Tag Archives: soup

Almost Instant Noodle Soup in a Jar

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With this recipe, you can make your own tasty (almost) instant noodle soup with very little effort. You can prepare this recipe the previous day, and you have the perfect, quick office lunch – just add boiling water! And you can customize and make this recipe your own by adding different vegetables. See my suggestions below.

I first came up with this recipe on my vegetarian cross country road trip. When I was on the road and stopped at places where I couldn’t get a proper vegetarian meal, I used to make my own ‘instant’ noodles by soaking dried mushrooms, fresh greens and rice noodles in boiling water. I posted the recipe on the blog, and to my surprise many of you were making it at home! To me, it was an improvised recipe for the road trip, but when I saw how many of you were actually making it, I decided to come up with this version.

Assemble the seasonings, vegetables and rice noodles in a jar the previous night and keep it in the fridge. Take it to work the next morning, and just add boiling water to the jar – you have lunch in minutes! Mason jars or empty pasta sauce jars work well. And if you use a wide mouth jar, you can eat directly from the jar. And change up the vegetables however you like; just remember that the vegetables should be the easily wilting kind, so they can “cook” on the boiling water soak.

Other ingredients you can use in your almost instant noodle soup
Sweet corn
Baby corn, chopped
Shredded kale
Dried shitake mushrooms, reconstituted
White button mushrooms, sliced
Tofu cubes
Paneer cubes
Seaweed
Bean sprouts
Watercress
Sliced jalapeños
Kimchi
Chopped scallions
Chopped cilantro
Crushed red pepper
Powdered lemongrass

Almost Instant Noodle Soup in a Jar Recipe

serves 1

Ingredients
an approximately 16 oz glass jar, preferably a wide mouth one, with lid
1.5 oz rice noodle sticks
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon lime juice
1/4th of a stock cube
1/8th teaspoon garlic powder, optional
1/4th teaspoon grated ginger, optional
½ cup shredded carrot
½ cup shredded napa cabbage
12 leaves of baby spinach

Method
1.  Remove the rice noodles from packaging, and measure out 1.5 oz. Place it in a zip lock bag. Grab the ziplock  bag with your hands and carefully break up the noodles into smaller pieces. Set aside.
2. Wipe the jar clean, and add in all ingredients from soy sauce through to baby spinach, in that order.
3. Then pack the broken up noodles into the jar. Screw on the lid and store in the refrigerator for upto a day.
4. When you are ready to eat, pour boiling water into the jar. Pour in enough water to cover the noodles, about 1 1/2 cups. Replace the lid and let the noodles soak for about 12 minutes or till they have softened. Mix the soup gently so that the stock cube dissolves evenly. Be careful, the jar will be very hot, use a towel or oven mitts to handle the jar.
Note: Adding hot water to a very cold glass jar can cause the glass to crack! If your jar is very cold (or if your fridge is set to very cold), leave the jar out at room temparature for about 15 minutes before adding hot water.
5. Tip your almost instant noodle soup into a bowl and serve. Or eat it directly from the jar!

Quick Healthy Tomato Soup & An Ayurvedic Retreat in Kerala

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Hello everyone! Sorry I’ve been missing for a while! Offline, non-blog stuff took over. But I’m back now and have  an irresistible line up of vegetarian recipes for you this year!

I’m in Kerala, India right now, on an Ayurvedic retreat. Its something I do once every two years or so, and there is no better place for this all natural detox, than the beautiful state of Kerala! My daily schedule here includes yoga twice a day, meditation, chanting, two Ayurvedic massages, and cooking class.

Above is the main building of Kalari Kovilakom, the Ayurvedic center I’m staying at. A beautiful, serene place with lotus ponds, a temple, and the nicest staff. The food here is fantastic and all vegetarian. Its all personalized and cooked according to each person’s Ayurvedic dosha (constitution). And the chef Nishant is ever so willing to share his simple, healthy recipes. 

The dining room..

Whem I’m not doing yoga, meditation, getting massaged or hanging out in the Ayurvedic kitchen, I sit outside my room and catch up on reading. There is no tea or coffee here. Instead everyone gets herbal tea. This one is kapha tea, made with boiling water and powdered cinnamon, cardamom and long pepper.

I love sitting by the pond in the evenings..

..and feeding the fish!

This is the center’s Ayurvedic kitchen. They use traditional cooking vessels made of brass, wood and stone. And im telling you, it makes a huge difference in the taste!

