15-Minute All-Greens Soup

Serves: 4

¼ cup olive oil plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, smashed
3 zucchini, trimmed and cut into ½-inch pieces
2 celery stalks, trimmed and cut into ½-inch pieces
1 cup snow peas, trimmed and cut into ½-inch pieces
½ bunch loosely-packed kale, stemmed and coarsely chopped
2 cups fresh spinach leaves
1 cup loosely-packed fresh parsley or basil
About 2 cups vegetable broth, chicken broth or water (NOTE: Add more or less liquid to reach your desired consistency.)
Salt and pepper

1. In a medium saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic; cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
2. Prepare a large bowl with ice water. In a large pot of boiling water, blanch the zucchini, celery and snow peas until fork-tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Dunk into the prepared ice water bowl; drain and pat dry. Blanch the kale, spinach and parsley until bright green, about 45 seconds; drain and pat dry, then squeeze out any extra liquid. Place the onion mixture and half of the blanched vegetables and parsley in a blender; process until smooth. With the motor running, drizzle in the remaining ¼ cup olive oil in a slow, steady stream. Return to the pot, stir in the broth, remaining vegetables and season to taste with salt and pepper; cook over medium heat until heated through, about 5 minutes.

Author's comments:
When I make this soup, I use whatever green vegetables and herbs I have in my fridge’s vegetable drawer. I’ve used kale, asparagus, green beans, sugar snap peas, snow peas, spinach, zucchini, celery, basil, parsley, cilantro. The list goes on and on, really. Please improvise with this recipe. The only ingredient you’ll need to adjust is the broth. Just add enough liquid until you reach your desired consistency. If I have any leftovers and I’m feeling decadent, I’ll melt in some shredded cheddar in the last few minutes of cooking.

But the beauty of blanching goes beyond the superficial. Blanching only takes a few minutes at most and will actually save you time in the long run. After blanching, all you need to do is blend the vegetables with a few more ingredients  and cook the soup on the stovetop just until heated through.
So what is blanching exactly? All it means is that you’re going to bring a large pot of water to a boil, add vegetables and cook until bright green and fork-tender, then you’ll dunk them into a big bowl of ice water and drain.
from Silvana's Kitchen 
http://www.silvanaskitchen.com/gluten-free-dairy-free-greens-soup/ 

Winter Squash Bisque

4 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 carrots, coarsely chopped
2 large ribs celery, coarsely chopped
2 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 1/2 lbs Butternut squash, peeled, seeded,
and cut into 1/2 inch dice
4 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1/2 tsp ground allspice
2 Tbsp Calvados or other apple brandy
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces (1 cup) Crème Fraiche

Melt the butter in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot over med-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic and sauté just until the garlic begins to color, about 10 min. Stir in the squash and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, partially cover, and simmer until the squash is very tender, 15-20 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes.

Transfer the contents of the soup pot to a blender, in batches if necessary, and puree. Return the puree to the pot. Place it over medium heat, and stir in the thyme, allspice, and Calvados. Bring to a gentle simmer, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into large soup bowls, and swirl a large spoonful of crème fraiche into each. Serve hot. Note: Pumpkin, acorn, Hubbard, turban or buttercup squashes can be substituted for Butternut.

From Hay Day Country Market Cookbook by Kim Rizk

Napa Cabbage Salad with Apples & Pecans

1/2 head Napa cabbage
2 stalks bok choi
1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
2 apples, diced
1/2 cup pecans, coarsely broken

Dressing:
1/2 cup canola oil or other light-flavored oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 pinch celery seeds
1/4 teaspoon fresh ginger, very finely minced
1/2 teaspoon brown mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt (to taste)
2 tsp sugar or honey

Cut the cabbage leaves 1/4” wide strips. Chop bok choi stalks into 1” pieces; leaves into strips. Mix dressing ingredients and let rest for 5 minutes.

Toss together all salad ingredients with the dressing.

From www.recipezaar.com

Potato-Leek Soup

Equally delicious hot or cold, this thick, rich-tasting butter- and oil-free soup is very simple to make.

3 medium-sized potatoes
3 cups cleaned, chopped leeks
1 medium stalk celery, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
4 cups water
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
Freshly ground black pepper
Optional: snippets of fresh herbs (thyme, basil, marjoram)

Scrub the potatoes and cut them into 1-inch chunks. Place them in a soup pot or Dutch oven with the leeks, celery, carrot, water, and salt. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook until the potatoes are tender (about 20 minutes). Remove from heat, and let it cool until it’s no longer too hot to puree.

Puree the soup in a blender or food processor. (You’ll probably need to do this in batches.) Return the puree to the pot. Stir in the milk.

