Tag Archives: soup

Fall is Here and The Soup is On

October 13, 2014 A Labour of Love Leave a comment

Fall… The trees changing colors remind me of a painting in a museum. God’s palatte of colors amuse the eyes and challenge the imagination. A tree stands tall with it’s summer leaves expressing it’s desire to hold on to summer at the bottom of the tree, while the middle hesitantly relinquishes it’s leaves to the cooler temperatures and the top willingly submits in excitement over the seasonal change. From green to an orange hugh to the glaring red with a hint of purple creating a color unknown to the crayola crayon pack.

College Football games, warms coats, turtle necks and gloves. The flip flops are put away and the shorts hit the storage bins. As the heat turns on and the air conditioning is turned off, the blankets are pulled out of the basket as we snuggle up on the couch by the fire place. Once again, the menu choice that takes center stage is soup. Especially when the fall harvest is bringing in the squash and the last of the winter storage vegetables.

As we drove home last night from another weekend away, I looked forward to the yummy butternut squash soup I had made before we left. Simple, quick, healthy and full of nutrients. Butternut squash is a wonderful source of vitamins A, B6, C, and Potassium. It is also filled with anti-oxidents and is good for inflammation.

Spicy Butternut Squash Soup

Start with cutting 2 butter nut squash in half long wise. Scoop out seeds and place the squash into baking dishes flesh side down with enough water to steam. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour, or until flesh is cooked through and soft.

1/3 stick of real Butter

1 large Onion, chopped

4 Celery sticks with tops, chopped

3 Garlic cloves, chopped

Melt butter in pan and saute the onion, celery and garlic. When sauteed to look translucent, add:

2 small or 1 medium Red Pepper, chopped

bunch of Parsley, chopped

When the squash is done, scoop out the flesh from the shell and add it to the sauteed vegetables above. Add also the water from the baking dishes. Do not let it boil. After cooking for about 10 minutes, add:

1 Pint of home made Chicken broth concentrate, I used my canned broth (recipe on previous post last fall)

2 cans of Organic coconut milk

dash of Red Pepper Flakes, add more if you like really spicy

1/8 tsp Chipotle Pepper

1/8 tsp Turmeric

1/2 TBS Sea Salt

Pepper to taste

Cook until all are tender. I use an immersion blender right in the pot to blend. If you don’t have one of those, use a strainer or a slotted spoon to pull out the chunks of vegetables and place them in a blender, blending until smooth. Add back in to the soup pot and serve warm. Make sure not to boil or it will burn.

A warm and tasty treat served with a nice warm piece of baked home made bread. Or, with a grilled cheese sandwich, my kids favorite. By also making a grilled cheese sandwich on home made gluten free bread and using raw cheddar, the kids are more inclined to enjoy any soup I make. 🙂

Hope you enjoy!

Gardening, Lymes, Menus / Recipes

Health and Healing, Dinner Part 3

June 24, 2014 A Labour of Love Leave a comment

There is nothing like dinner on the porch with the whole family enjoying fresh wholesome foods sharing their thoughts on their day. Tonights dinner was soup and salad. If your like my family you are likely saying to yourself, “Soup? It’s summer…soup is for winter and cool weather.” My son and my husband both had this look on their faces as if I had 10 eyes when I told them soup. I have to tell you that at the first bite they both were delighted and enjoyed what they thought was going to be a mistake of a meal. So, here it is:

Asparagus Soup (Sherry version)

1/2 Large yellow onion, chopped

4-6 Yellow, Red and Orange Sweet Peppers, chopped

2 Center stalks of Celery, chopped

2-3 Bouquets of fresh asparagus

Sautee vegetables in 2 TBS butter or coconut oil.

When vegetables are tender, add fresh parsley, thyme and sage from the garden. I also added 1 TBS garlic, 1/2 TBS sea salt and pepper to taste. Stir all together and add:

1 Quart of fresh homemade beef broth (cook down soup bones with water and 1 TBS apple cider vinegar)

Add also either 8 oz. milk or coconut milk. Simmer until all vegetables are cooked down and liquid is hot. Then I use an immersion blender and make sure all of the vegetables are broken down so the soup is not chunky. I then let it simmer for another 10 minutes.

For the salad, we picked fresh green out of the garden tower, added fresh grape tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley, and cut up turkey breast. I added an Organic Creamy Ceaser dressing.

Just a note:

Asparagus is a great source of Vitamins A, C, E & K, chromium, glutathione, and is a natural diuretic.

Menus / Recipes

Gluten Free Clam Chowder

December 19, 2013 A Labour of Love 2 Comments

The snow falls and the fire place crackles with flames that light up the room warming not only the cool chill in the air, yet also our hearts. With the close of the colorful fall months, it becomes soup season in our house. As I’ve shared, fall brings about a craving of my previously printed Butternut Squash, Apple and Nut Puree, yet winter months bring about the craving of my son’s favorite… Clam Chowder.

After weeks of asking, every day I might add, I mustered up the strength and along with my daughter we made both of our favorites. What a joy it is to cook with her, teaching her and watching her make her way around the kitchen. I thought it would be a great time to share it as it would make for a great addition to the holiday celebration with children who are home or even company that is visiting. Although, if you have more than 6-8 partaking, you may need to double it. Especially if your children or visitors are anything like my son who ate nearly half the pot for dinner all by himself.

