Roasted Carrot Soup

I have been roasting a lot of vegetables lately -- beets, brussels sprouts, peppers, garlic, Roasting makes it taste like a completely different vegetable, which was essential when I decided to make this carrot soup. Carrots are one of my least favourite vegetables. They just taste... healthy. But roasting! Oh, friends, roasting this little guys made all the difference. The soup was yummy (cream certainly didn't hurt) and refreshing. And T even said he thought he could see better.

Roasted Carrot Soup

Serves 4-6

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion, quartered
• 2 lbs carrots, peeled and cut into two inch chunks
• 1 belgian endive, quartered lengthwise
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp salt, plus more for seasoning
• pinch of freshly ground pepper, plus more for seasoning
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 tsp grated peeled fresh ginger, or to taste

Directions

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a single layer on a cooking sheet, place the onion, carrots and endive and brush liberally with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast the vegetables until they are deep golden brown, about 30 minutes.
• Transfer all the vegetables to a large saucepan and add the bay leaf and the stock. Bring to a simmer and cook until the carrots are very soft, about 30 minutes. Let cool slightly, discard the bay leaf, and puree the vegetables until smooth (with an immersion blender or a regular blender).
• Add the cream, season with salt and pepper and stir in the ginger. 

Recipe from Martha Stewart, The New Classics

Turkey Chili Soup

Chili always reminds me of skating competitions. When I used to be a figure skater, I swear, chili followed me. It was in the judges' room, available for the competitors, and even what my mom considered to be an easy weeknight meal. I actually hated it; specifically the kidney beans. So I have to laugh at myself that not only did I make this chili, I really liked it. And the kidney beans? They weren't even in the recipe -- I just added them! 

This is one hearty bowl of goodness and since there's meat in it, it's very filling. Because this is a "soup," it's more liquid-y than a regular chili, but in terms of flavour, very similar. Just a nice new spin on a old classic.

Turkey Chili Soup

Serves 4

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2/3 can of red kidney beans
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1/8 tsp ground cilantro
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp mild chili powder (more, if you like it hot)
• salt and pepper
• sour cream to serve

Directions

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the turkey, season with salt and pepper and cook until no longer pink. 
• Reduce heat to medium and add onion, celery, red bell pepper and garlic. Cover and continue cooking for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onion is soft.
• Add the kidney beans, tomato paste, diced tomatoes and the stock and mix to combine. Stir in the cilantro, cumin, oregano, chili powder and salt and pepper to taste.
• Bring to just a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes until all the vegetables are very tender. 
• Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with a spoonful of sour cream.

Recipe adapted from Easy Soups

Italian Sausage Soup

My girlfriend Lindsey and I had plans to go skating recently so before we headed out into the deep freeze, I thought soup would be the perfect meal to keep us warm! 

I had been wanting to try this soup for awhile. I usually gravitate towards rich, creamy soups, but this one, even though was broth based, seemed full of so many delicious, healthy ingredients, that I thought would be a great change. Boy was I right. Every bite had something different -- pasta, veggie, beans, cheese. And what I love is that you could change anything about the recipe to tailor to your own tastes. 

Italian Sausage Soup

Serves 6-8

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 pound Italian sausage (you may want to mix mild and hot for more flavour)
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 onion, diced
• 4 cups beef broth
• 1 can (28 oz) stewed tomatoes
• 1 cup sliced carrots
• 1 can (14 oz) white kidney beans, rinsed
• 2 small zucchinis, diced
• 1 cup bowtie pasta
• 2 cups spinach, torn
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Directions

• Cut the sausage out of the casing and break it into small pieces. Cook in a frying pan until browned.
• In a stockpot, melt the butter and brown the onion and garlic until soft. Add broth, tomatoes, carrots and sausage. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Stir in beans and pasta. Cover and simmer another 10 minutes, then add zucchini and simmer for another 5 minutes. 
• Remove from heat and add spinach. Replace lid, allowing heat from the soup to cook the spinach leaves, for about five minutes.
• Serve with grated cheese on top.

