Slow Cooked Lentil-Pumpkin Soup with Spinach

Slow Cooked Lentil-Pumpkin Soup with Spinach

Just throw the ingredients into your crock-pot, let it go to work, and come home to THIS delicious lentil-pumpkin soup with spinach!

Creamy Roasted Corn Soup {vegan}

Creamy Roasted Corn Soup

Sweet summer corn is everywhere right now, and I can’t resist it! And today I am bringing you THIS delicious creamy roasted corn soup!

Meal planner – Week 2

 

Happy Friday! Its a beautiful day here is San Diego! Sunny and warm… My husband and I are taking advantage of it and going for a hike tomorrow, I can’t wait! Hopefully you all have exciting plans this weekend. I am sharing another weekly plan that is looking awfully tasty! I have two new one-pot dishes that are easy and ready in 30 minutes, and couple of dishes that i shared before, plus a couple of breakfast ideas! Enjoy!

If you make one of my recipes, take a picture and share on Instagram! Use hashtag #oceanviewkitchen

Have a nice weekend!

enjoy the little things:) olga

Spinach and Chickpeas Soup with Pearl Couscous

Spinach and Chickpeas Soup with Pearl Couscous

 

Growing up my mother always made soup. She would make a big pot for us to eat for days. Regardless of the weather, I still love a bowl of soup, because it reminds me of home. This recipe is very simple but incredibly tasty, made with tomatoes, pearl couscous, chickpeas, spinach, and spices. I finished the soup with some lemon juice, fresh parsley and lemon zest which gives the soup an extra twist. This is a filling and comforting soup that is still suitable for a late spring/early summer meal. I really liked the results. It was filling but left me feeling nourished, not stuffed. I served it with the crusty bread and a smokey ham. Enjoy!

I am bringing a big pot of soup to Angie’s Fiesta Friday today!

You can find me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Google+, and Twitter. Let’s stay in touch!

Moroccan Red Lentil Soup

 

I decided to make Moroccan Red Lentil Soup the other day. Lentil soup is comforting, simple, and easy to throw together with just few ingredients. You can make a big pot of it in about thirty minutes, which will then last all week. Its hearty and filling enough to last you to the next meal, but it’s also one of the healthiest dishes you can put on the table. It’s made with red lentils, onions, tomatoes, garlic and spiced with coriander, cumin, turmeric, paprika, red pepper flakes and touch of cinnamon. I also like adding a squeeze of lemon at the very end to brighten the flavors. This soup is high in protein and fiber, very healthy and delicious. Red lentils require a cooking time of 10 to 40 minutes, depending on the variety—mine were done in about 15 mins. I often pair lentil soup with crusty bread and top it with more red pepper flakes, fresh parsley, lemon zest and some sumac.

Creamy Broccoli-Leek Soup {Vegetarian, Non Dairy}

Do you love cheesy broccoli soup, but not all the calories that go with it? Then try this lighter version! Broccoli and leeks are tossed in olive oil, smoked sweet paprika, turmeric, thyme, nutmeg and a touch of cayenne pepper for a little bit of heat. After roasting, the veggies are blended and whisked into a luxuriously creamy base of cashew milk, nutritional yeast, and a touch of lemon juice. The nutritional yeast adds a nutty zesty “cheezy” flavor and melds all of the flavors into a soup that will leave your taste buds wanting more!

Butternut Squash – Apple Soup {Roasted Veggies, Cashew Milk, Non Dairy, Vegetarian}

It’s hard to believe that it’s been over 2 months since my last blog! Between renovation and being busy at work, I didn’t have much time to cook anything special. We are not completely done, but things slowly going back to normal.

Today I am sharing the Butternut Squash-Apple Soup. This is a perfect recipe for fall! Slow roasting the squash, apple, and onion together makes them tender and flavorful. Cashew milk makes the soup rich and creamy. The combination of Granny Smith and red apples like Gala adds a tangy sweet flavor to this delicious soup. Serve with warm crusty bread for dipping.

Roasted Sweet Potato and Corn Soup

It’s been a busy week in the office and I didn’t really cook much all week. We had take out one night, pizza on another night and I think some leftovers from a weekend. Enough is enough, so I decided to go yummy and healthy with some corn soup. The special touch of roasting the vegetables gives this soup deeper flavor. The corn is so good and cheep right now, so it’s a perfect time to make the recipe like this. First I roasted sweet potato, fresh corn, poblano chili, onion, garlic, and carrot with a little bit of olive oil and fresh thyme. Once the vegetables are tender and golden brown, add them to a large pot and stir in chili powder, cumin, oregano, turmeric, smoked sweet paprika and a quart of chicken or vegetable stock. Simmer for a little bit to enhance the flavors. Finish the soup with light coconut milk and fresh cilantro. This is such a delicious soup! I hope you enjoy it!

Hot and Sour Soup

When it comes to Chinese soups, one of my favorite recipes is Hot and Sour Soup. I had been wanting to try making it at home and I found a bunch of recipes for hot and sour soup and used what I liked from each of them to come up with this one. The Chinese hot and sour soup often contains ingredients such as shiitake mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and tofu. The spicy hot comes from the white pepper, and the sour comes from the vinegar. I decided to use shiitake and enoki mushrooms for this recipe. You will not find enoki mushrooms in your traditional Chinese hot and sour soup but I just love the way enoki mushroom taste and I think they are perfect for soups.
The dish is actually pretty easy to make. First, marinade chicken for 10-15 minutes in cooking wine and salt. Then bring chicken stock to boil and add mushrooms and bamboo shoots. Cornstarch water will add thickness to the soup but it should not be too heavy. Chicken should be added later in order to keep meat soft. An egg is stirred in at the end to form tiny ribbons. Vinegar and white pepper should be added the last minute, otherwise the vinegar taste will disappear once it’s evaporated. For more flavor, I added a teaspoon of toasted sesame oil and garnished with scallions, fresh cilantro and red chili peppers. I omitted tofu from my version but if you decide to add tofu, be sure to drain it thoroughly before adding it to the soup so it will soak up the flavor of the broth. The spiciness for hot and sour soup should only come from white pepper but I thought that red chili peppers added a nice touch to the soup. If you are not using red chili peppers, you can adjust the spiciness by adding chili oil or more white pepper.

Note: Many of these ingredients can be found in your local Supermarket. If you cant find Chinese black vinegar,  you can use rice vinegar instead. I bought all these ingredients in my local asian store.

Celtic Beef Brisket Cabbage Soup

When I came across a recipe of corned beef and cabbage soup I thought it would be perfect to make it around St. Patrick’s Day. This is a hearty meal in one pot with beef brisket, cabbage, potatoes, and carrots in a savory broth. I made this soup few times now and its always delicious.  A few notes: brisket is a cut of beef and corned beef is a brisket that has been soaked in brine solution. You can use both, but keep in mind that corned beef already has salt, so taste first before adding more salt. I prefer to use beef brisket instead of corned beef. Most corned beef brisket will come with the seasoning pack, but I much prefer to use my own spices. You can also use a slow cooker, but I would recommend to add the cabbage at the end, so it doesn’t turn to mush. You can also use pressure cooker to cook meat and then finish the soup on the stove, this will cut the time in half. Whatever method you choose, its up to you… Happy St. Patrick’s Day!