Red Lentil Soup with Carrots and Sweet Potatoes

My kind of meal...barely have to be awake to prepare it, comforting, and nutritious.  Green Kitchen Stories blog comes through with another winner.  Easily adapted to use any veggies you may have lingering in the fridge, we first ate it topped with kale braised in broth with spices (turmeric, fresh nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, pepper...adding a splash of cider vinegar and Tabasco at the end), and I just had leftovers topped with grated raw zucchini, toasted walnuts, avocado and a touch of Tabasco.  So basically, just do whatever you want to the base and it's sure to be delicious!  I'm gonna call it Orange Soup from now on, since everything that goes into it is just that.  Check out Green Kitchen Stories blog post for pretty pics and a topping with eggplant added to the kale (eggplant is not Monster-friendly, hence it's absence in our meal).

Red Lentil Soup with Carrots and Sweet Potatoes:
(Green Kitchen Stories blog)

1 Tbs coconut oil, or ghee
1 large onion, chopped
2 sweet potatoes, diced ~3/4" (I buy organic sweets and don't peel them)
4 carrots, chopped
4 sprigs of fresh thyme (just toss them in whole and fish the stems out before pureeing, stripping them of any remaining leaves)
1 cup uncooked red lentils, well rinsed and drained
4 cups water
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large pot, add onions and saute for about 5 minutes on medium-high.
Add sweet potatoes, carrots, thyme and cook for a couple more minutes.
Add rinsed lentils, water, sea salt, and pepper, cover and let simmer for 20-25 minutes until the vegetables and lentils are soft.

Use an immersion blender to puree the soup.  Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.  Add braised greens to top (or whatever you like veggie-wise)

Braised Kale:
1 bunch of kale, ribs removed, torn into bite sized pieces, rinsed
pat of butter
~1/2 cup vegetable broth
~1/2 tsp turmeric
~1/4 tsp cinnamon
~1/4 tsp fresh grated nutmeg (if you only have pre-ground use less)
salt/pepper
~1 Tbs cider vinegar
splash of Tabasco if desired

Heat butter over medium-high heat in a large pot.
Saute kale until wilted.
Add veggie broth and spices through salt and pepper, cover, reduce to simmer and cook for 10-12 minutes.
Taste for doneness, add vinegar and Tabasco and remove from heat.

Gazpacho

Two things happened in the last two days to bring about our dinner last night.  First, my friend who hosted book club on Friday night served a lovely gazpacho for all of us.  Second, our neighbor's mom was unloading her car as Scott walked out the front door the next morning and she gifted him with the most amazing bounty of fresh homegrown tomatoes AND a cucumber.  Well that was dinner set for the night.  Many thanks to Joelle for the idea, and to Sidonie for the ingredients to make our light refreshing meal...that I again, didn't have to turn on the oven for! :)

Gazpacho:

2 lbs tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, roughly chopped
1/2 medium cucumber, peeled and roughly chopped (I used a small homegrown + a bit of an English cuke)
1/2 red onion, roughly chopped (I probably used less)
1/3 cup olive oil (I'm sure I used less of this, but I also added a drizzle on each bowl at serving)
1/3 cup almonds
3 Tbs sherry vinegar (I was out, so used red wine vinegar...also used less than 3 Tbs.)
1 large serrano or jalapeno pepper, mostly seeded, chopped
1-2 garlic cloves (I went light on this)
handful of chopped cilantro if you like it
salt and black pepper to taste
optional: avocado slices to serve

Blend all ingredients together (you might have to work in several batches if it won't all fit in your blender) and process until smooth.

Taste and adjust the seasoning.  Refrigerate for up to a few hours before serving or serve immediately, garnished with the avocado if desired.

An Early Valentine: Beet Borscht

We loved this soup from Green Kitchen Stories (a beautiful Swedish blog with photos much lovelier than mine).  I'm pretty sure Green Kitchen Stories' gorgeous moody photos are what lured me into trying this recipe.  The ingredient list seems so simple, but the whole spices really lend an amazing depth of flavor to the finished soup.  So, so good.  I made it once before, about a month ago, but it was a little difficult to eat without getting very messy.  I've solved this problem, by cubing the beets before shredding...smaller shreds = less hanging off your spoon and dripping crimson broth down your chin = win!  I served my Valentine Soup with toasts topped with melty Gruyère cheese. Delicious, healthy and festive for those celebrating St. Valentine's Day!

Printable Recipe
 Beet Borscht:
(from Green Kitchen Stories beautiful blog)

2 Tbs ghee or cold pressed olive oil
1 tsp whole dried mustard seeds (I used brown, but I don't suppose it matters)
1 tsp whole cumin seeds
1 med-large onion, finely chopped
1 lb peeled raw organic beets, dice to ~1/2-3/4" then grate in a food processor
4 cups organic vegetable broth
2 bay leaves
1 Tbs apple cider vinegar
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Horseradish Yogurt Topping:

4 tsp fresh finely grated horseradish, or to taste (I've used prepared Boar's Head horseradish in the past, but fresh horseradish root is awesome if you can find it…I got mine at Whole Foods)
1/2 cup plain yogurt (I used Greek yogurt)

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add mustard seeds and cumin, stirring constantly until fragrant, taking care not to let them burn.
Add onion and saute until soft, stirring occasionally.

 Add grated beets, vegetable broth and bay leaves to the pot.

Bring to a boil, cover the pot and reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes.

Combine fresh grated horseradish and yogurt while the soup simmers and set aside.
Add apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper to the soup and let it simmer for another minute or so.
Adjust seasoning to taste, then serve in bowls, topping each with a dollop of the horseradish yogurt.  YUM!

Yellow Split Pea Soup with Coconut

It's been an age...last post in October?? I disappeared. Once again making a visit to The Rabbit Hole (fyi: I did manage to come across a full jar of marmalade this time!).

