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Thick and Hearty Lentil Vegetable Stew

I always get frustrated when my homemade lentil soup doesn’t taste as rich as the kind I get in restaurants. I think I found the solution with this recipe. By adding the tangy zip of aged balsamic with the complexity of Worcestershire, the flavor of this stew deepens. Problem solved!

Happy National Soup Month!

Thick and Hearty Lentil Vegetable Stew

2 cups sliced carrots
3 celery stalks chopped
1 cups diced baby golden potatoes
1/2 cup red onion diced
16 oz yellow lentils
2 tbsp olive oil
1 qt vegetable broth
1 cup water
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp of Worcestershire
1 tsp bay leave flakes
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp oregano
1/2 onion powder
1/2 tsp dried sage
1 tbsp minced garlic
Parmesan Cheese (for garnish)

Chop and slice carrots, potatoes, celery and red onion.

In a medium dutch oven, sauté carrots, onion, and celery in olive oil over medium heat for 5 minutes.

Add garlic and potatoes. Cover and Cook 5 minutes longer.

Next add all dry seasonings except salt and pepper, stir.

Add vegetable broth, Worcestershire and balsamic vinegar. Bring to a boil.

Add lentils. Cover and Simmer 25 minutes until lentils are tender.

Allow to cool slightly. Working in two cup batches, pulse soup in food processor until smooth. Reserve two cups of soup not to be ran through food processor.

Return soup to dutch oven on low heat and stir well.

Add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with fresh parmesan cheese if desired.

Vietnamese Pho Ga

This is such a colorful comfort dish. I made Pho Ga this past weekend for my boyfriend who is fighting a chest cold. He is a seasoned Pho eater and was really impressed with this recipe. I used chicken thighs instead of a whole chicken to simplify the recipe. The best part about this soup is the toppings; scallions, cilantro, lime, bean sprouts, jalapeño, and chili sauce. If you are making this recipe for a group of people or picky eaters, everyone can assemble their own toppings and make their bowl of soup tailored to their liking. I like mine spicy and tangy!

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs organic chicken thighs
2 boxes of organic chicken stock (48 oz)
1/2 red onion, unpeeled
3-inch chunk of ginger
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 small bunch of cilantro
1 lb dried rice noodles (about 1/4″ wide)
1 cups bean sprouts
1/2 cup scallions chopped
1/2 lime, cut into 4 wedges
1/4 cup sliced jalapeños
4 large basil leaves (thai basil if available)
1 tbsp Garlic chili sauce
sea salt to taste

Place ginger and onion on a small baking sheet. The top of the onion should be about 4″ heating element. Set to broil on high for 15-20 minutes. The skin should get dark and the onion/ginger should get soft. After cooling, peel off skin on onion and ginger. Chop red onion and ginger finely. Set aside.

In a large stockpot, fill with water and boil. Add chicken thighs and simmer for 30 minutes. Set chicken thighs on a plate and shred with a fork.

Bring chicken broth to a boil and add chicken, onion and ginger. Allow to cook 15 minutes to infuse ginger and onion flavor.

In the meantime, fill a seperate pot with water and bring to boil. Cook rice noodles according to directions. Strain and divide noodles into bowls for serving.

Ladle broth mixture over noodles and top with the optional toppings above.

Fresh Recipes

Italian Harvest Soup

This rustic Italian Harvest Soup recipe is inspired by the Olive Garden’s “Zuppa Toscana.” I know, not exactly where you go for healthy eating. My version of the soup adds a little zip with the addition of red wine vinegar (I always thought the olive gardens version was missing a tangy component) and a few extra ingredients. I also used grass-fed beef instead of pork sausage. It is a wonderful weekend recipe to keep you warm on the coldest day. Let me know how you like it!

Ingredients

1 lb Ground Grass-fed Beef

1 Quart Organic Chicken Stock

1 Cup Organic Heavy Cream

1 C Vegetable Stock

1/2 C Red Wine Vinegar

2 C Chopped Kale

1/2 a medium White Onion, diced

1/2 a Red Onion, diced

2 Celery Stalks, chopped

6-8 Golden Baby Potatoes, sliced thin

Herbs

2 Tbsp Dried Oregano

2 Tbsp Fennel Seed

2 Tbsp Dried Basil

1 Tbsp Black Pepper

2 Tbsp Minced Garlic

1 Tbsp Sea Salt

Directions

In a large saucepan, bring vegetable broth, chicken broth and heavy cream to a boil.

Add Sliced Potatoes to broth mixture.

In a separate pan, begin to brown ground beef. When halfway cooked, season with all herbs except sea salt and add onions and celery. (no extra oil necessary)

Once onions and celery begin to tenderize and the beef is browned, add to potato and broth mixture.

Reduce to simmer. Simmer 20 minutes.

Add kale, red wine vinegar and sea salt.

Cook 5 minutes.

Makes around 10 servings