Vegetable Soup

I must admit, I've never really been a fan of vegetable soup. The reason for this is that I've only ever tried the nasty canned stuff. But THIS vegetable soup is leagues above any canned soup out there. So delicious! Even my picky 2 year old enjoyed it.

Recipe slightly adapted from Cooking Classy

Ingredients

2 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion (1 medium)

2 cups peeled and diced carrots (about 4)

3 cups diced potatoes (about 3 medium)

4 garlic cloves pressed

4 cups vegetable broth

1 can diced tomatoes

2 bay leaves

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried parsley

salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 cups chopped frozen or fresh green beans

1 cup frozen or fresh corn

1 cup frozen or fresh peas

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, and potatoes and saute 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and salute 30 seconds more. Pour in the broth and diced tomatoes and add the bay leaves, thyme, parsley, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil then add green beans and reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender. Add corn and peas and cook 5 minutes longer.

Enjoy!

- Arianne

Creamy Vegan Roasted Tomato Soup

This soup is one of my favourites. So simple, yet so rich in flavour. And sooooo much better than any canned tomato soup out there. 

Slightly adapted from recipe found at Life As A Strawberry

Ingredients

8 roma tomatoes, halved

3 cloves of garlic, peeled

2 bay leaves

2 Tablespoons + 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried oregano

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 onion, roughly chopped

3 cups vegetable stock

1 can tomato paste

1 cup coconut milk

2 large fresh basil leaves

juice from half a lemon + 1/2 teaspoon zest

pinch of paprika

Preheat oven to 400F. Spread tomatoes, garlic, and bay leaves in a large baking dish in a single layer. Drizzle with 2 Tablespoons of olive oil then season with thyme, oregano, salt and pepper. Roast for 35-40 minutes in heated oven. When garlic has roasted and tomatoes have caramelized, remove from oven, discard bay leaves, and set aside. 

In a large pot, heat the remaining 2 Tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté until translucent. Add the roasted tomatoes, garlic, and tomato paste and sauté 1 minute. 

Add the vegetable broth. Bring to a low boil, then reduce to a simmer.

Remove from heat and carefully transfer the pot contents into a blender. Add coconut milk and basil leaves to the soup in the blender. Puree until very smooth.

Return soup to the pot and bring again to a simmer. Add lemon juice, zest, and paprika. 

-Enjoy!

Arianne

Kim's Famous Chicken Soup

I have a friend named Kim. While you may not know her, she deserves to be famous because of this chicken soup, hence why I called the recipe, Kim's Famous Chicken Soup. I had the luxury of eating this at her place a couple of times and I am not kidding you, YEARS later I was still craving it. I finally got around to asking her for the recipe and I am so glad I did. We made this the other night and everyone in my family LOVED it, just as I suspected they would. All chicken soups are good, but the trick to this one is the homemade broth using a whole chicken. It really does take the soup from being good to great! 

 I also love that this recipe is so versatile. You can use whatever veggies you have on hand. We used the typical carrots, celery, onions, and garlic.  I didn't give exact amounts on the veggies because it it totally up to you how much you like of everything. I like mine really garlicky and probably added 6-8 garlic cloves. Next time I will probably add even more. My girls ate theirs with a scoop of rice in their bowls, you can always add noodles if that's what you like. I chose to squeeze a little fresh lemon juice in mine just for fun. All options are delicious and totally up to you. Make sure to read the full recipe before starting to make things easier, and thank you Kim for this wonderful recipe, I hope I got it right! 

Ingredients

1 whole organic chicken

water

carrots

celery

onions

garlic

vinegar

salt and pepper

Directions

Place the whole chicken in a large pot and fill with water until chicken is completely covered with 1 inch of water over top. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and boil chicken for 1 1/2 hours. Keep adding water in the pot if needed since some of it will boil out. Once the chicken is cooked through, remove chicken from pot (leave the water in the pot) and set aside to cool. 

Once the chicken is cool enough to work with, remove the meat from the bones and place on a plate for later. Take the chicken bones and place them back into the water along with some roughly chopped carrots, celery, onions, garlic, 1 tbs vinegar, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce to low, cover and simmer as long as possible (up to 8 hours) adding water when needed.  Place the meat in the fridge for later. I usually end up with a lot of meat so I take half of it and freeze for later, or keep it in my fridge to use later that week. If you like soup with a lot of chicken, then leave it all in. It's totally up to you. 

