Lemon Lentil Soup

Been making a version of this humble lentil soup forever! Not quite sure where the original recipe came from, and I have modified it over the years but it always comes out great! Feel free to replace the spinach with kale or chard. Chopped Italian parsley is a nice addition as well. This is a perfect soup for chilly late winter days. And don’t forget the crusty bread for dipping!

Lemon Lentil Soup - Make 4-6 servings

• 1.5 cups dried red lentils. Rinsed and drained.

• 6 cups vegetable broth

• 1 Tb avocado oil ( coconut oil or olive oil can be used instead )

• 1 large white onion, diced

• 2 large carrots, grated

• 5 cloves of garlic, minced

• 1 tsp coriander powder

• 1/2 tsp red chili flakes ( optional )

• 1/2 tsp chili powder

• 1/2 tsp turmeric

• 1/4 tsp black pepper

• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

• 2 cups, baby spinach leaves

*Optional minced chives for topping

*In a large soup pot, saute diced onion, grated carrots, and minced garlic in 1 Tb of avocado oil over medium-high heat until onions become translucent ( about 5-7 minutes ).

*Add dried spices and then saute for about 30 seconds. Add vegetable broth and rinsed lentils and then bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and then simmer for about 20 minutes or until the lentils are tender.

*Add lemon juice and spinach, and then stir until spinach wilts. Remove from heat and serve.

***Serve with toasted crusty sourdough or even better, Kalamata olive bread.

Red Lentil Curry

Winter has finally arrived on Maui! We even had a rare, snow-capped Haleakala this week! So beautiful.

So on these “chilly” February nights, I love making large batches of creamy soups, Dahls, and curries. Here’s a recipe for my current weeknight favorite. This Red Lentil Curry is full of exotic flavors, it’s spicy and it makes great leftovers for days.

Red Lentil Curry - serves 4-6

• 1.5 cups of dried red lentils, rinsed

• 1 Tb avocado or coconut oil

• 4 cups of vegetable broth

• 1, 14 oz can of full-fat coconut milk

• 1 large sweet onion, diced

• 2 carrots, diced

• 4 cloves of crushed garlic

• 1 Tb fresh grated ginger

• juice of 2 juicy limes

• 1 Tb coconut sugar ( subs can be brown sugar, agave syrup, or maple syrup )

• 1 Tb plus 1 tsp curry powder

• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

• 1/4 tsp black cracked pepper

• 1, 15 oz can chickpeas, rinsed

• 1 cup chopped cilantro, chopped

• 5 oz fresh baby spinach, chopped

*In a large stockpot or Dutch oven add 1 Tb of oil add diced onions. Saute about 3-4 minutes over med-high heat until slightly translucent. Add diced carrots, minced garlic, grated ginger, and black pepper and saute another 2-3 minutes. Add curry powder and cayenne pepper and saute for about 1 minute or just until spices are fragrant and slightly toasted.

*Next, add vegetable broth, coconut milk, lime juice, and sweetener of choice. Then add rinsed lentils and chickpeas and stir until combined. Bring to a boil over high heat and then reduce heat to medium-low heat and simmer ( uncovered ) until lentil curry thickens to the desired consistency. Stirring occasionally. This will take about 20 minutes.

*Add chopped baby spinach and chopped cilantro and stir until wilted ( about 2-3 minutes). Remove from heat. Taste, adjust flavor with more lime juice, cayenne or salt only if needed.

*Serve over rice. Some great toppings suggestions would be mango chutney, fresh cilantro, sliced green onions, or my favorite homemade vegan sour cream ( recipe under Dips/Sauces )

This will last in the fridge for about 4 days. This freezes really well too!

Late Season Spicy Gazpacho

For those of you that aren’t quite ready for “fall-themed” foods ( meaning, pumpkin spice on everything LOL ) This is a great way to use up those ripe, late summer tomatoes and make a delicious light lunch. I feel like this gazpacho is best when it has a few hours to sit and “marinate” in the fridge. If you aren’t into spicy foods, you can easily skip the sambal or sriracha that I’m obsessed with. No strict rules here so enjoy!

Late Season Spicy Gazpacho - makes approximately 6 servings

• 32 oz tomato organic juice

• 5 large tomatoes - scored, blanched, peeled, and diced

• 1 large seeded cucumber, diced ( I left the skin on )

• 1/2 large green bell pepper, diced

• 3 cloves of garlic minced

• 1/2 of a large red onion, diced

• 1/2 cup of Italian basil, chopped

• 1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped

• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped ( cilantro haters can omit )

• 2 Tbs aged balsamic vinegar

• 2 Tbs olive oil

• 2 Tbs sambal or sriracha for heat ( a finely diced jalapeno could work in space of this )

• juice of 1/2 of a large lemon

• 1 tsp sea salt

• 1/2 tsp black pepper

To Make

*Bring water to a rolling boil in a medium saucepan. Score ( cut an X ) on the bottom of each tomato and place in boiling water for 30 seconds. Quickly drain tomatoes and place in an ice bath until cool. Peel skin off of the blanched tomatoes and finely dice and place in a large bowl

*Finely dice a seeded cucumber, 1/2 of green bell pepper, and 1/2 of red onion and add to the large bowl with the tomatoes. Pour in the tomato juice and add the remaining ingredients. Stir and taste. Adjust spice, salt, and pepper if needed.

