In which we make souper soup.
Oct. 19th, 2005 10:54 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jesshartleyI've been trying to find new ways to incorporate vegetables into my way of eating. I love salads, but when the weather turns cold, they're less appealing. I've started adding almost equal parts chopped/minced celery and onion mixture to my tuna or surimi salads, and I like that very well, so that's one way. I put lots of onions, celery, peppers, tomatoes in my chicken chili, so that's another. Sometimes I'll steam/nuke a side of broccoli or the like for myself. Pat's not a big fan of cooked veggies (but will eat plain ol' lettuce salad every day, twice a day, so I've always got that as a fall back for him.)
I've discovered roasting root vegetables, which is just awesome. I didn't know I liked sweet potatoes, but I do. Ditto with rutabaga, although they're apparently high GI, so more of an occasional treat than a veggie. I'm still unclear on the whole turnip/rutabaga, yam/sweet potato thing, but I'm doing research to sort it all out. Chard was a big bomb at our house, we're not big cooked spinach people either.
And, today, in the name of trying to find a way to eat squash/zucchini that doesn't make me gag, I bought a small one of each and made minestrone soup.
oh... so good.
Cut up and sautee 6 strips of turkey bacon. Set aside.
Repeat with one chopped onion (with a couple good sized spoonfuls of minced garlic.
Ditto with 8 oz sliced mushrooms (I used baby-bellas cuz they were on sale), one small zucchini and one small yellow crook-neck squash (sliced about 1/2 inch thick and then the slices quartered)
Dump all of the above into a crock pot with two large cans tomatoes. You can use chopped, chunked, sliced, whatever. I would think Whole would be "less than preferable" and pureed/completely crushed would result in a thinner soup. Add two same-sized cans of water and turn on high.
Chop one large tomato (not necessary, but I had one to use up), add with three bay leaves, about 1/4 cup italian spices (if you don't have them combined, use 3-4 tbsp each basil and oregano) and about 2-3 TBSP Montreal Steak Seasoning. (This is a chunky blend of, among other things, big crushed pieces of black pepper, big grains of salt and what looks to be fennel or celery seeds. If you don't have it, add copious amounts of pepper (preferably fresh ground, salt and various savory spices to taste. Make it spicy! No whimpy soups!)
Add 1 cup whole wheat pasta (I used little shells, but penne or the like would work too.)
Add one can garbonzo beans and one can pink beans (white or black might also go well. You're not only adding fiber/filler here, you're giving it some neat textures/color, so be creative.)
Simmer in crockpot (or on stove) until hot and flavors start to meld. Can be simmered all day, or served right away (you know it's going to taste better once it simmers, though.)
OMG, I'm not a big minestrone fan, but this is sooooo good. Pat's going to love it. It's like a cross between a very tomatoey italian stew and an italian version of chili, sans meat (other than the bacon, which, in retrospect, could easily be left out to make this a vegetarian dish. The pepper (my addition) really overwhelms the smokeyness of the bacon to the point that it's fairly ignoreable.)
I've discovered roasting root vegetables, which is just awesome. I didn't know I liked sweet potatoes, but I do. Ditto with rutabaga, although they're apparently high GI, so more of an occasional treat than a veggie. I'm still unclear on the whole turnip/rutabaga, yam/sweet potato thing, but I'm doing research to sort it all out. Chard was a big bomb at our house, we're not big cooked spinach people either.
And, today, in the name of trying to find a way to eat squash/zucchini that doesn't make me gag, I bought a small one of each and made minestrone soup.
oh... so good.
Cut up and sautee 6 strips of turkey bacon. Set aside.
Repeat with one chopped onion (with a couple good sized spoonfuls of minced garlic.
Ditto with 8 oz sliced mushrooms (I used baby-bellas cuz they were on sale), one small zucchini and one small yellow crook-neck squash (sliced about 1/2 inch thick and then the slices quartered)
Dump all of the above into a crock pot with two large cans tomatoes. You can use chopped, chunked, sliced, whatever. I would think Whole would be "less than preferable" and pureed/completely crushed would result in a thinner soup. Add two same-sized cans of water and turn on high.
Chop one large tomato (not necessary, but I had one to use up), add with three bay leaves, about 1/4 cup italian spices (if you don't have them combined, use 3-4 tbsp each basil and oregano) and about 2-3 TBSP Montreal Steak Seasoning. (This is a chunky blend of, among other things, big crushed pieces of black pepper, big grains of salt and what looks to be fennel or celery seeds. If you don't have it, add copious amounts of pepper (preferably fresh ground, salt and various savory spices to taste. Make it spicy! No whimpy soups!)
Add 1 cup whole wheat pasta (I used little shells, but penne or the like would work too.)
Add one can garbonzo beans and one can pink beans (white or black might also go well. You're not only adding fiber/filler here, you're giving it some neat textures/color, so be creative.)
Simmer in crockpot (or on stove) until hot and flavors start to meld. Can be simmered all day, or served right away (you know it's going to taste better once it simmers, though.)
OMG, I'm not a big minestrone fan, but this is sooooo good. Pat's going to love it. It's like a cross between a very tomatoey italian stew and an italian version of chili, sans meat (other than the bacon, which, in retrospect, could easily be left out to make this a vegetarian dish. The pepper (my addition) really overwhelms the smokeyness of the bacon to the point that it's fairly ignoreable.)
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no subject
Date: 2005-10-19 03:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-10-19 03:20 pm (UTC)1) Zucchini Loaf; Like date-loaf rougly but with mashed Zucchini in there. Actually tastes non-putrid if done correctly.
2) Barbiqued Zucchini; Slice the veggie into stips. salt lightly with some oninon powder. Add some slices of red pepper, onions and other veggies and then barbique to suit. No oil or fat needed for this unlike some other methods.
Mad! Mad!! MAD!!!!
Date: 2005-10-19 04:52 pm (UTC)"Zucchini burgers, zucchini chili, zucchini pie, zucchini curry, roasted zucchini, fried zucchini, zucchini casserole, zucchini cake, chocolate zucchini cake, zucchini carpaccio, zucchini fritters, raw zucchini with dip, dried zucchini chips, zucchini soup, stuffed zucchini....."
Re: Mad! Mad!! MAD!!!!
Date: 2005-10-19 04:54 pm (UTC)Zucchini bread is good (again, taste, not texture), but I've yet to find a way to cook it that doesn't end up feeling "icky" in my mouth.
It's strange.
no subject
Date: 2005-10-19 04:29 pm (UTC)Cold broccoli salad?
Fresh green bean stir fry (insert favorite sauce)
Carrot Soup
.... funny, I just made minestrone soup this morning
no subject
Date: 2005-10-19 04:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-10-19 05:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-10-19 05:10 pm (UTC)Steamed snow peas.
How about sesame ginger cabbage salad, raw zuchini and hummus... curried squash
no subject
Date: 2005-10-19 05:06 pm (UTC)I love making up food. :)
Oh so goood....
Date: 2005-10-20 12:30 am (UTC)~Bear