Crockpot -- delicious vegetable soup

For me, having a crockpot is an amazing time saving way to make meals. And because of what we cook in the crockpot, it's incredibly economical. We purchase the vegetables that are readily available, and use dried split chickpeas and lentils. Delicious with freshly baked bread, it's the perfect meal for a winter evening.

equipment needed:

crockpot
knife
cutting board
kettle


ingredients:

2 tbsp coconut oil
1 1/2 cups diced onion

1 cup green cabbage, finely chopped


2 cups split chickpeas, dried
1 cup green lentils, dried


2 cups diced celery hearts
2 cups diced carrots

4 dried shiitake mushrooms

2 cups sliced sweet potato

5 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp herbe de provence




12 cups boiling water


directions:

1. turn on the crockpot and set it for 5 hours on high
2. add the coconut oil
3. layer in the onion and green cabbage
4. layer in the split chickpeas and green lentils, rinsing them first.
5. layer in the celery hearts and diced carrots
6. toss in some dried shiitake mushrooms
7. throw a couple cups of thickly sliced sweet potato on top
8. sprinkle the whole thing with sea salt and herbe de provence
9. pour on the boiling water
10. cook for 5 hours or until the chickpeas and lentils are tender
11. taste
12. add seasoning if needed

Lumahai's Carrot-Green Soup with a secret ingredient **

My six year old thought we should reserve all the carrot tops from the bunches we bought today and create a soup out of it. I suggested that pureed soup, thick and creamy, might work. He recommended we start with an onion. I suggested the leafy bits of celery hearts we have would add a nice dimension to the soup, and added that I thought perhaps some of our green cabbage, white sweet potatoes, and split indian yellow peas would give us the body and creaminess we wanted, while giving us enough sweetness to offset the bitterness of the carrot greens in a pleasing way.

This is what we came up with, together. I adore cooking with my son. I adore cooking. This was grand. I love his recipe ideas!!

I taught him the correct way to hold and use a gigantic chef's knife shortly after he turned six and I figured his hands were both big and strong enough to start handling this instrument under supervision. (I've also taught him out to cut bread with a bread knife.)

Today, he did most of the chopping of and adding of the ingredients to the pot.

Anyway, I think this soup is delicious, and I love the flavour. Cumin and carrot greens -- who knew??

ingredients:

2 tbsp coconut oil
1 large cooking onion, diced (yellow kind)

2 cups chopped green cabbage

1 1/2 cups chopped celery
1 cup split yellow indian peas, very well rinsed
2 cups diced sweet potato

3 tsp sea salt
2 tsp cumin

10 cups boiling water

black pepper


3 cups carrot-greens, washed and chopped (mostly the frondly bits, removing the toughest parts of the stems)

2 tbsp marjoram


directions:

1. saute/sweat/cook down the cabbage and the onion with some of the sea salt -- we let ours get a tiny bit brown, to be honest -- 5 or 10 minutes, not long
2. layer in the celery, split peas, sweet potato
3. sprinkle on the salt and cumin
4. pour on the water
5. cover and let simmer for 40 minutes
6. add the carrot greens
7. simmer for 5 minutes
8. take off the heat
9. puree with a hand blender, and add salt and pepper to taste

** we found a wild carrot in our garden, and added the carrot, sans greens, whole to the pot to simmer for the  cooking time, and then removed before pureeing

Chickpea Vegetable Soup

Well, Papa is coming over for dinner, and we're going to have a houseful for his birthday. So, in addition to eatables such as lasagna and chickpea flour flat bread, we'll rock this vegan crockpot.  Simple and delicious. Old fashioned diced veggies and chickpeas. Super delicious. And since it feels like fall, perfect really. We all enjoyed it.

ingredients:

2 tbsp coconut oil
1 onion, finely diced
1 cup green cabbage, very finely chopped

4 cups soaked chickpeas -- not cooked

1 tsp sea salt

2 cup diced carrots
2 cups diced celery
1 diced kohlrabi

1 tsp sea salt

4 cups diced white sweet potato

1 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp marjoram
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp chill powder

9 cups water

1 tsp sea salt


directions:

1. turn crockpot on to high, and set for 6 hours
2. layer ingredients in the order listed
3. let cook for 6 hours. I used dry chickpeas that had been fully soaked but not cooked. If you use canned or cooked chickpeas, you can reduce the cooking time
4. stir and taste, add seasoning if needed.

