This soup is simply divine. I love everything about it. From the simplicity of making it, to the rich flavor that is achieved through the cooking process. The sweet flavor of the red bell pepper is intensified when they’re roasted. I have a gas stovetop and begin the cooking process with the bell pepper directly on the burner with the flame on medium. What you’re looking for is a really good char. This can also be achieved on the grill, or under your broiler.

INGREDIENTS
5 Red Peppers, roasted
4 cups Vegetable Broth
½ cup Heavy Cream
3 Tbsp Olive oil
Pinch of Salt
Sour Cream, garnish (optional)
Sprig of Fresh Parsley, garnish (optional)

METHOD
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Wash and roast the red peppers over an open flame.
Place in a baking dish and bake in the oven for about 35 minutes, or until soft.
Remove from oven and allow to cool, before handling.
Once the peppers are cool, remove skin, stem and seeds, and discard. (I actually like to leave the skin on mine, but it’s up to you.)
Place peppers in the food processor or blender, adding broth if needed for processing.
Process until you get the desired consistency (I like mine with a little texture).
Place peppers in a medium size saucepan, add in the broth and heavy cream.
Heat on medium until hot.
Stir in olive oil.
Add salt to taste.
Enjoy!

Cauliflower Soup

INGREDIENTS
1 Cauliflower head
2 Tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, unpeeled
1/2 onion
2 cups vegetable broth (chicken broth works)
2 cups milk (more or less)
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons fresh parsley, chopped fine
Sea salt and pepper to taste

METHOD
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Wash cauliflower and cut off the florets. Place on baking sheet and toss with the olive oil. Place the garlic cloves, unpeeled on the baking dish (yes, you can give them a little olive oil love, too). Place the onion, peel side up, on the baking dish. Roast in the oven for about 30 to 35 minutes, or until cauliflower is soft and golden.

Peel the onion, and pop the garlic cloves out of their skins. Place in a food processor or blender, along with the cauliflower. Pour in enough vegetable broth to pulse until everything is smooth, or a little chunky (if you’re like me you like it with a little texture). Be careful using the processor/blender when ingredients are hot! To avoid mishaps I cover the lid with a dish towel.

Place the cauliflower mixture in a large saucepan. Add the milk, nutmeg, and parsley. Add more or less milk, depending upon the consistency you desire.

Taste and adjust flavor with salt and pepper. Top with Cheesy Croutons, if desired, and serve right away. Enjoy!

Cheesy Croutons

INGREDIENTS
2 slices wheat sourdough bread
Jack and Cheddar cheese, shredded
Sea salt

METHOD
Toast bread slices. Cut into whatever desired shape you want your croutons. Place bread on baking sheet and put a little cheese and salt on each one. Place in the oven for about 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Place on soup and serve!

INGREDIENTS
Lentils, you can use canned or dry, but ultimately you want to end up with 4 cups of cooked lentils
3 Italian turkey sausages (I like spicy, but you can use the mild/sweet ones)
1/2 onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped in 1″ pieces
1/2 bulb of fennel, chopped in 1″ pieces
6 cups of stock (chicken, beef or vegetable)
4 carrots, peeled and chopped in 1″ to 2″ pieces
2 zucchinis, cut in half lengthwise and then cut in 1″ pieces
2 chopped tomatoes
fresh herbs: a little parsley, oregano, thyme and rosemary (if you don’t have fresh you can use dried herbs, or the Italian herb combination)
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
salt (or some truffle salt) and fresh ground pepper, to taste

METHOD
Place about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saucepan, that is large enough to ultimately hold all of the soup.  Squeeze the sausage out of the casings and saute, along with the onion, celery and fennel.

When the sausage is cooked add your stock and the cooked lentils.  Add the carrots, zucchini, tomatoes, herbs and garlic and cook over medium until the veggies are soft, about 15 minutes.  Add more stock if needed.

Taste the soup and season with salt and pepper to your liking.  Serve with crusty bread.  Yummy!

Nothing beats a steaming bowl of miso soup! It’s so easy to prepare and in just a few minutes you have a wonderful soothing soup. You can add other ingredients if you’d like… udon or soba noodles, shaved carrot, red pepper flakes, etc.

