Faux Pho in Pho(enix)

Lately, we've been doing Pho for dinner A LOT. I like it because it's quick,it's versatile, it's simple and it's pretty dang good!

Here's some of the ways we've done it:

Creamy Winter Soup

Ingredients:

• 1lb russet potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
• 1 onion, cut into cubes
• 2  tbsp Butter
• 4 ½ cups Vegetable Stock
• 7oz carrots, peeled and grated or cut into thin strips*
• ¼ cup Whipping Cream
• Salt and Pepper
• Pinch Sugar
• 1-2 tsp Lemon Juice
• Alfalfa Sprouts

Fry potatoes and onions in a pot with the butter. Add the vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes.

Cook carrots in boiling water for 3 minutes, drain. Rinse heavily in cold water, drain again.

Puree the potato and onion mixture in a blender, return to heat and add whipping cream. Season with salt, pepper, sugar and lemon. Reheat the carrots in the soup.

Serve sprinkled with alfalfa sprouts.

* I just keep peeling straight through , it gets you even thickness strips.

TCBC Week 2

This week has been FREEZING! 

And so I had the brilliant idea of making Chicken Noodle soup. However I didn't really want to buy any noodles. So in my thinking through the recipie, and remembering the days of Chicken & Stars soup from my youth, I thought.... why not Israeli Couscous! And thus, our version of Israeli Chicken Couscous Soup was born!

 

And then the challenge began! I've only got six things to show you this week, because we were kind of slacking at the very end, plus, we made some non-365 stuff and had Earl's mother over mid-week.

(Clockwise from top left!)
Creamy "Horseradish" Soup - which we made with zero horseradish...
Fish Cakes with a Mustard Dill Sauce
Rigatoni with Pork
Mango Banana "Shake" with home made Whipped Cream
Cashew Rice - we made it with wild rice and added chicken to take it from a side to a main course.
Waffles with Pear Compote

(Recipes will be up tomorrow!)

Super Cheesy Potato Soup

• 8 cups Vegetable Broth
• 2 lbs Potatoes, shredded with a cheese grater
• 1 lb Velveeta, cubed
• 1/4 Onion, chopped
• Parsley
• Salt & Pepper

Combine all ingredients in a stock pot and heat through.

Butternut Black Bean Chili

Ingredients:

• 2 Onions, diced
• 2 Red Bell Peppers, diced 
• 5 cloves Garlic, minced 
• 1 Butternut Squash, cubed 
• 2 cans Black Beans, drained and rinsed 
• 1 can diced Tomatoes 
• 2 tbsp Chili Powder 
• 4 tsp Cumin 
• 2 tsp Paprika 
• 4 cups Beef Broth
•  Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Saute the diced onions, garlic, butternut squash, and bell peppers until browned and soft, about 10  minutes. 

Add the rest of the ingredients, and bring to a simmer for 15 minutes. Serve.

French Dip Soup

Preheat oven: 400 degrees

Ingredients

·        4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

·        4 pounds Onions (use any kind you’d like)

·        6 cloves Garlic, minced

·        10 oz white mushrooms, Sliced

·        1/8 teaspoon dried thyme

·        2/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed

·        2 cups Merlot or other red wine

·        6 cups water

·        3 tablespoons beef bullion

·        Beef Roast, cooked and shredded

·        1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

·        1/4 teaspoon salt (I use coarse sea salt)

·        6 slices French, Italian, or sourdough bread, cut into cubes

·        3/4 ounce shredded Swiss cheese

Directions

Peel and slice onions thinly. In  stock pot, over medium high heat, add  oil, onions, garlic, mushrooms and thyme to the pot and stir to coat the onions and mushrooms with the oil. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions are transparent.

Add brown sugar and stir to coat. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions start to brown (about 15 minutes), then reduce heat to medium-low, cover the pot and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until onions are browned and caramelized. Pour in red wine and cook, stirring constantly, until the wine has cooked down. Add water, bullion, and roast all at once, stirring while pouring to loosen any remaining bits of onion from the sides and bottom of the pot.

Cover, reduce heat and simmer the soup for 40 minutes. (You can stop at this point – if you want to make the soup ahead, let it cool, then cover and place in the fridge – reheating before serving)
Ladle soup into ovenproof soup cups, bowls or a large crock. Top soup with cubed bread and shredded Swiss.

Bake for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to stand for 1 or 2 minutes before serving.

Curried Carrot and Turnip Soup with Cilantro Gemolata

Soup:

• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 small Onion
• 1 large Garlic clove, minced
• 1 Orange or Red Bell Pepper
• 5 Carrots, chopped (large pieces)
• 5 Turnips, chopped (large pieces)
• 3 cups Vegetable Broth
• 1 tbsp Curry Powder
• 1 tsp Salt

Sautee Onion and pepper until soft. Add garlic, heat for one minute.

Add remaining vegetables, broth, curry and salt.

Cover and simmer 10-15 minutes, or until all vegetables are tender.

Allow to cool and blend until smooth.