Cozy up with a warm bowl of this soup on a cold night. You won't be sorry. Made even better with amendments...I added steamed broccoli the first night, then broc. and avocado the next day for lunch. Buy a nice rustic multi-grain baguette for dunking purposes, and add a drizzle of Sriracha sauce if you know what's good for you.

Yellow Split Pea Soup with Coconut:
(adapted from Soup Chick)

1 1/2 cups yellow split peas, picked over and rinsed
2 tbsp olive oil
2 carrots, diced
1 onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
1-2 Tbs red curry paste
1 tsp ground cumin
4+ cups water (I always end up using at least 5 cups)
1 cup organic veggie broth
1 1/2 tsp+ kosher salt
pepper
1 14 oz can coconut milk (I used light coconut milk)
if you have it, one kaffir lime leaf.
Sriracha to top (I added in about a TBS to the actual soup, then topped each bowl with a little more)
steamed broccoli florettes if desired

In a large pot, heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the carrots, onions, and garlic and sweat about 3-4 minutes. Don't let them brown, just warm them up. Add a tablespoon or two of red chili paste. I used 2. Add the cumin and split peas.

Add four (+) cups of water and 1 cup broth.
Cover pot and bring to a boil for 2o-25 minutes.
Add salt and pepper to taste (I used about a teaspoon and a half of salt and about 10 grinds of pepper), then turn the heat to low and simmer for another 10 minutes covered, stirring occasionally to avoid sticking to the bottom of the pot.

Stir in the can of coconut milk and taste the soup. Mine needed another pinch of salt and more pepper. I sometimes add a bit more water at this point, depending on how cooked through the peas are, but it usually doesn't need much.
Simmer for another 15 minutes uncovered (if there's enough liquid, otherwise put the lid on), or until split peas have cooked through.
Turn off heat and add one kaffir lime leaf, if using. Let sit for about 5 minutes, then remove leaf.

Warm and Spicy Cashew Tomato Soup

This is a great spicy tomato soup, made better by plenty of roasting time in the oven for the 'maters. I mixed halved Romas and whole grape tomatoes on the same sheet pan and roasted for about 2.5 hrs. I did take the grape tomatoes out at about 1.5 or 2 hrs. though.
I made "croutons" of spicy sauteed cauliflower florettes and used a high powered blender for the soup instead of the suggested immersion blender as I wanted a smoother and creamier soup.
When it came to incorporating the yogurt, I whisked it in a large bowl and added the hot soup a spoonful at a time whisking all the while, until it was tempered enough to not curdle. Instead of serving with grilled cheesers, I toasted some whole wheat naan topped with cave-aged Gruyere and nigella seeds. Yum!

Warm and Spicy Cashew Tomato Soup:
(as found on Eats Well With Others)

1 1/2 lb tomatoes (I used mostly Roma tomatoes with a good handful of small grape tomatoes)
2 tsp olive oil
salt, as necessary
1 small onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp minced ginger
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp chipotle chili powder
1/4 cup salted cashews (I used a Thai spiced cashew that I found in the bulk section of the grocery store)
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 1" piece of cinnamon stick
1 cardamom pod, bruised
4 cups water
1/3 cup nonfat greek yogurt

Preheat oven to 300.
Cut the tomatoes in half lengthwise, gently tossing with 1 tsp of the oil.
Sprinkle with salt.
Lay the tomatoes on a baking sheet lined with foil, cut side up.
Bake for an hour (or longer if you have the time…again, I went 2.5 hrs for the Romas).
Meanwhile, in a large pot, heat oil on medium and saute the onion until it is a nice, even golden brown, stirring often.
Once browned, add the garlic, ginger, garam masala, coriander, chili powder, cashews, and tomato paste.
Cook for a few minutes until nice and fragrant, stirring often.
Add cinnamon, cardamom pod, and water, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pot and get up any browned bits.
When the tomatoes are finished roasting, add them to the soup and stir. Simmer gently for 30 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick and cardamom pod.
Remove soup to a blender (only fill half full and put a towel over the top holding down firmly to prevent wearing hot soup), and blend in batches. If you have a high powered blender you can probably get away with blending the whole batch at once making sure to start at a very slow speed...I did.
In a bowl large enough to hold all the soup, slowly whisk a few tbsp of soup into the yogurt. Keep adding soup slowly, whisking all the while until the soup and yogurt are fully combined as the yogurt will curdle if it gets too hot at once.
Gently reheat if necessary, though I didn't bother...
Serve with something good and cheesy...grill cheese, or cheese naan for dipping.
If you'd like to make some cauliflower "croutons" steam small florettes until just tender then sprinkle with a bit of ground cumin, ground coriander, ground black pepper and sea salt. Toss with a little olive oil, cook on med.-high heat in a saute pan til nice and toasty.

Kale and Sweet Potato Soup

A clean and pretty mild soup that I like to fire up with a little Siracha love.
Easy to make when you're feeling fuzzy.

Kale and Sweet Potato Soup:
(from Joy the Baker who was inspired by Food and Wine)

1-2 Tb olive oil
1 medium onion; diced
2 cloves garlic; minced
2 tsp finely grated/minced fresh ginger
3/4 tsp turmeric
~1/4 red pepper flakes (I tend to use a little more)
6 cups organic vegetable broth
1 tsp kosher salt
1.5 lbs sweet potato; diced to 3/4" pieces (peel if necessary, I leave the peel on if clean and organic)
3/4 lb organic kale; thick stems removed and chopped
~1 cup coconut milk
pepper to taste
a squeeze of lime juice is nice
2 cups cooked brown rice (you know you can make up a big batch of brown rice, or other whole grain and freeze it to use any old time right? Freeze leftovers in a ziplock bag, flattened out on a cookie sheet til frozen, then break off pieces as needed.)
Sriracha sauce to taste

Cook brown rice and set aside.
Heat olive oil in a heavy bottomed dutch oven, then add onion and cook for 5 minutes.
Add garlic, ginger, turmeric, red pepper flakes and stir for 1 minute.
Add vegetable broth and sweet potatoes, bring to a simmer, reduce heat, cover and cook for 10 minutes.
Add kale, return to a simmer, cover and cook for about 8-10 minutes more, or until sweet potatoes have cooked through.
Remove from heat, stir in coconut milk, add some lime juice if you'd like, adjust salt/pepper to your taste.
Serve with a scoop of brown rice and plenty of Sriracha sauce.

