Beets Cooking

The first soup Thursday in February!  Chili will be on the menu this week- order an extra quart or two for the Super Bowl!!

Beef & Black Bean Chili w. Chipotle…thick and meaty with lots of garnishes!  My most popular chili recipe.  Ingredients:  canola oil, garlic, red onions, cumin, chili powder, chipotle peppers, black beans, local ground beef, tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper.  Garnished w. sour cream, cheese & lime marinated red onions.  13. per quart served w. bread.  Gluten-Free

Broccoli Cheddar Soup…classic creamy, cheesy broccoli soup!  Ingredients:  butter, onions, garlic, carrots, broccoli, veggie stock, flour, light cream, bay leaves, salt, pepper, and cheddar cheese.  Garnished w. cheddar cheese.  13. per quart, served w. bread. Vegetarian.

Sweet Treat: Vanilla Cupcakes w. Chocolate Frosting 2. each

Thank you all for your patience and understanding last week with the water main break outside of my house!  Hopefully it will hold strong for the rest of the winter!  I have a new appreciation for what comes out of my faucet!

It looks as is if the early spring weather that has been plaguing us all winter is about to go!  Time to tuck into some hearty soups….

Red Lentil Soup w. Lemon…Part creamy, part chunky and deeply flavored.  This is a wonderful lentil soup!  Ingredients:  olive oil, onions, garlic, tomato paste, cumin, pinch of chile powder, carrots, red lentils, veggie stock, lemon juice, kosher salt, pepper and fresh cilantro.  Garnished w. plain Greek yougurt.  13. per quart served w. bread.  Vegetarian, Vegan (minus garnish) & Gluten Free

Portuguese Kale Soup w. Potatoes & Sausage…this is a wonderful mid winter soup.  It always amazes me what good sausage can do to a soup broth.  In this soup , the kale is slowly cooked until it is almost sweet- some of the potatoes break down, thickening the soup, and others remain whole.  Yum!  Ingredients: olive oil, onions, garlic, potatoes, kale, linguica or chorizo sausage, chicken stock, diced tomatoes, kosher salt & pepper.  13. per quart served w. bread.  Gluten-Free

Sweet Treat: By request!  Homemade oreos- 2. each

Take two!

For details and ingredient list see last weeks post!

I made the Coconut Curry Chicken Noodle Soup last week for dinner…SOOOO good!

Provencal Green Soup…Vegetarian, Vegan (minus garnish), 13. per quart w. bread

Coconut Curry Chicken Noodle Soup…Gluten-Free, 13. per quart w. bread

Chocolate Chip Cookies. w or w. out nuts. 1. each

Brrrr…..it seems unfair that we have to suffer through single digit weather without the benefit of the fluffy white stuff.  Being a bit of a weather geek, I learned this weekend that it has been TWO years since we have received more then 4 inches at a time here in the valley. As has become the norm it will warm up this week just in time for the precipitation to turn to rain.  Thursday looks down right spring like!  This weeks soups are sure to put a a bounce in your funky winter weather step.  A highly flavored Thai soup & a nourishing greens soup- reminiscent of the first bitter greens that  sprout up in the spring.

Provencal Greens Soup…this soup was featured in the New York Times this past week.  At first glance it seemed kind of blah- but I gave it a try over the weekend and LOVED it.  The eggs and country  croututons (think crositini) give it a richness and the greens just make you feel good.  Ingredients: olive oil, leeks, garlic, chopped greens- swiss chard, dandelion, and kale, eggs, kosher salt, pepper, lemon juice.  Garnished w. slices of country bread toasted and rubbed w. olive oil  & parmesean cheese. To serve: place toasted bread in bowl and ladel hot soup over.  13. per quart served w. bread.  Vegetarian, Vegan (minus the parm).

Coconut Curry Chicken Noodle Soup…deeply flavored bowl of yum! Ingredients: canola oil, onions, ginger, lemon grass, tich of Thai red curry, paprika, tumeric, coconut milk, chicken stock, fish sauce, pinch of sugar, kaffir lime leaves, thin rice noodles, sweet potato, chicken, and pepper.  Garnished w. cilantro, bean sprouts, scallions and lime.  Gluten-Free  13. per quart served w. bread.

Sweet Treat: Chocloate Chip Cookies- w. or w. out nuts.  1. each.

Happy New Year!  Today is the last day of my vacation…always a bittersweet day.  I am amazed at the different ways in which time moves.  This morning, thinking back on the past week and a half , I can’t believe all of the things done, family and friends visited with, and different weather systems that occurred in this small span of time.  I am rested, refreshed, ready to leave the holiday season behind until next year and get back to work!

Eggplant Parmesan Soup…My favorite soup!  Ingredients:  eggplant, olive oil, garlic, onions, celery, stewed tomatoes, tomato juice, oregano, basil, croutons, parmesan cheese, balsamic vinegar, kosher salt & pepper.  Garnished w. additional Parmesan.  13. per quart w. bread.  Vegetarian, Vegan (minus the parm- it is still delicious!)

Harvest Tortilla Soup…a fancy word for a ramped up veggie chili!  Ingredients: canola oil, onions, garlic, rainbow peppers, corn, zucchini, tomatoes, cumin, chili powder, black beans, kosher salt, pepper, lime juice and fresh cilantro.  Garnished w. tortilla chips, sour cream & cheddar cheese.  13. per quart served w. bread.  Vegetarian, Vegan (minus dairy garnish) & Gluten-Free. 

Sweet Treat: Black Bottom Cupcakes 2. each