Christmas Vegetable Soup

We always have a big family brunch on the 25th, with lots of people around and good times. By the end of the day, we have Papa and us, and a big pot of soup for a warming sup after a walk-about to see the christmas lights in the neighbourhood.

This is delicious, and definitely hits the spot after some slightly more naughty indulgences. The spices are simultaneously warming and anti-inflammatory, and the whole thing just tastes great.

ingredients:


2 cups onion, finely diced
4 cups green cabbage, finely chopped
2 cups whole masoor lentils (uncooked)
2 cup frozen green peas

2  cups celery, stalks and leaves, finely diced
2 cups carrots, diced

3 cups sweet potatoes, diced

3 or 4 tsp sea salt -- depends on how salty your salt is ...
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp ginger
10 cups water




directions:

1. layer up the crockpot with the ingredients in the order listed -- do not stir
2. cook for 6 hours on high
3. stir
4. add any salt and pepper you need after tasting, and if it's too thick, more water!

Vegetable soup with 4 kinds of sweet potatoes

Yummy. I love a wonderful clear broth soup so full of flavour and goodness. Good for what ails you.

ingredients:

2 tbsp coconut oil
2 medium onion, finely diced
4 cups green cabbage, finely chopped
2 cups dry lentils -- (I used black caviar lentils, but any whole lentils will be fine. Dupuy, masoor etc. Don't used split or they will reduce to complete disintegration)
2 cup frozen green peas

1  cups celery, stalks and leaves, finely diced
2 cups carrots, diced

3 cups sweet potatoes, diced -- I used 4 kinds -- 3 different asian (murasaki, kyushu, and some white ones), and also the iconic orange beauregard variety

3 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp ginger
8 cups water


directions:

1. layer up the crockpot with the ingredients in the order listed -- do not stir
2. cook for 6 hours on high
3. enjoy with green noodles, or alone

Sweet Autumn Vegetable soup

It felt like the day for a soup -- one with a rich clear broth, and toothsome chunks of vegetables, and little tasty morsels here and there. Heavy on the carrot and the sweet potato, this soup is sweet but balanced, relying on the tones of celery, salt, onion, and wild rice to hit all the notes and fill in the harmonies. My son has declared that tomorrow he will eat this for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Yes, my baby wolverine.

ingredients

2 tbsp coconut oil
1 cup finely diced purple onion
2 cups finely chopped green cabbage

1/4 cup millet
1/4 cup wild rice
1/4 cup black caviar lentils (or other -- dupuy for example)
1/4 cup moong dal (split mung beans)

4 cups finely diced carrots
1 1/2 cups finely diced celery

4 cups finely diced sweet potato

1 1/2 cups finely diced zucchini

2 tbsp marjoram
1 tbsp sea salt
8 cups water

after add salt and pepper to taste
add 2 more cups of water


directions:

1. load the ingredients into your crockpot in the order listed (omitting the final salt and pepper and 2 cups of water)
2. cook on high for 5 hours
3. stir, add the extra water, and more salt and pepper to taste

We've been serving this will bowls of fluffy quinoa and rich spinach and avocado salads. My husband dumps his quinoa in, my son eats his by itself. Insert bizarre Hudsucker Proxy reference here ...

Flavourful Vegetable Soup

Weary travellers arriving need simple and delicious fare that won't keep them up. This definitely fit the bill with a fresh loaf of spelt bread fresh from the oven.

ingredients:

2 tbsp coconut oil

1 onion finely diced
1 cup  purple cabbage finely chopped
1/4 cup dried mushrooms, finely crumbled

3 cups split chickpeas, soaked but not cooked
3 cups green peas

1/4 cup amaranth
1/4 cup buckwheat groats
1/4 cup milllet

1 kohlrabi, peeled and diced (approx 2 cups)

1 large carrot finely diced (approx 1 1/2 cup)
3/4 cup celery finely  diced

2 cups zucchini diced
4 cups sweet potato diced

4 tsp sea salt
8 cups boiling water


directions:

1. layer all the ingredients in the crockpot and let it cook. Pour the water on after you've added the sea salt btw.
2. stir, and season to taste

Delicious served with fresh baked bread ...