Recipe adapted from www.allrecipes.com 

Roasted Squash, Sweet Potato, Onion and Garlic Soup

Toronto was hit with a snowstorm this weekend so I was thrilled to have nothing to do but cook in my pyjamas and watch marathons of reality TV. And this soup was definitely on my to-do list! I love roasted vegetable -- how you can easily change a crisp, fresh veggie into one with a deep, rich, caramelized flavour.

This recipe involved roasted four kinds of vegetables: squash, sweet potato, shallots and garlic. Then, simply adding some stock and cream and calling it a day. How much easier can it get? 

Because of the snow, neither T or I wanted to go out to get a breadstick (our usual accompaniment to a good soup), so I think during our next snowstorm, I am going to have to learn how to make bread!

Roasted Squash, Sweet Potato, Onion and Garlic Soup

Serves 6-8

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 medium sweet potato (about 350 g)
• 1 acorn squash
• 4 shallots
• 5-6 cloves of garlic, unpeeled
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 cups chicken/vegetable stock
• 1/2 cup light cream
• salt and pepper
• snipped chives, to garnish

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
• Cut the sweet potato, squash and shallots in half, lengthwise, through the stem to the end. Scoop the seeds out of the squash. Brush the cut sides with oil. Put the vegetables cut-side down on a baking sheet. Add the garlic cloves, brushed with oil, too. Roast for about 40-45 minutes, until tender and light brown.
• When cool, scoop the flesh from the potato and squash halves and peel the garlic. Put in a pot with the shallots.
• Add the stock and a pinch of salt. Bring just to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are very tender.
• Blend (either using a blender or an immersion blender) until smooth. 
• Stir in the cream and let warm through. Stir in the salt and pepper. 
• Serve in bowls with snipped chives.

Recipe from Easy Soups by Parragon Books (can't seem to find it anywhere online)

French Onion Soup

When my parents used to have company over, they often used to make French Onion soup. My dad made it in these old brown bowls with handles and he would drape puff pastry over it before putting it in the oven, creating this lovely crust on top where, once you punctured it, you would find a soup of rich broth, caramelized onions and melted swiss cheese. 

Without those beautiful oven safe bowls, I had to find another way to make a French Onion soup. I made the base the same way -- by cooking a variety of onions for nearly an hour and adding beef stock -- but then I toasted french loaf and melted swiss cheese on it and dropped two of them in my soup. Delicious! Necessity is the mother of invention, isn't it? Or, is it hunger?

French Onion Soup
Serves 6-8
Printable Recipe


Ingredients

• 4 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 cups sliced onions (I used two regular, 1 spanish and 1 white)
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 5 cups beef broth
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• salt and pepper to taste
• 12 slices French bread
• 12 slices swiss cheese

Directions

• Melt butter with olive oil in large pot on medium heat. Add onions, stirring occasionally until onions become tender and carmelized, about 45 minutes.
• Add the beef broth, red wine and thyme. Season with salt and pepper and simmer for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with the slices of French bread. Toast the bread slightly for about 4 minutes, then add slices of swiss cheese and turn broiler on until cheese is melted and bubbling, about 3 minutes.
• Ladle soup into bowls and add two slices of cheese bread. Serve.

Recipe adapted from http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Rich-and-Simple-French-Onion-Soup/Detail.aspx

Ham and Potato Soup

I hosted Christmas Eve for my family this year and bought about twice as much ham as we needed so we had lots (and lots!) of leftovers. While I love a good ol' ham sandwich as much as the next guy, I wanted to make a soup with some of the meat. I understand that ham and split pea is the "traditional" but I found a recipe online that people raved about and seemed much more up my alley: ham and potato soup. 


Since the ham was still on the bone, I made some ham stock with it (same method as the chicken stock) that I used as the base of the soup. And despite my concern, it was not pink, but rather a warm yellow colour! Whew!


The result was a thick and rich soup that I topped with cheddar cheese and green onion and enjoyed after an afternoon on an outdoor skating rink. Perfect.


