Soups and Stews
Well, Holy Saturday is upon us. Even though I’ve had to do quite a bit of running around this morning, the afternoon has been quiet and peaceful.
I’m putting this soup together today, so that some friends and I can have it as a first course tomorrow. It might not fit into your plans for this weekend, but give it a try sometime soon. It’s a nice spring soup, and I hope you enjoy it.
Last Saturday, I went to a Farmer’s Market near my mother’s house in California. Their planting season is several weeks ahead of us here on the East Coast, so it was great to see so many wonderful fruits and vegetables laid out on rows and rows of tables.
Now that farmer’s markets are slowly opening again after a long winter, please take advantage of them. It’s great to be able to meet and speak with the person who grew the food you’re going to put on the dinner table.
One of the veggies that caught my eye last Saturday was Swiss Chard. I only recently began cooking with it, and it really is a delicious and vitamin-rich ingredient that can be added to just about any dish. Today, I’m combining Swiss Chard with lentils to make a tasty and healthy soup. This recipe makes a big batch of soup, but as you know, soup is always better the second day. 🙂
I was talking with my mom and brother the other day, and we were reminiscing about when my mother used to serve up a curry dip for company when I was a kid. Growing up, that was the only time I ever tasted curry, and I was always intrigued by the exotic taste. Now, I love all kinds of curry dishes. I hope you’ll give this one a try. This is a cold soup, so you might have to wait a bit until the weather warms up in your area.
I was out to lunch the other day with a college student, and he mentioned that he wanted me to get another bean soup recipe up. So, this one is for him, and I’m pretty sure he’ll like it. I trust you will too.
For centuries, the people of Tuscany have loved beans. In fact, they have the unfortunate nickname of bean eaters. Tuscan bean varieties vary by geographic area, and some towns are known for their particular type. That’s one of the things I love most about Italy. Each place usually has many things unique to them. If you see something you like, you have to get it then, because you probably won’t see it elsewhere. I always use this as an excuse for going back. Sorry for the deviation 🙂 Here’s the recipe…
Earlier this week, I did a post on my rendition of roasted red pepper pita pizza. Knowing the college students I was preparing them for could consume them in large amounts, I thought it was a good idea to have a jar of prepared pizza sauce on hand in case we went through my home-made sauce.
Luckily, I didn’t have to use my backup, so today I thought I’d come up with a way to use it. Although we have been having some great weather lately, we’re supposed to get hit with a bit of snow tomorrow 🙁 What could be better than a grilled cheese sandwich and some hot soup on a snow day?
Sorry for the delay in getting this recipe up. I finished the Y challenge this morning and then had to get ready for some dinner guests. In hindsight, I wish I had made this easy soup tonight. It’s easy to throw all the ingredients into a crock pot before you head into work. You’ll come home to a great meal.
For the last couple of years, I’ve learned to appreciate the simplicity of monastery cooking. I guess you could say that I owe it all to a Brother Vincent, a Benedictine monk from upper state New York.
Before I bought his book, Sacred Feasts, I was unaware that, since the beginnings of monastic life, monks were basically vegetarian. Brother Vincent has written several cookbooks and books on prayer, and I like both his cooking and writing styles. One day, I hope to make it up to his monastery to visit.
I know a lot of people don’t like mushrooms, but I’ve always felt it’s because they’ve never had them cooked properly 🙂 Just kidding.
Mushrooms are an important part of a vegetarian diet, mainly because they have a meaty texture and add a nice depth of flavor to a recipe. Throw them together with barley and roasted red peppers, and you have a great tasting combination.
I’ll be the first to admit I wasn’t always a fan of lima beans. I guess it was something about the consistency, but who knows.
Recently, my next door neighbor sent a container of this soup over and it was actually quite tasty. Here’s a version I think you’ll like. Somehow, it reminds me that spring is coming:)
Growing up, I don’t remember ever eating a sweet potato. I’m not sure why, but it was only recently that I started integrating them into my diet. Sweet Potatoes are a great source of nutrition. High in fiber, they are loaded with vitamins A and C, iron and calcium. I hope you’ll give this soup a try, even if you’ve never had sweet potatoes before 🙂
Don’t be afraid of the peanut butter. It adds a great depth to this soup, which originated in Africa.