White Bean and Garlic with Greens

Last year my big sister Jess gave me a copy of the book Love Soup for Christmas. It's a vegetarian soup and story book and I absolutely LOVE IT. I tried 5-6 so recipes last year. This year I want to document and share my favorites, which will probably be everything we try--Dylan and I adore soup. The first recipe I've made this year is the White Bean and Garlic with Greens. A good friend Adam gave us some some broccoli rabe, (among other organic goodies from the Wayward Seed farm) so I shredded that and used it as my green. Both Dylan and I were starving, but we were content after a bowl. It was delicious, flavorful, and smooth. I'm taking leftovers for lunch tomorrow :).
Here's my lazy (but DELICIOUS) interpretation of Anna Thomas's recipe.

White Bean and Garlic with Greens Soup

1 medium sweet onion, chopped
5 cloves of garlic, pressed
2-3 TB olive oil
2 cans drained, rinsed white beans (I used white kidney or Cannellini)
2 tsp sage
fresh ground pepper
4 cups water + 2-3 tsp veggie bouillon OR 4 cups of vegetable broth.
2 cups(ish) of a shredded green, like kale, spinach, broccoli rabe, etc.
1 tsp lemon juice
olive oil
parmesan

Over medium heat, soften the onions and garlic in olive oil for 10-15 minutes. Add the beans, sage, and pepper and stir. Add a bit of the water or broth then blend using an immersion blender or regular blender. Add the additional water and 2-3 tsp of vegetable bouillon or remaining broth and stir to desired consistency. Add greens and simmer until tender, 5-10 more minutes. Remove from heat, add lemon juice, additional salt/pepper if needed, and serve with freshly grated parmesan and olive oil.

Vegetarian Split Pea Soup

Lately we've had a little snow and lots of freezing weather. Right now it's 3 degrees! I made split pea soup a few days ago and just reheated the last of it. Here's what I did:

Vegetarian Split Pea Soup

a few tbs. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, chopped
1lb split green peas, rinsed
4 cubes vegetable bouillon cubes (for 8 cups)
about 10 cups water
splash soy sauce
rosemary, black pepper, and salt to taste.
few tablespoons fresh parsley

In one pot boil the peas, 8 cups water, and the 4 cubes, covered, for about 30 minutes. I usually use Knorr Vegetable Bouillon. It's cheap and available at Kroger (or in Dolle family Christmas stockings).

Meanwhile, in another, big, stock pot cook the onion and garlic in oil over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes (covered.) Add the celery then peas/broth when soft, and the parsley. I pureed about half of this, then added the soy sauce, rosemary, pepper, and an additional 2 or so cups of water. It simmered, covered, for another 45 minutes or so, until I was ready to eat, but would've been good sooner. I topped my bowls with spoonfuls of sour cream and dunked sour dough bread.

A note about cubed bouillon:
I really like but Mark Bittman and really enjoyed a recent NYTimes article of his- Fresh Start for a New Year? Let’s Begin in the Kitchen, but I don't agree with what he has to say about cubed bouillon. I've tried making fresh vegetarian stock for soups... and sometimes they turn out to be amazing- but it's usually more chopping, cleaning, and time than it's worth.

rising cost of good food

The New York Times published an interesting and inspiring article last week; Money is Tight and Junk food Beckons, that describes the extreme cost of eating fresh, healthy foods and a California couple who tried to eat for one month on less than $1 a day (their fascinating blog is here). They baked and cooked bulk grains and beans, supplemented their diet with orange Tang for vitamin C, and lost weight, energy, and a lot of time. Their blog doesn't inspire me to attempt a similar experiment. It does make me want to spend more time in the kitchen developing recipes that are fast, healthy, and more affordable than some of the really terrible things people are forced to sustain on because of time and money.

Michael Pollan (a NYTimes contributor and author of The Omnivore's Dilemma & In Defense of Food) wrote a great article several weeks ago, a letter to the next President of the United States asking them to make food policy a priority for the health, security, and economy of our country. He was interviewed on Fresh Air and makes a compelling argument for an overhaul of the way America grows and sells food. Definitely listen to the Fresh Air episode- it's really, really, great.

I'm going to make lots of soup this fall and winter. It's cheap (a 10lb bag of potatoes at Aldi is $2.50, a big can of crushed tomatoes $1!) and easy and comforting, and can feed two people for at least a week. One of the biggest challenges to writing about soup recipes will be documenting ingredients and quantities... so much of the seasoning and I do is in pinchfuls and shakes... it's hard to keep track of! I'm making split pea soup in the next day or two, will try to carefully record my steps, and will post the recipe if it's worth eating!