What is miso?
Miso paste is a naturally fermented soy paste. Different grains and ingredients are fermented along with the soybeans which will make the miso paste have a different taste and texture. Such as soybeans and sea salt (Hatcho), soybeans and brown rice (Genmai) or soybeans and white rice (Kome). Those are just 3 of the many ingredient/flavor combinations. That combined with the age or how long the miso has been fermented, will determine the color and taste (some miso pastes are mild, while others may be saltier). Miso paste may be fermented for up to 3 years, or as little as 1 month. The lighter the color the milder the flavor. I used red miso paste for my soup, but you can use any miso paste.

Miso Soup
2 servings

INGREDIENTS
4 cups of water
1 1/2 teaspoons instant dashi granules
2 1/2 Tablespoons red miso paste
1 cup firm tofu, cut into 1″ cubes
handful of spinach leaves, roughly chopped
handful of seasoned roasted nori
about 1/3 cup of enoki mushrooms
3 green onions, sliced thin rounds

METHOD
Prepare your ingredients so they are ready to put into soup.

Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Turn heat off and add the dashi granules and miso paste into the pan. You never want to boil miso, as it is fermented and boiling will kill the healthy bacteria. Stir until it is completely dissolved. Next add your tofu, spinach, nori and green onions, stirring gently for a minute or so, until the spinach leaves are wilted and the tofu is warmed through. Serve and enjoy!

Serves 6

Some people are intimidated by artichokes… well, maybe not the ones in the can, but I’m talking about a whole fresh raw artichoke. Those pointy leaves can really hurt! In my opinion, they are worth the effort. If you don’t feel like dealing with the fresh artichoke, you can easily use canned in this recipe and it will still turn out wonderful!

INGREDIENTS
5 large artichokes hearts (quartered)
4 Tablespoons butter
1 medium size leek, white-and-light green part, sliced and rinsed
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup chopped shallots
5 oz of Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced
8 cups of vegetable or chicken stock
1 teaspoon thyme
2 sprigs of parsley
1/2 cup of cream (you can substitute half & half, or low fat milk)
Salt and pepper to tasteSour cream, for garnish
Chopped chives, for garnish

METHOD
Cook the artichokes (see instructions below).

With a small spoon, remove the thistle choke part and discard. Remove the leaves from the artichoke heart and reserve for eating later, if desired. Cut or peel away the tough outside skin of the stems and discard.

In a large pot, melt half the butter and cook the leek, garlic, and shallots on medium heat until tender but not brown.

Add the artichoke hearts, potatoes, stock, and herbs. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and continue to simmer uncovered until potatoes are tender, about 15-20 minutes.

Purée the soup using either a handheld immersion blender or in a blender in batches. You can leave the soup a little chunky if you like it that way.

Return soup to pot. Stir in the remaining butter and the cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Ladle the soup into serving bowls. If desired, serve with a dollop of sour cream on top and a sprinkling of chives.

Cooking the Artichokes:

Wash artichokes under cold running water.

Pull off lower petals which are small or discolored.

Remove the sharp outer top leaves by cutting about a quarter of the artichoke from the top — a serrated knife works well. I like the look of clipped petals, so I cut about ¼ inch off the petals, removing the pointy thorn.

Trim the base so that your artichoke can stand up straight. Trimmed artichoke stems are edible. Cut the brown end about ½ inch. Peel fibrous outer layer to reach tender green of stem. The stem may be steamed whole with the artichoke, cut into rounds or julienne for salads or pastas.

Plunge into acidified water to preserve color. (One tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice per quart of water.)

Place artichoke in steamer, tips up. Fill pan with about two inches of salted water (you can also add a little lemon juice to the water if you like). Check the water levels often, as it’s easy to forget about and let boil dry.

Cover pot and steam artichokes for about 30 to 40 minutes (depending on size), or until bottoms of the artichoke are tender. Cut into base of each artichoke to check that it is soft, and make sure inside leaves can be pulled out easily.

Drain artichokes upside down on paper towel.

Serve with melted butter (I like to add a little lemon juice and garlic to mine), a mayonnaise style dressing or even a hollandaise sauce.