***Optional - I like to take an emulsion blender to this recipe at the very end. I just submerge it in the finished soup and pulse it a few times to break down the veggies just a little bit more. This step is completely optional. You can get the same effect by pulsing just half of the finished gazpacho in a medium speed blender and then combining it with the unblended half.

To serve

*ladle gazpacho into a shallow soup bowl. Top with chopped basil and/or chives and drizzle a little olive oil on top. Cubed or sliced avocado is a nice addition as well.

Vegetable and Bean Soup

Aloha friends!

I made this yummy veggie soup for lunch yesterday! Honestly, I just wanted to use up the random leftover veggies I had before they went bad. Apparently, this turned out pretty well because I caught my husband standing in front of the fridge late last night just eating the leftovers cold. He just kept saying, “OMG this is so good. So so good…”

I swear, it’s even better heated up babe. LOL.

ENJOY!

Vegetable and Bean Soup

• 2 large white onions, diced

• 2 large carrots, sliced

• 2 stalks of celery sliced

• 2 cups waxy potatoes, skinned and cubed ( about 2, small/med size )

• 8 cloves garlic, minced

• 1, 14oz can organic diced tomatoes with juice

• 1, 14oz can of beans ( cannellini, chickpeas, kidney beans, pinto are all good ) rinsed and drained

• 1/3 cup sliced Kalamata olives

• 4 cups good vegetable broth

• 2 tsp balsamic vinegar

• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes ( optional )

• 1/2 of a lemon, juiced

• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley or any herbs you want honestly

• 1 Tb good olive oil

• a handful of fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried thyme

• 1/4-1/2 tsp sea salt ( if needed )

• cracked black pepper

Toppings

• olive oil or basil oil ( to finish, optional )

• chopped chives

• fresh parsley

• vegan parmesan

*In a large stockpot over med-high heat, saute onions and garlic in a little water until soft and translucent ( about 5 minutes ). You can use olive oil to saute but I prefer water. Add some cracked pepper and a pinch of salt.

*Add remaining ingredients except for lemon juice, parsley, and thyme. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low and simmer ( covered for 40 minutes ).

*Right before serving, add olive oil, lemon juice, and fresh herbs. Stir until incorporated. Taste and add more cracked pepper and 1/2 tsp sea salt if needed ( I usually don’t but this depends on how salty the vegetable broth is )

*To serve, ladle into soup bowls. Top with additional parsley and chopped chives

Truffled Potato and Leek Soup

Last weekend at the Upcountry Farmer’s Market I spotted a ton of fresh gorgeous leeks. Having no idea what I was going to do with them, I bought them anyway and figured I’d come up with something eventually.

It’s still hot as hell on Maui, and the last thing I’ve been wanting to do is heat up the entire house by turning on the oven, so stovetop cooking is about all I can handle these days. My husband suggested making a creamy soup with the leeks but I was thinking, “Really? A hot soup while you’re still sitting between 3-floor fans in the living room?” But ya, this is what he wanted, and he promised to do all the chopping so you gotta take advantage when you can.

I was too lazy to grocery shop for additional ingredients this particular evening, so I managed to throw this together with what we already had in the pantry and I gotta say, it turned out freaking amazing. I would imagine it would be even more amazing if the humidity level in my house wasn’t “Amazon Rainforest” so yes, sometimes I envy you people living in those bigger latitudes.

This soup is nutrient-dense, decadent, and bursting with crave-worthy flavors. Enjoy this on a crisp fall night with some warm sourdough smeared with vegan Miyoko’s butter. Delicious!

Truffled Potato Leek Soup

• 1 tbs olive oil ( or a few tbs of water if avoiding oils )

• 2 large leeks or 3 small ( white and light green parts only ) cleaned and sliced

• 1 large white onion, diced

• 2 cloves of garlic, minced

• 4 Medium Russet Potatoes peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

• 5 cups vegetable broth

• juice of 1 lemon

• 2 tsp dried thyme

• 1 tsp sea salt ( or more to taste )

• 1/4 tsp of cracked black pepper

• 1/2 tsp or more depending on taste, truffle oil ( optional but so delicious )

Topping suggestions - chopped flat-leafed parsley, chopped chives, croutons, vegan sour cream, and/or additional truffle oil.

In a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat add olive oil ( or water ). Next, add leeks, onions, garlic, and a pinch of salt. Saute until wilted ( about 10 minutes )

Add vegetable broth, thyme, potatoes, lemon juice, truffle oil, salt, pepper and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low, and then cover and simmer for approximately 15-20 mins or until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork.

Puree soup either by using a handheld emulsion blender or a high-speed blender. If using a high-speed blender, be very careful with a hot soup. Hot liquids can “explode” in a blender if the canister is overfilled or started on a “high-speed”. Either puree soup in smaller batches on low speed or let the soup cool first ( then re-heat on the stovetop ). Puree soup until desired consistency is reached.  Serve with topping suggestions listed above.

The soup should last about 5 days in the refrigerator.