soup

Ratatouille Soup

This soup tastes like summer!  While the recipe calls for eggplant, I didn’t have any on hand so I skipped it and added more zucchini.  If you like ratatouille you will love this soup.

Ingredients:

  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  • 1 large onion, diced

  • 4 cloves garlic, smashed

  • 1 – 2  teaspoons herbes de Provence

  • 1 small Japanese eggplant, diced (I omitted)

  • 1 small zucchini, diced (I used 2 small to medium zucchini)

  • 1 yellow bell pepper, diced (I used red bell pepper instead)

  • 1 28 ounce can whole San Marzano tomatoes, crushed (I just used about 14 oz of already crushed tomatoes and added about a cup of water)

  • 2 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth

  • Large handful of fresh basil leaves, torn

  • Freshly ground pepper to taste

 Cheese toasts for topping:

Brush slices of French baguette or similar with olive oil; sprinkle with herbes de Provence and broil until lightly toasted.  Top with grated gruyere or swiss cheese.

Preparation:

  1. Heat olive oil in a large pot.  Add onion and garlic and cook until soft; Add the herbes de Provence and 1 teaspoon of salt.  Add the eggplant, zucchini and bell pepper and cook, stirring, until just softened (5–10 minutes).  Add the tomatoes and their juices, the broth and half of the basil.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.

  2. Puree about half the soup in a blender or use an immersion blender and return to the pot.  (Note: I preferred the texture and appearance of the soup after blending so blended all of the soup)

  3. Ladle soup into bowls and top with cheese toasts and remaining basil. You can also freeze this soup.

Photo: Victoria Shes

Summer Green Goddess Soup

With hot summer days on the horizon, this chilled soup is the perfect recipe for enjoying a cool healthy meal.  Use up that extra kale in your share and try adding in some other leafy greens which are abundant this time of year.  If you don’t have parsley on hand you can find some in the PYO field.

Ingredients:

  • 2 large ripe avocados, peeled, pitted and diced

  • 1 head finely chopped kale, stems removed (about 2 cups)

  • 1 large cucumber, diced

  • 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh parsley leaves

  • 2 cups vegetable broth

  • Drizzle of fresh lemon juice

  • 1 clove garlic, minced

  • Large pinch chili powder

  • Sea salt and pepper to taste

  • 2 tablespoons raw, shelled pumpkin seeds, for garnish

  • Optional toppings: cooked quinoa, millet, sorghum, brown rice, scallions, fresh herbs such as cilantro and basil, diced tomatoes, avocado, sesame seeds, mushrooms

Preparation:

1.  Put all ingredients except the garnish and optional toppings into a food processor or blender.  Process until smooth.  Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.  Serve chilled with the topping(s) of your choice.

Source:  https://www.self.com/story/cool-down-with-this-green-goddess-summer-soup
Photo: Farhad Ibrahimzade