Add black pepper to taste, and adjust salt, if necessary. Serve hot or cold, possibly topped with a sprinkling of fresh herbs.

From The Enchanted Broccoli Forest by Mollie Katzen

Turnip – Potato Chowder

2 cups (~1 lb.) turnip chunks
1 ½ cups water
1 tsp salt
2 cups cubed potatoes
½ cup diagonally sliced celery
1 cup light cream
1 can (19 oz.) tomatoes
1 tsp. sugar
2 Tbs. butter
salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese (optional)

Cook turnip in boiling salted water for about 10 minutes, then add potatoes and celery and cook for another 10 minutes or until just tender – Do not drain.

Add cream, tomatoes, sugar, butter, salt and pepper. Reheat and serve piping hot. Use Parmesan on top if desired.

Cannellini Beans & Wilted Greens

Serves 6 to 8

2 cups dried cannellini beans
Bouquet garni: celery, thyme, parsley, bay leaf
1 onion
1 carrot
6 cups water or chicken stock
Salt and pepper
1 large bunch turnip greens, mustard greens, chard or kale
6 cloves garlic
5 to 6 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
Extra virgin olive oil

Soak the beans overnight. The next day drain them and put them into a heavy-bottomed pot with the bouquet garni. Add the onion and carrot, peeled. Cover with water or stock and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, skimming off any foam that forms on the surface. Cook the beans until very tender, from 45 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the age of the beans and how long they were soaked. Salt the beans generously once they start to soften. When fully cooked, remove from the heat.

While the beans are cooking, trim and chop the greens.

Finely chop the garlic cloves and gently sauté them in the olive oil with the rosemary, about 1 minute. Add the beans and about 1 cup of their cooking liquid, and simmer about 5 minutes, until some of the beans have crumbled apart. Add the greens to the beans, and stew together, uncovered, until the greens are wilted and tender. Add more of the bean liquid, if needed, to keep the vegetables moist and a little soupy. Taste for seasoning and grind in some pepper. Serve with extra-virgin olive oil drizzled over the surface.

This makes an excellent side dish with roasted or grilled poultry.
It is also a fine sauce for a sturdy pasta, like penne. When the beans are tender, roughly mash about half of them, to thicken the sauce, and then stir in the cooked pasta. Add a little more bean liquid if the mixture is too thick.

From Chez Panisse Vegetables by Alice Waters

Sausage, Kale, and Tomato Soup

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
¼ pound salt pork
1 pound Italian sausage links cut into ½ moons.
1 large onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
4 cloves chopped garlic
1 bunch kale or chard, rough chopped
¼ cup red wine vinegar
Romano Cheese
2 cups (6-8) tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and crushed
3 quarts beef stock
2 cups cooked white beans (yellow eye good)
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Salt & Pepper

• Render salt pork with vegetable oil over medium heat.
• Add sausage and brown 2-3 minutes.
• Add the onions and celery to this mixture and cook 5 minutes until the onions are soft and translucent.
• Add the garlic and kale to the above mixture and cook 3-4 minutes until kale is wilted.
• Add the red wine vinegar and deglaze the pan, stirring 2 minutes.
• Add the tomatoes, beef stock, and beans. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat.
• Add the herbs and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Serve with grated Romano Cheese and crusty bread.

Submitted by Ted and Wendy McCormack

Arugula and Parsley Soup

3 c flat-leafed Italian parsley
2-4 Tbl of butter (or ghee)
1 med.-sized potato, sliced
2-1/2 c sliced leeks
2 c sliced celery (or 1 c sliced celeriac)
1-1/2 qts Vegetable Stock (or as much water with veggie bouillon cubes)
3 c arugula
3/4 c light cream (or whipped dry nonfat milk)
salt and pepper to taste

Remove the stalks from the parsley, and chop them roughly.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the chopped parsley stalks, potato, leeks, and celery (or celeriac). Cover the pan, and cook over a low heat for about 10 min, stirring occasionally. Add the vegetable stock, bring to a boil, and simmer for 15 min. (at most).

Roughly chop a handful of parsley and arugula leaves, and set aside. Add the remaining leaves to the pan, bring to a boil and simmer for a minute or two. The leaves should remain bright green.

Liquidize the mixture (a hand Braun mixer can do this right in the pan), then pass through a strainer (or skip the straining), and return to the pan. Season to taste. Add the cream, and reheat gently (if needed). Check the seasoning.

Garnish each bowl with the reserved chopped leaves, and serve with croutons (or
crusty bread).

submitted by Patti Andrews; from New Vegetarian Food by Christine McFadden