Coconut Cauliflower Red Lentil Soup

 

The quickest of all lentils to cook, red lentils make for a nutritious, yet creamy and comforting addition to any soup.   

1 small onion, finely diced
1 small carrot, peeled and finely diced 
1 celery rib, finely diced 
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced 
2 cloves garlic, minced 
2 tbsp. Coconut Curry Spice Blend (see recipe below) 
1 cup red lentils 
2 heaping cups cauliflower florets
1 can of coconut milk + 2 cans of water 
juice of 1 lime 
a good handful of chopped cilantro
OIl, as needed 
Salt, to taste

  1. Preheat your soup pot over medium-high heat. 
  2. Add 2-3 tbsp. of oil, followed by onion, carrot & celery.  Season with salt, stir and allow to sweat until soft but not brown.  
  3. Stir in ginger & garlic.  Cook 1 minute. 
  4. Stir in spices and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute. 
  5. Add in lentils, cauliflower, coconut milk and water.   Season with salt, bring up to the boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer. 
  6. Cook for 15-20 minutes, or until lentils are softened and soup is thick.  You may adjust the texture with more water if you like. 
  7. Finish soup with lime juice & cilantro.  Enjoy!  

Our SPICE MIX

A nice warm blend of spices perfect for any type of curry or rub!

1 tbsp ground coriander
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. ground turmeric
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. cayenne
¼ tsp. nutmeg

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Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup with Cheddar-Scallion Crumble

The perfect family meal to cozy up to!   Quickly brining the chicken breasts brings allows you to bring the soup together quickly, with juicy pieces of chicken.  For a spectacular presentation we've added a cheesy crumble! 

2 lb chicken breast, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 ½ Tbsp kosher salt
1 ½ cups cold water.

¼ cup butter
1 large cooking onion, small dice
1 large carrot, small dice
2 ribs celery, small dice
¼ cup flour 
2-3  bay leaves
5-6 sprig thyme (optional)
4 cup good quality chicken stock
1 cup panko
3 green onion
½ cup old cheddar
2 Tbsp melted butter

1-450g broad egg noodles, cooked

 

  1. To make crumble: Melt butter in a small pan or microwave, stir in panko until well combined. Once cool, stir in grated cheese and chopped green onion. Set aside until ready to use. 
  2. Whisk salt into cold water until dissolved. Add chicken pieces and place in the refrigerator. Allow to brine for 45 minutes up to 1 hour. Remove from brine to a paper towel-lined tray/plate. Heat a heavy-bottomed frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook the brined chicken in batches until golden brown (the chicken does not need to be cooked all the way through, it will finish cooking in the soup during the final simmer. Set cooked chicken aside. *For extra flavour: add 1 cup of water/stock to the pan to deglaze and pick up all the flavourful browned bits on the bottom of the pan. You can add this flavour stock/water when you add the chicken. 
  3. In a heavy-bottomed pot, melt butter. Add onions along with a pinch of salt and sweat until soft but not browned.
  4. Stir in carrots and celery along with a pinch of salt and sweat, stirring often, until soft but not browned.
  5. Shake the ¼ cup of flour over softened vegetables and stir to combine. Stir continuously for about 1-2 minutes.
  6. Slowly pour in stock ½- ¾ cup at a time, whisking to combine and ensure there are no lumps. 
  7. Once all stock is combined, simmer for 1-2 minutes, add cooked chicken and simmer 1-2 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and fresh cracked pepper. 
  8. In an oven-safe bowl (maybe you have some french onion soup bowls lying around:) add soup, and cooked noodles, and top with crumble. Broil until bubbling and golden brown. 

 

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Beer, Cheese & Potato Soup with Sausage-Pretzel Einlagen

Beer, Cheese & Potato Soup with Sausage-Pretzel Crumble

Serves 4 as an appetizer 


The cheese & beer is front and centre in this rich soup!   With a fun topping (einlagen!) of sausage and buttery pretzels, it is addictive bite after bite!  This is Oktoberfest in a bowl, but we are certain you’ll be making it year-round!  

2 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. flour
2 cups milk
1⁄4 lb. / 125 g grated cheese, such as an aged cheddar, gouda or gruyere-type cheese

2 tbsp. butter
1 large cooking onion, thinly sliced
1 rib celery, finely diced
1⁄2 tsp. ground cardamom
1⁄2 lb. yellow fleshed potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1-cup beer (a lager works well!)
3 cups water
2 bay leaves
1⁄2 lb. Oktoberfest sausage meat
1 large pretzel
1⁄2 shallot, finely diced, optional
Salt & pepper, as needed

  1. In a small pot melt butter and stir in flour to make a light roux
  2. Slowly stir in milk. Bring to a simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes
  3. Turn off heat and stir in cheese. Set aside
  4. In another pot, melt butter and sweat onion and celery until soft but not browned.
  5. Stir in cardamom, potatoes and beer. Let simmer for a couple of minutes to reduce the beer, and then add in the water and bay leaves. Simmer until potatoes are very soft. Blend until smooth in blender or with hand blender.
  6. Meanwhile, make pretzel topping (einlagen): in a frying pan over medium-high heat, fry sausage until crisp. Stir in shallot, if using, sauté for about a minute and stir in pretzel pieces. Stir to coat in fat, reduce heat to low and allow the pretzel to crisp, 2-3 minutes.   
  7. Fold the cheese sauce into the blended potato soup and taste for seasoning.   Rewarm over medium-low heat if necessary. 
  8. Ladle into bowls and top with a generous amount of sausage- pretzel einlagen!

