soup » Living Lou

Moroccan Chicken Soup

In our house, there is always a homemade soup in the fridge. When I was a kid, chicken noodle soup was a staple (I would pick out all the carrots and celery!). But you see, having a soup almost weekly means that it can get boring pretty quickly. Experimenting with different soups can be a lot of fun. Some of our favourites are Borscht, Roasted Sweet Potato Soup and Broccoli Soup.

This Moroccan Chicken Soup was inspired by a soup I had at a restaurant back in December. I loved the depth of flavours in the broth and the chickpeas were a nice textural component, I knew right away that I had to recreate this soup for all of you. One of the great things about this soup is that it’s packed with veggies.

A little process photo that I Instagrammed while making the soup!

Plus it’s a great way to use those skinless boneless chicken breasts that I know you have in your fridge right now. Also, it doesn’t even require chicken stock or broth because the soup makes one itself while it’s cooking which means that you get to control the amount of salt in the soup. Hello! Could it get any better?

Moroccan Chicken Soup (serves 4-6)
Recipe by Lou

Ingredients

2 tbsp Olive Oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (more to taste if you want something spicy!)
2 medium carrots, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
7 cups water
1/2 cup crushed tomatoes
1 15-19oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
chopped cilantro, for serving

Directions

In a large soup pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Cook for 6 minutes, until browned. Flip chicken and cook another 6 minutes. Remove from pot and set aside.

Add the onion to the pan, stirring occasionally until soft and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and spices, stirring until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in carrots and celery, return chicken to pot. Add water and crushed tomatoes.

Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered for 35-40 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked.

Next, remove chicken from soup and shred with two forks.

Return to pot. Add chickpeas and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve with chopped cilantro.

We loved this soup. And I mean love as in, we-ate-it-for-breakfast kind of love. I hope you love it too!

- Lou

Borscht

This year, I’m going to try and embrace Winter for a change. For everyone that knows me, this will be a huge surprise because I’ve always openly hated everything about Winter. That said, having spent every single Winter of my life in Toronto, I think it’s about time I start to try and enjoy it, instead of dreading it.

There is one thing that I’ve always loved about Winter, the comforting and warming foods; soups, chilis, curries…I could go on and on. What are your favourite Winter dishes?

The weather is definitely cooling down here, so soups and chili have already become a weekend constant – I just wish I had more time to create more recipes – I guess that’s what Christmas break is for. Already counting down…7 weeks to go.

This Borscht is an old family recipe from my Grandmother and is one of my Dad’s favourite soups. I love it now too, the colour is so vibrant and the taste is just divine, plus, beets are in season right now so this soup is actually perfect.

Alright – back to essay writing. Woo!

Borscht

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs stewing beef
10 cups water
2 medium onions, chopped
4 tbsp olive oil
6 cups diced beets
1 cup sliced green beans
1 cup diced potatoes
1 cup diced carrots
1/2 stalk celery, chopped
3 cups crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 tbsp chopped fresh dill
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp vinegar
1 tsp each, salt and pepper
1/2 cup sour cream (optional)

Directions

Brown the stewing beef in a large frying pan on medium high for 5 minutes per side.

Transfer beef to a pot and add water.

Simmer partly covered for 1 1/2 hours or until meat is tender.

Strain the meat, reserve the stock and cut the meat into small pieces, removing any fat or bones.

Add the meat and stock back into the pot.

Meanwhile, sauté the onions in olive oil 5 minutes until softened. Add the beets, green beans, potatoes, carrots and celery and sauté for another 3 minutes.

Next, add crushed tomatoes, dill and sugar. Simmer for another 3 minutes.

Add the vegetable mixture to the beef and water and simmer uncovered for 45 minutes.

Add the vinegar, salt and pepper and simmer for another 5 minutes.

Serve, garnished with a teaspoon of sour cream (optional).

I hope this Borscht warms you up on a cold evening, it’s my go to soup right now.

- Lou

Roasted Sweet Potato Soup

I can’t think of a better way to start the week other than with this Roasted Sweet Potato Soup. It’s utterly packed with vitamins and goodness and of course, flavour! It’s a dark and gloomy morning as I sit to write this post, and all I can think about is enjoying a warm and bright bowl of this soup when I get home tonight.

Sometimes, I get bored of soups – actually I get bored of most things at some point. However, I think I get bored more easily by soups and sandwiches. I don’t really know why since there are hundreds of flavor combinations to enjoy, but sometimes they’re just dull. Not this soup though – packed with rosemary and a touch of natural sweetness; it’s quickly become one of my favourites. This soup was my Mom’s idea – we both love sweet potatoes, and were craving soup, so, this soup was developed. It’s perfect for Meatless Monday and any weeknight in general. Here’s the thing people, soups are so easy to make and nice and healthy. This one is vegan but if you wanted to add a little cream or milk, I don’t see why not.

