Alligator Pear Soup (So Simple)

2 large ripe avocados
1 medium tomato peeled, seeded and chopped.
4 cups chicken broth
1 Tbl green onion, minced ½ cup heavy cream
1 tsp lime juice Salt and pepper to taste
cup dry white wine

Directions

Blend the tomato, green onion, chicken broth, heavy cream and lime juice in a blender until well blended.
Heat this mixture in a saucepan and simmer for a few minutes.
Peel and mash the aquacate and blend into the soup. Add the white wine and heat through, and serve.

This soup is also delicious serve cold.

Easy Tofu Hot-And-Sour Soup

Ingredients

4 cups vegetable broth
1 (12 ounce) package silken tofu, diced
2 green onions, chopped
1 eggs, beaten
1 portobello mushroom, halved and sliced
2 cups chopped cabbage
1 tablespoon Thai chile sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon citric acid powder (optional)

Directions

Measure broth into a saucepan, and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Add tofu and green onions. Slowly drizzle in the beaten egg to make long strands of egg. Add mushrooms and cabbage, and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and season with chili sauce, vinegar and soy sauce. Stir in citric acid if using.

Carrot Ginger Chicken Soup

Ingredients 10 carrots
1 Tbs poultry seasoning
1 onion
2 cups pulled chicken
4 cups chicken broth made fresh from stewing the chicken
2 Tbs grated/minced ginger
3 bay leaves
3 cloves garlic

Perparation Chop carrot into chunks and bring to boil in chicken broth and ginger. Boil until carrots are tender.

Remove carrot and ginger with slotted spoon and place in blender with 1 cup of broth. Blend until smooth.

Chop onion and saute with garlic until translucent. Add onions, garlic, bay leaves and poultry seasoning to chicken broth and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add blended carrot and ginger mixture and pulled chicken to broth. Stir and simmer for 5 minutes.

Salt to taste.

Serve!

Notes We ate this for dinner the evening my sister and Sean came for New Year's 2006. We were all mmm-ing and ooo-ing the soup so much I had to put it on-line.

The chicken came from the left-overs of a pan-fried chicken meal we made the night before. We simmered all the left-overs (bones and all) in about 4 cups of water for approximately one hour to make a delicious chicken soup broth. We refrigerated the broth with all the chicken still in it until we made this soup.

When making the soup, we took the chicken stuff out of the pot (after the broth liquified with a little heat) and pulled all the chicken meat off the bones. The bones, fat and gristle were discarded at this point. The pulled chicken was added as described in the recipe for this soup.

Enjoy!

Mexican Potato, Garlic, and Chipotle Soup

Ingredients:

3 medium white potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ cup finely diced onion
½ cup finely diced poblano pepper , plus more for garnish
1 head minced garlic
1 tablespoon butter
3 cups chicken broth
1 canned chipolte chile in adobo, seeded and chopped

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce or Maggi

fresh Cilantro

Directions:

1
Cut three tortillas into ninths; place in food processor and chop until fine.
2
Add flour,chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper; blend to the consistency of cornmeal.
3
Place oil in stockpot over medium high heat; add onion, 1/2 cup poblano pepper, and garlic and sauté until the onion is transparent.
4
Add butter and let it melt.
5
Add tortilla-flour mixture to the pan and mix to form a roux.
6
Cook 4-5 minutes stirring constantly with a whisk- do not let mixture burn.
7
While stirring, slowly add broth, scraping down sides and bottom often.
8
Add half and half, bring to a slow simmer and cook 7-10 minutes.

African Sweet Potato and Peanut Soup

[This calls for sweet potatoes, but you can use plain potatoes, no problem]

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger root
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pinch ground cloves
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
4 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chopped, unsalted dry-roasted peanuts
1 pinch cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1 bunch chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute the onion 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Mix in the garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and cloves. Stir in the tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and carrot, and continue to cook and stir about 5 minutes.
Pour water into the saucepan, and season the mixture with salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes.

Remove the soup mixture from heat. In a food processor or blender, blend the soup and peanuts until almost smooth. Season with cayenne pepper. Return to the saucepan. Whisk in the peanut butter, and cook until heated through. Serve warm topped with fresh cilantro.

