Green Detox Soup

When my son was little, he used to call this the “Shrek” soup because of its color. It is quite green indeed. It's also very healthy, and happens to be vegan. I feel like it helps detox my body after all the splurges of the holidays. Plus it's ridiculously cold outside. Like below zero wind chill cold. So all I want right now is soup and tea, a blanket and a good book! 

Serves 4-6 (based on a recipe in Good Mood Food by Donal Skehan)

• 1 tablespoon olive oil = 1 cuillère à soupe d'huile d'olive
• 2 leeks, cleaned and chopped = 2 poireaux, nettoyés et coupés en morceaux
• 2 stalks of celery, chopped = 2 branches de céléri, coupés en morceaux
• 1 medium head of broccoli, stalk removed, cut into florets = 1 tête de brocoli, coupée en petits bouquets
• 4 oz. fresh baby spinach = 120 g de jeunes pousses d'épinards
• 2 cups of low-sodium vegetable broth = 475 ml de bouillon de légumes
• 2 cups water = 475 ml d'eau
• Black pepper & sea salt, to taste = sel et poivre

In a large pot, heat up the olive oil and sauté the leeks for about 2 minutes. Add celery, broccoli and spinach. Cook for about 3 minutes, until spinach is wilted. Add broth and water, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 20-25 minutes. Use immersion blender (or transfer to a regular blender) and process until smooth. Season with additional pepper if you like. Serve right away!

Chickpea Noodle Soup

Snow Day! No school! Yay! We can take it easy in the morning and eat homemade pancakes for breakfast. Then head outside to have a snowball fight and make a snowman. When we get cold and hungry, we rush back in for some warm soup. In the afternoon, there's more outside play (sledding anyone?), and more yummy comfort food like Nutella crepes and hot cocoa while watching a Christmas movie. Truly a perfect day in my book!

This soup is a nice “veganized” version of the classic chicken noodle soup. It's so good, I don't even miss the chicken. I hope you'll give it a try, it's a winter favorite in my house!


Serves 6

• 1 tablespoon olive oil = 1 cuillère à soupe d'huile d'olive
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped = 1 petit oignon, coupé en petits morceaux
• 4 oz. cremini mushrooms, chopped = 110 g de champignons cremini, coupé en morceaux
• 1 clove of garlic, minced = 1 gousse d'ail, émincé
• 4 medium carrots, peeled & chopped = 4 carottes, épluchées et coupées en rondelles ou demi-lune
• 2 celery stalks, sliced = 2 branches de céléri, coupé en morceaux
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme = 1 cuillère à café de thym
• 4 oz (uncooked) egg noodles = 110 g de pates
• 1 15 oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed = 1 boite de 425 g pois chiches, drainés et rincés
• 4 cups vegetable broth = 950 ml de bouillon de légumes
• 2 to 4 cups water = 425 à 950 ml d'eau
• salt & pepper = sel et poivre

 
Heat olive oil in cast-iron Dutch Oven. Saute chopped onions and mushrooms in olive oil for a few minutes. Add garlic, carrots, celery, thyme, and pepper and saute for another 5 minutes.

Add vegetable broth and 2 cups water and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes.

Add noodles and chickpeas, add more water if you wish, and simmer until noodles are cooked. Season to taste. Enjoy!

Roasted Butternut Squash & Leek Soup

Another soup. I hope you don't mind! The temperatures are dropping and I am craving soup on a daily basis now. Butternut squash and leek: another combination I love! If you lack the time to roast the butternut squash, you may just skip that step but it does add more depth to the soup.

 

If you've never peeled a butternut squash, check Simply Recipes tutorial here.

 

Makes about 4 servings

• Olive oil = huile d'olive
• 2 leeks, trimmed and chopped = 2 poireaux, coupées en morceaux
• 1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed = 1 courge butternut, épluchée et coupée en cubes
• 2 cups vegetable broth = 475 ml de bouillon de légumes
• 1 cup water = 240 ml d'eau
• Salt and pepper = sel et poivre
• Pinch cinnamon = une pincée de cannelle
• Pinch nutmeg = une pincée de noix de muscade

Spray butternut squash cubes with a little olive oil and roast on a baking sheet in a 350°F oven for about 20-25 minutes.

Coat dutch oven with 1 tablespoon olive oil and heat over medium heat. Add leek and sauté for 7 to 8 minutes. Add roasted butternut squash cubes and broth/water. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

Season with spices and salt and pepper to taste.

Purée with immersion blender until smooth. Enjoy!

Sweet Potato & Apple Soup

In the fall and winter, I almost always make a big pot on soup on Sunday so that I can quickly fix lunch or dinner on those crazy busy week days: just reheat a cup of soup (I recently purchased this great little vent n' serve soup mug from Tupperware and it is perfect for that purpose), add a few crackers or a grilled cheese sandwich. Done!