Gemolata:

• 3 tbsp Cilantro leaves
• 1/2 tsp Lime Zest, finely grated
• 1 tbsp Lime Juice
• 1/2 cup Olive Oil

Blend ingredients in food processor until smooth, adding olive oil as needed. 

Mushroom Chowder

1/2 cup Onion, chopped
1/4 cup Butter or Margarine
2 tbsp All-Purpose Flour
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
3 cups Chicken Broth
1 lb Fresh Mushrooms, sliced
1 cup Celery, chopped
1 cup Potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 cup Carrots, Chopped
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated

In large stock pot, saute onion and butter until tender. Add flour, salt and pepper. Stir until mixture forms a smooth paste. Gradually add broth, stirring constantly.

Bring to boil. Cook and stir for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms, celery potatoes and carrots. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Ad cream of mushroom soup and Parmesan. Heat through.

Chili (No Beans)

1 lb Ground Beef
2 Garlic cloves,  minced
1 large Onion,chopped
2 tbsp Chili Powder
1 tsp dried Oregano
1 tsp ground Cumin
1 tsp Hot Sauce
1 28-oz can Crushed Tomatoes
1/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar

Crumble the ground beef into a stock pot or large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently until beef is evenly browned. Drain off excess grease.

Season with chili powder, oregano, cumin and hot sauce. Stir in tomatoes and vinegar. Bring to boil, then reduce to low, simmering about 1 hour - or longer if you have time. Stir occasionally to prevent burning.

Cheesy Ham and Potato Soup

• 3 Potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1/2 large Onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 lb Mozzarella, shredded
• 1/4 lb Ham, cubed
• ground Black Pepper to taste
• 2 1/2 tbsp All-Purpose Flour
• 1/4 cup milk

Place potatoes, onion and cubed ham in large stock pot. Cover with water. Cook until potatoes are almost tender.

Remove about 1 cup of potatoes  and mash in a bowl. Add some of the liquid from the pan along with the flour til you have a thick paste. Add this back into the pot.

Place the cheese in the pot. Let the soup simmer until the cheese melts and is thick.

Add  black pepper to taste and stir in milk.

Abondigas Soup

• 2 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 large Onion
• 1 large Garlic Clove, minced
• 3 quarts Chicken Stock (Beef or a mixture of either stock and water can be substituted)
• 1/2 cup Tomato Sauce
• 1/2 lb String Beans, Strings and ends removed and chopped to 1 inch pieces
• 2 large Carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1/3 cup raw White Rice
• 1 lb Ground Beef
• 1/4 cup Fresh Mint leaves, chopped
• 1/4 cup Parsley, chopped
• 1 raw Egg
• 1 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
• dash Cayenne
• 1/2 cup Peas, fresh or frozen
• 1 tsp Oregano
• Salt and Pepper
• 1/2 cup Fresh Cilantro, Chopped

Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more. Add broth mixture and tomato sauce. Bring to boil and reduce heat to simmer. Add carrots.

Prepare meatballs by Mixing rice into meat, adding mint leaves and parsley, salt and pepper. Mix in raw egg. Form into 1-inch meatballs.

Add meatballs to simmering soup one at a time. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add peas five minutes to end of  1/2 hour. Add pinches of  oregano, salt and pepper to taste. (dash of cayenne: optional)

Top with fresh cilantro.

Creamy Kohlrabi Soup

This creamy soup is amazingly flavorful, but is not substantial enough to be a meal. It's is reminiscent of a chowder base or thin mashed potatoes in texture.

• 1 lb bulb Kohlrabi, Peeled and chopped
• 2 tbsp Butter
• 1 Onion
• 2 1/2 cups Vegetable Stock
• 2 1/2 cups Milk
• 1 Bay Leaf
• Black Pepper and Salt to taste

Melt butter in large pan. Add onions and cook gently until soft.

Add Kohlrabi and cook 2 minutes.

Add stock, milk, and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce to low and simmer for 25 minutes or kohlrabi is soft. Let cool 5 minutes. Remove bay leaf.

Using a blender, puree soup until smooth. Strain through a fine mesh sieve. Season with salt and pepper. Serve Hot.

Kale & Chicken Noodle Soup

This hearty soup is great for cold winter days, or sick days. Recipe makes a lot, so expect left overs if there's only 2 or 3 of you.

• 1 gallon Water
• 3 lg Chicken Breasts
• 2 cups Celery, chopped
• 1 cup Carrots, Chopped
• 1 Yellow Onion, Chopped
• 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 tsp Ground Pepper
• 1 tsp Sea Salt
• ½ tsp Sage
• ½ tsp thyme
• ½ tsp rosemary
• 3 bay leaves
• ¼ tsp basil
• ¼ tsp oregano
• 8 oz Whole wheat spaghetti, broken
• 1 bunch Kale, Chopped 

In large soup pot, Boil Water, Salt and Chicken for 20 minutes on high heat.
Add seasonings, Celery, Onions, Carrots and Garlic. Bring to boil for 15 minutes.
Add pasta, boil another 10 minutes.
Turn off stove. Add chopped Kale.
Remove chicken from pot, shred. Return to pot and stir.