 

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Creamy Potato & Bacon Soup

Creamy Potato & Bacon Soup

Uncomplicated and quick to come together, this recip takes the stress out of deciding what's for dinner, as long as you've got a few basics kicking around your fridge.   You can definitely make this with water, but chicken stock will add in some extra body and nutrients.   Make sure you cook it enough so that some of the potatoes begin to fall apart---this is what give it some creaminess!  We avoid blending potato soup as this foolproof recipe ensures you don't end up with a gluey mess.  The bacon is just one of the many garnishes you can add to this--top with dill, green onion, diced jalapeno peppers, sour cream or cheese!

6 slices (thick) bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces 
2 tbsp. butter 
1 small onion, finely diced 
1 celery rib, finely diced 
1 large bay leaf (fresh if you can find it!) 
2lb. yellow-fleshed potatoes, peeled and diced (6-8 cups total diced potatoes) 
3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme
8 cups water or chicken stock 
salt and pepper, as needed
1 cups milk or cream 

  1. Preheat your favourite soup pot over medium heat.   Fry bacon in butter until just crisp.  Remove with a slotted spoon, leaving all of the delicious fat behind.  
  2. Stir onions into fat, seasoning lightly with salt.  Sweat until soft but not brown.  Stir in celery and sweat just the same.  
  3. Stir in bay leaf, potatoes, thyme sprigs (those little leaves will fall off, and you can remove the stems later) and enough stock or water just to cover.   
  4. Bring up just to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer until potatoes are nice and soft.  At this point, use a wooden spoon to 'mash' a few of the potatoes up against the side of the pot to give the soup some cohesiveness. 
  5. Turn off the heat and slowly stir in milk or cream. 
  6. Taste for seasoning, adding a few grinds of black pepper if you like, and serve garnished with the bacon and any other garnishes you like!  

 

 

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Easy Mexican Chicken Pozole

Easy Mexican Chicken Pozole 
Part soup, part chili, this is great way to introduce Mexican dried chiles into your pantry.  This recipe uses leftover cooked chicken and requires very little chopping. Adjust the spice level by adding more stock if you like. It's about a 3-4 out of 10.  Garnishes are only limited to your imagination...however, the shredded lettuce was the surprise hit!   Serves 6.  

5 dried guajillo chilies, stemmed & seeded 
2 dried ancho chiles, stemmed & seeded  
2 cups canned whole tomatoes and their juices 
2 cloves of garlic, peeled
1/2 of a white or yellow onion 
½ tsp. each dried cumin & oregano 
3 tbsp. oil (any kind, or chicken or bacon fat!) 
4 cups chicken stock or water 
1 large can of hominy, drained and rinsed 
2-3 cups of leftover shredded chicken 
Salt, to taste 

Garnishes (no rules, use as little or many as you like): 
Sour Cream or Crema 
Queso Fresco or Shredded Cheese 
Chopped Cilantro 
Chopped White or Red Onion 
Thinly sliced Radishes 
Finely shaved iceberg Lettuce or Green Cabbage
Diced Avocado 
Hot Sauce 

  1. Toast chilies in a frying pan over medium heat, moving frequently until blistered but not burnt
  2. Place in a heatproof bowl, cover with very hot tap water boiling water and let stand until softened, about 10 minutes. 
  3. Add to a blender along with tomatoes, garlic, onion, spices and a good pinch of salt. 
  4. Blend until smooth (this can be made and refrigerated up to 3 days in advance).  
  5. Warm oil or fat up in a pot large pot, then pour in salsa.  Rinse out the blender with about 1 cup of water to your blender to clean, and add that to the pot as well.  
  6. Let simmer over medium-low heat until colour deepens and sauce thickens slightly, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.   
  7. Stir in chicken stock or water and hominy.  Bring to a high simmer for 5 minutes then reduce to low before adding chicken.  
  8. Stir in cooked chicken only about 10 minutes before serving. 
  9. Ladle into bowls and garnish as you like!   

 

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Lasagna 'Souperole'

Lasagna 'Souperole'!

