Living Lou's Broccoli Soup

Today was one of those days, those gloomy, cool, rainy days when all you can think about is a big warm bowl of soup. It is the first day of Spring after all, and all I can say is that Spring is definitely in the air, which means that the season for soups is coming to an end. That’s the only thing that makes me sad about winter ending, no more soups!

Broccoli is one of my favourite vegetables, and I love cream of broccoli soup, even if it can be a little bland, but today I knew that I wanted to make a different kind of broccoli soup. My first thought was one without cream, because well, summer is coming up and I don’t know about you, but I don’t need that extra cream. Then I started thinking about what other vegetables would add to the soup and voila a soup that is as good for the soul as it is for the body.

This is an extremely healthy and flavorful soup, filled with the goodness of vegetables, broccoli, red pepper and carrots, as well as some yummy spices to add some flavorful layers. When serving, that last little handful of cheese is the perfect topping. Please, I beg you, do not omit the cheese! It won’t be the same without it.

Living Lou’s Broccoli Soup

Ingredients

3 tbsp olive oil (approx.)
2 heads of broccoli, roughly chopped
1 large carrot, chopped into 1 inch pieces
1/4 large red pepper, roughly chopped
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
1 large clove garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp sweet paprika
4 cups vegetable broth
2 cups water
3 tbsp green lentils
2 tbsp 1% milk
salt & pepper to taste
cheddar cheese for topping

Directions

Prepare the veggies, roughly chop the broccoli, carrot, red pepper and onion.

Saute the veggies, cumin, paprika and a little salt and pepper in the olive oil over medium heat for 7 minutes. Occasionally stirring.

Add in the garlic and parsley and saute for another 3 minutes.

Add in the vegetable broth, water and lentils. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn down to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

After the soup is finished cooking, puree using an immersion blender or a regular blender to your desired constancy. Mix in the milk and serve hot with a handful of cheddar cheese.

This is the perfect soup to enjoy during these upcoming rainy Spring days. Happy Spring everyone!

- Lou

Black Bean Soup

Black bean soup is a soup that I’ve been thinking about making for a while, and it’s the perfect dish not only for a meatless Monday, but also for the cold evenings that we’ve got up here in Canada.

It’s been snowing here all day, the ground in covered in a blanket of thick white snow, and it’s beginning to look and feel a lot like Christmas. I was deciding between making a baked pasta or a soup, and after I woke up this morning and saw that it was snowing I just knew it would be a soup day. Black bean soup would be perfect, the ingredients are things that everyone should have in their pantry so there is no need to venture out into this terrible cold!


I don’t think that I can say this enough: there is nothing better than a bowl of warm soup to warm you up on a cold winter evening!

Black Bean Soup

Ingredients

1-2 tbsp olive oil
1 stalk celery (chopped)
1 carrot (chopped)
1/2 an onion (chopped)
2 cloves garlic chopped
3/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
4 cups water (or 2 cups water/2 cups vegetable stock)
1/2 cup crushed tomato
2 19 oz cans black beans, rinsed and drained
salt & pepper to taste

Directions

Chop celery, carrot, onion and garlic.

Heat 1 tbsp of oil over medium heat in a large pot, add celery, carrot, onion, garlic and spices. Cook over medium heat for 4-6 minutes, until vegetables have softened.

Add the crushed tomatoes and cook for a minute before adding the water (or the water/stock). Add in the two cans of black beans and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 25 minutes.

Then remove some of the black beans (about 1/2-3/4 cup). Using an immersion blender, or regular blender puree the soup. Once the soup is pureed, add the black beans back in.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream on top!

- Lou

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

First of all, check out the new Recipe Index I've created! I love it.

Well it's another Meatless Monday! (Technically it's Sunday... but this way you can make this for dinner tomorrow!) For today we've got a soup, which is perfect for these cool fall evenings. I've noticed that it's getting dark a lot earlier these days... makes me yearn for those warm summer evenings! This recipe is courtesy of my mother, who makes the most wonderful, authentic and healthy soups I've ever tasted! I've mentioned my sister before, The Queen of Eggs and Toast, and now it's my mother's turn... the Queen of Soups!

