Sunday's Soup/Italian White Bean and Vegetable Soup

It's always interesting, at least to me, how a memory can be triggered. In my early twenties, I was working, going to school, paying rent, making a car payment, and there were times when my money just wouldn't stretch any further. So, a bag of beans and a bag of rice were on the menu. Not very exciting, but, I never went hungry. You would think that after weeks of eating beans and rice, I would not want to go anywhere near a bag of beans. But, rather than a difficult memory, a bag of beans represents comfort and warmth :) 

The soup recipe I'm sharing today is a very far cry from a dish of beans and rice. Actually, there's no rice in the soup. Instead, it's filled with fabulous fall vegetables, carrots, zucchini, purple top turnips, potatoes, and a bag of large white beans.

There is a little surprise ingredient, and that's an onion that is studded with 8 cloves. The onion is cooked along with the beans and vegetables, and then discarded once the soup is ready. This is something that my grandmother would do, and it really adds a wonderful richness to the soup. 

This soup is a great dump and go recipe. Just chop up all of the vegetables, throw them in a big pot with the white beans. It's also a great soup to make in a crockpot. 

Below you can see the clove studded onion cooking along with the vegetables. I wish there was smell-o-vision!!! 

The soup is perfect for a cool fall evening. It will freeze well, so eat half and save the rest for another meal. 

Italian White Bean and Vegetable Soup

ingredients;
1 1 lb. bag of dried large white beans
2 lbs. zucchini
2 purple top turnips
1 lb. carrots
3 stalks celery
1 large onion
1 medium onion studded with 8 cloves
3 bay leaves
1 25 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon dried basil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes (optional)
12 cups vegetable broth
salt and black pepper to taste

directions;
Rinse beans and soak overnight. 
Drain and rinse beans. Place in a large pot with vegetable broth. Bring to a boil. Chop all vegetables except the onion studded with cloves. Place all vegetables in soup pot. Add tomatoes(do not drain), studded onion, basil, oregano, bay leaves, red pepper flakes, and salt and black pepper. Return to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer and cook for 3 hours, or until beans are tender. Before serving, remove clove studded onion and the bay leaves. 

Serve with crusty garlic bread and enjoy!

If you would like to cook the soup in a crockpot:
Place all ingredients in crockpot. Cook on low for 8 hours. 

Hope you enjoy the soup...and the beans as much as I do!
 Rhonda

Sunday's Soup

My favorite time of the year has arrived. I absolutely LOVE fall, the beautiful colors, the cool crisp temps, and the first fire of the season in the fireplace. For me, it's magical. 

I took Gracie out yesterday to one of our favorite places, the Heller Nature Center in Highland Park, IL. If you live in the Chicagoland area, I think the nature center is a wonderful place to visit. There are about 4 miles of easy hiking trails, and it makes for such a wonderful escape. It was our first trip to the nature center since saying goodbye to Little Bit. So our trip was a little bitter sweet. But, as we walked along, I couldn't help but think about the joy that this place brought to Little Bit.  

A few pictures from our walk;

The pond makes me want to go home and read a little from Emerson.

Such lovely trails that offer a mystical aspect to the walk.

A beautiful burst of color. Just as I started to take the picture, a bee flew into the flower. Look closely and you'll see him working away.

Now, truth be told, I love a bowl of soup any time of the year, but I especially enjoy soup now, it just warms the soul. At least my soul :) And what is better than coming home to the smell of a wonderful pot of soup? 

I especially enjoy making soups in my crockpot, and even better when they are kind of a dump everything in the pot and go on about your day kind of a recipe. This recipe from Pinch of Yum really popped out at me and I'm so glad it did. Not only is it easy to make, it tastes great and it's so very good for you. 

I followed the recipe exactly as written and I loved it. This is a soup that you can make up, enjoy, and then freeze in small batches for lunches or an easy dinner.  

As you can see, you literally throw everything into the crockpot.

Before adding the kale, the recipe instructs you to take out some of the soup and puree to add a creamy aspect to the soup. Don't skip this step. 