Serves 4

• 1 tablespoon olive oil = 1 cuillère à soupe d'huile d'olive
• 1 small red onion, peeled and chopped = 1 petit oignon rouge, épluché et coupé en morceaux
• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped = 2 patates douces, épluchées et coupées en morceaux
• 1 medium apple, chopped = 1 pomme, coupée en morceaux
• 2 to 2 ½ cups vegetable broth or water = 475 à 600 ml de bouillon de légumes ou d'eau
• Salt and pepper = sel et poivre

Coat dutch oven with olive oil and heat over medium heat. Add onion, sweet potato chunks and apple slices. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring a few times. Add vegetable broth (or water). Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes.

 

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

 

Blend with immersion blender until smooth (add more broth/water if needed). Enjoy!

 

Pasta and Bean Soup

Vegetarian, yet hearty and satisfying, this Italian-inspired soup comes together quickly on a weeknight. Let everyone stir the pesto into their individual bowl and watch it melt and flavor the soup as if by magic.

Serves 6

• 1 tablespoon olive oil = 1 cuillère à soupe d'huile d'olive
• 1 small onion, chopped = 1 petit oignon, émincé
• Salt and pepper = sel et poivre
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped = 1 gousse d'ail, finement émincée
• 5 to 6 cups vegetable broth = 1.2 à 1.4 l de bouillon de légumes
• Pinch of dried herbs (thyme & oregano) = une pincée d'herbes séchées (thym & origan)
• 1 cup mini-wheels pasta (or other small pasta) = 75 g de petites pâtes
• 1 can (15 oz) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed = 1 boite ou 1 bocal de 440 g de cannellini (haricots blancs italiens), égouttés et rinsés
• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes = 1 boite de 410 g de tomates concassées
• 6 teaspoons pesto = 6 cuillères à café de pesto

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the broth, herbs and pasta and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the pasta is tender, about 8-10 minutes. Stir in the beans and the tomatoes and their juice, and cook until heated through, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat. Ladle into serving bowls and top each with a teaspoon of pesto. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Cheesy Broccoli Soup

It's getting a bit chillier. Fall is here. The time has come. The time for soup that is!

I made my first batch of pumpkin soup of the season last week and boy was it good.

This cheesy broccoli soup is equally delicious. You could top it with homemade croutons but it had been a long week and I was tired so I decided to just smash a few crackers instead. The result was instant comfort!

 

Serves 4

• 1 tablespoon olive oil = 1 cuillère à soupe d'huile d'olive
• 2 cloves garlic, minced = 2 gousses d'ail, émincées
• 1 small onion, chopped = 1 petit oignon, coupé en morceaux
• 1 medium russet potato, diced = 1 pomme de terre, coupée en petits dés
• Salt and pepper = sel et poivre
• 1 large bunch broccoli (about 1 ¼ lb), cut into florets = 1 grosse tête de broccoli (environ 550-600 g), coupée en petits bouquets
• 3 cups water = 700 ml d'eau
• 1 cup milk = 235 ml de lait
• 6 ounces sharp Cheddar, coarsely grated (about 1 ½ cup) = 170 g de cheddar, râpé
• A few Ritz crackers, smashed (optional) = quelques crackers salés (style Ritz ou TUC), écrasés en miettes (facultatif)

 

Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion, potato, season with salt and pepper and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until just tender, about 6-7 minutes.

Add the broccoli florets and water and bring to a boil. Simmer covered for a few minutes, until broccoli is tender. Remove from heat and, using a handheld immersion blender, purée the vegetable mixture until smooth. Return to the heat, add the milk and simmer until heated through, about 2-3 minutes. Add the cheese and stir until completely melted. Check seasonings and add more salt/pepper if needed. Ladle into 4 bowls and top with smashed crackers. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Salmon Chowder

Except for a few freezing days, the winter has been pretty mild this year. Yet, I still have been making soup almost weekly. While I never get tired of healthy vegetable soups, I find this creamy chowder brings a nice change to the table.

