Showing posts with label Soup. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Soup. Show all posts

Wednesday, 13 April 2016

Avgolemono Soup (aka Greek Lemon Chicken Soup)

Avgolemono Soup (aka Greek Lemon Chicken Soup)
I can't believe that we just had snow a few days ago when we are well into April! Well, that means that it's time for some soup and a bright, longing for spring, soup, an avgolemono soup! Avgolemono soup is a Greek style lemon chicken soup with rice that is thickened with eggs. The recipe could not be easier where you pretty much just cook the rice in a bunch of chicken broth before adding the chicken and lemon along with the egg thickener. The egg is added after tempering it first by slowly whisking some hot broth into the eggs and then whisking the mixture back into the soup. The eggs are added this way so that they do not 'cook', turn white and stringy, like an egg drop soup, when added to the broth. Given how simple this soup is, I like to use quality ingredients including a tasty homemade chicken broth or chicken stock but store bought also works. Here's hoping for some warmer spring weather and until it arrives I will be enjoying some of this avgolemono Greek style lemon chicken soup!

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Monday, 14 March 2016

Steak and Guinness Stew with Irish White Cheddar Cauliflower Mash

Steak and Guinness Stew with Irish White Cheddar Cauliflower Mash
With St Patrick's Day coming up I have been thinking about recipes and of course recipes with an Irish beer like Guinness come to mind and it's the perfect base for a beef stew! This steak stew is a pretty basic beef stew with some of the beef broth replaced with Guinness for extra flavour! I also like to season the stew with thyme, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste and a hit of fish sauce for that extra depth of flavour! This steak and guinness stew is amazing all by itself but I often like to top it with cheese, Irish white cheddar cheese of course, and alternatively mashed potatoes, almost like a shepherds pie! This time I was thinking why not combine the two for a steak and Guinness stew topped with irish white cheddar mash and instead of using potatoes I used cauliflower to keep things light! Whether you serve this steak and Guinness stew by itself or topped with the Irish white cheddar cauliflower mash, it's a great choice for your St Patrick's Day menu!

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Thursday, 10 March 2016

Butter Chicken Noodle Soup

Butter Chicken Noodle Soup
I always enjoy a nice bowl of chicken noodle soup but I also like to change things up and this time I decided to turn one of my favourite pub foods, butter chicken curry, into a butter chicken noodle soup! This recipe is nice and quick and easy! The soup has a creamy tomato based broth with chicken, preferably tandoori chicken, noodles, veggies and of course curry seasonings. Butter chicken, as it's name implies, is buttery and creamy and typically you would get that creaminess with plenty of butter and heavy/whipping cream but to keep things lighter I replaced a lot of that with cashew milk (almond milk would be just as good) and greek yogurt which adds an extra layer of flavour as well as making the soup so nice and creamy. The curry is typically served on rice so I went with rice noodles and I wanted to have some vegetables so I added baby spinach and peas. The final resulting butter chicken noodle soup was amazingly tasty and the flavours and textures were a perfect reminder of butter chicken curry!

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Tuesday, 8 March 2016

Venezuelan Black Bean and Chorizo Soup

Venezuelan Black Bean and Chorizo Soup
I was at a Venezuelan restaurant recently and I ordered the black bean and chorizo soup, since I always enjoy a tasty bean soup. I was expecting to get a more Mexican style spicy soup but to my surprise the first bite was slightly sweet with hints of molasses and that took me back for a second. Then I took a second bite, this one including a piece of the spicy cured chorizo sausage, and I was amazed at how well the combination of the slightly sweet black bean soup worked with the spicy chorizo sausage! Of course I knew that I would have to try making the soup at home! :)

The recipe pretty much wrote itself, being a standard black bean and chorizo soup with the addition of molasses and a bit of brown sugar to sweeten it; I know that there is a special kind of sugar that is traditionally used but since I could not find it here I made some simple substitutions. The resulting homemade version was phenomenal! I am still a little surprised at how well the slightly sweet and spicy combo works so well in a black bean soup like this but this is definitely my new favourite soup!

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Monday, 25 January 2016

Creamy Parmesan Sundried Tomato and Spinach Tortellini Cauliflower Soup

Creamy Parmesan Sundried Tomato and Spinach Tortellini Cauliflower Soup
It's time for another comforting soup recipe to stave off the chill weather and this time is a creamy parmesan sundried tomato and spinach tortellini cauliflower soup! When I hear the word creamy in a soup I immediately think of copious amounts of heavy/whipping cream but in this soup I get the creaminess by using pureed cauliflower which gets things nice and creamy while keeping it light and healthy! Up next is the sundried tomatoes and I use a jar of oil packed sundried tomatoes where I puree half of them to infuse the soup with their flavour and I slice the remaining tomatoes so that you gets hits of their intense flavour when chewing on them! Of course there is plenty of freshly grated parmesan melted into the soup along with wilted spinach and fresh basil to finish it off. Whether you are looking for a comforting of soup to shake off the chill of a cold day or a soul warming bowl to curl up in your favourite chair with at the end of a long day this creamy parmesan sundried tomato and spinach tortellini cauliflower soup is just what you are looking for!

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Monday, 18 January 2016

Italian Sausage Stuffed Pepper Soup

Italian Sausage Stuffed Pepper Soup
With the chilly weather soups have been dancing through my head and my new favourite is this italian sausage stuffed pepper soup! This soup is based on the flavours of stuffed peppers, which are usually peppers stuffed with good stuff like meat and rice in a tasty tomato sauce. Often ground beef is used but I like to use Italian sausage to add extra flavour and a bit of heat! The next ingredients are all pretty much as expected with the onions, plenty of peppers, garlic, tomatoes, broth and seasonings. I like to cook the rice separately and add it to the soup to save time but you can also cook the rice in the soup so that it soaks up the soups flavour! This italian sausage stuffed pepper soup is so easy to make and it's pure comfort food that is perfect for a cold winter day so grab a bowl, sit down and warm up after a cold day!

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Monday, 11 January 2016

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
With the colder weather I have been thinking about soups more and I thought that I would start out with this nice and hearty, light and bright lemon chicken orzo soup. This soup is essentially a take on a chicken noodle soup using orzo as the 'noodle' and it emphasizes brightness by the use of lemon juice and zest along with plenty of fresh parsley. In addition, I like to add a touch of thyme for some earthiness and a bit of tarragon which perfectly complements the bright flavours of the soup and adds a hint of the exotic with its anise-y and vanilla-y undertones! This soup is pure comfort food that is absolutely amazing on a cold winter day, it's hot, filling and it adds a bit of summery sunshine to your day! What's even better is that it takes less than 30 minutes to make and it will fit into your New Year's diet resolutions!
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