Part soup, part casserole, satisfying all of your lasagna cravings with half the work!  Find the 'mafaldine' pasta at specialty Italian shops, or break up dried lasagna noodles into 2-3 inch pieces.  Serves 6

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
1 ½ onions, finely diced
3 ribs celery, finely diced
2 carrot, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb ground beef
2 bay leaves
1 parmesan rind
¼ cup red wine
1 large can of good quality whole tomatoes, pureed
3 cups water or chicken stock

1 package of Rummo mafaldine pasta (long narrow lasagna looking noodles or your favourite shape)
2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
¼ cup parmesan cheese

  1. Heat a large pot oven safe pot over medium heat. Add beef, use a straight sided wooden spoon to break beef up, stirring occasionally until just cooked through. Remove from the pot into a strainer to strain out excess fat. Set aside, cooked beef will be added back to the pot later. 
  2. Return to pot to the heat and  add butter & olive oil, along with onion and a generous pinch of salt, and cook 3-4 minutes (cooking out excess water) before adding celery and carrot. Cook until soft but without colour. Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Return the cooked ground beef to the pot with the vegetables. 
  3. Deglaze with red wine, cooked 2-3 minutes until wine is fully evaporated. Stir in tomato puree and simmer to 4-5 minutes to concentrate the tomatoes. 
  4. Add bay leaves and parmesan rind along with water of stock. Simmer for a minimum of 30 minutes up to an hour.
  5. Bring a large pot of water to boil.Generously season with salt and  add pasta and cook 4-5 minutes (half of the time that the label directs)
  6. Remove pasta from the water and add to soup. Top with cheese and broil until cheese is melted and begins to brown. Alternatively, generously butter oven safe soup bowls, add noodles, ladle soup on top of noodles and to with cheese. Broil until the cheese is melted and just begins to brown. 



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Family Beef Barley Soup

Family Beef Barley Soup 
Feed & satisfy many at the table with little time and pantry staples.   Love in a bowl! The combination of tomato paste & tomatoes adds richness and umami, especially if you don't have stock on hand.  
Serves 4-6

1 lb Ground beef
2 tbsp. butter 
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and finely diced 
2 celery ribs, finely diced 
1 clove garlic, finely chopped 
1/4 cup tomato paste 
1 cup good quality canned tomatoes
8 cups beef stock, chicken stock or water 
1 large, fresh bay leaf
2 tbsp. chopped fresh thyme
2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley 
1 cup barley 
salt and pepper, to taste 

  1. In a heavy soup pot brown beef; strain off any excess fat, but do leave some.
  2. Add butter to melt, then add onion. Allow to cook for a few minutes, seasoning with salt and stirring until soft.  Add carrot, celery and garlic.  Season and stir for a few minutes.  
  3. Stir in tomato paste & tomatoes, breaking up larger pieces of whole tomatoes with a wooden spoon.  
  4. Let tomatoes come to a high simmer and cook for 3-5 minutes until concentrated.
  5. Add stock, herbs & barley.
  6. Bring to a boil, and then turn down to a simmer and cook until barley is tender, about 30-40 minutes.
  7. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as you like.

 

*Note: you may have to add a little extra stock or water if soup becomes too thick during cooking time. 

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Sunshine Soup!

Sunshine Soup

Perfect to warm you up and cheer you up on a grey winter’s day.  This is when we can turn local winter vegetables become the star of the show.  Remember, seasoning with salt as you go will give you a more balanced soup at the end. Fresh ground pepper at the table is nice.  

2 tbsp. coconut oil or canola oil
1 onion
1 large clove of local garlic
1-2" piece ginger
1 tsp. ground turmeric
½ tsp. black pepper
2 carrots peeled & roughly chopped
1 small sweet potato, peeled and chopped
2 cups butternut squash, peeled and chopped
1 can coconut milk (we like Aroy-d)
3 cups water, or as needed 
Salt & Pepper to taste

 

  1. Heat a large soup pot over medium-high heat.   Add coconut oil to melt, and then add onions.  Sweat until soft and translucent.
  2. Add garlic and ginger, sweat for a couple mintues before adding spices.  
  3. Cook spices for 30 seconds, then add carrots, sweet potato and squash.  
  4. Add coconut milk and water, bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer
  5. Simmer until vegetables are very soft, and then blend soup in a blender.  When you think that you are done blending…blend a longer. Finished soup should be silky smooth!
  6. Taste for seasoning and serve!

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Roasted Tomato Bisque

Roasted Tomato Bisque

1 large can whole tomatoes or about 2 lbs plum tomatoes

2 tbsp. butter

3 strips of bacon, diced

1/2 cooking onion, finely diced

½ carrot, finely diced

1 rib celery rib, finely  diced

1 clove garlic, minced

3 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley

3 sprigs fresh thyme

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

splash of brandy (or white wine)

 

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 ½  cups Stock, or Water, as needed

1/2 cup 35% cream

 

 

  1. If using fresh tomatoes begin here (if using canned begin at step 5): heat oven to 425 degrees F
  2. Core and halve tomatoes (if using fresh)
  3. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper
  4. Roast on a baking sheet for 25 minutes or until skins are slightly blackened; cool and slip off skins
  5. Meanwhile, heat a soup pot over medium heat. Add butter & fry bacon until browned but not too crispy. 
  6. Add onion and sweat for a couple of minutes until soft, but not browned. Follow with celery and carrot
  7. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds
  8. Add tomatoes (canned or roasted). Allow to cook until reduced and thickened. 
  9. Add herbs and spices, followed by wine or brandy. Boil for a few minutes. 
  10. Add water, as needed; simmer for 15 minutes
  11. Stir occasionally, breaking up tomatoes
  12. Finish by stirring in 35% cream and salt and pepper to taste

 

 

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