Ham and Potato Soup
Serves 6-8
Printable Recipe


Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups peeled and diced potatoes
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 cup diced cooked ham
• 4 cups stock (ham, chicken or vegetable)
• 5 tbsp butter, plus 1 tbsp
• 5 tbsp flour
• 2 cups milk
• salt and pepper to taste
• cheddar cheese and green onion for topping

Directions

• In a large stockpot, melt 1 tbsp butter and cook the onions for a few minutes, until translucent. Add potatoes, ham and stock and cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.
• In a separate saucepan, melt 5 tbsp butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about one minute. Slowly stir in milk, whisking constantly so lumps do not form. Continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick, about 5 minutes.
• Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot and cook soup until heated through.
• Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately with cheese and onion.

Recipe adapted from www.allrecipes.com 

Creamy Chicken Soup with Wild Rice

As a new cook, I don't yet read recipes with a full vision of what the end product will look or taste like. In some cases, this barrier has led to some really bad food, or a really stressful cooking experience. In others though, it has led to some amazing dishes. I don't want to ruin the surprise, but this soup definitely falls into the latter category.

I had no idea what to expect going into this one, but 888 people gave it five stars on www.allrecipes.com, so who was I to argue? The tipping point here, is the addition of a creamy white sauce flavoured by a rice seasoning packet (don't judge until you try it!) that makes this soup border on a stew. It is decadent and rich, hearty and delicious. 

I'd now like to master the art of bread so I can serve this up in a crusty bread bowl. Yum!

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Serves 8

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 roast chicken (or you could use three chicken breasts, cooked), shredded
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups water
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 celery stalked, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp butter
• 1 package long grain and wild rice with seasoning packet
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup cream (5 or 10%)

Directions

• In a large stock pot, melt the butter and sautee the onion, garlic, carrots and celery. 
• Add the broth, water and chicken and bring to a boil before adding the rice -- reserving the seasoning packet. Cover and simmer until rice is cooked.
• In a medium pot over medium heat, melt the butter and add the seasoning packet, stirring until the mixture is bubbly. One tbsp at a time, add the flour to form a roux. Whisk in cream and milk until fully incorporated and smooth. Add in salt and pepper and cook until thickened, about five minutes.
• Stir cream mixture into broth and rice. Cook over medium heat until heated through.
• Serve with crusty bread or better yet, in bread bowls.

Recipe adapted from www.allrecipes.com

Roasted Eggplant Soup

I recently enjoyed the most delicious roasted eggplant in a restaurant, so when I saw this recipe I knew it was going to be on my Sunday rotation. 

Roasting the vegetables adds a whole new level of flavour. It's deep and rich and gave the eggplant -- usually a fairly bland flavour -- seem like a decadent treat. A lot of the commenters on www.allrecipes.com also suggested adding roasted red peppers to this recipe. I didn't have any on hand, but am confident it would be good. The flavours are really balanced out with the goat cheese, too.

The only thing about this soup is that it's thin. Because there are no potatoes in it, which are the thickening agent of many of my pureed soups, but on the other hand, it makes it a great carb free meal.

Ingredients

• 3 tomatoes, halved
• 1 eggplant, halved lengthwise
• 1 small onion, halved
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup heavy cream
• goat cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place tomatoes, eggplant, onion and garlic on baking sheet and brush with oil. Roast in oven until very tender and brown in spots, about 45 minutes.
• Scoop out eggplant pulp and discard skin. Place eggplant pulp, tomatoes, onion and garlic in large pot with thyme and chicken broth. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce and simmer until onion is very tender, about 45 minutes.
• Puree with an immersion blender, or in a regular blender in batches. Return to low heat and stir in cream. Season with salt and pepper.
• Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with goat cheese.

Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Broccoli and cheddar soup is one of my favourites, so I'm not sure why it took so long to finally make it! A lot of recipes I found required "processed cheese food," which probably melts better, but I used real cheddar and found this soup to be a thick, creamy, cheesy treat. 

The thing to watch with this soup is the addition of the cornstarch. If you add it too quickly without letting it dissolve properly, it will seize up and create blobs of gel in your soup (trust me; I speak from experience!). So be patient, and let it dissolve slowly into the hot soup. Your guests will be thankful you did!