When you are ready to make your soup, ladle out all of the veggies and chicken bones. I usually place a large bowl in my sink with a colander sitting inside of it and strain everything out that way. I take half of the broth and freeze it for later, but again, this is up to you. Once everything is strained out, you can place fresh diced onions, carrots, celery, and garlic back into the broth along with your chicken. Bring to a boil, reduce to medium-low and cook for 20 minutes or until the veggies are cooked through. If you want to add noodles, then do so after 10 minutes to make sure everything is done at the same time. I added in some oregano at the end and some more salt and pepper to taste. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did - Alex

Roasted Butternut Squash and Pear Soup

It's fall time and you know what that means.. soup season! 

 My soup addiction is hitting me once again with full force. This soup is dairy free, yet creamy and because the ingredients are roasted first, it has a rich flavour to it.  How many times can I say soup in one post? Just go make it okay?

Ingredients

1 butternut squash, peeled, de-seeded and chopped

1 medium onion

2-3 large pears, chopped 

1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped

olive oil

kosher salt

1-2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

Directions 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Place the squash, onion, pears and rosemary in a glass dish and drizzle with olive oil and kosher salt. Bake for 40-60 minutes or until squash is cooked all the way through. Place in blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Pour in chicken stock until desired consistency is achieved. Pour into bowls and top with more fresh rosemary, sour cream, or homemade croutons. Enjoy - Alex 

Butternut Squash and Red Lentil Soup

A few months ago, I got a fabulous cookbook from a friend who was de-junking her house. It just so happened to be written by one of my favourite food bloggers, Heidi Swanson! I placed it in with my other cookbooks and swiftly forgot about it (darn you pinterest) ha ha. Today though, I was going through my cookbooks (also de-junking over here), and came across it again. I flipped through the pages hoping to find something quick and easy for dinner. 

I stumbled upon a recipe called, "Chunky Lentil Soup." I was super happy that I had almost all of the ingredients on hand and got to work right away. I had to improvise as I didn't have any French or black beluga lentils, but I did have red lentils that needed to be used up, and they worked out perfectly. 

This recipe was really easy, quick and both of my girls (as well as myself), gobbled this up! I can't wait to eat the leftovers tomorrow as I'm sure they will be even better than today.

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups red lentils
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 cups diced butternut squash
4 large tomatoes, diced
1 cup water or vegetable stock
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
pinch of smoked paprika

Fresh basil leaves, julienned  (optional)
Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions

Bring 5 cups of water to boil in a large soup pot, add the lentils and cook for 20 minutes, or until tender.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until tender (about 3 minutes). Stir in the squash, tomatoes, and water and cook until squash is tender (10-15 minutes).

Once tender, transfer the squash mix to the large pot with the cooked lentils. Let the soup return to a gentle simmer and stir in the sea salt and smoked paprika. Garnish with julienned basil leaves, Parmesan cheese, or both. Enjoy - Alex

Creamy Vegan Butternut Squash and Pear Soup

While I'm not normally a pureed soup kind of girl, I just can't say no to butternut squash. This soup was incredibly quick easy to whip up for lunch today!

Ingredients

1 butternut squash peeled and diced (seeds removed)

1 half red onion loosely chopped

2-3 pears peeled and cored

4 cups vegetable stock

1 teaspoon thyme

salt and pepper to taste

1 can coconut milk

Place the chopped squash, onion, and pears in a large pot and cover with the vegetable stock. Season, then bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are cooked through. Stir in the coconut milk, then transfer everything into a blender. Blend until very smooth and enjoy!

- Arianne

Creamy Vegan Spinach and Basil Soup

Funny that the first day of spring is a "soup day". Ok, you're right it's really not that funny. But this soup is delicious, regardless.

I recently took part in a clean-eating challenge. It surprised me how much better I realized I could be eating when I already thought I was doing fairly well at healthy eating. I really loved being a part of this challenge as it helped me to lose a bit of weight I've been working hard at, and I've been able to discover a few new clean and delicious recipes, like this one that my a friend of mine shared. 

I realized after I decided to make this soup that I didn't have all the right ingredients that her recipe required, so I kind of just winged it. Thanks so much for the inspiration, Cassia!

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon olive (or coconut) oil

1/2 red onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, chopped

4 celery stalks, chopped

3 cups vegetable broth

3/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

6 cups of tightly packed spinach leaves

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup canned coconut milk

Heat oil in a large pot and cook onions until translucent. Add the garlic and celery and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients except the coconut milk. Cook until the celery is soft then transfer to a blender. Puree until very smooth and transfer back into your pot. Add the coconut milk and heat the soup until just a boil. Serve and enjoy!