Cream of Hearts of Palm Soup

1 large can or jar hearts of palm, preserved
6 cups light chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup double-heavy cream
12 0z. potato, peeled and cubed

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp. butter

1 large leek, finely sliced
1 medium onion, sliced
salt and white pepper to taste

cayenne and chive to garnish
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Drain the hearts of palm, then slice into thin rounds. Reserve. Melt the butter in a medium sauce pan, and lightly saute the sliced onion until golden. Remove the onion, and add the broth. Bring to boil over moderate heat, then reduce heat to simmer. Whisk the cornstarch into cold milk until dissolved, and then slowly pour the mixture into the hot broth. Add salt and white pepper to taste. Continue to cook, continually stirring, until the mixture thickens slightly. Add the slices of hearts of palm and remove from heat. Off heat, stir in the grated cheese and serve immediately.

red lentil coconut soup

We finally got some snow here in Portland although it only lasted a few hours it was truly beautiful for a short while. Growing up in California I’ve spent very little time in the snow and I’m always struck by how still and silent the world seems when it is blanketed in white. While I was sloshing through all the slush left over from our little storm I started dreaming about a nice warm comforting bowl of soup. Since I’ve been trying to avoid meat, dairy, gluten and sugar I had to think about my usual bowl of soup a little differently. I thought maybe a coconut based soup with some Indian spices and then I found this recipe from my favorite blogger Heidi Swanson and dinner was served.

Lentils are a great source of protein, don’t need to be soaked before cooking and an entire cup of cooked lentils contains just 200 calories. This soup tastes rich and decadent but won’t weigh you down. To bulk it up a little bit more you could serve it with some quinoa or brown rice or maybe a nice spoonful of yogurt.

Ingredients:

2 cups red split lentils
1 onion, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper cut into 1/2 inch dice
1 fresh jalapeno or serrano chili, finely chopped, including seeds
1 tablespoon fresh peeled and minced ginger
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup tomato paste
7 cups water
1 can unsweetened light coconut milk
1 15-ounce can of chickpeas
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
fresh cilantro and lime wedges for serving

Method:

Heat the tablespoon of olive oil in a dutch oven or large soup pan and add the onions, bell pepper and jalapeno and cook for 5-7 minutes until the vegetables have softened and start to take on some color. Add the garlic, ginger, spices and tomato paste and continue to cook for 2-3 more minutes until the mixture is toasty and fragrant. Add the water, coconut milk, lentils and chickpeas and cook uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes adding the lime juice at the end of cooking. Taste and adjust with more salt or more lime juice if desired. Serve the soup topped with a sprinkling of fresh cilantro and some extra limes on the side.

Okra Stew

Ingredients:

* 3 lbs. chopped okra
* 1 lb. shrimp (de-veined & shelled)
* 1 lb. ham
* 1 lb. smoked sausage
* 2 14.5 ounce cans of chopped tomatoes
* 1 6oz. can tomato paste
* 2 cups chopped yellow onions
* 6 cloves garlic
* 1 6oz. can tomato paste
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 2 bay leaves
* ½ tsp. dried oregano
* ½ tsp. dried thyme
* ½ tsp. dried basil
* ½ tsp. red pepper flakes
* 1 tablespoon sugar
* 2 cups chicken stock or water

Cooking Instructions

You must sweat the okra using the following process:

* In a large sauce pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium high heat.
* Add okra, onion and garlic. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
* Uncover and stir. Cover and simmer for 3 minutes.
* Uncover bring fire to medium high heat and continue to turn okra with a spatula until all slime is burned off. i.e., when you turn with spatula and you see no slime strains. (This process may take 10 or 15 minutes)

* Add ham, smoked sausage, tomato paste, canned tomatoes, bay leaves, dried oregano, thyme, basil, pepper flakes and 2 cups chicken stock (or water). Simmer for 20 minutes in uncovered pan.
* Add shrimp and cook for 10 minutes until shrimp turn pink.

A Winter Fast Day Soup
Potage Maigre d'Hiver
submitted by Richard Tuttle

The Creoles excel in the preparation of soups without meat, or fast day soups, which are in great vogue during the lenten season. This "Winter Fast Day Soup" comes from a 1945 edition of The Picayune Creole Cookbook published by The Picayune Times. Note the quaint language.

Ingredients:

*
1 Quart of Dried Peas.
*
3 Quarts of Water, 1 Lettuce, Sliced.
*
1 Head of Celery.
*
1 Carrot. 2 Turnips. 2 Large Onions.
*
Handful of Spinach.
*
Sprig Each of Mint, Thyme and Parsley.
*
1 Bay Leaf.
*
A Tablespoonful of Butter and a Teaspoon of Sugar.
*
Salt and Pepper to Taste.

Cooking Instructions

Stew all the vegetables, except the lettuce, together, after having chopped fine, until they are perfectly soft.
*
Then return to the fire with the chopped lettuce, butter and sugar.
*
Boil quickly about twenty minutes, and serve with Croutons.

Black Bean Soup w/ Stout

No muss, no fuss!

In skillet, warm salt, pepper, oregano,  bay leaf, garlic, onion and cayenne in 1 Tblsp. olive oil.

In a crock-pot (slow-cooker) put 1 package of black beans. Add spices from skillet.

Cover w/ meat or veggie stock. Turn on crock-pot. After about 6 hours add a bottle of stout or porter. Cook another 4 hours or so. Add hot peppers and/or lime juice. Deelish!