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 head broccoli, chopped
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups cheddar cheese, cubed
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1/3 cup cornstarch

Directions

• In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat and cook onion and garlic for about three minutes.
• Stir in broccoli and cover with chicken broth. Simmer until broccoli is tender, about 10 minutes.
• In a small bowl, mix together the milk and the cornstarch until dissolved. 
• Reduce heat and slowly stir in milk and cornstarch mixture, stirring well. Add in cream, stirring frequently until thick.
• Add the cheddar cheese and stir slowly until melted. 
• Add salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com 

Roasted Tomato Soup

Another Sunday, another delicious soup. This time, a deep, rich roasted tomato. The colour was wonderful, the flavour blew Campbell's tomato out of the water. It was just full of a richness and thickness that I hadn't experienced in a regular tomato, but now I don't think I can go back. Imagine this on a cold, snowy day with a hot grilled cheese and a good book. Perfection.


Ingredients

• 2 (28 ounce) cans whole tomatoes packed in juice, drained, 3 cups juice reserved
• 1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
• 4 tbsp butter
• 4 large shallots, minced
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 cup cream
• pepper and cayenne pepper to taste

Directions

• Place oven rack in the upper-middle position and 450 degrees F. Line rimmed baking sheet with foil. With fingers, carefully open whole tomatoes over strainer set in bowl and push out seeds, allowing juices to fall through strainer into bowl. Sprinkle tomatoes evenly with brown sugar and bake until all liquid has evaporated and tomatoes begin to colour, about 30 minutes.

• Heat butter over medium heat. Add shallots and tomato paste. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until shallots are softened; about 7-10 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly until combined; about 30 seconds.

• Gradually add chicken stock, tomato juice and roasted tomatoes. Cover, increase heat to medium and bring to a boil. Reduce heat the low and simmer, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.

• Use an immersion blender (or if you don't have one, blend in batches using a regular blender) to puree soup to desired consistency. Add cream and pepper and cayenne. Serve immediately.

Recipe adapated from Smitten Kitchen

Hearty Winter Soup with Sausage and Tortellini

I have been on a soup kick the past few weeks. Every Sunday, I like to make a big pot of soup that we enjoy throughout the week for dinner. It's a quick and easy meal (mostly due to the french stick we scarf down with it), it's healthy and always satisfying.

As you can no doubt see, I usually gravitate towards cream soups -- cream of leak and potato, cream of cauliflower, cream of squash -- so this week I wanted to make something with pasta in it. Specifically tortellini -- cheese-stuffed are my favourite.

It wasn't long before I found a hearty recipe on http://www.allrecipes.com/ and I simply adapted it to what I had on hand. You could easily make substitutions or additions, depending what your family likes. There's no going wrong with this one, but here's what I did:

Ingredients

• 3 mild italian sausages
• 1/2 package fresh tortellini
• 10 stalks of asparagus, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 medium onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 5 cups chicken stock
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

• Pan-fry the sausage until cooked. Let cool and cut into bite sized pieces. Set aside.
• In a large pot, melt the butter and sauted the onion and garlic. Cook until onions are transluscent.
• Add the diced tomatoes, white wine, chicken stock and tomato paste. Stir and let simmer for 20 minutes.
• Add the tortellini, sausage and asparagus and let simmer until tortellini is cooked.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• If desired, top with shredded cheese and serve with crusty bread.

Cream of Cauliflower Soup

It's getting cool outside and there's nothing I love more than a big bowl of soup. Soup is surprisingly easy to make. During the fall and winter, something I like to make every Sunday because it lasts for a few days and whatever is left over freezes really well. 


This was the first time I'd made cauliflower soup and it got rave reviews from T. This is definitely a keeper.


Ingredients

• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
• 4 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 head cauliflower, chopped
• 1 apple, peeled and chopped
• 4-5 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

• Melt the butter a large pot. Add the onions and let cook for a couple of minutes before adding the carrots and cook for another few minutes.
• Add the chicken stock and potatoes and bring to a boil. Let simmer for about five minutes before adding the cauliflower and apple. Let simmer for about 20 minutes until the potatoes and carrots are soft.
• Let cool before either blending in batches using a blender or using an immersion blender directly in the pot.
• Once blended, add cream, nutmeg and salt and pepper.

Creamy Asparagus Soup

I picked up some fresh Ontario asparagus from a farmer's market last week and I've been hunting for a unique recipe to try. I stumbled upon this recipe for asparagus soup which intrigued me, but it was the curry powder that made me really want to try it.

