Warm Up with Soup

7 delicious soups to keep you warm inside and out.

Soup is a great way to clean out your refrigerator.  You can make soup with all kinds of meat, vegetables, legumes, grains, and/or pasta.  Here are 7 of my soup recipes that are simple and delicious.  Many are meatless, vegetarian, or vegan and all will help keep you warm.

A #roundup of 7 delicious soup #recipes. Warm Up w/ Soup  [Tweet this]

Black Bean Soup

A creamy, flavorful, and meatless soup made with black beans and spices.  Filling enough for an entree.

Warm up w/ #meatless Black Bean Soup  [Tweet this]

Cauliflower and Chickpea Soup

A creamy soup made with chickpeas, cauliflower, coconut milk and warm spices.  Cauliflower and chickpea soup is a delicious and vegan meal.

Warm up w/ #vegan Cauliflower & Chickpea #Soup  [Tweet this]

Green Pea Soup

Healthy and easy frozen green peas pureed in a flavorful broth for a creamy and delicious, vibrant green, soup.

Warm up w/ #frozenpeas in Green Pea #Soup  [Tweet this]

Lentil Soup

A bold and spicy soup with hot Portuguese sausage and healthy lentils.

Warm up w/ #healthy #lentils in Lentil Soup  [Tweet this]

Minestrone Soup

A simple, vegetarian, Italian style soup made with vegetables, beans, pasta, tomatoes, and spices.

Warm up w/ #vegetarian Minestrone #Soup  [Tweet this]

Mushroom and Wild Rice Soup

A creamy, meatless, soup with mushrooms and wild rice.  It's warm comfort food for a cold night.

Warm up with #comfortfood Mushroom and #WildRiceSoup  [Tweet this]

Pureed Carrot Soup

A creamy, vegan, soup made with pureed carrots, onions, and beans in a vegetable broth with a hint of dill.  It's filling enough for a meal but also great with a small sandwich.

Warm up w/ #vegan Pureed Carrot #Soup  [Tweet this]

Enjoy.

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Lentil soup

A bold and spicy soup with hot Portuguese sausage and healthy lentils.

Lentils are powerful little legumes.  They are packed with protein and fiber while being relatively low in calories.  They are very versatile too.  Lentils make great curries, soups, stew, and salads.  Another great thing about lentils is that they are quick to cook compared to other legumes like beans and don't require soaking (although I've read that soaking them overnight helps make their nutrients more digestible...I usually don't plan ahead enough to do that, though).

Lentils are powerful little legumes [Tweet this]

Lentil Soup

Servings:  2-4

Cooking time:  45-60 minutes

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small carrot. diced small
2 stalks celery, diced small
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 jalapeno, diced
1 spicy sausage (I used hot Portuguese sausage), sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup lentils (I think I used green lentils)
1 can of diced tomatoes, drained
3 cups water
1 tsp chicken bullion
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 Tbsp paprika
1/4 tsp smoked paprika (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large stock pot, over medium heat, cook the vegetables in oil until tender.  Add the sausage and continue cooking until it curls then add the garlic and lentils.

Stir and continue cooking until garlic is fragrant then add the tomatoes, water, and bullion.

Add the spices and bring to a boil.

Lower the temperature and simmer, over low heat, for about 30 minutes or until lentils are tender.  Add more water or chicken broth if needed.  Taste for seasoning and adjust.

Makes 2-4 servings.

Enjoy.

For more soup recipes check out:

Cauliflower and Chickpea Soup

Green Pea Soup            -

Black Bean Soup            -

For more lentil recipes check out:

Sambar

Lentil Caprese Salad

Arhar Dal

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Lentil Caprese Salad

A lentil salad with tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil tossed in a balsamic vinaigrette. It's great as a side or a light lunch.

I got the idea for this salad from Pinterest.  The recipe I saw was for a Caprese Pasta Salad from Simply Scratch.  It looked amazing and she used little mini mozzarella pearls and orecchiette pasta.  I wanted more fiber in my salad so I decided to try using lentils and I didn't have the mozzarella pearls but I always have string cheese in the fridge so I used that instead.  I loved the salad I stored it in the fridge and had it for lunch all week.  It looks the best when it's freshly made as the basil wilts over time but it still tastes great.