These are the ingredients for this easy tomato soup. (All the vegetables here come from an organic farm..)

Here is is how chef Nishant makes his simple, healthy, ayurvedic tomato soup. I was blown away by the simplicity of it! And there isn’t a drop of oil in it!

Chop tomatoes, onion, garlic, ginger, carrots and cilantro root. Yes, the root. Cilantro root has a great flavor, so dont throw it away when you buy a bunch! Its perfect in this soup. And the carrot adds some sweetness to the soup, which is a nice counter point to the tangy tomatoes

Throw all the vegetables and some water into a pot with salt.

Boil till the tomatoes are soft. Then blend the soup.

Strain the soup. Return it to the pot and bring to a boil. Adjust salt if needed. Thats it!

This delicious, super easy, no-oil tomato soup is ready to serve! Needless to say, garnish with cilantro!

Here are some healthy, equally tasty variations to this soup. Keep everything the same, and just switch out the carrots and tomatoes:

Carrot soup – 3 chopped medium carrots, plus half a tomato

Spinach soup – 3 cups fresh spinach

Beet soup – 3 small beets peeled and chopped, plus 1 tomato

Quick, Healthy Tomato Soup Recipe

serves about 2

Ingredients

3-4 medium tomatoes, chopped

1/4 cup grated carrot

1/2 medium red onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1/2 teaspoon chopped ginger

4 cilantro roots, chopped. Substitute with leaves and stems.

Method

1. Place all ingredients in a saucepan, along with salt and enough water to cover the vegetables, about 3 cups.

2. Bring to a boil, and continue to boil till the tomatoes are soft.

3. Let it cool a little, and blend into a liquid. Pass the soup through a strainer, pushing out all the liquid, using a wooden spoon.

4. Return the soup to the saucepan. If its too thick, add some water. Bring back to a boil. As soon as it boils, turn off heat, adjust salt if needed, and serve hot, garnished with chopped cilantro.

Easy Carrot Mint Soup and a Great Tip for Flavoring Milk Based Soups

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Let’s start the New Year with a simple, yet delicious carrot mint soup recipe, shall we?! This is my go to recipe when I’m feeling like a soup laden with the freshness of herbs and vegetables. This soup is very easy to make and pantry friendly since it uses only carrots, fresh mint, and milk.

I’ve tried this soup before by pureeing the mint leaves along with the carrots, just like my pea and mint soup. The pureeing method works beautifully for the pea and mint soup, but not so well for the carrot soup. When you puree the mint with the carrots, the soup loses it brilliant carotene tinged orange color. So heres how I infuse the mint flavor into the soup. Read on..

How to flavor milk based soups

If you are making a milk based soup with a herb, this is the best way to infuse the herb flavor into the soup. Mint and basil work particularly well with this method, but you can also use cilantro, parsley, rosemary or chives.

Bring the milk to a gentle simmer, and add the herb (mint in this recipe) to it. Turn off the heat, cover the milk and let the herb infuse for about 15 minutes. Then pull out the herb leaves from the milk, squeeze any milk out, then discard the leaves. That’s it! You have herb infused milk! Puree this milk along with cooked vegetables (carrots in this recipe) and you have a beautiful herb infused soup.

This is a great make ahead recipe. You can make this soup a few days ahead and simple re-heat it in the microwave. I love this carrot mint soup for a work day lunch, packed in a thermos with a paper bag of french baguette. Yum!

Easy Carrot Mint Soup Recipe

Serves 2
Ingredients
6 medium carrots, peeled and cut into chunks (about 1 ½ cups)
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup milk (Whole milk will taste best, but you can use 2% milk too)
4 sprigs mint (about 20 mint leaves)
Salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
¼ teaspoon sugar, optional

Method
Place the chopped carrots and 1 1/2 cups water in a pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover with a lid and simmer the carrots till they are very very soft, about 40 minutes. When you mash a carrot chunk with the back of a spoon, it must mash very easily. This means the carrots are ready. Alternatively, you can pressure cook the carrots.

While the carrots are cooking, gently heat the milk in a medium saucepan. Just as small bubbles start to appear on the sides, and the milk is about to boil, turn off the heat. Immediately add mint sprigs to the milk and stir. Cover and let it infuse for 15 minutes.

Then fish out all the mint leaves, squeeze the milk out of them, and discard the mint leaves.

When the carrots are cooked, place them in a blender along with their cooking water, the mint infused milk and salt.

Blend to a smooth puree. Add more milk to the blender if needed, to thin out the soup. Be careful when blending hot liquids in a blender, always vent the lid a little.

