Coconut Butternut Squash Soup

• one butternut squash
• one medium onion, peeled and roughly chopped
• three garlic cloves, peeled
• a handful of fresh parsley, washed and leave the stems on
• about five sprigs of fresh thyme, only use the leaves
• one can of coconut cream (about 400 mL)
• salt and pepper to taste
• vegetable broth
• water

1. Wash the butternut squash, then cut in half length wise and scoop out the seeds.
2. Bake in the oven at 375 degrees for about 50 to 60 minutes with the cut side facing up. Times may vary depending on the size of the squash, but the squash should be thoroughly soft.
3. Once the squash is cool enough to handle, remove the skin.
4. Cut the squash so it fits into a blender. Add to the blender the squash, parsley, onion, garlic and thyme leaves. Add equal amounts of vegetable broth and water to the blender so that the liquid covers up to the top of the squash and onions.
5. Blend until smooth.
6. In a large pot, add the coconut cream. Once it is starting to melt add in the contents of the blender. Mix well. Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste, as well as more vegetable broth or water if the consistency of the soup is thicker than your preference.
7. Let the soup simmer on low to medium heat for about 20 minutes. And then serve.

Butternut Squash Soup

• one butternut squash
• 2 cups of vegetable broth
• 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 cups of milk
• a few sprigs of fresh basil, roughly chopped
• a few sprigs of fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 2 tbsps of olive oil
• 2 to 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground pepper

1. Cut the butternut squash lengthwise. Remove seeds and roast in the oven for about 45 – 50 minutes at 400 degrees until the flesh of the squash is soft and mushy.
2. In a large pot, turn on heat to medium and add the olive oil and garlic.
3. Scoop out the flesh of the squash into the pot. Add salt and pepper. Combine well, and cook on medium heat for a couple of minutes.
4. Add in the cheese, broth, milk, parsley and apple cider vinegar. Combine well and bring everything to a gentle boil.
5. Add in basil. Combine well and taste soup in case more salt and pepper is needed. It’s now ready to be served.

Serves four to six as side dishes.

Miso Potato Soup

• 3 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
• Water or vegetable broth
• 2 tbsps miso paste
• 1 cup of canned corn
• 1 carrot, peeled and diced
• a few sprigs of cilantro, use the leaves for garnish and finely chop the stems
• one sprig of green onion, finely chopped
• 3 king oyster mushrooms, cut into cubes
• 1 small onion, peeled and diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tsp minced ginger
• 2 to 4 dried chilis depending on your preference (optional)
• freshly ground black pepper

1. In a large pot, add in two thirds of the potatoes and onions, and enough water or vegetable broth such that the potatoes are covered.
2. Boil this until the potatoes are soft. This is about 10 minutes depending on the size of your cut potatoes.
3. Remove from heat and use a potato masher or emulsion blender to mash up the potatoes.
4. To this mushy potato liquid mixture, add in the miso paste and dissolve.
5. Once the miso paste is dissolved, add in about 2-3 cups of vegetable broth or water and the rest of the vegetables (re: corn, carrots, cilantro stems, mushrooms, garlic, ginger, rest of the potatoes, and dried chilis).
6. Bring to the soup to a boil, and then lower to a gentle simmer for about 25 minutes.
7. When ready to serve, add the cilantro leaves, green onions and ground black pepper. Remove chilis if needed.

A few thoughts:

You may want to sprinkle in a little salt or a tbsp of soy sauce, but I find the miso paste I use is sufficiently salty.

Vary the vegetables depending on what you have on hand. For instance, using green peas, tomatoes or other types of potatoes or mushrooms are just as good.

In step5, for the amount of vegetable broth or water, adjust depending on the consistency you prefer for soup and the amount of other types of vegetables added.

For the canned corn, I add the juices into the soup and normally I just add in the whole can of corn (rather than measuring one cup).

Chicken Creamed Corn Coconut Soup

• 0.2kg (or 0.5lb) of chicken breast or thigh, finely chopped
• creamed corn, 2 cans (~400mL per can)
• coconut milk, 1 can (~400ml per can)
• small onion, finely chopped
• 3 to 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp minced ginger
• 3 to 4 tbsps soy sauce
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 3 sprigs of green onion, sliced
• salt and pepper
• water

1. Put a pot on high heat.
2. Inside the can of coconut milk, it should have a liquid consistency near the bottom half of the can but the top portion should have a semi-solid cream consistency. Take this cream and put into the pot along with the chicken, onion, garlic, minced ginger, soy sauce, and fish sauce. Add a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
3. Stir well and simmer on medium heat until the chicken is cooked and the onions are soft.
4. Add in creamed corn and the rest of the coconut milk. If the consistency looks too thick for your preference, add a bit of water.
5. Simmer the soup for about 15 to 20 minutes on low heat. During this simmering process cover the pot.
6. Taste the soup to see if it needs additional salt and pepper. Lastly, garnish with green onions

Serves two for a meal portion or four as a side dish. Enjoy and Take Care!