As you may have noticed from my recipes, I am not a heavy spice user. In fact, the food I usually make has very subtle flavours, nothing bold. But, I'm working to come out of that spice shell so I gave this a try. 

It was quick and easy and the curry powder definitely gave it a kick. My husband liked it so much he ate half of it before I could even take this picture. 

We ate it hot, but this would also be nice served cold in shot glasses as a refreshing summer appetizer. Unexpected but refreshing. Enjoy.

Ingredients

• 1 pound asparagus, stalks sliced into 1 inch pieces, tips reserved
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper

Directions

In a small saucepan, bring the asparagus stalks and 1 cup of chicken broth and 1 cup of water, to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and let simmer for about 10 minutes, or until tender. Let cool slightly and blend until smooth in a blender.

In a larger saucepan, melt the butter over low heat and whisk in the flour to create a roux. Whisk continuously for about three mintes.

Add the chicken broth while whisking and bring to a boil.

Add milk and cream, whisk and let simmer for another three minutes.

Add the blended asparagus, curry powder, salt and pepper and reserved asparagus tips.

Bring to a boil then lower heat to a simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Print recipe for Creamy Asparagus Soup

Recipe adapted from www.allrecipes.com 

Leek and Potato Soup

This is one of our standbys for cold winter nights. It's my dad's recipe and it's easy to make and keeps well in the fridge for a few dinners during the week. Serve with a delicious french stick (at some point, I will learn how to make one).

Ingredients

• Two bunches of leeks
• One medium sized onion
• Three medium-sized potatoes 
• 1 1/2 boxes of chicken stock
• 1/2 cup of cream
• 1/2 cup of white wine (any kind you have on hand)
• 2 T butter
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Dice onion and sautee on low with butter

2. Cut and clean and chop the leeks. With leeks, you can only use the white and the light green parts. Cut off the end with "hair' and then about 70% of the top. Then, slice lengthwise down the middle and run under water, opening up each layer to ensure there's no sand between them. Then, roughly cut them width wise.

3. Sautee leeks with onion for about 20 minutes

4. Peel and dice potatoes.

5. Add chicken stock and diced potatoes to pot. Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer until potatoes are cooked.

6. Take off heat and let cool slightly before blending. I find the easiest way is to just stick in my immersion blender and blend around for a couple of minutes.

7. Place back on heat and add cream, wine and salt and pepper. Bring up heat and let flavours blend. 

This is one of those dishes that is actually better the next day because the flavours really marry together well. Mmmm!

Squash Soup with Bacon and Asiago Crumpets

On Sundays I feel that we should be having a full "Sunday night" dinner. But even though I took out a roast out of the freezer yesterday, it still wasn't defrosted in time to make dinner tonight, so we came up with Plan B: Butternut Squash Soup and Bacon and Asiago Crumpets.

Butternut Squash Soup

I didn't have a recipe so I used my basic Leek and Potato recipe and modified it slightly. Here's what I did:

1. Cut one medium butternut squash down the middle and roasted in the oven for one hour.
2. Melted two teaspoons of butter in a large pot and added one diced onion. Let cook for five minutes.
3. Add two diced up potatoes and one and a half cartons of chicken stock. Let boil until potatoes cook.
4. Cut up squash and add to the soup. 
5. Puree with immersion blender.
6. Add 1/2 cup of cream and 1/2 cup of white wine. 
7. Add salt, pepper and splash of nutmeg.
8. Serve in bowls and add a dollop of sour cream.

Overall, a pretty basic recipe and it turned out pretty well. I think this will be a winter favourite.

Bacon and Asiago Crumpets

These were delish! I got this recipe from the Mildred Pierce Restaurant brunch cookbook. They were good and pretty easy to make, but I certainly don't need 12 of them. My husband, T, really liked these though and maybe they won't be around that long.

They had a nice flavour and had a bit of a bite to them with the asiago cheese and the scallions. I think they might be nice in the toaster too for enjoyment throughout the week.

Lessons learned:

• I can make soup without a recipe
• If a recipe calls for crumpet rings, if you don't mind a messy border, you don't need them
• Hillebrand Riesling is our new favourite wine and it went really well with the mild soup