Vegetable Soup with Chickpeas

ingredients:

2 tbsp butter
4 cups finely diced green cabbage
1/4 cup finely shredded dried mushrooms
4 cups cooked chickpeas
3 cups green peas
2 cups diced sweet potatoes
3 cups diced celery
2 cups diced carrots

4 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp marjoram



8 cups  water


directions:

1. layer the ingredients in the order listed and cook in the crockpot until done.

Leek and Vegetable broth for Matza Ball Soup -- Passover 2013

This is a couple of separate elements. I took a bunch of leeks and washed them thoroughly -- sandy little veggies are they -- and then put the green part un chopped up into a pot with 12 cups water and a piece of kombu (optional) and simmered away for 2 hours. Meanwhile in a pan I sauteed the veggies. When I was content the leeks had simmered enough, I removed them and the kombu from the pot, drained them well, and then added my sauteed veggies and brought it up to boiling again, for a few minutes. I made this 2 days before, in the old adage that soup is better the next day. That is an adage, right? Anyway, I hate being rushed at the last minute, so anything I can make ahead, I do. 

ingredients:

2 cup celery, sliced

2 cup carrots, sliced

1 bunch of leeks, well washed (leeks can have a lot of dirt between the layers). Slice the 'whites' thinly, and leave the 'greens' in large pieces

4 tbsp coconut oil

4 tsp sea salt

black pepper

12 cups filtered water

(a 3 x 3 inch piece of kombu)

directions:

1. put the leek GREENS in a large pot with 12 cups of boiling water

2. simmer the leek greens for 120 minutes -- and if you want to use it, some a giant kelp leaf, about 3 inches by 3 inches -- KOMBU

3. meanwhile in a large saute pan: saute the celery, carrots, and leeks in the coconut oil with the sea salt until they are happy and sweaty

4. When the stock has finished, take out the leek greens and kombu, and add the sauteed veggies and simmer for 5 minutes

5. taste, and adjust seasoning

6. your broth is now ready!

7. before serving, reheat it with the matza balls in it.

8. put one matza ball in a bowl, ladel soup over it, and garnish generously and foolishly with copious amounts of parsley from your window garden

Simple Soup for a Cozy Lunch

We had friends coming for lunch. This is what we ate!!

As a post Christmas meal, it was both virtuous and delicious.

ingredients:

3 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil
2 cloves garlic, very finely minced
1 onion, very finely chopped

4 cups chickpeas, soaked but not cooked
500 g frozen green peas

1/4 cup finely crumbled dried mushrooms (I used my coffee grinder!)
1/4 cup beluga lentils

2 cups finely chopped red cabbage
3 cups diced sweet potato
2 cups diced carrot
2 cups diced celery

1 tbsp marjoram
1 tbsp oregano
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
4 tsp sea salt
black pepper

8 cups water

after:

2 tbsp lime juice
salt and pepper to taste


directions:

1. layer the ingredients in the crockpot in the order listed
2. cook for 6 hours
3. serve to good friends with a soupçon of whimsy

Green Soup -- peas and broccoli do the tango in my crockpot

My crockpot beckoned and I answered. Hello crockpot, here is some green soup for you to make. Split peas, green peas, broccoli. One of those hearty concoctions that make you glad you're hungry. My husband practically rhapsodized as he ate it, and he's not a guy who gets excited about food. Apparently it full on hit some pleasure center of his brain. I think it was the complex layering of flavours that did it for him -- nothing brash, everything subtle, but fully delicious.

ingredients:

3 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil
3 tbsp finely minced garlic
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion

2 cups green split peas, dry

1/4 cup finely crumbled dried mushrooms

2 cups diced sweet potato

3 cups frozen organic green peas

3 cups diced celery
2 cups diced carrots


4 tsp sea salt
black pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp herbe de provence

8 cups hot water

after:

2 tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to adjust  if needed

500 grams chopped broccoli florets

1 cup hot water


directions:

turn on your crockpot and let it start to warm up!

