Hearty Cabbage and Potato Soup

Cabbage, aah, not much that you can do with this really healthy, good to eat vegetable right? There's curries, there's coleslaw, there's soup....ahem, did you say soup? Yes, I did!

Try this winning combination of cabbage and potato in a rustic soup. You won't be disappointed.

You will need:

2 carrots, washed and diced.

1/2 cup of cooked rice.

1/4 to 1/2 cup cabbage, washed, shredded.

6 cloves of garlic, crushed and chopped.

1/2 onion, finely diced.

2 Yukon gold potatoes, washed, peeled, and diced.

1 tsp of California style sweet paprika.

Black pepper and salt to taste.

Olive oil 1 tabsp and butter 1tbsp to saute the onion.

Crushed Thyme, 1 tsp to garnish.

In a saucepan, heat the oil and butter together. Saute the onions and garlic until a mild golden brown. Now, add the potatoes, carrots and cabbage and stir for a minute or so. Add paprika, black pepper and salt. Pour enough water to cook the vegetable, covered. I normally do about 2 cups of water. After a rolling boil, cook until potatoes are just about done. Now add the rice and bring to a rolling boil. Turn of the stove and let the flavors seep into the broth. Garnish with the crushed thyme and serve warm with rustic bread. Serves two. Enjoy!

Cauliflower-Onion Stew

Its flu season and everyone I know seems to have the sniffles! Being down with a bad bug is just awful and nothing makes me feel better than a hot bowl of soup or stew. Since I rarely eat chicken, I wanted to make a stew with vegetables that was full of the goodness of garlic and slightly on the spicier side to clear up the sinuses. So here is what I came up with, a simple stew made with cauliflower florets and onions. My little toddler ate it to, and asked for more. Here is the recipe and its super easy to make.

You will need:

One cauliflower chopped into florets.
Half a large onion, sliced.
Four cloves of garlic, crushed, sliced.
Sweet curry powder and bay leaves from Penzeys.
Salt and black pepper to taste.
Butter and olive oil to saute the onion slices.
One tbsp of brown rice flour mixed in a quarter cup of water.
Water to provide a base for the stew.

Use a large saucepan to saute the onions in about 2 tbsp of olive oil and 1 tbsp of butter. First, add the olive oil and butter to the pan. Once the butter melts, add two bay leaves and the sliced onions. The onions should sizzle if the oil and butter are hot enough. Now saute the onions until they are transparent. Add the garlic and saute until the garlic and onion turn a nice golden  At this point, add the cauliflower florets, stir them to coat them with the onions and garlic and add about 4 cups of water to the pan. Bring it to a boil, simmer and cover the pan to cook the cauliflower florets until they are just tender. This is when you add the curry powder to your stew. I normally add about 1/2-1 tsp but I leave this to you, vary the proportion to suit your spice level. Also add salt and black pepper to taste. Finally, add the rice flour and water paste to the pan, stirring constantly so that no lumps form in the broth. Cover, cook until the stew thickens and serve hot with rustic pita bread.

Green Onion and Corn Soup

When I normally get back from work late, and have less than half an hour at hand to whip up a healthy meal, I often think soup. I had this inviting bunch of green onions in the refrigerator. So I got together some frozen corn kernels and before I knew it, I was making this soup.

You will need:
A bunch of green onions, finely chopped.
One cup of frozen corn kernels.
Salt, pepper, and a pinch of brown sugar.
Soy Sauce.
Butter.
Finely chopped cilantro to garnish.

Saute the chopped green onions in some butter in a pan. Once wilted, add the corn kernels and saute some more. Now add 2 to 3 cups of water (adjust this amount depending on how much final liquid content you want in your soup) to the pan and bring it to a boil. Once the corn is almost cooked, add the salt, pepper, sugar, and soy sauce to taste. Cook for a few minutes.

Serve hot, garnished with Cilantro and pair it with a hearty salad and a slice of bread from the local bakery!