My pictures are of the salad after it sat in the fridge for a day.  The basil is not as vibrant green as it started but I made this on a rainy day so I had very little natural light in my apartment.  I don't have any fancy photo lights just some lamps and overhead lights that don't look good in pictures so I waited and took my pictures the next day when I had sunlight.

Lentil Caprese Salad

Ingredients:

1 cup dried lentils
1 1/2 - 2 cups grape tomatoes, halved or quartered
1 cup fresh basil, cut julienne
2-3 mozzarella string cheeses, sliced
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Rinse lentils and pick through to remove any rocks or debris.  Bring lentils to a simmer, in a saucepan, with 2 cups of water or broth (you can add a clove of garlic to the water if you like).  Let simmer, uncovered, for 20-30 minutes or until soft.  Drain lentils and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, prepare all of your other ingredients and then just toss everything together.  Serve immediately or store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Makes 6 servings.

A little pesto would taste great tossed into this salad.

Enjoy as a side dish or a light lunch.

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Sambar

An Indian vegetable stew made with lentils and vegetables in a tamarind broth.  Served over rice.

I had a jar of Sambar masala in my spice cabinet so I decided to make sambar for dinner.  I found a recipe at ShowMeTheCurry, a great cooking channel on YouTube where I've learned how to cook many Indian dishes, and tweaked it to what I had.  The results were delicious.

Ingredients:

1 cup (dry) Toor Dal or lentils
4 cups water
pinch turmeric
salt

2 Tbsp oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/8 tsp fenugreek seeds
10-12 dried curry leaves (crumbled)
1 large onion, diced
1 large tomato, diced
2 cups cauliflower florets
1-2 Tbsp tamarind concentrate
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 Tbsp sambar masala
1 Tbsp coriander
red chili powder to taste
cilantro leaves

Cook the lentils in 4 cups of water with salt and a pinch of turmeric.  Do not drain, then set aside.

In a large skillet, over medium high heat, heat the oil.  Add the cumin and fenugreek seeds until they sputter.  Add the crumbled curry leaves and give it a quick stir then add the onion.

Cook the onion, stirring, until it becomes soft and translucent.  Then add the tomatoes and cook for another minute.  Add the cauliflower and about 1/4 cup of water.

Cover the pan and allow cauliflower to steam for about 5 minutes or until softened.

Using a large spoon mash some of the lentils against the side of the pan then pour lentils and remaining cooking water into the vegetable mixture.

Add the tamarind concentrate, sambar masala, coriander, turmeric, and chili powder to taste (I made it as spicy as I could handle it and then had my husband add more red chili to his serving).  Add salt to taste, stir, and lower the heat.  You can add more water if you would like it soupier. I added about 4 oz of diced pork loin (that was leftover from an earlier dinner) but this is optional. Let simmer for a few minutes then serve.

Serve over rice, garnished with cilantro, and naan bread on the side.  Makes 2-3 servings.  Enjoy.

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Arhar Dal

A vegetarian dish of lentils in a spicy gravy served over rice.

One of the things I love about Indian food is that it can be very simple.  Once you have some basic ingredients and spices you can whip up a quick dinner with very few and inexpensive ingredients.  I always have lentils and rice in my pantry and the spices, once stocked, last a while. 

So when I was planning what to make for dinner and there was very little food in the house I immediately thought of Arhar Dal.   This dish is made with toor dal (split yellow pigeon peas), which I actually had, but I think it would taste fine with any type of lentil.  And I had a pre made spice mix which I think is mostly turmeric and chili powder.  The rest of the ingredients are all simple things I always keep on hand.  I was proud to make a healthy and filling dinner without having to spend a lot of money.

Ingredients:

1 cup dry lentils
1-2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
1 Tbsp ginger
1 onion, diced
1 tomato, diced
2 tsp Arhar dal spice

Cook and drain lentils, set aside (I added a few dashes of turmeric and salt to the cooking water).

Heat a large saute pan over medium high heat and add the oil.  Add the cumin seeds and let sputter then add the ginger and garlic.  Cook for about 1 minute until fragrant.

Add the onions and cook until translucent and then add the tomatoes.  Cook for a few minutes more and then add the lentils and spice mix.  Salt and pepper to taste and you can always add more chili powder if you want to spicier.

Mix thoroughly adding a little water if needed to reach the desired consistency.  Remove from heat and serve over rice.

Makes 2-3 servings.  Serve with naan and vegetable of choice.  I served with roasted broccoli.  Enjoy.

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