1. layer the ingredients in the order listed, reserving the ones listed under 'after' for the end of cooking
2. cook until the green split peas have dissolved
3. stir in the lemon juice and adjust the salt and pepper if needed
4. add the chopped broccoli florets and 1 more cup water and let cook until done

More Soup! Here I go again ... Vegan, hearty, delicious

In search of the perfect bowl of soup. I want it to be a meal in a bowl -- rich, satisfying, and utterly delicious. This definitely fits the bill.

I mean, seriously. I don't know if I can properly describe the exquisite aroma and flavour of this soup. You'll just have to come over and eat it. Or make some yourself.

xoxo

ingredients:

3 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil
2 tbsp finely minced garlic
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion

2 cups dupuy lentils
1/4 cup finely crumbled dried mushrooms
2 cups very finely chopped green cabbage

1/4 cup coconut butter
1/4 cup almond butter

3 cups diced carrots
6 cups diced sweet potato

4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tbsp marjoram
2 tbsp oregano
1/4 tsp fennel seed


8 cups water


after:

2 tbsp lime juice
2 cups water
salt and pepper to taste


directions:

1. layer the ingredients in the order listed in your crockpot
2. reserve the stuff under 'after' until it's done cooking
3. cook
4. stir and add the 'after' stuff
5. serve
6. like most food of this ilk, it's great after it's had time to meld. Eat it with joy the next day.

Vegetable and Lentil Soup -- vegan, satisfying, delicious dinner

So, here, once again, we are. Crockpot working hard and me resting on my laurels. Papa Ed is coming over tomorrow, and apparently he likes lentil soup. So, I made some. The thing is, the flavour combination in this is extraordinary. It's definitely more than the sum of its parts. Wish I could share it with you. This makes a batch big enough to fill my crockpot. If yours is little, divide the recipe in half. Or make the whole thing and invite someone over to share. So good.

ingredients:

3 tbsp extra virgin unrefined organic coconut oil
2 tbsp finely minced garlic
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion
2 cups very finely chopped green cabbage

2 cups du puy lentils

2 cups frozen green peas

1/4 cup almond butter
1/4 cup coconut butter

2 cups diced carrots

6 cups diced sweet potatoes

1 cup diced broccoli hearts

4 tsp sea salt
2 tbps oregano
black pepper

9 cups water (I add boiling)

2 tbsp lime juice


directions:

1. layer the ingredients in the order listed, reserving the lime juice
2. cook (I did it on High for 4 hours)
3. turn off and add the lime juice, stirring thoroughly to make sure the coconut butter and almond butter are fully incorporated
4. serve or let the flavour mature and serve the next day
5. I will definitely serve this with homemade rolls or garlic bread. But it would be great with not-bread toast (plain or savoury) as well.

Simple Vegetable Soup -- a pleasing autumn crockpot

I had a hankering for a very simple vegetable soup -- the kind with diced vegetables, and a clear broth. This fits the bill! It's delicious and satisfying, and is a perfect autumn meal. I like to put a little chili powder in mine, but you can skip it if  you want. The vegetables make the broth very sweet and savoury at the same time. Naturally vegan, and gluten free.

ingredients:

3 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil
2 cloves garlic, minced -- approx 2 tbsp
2 small-medium onions, finely chopped -- approx 1 1/2 cups

4 cups cooked chickpeas
2 cups green peas
3 cups diced sweet potatoes
3 cups diced celery
2 cups diced carrots

4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin powder
black pepper
2 tbsp marjoram


8 cups vegetable broth or water (I used leek and mushroom broth from my freezer -- I made extra back in October, then froze it in mason jars)


directions:

1. layer the ingredients in the order listed and cook in the crockpot until done.
2. or if using a pot on the stove, saute the onion and garlic in coconut oil, then add the rest of the ingredients, and cook until the vegetables are of desired consistency.

butternut squash soup -- naturally gluten free, vegan, and so yummy

I thought it would be fun to make butternut squash soup. Now, squash is generally sweet and rich tasting, so I said to myself, self, what would balance that nicely? Well, these big ol' tomatoes from my mother's garden might do the trick. Yes, yes indeed. So, after oven roasting all the veggies and making stock from leek greens, the combine results were greater than the sum of their individual virtues. The colour is a little day-glo orange, but not without charm. The taste? Mellow but not staid, sweet but not cloying, peppy but not obnoxious. Definitely a keeper!