Cream of Parsnip #2 (mit der potatoes, yet!)

* 1 tablespoon butter

* 1 cup chopped onion

* 1/2 cup chopped celery

* 1 pound sliced peeled parsnip
* 1/4 cup dry white wine

* 2 cups water
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

* 2 (14-ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

* 1 pound peeled baking potatoes, cubed

* 1 bay leaf
* 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

* 6 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream

* 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

1. Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, and parsnip; sauté 10 minutes. Stir in the wine, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add water, salt, pepper, broth, potato, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium. Cook 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Discard bay leaf.

2. Place one-third of vegetable mixture in a blender, and process until smooth. Pour puréed vegetable mixture into a large bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining vegetable mixture. Stir in the lemon juice. Spoon 1 cup soup into each of 6 bowls; top each serving with 1 tablespoon sour cream and 1/2 teaspoon parsley.

Garnish with bacon and chives.

Cream of Parsnip Soup

Sounds dull, huh? But on a cold winter's day, nothing makes me feel better (aside from coffee, so pair w/ coffee)... Incredible subtle flavor.

Ingredients

* 2 teaspoons unsalted butter
* 1 cup diced shallots (about 3)
* 1/4 cup diced onion
* 3/4 cup white wine
* 3 1/2 cups peeled, chopped parsnips (about 9 small)
* 5 cups chicken stock (see Chef's notes, below)
* 3/4 teaspoon white balsamic vinegar
* 3/4 teaspoon salt
* Pinch pepper
* 3/4 cup half-and-half

Preparation

In wide saucepan over medium-low heat, melt butter. Add shallots and onion and sauté, stirring, until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add wine, stir well, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until wine is reduced by half, about 10 minutes.

Add parsnips, chicken stock, vinegar, salt, and pepper and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently, uncovered, until parsnips are completely tender, about 45 minutes. Remove pan from heat and use immersion blender to purée the soup (or cool slightly and purée in batches in standing blender, transferring purée to clean saucepan). Whisk in half-and-half. Set over low heat and rewarm until steaming. Serve 3/4 cup portions in soup bowls.

Chef's notes: ·Canyon Ranch's chefs recommend making your own chicken stock or using natural brands such as Imagine or Pacific Natural Foods, which tend to be low in sodium and are free of artificial ingredients. ·For a pretty garnish, top the soup with chopped parsley and roasted parsnips: Simply peel and cut one large parsnip into thick matchsticks, toss with a small amount of olive oil and sea salt, and roast in a preheated oven at 450° until soft and brown, about 20 minutes. ·Take care when puréeing hot liquids. If using a standing blender, cool the liquid slightly before pouring it in, and cover the blender's lid with a kitchen towel to avoid burns from escaping steam. If using an immersion blender, submerge the blender in the liquid before turning it on to avoid splatters.

West African Peanut Soup #2

Ingredients

* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 2 medium onions, very finely diced
* 2 large bell peppers, (any color) finely chopped
* 6 large cloves garlic, minced
* 1 (28 ounce) can chopped tomatoes with juice
* 8 cups vegetable broth
* 1/4 teaspoon pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
* 1/2 cup uncooked rice
* 1 (18 ounce) jar creamy peanut butter
* chopped roasted peanuts (optional)

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Cook onion, bell pepper, and garlic until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes with their juice, vegetable broth, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

2. Add rice to soup and stir. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 25 minutes, or until rice is tender.

3. When rice is cooked, whisk in peanut butter and return to a simmer, and serve. Garnish with chopped roasted peanuts, if desired.

African Peanut Soup

Ingredients

* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 2 medium onions, chopped
* 2 large red bell peppers, chopped
* 4 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes, with liquid
* 8 cups vegetable broth or stock
* 1/4 teaspoon pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon chili powder (optional)
* 2/3 cup extra crunchy peanut butter
* 1/2 cup uncooked brown rice

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium high heat. Cook onions and bell peppers until lightly browned and tender, stirring in garlic when almost done to prevent burning. Stir in tomatoes, vegetable stock, pepper, and chili powder. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

2. Stir in rice, cover, and simmer another fifteen minutes or until rice is tender. Stir in peanut butter until well blended, and serve.

Vichyssoise (French Potato Soup)

* 2 cups finely diced raw potatoes
* 4 tablespoons butter
* 6 leeks, cleaned and cut into 1 inch pieces
* 3 cups chicken stock
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon freshy ground black pepper
* a dash of nutmeg
* 1 and a half to 2 Cups of heavy cream
* Chopped chives

Preparation

Cook the potatoes in salted water to cover until just tender. Melt the butter in a skillet and cool the leeks gently, tossing them lightly, for a few minutes. Add the chicken bouillon and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer the leeks until tender. Add the potatoes to the leeks and the broth and season to taste with salt, papper and nutmeg. Put this mixture in the blender (you will need to blend it in two lots) and blend for 1 minute, or until smooth. Chill. When ready to serve, mix in heavy cream. Garnish with chopped chives.

