Favorite Green Soup

The kale and Swiss chard are still abundant in my garden and I haven't grown tired of them yet.  So here is another of my favorite "green soups".  This recipe was given to me by my good friend, Tahirih. Yes, many of the soups start to look alike, which is why I almost named this blog "UGH - Ugly, Great Taste, and Healthy".  But I didn't think it would attract many people. Because the appearance of many of my green soups is similar, it has become a priority for me to make up for the loss in appearance with zesty taste.  I am also learning to be more creative with garnishing soups with a swirl of kefir, yogurt, or similar. 




Garden Kale


Ingredients:
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 Tablespoon olive oil
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 cups water
2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
7 cups chopped fresh kale, Swiss chard, or other greens such as mustard greens, collards, or spinach
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper



Preparation:
Saute onion in oil.  Add potatoes and water.  Cook until potatoes are tender.  Add greens and the broth, salt and pepper and simmer until tender.  Puree to desired consistency. 

Nutrition:
Servings per recipe: 6


Swiss Chard

 Serving Size: 1 cup                                   
Calories: 97
Total Fat: 3 g
Cholesterol: 2 mg
Sodium: 544 mg
Total Carbs: 16 g
Dietary Fiber: 3 g
Protein: 4 g

Curried Squash Soup

I made this soup in 2010 for the bridal shower for my now "daughter-in-love", Kiara.  (We like to use that term rather than "daughter-in-law" since we love her dearly!) Several people asked for the recipe.  This year this soup will be made with the Pink Banana Squash from our garden, which is gigantic!  Tom's grand sense of fun is seen in this photo of him with one of these winter squash.  It really is supposed to be this big and on Sunday he roasted the first of about 10 such squash from our garden.  It was exquisite!

Ingredients:

3 cups peeled and cubed winter squash (butternut or pink banana or similar)

1 cup chopped onion

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons curry powder

4 cups chicken stock

1/8 teaspoon ground thyme

Preparation:

Roast the peeled, cubed squash in the oven by placing it in a  9 x 13" baking pan, cover it with foil, and let it bake for about 30 - 45 minutes at 375 degrees, until tender.  When the squash is finished cooking, heat the olive oil in a large pan.  Add the onions, and saute them until translucent.  Add the curry powder and cook about 2 more minutes.  Add the roasted squash cubes, chicken stock, and thyme.  Simmer on medium-low for about 30 minutes.  Puree to desired consistency.  If you prefer a thinner consistency, add a bit more chicken broth or water.  Decorate with a swirl of kefir and a sprinkle of paprika, if desired.

Nutrition: (using purchased low-sodium chicken broth)



Servings per recipe: 8

Serving Size: 1 cup  (approximate)                                  

Calories: 75

Total Fat: 4 g

Cholesterol:  3 mg                  

Sodium: 484 mg
Total Carbs: 11 g         
Dietary Fiber: 3 g
Protein: 2 g

Summer Squash and Leek Soup

The leeks are ready to use in Tom's vegetable garden, and....we have more crookneck summer squash.   This recipe is an adaptation of one from the Williams-Sonoma Collection Series, Soup and Stew, by Diane Rossen Worthington, 2004.  It is creamy and delicious!  The original recipe used whole milk, but I omitted that and it was still great.



Leeks and onions from garden


Ingredients:
3 Tablespoons olive oil
2 leeks, white and light green parts only, cleaned and finely chopped
6 small crookneck summer squash, about 1 1/2 pounds
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups chicken broth
3 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Preparation:
In a soup pot over medium heat, warm the olive oil.  Add the leeks and saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the squash and saute until lightly browned, about 5 minutes more.  Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.  Add the stock and cook, partially covered, until the squash is very tender, about 15 minutes.  Remove from the heat.  Stir in the basil, chives and the lemon juice. Puree until smooth.  Season with salt and pepper.  Gently reheat the soup over medium-high heat.  Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with extra chives or basil, if desired.  Serve immediately. 

Nutrition:


Soup is cooking

Servings per recipe: 10                              
Serving Size: 1 cup
Calories: 64
Total Fat: 4 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 34 mg
Total Carbs: 5 g
Dietary Fiber: 1 g
Protein: 2 g

Zucchini and Green Bean Soup

I was hospitalized last week with complications of the tumor, so I am just getting back to posting recipes today.  Fortunately, when I came home from the hospital, I had several  varieties of soup in my freezer from which to choose.  While the hospital dietitian had done a fabulous job of trying to accommodate my needs, my homemade soups nourished my body and soul in the ways I needed.  Here's one of the soups I had waiting for me in the freezer.  I don't recall the original source of this recipe, unfortunately. But it combined zucchini and green beans and I was skeptical. I had an abundance of both of these vegetables (including both purple and green beans) in the garden a few weeks ago, so decided to give it a try, and I loved it.  It was especially good after the flavors had melded.   




Purple and green beans.  Purple beans turn green when cooked.

Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 small cloves garlic, minced
3 medium zucchini, diced


Green zucchini and yellow crookneck squash

4 cups fresh green beans, chopped into 1" slices                   
1 small bunch parsley, chopped
1 Tablespoon or more chopped cilantro
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth,
(or homemade vegetable stock)
About 4 cups water (enough to cover vegetables)    
Freshly ground pepper
Salt to taste

Preparation:
In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium high heat.  Saute onions and garlic.  Add zucchini and beans, and cover with enough broth and water to cover vegetables.  Add salt and apper and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and let simmer about 10  minutes until vegetables are very tender.  Add the chopped parsley and cilantro and stir in.  Using an immersion blender, puree soup to desired consistency.  Taste and adjust seasonings.  Garnish with a little chopped parsley or cilantro to serve, and if you like, add a little grated Parmesan on top. 

Nutrition:

Servings per recipe: 8                                   
Serving Size: 1 cup
Calories: 55
Total Fat: 0 g
Cholesterol:  0 mg
Sodium: 104 mg
Total Carbs: 12 g
Dietary Fiber: 5 g
Protein: 2

Lemongrass Summer Squash Soup

Crookneck squash is my favorite summer squash because  it is much creamier and less watery than the typical zucchini summer squash. There is no need to remove the bumpy peeling since it is so tender, and most of the nutrients reside in this covering, so it is best not to remove it.  I created this soup from one of the larger 15 crookneck squash Tom harvested from the garden.  I like to look in my refrigerator and the herbs on my deck pots and create from what is available.  I had a tube of lemongrass paste and decided to try it.  I loved the zing it gave to this creation.  For the broth, I used the vegetable broth from the Swiss chard and kale stems I had cooked earlier in the week.  Last summer I froze crookneck squash soup and it was great to have this available for days when I didn't feel well enough to cook. 


Crookneck summer squash and zucchini

Ingredients:
1 large or 3 small crookneck summer squash, diced
1 small onion, chopped


Kale and chard stems for broth

3/4 teaspoon Gourmet Garden Lemongrass paste      

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh basil

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

2 cups vegetable broth
(I used stock I made from cooking

Swiss Chard and kale stems)

freshly ground pepper to taste





Preparation:

Place all ingredients, except for the pepper, in a large cooking pan.  You may need to add more water to have enough liquid to cover the vegetables.  Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the squash and onions are tender.  Puree.  Add freshly ground pepper, and salt if needed.  Garnish with fresh parsley or basil, if desired. 

Nutrition:

Lemongrass Summer Squash Soup

Servings per recipe: 5

Serving Size: About 1 cup                        

Calories: 23

Total Fat: 0 g

Cholesterol: 0 mg

Sodium: 398 mg

Total Carbs: 5 g

Dietary Fiber: 1 g

Protein: 1 g

Note:  Sodium calculation used a commercially prepared vegetable broth, rather than my own homemade broth. 

Chilled Beet and Blueberry Soup

My mother loved me.  Not only because I was her child, but because I gladly ate vegetables and actually liked them, including beets.  So mom and I shared an affinity for beets prepared numerous ways. Well, I can no longer tolerate a beet sandwich (sliced, cooked beets on sourdough bread slathered with mayonnaise)  or a beet salad.  But my love for beets hasn't changed one bit.  So Tom harvested the beets from our garden; I boiled them in their skins and then placed them in cold water to make the skins slip off easily. (Mom taught me so well!) Then I contemplated what I would do with these beautiful jewels.  I started with a puree of beets and kefir and discovered it was delicious.  Then I turned around and saw the last of the garden blueberries sitting on the table.  Hmmmm....blueberries and beets?   Why not?   Wow!  Not only was it beautiful; it was tangy, tasty and nutritious.  Try it and be surprised.  And thank your mother for making you eat your vegetables.  And for loving you even when you don't.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup low-fat plain kefir

1 cup sliced, cooked beets, chilled   

1/4 cup fresh blueberries

Preparation:

Puree all ingredients in a blender.  If the ingredients are chilled prior to blending them, just eat and enjoy.  Otherwise, I suggest chilling it for about 30 minutes. 

Nutrition:

Servings per recipe: 1

Serving Size: Approximately 1 cup

Calories: 122
Total Fat: 1 g
Cholesterol: 3 mg
Sodium: 139 mg
Total Carbs: 24 g
Dietary Fiber: 6 g

Protein: 7 g

Misha's Indian Spinach Soup

This recipe came from my son's friend, Misha, who is from India. I have discovered that all of her recipes are superb!

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 medium red onion, peeled and chopped                    
1 1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
1 medium tomato, chopped
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon crushed red cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 lb. frozen chopped spinach, thawed  (or use about 3 large bunches of fresh spinach, washed with stems removed)

Preparation:
Heat oil over medium heat.  Add cumin seeds and fry until fragrant, about 1 minute.   Add onion, ginger, and tomato.   Saute' about 5 minutes on medium heat.  Add turmeric, red cayenne flakes, and salt.  Saute' 1 minute.  Add spinach and cook for 5 - 8 minutes.  Remove soup from heat.  Puree contents till smooth. 

Nutrition:
Servings per recipe: 4

Serving Size: 1 1/2  cups (approx)                                    
Calories: 88
Total Fat: 4 g
Cholesterol:0 mg
Sodium: 294 mg
Total Carbs: 12 g
Dietary Fiber: 5 g
Protein: 4 g