CREAMY VEGETABLE SOUP

PREP TIME

15 mins

COOK TIME

35 mins

TOTAL TIME

50 mins

Ingredients:

• 5 cups chopped/ diced fresh or frozen vegetables- broccoli carrots, peas, celery, green beans, corn, etc
• 3 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 tsp sage
• 1/2 tsp herb-blend all-purpose seasoning
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 4 1/2 cups broth
• 1 1/2 cups milk or a 12 oz can of evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup instant mashed potato flakes optional

Preparation:

1. Melt butter in a large saucepan. Add onion, seasonings, and flour. Whisk in 1 cup of broth. Heat until bubbling, then add vegetables and another 2 cups of broth. Cover and cook on medium heat for about 10-15 minutes, until vegetables are soft. 
2. Add in remaining broth, milk and potato flakes, if desired. Stir until well combined.
3. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Cream of Pumpkin soup

CREAM OF PUMPKIN SOUP

Preparation Time: 10 mins.
Cooking Time: 20 mins.
Serves 4

Ingredients:
Onion - 1 medium size
Garlic - 4 to 5 cloves
Ginger - 1/2 inch
Pumpkin - 1 and 1/2 wedge
cilantro - few sprigs
Butter - 2 tsp
Dry basil leaves - 1 tsp
Dry thyme leaves - 1/2 tsp
Freshly crushed black pepper to taste
Salt to taste
Water - 3 cups
Cream - 1/2 cup (optional)

Method:

1. Chop the onion lengthwise keep aside
2. Chop Garlic and ginger
3. Heat a wide pan and add butter
4. Add the ginger-garlic and sauté for a min
5. Now add onion and sauté until golden brown
6. Meanwhile, peel the skin of the pumpkin and chop into 1 inch size cubes
7. Once the onion is done, add the pumpkin and cilantro. Sauté for a min
8. Add salt and pepper. Close the lid and cook until the pumpkin is soft. Add little water if needed
9. Let's cool this down
10. Once cool grind into smooth paste
11. In a deep dish, add this paste. To this add 3 cups of water and mix well
12. Add basil leaves, thyme leaves and bring to boil
13. Turn the stove off
14. Add the cream if you need before serving

Bean soup

• Prep
  15 m
• Cook
  30 m
• Ready In
  45 m

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp - Olive Oil
1 large Onion - chopped (an inch size)
2 Carrots - chopped
4 Garlic cloves
Chili powder as per taste and spice level of the chili
1 Tbsp - Ground cumin
Black pepper freshly crushed
4 Cups - vegetable broth (or water from boiled beans)
2-3 cups of mixed beans (e.g.: Black and chick peas)
1 cup - corn kernel
Kale (Spinach can be used instead)
onions chopped
2 medium sized - Tomatoes
Avocado - optional

Dried thyme - per taste

Dried oregano - per taste

Dried basil - per taste
Salt to taste

Lets start cooking:

NOTE: Soak, dry black beans or chickpeas for atleast 5-8 hours.

Normal cooktop cooking:

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Saute onion, celery, carrots and garlic for 5 minutes. Season with chili powder, cumin, and black pepper; cook for 1 minute. 
2. Add in chopped onions and kale. Cook for 5 minutes.
3. Stir in vegetable broth, 2 cups of beans and corn. Bring to a boil.
4. Meanwhile, in a food processor or blender, process remaining 1 cup beans and tomatoes until smooth. Stir into boiling soup mixture, reduce heat to medium, and simmer for 15 minutes. Add salt and other spices to taste.
5. Enjoy the yummy soup on a chilly day!!

