Healing Chickpea and Rice Bowl
- 5 cups water
- 5 ginger turmeric tea bags
- 13.5-ounce can full-fat coconut milk
- 3 limes, juiced
- 1 lime, cut into six wedges (for garnish)
- 1½ teaspoons Asian fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups cooked rice
- ½ bunch cilantro, chopped
- Sriracha or spicy Asian chili sauce
In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add teabags. After they are fully immersed, add coconut milk. Put a lid on the pot and steep for 10 minutes. Squeeze the tea bags into the pot and discard them.
Stir lime juice, fish sauce and salt into the tea/coconut milk broth. Keep at a low simmer.
In a blender, combine 1 cup of chickpeas and a few ladlefuls of broth. Once it is blended smooth, add it back to the broth. Stir.
Pile chickpeas and rice into shallow bowls. Ladle broth around them.
Garnish with chopped cilantro and Sriracha to taste. Serve with lime wedges.
Deconstructed Borscht Bowl
- 4 russet potatoes, scrubbed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 5 cups vegetable, beef or chicken stock
- 1½ pounds beets, cooked, peeled, cut into chunks
- 2 cups sauerkraut
- 8 ounces sour cream or cashew cream
- 2 to 3 teaspoons horseradish, freshly grated or prepared
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh dill, packed
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Heat oven to 400 F.
Rub the potatoes with olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse salt. With a sharp knife, cut a 2-inch to 3-inch slit in the top of each potato. Roast until a knife inserted into the center offers no resistance and the potatoes give a little. This may take 40 minutes to an hour.
Bring the stock to a simmer in a large saucepan. Pulse beets 12 to 15 times in a food processor to a fine, irregular mince. Stir the beets into the stock. Taste the broth. Add more salt and freshly cracked black pepper, if needed.
Squeeze out most of the brine from the sauerkraut. Warm the sauerkraut in a microwave oven or small saucepan. Stir together the sour cream or cashew sour cream, horseradish and most of the dill, reserving some for garnish.
Place each potato in its own wide bowl and crack it open along its slit. Ladle the hot beets and broth over each potato. Place a big dollop of herbed sour cream on the potato. Pile on the sauerkraut. Garnish with the remaining dill. Serve hot.
Winter White Vegetable Soup
- 5 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for garnish
- 1 small head white cauliflower, chopped
- 1 small celeriac (celery root), peeled and chopped
- 1 onion, peeled and chopped
- 2 large russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 1 bulb fennel, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme, plus more for garnish
- 6 cups vegetable or chicken stock
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Place the olive oil in a 5-quart pan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add cauliflower, celeriac, onion, potatoes, fennel, garlic and thyme. Stir. Cover and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften, stirring frequently.
Add stock, salt and pepper to the pan. Stir. Cover and simmer, stirring every 5 minutes until the vegetables are fully tender and a fork can be easily inserted, about 20 to 25 minutes.
Blend the vegetables with an immersion blender or in a blender or food processor until completely smooth. If the soup seems too thick, add up to a cup of water so it becomes smooth and creamy.
Adjust seasoning to taste. Garnish with a swirl of olive oil and additional thyme.
Carrot Cashew Ginger Soup
- 1 cup cashew pieces, plus more for garnish
- 5 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for garnish
- 1½ pounds carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 onion, peeled and chopped
- 3 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and minced
- 6 cups water, vegetable stock or chicken stock
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Place the cashews in a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Set aside for one hour, then drain well.
Place the olive oil in a 5-quart pan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the drained cashews, carrot and ginger. Stir. Cover and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften, stirring frequently.
Add the water or stock, salt and pepper to the pan. Stir. Cover and simmer, stirring after 10 minutes, until the carrots are fully tender when a fork is inserted, about 20 minutes.
Blend the vegetables and broth with an immersion blender or in a blender or food processor until it is completely smooth. If the soup seems too thick, add up to a cup of water so it becomes smooth and creamy. Adjust seasoning to taste. Garnish with a few finely chopped cashews and a swirl of olive oil.
Roasted Butternut Squash and Bacon Soup
- 1 large butternut squash
- 5 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for garnish
- 1 onion, peeled and chopped
- 6 cups water, vegetable stock or chicken stock
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 1 bunch kale, ribs removed, chopped
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 6 strips bacon, cut into half-inch pieces
Heat oven to 425 F.
Slice the squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Place the squash cut side down on an oiled baking sheet. Roast for 30 minutes until the flesh is softened throughout. Remove from the oven. When it is cool enough to touch, scoop the flesh out of the skin with a large spoon. Set aside.
In a 5-quart pan or Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it is crisp, about
5 minutes. Remove bacon from the pan and set aside.
Add onion to the fat in the pan. Cook, stirring often, until softened. Add the squash, water or stock and salt. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
Blend the vegetables and broth with an immersion blender or in a blender or food processor until completely smooth. If you use a blender or food processor, return the soup to the pan. If the soup seems too thick, add up to a cup of water so it becomes smooth and creamy.
Stir the chopped kale into the pot. Cook for 10 minutes.
Adjust seasoning to taste. Serve in bowls. Garnish with crumbled bacon and a swirl of olive oil.