Potato Leek Soup

Happy Meatless Monday everyone! Boy, have I been MIA from blogging recently! Being engaged has been incredibly distracting from things I should be focusing on - i.e. school, work and blogging - but its been a good distraction and I know I'll come down off Cloud 9 soon :-)


In the spirit of Meatless Monday, I want to share a really nice recipe for Potato Leek Soup. Though we've had some bursts of nice weather recently out here in Baltimore, it's still cold, which means it's still soup season... and I'm not sick of it quite yet. With only five main ingredients, you can't get much simpler than this recipe.. or more delicious!  Leeks may be the only unfamiliar item in this recipe, but fear not! Leeks are in the same family as the better-known scallions, onions and garlic, which means they provide many of the same health-promoting benefits associated with these vegetables.  Mild and sweet, leeks add a nice depth to foods its cooked with, and they taste great cooked on their own, or added to salads, soups, casseroles, etc.  The potatoes, onions, garlic and leeks go really well together in this super easy, healthy, hearty soup that's perfect for a Meatless Monday!


POTATO LEEK SOUP

Ingredients

Olive oil
2 onions (I used one yellow and one red, just for extra color), chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2-3 leeks, thoroughly washed and sliced thinly (use mostly the white/light green parts and about an inch or so into the dark green leaves)
~1lb potatoes, washed and chopped into large chunks
6-8 cups vegetable broth (or water)
Bay leaf (optional)
Salt/Pepper to taste

 Directions
1. In a large soup pot, heat 1-2 tblsp of olive oil and add in the onions, garlic and leeks. Cook for several minutes, stirring often, until softened.

2. Add in the potatoes, bay leave (optional) and cover with vegetable broth.
3. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 20-30 minutes until potatoes are soft (check by mashing a potato with a fork against the side of the pot)

4. You can leave it chunky if you wish, or for a smoother, creamier soup, use an immersion hand mixer or blender to puree the soup.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste. Top with some parmesan cheese before serving and enjoy!

Lucky Black Eyed Pea Soup

Happy 2011! I hope everyone had a blast celebrating the new year and setting those infamous resolutions to start the year off on a good note.  I can't say that I intentionally set any specific goals for the next year, but I do hope to finish my grad program off strong, figure out my next career move, and have lots of fun new food adventures.  I've already been working on the latter, and for the next few weeks I will have a partner in crime in my kitchen, a.k.a. my boyfriend's sister, Emily. She's a 26 year old, incredible opera singer, who is in between performances right now, so she is staying with us in Baltimore while one of our other roommates is home for break. Emily is a ball of energy and not afraid to push my buttons and challenge me in the kitchen, so I can assure you that there will be some fun recipes and surprises over the next few weeks!

To honor my family's tradition of eating eating black eyed peas at the start of the new year for good luck, Emily and I made a hearty black eyed pea soup with chicken, brown rice, kale and lots of herbs and spices. This was the perfect soup to have after being out in the cold this afternoon watching the Ravens beat up on the Bengals. Playoffs- here we come... GO RAVENS! This soup's got everything you need for a healthy, satisfying meal in just one pot.  And if you make a big pot on Sunday then you can freeze the leftovers for ready-to-go meals throughout the next few weeks. 

LUCKY BLACK EYED PEA SOUP

Ingredients

2 cups dried black eyed peas

8 cups water

1/2 lb chicken breast

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped carrots

1/2 cup chopped celery

1 clove garlic

1 tblsp olive oil

1 bunch kale, washed and chopped

1-2 cups brown rice or grain blend

1 vegetable or chicken low-sodium bouillon cube (not a huge fan of these, but I do use them from time to time, as they are easy to keep on hand)

Herbs and spices: salt, pepper, bay leaf, thyme, sage, red chili flakes, cayenne

Directions

1. Wash and sort the dried beans. Put them into a large pot with the water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for about 30 min.

2. Meanwhile, coat the chicken with a little bit of salt and pepper on both sides and cook in a pan with some olive oil. Chop or shred into small pieces and set aside.

3. In the same pan, heat a little bit more olive oil and cook the garlic, onions, carrots, celery with salt and pepper until softened. 

4. Once the beans have cooked for about 30 minutes or so and are nearly soft, add the cooked vegetables, shredded chicken, brown rice, kale bouillon cube, and the rest of the herbs and spices to taste.  Cook for an additional 15-20 minutes and adjust spices as needed. ENJOY!

Special thanks to my roommate Leann for being a taste tester of the soup! 

Chili Football Sunday

As I am writing this, I am watching one of the most anticipated football games of the season- Steelers vs. Ravens (round #2) and I can't wait to see the Ravens dominate yet again! I also just enjoyed one of the best bowls of chili I've ever made... inspired by the one and only Bobby Flay. I've been planning to make chili for a while now, but I waited to make it today because nothing goes better with football on a chilly (pun-intended) December night than a warm bowl of chili, ice cold beer and lots of friends :-) Only one minor detail I failed to mention is that my boyfriend, Matt, is a Steeler's fan (yuck!)... but he's a big chili fan so at least we can agree on one thing on game days.

Bobby Flay is a chili master, so I looked up his chili recipes and found this Beef and Black Bean Chili that I just couldn't resist; and I also happen to have some local, humanely raised ground beef in the freezer just calling my name. I usually pack my chili with lots of veggies and skip the meat, but tonight I decided to go true to beef recipe (using high quality, local beef, of course) to celebrate this big game night.  That being said, I can't follow a recipe exactly without changing a few ingredients here or there depending on what I have on hand, so here is my interpretation of Bobby Flay's recipe... the 'Alli Flay' way as my dad says.  This is a MUST-TRY chili recipe and worth the extra effort to find the right ingredients.

