TriceraChomps

White Bean and Escarole Soup

1 bunch leeks, thinly sliced
3 cups cooked white beans
Vegetable Broth
I head Escarole, sliced
1/4 cup white wine
3 Tbl Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Saute the leeks in olive oil with a pinch of salt until they start to get tender. Add the wine and cover and cook over low heat for about 10 minutes, until they are all melty. Add in the escarole and saute until it shrinks. Add the broth and beans and cook until just warm.

There are a few secrets to making supertasty lentil soup.

1. French green lentils (lentilles du puy). Unless you are making a creamy dal, these fancy french lentils both taste and hold their shape better than brown lentils.
2. Go easy on the lentils. Too many lentils make for a stodgy soup.
3. Add something acidic. Tomatoes and lemon are both particularly good in lentil soup.
4. Spice it up with fresh herb sauce. A garnish of chimichurri, pesto, or herb mayonnaise makes a simple soup a fancy affair.

We cooked the beans in a pressure cooker the night before to make the soup easy to put together. The cilantro cream is made of chopped cilantro, a pinch of salt, a bit of lime juice, a dash of olive oil, and a couple spoons of unsweetened soy or dairy yogurt.

Black Bean Soup

4-6 cups cooked Black Beans
2 ribs Celery, diced
2 medium Carrots, diced
1 Red Bell Pepper, diced
1 Poblano Pepper, diced
1 Spicy Chile Pepper, minced
2 Onions, diced
1 cup chopped Cilantro
1 cup chopped fresh Tomatoes
2-3 Tbl Oil
1 tsp Salt
1 Lime, juiced
1-2 cups chopped Chard or Spinach (chard stems discarded)

Saute the onions, celery, carrots, and pepers for 10-15 minutes. Add the cilantro and tomatoes and cook another 2 minutes. Add the black beans, water to barely cover, and salt. Cook until warmed through. Add lime juice, and more salt or chile if needed. Throw in the greens and cook 1-2 minutes. Eat with rice and warm crusty bread.

Creamy Tomato Soup

1-2 Diced Onions
3 Chopped Garlic Cloves
1/3 cup Sherry
4-6 cups Diced Tomatoes
1/2 cup raw cashews (preferably presoaked for a few hours, but I usually forget)
3 Tbl flour
1-2 cups water
1 -2 tsp Balsamic Vinegar (optional)
1 tsp Smoked Salt
Fresh Basil

Heat the oil. Add the onions and cook 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another couple minutes. Add the flour and cook for about 1 minute. Add the sherry, stirring quickly, and then add the tomatoes and cashews. Add a bit of water and boil 15-20 minutes. Add the salt, and puree with an immersion blender until the cashews are all creamy. Add vinegar, pepper, more salt, more oil, or nutritional yeast to taste. Add the basil and puree for another 30 seconds.