Spinach and Lime Soup

Here's a nice simple soup made with broth, spinach and lime. Dress it up with chopped egg, bits of chicken, beef or tofu, or other protein, avocado, and cheese to create a light lunch or dinner.  You get the idea.  Or eat it as a first course with tortillas or a crusty bread. The great thing about it is its ease to pull together. And its a great way to use up spinach that's been lingering in your refrigerator a bit too long or all that CSA produce. 

Chunky Potato Leek Soup with Rosemary

Enjoying my produce this week. It is the season for rosemary, leeks and potatoes.  If you are like me, you love potato leek soup. I usually whip out my immersion blender and turn it into a creamy soup. But lately I've been leaving it chunky. And I like it! Here is how I made it and it was delicious. To make it vegan, leave out the butter and use vegetable broth.

Potato Cabbage Soup

Full Belly provided new potatoes, green garlic and cabbage. I wanted something quick and since it has been so cold and rainy - a nice warming soup. This soup fit the bill and turned out to be really easy to make. I do enjoy chopping, if you don't, feel free to substitute that wonderful pre-sliced cabbage from the grocery. The parmesan really adds lots of flavor, so don't skimp on it. I like greens and potatoes with lemon, so a squeeze of lemon right before serving really helped the soup taste fresh and vibrant. I hope you'll try it.

Lentil Soup with Ham

Here is a recipe for leftover ham. I admit it, for Christmas I made a ham. Unfortunately, there were just the two of us to eat it - resulting in lots of leftover ham. I froze a fair amount for later in the year as I'll not make another ham until next Christmas, if then. It was fortunate I planned to make this since, Alex, our Russian exchange student returned to spend New Years with us.  He is definitely a meat eater, so this worked for his taste. The soup is adaptable and takes to leftover vegetables. Experiment with different herbs too.  Adapted from a Food Network Kitchen recipe.

Spiced Lentil Soup

I’m enjoying lentils this winter. They are delicious and filling. I love this recipe, it uses a combination of spices that make the lentils taste exotic. Feel free to increase or decrease the vegetables and spices. Adding toppings can make or break a soup. Try adding preserved lemon, parsley or sour cream instead of yogurt. This recipe can be vegan. The recipe is adapted from Emile Guelpa.

Black Bean Soup

I really like beans. Any kind of bean. I especially enjoy soups made with beans. Here is a nice one made with black beans. It comes together quickly and easily. If you want to be more complicated, make the beans from scratch. Toppings for it can be as varied as your imagination. The one pictured had chopped red bell pepper, cilantro and a dollop of plain Greek yogurt. Hubby likes pureed soups so this one is blended, but you can leave the beans whole.

Corn Chowder

So are you getting tired of corn on the cob? Does anyone ever get tired of corn on the cob? Well I do. Here is something else to do with corn on the cob: make soup. This is a fun soup because you roast most of the ingredients and use the corn cobs. How cool is that? This is vegan.

Broccoli Soup

So many times I try to make a broccoli soup that reminds me of the broccoli, rice and cheese casserole my Mom made for holidays. But, sigh, I can never quite pull it off. Last time I tried, it was a glorious mess, albeit edible  This recipe is a good substitute, a whole lot lighter and makes for a good lunch or light dinner. Make sure to serve it with a good crusty bread so you can sop up ever drip. This is vegetarian if you use vegetable broth. 

Greens Soup

Adapted this recipe from one in the Sacramento News and Review. It is the most wonderful color - it would be great for St. Patrick's Day!