Serves 4-6

• 1 tablespoon olive oil = 1 cuillère à soupe d'huile d'olive
• 1 leek (white and light green parts only), rinsed and sliced = 1 poireau, rinsé et coupé en rondelles
• 2 garlic cloves, minced = 2 gousses d'ail, émincées
• ½ teaspoon dried dill = ½ cuillère à café d'aneth séchée
• 4 or 5 baby red potatoes, scrubbed and diced = 4 ou 5 petites pommes de terre rouge, nettoyées et coupées en petits dés
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour = 2 cuillères à soupe de farine
• 2 cups vegetable broth = 475 ml de bouillon de légumes
• 2 tablespoons capers = 2 cuillères à soupe de capres
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice = 1 cuillère à soupe de jus de citron
• 1 ½ cups milk (2 %) = 350 ml de lait écrémé
• ½ cup heavy cream = 120 ml de crème fraiche liquide
• 4 oz. smoked salmon, chopped = 115 g de saumon fumé, coupé en petits morceaux
• Pepper = poivre
• Salt (optional – taste before adding as smoked salmon is already quite salty) = sel (facultatif)

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add leeks, garlic and dill. Cook for about 5 minutes. Stir in potatoes and flour, cook for a couple of minutes. Add broth, capers and lemon juice. Stir and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until potatoes are tender. Reduce heat to low and slowly add milk and heavy cream while stirring. Let milk/cream get warm, then add smoked salmon. Season with pepper (and salt, if using). Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Butternut Squash Soup with Maple Croutons

This is another soup that I make almost weekly in the fall. It is a little sweet and fantastic topped with maple croutons.

Serves 4

• 1 tablespoons olive oil = 1 cuillère à soupe d'huile d'olive
• 2 leeks, cleaned, trimmed and chopped = 2 poireau, néttoyés et coupé en morceaux
• 1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed = une courge butternut, épluchée et coupée en cubes
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced = 2 carottes, épluchées et coupées en rondelles
• Dash of cinnamon = une pincée de canelle en poudre
• Dash of freshly grated nutmeg = une pincée de noix de muscade râpée ou en poudre
• 3 to 4 cups vegetable broth = 700 à 950 ml de bouillon de légumes
• Salt & pepper = sel & poivre
• 4 slices of whole wheat bread = 4 tranches de pain complet
• Maple syrup = sirop d'érable

Heat oil in a large pot. Add leeks and sauté for about 6-7 minutes. Add butternut squash and carrots. Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg and cook for a couple more minutes. Add broth and bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Use immersion blender or transfer to a regular blender in several batches. Blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

To make the croutons: simply brush maple syrup on the slices of bread, pop in the toaster or broil in the oven for 2 minutes. Cut up into pieces.

Top each soup bowl with croutons and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Lea's Pumpkin Soup

Fall = Pumpkins. It's that easy!

Every year, we can't wait to go to the pumpkin patch and fall market. We, of course, select a big 'ol pumpkin to carve into a jack-o-lantern, but I also get the smaller varieties (like the Sugar Pie pumpkins) to cook. Making your own pumpkin puree is easy and tastes so fresh and wonderful. However, I'll confess that I also keep some canned pumpkin in my pantry for emergency situations. My favorite brand is Farmer's Market, you can find it at Whole Foods.

I got this recipe, a few years back, from my good friend Lea. The only change I made was to increase the pumpkin amount to intensify the flavor. If you like a thicker soup, use the smaller quantity of broth.

To me, it is the ultimate fall soup. I could literally eat it everyday this month and not get sick of it!

Serves 4-6

• 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil = 30 g de beurre
• 1 onion, finely diced = 1 oignon, coupé en morceaux
• 2 stalks celery, chopped = 2 branches de céleri, coupé en morceaux
• 1 carrot, chopped = 1 carotte, coupée en morceaux
• 2 tablespoons flour = 2 cuillères à soupe de farine
• 1 ½ to 2 cups pureed pumpkin (or 1 15 oz. can) = environ 425 g de purée de citrouille
• 3 to 4 cups vegetable broth = 700 à 950 ml de bouillon de légumes
• ½ teaspoon salt = ½ cuillère à café de sel
• ¼ teaspoon white pepper = ¼ cuillère à café de poivre blanc
• Pinch sugar or cinnamon (optional) = une pincée de sucre ou de canelle en poudre (facultatif)

Melt butter in a large pot. Add onion and sauté until golden. Add celery and carrot. Cook for a couple of minutes. Sprinkle flour, stir and cook for one more minute. Add pumpkin, broth and seasonings. Stir and bring to a boil, lower heat and cook for 30 minutes covered. Use immersion blender or transfer to a regular blender in several batches. Blend until smooth. Enjoy!

Potato and Leek Soup

I am addicted to soups. I have nicknamed this one, the French soup. The real name for it is potage parmentier, a classic in France. Some recipes call for onions, some omit milk, some add herbs, bacon bits or croutons on top. Some people like it chunky, some like it smooth. There is no right or wrong way to make this simple, hearty soup. This is my way, as I remember my grand-mother making it. Enjoy!