Casa Moro's Ajo Blanco (White Gazpacho)

For when you just can't bring yourself to turn on an oven, stovetop burner, toaster or microwave...lest they raise the temperature of your house even a fraction of a degree.

I don't think I would have "gotten" this soup judging by the ingredients list alone. But, as luck would have it we were served this as the opening course for dinner at our friends' house. It was amazing.

I left their house that night with 2 borrowed Casa Moro cookbooks under my arm.

...loving that my European friends are the only ones to have commented on this recipe when it posted to Facebook. ;-)

Ajo Blanco:
(Moro, The Cookbook)

225 gr. whole blanched almonds, preferably Spanish (ok, so I made this in a pinch with ground almonds...would have preferred to use whole, but they worked)
750 ml. iced water (I didn't use all the water because I think I misinterpreted the directions and soaked the bread in a separate bowl of water)
75 gr. stale white bread, with crusts removed, soaked in the water (I used a mixed whole grain boule, crusts cut off)
3 garlic cloves, crushed to a paste with 1 level tsp. sea salt
3 Tbs olive oil
3 Tbs sherry vinegar
200 gr. white grapes, preferably Muscat (I used small seedless reds...)
sea salt and black pepper (book neglects to say when to add pepper...so I'm adding to each bowl)

In a food processor, grind the almonds until the consistency is as fine as possible.

At this point they should stick to the side of the machine.
Turn off and loosen the nuts from around the edge.
Add 5 Tbs of the iced water.

Turn the machine back on until the almonds form a paste just fluid enough to turn back on itself.
Squeeze the bread of excess water and add to the almonds along with the garlic.
Conbine until smooth.
Add the olive oil and gradually pour in the rest of the iced water, until you end up with a very smooth paste similar to single cream.
Transfer to a bowl and season with sherry vinegar and salt to taste.

According to Casa Moro, you should end up with a nice balance between the almonds, garlic and sherry vinegar.
Chill the soup for at least an hour.
Just before serving, check for seasoning again.
Ladle into bowls, distribute the grapes evenly and garnish with a drizzle of good olive oil if you wish.

I used a food processor as per the cookbook's instructions, but ended up putting the whole lot into my high-powered blender at the end, as I couldn't get enough of the liquid into the food processor without it leaking. I'll likely just use the blender from the get go next time...

I suppose we should eat something else with this, but my heat addled brain can't seem to think any further than the soup.

The Guilded Fork's Silky Spring Beet Soup

I've had this recipe printed out and filed for at LEAST a year now. Glad I made it out of my marinated roasted beets rut long enough to finally make this yummy soup.
Guess I just never tried it since it's just going to be me eating it. The Monster is not one for the beet. I figure, if I can't finish the soup in the next couple days, I'll pop the rest in the freezer. I just ate a cup chilled tonight since it's being so muggy out. Maybe I'll try it warmed up tomorrow...
Be picky in your beet selection at the market. Look for beets with nice happy green tops. They're too delicious to toss out!

Silky Spring Beet Soup:
(very slightly adapted from The Guilded Fork's recipe...I use 2 cups less liquid)

1 tablespoon olive oil
beets (about 1 ½ pounds), peeled and chopped (one bunch of 3 large beets was all I needed)
1 organic medium potato, peeled and chopped (I used the equivalent of baby Dutch yellow potatoes and I didn't peel them)
1 medium onion, chopped (used one small onion and a shallot)
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
4 cups vegetable stock
1 tablespoon honey
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ cup crème fraîche, for garnish (I used 2% Greek yogurt)
2 tablespoons finely chopped chives, for garnish (I used fresh tarragon)

In a heavy-bottomed soup pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add beets, potatoes, onion and paprika, and stirring often, cook for about 8 minutes or until onions are softened.
Add stock, honey and salt; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer for about 25 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
In blender, purée beet mixture, in batches (filling the carafe no more than 1/2 full each time), until smooth. (Soup can be prepared to this point and refrigerated in airtight container for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month.)
Either return the soup to a clean saucepan and reheat without boiling, or chill to serve cold.
I dolloped some Fage yogurt on top of cooled soup and sprinkled with fresh chopped tarragon, but fresh dill or chives would be great options too. Yum!

Ok, now you saved those beautiful beet greens didn't you??
After you've rinsed them well, grab a skillet, turn on that flame and add a little water to the pan.
Layer in those greens, stems and all and slap on the lid. Once the water starts to simmer, cook only for ~2 minutes. Remove from the pan and squeeze a little lemon juice over them, some salt maybe and your done!
Now hopefully, you've got some awesome leftovers like I did to layer on top of those yummy greens. This is Mediterranean baked cod from last night's meal...so easy and so good. Man, I love leftovers!!

Ina Garten's Chicken Noodle Soup

A simple soup. Great to have in the freezer for a day you feel like cooking. Infinitely variable...I used roasted skinless thigh meat instead of chicken breasts, and some fresh thyme because I had it in the fridge. Other than that, followed the recipe...as I have many, many times.
Whip up a batch of the Savory Scallion Biscuits to go with these and you'll be glad you did.