- Arianne

Cabbage and Carrot Borscht

I got this recipe from a friend after trying it at a party. It is perfectly filling and a great way to get in a lot of veggies! Because there is quite a lot of work involved, I used my food processor to do all the chopping for me, but you can also do it by hand. Don't skip out on the fresh dill or sour cream, it is the perfect finishing touch to this delicious soup! Also, this makes a lot (enough to feed 15+ people), so try cutting it in half if you don't plan on eating it for a couple of days. 

Ingredients

6 tablespoons butter

6 garlic cloves, minced

4 large beets, shredded

1 medium cabbage, shredded

1 large onion, diced

4 medium carrots, diced

3 stalks celery, sliced

4 potatoes, diced

1 small leek (optional), chopped

4 small green onions, chopped

8-12 cups of water (depending on how thick you like it)

4 tablespoons chicken soup base (oxo cubes are ok)

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons salt

1 tablespoon pepper

1/2 tsp thyme

1 1/2 tablespoons dill weed spice 

1 large can diced tomatoes

fresh dill and sour cream for topping

Directions

Melt butter in a large pot. Add garlic and cook until nicely browned. Add beets, cabbage, onion, carrots, celery, potatoes, leek, green onions and fry until slightly browned. Add water and chicken soup base, bay leaves, salt and pepper, thyme and dill weed spice. Cook until tender (about 20-30 mins) then add diced tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes more. 

Top with fresh dill and a dollop of sour cream

Enjoy!

Roasted Tomato Zucchini and Corn Soup

While I'm not a terribly huge fan of pureed soups, I really did enjoy this one! It had just enough texture to prevent me feeling like I was eating baby food.

This soup also somehow had a "fresh" taste to it. I'm not sure I've ever come across a soup quite like this one before! Very tasty.

Original recipe found at heatherlikesfood 

Ingredients 

2 28oz cans whole tomatoes, drained

2 medium zucchini, chopped

2 cups corn kernels

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 cups vegetable broth

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon chilli powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 425F. Spread tomatoes, zucchini, and corn evenly in a baking dish and drizzle with olive oil and salt. Bake for 45 minutes. Place baked vegetables in a blender and puree. Pour into a large soup pot, then add the broth and remaining seasonings. Bring to a boil, then serve and enjoy!

Coconut Lentil Soup with Curried Brown Butter

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, ghee or coconut oil

1 large yellow onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

5 1/2 cups vegetable broth or water

1 1/2 cups lentils, (or green split peas), picked over and rinsed

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon Indian curry powder

1/2 cup coconut milk

1 bunch fresh chives, minced 

croutons or bread 

Directions

Combine the 2 tablespoon butter, onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes in a large pot and cook over medium heat stirring regularly until the onions soften (about 5 minutes). Add the broth and lentils and simmer for 20-30 minutes until the lentils are nice and tender. 

In the meantime, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and let it brown. When it starts to smell nutty and fragrant, add in the curry powder and stir for 1 minute. Remove from heat.

 If you are unsure of how to do this, follow THIS tutorial. I had to look it up myself. 

When the lentils are finished cooking, remove from heat, stir in the coconut milk and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Puree with an emulsion blender. You can leave the soup as chunky or as smooth as you like, it's totally up to your taste and texture preference. 

Stir in half of the spiced butter, taste, and add more salt if needed. I opted to use water in place of the broth and so adjusted the salt accordingly. Serve drizzled with remaining brown butter, and sprinkle with fresh chives or croutons if desired. 

Recipe from 101cookbooks.com

Coconut Sweet Potato Corn Chowder

And just like that.... soup season was upon us! I've got mixed feelings about that. But great feelings about it when I come across recipes like this!

I'll be honest, I'm a bit of a bread addict. I am therefore trying to cut down on my bread product intake. It's so hard to me to fathom eating a bowl of soup without the complements of a nice side of bread. So I was on a mission to find a hearty soup recipe that would be good enough without it. What a success! I didn't think once about adding a side of anything to this dish.

