Creole Barley Soup

 

 I am sorry that I have not been posting much lately.  I have been under the weather off and on, and frankly I have been feeling a little burned out.   I've given myself time to get better and I am feeling like I am back on track.  This recipe is a tomato based bean and barley soup with a healthy does of spice.  

 The Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 of a large onion, diced

5 cups tomato juice

1/2 cup uncooked pearl barley, rinsed

2-15 ounce cans Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained

2 teaspoons creole or Cajun seasoning

The Tools

large stock pot

The Cooking

Warm the oil over medium heat and add the onion.  Saute until the onion is tender, but still has a bite to it.  

Add the tomato soup

Add the pearl barley

Add the beans

Add the seasoning

Heat to a boiling; reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.  

Serve warm.  Serve with shredded cheese or sour cream

Nutritional Info

Serves 8

Serving Size 3/4 cup

Calories per serving: 195

Fat per serving: 3

Protein per serving: 9

Fiber per serving: 9

Sodium per serving: 780

Potassium per serving: 584

recipe source: Betty Crocker's Vegetarian Cooking

Vegetarian Brunswick Stew

I have previously posted a Brunswick Stew Recipe, but I made some minor changes to that original, and in keeping with the recent The Veggie Mom is way behind on blogging theme I've got going here lately, I decided to post the updated recipe.  

Brunswick Stew is another Southern recipe which was always a favorite of mine growing up.  My grandmother and mother both made this recipe.  A traditional Brunswick stew is made with various types of meat and way back when, the recipe would actually involve the use of an entire hogs head.  Needless to say, hogs head is not used often today in ANY recipes.  The other main stay of Brunswick Stew is the use of ketchup and vinegar as a flavor element which gives the stew a taste similar to that of a Carolina BBQ sauce.  Add to this a healthy dose of hearty vegetables, like corn, lima beans and potatoes and you have a damn nice stew.  

almost needed a wide angle lens for this one

The Ingredients

1/2 teaspoon olive oil

1/2 onion, diced

1 stalk of celery, diced

8 ounces faux chicken 

10 ounces soy crumbles

4 cups vegetable broth

1 baking potato, peeled and cubed

1/2 pound frozen lime beans

1/2 pound frozen corn (shoe peg corn if you can get it)

1/2 cup ketchup

1/4 cup vegan Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup white vinegar

1-14.5 ounce can dice tomatoes

dash of liquid smoke

dash or two of hot sauce

The Tools

a really big pot

The Cooking/Stewing

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large stockpot until it shimmers

 Add the onion

 

Add the celery and saute

 Add the faux chicken and stir until it is well coated with the oil and vegetables. 

Add the soy crumbles and stir to combine

Add in the vegetable broth

And the potatoes

and the frozen lima beans and corn

 it looks good, but I am not done yet.

Add the ketchup and stir to incorporate

Add the vegan Worcestershire Sauce

and the vinegar

and the can of tomatoes

a dash of liquid smoke

one, two or maybe even three dashes of hot sauce

mix it all together

Bring to stew to a simmer over a low heat, place the lid half on the pot and allow the it to simmer slowly for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.  

enjoy!

Serving size is 1 cup of the stew

Calories: 160

Fat Grams: 3

Fiber Grams: 4

Sodium: 516

Butternut Squash Soup

I first had Butternut Squash Soup about 10 years ago at my mother-in-law's house.   I was immediately enraptured with this soup which is at once both savory and sweet.  Over the years I have blended together several recipes, including my mother-in-law's,  to create the recipe below. 

I think the most intimidating part of any recipe that involves butternut squash is, how the heck do you get the darn thing open! I will be brutally honest with you, it involves nothing more than brute-force strength.  I am currently working without a tri-pod or I would provide you with step by step butternut squash dismemberment photos.  Since the first step of cutting any thing is safety I had to give up photographing cutting for the time being.  Just do you best, this is for a soup and it need not be perfect.  Just be careful, as butternut squash is very hard and can easily roll on you.  

  The Ingredients

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 large shallot, diced

3 lb butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into cubes

1 teaspoon salt

6 cups water

1 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup heavy cream

The Tools

large stock pot

blender or food processor

The Cooking

Melt the butter in the large stock pot over medium heat, and add the shallots

Cook the shallots in the butter until the mixture is foamy.  

Add the butternut squash

Cook and stir until the squash is coated in the butter and shallots. 

Add the water

And wine

Bring to a low boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes.  

Fully delicious, but not done yet.  Use an immersion blender or transfer the soup to a blender and puree until smooth.

Return the smooth soup to the cleaned out stock pot and add the cream.  Allow the soup to warm through and serve.

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Split Pea Dal

Dal is a traditionally a thick stew made with peas, lentils or beans.  Split peas were a natural chose as my husband is a huge fan of anything containing peas.  I also like that split peas need not be soaked overnight. 

My children were mixed on this soup.  Truth be told, my oldest son hates soup of any kind.  In fact, when recently asked what he did not like, his first response was SOUP.  I love to make soup, so the poor kids is usually out of luck.  This soup at least peaked his interest because he felt it looked like Shrek.  My youngest, at least tried the soup, and appears to be taking after his father when it comes to his culinary tastes.  If I make this soup again, I think I will add more curry and garam masala to it. 

The Ingredients

1 pound dried green split peas

2 quarts water

1/2 large yellow onion, finely chopped

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 tablespoon garam masala

The Tools

large stock pot

blender

The Cooking

Add the peas to the 2 quarts water

Add the onion

Add the minced garlic

Add the salt, curry powder and the garam masala

Stir to completely combine and bring the soup to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer the soup for 1 hour.

For a creamier texture, puree half the soup in a blender

Add the puree back to the soup

Serve the soup with some Naan and enjoy!

recipe source:  The Grit Restaurant Cookbook

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