Chicken Noodle Soup:
(Barefoot Contessa at Home)

1 whole (2 split) chicken breasts, bone in, skin on
olive oil
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 quarts homemade chicken stock (I'm usually bad and use boxed organic)
1 cup medium-diced celery (2 stalks)
1 cup medium diced carrots (3 carrots)
2 cups wide egg noodles (I used Tinkyada's brown rice elbows)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the chicken breast on a sheet pan and rub the skin with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until cooked through. When cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bones, discard the skin, and shred or dice the chicken meat.
Bring the chicken stock to a simmer in a large pot and add celery, carrots, and noodles. Simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes, until the noodles are cooked. Add the cooked chicken meat and parsley and heat through.
Season to taste and serve.

If you're roasting chicken thighs instead, just roast til they hit 170 degrees.

Curried Golden Chana Dal Soup

This is a delicious, nutritious soup that quasi comes from Rose Elliot's Vegetarian Cookery. My mom made the Curry version of the Golden Lentil Soup when we were down visiting for Easter, so I figured I'd make it when we got home...already knowing it'd be a good one. The recipe in the book calls for red lentils though. My mom, thankfully remembered to tell me that she'd made hers with some chana dal I'd given her, instead of the red lentils. I made my soup with more dal than she did for a slightly thicker soup. We just ate this with some store bought whole wheat naan (usually available in the deli section of the supermarket...at least at HEB in Tx.)

Curried Golden Chana Dal Soup:

2 Tbs unsalted butter, or Earth Balance
1 large chopped TX sweet onion or (~4 cups)
3 tsp mild curry powder
1.5 cups chana dal
4 cups sodium-reduced vegetable stock (I used Kitchen Basics)
2-3 cups water
1/2 cup coconut milk
1-2 tsp lemon juice
salt and pepper
Fage or other Greek yogurt to top (I highly recommend this. It's a really nice contrast to the sweetness of the soup)

Melt the butter over med-high heat in a dutch oven. Saute onions with curry powder until translucent and soft, but not browned...about 10 minutes. Add dal and stir for 1-2 minutes, then add stock and ~2 cups water. Bring to the boil, then half cover the pan and leave to soup to simmer gently for ~50 min. to an hour, or until dal is very tender. Check soup during this time and add more water if you think it's necessary.
When finished cooking stir in coconut milk.
Puree soup with a stick blender, or transfer to a regular blender in batches. Add lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a dollop of Fage Greek yogurt.

Coconut-Curry Chicken Soup

Alright, all these Christmas goodies are starting to get to me. I've been going on and on about what a sugar fiend my father is and was on his recent visit, when really, I'm just as much of one!!! Maybe I thought I could deflect some of the attention from my own sugar monster tendencies if I went on and on about how taking my sweet foddah to a store that just happened to have candy/cookies/ice cream there was like trying to drag a non-reasonable 4 year old through the most candy laden checkout line at a grocery store all the while saying "no, no, no". Alas, tis my cross to bear too. If it's in the house, I want it. This soup might help. Unfortunately, the original recipe from Cooking Light falls short in the flavor department. Not a problem if you're up for adding a pinch of this and a splash of that though! Only problem is that I don't have any amounts to list...just the extra ingredients.
All just as well in any regard, since we all like different levels of spice, sour, sweet, etc. anyway.
The monster really dug this one after said tweaking of the recipe had occured, so I'm posting it.
If only to be one of the few food blogs I read that doesn't have cookies, etc. posted AGAIN.
Plus it's been ages and my buddy James is way over seeing the teff pancakes post. :-)

Coconut-Curry Chicken Soup:
(Adapted from Cooking Light)

4 cups water
3 cups fresh spinach leaves (I used more than 3 cups)
1/2 pound snow peas, trimmed and cut in half crosswise
1 (5 3/4-ounce) package pad thai noodles; wide rice stick noodles (I use the equivalent weight of Tinkyada's Brown Rice Fettuccini noodles...they're just fabulous!)
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots
2 teaspoons red curry paste
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 (13.5-ounce) can light coconut milk
2 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast (about 1 pound)
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 tablespoons agave nectar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
4 small hot red chiles, seeded and chopped, or 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
7 lime wedges
I added some rice wine vinegar, more fish sauce, and some sirachi chili sauce, more lime, and probably more salt. Just keep adding and tasting til you're happy with it. :-) Oooh, add lemongrass if you've got it! That's what it was missing!

Bring 4 cups water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add spinach and peas to pan; cook for 30 seconds. Remove vegetables from pan with a slotted spoon; place in a large bowl. Add noodles to pan; cook 3 minutes (or if using the brown rice noodles as per package instructions). Drain; add noodles to spinach mixture in bowl.

Heat canola oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and the next 5 ingredients (through garlic) to pan; sauté 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add chicken broth to pan, and bring to a boil. Add coconut milk to pan; reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Add chicken, onions, sugar, and fish sauce to pan; cook for 2 minutes. Pour chicken mixture over noodle mixture in bowl. Stir in cilantro and chiles. Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve with lime wedges (I added some lime juice into the soup before even serving).

Roasted Tomato Soup

I'd planned on making a tomato soup from this month's Cooking Light issue, but on closer inspection of the recipe, knew there had to be a better one out there for my beautiful tomatoes.
CL's has you throwing everything including un-sauteed onions into a pot and boiling it. I knew I wanted to roast the veggies first and upon conducting an internet search found that Heidi's (101 Cookbooks) did just that. I did feel after making her version that the onions just didn't have enough time to carmelize in the time she gave, but that can be dealt with next time. I'll be tweaking the recipe a bit further next time, but until then it was a delicious combo of veggies with the addition of some hot smoked paprika.