Recipe altered from immaeatthat 

Ingredients

1 large sweet potato cubed (about 4 cups)

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 cups cooked corn kernels 

1 large red onion finely diced

1 cup celery finely diced

1 garlic clove minced

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 + 1/8th teaspoons salt

1/4 + 1/8th teaspoons pepper

2 cups vegetable broth

1 Tablespoon coconut oil

1 cup canned coconut milk

Optional toppings

corn

tomatoes

black beans

sprouts

avocado

cilantro

Preheat oven to 450F. Toss cubed sweet potatoes in olive oil, 1/8teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, stirring half-way through.

Cook corn kernels while sweet potatoes are baking. Place 1 cup of the cooked corn into a blender with 1 cup of water and blend until smooth. Leave puree in blender and set aside.

Heat the coconut oil in a large pot on medium-high heat, then add the diced onions. Add the diced celery after the onions have slightly softened. Once both are soft, add minced garlic, dried thyme and the remaining cup of corn kernels. Cook until fragrant, then reduce heat to low. 

Once sweet potatoes have cooked through, add 1 cup to the vegetable mixture in the pot. Transfer the rest into the blender with the corn puree. Add 1 cup of the vegetable broth to the blender mixture and 1 cup to the pot mixture. Blend the sweet potato and corn puree until smooth, then add to the pot. Add the coconut milk and remaining salt and pepper. 

Allow soup to simmer for 30 minutes. Serve with your choice of topping. 

I topped mine with a bit of corn and sliced grape tomatoes. The tomatoes definitely added an excellent touch!

Enjoy!

- Arianne

Brazillian Shrimp Soup

I found this recipe on Food and Wine while I was meal planning for the week. (P.S, if you don't meal plan, start! It is the best way to save yourself time, money and frustrations over what you are having for dinner!) I do all my meal planning (dinners only) for the week on Pinterest on a board called Meals this week.

 Following a meal plan allows me to only have to go to the grocery store once during the week. I write down everything I'm going to need and choose one day (usually Monday) to get all the ingredients. Of course there are some days that I don't feel like making the meal I have chosen for that day, so I just switch it with a different day, or go out for dinner. Yes, we do go out for dinner, but with meal planning, it doesn't happen nearly as often as it could.  Follow Me if you need any ideas for delicious meals throughout the week! 

As I was saying, I found this soup recipe while meal planning and didn't read the reviews on it until the night that I planned on making it. Most people said they found the soup too bland or lacking flavour so I almost didn't make it, but I'm so glad I did! With a few tweaks here and there, it turned out to be very filling, creamy and the word, "bland," was nowhere in sight! I will be making this one often!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons coconut oil

1 onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 cup uncooked rice

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

2-3 large tomatoes, pureed (use a blender)

2 cups gluten free chicken broth

1 cup water

1 can full fat coconut milk

1 1/2 pounds frozen shrimp, thawed

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

In a large pot, heat the coconut oil on medium heat until melted. Add the onion, bell pepper and garlic and cook stirring occasionally until softened (5-10 mins).

Add the rice, salt, and pepper and give it a quick stir. Add in the pureed tomatoes, chicken broth, and water and cook until the rice is almost tender (about 10 minutes). 

Stir the coconut milk into the soup. Bring back to a simmer and then stir in the shrimp. Simmer stirring occasionally until the shrimp is tender and the rice is cooked fully (3-5 mins). 

Do not overcook the rice, or it will be mushy!

Stir in the lemon juice and cilantro. 

Top with more cilantro and freshly ground pepper if desired. 

Enjoy- Alex

Maple Sweet Potato Soup

It is now the middle of April and winter is STILL upon us. The only good thing about all this snow and cold, is that it gives me the freedom to make as much soup as I want, without any complaints from my husband!   : ) 

Slightly altered from Vegetarian Ventures

Ingredients

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 onion, diced

3 sweet potatoes, washed and cut into cubes (skin on)

1/4 cup 100% pure maple syrup

4 cups vegetable broth

Topping 

1/2 cup canned coconut milk (don't shake the can before opening so the coconut milk and water stay separated)

2 teaspoons all spice

toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

salt and pepper, to taste

Directions 

Heat coconut oil in a large saucepan. Add the onions and cook until translucent (about 5 minutes). Add in the sweet potatoes and maple syrup and cook until nicely browned (about 15 minutes). Add the broth and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes are nice and tender. Remove from heat and carefully pour into a blender. Blend until smooth. 