Gluten Free Clam Chowder

1 C. Onions, finely chopped

1 C. Celery, finely chopped

2 C. Potatoes, cubed

1 C. carrots, finely chopped

1/2 C. Butter

Melt butter in stock pot and lightly cook the above until potatoes and carrots are tender.

Then add:

1 Quart of Homemade Chicken Broth (for broth recipe, see the previously printed recipe on October 15)

3 1/2 C. Milk

1 box Gluten Free Pacific Cream of Mushroom Soup

2 TBS. Sherry Cooking Wine

2 TBS. Fish Sauce

In separate small pot:

Melt 3/4 C. Butter

Whisk into the melted butter, 1 C. Sweet Sorghum Flour

When blended well, carefully whisk into the stock pot with the vegetables.

5-10 minutes before serving, add: (Note: overcooking the clams will make them tough and chewy)

3 cans clams, drained and minced if desired

2 tsp. Thyme

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Stir well and serve hot. If it becomes too thick, feel free to add either more chicken stock or purified water. A cup usually will do the trick.

Enjoy!

Menus / Recipes, Why?

The Wonderful Taste of Fall… Oh My!

October 15, 2013 A Labour of Love 1 Comment

I remember in my earlier years that fall was one of my most disliked season. As a child it meant the end of long summer days outside, days at the beach, endless board games and homemade dill pickles stolen from the fridge and the end of sleeping in until noon. As an adult, it meant the end of warm days, open windows, green grass, gardens and fresh produce from my own garden. It wasn’t my favorite season until a neighbor who lived across the street from our second home brought me a jar of soup. This soup was absolutely the most amazing soup I’d ever had. I asked her for the recipe and she gladly shared.

Fourteen years later, I am still making that soup, only now it’s my soup. I’ve altered it from it’s original recipe with ingredient changes as well as preparation alterations. This soup gets me giddy every time I think about fall. In fact, when someone mentions fall, it’s not the cold weather or brown trees and grass that come to my mind any longer, it’s that soup that I think of first. You know it’s good when you can taste it just thinking about it!

I suppose the protocol I’m on for my lymes disease must be working, since I can actually stay awake all day and actually get something done around the house while also making two soups. While my favorite soup is exactly that, “my favorite”, one of my families favorites’ is a Potato Leak Soup. Another favorite, and also very yummy, it’s one that I tend to forget about until my son looks at “my favorite” in the pot and salivates at the thought of the Potato Leak Soup. How can I resist making that too when I have all of the ingredients in my refrigerator just waiting for a purpose to be used. For now however, I am only going to share my favorite….. May your taste buds be stimulated….

Make a cup of tea, put on your apron, set aside an hour, grab your stock pot and enjoy the process as your work up to a moment of bliss… at least I hope!

Butternut Squash, Apple and Nut Puree

Approximately 1/4-1/2 C. Real butter
1 medium yellow onion, outer brown layer only peeled away, then chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

Melt the butter in the large stock pot. Lightly saute the onion and garlic. Be careful not to brown them. Add:

1 Medium to large Butternut Squash, peeled, seeds removed, and chopped in food processor
4 Large or 5 Medium Honey Crisp Apples, chopped in food processor
1 Cup of either pecans or walnuts, chopped in food processor
3-4 Cups of apple cider, unfiltered and un-pasturized is best, alternately you could use apple juice
1 quart of chicken broth, homemade is best and has less salt making it a healthier choice ** See below for chicken stock recipe
3/4 tsp. Allspice
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves, if you don’t have ground then use a pinch of whole, just make sure you take them out before blending

Let all ingredients cook together until the squash is tender. Do not boil. When all ingredients are tender, use a strainer and strain out chunky ingredients and blend smooth. Pour back into pot.

Right before serving, add:

1-2 Cups of whole milk or cream, or 1/2 C. coconut milk (remember that if you use coconut milk it will have a stronger coconut taste.)

Let heat throughout and serve in bowls topped with shredded cheddar cheese, and a dash of cinnamon.

Additional items that may be added and are complimentary: Shredded chicken, 2 TBS. brown sugar if not sweet enough, or diced roasted red peppers added just before serving.

**To make your own chicken stock:

Take an organic, free-range, whole, clean chicken and place it in a pot with peeled and sliced potatoes, carrots, parsley, onions, celery, garlic and 1 TBS. apple cider vinegar. From my experience and from other helpful experienced “mom chefs”, the apple cider vinegar will not change the taste of the stock, yet it draws out the nutritional enzymes from the bones. Cover the chicken and vegetables with purified water. Put the lid on the stock pot and place in the oven at 300 degrees for several hours so that the chicken is cooked thoroughly and the nutritional enzymes are drawn out of the bones into the stock. Strain out the vegetables and the chicken, reserving the meat for either soup or for chicken salad or even a chicken pot pie. Yum! This stock when chilled should be the consistency of a thick jelly. I like to put the stock into freezer bags or BPA free freezer containers and freeze until needed. Make sure to leave a one inch space between the stock and the lid.

I have quite often used glass jars to avoid plastic products, however, with that may come the occasional broken jar that sticks itself to the freezer door and makes a mess. For some reason I find that some of my stock just doesn’t expand up, it expands out. Not to mention, bags leave more space in the freezer than the jars.