Sunshine Soup

While driving home from work today, I was thinking about a delicious "summer" soup that I had at Christina Pirello's cooking class. It was made with finely diced zucchini, carrots, peppers, corn and millet. I decided to recreate it the best I could from memory. 

For some reason, Whole Foods didn't have any zucchini, which seems strange on July 1st in Philadelphia.  I decided to use yellow squash instead. Then I found a bag of beautifully colored organic carrots. So now, the wheels start spinning in my head. I decide that I'm going to make a soup with yellow vegetables and ribbons of finely sliced kale. There's no reason why healthy food can't be pretty too, right?

As I'm looking down into the pot of gloriously gold soup, I'm trying to think of what to call it. "Sunshine" comes to mind but I wasn't sure if there already was a Sunshine Soup. I google it and sure enough there are all sorts of "Sunshine" soups. Here's my version. I wonder what YOUR version will be?  :-D

Sunshine Soup

1 yellow onion, diced

1/2 C diced daikon

1 yellow squash, diced

3 yellow carrots, diced

1 C frozen organic yellow corn

1/2 C dry yellow split peas

1 C cooked brown rice

4 leaves of kale

6 C water

salt and pepper

2 TBS extra virgin olive oil

In a soup pot, add the olive oil, onion, daikon and carrots. Saute over medium heat. After a few minutes, add the yellow squash and season lightly with salt and pepper. Saute a few minutes more until onion is clear and veggies soften. 

Add the yellow split peas and six cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cover. Simmer for 30 minutes. In the meantime, prepare the kale.

Remove the stalks by slicing as close as possible then entire length of the leaves. Take the two pieces from each leaf and roll tightly (like a cigar), tip to tip. Slice into thin ribbons and set aside. 

After the soup has simmered for thirty minutes, add the corn and brown rice. Heat for a few minutes more, then add the kale. Cook just until the kale has wilted.

Serves 4-6

Fettuccine with Greens and Sun Dried Tomatoes

The sauce for this dish is truly one of my favorites. It's rich, garlicky and fool proof. If you're a vegan who misses fettuccine Alfredo, you must try it. Seriously.

1 lb fettuccine
1 bunch of large greens, approximately 4-5 leaves of tuscan kale, swiss chard or red chard
1 8oz jar of julienne sun dried tomatoes in olive oil (drained)
3 cloves of garlic, finely diced
3 TBS extra virgin olive oil

Sauce
2 C whole unsalted cashews (raw, not roasted)
2 cloves of garlic
1/4 C white miso
1/4 C extra virgin olive oil
3/4 C vegetable broth or water


Cook fettuccine according to package directions. In the meantime, prepare the sauce and the greens.

You will need a food processor or a very good blender for the sauce. Add the cashews, garlic and miso to the processor. Blend together, gradually adding the olive oil, then the broth or water. Set aside.

Prepare the greens by removing the stems and setting the leaves aside. Remove and discard the thicker parts of the stems if they look tough, then finely dice the thinner stems on an angle. Add to the saute pan with the three cloves of diced garlic and the three tablespoons of olive oil. Saute on medium heat until the stems start to become tender. Roll the leaves to resemble a cigar. Cut across the roll, angling the knife if necessary to cut across the veins, making thin "ribbons." Add to the pan with the sun dried tomatoes and saute until the leaves are wilted. Add the sauce, heating just enough to "activate" the miso. Heating the sauce too high/too long will kill the healthy bacteria.

Toss the cooked fettuccine with the sauce and serve. Serves 4-6.

The sauce recipe makes about 2+ cups and can be used with many combinations of pasta and veggies.

White Bean and Kale Soup

This is a great soup to make at any time of the year, but the flavors are excellent during the summer when tomatoes and kale are fresh from your garden or local farm stand. 

White Bean and Kale Soup

1 1/2 C dried white beans (cannellini or navy) *see prep method below

2 TBS extra virgin olive oil

1 C diced onion

3 lg cloves of garlic, finely diced

1 bay leaf

1 bunch of kale (about 6-7 leaves) chopped

2 lg tomatoes, chopped

5-6 carrots, sliced about 1/2 inch thick

salt and pepper

1 pkg vegan Italian style sausages, sliced 3/4 inch thick (I used Field Roast brand)

Two easy ways to prepare the beans. You can soak them in a glass bowl overnight, covered with a few inches of water OR you can do the quick method. Put the beans in a large pot, cover with a few inches of water, bring to a boil then remove from heat. Cover the pot and let the beans sit for an hour, then drain. (Don't forget to rinse and check the beans carefully before soaking)

In a stock pot, add the oil, onion and garlic, and saute over medium low heat until the onions become translucent. Add the carrots, beans and bay leaf, then cover with water. (About an inch or two above the beans) Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer for an hour.

At this point, I remove about 2 cups of the soup and puree it in my processor, then return it to the pot. You can use a blender or skip this step altogether. It makes the soup's texture a little richer.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the kale and tomatoes and simmer for another 30 minutes. Add the sausage and simmer for a few more minutes until the sausage is heated. 

If you'd like to make the crusty olive and sun dried tomato bread in the photo, go here for the recipe!

Serves 6

Veggie Latkes

I like to add veggies to my latkes so I don't feel as guilty for eating fried potatoes. Today I added carrots, kale and red onions. One of my favorites is spinach and feta cheese, which I'll probably post here eventually. Zucchini also works very well. But the traditional latkes with applesauce are just as delicious! I usually make them for breakfast with an over easy egg on top. If you'd like to make them gluten free, try garbanzo flour. It adds a nice flavor.

Veggie Latkes

4 Russet Potatoes, peeled and grated

1 lg Carrot, grated

3 Kale leaves, remove stalks, roll then finely slice

1/2 Red Onion, finely diced

2 TBS flour

1 Egg, beaten (optional)

Salt and Pepper

Oil for frying (I used organic expeller pressed canola)

Combine potatoes and vegetables in a large bowl. Season with sea salt and pepper, add egg if you are using one. Add flour and coat well. 

In a large frying pan, add oil until the bottom of the pan is covered. Heat over medium flame until you drop in one shred of potato and it sizzles. Using a fork, spoon or your hands, drop small amounts of mixture into the oil. I use a fork to shape and lightly pat down into a small disc shape. Fry until golden brown then carefully turn over and brown the other side. Drain on paper towels. You can keep them warm in a 250 degree oven until you're ready to serve.

NOTES: The drier the potatoes, the better the latkes. Red potatoes have too much moisture and will make your latkes soft.