Mediterranean Lentil Soup

Syrian cooking does not include many varieties of soup, possibly because most of the dishes are 'soupy' and served with rice. However, this is a very traditional soup (with my little twists of course!) and is often served with kibbeh. I like to prepare a pot of this at the beginning of the week and heat some up for a quick lunch or after school meal. It is common to add shredded beef to the soup but in an effort to 'health-ify'  our food I almost never do that. Using vegetable broth will make this delicious soup vegan and I'm seriously in love with the high fiber and protein content in lentils! This soup is so easy to customize...feel free to add some leafy greens or celery...I like to switch up my additions and if I puree the soup at the end no one ever knows ;) 

Serves 6

Ingredients

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-1 teaspoon olive oil

-1 medium onion, chopped into small cubes (about 1 cup)
-1 teaspoon cumin seeds (or a spice mix called "panch puran" which consists of fenugreek, mustard, fennel, black caraway and cumin seeds)

-3 cloves of garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon)

-1 cup small red lentils

-1 cup shredded or finely diced sweet potato (or carrots)

-2 tablespoons uncooked rice

-6 cups broth (you may need 1 more cup if your heat is too high as the lentils cook)
-1 teaspoon ground coriander
-1 teaspoon ground or fresh ginger
-optional: 1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning

-salt to taste

Optional garnishes: 
-lemon wedges 
-fresh parsley or mint leaves
-pita chips

To Make

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-Heat oil in a deep pot and add onions and cumin seeds. Sauté until onions are translucent, then add garlic and continue to sauté until onion and garlic have browned. 

-Add lentils, carrots, rice, broth, coriander and ginger (plus optional lemon pepper) and bring to a boil. Taste the broth mixture and add salt as needed. Once boiling, give the mixture a stir and then place the lid on the pot and turn heat to low. Simmer for 25-30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so as the lentils will settle on the bottom as they cook. If your mixture looks too thick, add more broth. The soup is ready when the lentils and carrots are soft. The ingredients will have cooked together and will have sort of 'melted' into the broth. You can either puree the soup for a smooth texture or keep it as is for a chunky consistency. I like to leave it slightly chunky.

-Serve with optional garnishes.
-Enjoy!

*You can easily make this in a slow cooker by throwing all the ingredients together and cooking on low for about 3-4 hours*

*If you are going to reheat the soup you will probably need to add a little water or broth because the lentils will cause the soup to thicken when cooled*

Warm up this winter season with some of my other SOUP recipes...I'm a huge fan of all them! 

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Roasted Garlic Acorn Squash Soup

I have this weird thing where as soon as it rains my brain thinks "SOUP." I can only eat soup when its cold out, otherwise I avoid it completely but in the back of my mind I'm dreaming of when the weather will allow me to enjoy it again. Like I said, weird. I'm a huge fan of all types of textured soups, from broth-y kinds to smooth purees to super chunky one-pot meals. Last year I made an acorn squash soup and have been waiting to make it again, and this year I've really perfected this recipe. Acorn squash is a good winter vegetable (I know it's really a fruit, because it has seeds...) to cook with because unlike it's cousins the pumpkin and the butternut, it's less sweet and therefore works extremely well in savory dishes. 

This squash is so good roasted that we ate half of it without even pureeing it. Roasting the squash on its own is a delicious side dish and you could stop at that part of the recipe and still have a winner. If you're weird like me and have been waiting for soup all year, I recommend you finish the process to the end and really enjoy yourself.

Pureed soups have a depth of flavor but can be lacking in texture. Since food is a sensory experience, I find the toppings are very important and add a lot to the finished product. Have fun experimenting with different topping combinations! 

Ingredients
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-10 cloves garlic, peeled
-1 acorn squash, washed and cut in half
-1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
-1 tablespoon ground ginger
-1 tablespoon salt
-1 tablespoon pepper
-1 teaspoon curry powder
-1 teaspoon mustard powder
-1 teaspoon marjoram
-1 teaspoon cumin seeds
-cooking spray or 1 tablespoon olive oil

-1 teaspoon olive oil
-1 cup chopped red onion
-6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
-1 tablespoon black sesame seeds
-1/2-1 cup whole milk

optional:
-shredded parmesan cheese
-fresh chopped parsley
-toasted pumpkin seeds (or another toasted nut)
-pomegranate seeds
-croutons
-pesto or nut oil

Good enough to eat straight from the oven

To make
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-Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.
-Line a pan with foil and place acorn squash cut side up on the pan.
-Fill the squash cavities with garlic and evenlu sprinkle pumpkin pie spice, ground ginger, salt, pepper, curry powder, marjoram, mustard powder and cumin seeds all over the squash and garlic. Drizzle with oil or spray non-stick cooking spray over the seasoned squash.
-Place the pan in oven and roast for about 45-60 minutes, until the squash in tender and browned on the top.
-Heat a large pot on the stove and add 1 teaspoon olive oil. Add chopped onions and cook until soft and golden.
-Scoop out the acorn squash from its shell and place the squash and roasted garlic into the the pot.
-Add the broth to the pot. Using an immersion blender, puree the mixture until smooth. (See * if you do not have an immersion blender)
-Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
-Stir in black sesame seeds and slowly add desired amount of milk. Using more milk will take away from the flavors of the spices.