Taste the soup; if you would like it a little sweeter, stir in the sugar. Some carrots are sweeter than others, so you may or may not need the sugar.

To serve, pour hot soup into bowls, top with cracked pepper and serve with crusty bread.

Acorn Squash Soup with Chipotle Cream Recipe

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I am still getting used to all the rain in Portland. I figured my best defense against a foggy, rainy day is a good, thick, creamy soup. My neighborhood food co-op had some great looking acorn squash and I decided to use them for this acorn squash soup with chipotle cream.

You can use any kind of winter squash in this soup – butternut, kabocha, delicate etc. Just make sure you get the squash browned and soft in the oven.

I had bookmarked Virginia Willis’ brilliant Acorn Squash and Sweet Potato soup featured on the beautiful Tartelette blog, and used the recipe as an inspiration. Virginia adds a ‘brilliant touch’ to her soup – a dollop of heavy cream whipped with rum, lemon zest and thyme.

Here, I top my acorn squash soup with cream and chipotle peppers. I love using chipotle in winter squash recipes, like in my brown sugar and chipotle baked butternut squash recipe. You can make the chipotle cream a day ahead. You could even make extra and use the cream over burritos or Mexican rice.

The lime zest cuts the creaminess of the soup and balances out the chipotle peppers well. You can also use orange zest instead.

Acorn Squash Soup with Chipotle Cream recipe

Serves 2-3

Acorn Squash Soup Recipe

Ingredients
1 acorn squash
1 teaspoon + 1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2  medium onion, diced
A dash of cinnamon
3 cups vegetable stock
Salt
1/3 cup chipotle cream, recipe below
1/2 teaspoon lime zest

Method
Pre heat oven to 350f

Cut the acorn squash in half, along its equator. Using a spoon, scoop out the seeds and fiber. Brush 1 teaspoon oil on the cut sides and inside of the squash. Sprinkle with salt. Place the squash in a baking

sheet and bake till it is browned and very soft, about 1 hour.

When the squash is done, remove from oven and let it cool a little. When it is cool enough to handle, removed the skin from the squash and discard.

Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon oil in a skillet. Add the onion and sauté on medium heat till onions are soft. Add the baked, peeled squash, cinnamon, vegetable stock, and salt.

Boil for about 5 minutes or till the squash is soft. Then puree the soup in a blender. Be careful when pureeing hot liquids in a blender – make sure you vent the lid a little.

To serve – Pour the hot soup into 2 or 3 bowls. Top each bowl with about 1 tablespoon chipotle cream. Sprinkle lime zest on top.

Chipotle Cream Recipe

makes about 1/3 cup

Ingredients
1/3 cup cream
2 teaspoons minced chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
Salt

Method
Place everything in a blender or food processor. Blend till the cream thickens a little, about 4 minutes. Make sure you don’t over blend the cream, otherwise it will separate.

Taste the cream and adjust salt if needed. If you want it spicier, add some of the sauce from the chipotle can.

Scrape out chipotle cream into a bowl and set aside.

Tomato, Roasted Red Pepper and Olive Gazpacho with Creme Fraiche

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This has to be one of those recipes where I say “If I give you the recipe I have to shoot you”. Because its that good. But because I love you all, I will share this recipe with you, without any shooting involved.

Summer may be winding down, but its still super hot. This easy to make, raw, cold, refreshing gazpacho is just what you need to beat the heat. If you like this tomato and roasted red pepper gazpacho recipe, be sure to check out my other no-cook recipes.

If you are entertaining, serve the gazpacho in mini martini glasses or shooter glasses. For a more casual meal, simple bowls or mugs will be perfect.

A dollop of creme fraiche adds richness to this gazpacho. Creme fraiche is a thick soured cream from France. It tastes a little like sour cream, but thicker and richer. Substitute creme fraiche with sour cream or thick yogurt. Vegans can use coconut cream to top their Gazpacho..remember Aarti made gazpacho with coconut milk on the next food network star?! 

For some variations, check out Matt Bite’s two Gazpacho recipes. There is a gorgeous gazpacho recipe on Simple Recipes. This almond gazpacho recipe in La Tartine Gourmande looks unique. However you make it, Gazpacho is a quick, easy, no-cook summer soup that you will love. Make a meal out of it or take it along on a picnic!

