soup – Page 2 – morestomach

summer greens vichyssoise + spicy mint sauce

Published on June 21, 2016June 20, 2016 by Lan | MoreStomach6 Comments

we lasted 12 days on the Whole30.
technically, shorter than that,
because we had peas a few days prior.
a diet that has something against
fresh, in season peas is no diet for me.

bitterness aside,
i do appreciate the
blank slate that was this experience,
no matter how brief it was.
we introduced rice back in a few days ago,
a little bit of sugar
but i think we’ll maintain the
mainly protein + vegs thing
WITH RICE EVERYDAY LIKE A GOOD ASIAN
awhile longer.

meanwhile, pea season is
around for another week or so
and we’ve made variations of this soup
2 times already.
i’m doing everything i can to
break the rules of Whole30,
there is no way i’m gonna let this
season go by without trying to at
least get sick of it.

summer greens vichyssoise with spicy mint sauce
makes enough for 4, OR, 2 really hungry wannabe Whole30ers

soup
2 leeks, sliced and cleaned (i like to soak them in a bowl of cold water and let the dirt fall to the bottom)
2 garlic scapes, sliced/diced
1/2 pound of FRESH PEAS, rinsed
handful of kale
1/2 can of coconut milk
splish splash of olive oil
1 seedless english cucumber
half a avocado
salt/pepper to taste

spicy mint sauce
bunch of fresh mint, aim for 1 cup
bunch of parsley, aim for 1/2 cup
1 garlic scape, diced
1 TBL spicy brown mustard
1 thai green chili pepper
1/4 – 1/3 cup of olive oil
juice of 1 lemon

to make the minty sauce, put everything into a vitamix and blitz it till completely smooth. can be kept in clean container for up to a week.

to make the soup, in a large saucepan head up the olive oil. add in the leeks and garlic scape and season with salt/pepper. saute til the leeks are soft. add in half a can of coconut milk and bring up a gentle simmer. turn off heat and add in the peas and kale, mix through til the kale is wilted and lid it.

allow the soup to cool sufficiently before blitzing either with a handheld immersion blender or in the vitamix until smooth. add in the cuke and avocado, and blitz it some more. depending on how thick you want the soup, it may be fine as is, or you can add a ladleful of water/veg stock. season to taste.

serve the soup chilled and topped with a spoonful of the spicy mint sauce.

BAM!

3 years ago: PB & Chocolate Cakelettes
2 years ago: diy sperm cornhole
1 year ago: pulled pork taco

bún riêu – vietnamese seafood noodle soup

Published on September 10, 2015February 14, 2016 by Lan | MoreStomach3 Comments

lately i’ve been thinking a lot about
vietnamese food
specifically the foods i ate growing up.
it’s that weird, icky, emo
feeling,
akin to nostalgia,
an emotion that is so foreign,
and unwelcome,
to me
that i would like to punch it in the face.

instead, i think i will attempt to feed it
because starving is just not our thing.

bún riêu – vietnamese seafood noodle soup
loosely adapted from wandering chopsticks

*note: i seem to recall seeing snails in this dish growing up. that’s an ingredient that i cannot locally source and if i’m to be honest, it’s something that i like to consume when prepared by professionals. i’m not there yet to make it myself. instead, i made do with local maryland crab and csa tomatoes – hooray for in-season AND local. alas, the fish cakes were purchased frozen and already prepared. this is when dw will turn a blind eye, conceding that some things just cannot be helped.

this makes a lot. like, an ass clown amount. we’ve have it for leftovers for a week, and we shared this with cousins who recently welcomed a baby boy, leaving them with portions too.

i won’t post the full recipe, because ~~it’s fucking long~~ WC does a great job of writing it all out. below are my short cuts and methods that worked for me.

i used two 32 oz boxes of organic seafood stock. i wasn’t about to make crab stock. i did use shrimp shells though.
i purchased backfin crab meat from whole foods, because lump meat would’ve been a waste of good meat and money.
i did not use canned tomatoes, instead, we’ve been drowning in csa tomatoes and so i diced up 15oz worth of tomatoes and rough chunked 4 big tomatoes.
spare ribs were also purchased at whole foods, and i think may have been dw’s favorite part of the dish.
i added two extra eggs to the rieu, because i like it extra eggy. i did not bother with keeping it whole, i just free formed balls with spoons and dropped into the broth.
if you can’t get your hands on banana blossom, shredded cabbage is fine.

last, this dish was just ok on the first day, in fact, i was a little disappointed. but the following days were so much better.

BAM!

