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FFwD: Orange Scented Lentil Soup

French Fridays with Dorie: Orange Scented Lentil Soup

Hello French Fridays with Dorie and this week’s Orange Scented Lentil Soup recipe. How are you? Well, I thought you were delicious!

I tend to have the opinion that, although lentil soups are in standard rotation at our house, they can be kind of boring. But not this bowl — the orange and spices are definitely different flavors than I normally go with and I think that really made this recipe a huge stand out.

Of course, I did a few things differently. I had about a cup of lamb braising sauce (sorry, Morrissey!*) leftover from the lamb shank adventure last weekend and I substituted that for about one cup of the broth (the miracle of lamb fat).

Other changes: I let my vegetables get a little brown in the beginning for more flavor. I also added some chopped kale at the end and I used red lentils instead of French green lentils. Because of that, I was able to shorten my simmering time by about 15 minutes. For garnishes I used the suggested crumbled bacon (oops!) and Greek yogurt. So good.

Here’s a link to everyone’s Orange Scented Lentil Soup this . . . → Read More: FFwD: Orange Scented Lentil Soup

A Soup for Cold Weather: Winter Spelt Minestrone

Winter Spelt Minestrone

This is a hearty bowl of soup. Spelt replaces the pasta for a healthy, toothsome addition. Sometimes referred to as spelt berries, they aren’t berries at all, but rather Spelt is an ancient whole grain related to modern day wheat. It’s high in magnesium, fiber, phosphorus and vitamin B3 and provides a pleasingly chewey texturehsome chew. Use it in salads, soups, and baked good. It can also be ground and used as flour. In fact, my new bread obsession is the Spelt Bread from Dave’s Killer Bread.

This is also the bowl of soup you want whether you are house-bound right now in the snowy Midwest, DC or even watching the rain fall in the gray winter of Portland. So comforting and filling. You probably even have a lot of the items you need to make it right now. Just go get some spelt. It’s okay, I’ll wait.

Note: for a summer version, replace butternut squash with zucchini and the kale with trimmed green beans and/or baby spinach and add in the last 15 minutes of cooking time.

Winter Spelt Minestrone

Winter Spelt Minestrone

Winter Spelt Minestrone

. . . → Read More: A Soup for Cold Weather: Winter Spelt Minestrone

Curry Lentil and Squash Soup with Cilantro Yogurt

Curry Lentil and Squash Soup with Cilantro Yogurt

This is a great meatless meal for when you have winter squash you want to use up or if you just want a hearty bowl of warm soup. Or maybe you’re just bored and you want a food project that will take about an hour. This is what to do if any of those scenarios are true. Plus, it’s just a really delicious bowl of winter soup. So there.

I used a combination of one small acorn squash and one small delicata squash — together they totaled about 1.5 pounds. There’s actually a story behind the squash: I received them (and about 6 more pounds of produce) as part of my kickstarter reward for being a backer of Know Thy Food’s new market! That’s pretty cool, huh?

Red lentils will look nicer, but if all you have is brown lentils, don’t let that stop you from making this. And if you have some naan in the freezer, take this opportunity to toast that up and have it on the side.

If you are a cilantro-hater, you can substitute with parsley.

Curry Lentil and Squash Soup with Cilantro Yogurt

. . . → Read More: Curry Lentil and Squash Soup with Cilantro Yogurt

FFwd: Creamy Cauliflower Soup Sans Cream

Creamy Cauliflower Soup Sans Cream

Well, after sitting out the last couple of weeks’ worth of French Fridays with Dorie, I’m happy to be back in this Friday with Creamy Cauliflower Soup Sans (without) Cream. And for the first time in a long time, I didn’t change much at all in the recipe! I know. It’s amazing!

Notes/Observations:
1. I really liked this soup and thought it was even better the next day.
2. I used some parmesan cheese, olive oil, fresh ground black pepper and toasted walnuts for the garnish.
3. Next time, I may throw a potato in there too. And more garlic. And for some reason, I’m thinking a little lemon zest may be interesting. Anyway, I will probably be making this one again.

Okay, here’s a link to everyone’s posts and my photos below.

Creamy Cauliflower Soup Sans Cream

My head of cauliflower, about to be broken down.

Creamy Cauliflower Soup Sans Cream

I threw a sprig of thyme in with the soup, instead of just the leaves. Then I just pulled the sprig out before blending.

Creamy Cauliflower Soup Sans Cream

Speaking of blending…here’s a shot of that because it is . . . → Read More: FFwd: Creamy Cauliflower Soup Sans Cream

FFwD: Spur of the Moment Vegetable Soup

Spur of the Moment Vegetable Soup

Okay, so I think I am just barely (barely!) making it in time with this week’s French Friday’s with Dorie — Spur of the Moment Vegetable Soup. I made mine with carrots, onion, sweet potato and plenty of garlic (along with the rosemary and ginger). I liked it, but kind of felt it needed…something. It was a good soup for alongside a sandwich, but not really the star of it’s own show, you know?

Here’s a link to everyone’s posts and my photos below.

Spur of the Moment Vegetable Soup
Beautiful Oregon-grown carrots!

Spur of the Moment Vegetable Soup
Red onion, carrots, sweet potato, ginger, garlic, rosemary all in the pot.

Spur of the Moment Vegetable Soup
Blending in batches. It turned out . . . → Read More: FFwD: Spur of the Moment Vegetable Soup