Artichoke Heart and Soybean Soup

2 Servings

This is an easy soup based on canned soybeans and canned or bottled artichoke hearts. Excellent varieties of organic canned soybeans are now available at health food stores. These soybeans are generally low in sodium and the slightly gelatinous broth in the can can be added right in with your soups and stews. You can, of course, substitute chicken stock for the vegetable stock in this soup if you prefer the flavor of chicken stock-based soups.

Ingredients:
1 14 oz can or bottle of artichoke hearts
1 15 oz can of organic, cooked soybeans
1 garlic clove
1 tsp grated ginger root
1 tsp olive oil
2 cups vegetable stock

Instructions:
Drain the artichoke hearts. Combine in a blender or food processor with the canned soybeans and process until smooth. Saute the garlic and ginger in the olive oil then stir in the artichoke heart/soybean puree and add the vegetable stock. Stir well and heat through.

Roasted Vegetable Soup

4 Servings

This delicious, vegetable-filled broth can be served by itself or used as a base for other soups. The vegetables used in this soup are often just added to soup liquids for cooking. This recipe oven-roasts them first, enhancing their flavor. Your kitchen will fill with the aromas of the roasting vegetables evoking old-fashioned, home-style meals. Comfort food at its finest.

Ingredients:
3 large carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
8 cloves garlic, chopped
4 cups water
1/4 cup dried mushroom pieces (Italian porcini, if possible)
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and black or red pepper to taste

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Place the carrots, celery, and onion in a small (8 x 8 inch) nonstick pan or dish with the olive oil. Toss to coat the vegetables. Bake for 10 minutes.

2. Remove pan from oven, add the garlic, and toss again. Bake for another 10-15 minutes until the vegetables are browned.

3. Remove pan from oven, add 1 cup of water and stir to loosen any vegetables that may be stuck. Pour this into a pot with the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.

4. Season to taste with salt and black or red pepper, and serve or use as the base for other soups, stews, or pasta dishes.

Creamy Tomato Soup

Creamy Tomato Soup

3 servings

Ingredients:
1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 pounds fresh, ripe Italian tomatoes, chopped (about 6 cups)
8 sun-dried tomatoes, soaked
1 cup soy milk
Salt and black and red pepper to taste
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, basil, or dill, chopped

Instructions:

1. In a large pot, sauté the onions in the olive oil until they are soft, then add the fresh tomatoes and stir until the mixture boils.

2. Remove the dried tomatoes from their soaking water and chop them coarsely. Add them and their soaking water to the pot and cook, stirring to prevent sticking.

3. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the soy milk and season to taste with salt and black and red pepper.

4. Serve in bowls with the chopped green herbs as garnish.

Nutritional benefits: Monounsaturated fat; micronutrients, including lycopene from tomatoes and isoflavones from soy.

curried zucchini soup

Zucchini takes on Indian flavors exceptionally well, and there is almost no better example than this fantastic curried soup. Garam masala is an Indian spice blend that's widely available at specialty food stores, but even if you don't have it, the soup still tastes great.

Makes 4 (1 1/4 cup) servings

Prep time: 10 minutes
Start to finish: 20 minutes

Ingredients
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 medium zucchini, sliced into 1/4-inch half-moons
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon garam masala (optional)
3 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup plain fat-free or low-fat yogurt

Instructions
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add zucchini, ginger, curry powder, and garam masala, if using. Cook 3 more minutes.

Add broth and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Puree soup in a blender or food processor until smooth, or use a hand blender. Whisk in yogurt just before serving.

Black Bean Soup

Black Bean Soup
8 Servings

Among the most inexpensive of foods, dried beans offer a bounty of fiber, iron, protein, folic acid and B vitamins. Black beans, also known as "turtle beans," are an especially tasty variety, and make a lovely soup. Do not salt dried beans until they are cooked, as the salt slows down the softening process. On another note, so-called "cooking" wines or sherries contain lots of added salt. Do your palate and your body a favor and use a drinkable sherry in this recipe.

