Planet Organic’s Potato Provencal Soup

There is nothing particularly miraculous about this soup recipe.  It’s a basic vegetable soup and not difficult to make at all.  I took it from “The Planet Organic Market Cookbook” I just picked up from the library. But I thought I would share it as it is a great “base” recipe for those who are unsure how to begin to make soup.  This soup is an easy one to add to or take away from, or to tweak spices to one’s personal preference.  Plus we were given two massive bags of fresh garden potatoes last weekend and I was trying to put a dent in ’em.  I have made some adjustments to the original recipe which I will note below, but really, you can do/use whatever you want. 

Recipe:

• 1 tbsp. canola oil
• 1 c. onion, diced
• 3/4 c. red onion (this I did not have on hand, so I omitted)
• 1 c. celery, diced
• 2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, diced (I had small red potatoes)
• 1 tbsp. garlic, minced
• 1/2 c. fresh parsley, minced
• 1/2 c. red pepper, diced
• 1/4 c. leeks, dried (I also omitted these but added carrot instead)
• 14 oz. can diced tomatoes (this is the small can people, not the biggie!)
• 4 c. water
• 1/2 basil, thyme and oregano, each (I had fresh basil and lemon thyme which was sooo lucky)
• 1 bay leaf (you can see it in my bowl up there!)
• salt and pepper to taste

Method:

In a large soup pot, heat oil, add onions, celery, garlic, potatoes, peppers and leeks.  Cook over medium heat 3-5 minutes.  Add tomatoes, herbs and water.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Really, it’s that easy.  I sprinkled some parmesan on mine before eating and M gave his a healthy dousing of hot sauce.  Either way, a very quick and easy lunch soup!

sights and sounds…

I’m so into these old buildings.  There is this one area of town here which is kind of run down, known as the “bad part of town”, but it is also one of the older areas of the city.  It is kind of forgotten, although there is a new effort to revitalize certain parts of it.  But there is something about these buildings and signs I really like.

things i’m loving…

Gorgeous hot pink damask wallpaper from Thibaut Design.

Ink Riders

 

Amazing photography from Italian Alberto Seveso.  Check out the link above for more images of his cool playmobil surfer riding on inky waves.

Oh my god, oh my god.  Where the hell would I ever wear these? Who cares, they are amazing and I love them.  I can’t stop staring at these shoes.  I’m pretty sure that makes me shallow and ridiculous.

Betsey Johnson of course.  Oh and they come in black.

Cheesy Spinach and Mushroom Kamut Bake

This recipe is loosely adapted from the recipe for a Cheesy Baked Farro recipe I found on the Food Network website from Giada. I have recently become interested in trying to incorporate more of those trendy weird grains into my diet-you know, the Kamuts, the amaranths, the millets. At the health food store the other day, I grabbed some Kamut, not having any idea what I would do with it and I have to say, I was a bit surprised at the lack of recipes on the internet for anything much more than a pilaf or salad. This recipe I came up with is super adaptable, easy and while nothing to look at it, was creamy and reminded M of risotto.  Ideally, I would like to try a vegan version next time, as this is really quite dairy heavy but I didn’t have any substitutes on hand. It holds up way better once it cools down, but we were hungry and couldn’t wait.

Recipe

(Sauce)

• 1/4 c. butter
• 1/4 c. flour
• 2 c. milk (or substitute)
• 1/3 c. nutritional yeast
• salt and pepper to taste

(Remaining ingredients)

• 2 c. Kamut
• 4c. vegetable broth
• 2 c. chopped spinach
• 3/4 c. cheese of your choice (I used a three cheese blend of mozzarella, Asiago and parmesan)
• 1 c. sliced mushrooms
• ground thyme
• breadcrumbs
• olive oil

To cook Kamut:

Soak 2 c. of Kamut overnight in water.  When ready to cook, bring 4c of vegetable stock to boil and add Kamut to stock.  Lower heat and simmer for 25-30 minutes.  Kamut will be lightly crunchy but tender.  Drain any remaining liquid and set aside.

Prepare sauce:

Melt butter in medium-sized pot and add milk.  Stir to mix.  Whisk flour in, removing any lumps and bring to medium heat.  Continue to whisk until mixture begins to thicken.  Remove from heat, add nutritional yeast and salt and pepper to taste.  

Putting it together:

Preheat oven to 400F. Add sauce to cooked Kamut and stir to coat.  Add mushrooms, spinach and cheese and mixed till all ingredients are distributed evenly.  Add a dash of thyme to taste. Pour into greased casserole dish and flatten down till even.  Top with a sprinkle of breadcrumbs and a generous drizzle of olive oil.  Place in oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden and bubbly.  Remove from oven and let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving.  

Yum!