Salsa Bacon Soup

• 2 to 3 strips of bacon cut into small pieces- if you wish for a lighter soup, pre-cook the bacon and drain fat.
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 can stewed tomatoes (about 750mL)
• one corn on the cob, cut off corn kernels, save cob
• 1 cup finely chopped cilantro (can replace with parsley)
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• herbs: dill and basil – add as much as you wish
• salt and pepper
• 2 tbsps olive oil

1. In a deep pot, add in oil, onions and bacon.
2. Cook on medium heat until onions are soft.
3. Add herbs, salt, garlic, pepper, cilantros, 4 cups of water, corn kernels, corn cob and entire can of stewed tomatoes.
4. Bring to a boil, then turn down heat so that the soup is gently simmering.
5. Simmer for at least 30minutes (and upto 2 hours). Stir occasionally.
6. Remove corn cob before serving. There should be enough for about four bowls of soup.

Asian Style Chicken Noodle Soup

• A whole chicken*
• 1 tbsp of whole peppercorns
• about 8 sprigs of cilantro
• 3 carrots, peeled
• 1 onion, peeled
• 4 cloves of garlic, peeled
• 1 thumb size ginger, peeled
• 1 bay leaf
• noodles (about 1 cup for every 2 litres of broth)
• 1 lime (roll it to get more juice out of it)
• sea salt  and freshly cracked pepper to taste
• fish sauce to taste
• soy sauce to taste
• green onions for garnishing

*I removed the chicken breasts and used them for a stir-fry.

1. In a large deep pot, place the chicken, carrots, onion, ciltrano, garlic, peppercorn, bay leaf and ginger. (If you have other vegetables such as celery, turnips or parsley feel free to add.)
2. Fill pot with water until the chicken is just covered.
3. Bring to a boil.
4. Turn down to a very low simmer.
5. Cook for at least two hours (longer is better).
6. Remove from the broth all the ingredients in 1.
7. Remove the chicken meat from the bones and place back into broth.
8. Add noodles, soy sauce, freshly squeezed lime juice, and fish sauce to broth.
9. Bring broth to a boil. Taste. Season with salt and pepper to your preference.
10. Serve. Garnish with green onions.

Suggestion: if you want to reduce the fat content in the soup, at Step 7, let the broth cool, place in the fridge to let the fat solidfy and then skim off the fat solids that have formed on the top surface of the soup. Then continue onto Step 8.

 

Mushroom and Rice Soup

Mushroom and rice soup garnished with parmesan cheese.

This recipe provides approximately four servings.

• 1lb cremini mushrooms, finely chopped
• about 5 dried shitake mushrooms, soaked with 2 cups of water for several hours until soft. Once ready, squeeze out any liquids (but save all the liquids) and then finely chop the mushrooms.
• 1/3 cup rice (I used brown rice, but red or wild rice would also be ideal).
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 tbsps unsalted butter
• 2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsps honey or maple syrup
• 2 cups broth (I used chicken broth but vegetable or beef is fine, too; or even water)
• 1 cup skim milk
• sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 2 sprigs green onion, chopped
• a few tsps freshly grated parmesan cheese

1. Heat a large deep pot on high. Once hot, add butter, oil, onions and garlic. Turn down to a medium heat. Cook until onions are soft (approximately 5 minutes).

Mushrooms, onion and garlic sauteing.

2. Add the cremini and shitake mushrooms. Sprinkle a little salt as this will help the mushrooms soften faster.

Soup (with no milk, yet) coming to a boil.

3. Once the mushrooms are soft add in bay leaves, honey/maple syrup, broth, liquid from the shitake mushrooms, rice and approximately 1 cup of water.

4. Allow soup to come to a boil, then turn down to a simmering heat.

Soup (no milk added yet) after one hour. It has become a warm taupe colour.

5. Cover and simmer until rice is super soft (approximately 1 hour). After 1 hour, the soup will have turned a warm taupe colour.

6. Add in milk and green onions. Once the soup begins to boil, it’s ready.

After the milk is added and the soup has come to a boil, it’s ready to be eaten. Enjoy.