*If you do not have an immersion blender, I recommend pureeing the squash and garlic with some of the broth and THEN adding it all together in a pot and bringing to a boil.

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Tomato Pomegranate Soup

I was having a craving for soup AND pasta, so I decided to rummage around my pantry and fridge and see what I could come up with.  The result was pretty good and passed the child taste test, which is a mark of a truly good recipe :)

I liked this soup because of the unique sour taste of the pomegranate molasses and pasta.  Best of all, prep time is only 5 minutes and it comes together very fast! Feel free to substitute another small pasta in place of the penne, in fact I think next time I make it I will use elbow macaroni because the penne was a bit long and I cut them in half in my bowl.

Serves 4

Ingredients
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-1 tablespoon olive oil
-1 small white onion, chopped into thin strips
-1 large Italian squash, diced into small cubes
-1 cup small pasta (penne or elbow)
-1 can tomato paste
-6 cups broth (or 1 bouillon cube and water)
-2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
-salt to taste
-1/4 cup diced fresh cilantro

To make
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-Heat olive oil on high heat in a pot and saute onions until semi soft, about 3-5 minutes.
-Add the water, pomegranate molasses, salt and tomato paste and stir until blended.
-When the mixture boils, add the pasta and squash. Cover and let soup simmer for 10-15 minutes or until pasta is cooked. If the pasta absorbs too much water, add a little more water and tomato paste.
-Stir in diced cilantro and enjoy :)

Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

This is a spin-off version of two soups in one. Panera's chicken and wild rice soup and Olive Garden's new gnocchi soup.

Ingredients
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-1 cup packaged gnocchi (half of the 16 oz package)

-3 cups boiling salted water

-1 cup shredded rotisserie chicken

-1 tablespoon olive oil

-1 cup frozen or fresh chopped spinach

-1/2 cup diced carrots

-1/2 cup diced mushrooms

-1/2 cup diced celery

-4 minced garlic cloves

-2 cups chicken broth

-2 cups half and half

-1/2 cup fresh basil

To make

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-Place water in a pot and turn on high. Once the water boils, add the gnocchi. Follow package directions for cooking time. Drain and set aside.

-Heat olive oil in a pot and saute carrots, celery and mushrooms until tender. Add garlic halfway through. Stir in shredded chicken and spinach, then add the half and half and chicken broth. Add salt to taste.

-Simmer on medium low heat for about 15 minutes, then add the gnocchi and simmer for another 15 minutes. Add fresh basil and black pepper.

**Serve with crusty french bread and enjoy :) **

Tortilla Soup

I LOVE tortilla soup. Any time I used to go to any Mexican restaurant, I'd have to order it. Until I perfected my own recipe, and it is SO much better than any other professional chef ;-)

A GREAT use for leftover fajitas (homemade, or even easier, brought back from a restaurant) is to throw them into this soup. It also really cuts the prep time.

Ingredients

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-2-3 cups leftover fajitas

OR

-2 tablespoons cooking oil

-1/2 pound chicken or steak or shrimp (or skip this step for veggie soup)

-1 of each, cut into short strips or cubes: yellow onion, red, green, yellow bell pepper (or buy frozen bell pepper medley)

-1 can corn

-1 can black beans

-leftover mexican rice OR 1/4 cup uncoocked rice

-1 squash, cut into small cubes

-1/2-1 cup mild salsa or picante sauce (fresh tastes awesome, but anything works)

-1 bunch minced cilantro

-4 cloves fresh minced garlic

-2 green onions, white and green parts

-4 cups broth or water

-2 tablespoons taco seasoning

Garnish (optional)

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-sour cream

-avocado slices

-shredded cheese

-tortilla chips

To make

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-Heat oil in pot, combine optional chicken/steak/shrimp. Cook halfway, then add onions, bell peppers, garlic, squash, rice and green onions until squash and rice are halfway cooked.

-Add salsa, beans, corn, broth and taco seasoning.

-Simmer until rice is cooked. Add cilantro and cook for 5 more minutes.

This all goes MUCH faster if the chicken and veggies are precooked, and the rice is already made.

-Garnish with optional toppings.