Make this: Onion soup with wild rice

Living out on the cold and gloomy side of San Francisco has not only changed my wardrobe, turns out all those cute outfits from sunny Venice Beach don't cut it out here in the fog, my taste buds have also gone to the warmer side. Nothing is better then a giant bowl of soup after a chilly day and this recipe for onion soup with wild rice from Smitten Kitchen is now on my go to list. Do you have a favorite soup? They are still so new to me I'm always so shocked at how simple they tend to be, its always been such an intimidating meal for me.

image via smitten kitchen

Our eats: carrots meet turnip

With the weather so cold and gloomy its been the perfect time for soup, and thanks to a trip to the garden for a few fresh veggies a new meal was born. We strive at planting a garden that can provide us with enough variety and nutrition and today's produce haul included fresh turnips and kale...for all those who are lucky enough to have a home garden stop what you are doing and plant kale. Its a miracle food and its super easy to grow.
But back to the soup, its pretty easy with just a few kitchen gadgets, like a blender or food processor. Its a little light for an entire meal, but pair it with a side salad and a bit of garlic bread and you've got yourself one tasty meal that just so happens to also be vegan.

photo by our designed life

Carrot turnip soup

5 small-medium turnips, cubed

4 carrots, sliced

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 yellow onion, diced

6 cloves garlic, minced

16 oz. vegetable stock

3 C. water

5 leaves kale, cut into small strips

*In a large pot, saute the onion and garlic in oil till transparent. 

*Add vegetable stock, water, turnips and carrots and simmer for 25 minutes stirring occasionally. 

*Once cooked and turnips are tender, remove from pot and add to blender. (you can use a food processor but will need to make the liquid in batches)

*Return to a large pot and add kale. Simmer for 5 minutes and serve.

Make this, Veggie and barley soup

Boy its been quite a few days, the husband has been home sick since Monday and I seem to be one serious busy bee all of a sudden. And of course now it seems I am getting a touch of a cold, doesn't it always work out that way? While I am going to attempt to take it easy, I am sure glad I made this tasty soup last night...the leftovers always seem to taste even better. I found this recipe for Vegetable and barley soup a while ago and have made it a few times all with what ever I had in the fridge - I just love dishes that can also clean out your stock of left over veggies. Along with the recommended veggies, I threw in a few handfuls of spinach and rainbow chard for extra nutrients. Lets just hope this keeps the germs away.
And on a tasty side note, we also discovered that brownies are fantastic paired with a slice or two of cantaloupe   Seriously! So good.

photo via vegan family

Make this, Herby bean soup

Sticking with my 'new to me' recipe guidelines has really improved meal time around here. I was in a bit of a cooking slump not too long ago, you know the one where you seem to make the exact same 10 dishes every single time you cook. Over the last few weeks I have been filling my recipe folder with everything that seems interesting and doable and last night was no different.  I tried out One Green Planet's herby bean soup and my goodness, it was fantastic.  I had to do a little changing to the recipe as I didn't have everything, you would be surprised how difficult it is to find some ingredients here in SF! Or at least I have yet to find them. You can find the full recipe here, below is how I made a few adjustments... and guys, fresh soup in 20 minutes, how can you beat that!?

photo via one green planet

Herb-y bean-y soup

1 white onion

2 cloves of garlic

1 can cannellini beans

1 can light red kidney beans

4 cups low sodium vegetable stock

1 bay leaf

1 tsp oregano

pinch of salt and pepper

olive oil  {for sauteing}

I cooked everything exactly as the original recipe states but instead used a food processor to get everything to a nice creamy finish. I'm not the biggest rosemary fan so I opted to leave it out, although next time I might give it a whirl, this is a seriously delicious soup. I served it alongside a scoop of roasted brussel sprouts and a piece of garlic bread. Lets just say I am super excited there are leftovers today!