Ingredients:
1 pound black beans
1/3 bay leaf
1 large onion, sliced
Salt to taste
A few cloves of chopped garlic
1 tsp dry mustard powder
1 cup dry sherry (not cooking sherry)

Instructions:
1. Pick over beans to remove any dirt, stones or foreign objects. Wash well, then soak for 8 hours in ample cold water.

2. Place beans and soaking liquid in a large saucepan with 1/3 bay leaf and bring to a boil over high heat. Skim off foam, lower heat, and simmer, partially covered, till beans are just tender, about 1 hour.

3. Add onion and continue to cook until onion melts into liquid, about 1 more hour.

4. Add salt to taste and garlic. Continue to cook, adding a little boiling water if necessary, until beans are very soft and start to melt into liquid, about 1-2 hours more.

5. Remove bay leaf and turn off heat. Ladle beans in batches into blender or food processor and puree or use an immersion blender and puree soup directly in the saucepan.

6. Add dry mustard powder and dry sherry. Correct seasoning. Reheat and serve, adding any garnishes you wish, such as slices of lemon or freshly chopped herbs.

Brokkoli leves

This is a simple broccoli soup that can be prepared quickly.

Ingredients:
1 cup vegetable stock
3 cups chopped broccoli (about 1/2 large bunch)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp grated ginger root
1 cup soy milk or skim milk
1 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

Instructions:
1. In a large saucepan, bring the vegetable broth to a boil.

2. Add the chopped broccoli, garlic and ginger. Reduce the heat to low and cover. Steam for about 5 minutes or until the broccoli is tender. Remove from the heat.

3. After the broccoli has cooled slightly, puree it in a food processor or blender. Return it to the sauce pan.

4. Add the soy milk or skim milk and soy sauce. Warm over low heat.

5. Serve sprinkled with chopped red onion.

Fuszeres-paradicsomos bableves

A receptet itt talaltam.

Hozzávalók:

1 közepes fej hagyma

2 gerezd fokhagyma

2 doboz darabolt paradicsomkonzerv

2 doboz babkonzerv (lehet fehér-, tarka- vagy vörösbab)

6 dl víz

1-1 ek oregánó, bazsalikom, borsikafű

só, méz ízlés szerint

A hagymákat apróra daraboltam, és olajon megdinszteltem. Ráöntöttem a paradicsomkonzervet és a vizet, hozzáadtam a fűszereket, sót, majd fedő alatt forrástól kb. 10 percet lassú tűzön főztem. Akkor összeturmixoltam, majd hozzáadtam a lemosott, lecsöpögtetett babot is, és még azzal is felforraltam, majd azonnal elzártam. A mézet ekkor kevertem bele, annyit tettem hozzá, hogy elvegye a paradicsom savanyú ízét, de ne legyen édes. (Nekem ez kb. 3 evőkanálnyi volt) Lenmagolajpöttyökkel a tetején tálaltam.

Voroslencseleves rizzsel

Ezt itt talaltam.

A leves mellé kínáljunk háromszögekre vágott, szétnyitott, olívaolajjal megkent, majd megpirított pitát.

Hozzávalók (3 személyre):

1 nagy hagyma

1 ek extra szűz olívaolaj

8 dl zöldségalaplé (vagy csirkehúsleves)

10 dkg vöröslencse

5 dkg rizottórizs

frissen őrölt bors

1 tk őrölt koriander

só

1/2-1 tk őrölt római kömény

1 citrom

A hagymát karikákra vágjuk és az olívaolajon fedő alatt, kis lángon, időnként megkeverve puhára pároljuk. A lángot nagyobbra vesszük, és a hagymát folyamatosan kevergetve megpirítjuk. Papírtörlőre szedjük, félretesszük.

A zöldséglevet felforraljuk, beletesszük a rizst és a vöröslencsét, a koriandert, borsozzuk, és 35-40 percig főzzük, amíg a rizs és a lencse szétfő. Ha szükséges megsózzuk, ha túl sűrűnek találnánk, kevés vizet is adhatunk hozzá.

Tányérokba merjük, a tetejét római köménnyel megszórjuk, kevés citromlevet facsarunk bele, majd a sült hagymát is rátesszük.

Claudia Roden receptje az Arabesque c. könyvből.