Roasted Tomato Soup:
(adapted from 101 Cookbooks)

~2 lbs, or more vine-ripened tomatoes quartered (original recipe calls for 5 tomatoes)
1 large sweet onion cut into eighths (orig. calls for 3 medium)
1 large red pepper cut into fifths
~5 large cloves of garlic in their skins
olive oil
kosher salt to taste
2-3 cups light vegetable stock, water, or chicken broth, or a combination (I only had chicken, so used water and chicken stock)
~1/4 tsp (hot or sweet) smoked paprika
1-2 tsp tomato paste
~2 tsp, or to taste balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 375.
Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.
Place quartered tomatoes skin side down on one sheet.
Place peppers skin side down, onions and garlic on second sheet pan.
Drizzle all veggies with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
Roast for about 45 min or more, until onions carmelize and tomatoes have "collapsed" on themselves, turning the onions as needed to carmelized sides. My onions didn't carmelize enough, but i'll work on that next time.
Remove garlic from the oven early, once they've become golden and squishy in their skins.

This is a shot of the roasted veggies when I was deluded into thinking the hand blender might work fine without adding all the liquid first. Um, no. And you can see in this shot that the onions could have stood even more cooking. That's why I simmered the soup post blending for ~10 min.
Ok...back to the recipe...

Once all of your veggies are done (I had to rotate the sheets in the oven during cooking and then still cook the onion sheet longer), remove the garlic from their skins and the skin from the pepper if it's tough like mine was and place all veggies in a regular blender or food processor adding a touch of your liquid of choice. Heidi suggests that before blending you might want to reserve some of the tomato quarters to be used as garnish...very nice touch in my opinion.
Once all the veggies are blended, add to a pot and mix in more stock/water to make the soup a consistency you're happy with.
Add the paprika, tomato paste and balsamic vinegar and simmer about 10 minutes more. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
Drizzle each bowl of soup with a swirl of good extra virgin olive oil and top with a couple reserved roasted tomatoes. I thought the soup was particularly good with the addition of whole wheat pepper jack cheese toasts to dunk! :-)

Italian Lentil Soup

It feels like it's been a hunert years since I've blogged about anything I've had going on in the kitchen! We've just been eating a lot of old favorites so I wouldn't have tax my poor heat addled brain. This is one new recipe I tried a few weeks ago though that was really good. Not sure if you'll be up for lentil soup in the summer, but you can always jack up the A/C and pretend it's oooh so chilly out and say to yourself isn't it nice to be curled up with bowl of hot soup! I sent this recipe to my pop after I made it and he said it was a winner in their house too. Serve it up with a nice crusty loaf of whole grain bread and a salad if you wish. It makes a lot of soup so we're actually eating previously-frozen leftovers tonight.

Italian Lentil Soup:
(Adapted from a Giada DeLaurentis recipe)

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 28oz can diced tomatoes with the liquid
1 pound lentils, washed and sorted
10 cups low-salt chicken broth or veggie broth(2 and 1/2 cartons)
1 cup of white wine
4 to 6 fresh thyme sprigs
a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
2/3 cup dried elbow pasta (I used spelt elbows that I got from CM)
finely grated Parmesan

Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Add the garlic, a pinch of salt (you can adjust to taste after you've gotten the broth in) and pepper and saute until all the vegetables are tender, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices. Simmer until the juices evaporate a little and the tomatoes break down, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Add the lentils and mix to coat. Add the broth and wine and stir. Add the thyme sprigs and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and simmer over low heat until the lentils are almost tender, about 40-50 minutes. (original recipe called for 30 minutes, but my lentils were not tender by then)

Stir in the pasta. Simmer until the pasta is tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle with the Parmesan, drizzle with olive oil, and serve.

Asian Sweet Potato Chowder

I'm not sure this even sounds good today. It's at least 101 outside and hot soup? Hm...
The Monster thought this sounded like a good one, so even though I found the recipe this past winter, we're giving it a try tonight. A nice cooling cucumber salad might balance it out. We'll see what I come across in the fridge...
(We really enjoyed this btw. It'll be a keeper)

Asian Sweet Potato Chowder:
(Southern Living)

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons curry oil*
6 cups organic chicken broth (or veggie broth)
4 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped (2 pounds)
1/2 cup coconut milk (freeze the leftover milk for the next round of soup making)
1/4 cup light sour cream (I used 2% Greek yogurt)
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lime rind
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup chopped green onions
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Garnish: fresh cilantro sprigs
Optional: a squirt of siracha chile sauce

Sauté ginger and garlic in hot oil in a Dutch oven for 1-2 minutes. Add chicken broth and sweet potato; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes or until potato is tender.

Add coconut milk and next 3 ingredients; cook, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly heated (do not boil). Remove from heat. At this point I used a stick blender to thicken the soup slightly. Most of the sweet potato pieces remained intact, but the few that got whizzed up colored the soup nicely. Add green onions and chopped cilantro. Garnish with cilantro sprigs if desired.

*If you can't find curry oil, substitute sesame oil and add 1/2 teaspoon curry powder.

Yield: 7 cups...this would serve 4 at about 265 cals per bowl iffn' your interested. ;-)

Thai Tofu Noodle Soup with Lemongrass and Watercress and Avocado Salad

I used a recipe found quickly online tonight, but it was definitely lacking punch to the broth. I amended each bowl with more soy sauce, rice wine vinegar (not called for in the original recipe) and Siracha chili sauce until we were happy with it. This is really going to be a to-your-taste recipe guys. You'll have to tweak it for sure. Wish I could be more exacting with amounts, but then...when have I ever been?? :-)
The salad was delicious! The original recipe from Epicurious called for 3 Tbs. of oil. I didn't think that was necessary and heard no complaints from using much less. Try this simple salad if you find yourself standing in front of some lovely watercress in a grocery store.