Tomato, Roasted Red Pepper and Black Olive Gazpacho with Creme Fraiche

inspired by Ina Garten’s gazpacho recipe
serves about 6

2 large ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 small cucumber peeled, seeded, roughly chopped
1 red pepper or store bought roasted red pepper, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons pitted black olives (or green olives)
2 cloves garlic, peeled
6 basil leaves

one 11oz can tomato juice (I used Campbells)
a few drops Tabasco sauce, or to taste, optional
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar or any other type of vinegar or lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper

for topping

6 tablespoons creme fraiche or sour cream
a few basil leaves cut into strips

Place tomato, cucumber, red pepper, olives, garlic in a blender or food processor. Pulse to a coarse puree. Add basil, tomato juice, tabasco, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Pulse once or twice till everything is well combine. Cover and refrigerate the gazpacho. Serve chilled, topped with basil and creme fraiche. Gazpacho tastes better the next day!

Fresh Pea and Mint Soup

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Whenever I buy fresh spring peas in their pods, I always think of what peas and pods signify. Peas in their pods are beautiful things - six or seven tender little peas, all snuggled up safely inside the comfort of their pod. An expectant mother carrying a child, close friends, a couple living together – all peas in a pod, enjoying their togetherness.

My husband, when he is in a romantic mood will calls us  ‘two peas in a pod’. How appropriate. Two of us, living together and going through the journey of life together. Just like peas in a pod.

If you have never tried fresh peas, now is the time. Fresh green peas are in season during the spring. They are really easy to shell and cook. Fresh shelled peas are so tender, you don’t need to cook them more than 4 minutes max. In a pinch, frozen peas will be good substitute.

Fresh Pea and Mint Soup Recipe

serves about 2

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 cups fresh, shelled peas (substitute with frozen peas)
1 1/2 cups whole milk (more for thinner soup)
salt
1 cup fresh mint leaves
freshly cracked black pepper

Heat oil in a pan and add onion. Cook on medium heat for about 2 minutes or till the onions are  transluscent. Add the garlic pods and cook 1 more minutes. Add peas and saute for about 2 minutes. Add milk and salt. Simmer for 3-4 minutes or till the peas are cooked. Pour the milk and peas mixture into a blender. Add mint leaves to the blender. Blend soup as chunky or smooth as you like. (Be careful when putting hot liquids in a blender – always vent the blender lid). Serve soup with freshly cracked black pepper.

Spinach and Shitake Mushroom Soup with Crispy Baked Tofu Croutons

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shitake-spinach-soup1

I love soups and make versions of this recipe often in the cold months. Sometimes I add rice noodles to this soup to make it more filling but this time I didnt. The tofu croutons are wonderfully crunchy and make this otherwise thin soup rather satisfying. We had a huge bowl for dinner and I’m looking forward to eating the left over for lunch :)

tofu-croutons

I love these tofu croutons in the soup, they are crispy on the outside, meaty inside absorb flavors fabulously. I also love snacking on them with some hot sauce or sriracha to dip. Toss tofu cubes in some corn starch before baking, this makes the croutons extra crisp. You could add any kind of seasoning you like to the tofu cubes; I stuck with salt and pepper. Garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, paprika will all be great; add these to the tofu about 10 minutes before the end of baking to prevent the spices from burning.
 
shitake-spinach-soup2
 

Spinach and Shitake Mushroom Soup with Crispy Baked Tofu Croutons Recipe

serves 4-6

2 oz dried shitake mushrooms
1/2 tbsp canola oil
2 leeks, chopped thinly and washed
3 tbsp garlic paste
3 tbsp ginger paste
8 cups water, vegetable stock or mushroom stock
3-4 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar or lemon juice
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp sriracha or chili paste
1 large bunch of fresh spinach, washed
Salt (keep in mind soy sauce and stock are already salty)

Soak dried shitake mushrooms in 3 cups of boiling water for about 10 minutes. Heat oil in a soup pot. Add leeks and saute on high heat till leeks are soft. Then add ginger and garlic pastes and cook for about 2 minutes. Removed shitake mushroooms from the boiling water, reserve the soaking liquid. Squeze out some of the water and cut the larger mushrooms into half. Add the mushrooms to the leeks, ginger and garlic and saute on medium-high heat for about 1 minute.