Does anyone have the case of the Mondays? Don't worry, not only will this soup warm your heart and your spirits after a long day at work, or in my case, school, but it's a super easy, no-fuss recipe.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients
2-3 tbsp olive oil
1 butternut squash (roasted)
1 medium sized onion (chopped)
1 celery stalk (chopped)
1 medium sized carrot (chopped)
1 clove garlic (chopped)
6 cups homemade or low sodium chicken broth
2 cups water
1 heaping tsp of fresh grated ginger
1/4 cup orange juice
salt & pepper to taste

Directions

First of all, roast your squash. Preheat the oven to 375, cut the butternut squash lengthwise, and remove the seeds. Brush both pieces with 1 tbsp of the olive oil, and roast on a cookie sheet, cut side down, for 45-60 minutes, or until the squash tender.

While the squash is roasting, roughly chop you're other ingredients (they will be pureed so no need to be precise!) In a large pot, with the remainder of the olive oil, saute the onions, celery and carrot over medium heat, until the onions have softened and are translucent, about 5 minutes. After the 5 minutes, add in the chopped garlic, and saute for another minute or until fragrant.

Once squash is done roasting, spoon the softened squash into the pot. Add the chicken broth and water. Bring to a low simmer, and simmer for half an hour.

When the half an hour is up, using an immersion blender, puree the soup to your desired consistency. Stir in the ginger and orange juice. And seasons with salt and pepper to taste.

How easy is that? Hope this soup helps you get over the "case of the Mondays"... I know it will help me!

- Lou

Meatless Monday's are back... with Potato Soup!

Meatless Monday's are officially back here at Living Lou! So be ready... every Monday a meatless, vegetarian meal will be coming your way! They can be anything from salads, to soups, to pastas! And the best part is that not only is it good for your body to eat less meat, but it also benefits the environment!

Ah... fall is in the air! Autumn, or fall, is definitely my favourite season... When I think of fall I think of; soup, snuggling in front of the TV as all of my favorite shows come back, Thanksgiving and of course fall fashions!

And with my lovely introduction about my love of fall, I give you a recipe for a delicious, hearty fall soup!

Potato Soup

Ingredients
3 tbsp butter
1 onion (chopped)
1 stalk of celery (chopped)
8 medium potatoes (peeled & chopped)
milk (enough to cover soup. This is the liquid for the soup!)
cracked pepper to taste
1/2 tsp oregano

Directions

Wash and chop the onion, celery and potatoes.

Heat the butter in a pan, and saute onion and celery on low heat for about 5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent.

Once celery and onion is finished cooking, move to a large pot. Add in potatoes and oregano. Cover with milk. Simmer covered for 30 minutes, be careful not to burn the soup!

Once done cooking, using an immersion blender, puree the soup to your desired consistency! If it's too thick, add some water. Grind in some freshly cracked pepper to taste.

Garnish with fresh chives!

There you have it, the perfect soup to warm your soul during the upcoming cold season!

- Lou

Meatless Monday – Vegetable soup!

Yes, it is June 14th, and yes it was 25°C outside today, and yes I did decide to have soup for dinner.

Vegetable soup is one of my favourite types of soup, not only is it full flavour but it’s also packed with goodness and nutrients - it's the best way to eat your vegetables! Another key feature of vegetable soup is that it includes no meat or fish products... thus, perfect for my weekly Meatless Monday's features! (See last week's Meatless Monday appetizer here)

When it comes to soups, I prefer a pureed soup over a brothy soup, I prefer the texture, so I decided to puree this vegetable soup. This isn't typically the way vegetable soup is served, but I think it makes it even more mouth-watering. And on the plus side, I feel like pureed soups are more likely to be eaten by picky eaters who hate vegetables, because there aren’t any visible vegetables!

Ingredients

1 ½ tbsp olive oil
1 cup broccoli florets
1 carrot chopped
6 green onions
1 stalk celery
¼ tsp ginger
2 large garlic cloves chopped
32 oz (4 cups) of vegetable broth
½ 28 oz can (14 oz) of crushed tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 ½ 14 oz (21 oz) cans of white northern beans
½ tsp coriander
1 tbsp honey
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
¼ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp dried thyme
1 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp cayenne
salt & pepper

Directions

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in your soup pot, sauté green onions, carrot and celery for 6 minutes. Add in the ginger and garlic – cook for 1 minute. Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, vegetable broth and beans. Add spices and honey. Stir and bring it to a boil, reduce heat to a slow simmer. Add broccoli florets and cover and cook on low heat for 20-25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and puree the soup in a blender or using an immersion blender.

And there you have it, the most delectable, thick, flavorful vegetable soup! Feel free to indulge in one, two... or in my case, three servings!

- Lou

This recipe was adapted from Slice of Feist