Roasted Sweet Potato Soup (serves 4-6)

Ingredients

3 medium sized sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
1 large carrot, chopped
1/2 stalk celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tsp dried rosemary
3 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/8 – 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 400.

Place chopped vegetables and garlic in a roasting pan – toss with olive oil, salt, pepper and 1 tsp of rosemary.

Roast for 20 minutes.

Remove from pan and add to a large soup pot. Cover with broth and add the remaining rosemary. Bring to a boil and simmer for 40-45 minutes.

Puree with the soup with an immersion blender or a regular blender. If using a regular blender, puree the soup in batches.

Stir in lemon juice and cayenne pepper.

Well I’m off to battle the gloominess outside but am eagerly awaiting this bowl of this sunshine when I get home!

Here’s to a great week,

Lou

Lentil Soup

Well hello there 2012! I feel like many people will agree with me in saying that there’s something special about the beginning of a new year. It’s like a fresh start, a blank slate of sorts. It’s a new year and we can become whoever we want to be. Let’s all take 2012 into our own hands and really live; let’s make it count.

People all over the blogging world have been coming up with goals, words and resolutions for the new year. If you read my blogs over at The Kit you know how much I believe in goal setting, so of course I have goals. Currently I have a list of 16 goals, but I’m adding to it each day. Some goals are big, like exclusively posting recipes I’ve created on the blog and some are smaller, like drinking green tea every day. Of course, along with thousands of other people, one of my goals for 2012 is to eat healthily and exercise regularly. Within this health goal is the idea of eating more vegetarian and vegan meals, which is something I have wanted to do ever since watching Forks over Knives back in June.

This Lentil Soup recipe is a flavorful, healthy and comforting soup. It’s vegan, but loaded with protein and fibre from the lentils. I think it’s the cumin and coriander which really make this soup, but it’s also the velvety texture from the olive oil and the slight crunch of the lentils that make this a well balanced meal. It’s definitely a winning and simple soup recipe.

Lentil Soup (serves 6)
Recipe by Lou

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups lentils
3 cups water
1/4 cup olive oil + 2 tbsp for sauteing vegetables
3 carrots, chopped
1 rib celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
3 cloves garlic, crushed
3 bay leaves
8 cups vegetable broth (or water)
1 cup crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 cups olive oil
1 tsp red chili flakes (optional)
2 tsp lemon juice (fresh lemon)
1/2 tsp wine vinegar
Pinch salt and pepper

Directions

Cover the lentils with 3 cups of water and soak for 1/2 an hour. After soaked, drain and rinse the lentils.

In a large soup pot, heat 1/2 cup of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped vegetables and sauté for 3 minutes.

Add the cumin, coriander, and garlic to the pot and sauté for another 2 minutes, (add more oil if needed).

Next, add the lentils, water, and bay leaves to the pot. Cover and simmer for 25 minutes.

After 25 minutes, pour in the crushed tomatoes, remaining olive oil, red pepper flakes (optional), and the lemon juice to the pot. Cover and simmer for another 25 minutes.

Add vinegar and a pinch of salt and pepper to the soup, stir and serve.

Happy Meatless Monday everyone.

- Lou

[I've entered this recipe in the Lentils Recipe Revelations Contest, check out their Facebook page and vote for me!]

Black Bean Soup

Black bean soup is a soup that I’ve been thinking about making for a while, and it’s the perfect dish not only for a meatless Monday, but also for the cold evenings that we’ve got up here in Canada.

It’s been snowing here all day, the ground in covered in a blanket of thick white snow, and it’s beginning to look and feel a lot like Christmas. I was deciding between making a baked pasta or a soup, and after I woke up this morning and saw that it was snowing I just knew it would be a soup day. Black bean soup would be perfect, the ingredients are things that everyone should have in their pantry so there is no need to venture out into this terrible cold!

I don’t think that I can say this enough: there is nothing better than a bowl of warm soup to warm you up on a cold winter evening!

Black Bean Soup
Recipe by Lou

Ingredients

1-2 tbsp olive oil
1 stalk celery (chopped)
1 carrot (chopped)
1/2 an onion (chopped)
2 cloves garlic chopped
3/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
4 cups water (or 2 cups water/2 cups vegetable stock)
1/2 cup crushed tomato
2 19 oz cans black beans, rinsed and drained
salt & pepper to taste

Directions

Chop celery, carrot, onion and garlic.

Heat 1 tbsp of oil over medium heat in a large pot, add celery, carrot, onion, garlic and spices. Cook over medium heat for 4-6 minutes, until vegetables have softened.

Add the crushed tomatoes and cook for a minute before adding the water (or the water/stock). Add in the two cans of black beans and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 25 minutes.

Then remove some of the black beans (about 1/2-3/4 cup). Using an immersion blender, or regular blender puree the soup. Once the soup is pureed, add the black beans back in.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream on top!

- Lou