liquid as needed.

http://www.wholeliving.com/132648/mulligatawny-chickpeas

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1 carrot, grated
• 1 leek (white part only) cleaned and sliced (or diced onion)
• 2 teaspoons grated peeled ginger (I keep mine in the freezer)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 can (19 oz) cooked lentils, drained and rinsed
• 1 1/2 litres of vegetable broth (or more)
• 1 cup grated zucchini
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 can (19 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• Chopped green onions for garnish
• Cooked brown rice

Directions

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large saucepan over medium. Add celery, carrot, leeks, garlic, ginger, cumin, turmeric, coriander, and cayenne; season with salt and pepper. Saute, stirring, until soft. Add a little broth if too dry. Add lentils and broth; bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer; cover and cook until lentils are soft, 7 to 9 minutes. Add in zucchini, cook 2-3 minutes until soft. Puree soup with immersion blender. Add up to 2 additional cups of veg broth or water. Cook over medium until warmed through. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.
2. Saute chickpeas in a little oil, S&P, cumin and/or other spices until crisp. Alternatively, you can add the chickpeas directly into the soup with the lentils and skip the saute part.
3. Serve soup topped with green onions and sauteed chickpeas if using, with rice alongside.  

** The second time I made this, I didn't saute the chickpeas, I just added them in along with the lentils. Sometimes, I throw the cooked rice right into the pot as well, and it comes out a little more like a stew.

Another Leek, Potato, and White Bean Soup

You can easily adapt the vegetables in this recipes. Use what you have, and what you like. 

1-2 T oil
1 large leek (whites and light green part), cleaned and sliced
1/2 onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup diced winter squash (buttercup is nice)
2 cups potatoes, coarsely chopped
1 parsnip, peeled and chopped
1 cup grated zucchini
1 1/2 litres (approx) veggie stock
1 540 ml can of white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2-3 sprigs of thyme
2-3 sprigs of dill
1-2 cups of milk, if desired

Saute onions, leeks, garlic, and celery in oil. Season with salt and fresh ground pepper.
Stir in squash, potatoes, and parsnips.
Add stock, beans, and zucchini

Bring to a boil, adjust seasoning (S &P) and add herbs.

Simmer until veggies are soft.  Check seasoning, add more herbs if necessary.

Use hand blender to break up at least half of the potatoes.

Add milk if using.

Next time I will add in some grated carrots and chopped kale (the blanched kale I have in the freezer).

KG's Fish Tacos

I have no idea how 'traditional' these are but here's how I make mine at home. We all think they're yummy. :)

I usually use medium sized white flour tortillas, warmed through and, then we build the tacos with a little fish, cabbage, sauce, mango salsa and a squeeze of lime.
 

White fish - halibut is my fave, but any kind will do - even lightly breaded frozen filets. If I have fresh fish, I sometimes marinate it in a little lime juice, maybe some chili powder, S&P, then saute it.

Other ingredients

finely sliced cabbage (or lettuce)
(diced green onions if desired)
sprinkle with a little white wine or cider vinegar
salt and pepper

Sour cream / adobo sauce

Mix a little adobo sauce into some sour cream or plain greek yogurt.  I've also used chipotle spice instead of adobo sauce.


Mango Salsa

diced mango (fresh or frozen)
diced avocado
diced green onion (and/or sweet white onion)
diced red pepper
sprinkle with lime juice
chopped cilantro
S&P

Tabbouleh, Hummus Lettuce Wraps

I can't take any credit for this idea - someone at work brought it and I loved it. Now I make a batch and leave it at work and make them at work all week.

The simple version is to drop a few spoonfuls each of hummus and tabbouleh onto a lettuce leaf, roll up, and eat. It's messy so lean over the plate when you're eating.

There are many recipes out there for both hummus and tabbouleh, or you can buy premade if you have more money than time, but here are two simple, non-garlicky versions that are work-friendly.

Quick Hummus

Dump the following into a food processor.

1 540 ml  (19 oz) can chick peas, drained
2 T tahini (sesame paste)
juice of 1 lemon
a little lemon zest if you like
cumin ( maybe 2-3 tsp?)
S&P to taste (lots :)

Whir the food processor, stream in enough water to bring it to the right consistency (or more traditionally add 2-3 T olive oil instead of water - I don't find a huge difference but water has no calories...)



Tabbouleh

Basically this is a mixture of diced veggies, parsley, and cooked grain (such as bulgur wheat, cracked wheat, quinoa etc)

Cook the grain (with salt) according to the package (1 to 2 cups of cooked grain)

Finely chop a large handful of flat leaf or curly parsley.

Dice veggies - whatever you have on hand.  I usually use green onions, red peppers, tomatoes, cucumber.

Mixed cooled cooked grain, parsley, veggies in a bowl.  Adjust the ratio of veg/grain so it's fairly equal, usually there's quite a bit of parsley, but make it to your own taste.

Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon over the mixture.

Drizzle with 1/2 - 1 T olive oil

Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.



Lettuce Wraps

Any kind of lettuce will do but I like romaine best because it's sturdy and has more nutrients than iceberg. Wash and dry the lettuce.  Remove any large stems. Cut romaine leaves in half lengthwise.

Take a leave, put 1-2 T tabbouleh and 1-2 T of hummus onto the leaf. Roll up. Eat.  Repeat.

Next time I make them, I'll put take some pictures.

Rye Flax Crackers

I got this recipe from the Canadian Living Vegetarian cookbook - its a great book - check it out!

3/4 rye flour (I use dark rye)
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup flaxseeds
1/4 cup ground flaxseeds
1/4 cup sesame seeds (my preference, not in the original recipe)
4 tsp butter
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk

Mix all dry ingredients together then cut in butter until crumbly.  Stir in milk and mix until dough is soft, pliable, and sticky. Add additional water 1 tbsp at a time if necessary.

Knead just until smooth, then wrap and let stand for 10 minutes.

Divide the dough into quarters, roll each piece into a circle or square about 10" across, about 1/8 thick.  Try to make it as even as possible.

Place on ungreased rimless cookie sheets, 2 per sheet.  I use parchment paper.

Bake 2 sheets at a time in top and bottom thirds of the oven (325 degrees), rotating and switching top to bottom half way through cooking.

They take about 20 minutes until they are golden, and crisp.  These are crisp, dry crackers - a lot like Scandinavian flatbread.

Let cool on rack and break into pieces.  Store in an airtight container for up to a week, or freeze for up to one month.

Using Sparkpeople, I have calculated that approximately a half round (or 1/8 of the recipe) is about 168 calories.  Carb 21 g  Fat 8gr  protein 5 gr