Thai Tofu Noodle Soup with Lemongrass :

1-2 stalks lemongrass (see complete instruction here), OR 4 Tbsp. frozen prepared lemongrass (I actually just grated 2 stalks on my microplane and used all of it)
1 package Thai rice noodles (I'm using brown rice noodles that I'll cook as per the pkg instructions)
1 thumb-size piece galangal OR ginger, thinly sliced into matchstick-like pieces
6 cups chicken broth (or veggie broth if making a vegetarian version)
1/2 package firm, medium or soft tofu (packed in water) - drain off the water and slice tofu into cubes or slabs (I'm using thin slices of extra firm tofu sliced into ~1/8"+ thick rectangles)
sugar snap peas sliced in half on the diagonal
2 carrots, sliced (I used baby carrots)
2-3+ Tbsp. fish sauce (If making veggie version, there is vegetarian fish sauce available)
2+ Tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 can+ good-quality coconut milk
3-4 kaffir lime leaves (usually available in frozen packets at Asian/Chinese food stores, I subbed 3-4 tsp lime zest)
about 1/2 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped if leaves are large
fresh roughly chopped cilantro
couple spoons of chili garlic sauce
seasoned rice wine vinegar to taste
juice of a lime
Siracha chili sauce to serve at the table

1. Again for complete instructions on how to buy and cook with lemongrass, see: All About Lemongrass: Your Guide to Buying, Preparing, and Cooking with Lemongrass.
2. First, place noodles in a pot of boiling water. Cover the pot and turn off the heat. Allow the noodles to soak in the hot water while you prepare the soup.
3. Place broth in a soup pot along with lemongrass (include left-over stalk pieces), plus galangal (or ginger), lime leaves, and carrots. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. Allow to simmer while you chop up and add the remaining vegetables (about 5 minutes).
4. Add the remaining vegetables. Stir and then allow to simmer 2 more minutes.
5. Reduce heat to minimum and add the coconut milk, stirring until dissolved. Finally, add the tofu, gently stirring it in so it doesn't fall apart.
6. Add the fish sauce and soy sauce. If you prefer your soup spicy, add 1-2 tsp. chili sauce (OR simply serve it on the side for those who like it).
7. Do a taste test, adding more fish sauce or soy sauce if not salty enough. If you find the soup too salty (this depends on how salty your broth was to start with), add 1 to 2 Tbsp. lime juice. If too sour for your taste, add 1 tsp. agave nectar. Tweak until you're happy with the broth
8. Check rice noodles to make sure they are cooked (if still a little hard, boil briefly). Drain the noodles and portion them out into bowls. Tip: If you have extra noodles left over, leave them in the colander and rinse with cold water to prevent sticking.
9. Pour ladles of soup over each bowl of noodles. Sprinkle fresh basil and cilantro over each bowl.

Avocado and Watercress Salad:
(adapted from Epicurious.com recipe)
serves 2

1/4 cup unseasoned or light seasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon grated sweet onion such as Vidalia or Walla Walla (use large holes of a box grater)
1/4 cup finely grated peeled Gala apple (I used a Pink Lady)...use box grater again...chop a bit more after grating.
4 teaspoons soy sauce
a small touch of agave nectar (taste first, you may not want this)
1-2 tsp vegetable oil
watercress (thin stems and leaves only; from 1 large bunch)
a couple of handfuls of torn baby spinach to flesh out the salad
1/2 firm-ripe avocado


Stir together vinegar, onion, apple, soy sauce, and agave nectar, then stir in oil.

Just before serving, toss watercress and spinach with enough dressing to coat. Quarter, pit, and peel avocado, then cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Gently toss with greens.

Cooks' notes:
•Watercress can be trimmed 1 day ahead and chilled in a sealed bag lined with damp paper towels.
•Dressing can be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered. Stir or shake before using.

Spinach-Zucchini Soup with Savory Oatmeal Muffins

I made this on Tuesday for dinner tonight. We had just finished cleaning out all of my premade meals over the last week and I tend to get a little anxious with nothing stocked in the freezer! After eating a healthy portion of this we'll still have enough in the freezer for a second meal.
Whew! The muffins freeze well too.


Spinach and Zucchini Soup: (adapted from 101 Cookbooks)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 medium onions, roughly chopped
big pinch of salt
~2 large potatoes peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (~3 1/2 cups)
~3-4 zucchini , quartered and chopped (~3 1/2 cups)
6 cups vegetable stock (or chicken stock)
4 cups fresh chopped spinach leaves, packed
1 cup cilantro, loosely chopped
lemon juice to taste (I think I used about 1 1/2 lemons?...try less first then just add to taste)

In a large, thick-bottomed pot over medium-high heat, add the olive oil. When the oil is hot (but not smoking) add the garlic and onions and saute for a few minutes along with pinch of salt - just until they soften up a bit. Stir in the potatoes and zucchini. Add the stock. Bring to a simmer and cook until potatoes are soft throughout, roughly 10-15 minutes.

Stir in the spinach, and wait for it to wilt, just ten seconds or so. Now stir in the cilantro. Puree with a hand blender until smooth. This may take a little time with the stick blender since the spinach tends to get bound up in ours. Chop the spinach pretty small or just use a regular blender. Whisk in a big squeeze of lemon juice. Now taste, and add more salt if needed. Serve with a dollop of greek yogurt on top, or a drizzle of olive oil and muffins, or toast. We had a nice ripe avocado tonight so I chopped it up and topped the soup with it.



Savory Oatmeal Muffins: (Adapted from Real Food via Culinary in the Desert)

If you want to make a veggie muffin, just use cheese instead of the bacon.

1 1/2 cups white whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda (I think I added an 1/8th of a tsp more because of the Sucanat)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon crumbled dried sage (I used 1 1/2 tsp fresh minced sage)
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons old-fashioned rolled oats, divided
2 tablespoons grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/3 cup packed brown sugar ( used 1/4 cup Sucanat)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled (I subbed 6 Tbs flaxseed meal for 2 of the Tbs. of butter)
3 ounces Canadian bacon, diced (buy a good quality bacon in the deli and have it sliced thicker...just say no to corn syrup. Ick!)

