Garlicky White Bean and Kale Soup

~Adapted from "My New Roots" webpage~

 

Garlicky White Bean & Kale StewServes 6-8

 Ingredients:
Spoonful of coconut oil
4 medium leeks
10-12 cloves garlic
 2 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional, but really delicious)
5 bay leaves
Pinch chili flakes
Sea salt
Cracked black pepper
4-5 cups cooked white beans (lima, butter, navy, cannelini…)
4 cups packed shredded kale leaves
 4 cups vegetable broth (+2 more cups optionally)
 1 can (28 oz.) organic whole tomatoes
Cold-pressed olive oil to garnish


Directions:
1. Heat oil in a large stockpot. Slice leeks and add to the pot with a couple pinches sea salt, chili, bay leaves and paprika. Cook for a few minutes until the leeks have softened, then add sliced garlic. If the pot becomes dry, add a little juice from the tinned tomatoes.



2. Add all other ingredients, bring to a boil, season to taste, and serve with a drizzle of olive oil (since everything is cooked, you don’t need to heat it long). If you are going to let it simmer for a while, add the kale about 5-10 minutes before serving so that it retains more of its nutritional value.

Mine was a bit on the thicker side of things so if you like a broth-y-er soup, I'd recommend adding a couple more cups of vegetable broth.

Beef Barley Stew

~Adapted from Skinny Taste~

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp oil
• 1 cup dried green peas
• 1-1/2 lbs lean beef round stew meat
• 1 leek 
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 cups water
• 3 cups beef stock
• 1 - 2 tsp kosher salt, to taste
• 2 bay leaves
• 1-1/2 cups dry barley
• fresh ground black pepper

Directions:

Heat a large heavy pot or dutch oven on medium heat. Add oil and beef, season with a little salt and brown meat a few minutes.

When meat is browned, add carrots, leek, celery and garlic to the pot and give it a good stir.

Add water, salt and bay leaves and bring to a boil. When boiling, reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer covered over low heat until the meat is soft, about 1 1/2 - 2 hours.

Add the barley, adjust the salt if needed and add fresh ground pepper. Simmer an additional 30-35, remove bay leaves and serve. Makes 6-8 servings.

Apple, Leek, Butternut Squash Soup

From my Soup of the Day book from JJE!

Ingredients:

1 or 2 butternut squash (about 4 lb total, halved, seeded, peeled, and cut in to chunks) - or 2-3 lbs butternut squash chunks pre-cut by the store

1 lb tart apples (I used honeycrisp) - peeled, cored, and quarters, plus 1 small tart apple, unpeeled, halved, cored, and thinly sliced

2 large leeks (white and pale green parts, thickly sliced)

4 large cloves garlic

2 Tbsp chopped sage, plus whole leaves for garnish (optional)

2 tsp ground cumin

salt and freshly ground pepper

3 Tbsp olive oil

4 cups chicken broth

1 cup hard cider or dry white wine

1/2 cup apple juice (optional)

1/2 cup crème fraiche or sour cream

Steps:

Preheat the over to 425 degrees.  Place the squash, quartered apples, leek, and garlic on a rimmed baking sheet.  Sprinkle with 1 Tbsp of the chopped sage and 1 tsp of the cumin.  Season with salt and pepper.  Drizzle with the oil, stir to coat, and spread the apples and vegetables in a single layer

Roast, stirring 2 or 3 times, until the squash is fork-tender and all the vegetable and apples are golden, 20-25 minutes.  Remove from the oven.

Working in batches, process in a food processor (or with an immersion blender) until a course puree forms.  With the motor running, pour in 1-1.5 cups of the broth and process until nearly smooth.

The immersion blender worked much better for me as you can see from these pics.  My food processor is a bit small....

Transfer the puree to a large, heavy pot over medium heat.  Stir in the remaining broth, the cider/juice/wine, and the remaining 1 Tbsp chopped sage and 1 tsp cumin and bring just to a simmer, stirring often.  Season with salt and pepper.

Ladle the soup in to shallow bowls and top each serving with 1 Tbsp cream fraiche.  Float a few apple slices in each bowl.  Garnish with sage leaves, if using, and serve.

Pea Soup

Ingredients

• 16 ounces dried green split peas, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups diced ham
• 2 cups diced potatoes
• 2 cups shredded carrots
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 8 cups chicken (or vegetable) broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, minced, plus extra for garnish
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Place dried split peas, ham, potatoes, carrots, and garlic in the bottom of the slow cooker. Pour in chicken broth. Stir in bay leaf and parsley. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours (or on high for 4 to 5 hours). Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.

Tips, Tricks, & Variations

You can shred your carrots if you prefer less noticeable bites of carrot that practically melt into the soup. 
The amount of liquid in this recipe should be more than sufficient, but any time you cook a dried bean recipe in the crock pot for the first time, you'll want to check your water/broth level every once in awhile to make sure too much hasn't been soaked up by your beans/peas. If it has, just add more water/broth and stir. Some crock pots run hotter than others.