Add 3 cups of the mushroom soaking liquid and 8 cups stock to the soup pot. Bring to a boil. Then reduce heat and simmer for about 6 minutes. Add the soy sauce, vinegar or lemon juice, sesame oil, spinach, salt and immediately turn off heat. The fresh spinach will wilt into the soup and doent need any more cooking. Taste and adjust soy sauce, vinegar or lemon juice and sriracha. Serve with tofu croutons on top. For a more filling meal, add some cooked rice noodles or vemicelli to the soup. If you like thicker soup, mix 3 tbsp of corn starch with a little water and add this to the soup at the end, but before adding spinach. Bring the soup with the corn starch slurry to a boil and then turn off heat. This will thicken the soup.

Tofu Croutons Recipe

1 block (19 oz) firm tofu
1 tbsp canola oil
1 1/2 tbsp corn startch
salt and pepper
other optional seasonings – garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, paprika

Heat oven to 375 f. Drain tofu and pat dry. Cut tofu into 1/2 inch cubes. Toss tofu cubes with corn startch, salt and pepper. Drizzle oil over the tofu cubes. Place on a non-stick baking sheet (or a baking sheet lined with silpat or parchment). Bake for 45 minutes or untill the tofu croutons are golden. If using any of the optional sesaoning listed above, remove tofu from oven 10 minutes before end of baking time and toss the croutons with sesaonings, return to oven. Let tofu croutons cool a little before removing them from the baking sheet. Serve with soup.

Curried Pumpkin Cashew Soup with Cilantro Gremolata

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pumpkin-cashew-soup1

We spent the evening by the fireplace, cozying up, watching the rain, and listening to old songs. Dinner was by the fire place too - a silky pumpkin and cashew soup, scented with fennel and coriander and finished with a little fresh orange juice. This was a filling, warming, comforting meal; perfect for a dreary fall day.  

cilantro-gremolata

The soup is topped with a gremolata. Now traditional Italian gremolata has parsley, garlic and lemon zest – all minced and mixed together. I changed it up a little to match the soup. The soup has curry flavors, ginger and a touch of orange juice in it. To complement the soup, my gremolata has cilantro, ginger and orange zest. Just put a spoon of gremolata on top of the soup before serving. It really perks up the flavors.

A note on what pumpkin to use for this soup: Pie pumpkin is the best. Pie pumpkins are smaller and rounder than carving/halloween pumpkins. You could also use butternut squash instead of pumpkin. 

 

You can easily veganize this recipe if you wish. Just cut out the milk and use more vegetable stock. The cashew nuts will ensure the soup is creamy even without the milk.

curried-pumpkin-cashew-soup

See the pepitas in the picture below? I toasted up the seeds from the pumpkin and served it as another topping for the soup. You could skip the pepitas if you wish and serve  the soup with just the gremolata and some good crusty bread for dunking.

pepitas-bread-and-pumpkin-soup

Curried Pumpkin Cashew Soup Recipe
serves about 3
1 pie pumpkin (about 2 lbs)
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
1 small onion
3/4 tbsp minced ginger
1 tsp cumin or coriander powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp paprika or cayenne powder
1/2 tbsp sugar
2 cups milk
1 cup water. Use more for thinner soup.
1/2 cup cashew nuts
4 tbsp orange juice
Olive oil
Salt
French baguette or other crusty bread to serve with soup

Pre-heat oven to 400 F. Cut the pumpkin in half. Scoop out the seeds and fibers. (Discard the fibrous insides, but you could save the pumpkin seeds to toast – about 45 minutes in a 300 F oven). Sprinkle a little salt in the cavities of the pumpkin. Drizzle about 1 tsp of olive oil into the cavities. Place the cut pumpkin halves, cut side down on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes or till the pumpkin flesh is soft.

While the pumpkin in roasting, roughly chop the onion and mince ginger. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a deep pan. Add fennel seeds. When they start sizzling, add onion and ginger. Saute on medium heat till onion is translucent. Then add cumin or coriander powder, turmeric and paprika or cayenne. Cook on medium for about 2 munites.

When the pumpkin is done, scoop the flesh using a spoon (hold the hot pumpkin with oven mitts or let it cool before handling). Discard the pumpkin skin. Place the pumpkin flesh in the pan with the onion and spices. Pour in sugar, milk, water or stock and cashews and let the soup simmer for about 3 minutes. Then pour into a blender and blend into a smooth puree. Stir in orange juice and mix well. Serve with cilantro gremolata.

Cilantro Orange Ginger Gremolata Recipe
4 tbsp cilantro finely minced
1/4 tsp minced ginger
1/2 tsp orange zest
Salt

Mince cilantro and ginger very finely. Mix minced cilantro, ginger, orange zest and salt together.

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