BOBBY FLAY'S BEEF AND BLACK BEAN CHILI

Ingredients:

2 tblsp olive oil
1.5 pounds local, humanely-raised
Salt/pepper
1 large onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 tablespoons ancho chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 bottle beer (I used Yuengling, but use whatever you have!)
5 cups homemade chicken/veggie stock (or canned low-sodium or water)
1 (16-ounce) can organic diced tomatoes, drained and pureed

2 tblsp organic tomato paste
1 tablespoon chipotle pepper puree (I found a small can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce in the international foods section in Giant.. they are delicious, smoky and spicy) 
1 tablespoon honey
2 cups pre-soaked overnight dry black beans (If you are using cooked or canned black beans, don't add until last 15 minutes of cooking) 
Optional Toppings- Avocado, cilantro, cheese, sour cream, lime juice, etc. 

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large pot over high heat. Season the beef with salt and pepper, and saute until browned on all sides. Transfer the meat to a plate and remove all but 3 tablespoons of the fat from the pan.

2.  Add the onions and garlic to the pan and cook until soft (about 5-7min). 

3. Add the ancho chili powder and cumin, and cook an additional 2 minutes. Add the beer and cook until completely reduced to about half of its original volume. 

4. Return the beef to the pot, add the stock, beans, tomatoes, tomato paste, chipotle puree, and honey, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, cover the pan, and simmer for about 60 minutes (If you are using cooked or canned beans, add them after about 45 minutes of simmering. 

5. Serve into a bowl and personalize toppings to your liking! Also perfect for dipping with tortilla chips. YUM! ENJOY AND GO RAVENS! 

Kale, White Bean and Tomato Soup

As much as I love making soups in the crock pot, sometimes I just don't plan well enough to get everything into the pot in the morning to have it ready when I get home.  So, on those days when I am really craving a warm bowl of soup, but it isn't waiting for me ready in the crock pot, I want something that I can throw together really quickly. I know it can be tempting to just grab can of pre-made soup from your pantry and throw a bowl of it into the microwave, but nothing can beat the taste and satisfaction of a bowl of homemade soup, especially if it can be made in less than 30minutes. This Kale, White Bean and Tomato soup is a deliciously hearty, seasonal, and healthy dish for this time of year as the nights get colder and all we want to do is curl up in a blanket with a bowl of soup. That is surely what I did last night; so much for getting any school work done! It was well worth it though, and I even had plenty of leftovers that I froze so that I can savor this soup all throughout the cold season.

KALE, WHITE BEAN, AND TOMATO SOUP

Ingredients:

1 tblsp olive oil

1/2 onion, diced

1/2 medium carrot, diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 bunch of kale (any kind will do), washed and chopped

2 15oz cans of organic, diced, no-salt added tomatoes

~2 cups (or 1 can) navy beans (or any white bean)

4-5 cups Vegetable (or chicken) stock, low sodium

Salt and pepper to taste

~ 2tsp each of dried Oregano & Thyme

Directions: 

1. In a large pot, saute the onions, garlic and carrot in olive oil on medium heat until soft, about 5min.

2. Add the kale, tomatoes (with liquid), beans, stock, and salt/pepper/herbs. Stir everything together.

3. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer for about 25-30minutes until flavors are well-incorporated and kale is soft. Add additional seasonings to taste.  ENJOY!

Slow Cooker Chicken Soup

Slow cookers are the best. There is nothing better than throwing a bunch of things into a pot in the morning and then coming home to a house that smells wonderful and dinner ready to go.  I had these two bone-in chicken pieces (a breast and a thigh) in the freezer from a local Maryland farm and some leftover mushrooms and broccoli, so I figured I would throw everything together to make a soup! It's that time of year again for soups and thank God because soups are just so good for the soul. This one is a full meal in and of itself with chicken, brown rice and vegetables.  The brown rice and vegetables add plenty of nutrients and fiber, and the chicken gives it that extra boost of protein to complete the meal. It's hearty, but not heavy and it will make you feel all warm and cozy inside. Add a glass of white wine, kick your feet up and call it a night! Feel free to get creative and use whatever you have on hand- the possibilities are endless! Here's what I did:

White Wine, Garlic and Herbed Chicken and Brown Rice Slow Cooker Soup with Mushrooms and Broccoli

Marinade:

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup olive oil

About 1/2 bottle white wine (and save the other half to drink with dinner!) 

Rosemary and thyme (I used fresh, but dried works too)

Salt/pepper

Soup:

2 mixed pieces of bone-in, skin-on chicken (preferably local/organic)

Water (Or Chicken/Vegetable stock for more flavor)

2 cups chopped broccoli

1-2 cups sliced mushrooms (I used crimini)

1 medium onion

1-1.5 cups brown rice

More rosemary and thyme

Salt/Pepper to taste

1. Mix together all the ingredients for the marinade, pour over the chicken in a container or plastic bag and refrigerate over night (or at least 4-6 hours)

2. Place the chicken and leftover marinade in the slow cooker, fill the pot about 3/4 full with water (or stock)

3. Set on high for about 3-4 hours, until chicken falls off the bone. 

4. Take the chicken out, and set aside until cool enough to pull the meat off the bones. Put the shredded meat back in the pot once you can get it off the bones. 

5. Meanwhile, put all the vegetables and brown rice in the pot and cook on high for another hour or two until vegetables are soft and the rice is cooked. 

6. Add any additional salt/pepper to taste and top with some more herbs or parmesan cheese, if you'd like. ENJOY!