Preheat oven to 375

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and sage.

In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of the oats with cheese.

In a large bowl, stir together buttermilk and remaining oats - let stand for 5 to 10 minutes to let the oats soften. Stir in brown sugar, egg, and butter until combined. Add the dry ingredients and stir just until moistened - fold in diced bacon.

Evenly divide the batter between the wells of a 12 cup muffin tin lightly coated with nonstick spray. Sprinkle tops with oat-cheese mixture. Bake until lightly browned and a toothpick placed in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 18 to 20 minutes. Remove and let stand for 5 minutes before transferring the muffins to a wire rack. Serve warm.

Makes 12 muffins.

Farro and White Bean Soup with Escarole and Rosemary-Parmesan No-Knead Bread

This is a start-it-the-night before meal. Around 22 hours before you plan on eating dinner the next night, for me it was 9pm., soak your farro for the soup and start the bread making process.
It's an unbelievably simple method in which time does all the work for you. I added Parmesan and fresh rosemary to the original recipe and found that you could probably add any number of different goodies to this base with terrific results. The base being everything except the cheese and herbs as I've typed it up below. I baked this loaf at 500 for 30 min and 450 for the last 15, but with all the cheese (4 oz. this time...will use less next time), I think baking at 450 the whole time would have been preferable.
I'd have taken photos of the process, but there are so many good ones already on the web for me to link to. :-) Jaden of Steamy Kitchen has a great step by step with a cute kid to boot for the basic bread. I kind of combined her basic recipe and added the amendments, the original NYT recipe, and Cook's Illustrated's cooking method for last night's bread. Confusing? Doesn't have to be...just try it out, you'll be amazed with the results.

The soup is delicious, if a little salty for my tastes. Just make sure to use reduced-sodium chicken or veggie broth, and no-salt added tomatoes and it will be great. Especially with a slab of homemade bread to dunk in it! Quick note...I used the called for escarole tonight, but really felt that the Swiss chard I used last time was a lot more flavorful. I also use more than the 2 cups of greens called for in the recipe, since they cook down considerably.


Farro and White Bean Soup with Escarole:

1 cup farro (I found it in the bulk section at Central Market...I'm sure Whole Foods would have this too)
2 15oz. cans white beans (I usually use cannelini beans for this, but had a can of Great northern beans and a can of butter beans in the pantry today. Note to self, CM Organics beans would have less salt.)
~2 Tbs olive oil
2 oz. pancetta, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 medium carrot, chopped (I use a handful of organic baby-size carrots)
1 rib celery, chopped
1 sprig of fresh thyme
1 sprig of fresh marjoram (didn't have so added a little herbs de Provence)
1 14 oz can no-salt added diced tomatoes, not drained
pinch of fresh grated nutmeg
1 Parmesan rind (save those rinds! I used the one leftover from the bread :-)
4 cups reduced-sodium, organic chicken or veggie broth
2 cups escarole leaves, chopped (Swiss chard, or kale sub nicely and I always use at least double this amount of greens!)
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Rinse the farro in a sieve, then soak in lots of water to cover overnight. Discard any bits that float to the surface—these are hulls, and not pleasant to eat. [Another option I read but haven’t tried yet: Put farro in a pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside 1 hour.] Drain well.

Purée 1 can of beans with its liquid in a food processor or blender. Drain the other can of beans and rinse well. Set both aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy stock pot on medium heat.
Add pancetta or buffalo bacon and sauté 2-3 minutes.
Add onion and sauté 4 minutes.
Add garlic, carrot, celery and herbs; sauté 8 minutes or until vegetables begin to soften.
Stir in farro, undrained tomatoes, nutmeg, bean purée and whole beans, Parmesan rind, and broth. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add escarole and pepper. Continue cooking an additional 15 minutes. Test farro for doneness—it should be softened but still have some texture. Remove herb stems before serving.

Add salt if you feel it needs it. I've rewritten the recipe to use no-salt-added tomatoes because I felt it was too salty even not adding any extra salt. But, I didn't use farro tonight so that could make a difference. I do know that when I've made it before it seemed too salty then too...so stick with the no-salt added tomatoes and at least that way you can add if needed.


Rosemary-Parmesan No-Knead Bread:
Yield: one 1½ lb loaf

3 cups unbleached bread flour
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
3/4 tsp regular salt, or 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt (might adjust salt down if using more Parm)
2-4 oz grated parmesan (I just blitzed it in my food processor til crumbly)
2 tsp-1Tbs fresh chopped rosemary (I used 2 tsp)
1 1/2 cups warm water
Covered pot (five-quart or larger cast iron, Pyrex, ceramic, enamel...something that can go into a 450F oven.)
parchment paper

1. Mix dough: The night before (I did this at 9pm so that we could eat it at ~7pm the next evening), combine all dry ingredients in a big bowl. Then add the warm (not hot or you'll hurt your wee yeasties!) water and stir with your hand, my prefered tool, or a wooden spoon until the dough comes together. It will be a shaggy ball. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit 12-20 hours on countertop (I think I went about 19 today).

2. Shape & preheat: The dough will now be wet, sticky and bubbly. With a wet spatula, dump the dough on a floured surface. Fold ends of dough over about 4-5 times with the spatula or a dough scraper and nudge it into a ball shape. You can use your hands if you like, just keep your hands wet so that the dough does not stick. Cut a square of parchment large enough to overhang a skillet. Lay parchment inside skillet and drop a little cornmeal on it. Place dough onto parchment and cover with floured towel, or oiled saran for 2 hrs.. When you've got about a half hour left to the dough rest, slip your covered pot into the oven and preheat to 450F.

