Tag Archive for 'soup'

Gazpacho Makes My Summer

Published on August 3, 2009 in food and recipes. 2 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

(I promise to post photos later!)

I really can’t remember the first time I ate gazpacho.  But I feel like I’ve loved it for a long time, and when I see lovely ripe tomatoes at the Farmer’s Market and it’s so stinkin’ hot, I have to make gazpacho.

I love it for a bunch of reasons.  I love being able to taste every single vegetable in each bite.  I love how it chills me right to the core.  And I love when it’s so spicy my eyes water.

After looking through a bunch of recipes, I made my own.  Mind you, this is not traditional, so you won’t find bread in this soup, but you will find seasonal ripe veggies.  If they aren’t ripe or local, they just aren’t worth eating.

Enjoy!

  • 4-6 large tomato chopped  – 1 cup put aside
  • 1 large cucumber – peeled and chopped – 1 cup put aside
  • 1 large red onion – chopped
  • 3 large stalks of celery – chopped – 1 cup put aside
  • 1 yellow pepper – chopped – 1 cup put aside
  • Cilantro (amount to your liking) – chopped
  • 1/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar
  • 1/4 cup Olive Oil
  • 1/4 cup Lemon Jiuce
  • 4 cups Tomato Juice (I use V-8, seems to have the most real food ingredients)
  • Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper
  • Hot Sauce

    • Makes about 8 servings.

Put chopped veggies and cilantro in a blender or food processor and pulse to desired consistency.  I do it just a wee bit of processing, I like to chew this soup and taste each vegetable in each bite.

Pour into a non-reactive bowl, add the Red Wine Vinegar, Olive Oil, Lemon Juice, Tomato Juice, salt and pepper / hot sauce to taste and mix together.  My blender and food processor aren’t big enough to hold it all, but if they are, you can put it all in and blend away.

I’m thinking about other gazpachos.  I’ve had a beet gazpacho that was so amazing I just can’t forget about, and it might be my next gazpacho….

Cozy Soup

Published on March 31, 2008 in food. 1 Comment Tags: , , , .

It’s snowing here, again. March was In Like a Lion and Out Like a Lion. So, I’ve been making lots of soup and other yummy cozy food. (Cozy is a word Iz has been using a lot too.)

Split Pea Soup

I really do love soups, and I have a hard time cooking them so they are flavorful and full. But I think I did ok this time. This is a vegan pea soup with pita bread toast.

Here’s my recipe, without many measurements, because I usually use what I have.

  • 1 bag of green split peas, soaked over night, then boiled for 1 hour before making the soup
  • 1-2 onions, chopped
  • 5-10 cloves of garlic (depending on your taste), chopped
  • handful of carrots, chopped
  • a few stalks of celery, chopped
  • about a cup of barley
  • 2-4 tablespoons of curry powder
  • 2-4 teaspoons of cumin
  • 6 cups of veggie broth (more or less depending on how thick or runny you like your soup)
  • a few tablespoons of olive oil

Warm up the olive oil in a sauté pan (or the bottom of your soup pot so you don’t have to do more dishes), sauté onions until clear, then add garlic. Sauté for a few minutes add curry and cumin. Wait one minute, then add carrots and celery. Sauté until they are tender. I throw the barley in for just a minute and mix it all together. Then add the broth and the peas. Boil for 45 minutes to 1 hour, checking the peas for tenderness. At the end, I blend with my little hand held blender, not all the way, I like it a little chunky, not a full pureé.

Serve with Pita Toast:

  • Left-over Pita in the Fridge
  • olive oil or butter(yum!)
  • Italian seasoning
  • rosemary
  • roasted minced garlic
  • parmesan cheese
  • or anything yummy in your pantry

Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Cut pita into strips or triangles. Lay single layers flat on a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan (I throw them on and mix them together, they are not perfectly placed on the pan). Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle on spices and throw in the oven (careful not to spill pita). Let them cook for about 10 minutes, but keep a close eye, they turn quickly. We like them crunchy, right before they burn.

*A note about the soup: It was SO MUCH BETTER THE NEXT DAY! Much more flavor than immediately after coming out of the pot. The next time I make this, it will be at least a day ahead (if I can get my act together!).

Remind me to tell you about the black bean soup I made the next night – YUM! and served with Making Dinner for Aunt Melissa Drop Biscuits. They were delish!