The pureed soup is added back to the pot, the kale and parsley added and given time to cook at bit more, and then the soup is ready to serve.

 I did add a little cayenne pepper my bowl of soup. Next time around, the only changes I would make is to add in the cayenne as well as a couple of bay leaves while the soup cooks. 

If you give the soup a try, I hope you enjoy it. I think it's the perfect recipe to kick off the fall weather :)

Enjoy,

Rhonda 

Sunday's Soup/Roasted Cauliflower, Leek and Carrot Soup

We've all heard that carrots are good for our eyes. Well, it's not just a myth, they really are good for our eyes. Since I was diagnosed with moles on my retina, I've become all the more concerned with trying to get vitamins and nutrients in my diet that will nourish my eyes, so a recipe with carrots always pops off the page. 

I found a recipe from Flourishing Foodie that caught my attention, Roasted Cauliflower, Leek and Carrot Soup. You know how much I enjoy roasted cauliflower :) As the title says, this recipe combines carrots and leeks with roasted cauliflower, a sure fire winner in my book!

Begin by breaking up a head of cauliflower and mixing it with smoked paprika, red pepper flakes, garlic, olive oil and salt. Mix well and roast.

While the cauliflower is roasting, cook the carrots and leeks. Once the cauliflower is roasted, mix half with the carrot and leek mixture, add vegetable stock and cook for about 30 minutes. Once vegetables are tender, puree the mixture.

Add the remaining roasted cauliflower to the pureed soup. Add grated Parmesan cheese (I used grated Romano), and the juice of 1 lemon. Be sure to add the lemon as it really enhances the flavor.

To serve, drizzle a little olive oil over the soup and toss on some sliced green onions and brace yourself for a taste explosion in your mouth!

*One note, the recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes. You may want to use a little less and increase once you've had a taste. *One more note, the recipe calls for 3 carrots, please be sure to use large carrots or your soup will be too thin. If you are using smaller carrots, double the amount and use 6. Below is a picture of the size carrot that I used.

I love how half of the roasted cauliflower was added to the pureed soup, it gives you a little something to chew :) 

This past week, I received an article from Dr. Josh Axe. He has a great website devoted to natural remedies and living a healthy lifestyle. The article is all about the vitamins that are great for your eyes. You can read the article HERE. His website is an all around great resource for healthy information.
Take care of your eyes and eat lots of carrots!!!
Rhonda

Sunday's Soup/A Lovely and Aromatic Vegetable Soup

Almost 1 year to the day, I posted the picture below and did THIS post. In the post I explained about the diagnosis I had been given about moles on my retina and how happy I was to have been told that thankfully, they were not malignant. The down side, was that I would need to be closely monitored, a checkup every 6 months and that I needed to be very careful with my diet, eating a very plant based diet. 
I have been very vigilant with my diet. Hey, I'm human, I love a piece of chocolate or a slice of apple pie from time to time, but I have focused on a plant based diet. The good news!!!!, I had my 6 month check up this past week and he was so pleased with how I'm doing that he felt I could go a year between visits!!!!! Wow, was I shocked, shocked and oh so happy :) 
I told you that when my husband took the picture below, I had said, "I love this day!" Since then I have learned to love each and every day, the good, the bad and the ugly. They are all a gift :)

There are a number of things I do to keep my body in good working order, I try to walk 4 to 5 miles a day, eat a plant based diet as I told you, and eat the Power Packed Green Smoothie that I posted HERE maybe 3 times a week. So when I came across THIS vegetable detox soup from The Glowing Fridge, I decided to give it a try. Please don't let the word detox turn you off, if you like a lovely vegetable soup, by all means, give this soup a try.

This is truly a vegetable soup, no grains are used, but it is very satisfying. My husband loved it and especially enjoyed the spices which may seem a little different, turmeric, cinnamon, and cayenne. The 3 together are just perfect though.
So check out the recipe HERE.  She includes a great print out version of the recipe on the blog.
I've included a picture of Shannon's soup as it is a much prettier picture than mine. The picture alone will make you want to make this soup :)
Enjoy,
Rhonda