Mushroom and Potato Curry Soup

1 1.2 lbs potatoes, unpeeled
1/2 cup cooking oil
1 tbsp cumin seeds
3 tbsp finely chopped garlic
3 tbsp finely chopped ginger
1 tbsp salt
2 1/2 tbs ground coriander
1 tbsp crushed cayenne pepper
1 tsp turmeric
5 cups water
2 1/2 cups buttermilk
6 oz mushrooms, chopped

1. Place potatoes in a large pot, cover with water and bring to a boil on high heat. Cover, reduce the heat to medium and boil for 45 minutes, or until potatoes are soft but not mushy when pierced with a knife. Drain potatoes and set aside to cool.

2. Once potatoes are cool, use your fingers or a sharp knife to peel off and discard the skins. Roughly mash the potatoes, using your fists or a potato masher. Be sure to leave the potatoes a bit chunky, as you want some texture in the soup.

3. In a large heavy-bottomed pot, heat oil on medium high for 45 seconds. Add cumin seeds and allow them to sizzle for 30 seconds. Add garlic and saute for 1 to 2 minutes, or until golden. Stir in ginger and saute for 30 seconds, then add salt, coriander, cayenne and turmeric, and saute for 1 minute. Reduce the heat to medium-high, add the 5 cups of water and stir thoroughly. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to low.

4. Pour buttermilk into a large bowl. To prevent the buttermilk from separating in the soup, use a ladle to spoon about 1 1/2 cups of the hot potato curry into the buttermilk. Whisk the mixture until it is well combined. Carefully spoon all of the buttermilk into the pot of curry. Using the whisk, mix well and, stirring continuously, bring to a boil on low heat. Add mushrooms and cook for about 2 minutes, or until slightly wilted.

Polenta- Makes 6 servings

"Polenta was Northern Italy's basic foodstuff traditionally. In those days, the rural population had to make do with a porridge made from grain cooked in water, whether this be millet, buckwheat, or common spelt. It was basically poor people's food. Today it often shows up in expensive restaurants but it's still a poor man's food as it is inexpensive. All it is is coarsely ground cornmeal. You can make this recipe as a main course or as a side. I've had a lot of luck adding the parmesan because it adds salty flavor and a rich texture all in one ingredient. The wilted mustard greens are a good combination because they add a bit of crunch and some good old fashioned nutrients to your plate. They are also pretty easy to grow in South Carolina."

INGREDIENTS
Parmesan Polenta:
1 cup organic cornmeal
5 cups water
1 tsp almond milk
½ cup parmesan
Salt and pepper to taste
Wilted Mustard Greens:
4 lb mustard greens, stems and coarse ribs discarded
3 large garlic cloves, minced
4 tbsp local butter
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper

PREPARATION:

Parmesan Polenta:

1. Add the corn grits and water to a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until they are fully combined. You'll know when they're done because large bubbles will begin to burst in the middle of the polenta.

2. Take off the heat. Add almond milk, parmesan, salt, and pepper and fully combine.

Source: Epicurious

Wilted Mustard Greens:

1. Cook mustard greens in a boiling salted water, stirring to submerge, until wilted and tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer with tongs to a large bowl of cold water to stop cooking. Drain greens.

2. Sauté in garlic and butter until softened, about 2 minutes. Add boiled greens, salt, and pepper and cook for five more minutes.

How 'bout some risotto?

"I'm going to give you a recipe for a classic risotto. Now, I know you don't have any truffles in your cupboard, but you could drizzle a little truffle oil over top. Not the same thing, but a little hint of what could be. Risotto is very easy to make, but people find it daunting because you have to stay be the stove the whole time it is cooking. The key to making good risotto is to have the broth hot. If you use cold or warm broth, it cools the rice down with each addition and makes for a chalky texture of risotto and a longer cooking time.

"The beauty of risotto is that you can add just about anything to it to make it into a main course. Normally you would cook that ingredient separately and add it towards the end of the recipe."

INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION:

1. Combine 1 tbsp of the butter and the oil in a heavy 4 quart pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the onion begins to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Be careful not to brown it. Stir in the rice to coat the grains with the fat and onion mixture and cook about 1 minute longer.

2. Add the wine and cook, stirring, until it is mostly absorbed by the rice. Begin to add the broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. Wait until each addition is almost completely absorbed before adding the next 1/2 cup. Reserve 1/4 cup of the broth to add at the end.

3. When the rice is tender but firm, in about 20 minutes, turn off the heat. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of broth and 1 tbsp of butter, the cheese, salt and pepper to taste and stir well to combine with the rice. Serve immediately.