roasting veggies:
ingredients:

1 small butter nut squash -- about 6 cups cubed

1 onion diced

2 garlic cloves chopped

2 lbs tomatoes (about 4 cups cubed)



1 1/2 cups carrot sliced

2 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil


directions:

1. melt the coconut oil in a large casserole or cast iron dutch oven. Cube and chop the squash, carrots, onions, garlic, and carrot then toss with the coconut oil in the casserole.
2. pile on the chopped tomato
3. bake at 345 for 2 hours
-------------------------------------------------------

leek broth --
ingredients:

1 bunch of leek greens
10 cups water

directions:

simmer for a few hours, then strain

-----------------------------------------------------

soup:

directions:

1. combine the cooked vegetables and 4 cups of broth, then puree the vegetables
2. season with salt and pepper to taste
3. bring to a simmer and serve hot

I used:

3 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp marjoram



Fantastic. Stupendous. Delicious. Excellent.

Autumn Soup

Tuesday morning November 2nd meant the final farmer's market at East York Civic Center until spring 2011 :(  

Bob Proracki from Round Plains Plantation (http://www.ontariosweetpotato.com) brought me 2 brand new sweet potato types that he grew for the first time this year. Unlike the bright orange, soft fleshed sweet potatoes most people are familiar with (Bob has those, too), these genres have a dry flesh. One is a bright purple fleshed  cutie called the Okinawa, and the other is white fleshed, equally cute, and is called the Mirosaki -- both named after places in Japan. I lived in Japan for a few years in the 90s, and fell in love with the dry fleshed sweet potatoes that the street vendors would roast up at street fairs ... My decade plus long search to find these same treats here brought me to Bob and his fabulous chemical free fare. Tuesday morning was also a fond farewell to our other East York farmer's market fave -- Hillsview Farms. We stocked up on some chemical free produce from them -- some of the best carrots I've ever tasted in my life, sweet broccoli, very nice squashes, bright happy tomatoes, and some adorable little mini cabbages.

In honour of our final farmer's market of the season, we made a lovely roasted vegetable soup when we got home. 

ingredients:

1/2  package dried lima beans, soaked overnight, and rinsed (made 14 cups of beans)

4 tomatoes

1 1/2 baby cabbages

1 carrots

1/2 small butternut squash

1 small onions

2 small (or 1 med/large) cloves of garlic

1 small or medium sweet potato (I just used the usual orange ones in this soup)

sea salt

pepper

coconut oil

marjoram

oregano

1 broccoli

directions:

1.  bring lima beans to a boil and then remove from heat and soak  for 2-3 hours or overnight

2.  rinse lima beans well, and put in a large stock pot with water just to cover

3.   add a few generous tablespoons of coconut oil

4.   add sea salt and black pepper

5.   chop tomatoes and add to pot

6.   dice carrot and add

7.  chop cabbage and add

8.  add salt, pepper, marjoram, and oregano

9.   cover the pot and bring it to a low boil or a heavy simmer. This will need to cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours

10.  dice the squash, and oven roast on a cookie sheet at 345 for 1/2 hour

11.  dice the sweet potatoes, and oven roast at 345 for 1/2 hour

12.  peel the garlic cloves, quarter the onions, and oven roast at 345 for 1/2 hour

13.  once the garlic and onions are cooked through, chop onions and add both to pot for simmering process

14.  once the lima beans are thoroughly cooked, add squash and sweet potatoes for a final 30 minutes of cooking. At this point, add in as much more water as you need to get the correct broth-to-solids ratio that will please your palate most. Adjust the seasoning, adding more salt and pepper or herbs if needed. 

15.  chop broccoli and add for last 10 minutes of cooking

You can serve this with bread or crackers for a simple meal, or as a starter, if you prefer.

This will make about 4 quarts of soup, so you'll need your big soup pot or dutch oven to make this. It will freeze well in glass jars. Or you can halve the recipe like any normal person would do. :)

It is savoury, delicious, and comforting on a chilly evening. Yum