Roasted Red Pepper Bisque

Ingredients

- 4 red bell peppers

- 4 roma tomatoes

- 2 tbsp olive oil

- salt

- pepper

- 2 tbsp butter

- 1 medium yellow onion

- 3 cloves garlic

- 2 shallots

- 3 qt vegetable stock

- 1 cup cream or half and half

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Roast peppers and tomatoes: cut peppers in half and remove stems and seeds. rub with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place halves, skin-side-up, on a baking sheet. Slice tomatoes, rub with olive oil, salt and pepper, and place slices on another baking sheet. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until they start to shrivel. Tomatoes will be done 5-10 minutes before peppers.

2. Meanwhile, dice onion, shallots, and garlic. Heat 2 tbsp butter in a large soup pot. Saute onion, shallots, and garlic with a big pinch of salt in the butter until they are soft and translucent. Add stock. Let simmer for 10 minutes.

3. When peppers and tomatoes are roasted, add them to the pot. Cut peppers and tomatoes into chunks before adding them if you need smaller pieces for blending. Allow everything to simmer for 15-20 minutes. Add cream.

4. Blend however much you wish!

Pressure Cooker Split Pea and Ham Soup

INGREDIENTS 
1 lb dried split peas
8 cups water
1 small ham bone or 1 lb ham, chunks
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 celery ribs, diced
1 1⁄2 teaspoons dried thyme
sherry wine (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Fill pressure cooker with water and other ingredients, except Sherry.
Make sure the pot is no more than half full.
Put lid on cooker, place rocker (if model has one) on vent pipe and bring to high pressure.
When at correct pressure start timing for 20 min.
Let cooker release steam naturally.
If using a pork bone, remove and pull all meat off and add to soup.
Adjust salt to suit your taste at this point.
Serve with a splash of Sherry if you wish.
Note: You can start this recipe with frozen pork hock by first covering bone with 8 cups water and pressure cook as directed above for about 30 min. then cold water release pressure and add all other ingredients.
Replace lid, bring to pressure and time for 10 more min. and let pressure naturally drop.

Cannellini Bean and Carrot Soup

Ingredients
3-4 leaks, finely sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp butter
1 x 14 oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
3 medium carrots, finely chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp medium curry powder
3 3/4 cups cold water
extra virgin olive, to serve

Preparation

• Heat oil and melt the butter in a large, deep pan over very low heat. Add the leeks and cook for at least 10 minutes, adding a tiny bit of water when the leeks start to stick tot he bottom of the pan.
• Add the cannellini beans and carrots, then turn up the heat and stir well with a wooden spoon to mix the vegetables and flavors together. Let simmer for 5-6 minutes. Season the soup with salt and pepper, and stir in the curry powder, if using. Add the water and brings to a boil. Cover with a lid, and simmer for 45 minutes.
• Transfer the mixture to a blender and process until smooth, then ladle into serving bowls. Encourage your guests to add a bit of olive oil and some freshly ground black pepper to their soup - it makes a wonderful finishing touch.

Squash Ginger Lentil Soup

Preparation

2 butternut squash, roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper

Saute onions, ginger and garlic in olive oil

Add sage, rosemary, salt and pepper

Add in roasted squash and water/veggie stock 

Add some extra water and red lentils, cook until lentils are soft

Add the juice from one orange (or a cup of OJ)

Use the immersion blender to make it creamy

Add a splash of cream at the end

Coconut and Thai Curry Soup with Vegetables and Meatballs

Ingredients
1 lb. ground pork
1/4 cup very thinly sliced scallions, the white and light green portions only
1-2 Tbs. fish sauce, divided
1 Tbs. + 1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
1 Tbs. coconut oil or peanut oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1-2 Tbs. Thai red curry paste
1 finely chopped red chili pepper
1 stalk of lemongrass, halved, woody parts removed (optional)
2 (14 oz. each) cans of coconut milk
1 Tbs. maple syrup (or brown sugar)
3-4 cups of chicken stock
1 large carrot, sliced into long, thin ribbons using a vegetable peeler
2 small limes (mine were golfball sized) (or 1 lime plus two kaffir lime leaves if you can get your hands on kaffir lime leaves)

Preparation

• 4-6 cups of sliced greens (like cabbage, bok choy, broccoli, or a mix)
• 1/2 cup loosely packed chopped cilantro, plus more for serving
• In a medium bowl, mix together the pork with the scallions, about 1/2 Tbs. of fish sauce and 1 tsp. of grated ginger.  Roll into small balls (somewhere between the size of a large marble and a walnut) and set aside on a cutting board or baking sheet.
• In a large pot, heat the oil over medium high heat.  Add the garlic and the remaining ginger and cook for a minute.  Add the thick cream from the top of one of the cans of coconut milk to the pot and stir the curry paste and the chopped chili into this as it melts.  Cook until it begins to sizzle.
• Add the rest of the coconut milk from the can, plus the other can of coconut milk.  Stir in the lemongrass (if using), maple syrup, the chicken stock (3 cups for a thicker,creamier soup, 4 cups for a soupier soup), the remaining fish sauce, and the carrot.  Bring the soup to a boil, then turn down to a simmer cook, covered, for about 10 minutes.
• If you’re using two limes, zest and juice one and cut the other into quarters (with peel on).  If you’re using one lime plus kaffir lime leaves, just zest and juice the one lime.  Stir the zest, juice, and quartered lime/lime leaves into the soup.  Gently add the meatballs, cover, and cook for 5 minutes.
• After five minutes, add the vegetables, put the cover back on the pot, and continue to simmer until the vegetables are tender, 5-10 minutes depending on what veggies you’re using.  Once they’re cooked, stir in the half cup of cilantro.  Taste, and season the soup with salt or fish sauce to taste.
• Remove the lemongrass stalk and the lime quarters.  Serve accompanied by extra cilantro for sprinkling.

Coconut Curry Squash

Roast multiple diverse squash, onions, turnips, carrots, potatoes, whatever else you have in EVOO with S&P.

Puree veggies with coconut milk and veggie broth and red curry paste. Add some cayenne and red pepper flakes.

Top with chopped cashews!

SLOW COOKER BLACK BEAN SOUP

PREP TIME: 15 mins COOK TIME: 6 hours

INGREDIENTS
2 cloves garlic
1 medium onion
2 stalks celery
2 medium carrots
1 lb. uncooked black beans
1 cup salsa
1 Tbsp chili powder*
½ Tbsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
4 cups vegetable broth
2 cups water

INSTRUCTIONS
Mince the garlic, dice the onion and celery, and grate the carrots on a large holed cheese grater. Rinse the black beans in a colander under cool running water and pick out any stones or debris.
Combine the garlic, onion, celery, carrots, black beans, salsa, chili powder, cumin, oregano, vegetable broth, and water in a 5-7 quart slow cooker. Stir well.
Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for 6-8 hours (you want the beans to get VERY soft). Once the beans are very soft, use an immersion blender** to blend the soup until it is thick and creamy (leave some beans whole if desired). Taste the soup and add salt if needed (this will depend on the brand of vegetable broth used).
NOTES
*Chili powder is a blend of mild red chiles and other spices. It is not cayenne pepper, which is extremely spicy.