hearty vegan basil tomato soup with pasta

 I got this idea originally from here. Obviously, I had to find a way to veganize it, though, since I don't eat meat or cheese. Simply omitting those ingredients was a success in my book, but it just didn't feel right calling it "lasagna soup" anymore, since it didn't really remind me of lasagna when I was eating it.

 But it was still yummy :)

Here's what I did:

3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 pint baby portobello mushrooms, chopped
1 Italian pepper, finely chopped
2-3 vine tomatoes, chopped (optional, I just had some to use up)
1 cup of fresh basil, chopped (plus a few extra leaves for garnish, if desired)
2 28 oz cans of crushed tomatoes (I used one regular and one fire roasted)
28 oz of water
1-2 Tbsp coconut or safflower oil
1-2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper, to taste
2-3 cups dry pasta (I used spirals, which I think work best)

In a medium pot, set water boiling for your pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente.

While pasta water is heating, in a large pot, heat your coconut oil over medium heat. Once hot, add your garlic, onion, mushrooms and Italian pepper and turn the heat up to medium high. Saute, covered, until mushrooms have released their moisture and onions have begun to turn translucent.

Add your fresh tomatoes, basil, crushed tomatoes, water, olive oil and salt & pepper. Once pasta is finished cooking, drain and rinse under cold water and add to the soup pot. Allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes on medium low. This will allow the flavors to meld.

Serve hot.

This makes a lot. 6-8 servings, I would say. Unless you're feeding a 6 1/2 foot tall man, in which case it is about four. I have strong feelings about overeating and this soup sparked a huge controversy in my weird world.

So be warned, it is delicious and should not be left unattended.

;)
-A.

foolproof french onion soup ... from scratch!

It's soup season folks! And isn't the best kind of soup one you can bake in the oven with bread and cheese? Last night I decided to make a French onion soup because, swiss! And French bread!

I always just assumed this soup was was really hard or complicated to make, but happily, neither of those things are true! So even if you're not so comfortable in the kitchen, I have a non-recipe here for you that is super easy. For my soup I used:

3 medium to large yellow onions
2 medium red onions (you could do all red or all yellow, it doesn't matter)
Half a stick of butter (you can do salted or unsalted, it doesn't matter, you can add salt later if you want)
Approximately 1 Tbsp (more or less, to taste) of Better than Bouillon beef base
Approximately 1 Tbsp of balsamic vinaigrette (optional)
A few small shakes of ground thyme (optional)
Water
1 baguette (or crusty French bread, or Italian bread, or any bread, really!)
Swiss cheese, sliced (or shredded, or Gruyere which is even more delicious, but kind of expensive)

I chopped all of the onions like this (the first method). I melted my butter in a big pot over medium heat and threw in all of my onions. I put in the balsamic vinaigrette and thyme (your onions will create a really wonderful flavor on their own, you don't really have to add these things if you don't want to, or don't have them on hand). I cooked the onions over medium heat, stirring every five minutes or so until they became very reduced and began getting browned, for about 30 minutes. I wanted to cook them for longer, but I felt a little rushed. If you're not in a hurry, definitely cook for longer (45-60 minutes is best), just be sure to keep stirring so they don't burn, and reduce heat as needed.

I filled my pot with water about 3/4 to 2/3 full and stirred in my beef base. I tested the broth after the base had dissolved and it didn't taste strong enough so I added a little more. It's best to start with less than you think you'll need. You can always add but you cannot subtract.

I let this simmer for about twenty minutes. Again, I'd like to have let it go longer, but by now I was hungry and still feeling rushed. You can let yours go as long as you can stand it. 30 minutes is best.

Anyway, when it was done enough I ladled some into an oven-safe bowl. I sliced the bread on a bias and put two pieces on top. On that, I laid two slices of swiss cheese (one would suffice, I happen to be a glutton). I warmed the broiler on my oven, and put the bowl of soup on a baking sheet. I put it under the broiler for a few minutes. You really ought to WATCH it while it's under the broiler. I cannot tell you how many times I've burnt things this way. You can see in the picture, that even though I was watching this, it still got a little over-toasted.

When the cheese starts to bubble and brown a bit, it's done!

This soup was really good! The first part, with the onions, is a little time consuming, granted, but it's well worth it and it's so easy! You could add so much to this, too. Worcestershire sauce is a common ingredient, as is wine, chicken broth, different herbs. Look up a few recipes online and see what sounds good to you!

simple chicken noodle soup ... from scratch!

I am by no means an expert at cooking. Everything I make is an experiment. I learned what I do know about cooking from observing my parents. I don’t like to use recipes because I find it cumbersome.  It just doesn’t work for me.

I’d like to share my rather wacky cooking techniques with you, because I think that some people may be intimidated by the thought of cooking if they feel there are a lot of mistakes to be made. I don’t believe that. My food may not win any prizes and sometimes I add too much cayenne, but it’s always edible :)

Anyway. Last night I thought I was catching what’s going around work so I decided to make a chicken noodle soup. It came out great! So I thought I’d share it with you.

[Approximate] Ingredients:

White onion, 1 large, chopped

Garlic, 2-3 cloves, chopped

Carrot, 1 large, chopped

Celery, 2-3 large stalks (or 4-5 small ones), chopped

Chicken tenders, 1 package, (sorry! I didn’t note the weight. Trust yourself to eyeball it! J ), cut up into small bits

Better than Bouillon chicken base, a little less than 1Tbsp

Salt, pepper, dried rosemary, ground ginger, to taste

Juice of 1 lemon

Egg noodles, a little less than a 12oz package

Water

Olive oil

In a large pot, add enough olive oil to thinly coat the bottom and heat over medium.

Add your onions and garlic. Bring the heat up a little. Sauté, covered, stirring occasionally until onions are translucent.

Add the carrots and celery. Cook a bit longer.

Add your chicken. Cook until chicken is cooked through. (Just a note, I use chicken tenders because they are cheap. Then I stand over the kitchen sink and cut out the freaky bits—like tendons—and cut the chicken into small pieces. The size doesn’t matter, whatever you want!)

Add your seasonings. If you are not familiar with how strong your seasonings are, you can wait to do this step until your water is added.

Add your egg noodles. I would guess that I used about 10oz of a 12oz bag.

Fill your pot the rest of the way with water. Eyeball the liquid-to-solid ratio until it looks like soup to you.

If you’ve not yet added your seasonings, do so now. That way you can taste test as you go. Add much less than you think you’ll need, so you don’t over season.

Cover and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat (and don’t forget it on the stove and let it boil over like I did). Once simmering, reduce the heat to low and allow to simmer until the noodles and carrots are cooked through. I think mine took about ten minutes or so. Maybe fifteen. You can stir as often as you want and check for softness.

Et voilà! You have soup. It’s a lot easier than it seems sometimes. I love to cook and experiment with different flavor combinations. If it tastes good to you then it’s a success! My soup definitely was. 

Please share your noodle soup experiences in the comments!

Peace & Love

-A.

P.S. I apologize for the questionable photography. I am temporarily confined to my iPhone camera. Also, the lighting in my kitchen is very poor.... Better photos for future posts! Promise :)