Make 4-6 servings

• 2 tablespoons butter = 30 g de beurre
• 3 leeks (white and light green only, split lengthwise, washed and thinly sliced) = 3 poireaux (seulement la partie blanche et vert clair, coupés en 2 dans le sens de la longueur, nettoyés et émincés)
• 1 lb russet potatoes, peeled and cut into small chunks = 450 g de pommes de terre, épluchées et coupées en dés
• 3 to 4 cups water = 750 ml à 1 l d'eau
• salt and white pepper = sel et poivre blanc
• 1/2 to 1 cup hot milk = 120 à 230 ml de lait chaud
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream (optional) = 2 cuillères à soupe de crème fleurette (facultatif)

In large pot, melt butter, add leeks and cook over low to medium heat for about 20 minutes. Add potatoes and 3 to 4 cups of water, depending on how thick you want the soup to be. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer covered for 20 minutes. Mash potatoes in the pot. Add milk and if you wish, mix with immersion blender until smooth. Add heavy cream if using, stir and serve immediately.

Chicken Orzo Soup

Once we get to the month of March, I am mentally done with winter. But it is still mostly cold outside so I am not quite ready to part from my (almost) daily bowl of soup! This one comes together quickly and is perfect for lunch or dinner on a busy day.

Orzo, a delicate rice-shaped pasta, works really well with the thyme-scented broth and chicken chunks, but any noodle, pasta or rice can be substituted, simply adjust the cooking time accordingly. I also love how lemon juice gives a clean, light, fresh flavor to the soup.

Makes 4 servings

• 1 tablespoon olive oil = 1 cuillère à soupe d'huile d'olive
• 1 chicken breast (6 to 8 oz.), cut into small chunks = 1 blanc de poulet (200 g), coupé en petits dés
• 1 medium onion, diced = 1 oignon, émincé
• 2 cloves garlic, minced = 2 gousses d'ail, émincées
• 2 stalks celery, diced = 2 branches de céleri, émincées
• 3 medium carrots, diced = 3 carottes, émincées
• ½ to 1 teaspoon dried thyme = ½ à 1 cuillère à café de thym
• 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock, preferably homemade = 1 l de bouillon de poulet ou légumes
• 2 cups water = 450 ml d'eau
• 1 cup orzo = 160 g d'orzo
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice = 2 cuillères à soupe de jus de citron
• salt & pepper to taste = sel & poivre

Heat half the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Season chicken chunks with salt and pepper, add to the pot and cook , stirring a few times, for about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and keep warm.

Heat remaining olive oil in the same pot and add onion, garlic, celery, carrots and thyme. Cook, stirring a few times, for 5 minutes. Add vegetable broth and water, bring to a boil. Add orzo, reduce to a simmer and cook for 8 minutes. Remove pot from stove. Add chicken and lemon juice, stir gently. Enjoy!

Note: I often make a vegetarian version of this soup by replacing the chicken with one 15 oz. can of chickpeas (drained and rinsed). It is equally yummy!

Tomato Soup

Of course, you could just open a can of Campbell's tomato soup. I just find it too sweet. For the taste of real tomatoes, this soup is it! It is loaded with lycopene, one of the most powerful natural antioxidants.

I have to warn you, though, this soup is quite acidic: if you have a sensitive stomach, you may want to add a pinch of baking soda to the soup as it has almost finished cooking. Also, feel free to use fresh tomatoes as they are less acidic than canned. In the winter months, when tomatoes are not in season, I keep the canned variety in my pantry so that's what I usually use.

Serve this soup with a grilled cheese panini and you have a perfect winter lunch!

Makes 4 servings (based on a recipe from The Best Soups in the World by Clifford Wright)

• 2 tablespoons butter = 30 g de beurre
• 1 small onion, chopped = 1 oignon, émincé
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour = 1 cuillère à soupe de farine
• 2 (14.5 oz.) cans diced tomatoes (undrained) = 2 boites (de 400 g) de tomates coupées en dés (non-égouttés)
• 2 cups vegetable broth = 475 ml de bouillon de légumes
• 1 or 2 teaspoons sugar = 1 ou 2 cuillères à café de sucre
• 1 teaspoon salt = 1 cuillère à café de sel
• ¼ teaspoon pepper = une pincée de poivre
• 3 or 4 tablespoons heavy cream = 3 ou 4 cuillères à soupe de crème fleurette

In pot, melt butter and add onion. Cook 7-8 minutes. Stir in flour, add tomatoes, broth, sugar, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer partially covered for 25 minutes. Using immersion blender, mix until smooth. Stir in cream. Serve hot. Enjoy!

Note: if you like smooth and creamed soups, an immersion blender is your best friend. Of course, a regular blender will do the work too, but you'll need to transfer and mix the hot soup in two batches. And the immersion blender is great for smoothies too. And it takes way less space than a regular one. And it's much easier to clean. Have I convinced you yet?