1 year ago: quinoa sushi rolls
2 years ago: blueberry breakfast cookies

other vietnamese goodness:
homemade bánh cướn chay
vietnamese bò kho – beef stew
phở gà
tôm rang muối – vietnamese salt & pepper shrimp
vietnamese vermicelli noodle bowl – bun thit ga nuong
chả trứng thịt hấp – vietnamese steamed egg meatloaf

beef, squash & white bean chili

Published on December 18, 2014January 28, 2015 by Lan | MoreStomach9 Comments

it’s a known fact,
probably even scientific,
that the cold makes us all shitty people.
the general lack of sunlight,
or enough of it in the day,
the hovering around freezing temps,
the static hair,
well.
it’s enough to make this girl
cantankerous.
add to that
the decline in desire
to be in the kitchen.
the first week after thanksgiving
i had no meal plan,
some lunches consisted of
sorry apples and oranges
and cookies.
that had to be remedied.

this chili came out far
better than i anticipated.
in our house,
dw likes the tomato based,
hearty chilis and stews,
while i prefer the
brothy, noodle bowls.
this week,
to combat the dreary
this became our lunch.
and boy did it improve
my disposition.

beef, squash & white bean chili
adapted from the everyday squash cook by rob firing, ivy knight and kerry knight
about 8-9 servings

*note: i received this great cookbook from movita beaucoup, after winning her pumpkin carve off. thanks to all who voted for us!
the recipe is very straight forward. i doubled a few of the spices for kick, and i also added more liquid than it calls for.

1 lb of lean ground beef, grass fed
1 onion, chopped
1 28oz can diced tomatoes, with juice (i used muir’s fire roasted diced tomotoes) + 2 cansful of water or stock, divided
2 cups peeled and 1/2″ cubed butternut squash (fine, it may have been more than half the squash)
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1/2 TBL chili powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp ground cumin
2 bay leaves
1 cup dried navy beans, soaked overnight and cooked until al dente (or a can of white beans, drained and rinsed)

in a big soup pot, brown the ground beef on medium high. depending on how lean/fatty the meat is, you may need to add a few swivels of olive oil. break down the meat until crumbly. at this point, you can drain the meat reserving some of the oil/fat, or you can be lazy like me and push it to the side and add in the chopped onions. saute until translucent. at this point, i season with salt/pepper.

next add in the minced garlic and stir it around, until fragrant. just kidding, it’ll be fragrant almost immediately. add in the spices/dry ingredients. allow the spices to get thoroughly mixed into the meat and onions, about 5 minutes. carefully pour in the can of dice tomatoes + juice. allow to reach boil status and lower the heat. for the next hour, as the liquid reduces, add in a can’s worth of water or stock. do this twice.

for the last time that you pour in can’s worth of liquid, also add in the cubed squash. bring to a furious simmer/gentle boil. you don’t want the squash to get mushy but you do need to cook it through, about 15-20 minutes. for the last 10 minutes of cooking, add in the cooked beans.

can be served with cornbread or eaten as is. i’ve been dipping pretzel crisps for an added crunch.

BAM!

other soups & stews:
autumn harvest soup
3 bean chili
vietnamese beef stew
caribbean oxtail stew
miso ramen bowl
chicken pho
portuguese chicken + chorizo curry
chickpea & sausage stew

Garlic Panna Cotta + Curried Root Vegetable Soup

Published on November 26, 2014June 14, 2016 by Lan | MoreStomach10 Comments

super quick post,
because i know it’s turkey week
and with that comes great responsibility,
that responsibility being putting on stretchy pants.

here’s to gratitude —
we are spending the long weekend with dw’s cousins in NY,
there’s gonna be hiking
eating
lots of eating
a jaunt into the city
we’re unplugging,
see you next week!

meanwhile, if your table is missing one thing
i doubt it is,
but if it you need something,
i have this soup.
it’s over at Honest Cooking,
where i’ll be contributing every so often,
when the mood strikes.

head over for the fancy looking,
but super simple soup: garlic panna cotta + curried root vegetable soup

have a great weekend friends!

chickpea & sausage stew

Published on November 17, 2014December 9, 2014 by Lan | MoreStomach7 Comments

oh, mid-autumn.
in most cases,
i can be found bundled up,
ensconced in lap blankets,
fingers tangled in yarn,
dw next to me reading
or perusing the internet.
upon the early setting of the sun
there isn’t much that can
inspire us to be out
in the dark,
not when we can be snuggling
and noshing on comforting fares,
mostly of the sweet variety.
ahem.

now that the cold has settled,
permanently it seems,
my cooking leans towards
the measured and lazy.
this is the time i tend
to slow down my pace,
finding comfort in a pot of soup,
a pot that feeds us for a week straight,
the kind of dish that
warms us through and through,
sometimes even coercing me
off the couch for seconds.

chickpea & sausage stew
serves 6-8

*note: this is a soup that we are having for lunch this week. the whole having a huge pot of soup on the stove on sunday to feed us during the week has been such a relief for me, not having to worry about packing lunches. the repetition hasn’t gotten to us, yet, and hopefully it won’t, because seriously, lunch during the work week is my least fave meal to deal with.

olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1-2 lbs Italian sausage, thawed and casings removed
2 TBL tomato paste
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
4 cups homemade chicken stock, or leftover water that cooked the garbanzo beans, or combo of both
1 1/2 cups dried garbanzo beans, soaked at least 8 hours, cooked until tender, reserving water
head of kale, washed and rough chopped
1/4 cup of teeny tiny pasta, like acini di pepe (optional)
kosher salt and pepper

heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. saute onions until soft & translucent.

throw in the sausage and cook, crumbling it with a wooden spoon, until browned.

add in the tomato paste and parsley, cook for a few minutes.

add in the liquids, along with the garbanzo beans. bring to a boil.

throw in the kale, allow to simmer for about 20-30 minutes.

if using, add in the acini di pepe.

season to taste.

BAM!