Instant pot cooking:

1. Turn on instant pot on sauté mode
2. Once hot, add oil and allow to heat
3. Add chopped garlic and sauté 
4. Add chopped onion and sauté until translucent 
5. Add chopped kale or spinach and sauté for 2min
6. Add chopped or circular carrots and corn kernels
7. Now add the soaked beans and/or chickpeas
8. Now add all the spices and salt
9. Turn off the sauté mode and turn on pressure cook mode for 20min
10. Once pressure is released, serve hot with sliced avocado (optional)

Tomato-onion soup with crostini

TOMATO-ONION SOUP

Preparation Time: 10 mins.
Cooking Time: 20 mins.
Serves 4

Ingredients:
Onion - 2 medium sized
Garlic - 6 to 8 cloves
Ginger - 1/2 inch
Butter - 2 tsp
Tomatoes - 3 to 4 medium sized
Wheat flour - 1 tbsp
Green chilly - 1nos
Salt to taste
Black Pepper powder

Method:
1. Cut the onion and tomatoes lengthwise.
2. Peel Ginger and cut into small cubes. Also peel the garlic and keep aside.
3. Cut the green chillies about 2cms in length.
4. Now pressure cook tomatoes, Onion, ginger, garlic and green chillies with some water. Let it cook very well.
5. Allow the above to cool completely.
6. Separate out the vegetables only and put it in the mixer-grinder with almost no water. Make it into very fine paste. Keep in mind that there should be very minimal water, else the vegetables will not grind into fine paste.

7. Now in a kadhai heat the butter and allow it to melt. Now add the Wheat flour and fry it till you get a good aroma.
8. Now add the ground paste to the kadhai. Add the water left out after we pressure cooked the vegetables. Let the soup boil.
9. Now add salt and pepper and stir it.
10. Serve the soup hot with some crostini or bread or breadsticks.




CROSTINI
Preparation Time: 10 mins.
Cooking Time: 15 mins.
Serves 4

Ingredients:
Panini bread or garlic bread or normal bread
Green chillies - 2nos (Depends on how spicy you need)
Green Bell peppers - 1/2 medium sized
Butter or ghee
Beetroot - 1/2 small sized
Garlic - 8 to 10 cloves
Tomato - 1 medium sized
Onion - 2 medium sized
Oregano
Salt to taste


Method:
1. Cut the bread into the shape you like. I cut into triangles.
2. In a Kadhai, heat some butter or ghee and allow it to melt.
3. Now add the chopped garlic and fry it for about 5min.
4. Next add bell peppers and onion. Fry till slightly brown.
5. Now add salt and mix well. Bring it down from the gas.
6. Cut the tomatoes in small cubes.
7. Grate the beetroot and keep aside.
8. Now arrange the breads. The toppings will be 1st onion-bell peppers mix, followed by tomato and then beetroot. Sprinkle the Oregano and serve with hot Soup.

Palak-Carrot soup

Ingredients you will need:
Coriander leaves - just few
Green Chilly - 2nos (Should not be very spicy)
Wheat Flour - 2 tbsp
Palak - 250gms
Carrot - 100gms
Garlic - 6 cloves
Pepper - to taste
Ginger - 1 inch
Butter - 1 tbsp
Onion - 2 small
Milk - 1/2 cup
Salt - to taste
Water


How do you proceed:

1. Separate the palak and coriander leaves from the roots. You should use most of the stem part for the soup. Wash it well and cut the leaves into halves .
2. Wash and peel the carrot skin and and cut them into cubes.
3. Cut the onion lengthwise.
4. Peel Ginger and cut into small cubes. Also peel the garlic and keep aside.
5. Cut the green chillies about 2cms in length.
6. Now pressure cook palak, coriander leaves, Carrot, Onion, ginger, garlic and green chillies using milk and some water. Let it cook very well.
7. Allow the above to cool completely.
8. Separate out the vegetables only and put it in the mixer-grinder with almost no water. Make it into very fine paste. Keep in mind that there should be very minimal water, else the vegetables will not grind into fine paste.
9. Now in a kadhai heat the butter and allow it to melt. Now add the Wheat flour and fry it till you get a good aroma.
10. Now add the ground paste to the kadhai. Add the water left out after we pressure cooked the vegetables. Let the soup boil.
11. Now add salt and pepper and stir it.
12. Serve the soup hot with some crostini or bread or breadsticks.