3. Bake: Your dough should have doubled in size. Remove pot from oven. Using the parchment to cradle the dough lift and place the whole thing into your pot, paper and all. Cover. Bake 30 minutes. Remove the cover from your pot, and bake another 15-20 minutes or until the crust is beautifully golden and middle of loaf is 210F. Remove and let cool on wired rack. If not eating right away, you can re-crisp crust in 350F oven for 10 minutes.

Curried Green (English) Pea Soup, Minted Black-Eyed Peas and Rice Casserole, and Ginger-Carrot Muffins

We're already taking a break from our week of freezer meals. I didn't have any meat-free meals in there, so this is getting snuck in between the Thai Beef and Chicken and White Bean Chili.
The casserole and the muffins are new recipes....the soup a tried and true from Bon Appetit magazine.

Update: A great meal...both new recipes worked out really well. All components are very simple to make and all have really great flavor.


Curried Pea Soup:
I double the recipe and freeze half.

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
1 large onion, chopped
5 teaspoons curry powder
4 cups (or more) chicken broth (you can use a good veggie broth)
2 10-ounce packages frozen petite green peas or 3 pound fresh peas,
shelled (about 4 1/2 cups)

1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped red onion
a little fresh mint if you have it is a super addition too.

Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 1 onion and sauté until tender, about 10 minutes. Add curry and stir 30 seconds.


Add 4 cups broth and peas and bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer until peas are very tender, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Puree in blender (I tried the stick blender, but you can't get a smooth enough consistency) in batches. Make sure you only fill the blender carafe 1/2 full with soup each time. Hold a dish towel firmly over the lid and make sure it doesn't fly off when you start blending. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.)

Mix yogurt, cilantro and red onion in small bowl. Cover; chill up to 2 hours. (I have to say...I never make the full amount of yogurt and I never measure the amounts. So just use as much of each ingredient as you want.)

Rewarm soup, stirring often. Serve with dollop of yogurt mixture.


Carrot-Ginger Muffins:


I thought these might be interesting with the soup and I get to use my oat flour too!
This is an adaptation of a King Arthur Flour recipe by food blogger Culinary in the Country. King Arthur Flour's original recipe can be found here if you'd rather use all whole wheat flour.
I ate a "test muffin" slathered with Brummel and Brown spread for a quick snack this afternoon and they're really good! :-)

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup oat flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar (I used Sucanat...add scant 1/4 tsp extra baking soda if using instead of sugar. You need to add 1/4 tsp extra per cup...so figure it that way)
1/4 cup ground flax seeds
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (I'm not sure if I remembered to put this in! D'oh!)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 cup diced crystallized ginger
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract (I actually used 1/2 tsp double strength vanilla, but I don't suppose it matters)
1/3 cup canola oil
2 cups grated carrots
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

Preheat oven to 400

In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, sugar, flax, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, ginger, salt, cardamom and crystallized ginger.

In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk, vanilla and oil.
Pour into the dry ingredients and stir just until combined.
Fold in the carrots and walnuts.
Evenly divide the mixture between the wells of a 12 cup muffin tin coated with nonstick spray.

Bake until the centers spring back when lightly touched, about 18 to 24 minutes (mine took 20). Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool completely.

Freeze any extra muffinks you have for later!


Minted Black-Eyed Peas and Rice Casserole:
(or, Pudhina Lobhia Pulao)

This recipe is from...wait for it...
Betty Crocker's Indian Home Cooking. Are you done ROFL yet?
Ok, it's actually a pretty cool book. The recipes are all by Raghavan Iyer...a distinctly East Indian looking fellow. And all the recipes I've tried so far are really great. This is a new one to try and I decided to make it because the ingredient list wasn't a mile long. I'm adapting this to use brown rice, but I'm typing it as written in the book. I'll be using all the same ingredients, just preparing it differently because I'm using the brown rice.

1 cup uncooked basmati or regular long-grain rice
2 Tbs canola oil
2 3" cinnamon sticks (I used one and a half sticks...)
2 dried bay leaves
1 medium red onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
1 medium tomato, chopped (~3/4 cup)
1 can (15-16 oz) black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1 tsp garam masaala
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups cold water
1 cup chopped fresh mint leaves (I probably only used 1/2 cup chopped and it was fine)

1. Place rice in medium bowl; add enough cold water to cover rice. Rub rice gently between fingers; drain. Repeat 4-5 times until water is clear; drain. cover rice with cold water and soak 30 minutes. Drain and set aside.

2. Heat oil in heavy 2 quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add cinnamon sticks and bay leaves; sizzle 15-20 seconds or until cinnamon swells up. Add onion; stir-fry 2-3 minutes, or until onion is partially brown.

3. Stir in tomato. Simmer uncovered 3-4 minutes or until softened. Stir in black-eyed peas, garam masaala and salt.

4. Add rice; gently stir-fry 1 minute, taking care not to break tender rice grains. Stir in 2 1/2 cups cold water. Heat to boiling, stirring once; reduce heat to med.-high. Cook uncovered for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally , until almost all the water has evaporated.

5. Spread mint over top of rice; reduce heat to low. Cover and cook 5 minutes; remove from heat. Let rice stand covered 10 to 15 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork to release steam.

My rice cooker version using brown rice...so easy and yummy!

Start a pot of brown rice. No need to wash, or soak it. I made the least amount our rice cooker will make.
~20 minutes after you've turned on the rice pot, proceed with steps 2. and 3. then put the onion/tomato/pea mixture into the rice cooker and stir. Replace lid and continue to let the pot do it's thing.
When rice cooker clicks from "cook" to "warm", spread chopped mint on top of rice, quickly replace the top, and let stand for 15 minutes.
Fluff with a fork and serve garnished with more mint.

For lunch the next day I warmed some of this and then put it over baby spinach, with chopped tomato and the remaining yogurt topping from the soup as a quasi dressing. So good!