7. Dish into separate bowls. Garnish with grated parmesan cheese and serve.

Coconut Thai Curry Noodle Soup

Coconut Thai (red) curry soup with noodles and zucchini.

The following recipe serves two.

• 1 can (400 mL) coconut milk
• 2 to  3 tbsps thai curry paste (depends on your spice preference)
• 1 to 2 tbsp oil (canola, vegetable, sunflower, etc.)
• zucchini, thickly sliced (any type of vegetable can be used, eg. sugar peas, asparagus, spinach, bok choy, bean sprouts, napa cabbage, snow peas, carrots, bean sprouts, shitake mushrooms, baby corn, string beans, etc.)
• a handful of cilantro, washed and tied
• half an onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp of lime zest
• juice of 1 lime
• 3 to 4 cups of low sodium broth (chicken, beef or vegetable)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 to 3 tbsps soy sauce
• your choice of noodles, enough for two people (e.g. thin rice noodles, vermicelli, yakisoba noodles, udon noodles, etc.) TIP: soak the noodles in boiling hot water to remove any starches and oil. Soaking time depends on the style of noodle.
• green onion, 2 sprig, finely chopped (optional)
• sliced almonds (optional)

1. Heat  a large deep pot on high. Once hot, add in oil, onions, garlic and lime zest.

2. Cook until garlic is brown, then add in coconut milk, thai curry paste and brown sugar. Combine well.

3. Add in broth and an equal amount of water and the cilantro and soy sauce. Bring to a gently boil. Simmer for approximately 20 minutes.

4. Remove the cilantro bundle.

5. Add in noodles and zuchinni.

6. Once noodles and zuchinni are soft, turn off heat and add in lime juice and green onions.

7. Dish out into two large bowls and if so desired, garnish with (toasted) sliced almonds.

There is a lot of variation in this recipe. Here are some suggestions: add 1 to 3 tbsps of fish sauce; sautee in some tofu, pieces of chicken or whole shrimp; simmer the soup broth additionally with lemon grass and ginger; add a splash of sesame oil at the end.

Vegetable Soup

Vegetable soup.

Serves 4 to 6.

• 3 to 4 tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 1 small carrot, diced
• 2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 tbsp sugar
• sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• chicken or vegetable broth
• water
• a handful of noodles* (optional)

(Feel free to add other types of vegetables such as celery, flat leaf parsley, corn, potatoes*, etc. Vegetable soup is a good way of clearing the fridge of old or extra vegetables.)

1. Heat a large deep pot on high.

2. Add in oil and onions. When the onions are soft, add in the tomatoes.

3. Cook until the tomatoes are soft and begins to release its juices.

4. Add in the carrots, green peppers, garlic and seasoning (paprika, bay leaf, salt and pepper). Mix well.

5. Add enough broth to cover all the vegetables, then add in an equal amount of water as broth.

6. Once the liquids come to a boil, turn down heat to a gentle simmer.

7. Cook for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the carrots are soft.

8. Then add in the noodles and cook until noodles are soft. The soup is now ready to be served.

*Since noodles and potatoes are starchy, by adding them to the soup, it will thicken the soup and you may wish to add a little more broth or water.

Corn Soup

Corn soup.

The following soup recipe makes 4 to 6 servings.

• three ears of corn, husked and slice off the kernels, save the core
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 russet potato, peeled and diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• about 2 cups of chicken broth*
• about 2 cups of water
• about 1 cup of skim milk
• 2 sprigs of onion, diced
• 1 tsp paprika
• 2 bay leaves
• freshly ground pepper, sea salt

1. Heat on high a large deep pot.

2. To the pot, add in oil, butter, onions and carrot. Cook on medium heat until onions are soft (about 5 minutes).

Onions and carrots sauteing.

3. Add in corn kernels, garlic, salt, pepper, paprika and bay leaf. Thoroughly mix and turn the heat back to high.

Spices added to the vegetables.

4. Add enough chicken broth such that all the vegetables are cover.

5. Add in an equal amount of water and the corn cores.

6. Bring to a boil.

Soup simmering with potatoes.

7. Turn down to a simmer and add in the potatoes.

8. Cook covered until potatoes and carrots are soft (about 20 to 25 minutes).

9. Remove the corn cores.

10. Remove the pot from the burner. Using a potato masher, roughly mash the soup. This will give the soup a thicker, creamier consistency.

After adding in the milk and green onions, return to burner.

11. Add in the milk and green onions. Return to the burner.

12. Once the soup is hot again, serve immediately.

*make the soup vegetarian friendly by substituting the chicken broth with vegetable stock or water.