Combine the coconut milk and allspice in a small bowl. Garnish the soup with it as well as the toasted pepitas. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy! Alex

Creamy Crockpot Tomato Chicken Soup

If there is only going to be one recipe you make from this blog, then this should be it! It is ridiculously easy, healthy and so very delicious. This recipe makes a lot, so make sure to freeze half if you don't plan on feeding a crowd. My little family loved this,  and we had leftovers for a couple of days. We couldn't get enough!

Recipe slightly adapted from Rivernorthpaleo

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (can be fresh or frozen)
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
1 can coconut milk (full fat)
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes and juice
2 cups chicken broth
1 small can of tomato paste
1/2 jar of your favourite tomato sauce
sea salt and pepper to taste

 brown rice, and spinach - optional (for serving).

Directions - Put all the above ingredients (except rice and spinach), in a crockpot and cook for 8 hours on low.  After 8 hours, take 2 forks and shred the chicken. Once shredded, return chicken to crockpot and set the crockpot on warm until ready to serve.

Place spinach in bowls and top with chicken soup and add a scoop of rice if desired. Drizzle a bit of coconut milk on the top. Serve and enjoy! Alex

Carrot Apple Ginger Soup

People always ask me if my kids eat all the food that I cook. The answer is yes, and no. The rule at my house is that we always try everything!  My 3 year old is tough. She really doesn't like much of anything. I have never made a separate meal for my kids because I believe they should eat what I eat. That said, there are certain things that I myself am not very fond of, so why do I expect my children to like everything that I make? 

The good thing, is that once she takes a bite of the food (and most times, that is a struggle in itself), she will (usually) continue to finish her meal. This soup was no exception. As soon as she heard the word, "Carrot," she immediately told me she was, "not eating it!" I got her to try a tiny bite and what do you know, she loved it! I consider anything that she likes to be a success! 

I was so happy that she loved the soup, especially since getting her to eat her veggies is quite the chore, and this soup is FULL of them. I hope you love this soup as much as we did. It tastes even better on the second day. 

Recipe lightly adapted from Oh She Glows

(Vegan if using vegetable broth)

Ingredients

1-2 tablespoons coconut oil

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, pressed

1-2 tablespoons ginger, freshly grated

1 large apple, chopped 

5 cups carrots, peeled and chopped

4 cups, vegetable broth (I used chicken)

pinch of nutmeg

kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions

In a large pot, melt coconut oil over medium heat. Add chopped onions and cook until translucent (about 5 minutes). Add minced garlic and ginger and cook for a couple minutes on low. Add chopped apple and carrots and cook for a couple more minutes. 

Add the broth, stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low-medium and cook until carrots are tender (about 20 minutes). 

Carefully transfer soup into a blender. Add a pinch of nutmeg and blend until smooth. Make sure to allow the steam to escape through the top of the blender! Season with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy, Alex!

Creamy Cauliflower Soup

As you can tell, I've been on quite the soup kick lately. What I love about this recipe, is that it is super comforting and creamy, without any dairy! It is very simple to make, and my picky eater gobbled it up, even asking for a second bowl (what?). I will be making this one often!

Slightly adapted from Jenn Cuisine

Ingredients 

2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 head cauliflower, chopped
4 medium white potatoes, chopped
3 cups vegetable broth
2 cups almond milk
salt and pepper to taste
thyme for garnish

Directions 

Melt coconut oil in a skillet and add onion, garlic and bay leaf until soft. Transfer to a large pot. Add cauliflower, potatoes, broth and milk and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and let cook until potatoes are soft. Discard bay leaf Remove from heat and puree with a blender. Add in salt, pepper to taste. Garnish with thyme. Enjoy - Alex

Simple Tomato Soup

    Recipe from 101 Cookbooks

Last year, I took a further look into my health, and discovered that I, like many others, have a few food sensitivities. I was placed on an elimination diet (gluten, dairy and egg free).  It was a brand new concept to me, and I felt like there wasn't much that I could partake in. I basically stuck to fruit, vegetables, meat, potatoes and rice. My friend, Barb, (knowing that I was on an elimination diet), generously invited me over for lunch. I was so thrilled that someone was kind enough to invite me over and cater to my "restrictive," (or so I thought at the time), diet.

 I made my way over to her house and lunch was served. She called it, Simple Tomato Soup, and it changed the way I thought about my diet. It was music to my taste buds! I started thinking more about what I could eat, instead of what I couldn't. I have made it several times since then, and it is definitely one of my favourite soups today! Thank you for introducing it to me, Barb!

Ingredients

4 tablespoons coconut oil
2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt, to taste
3 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
2 (28 oz) cans whole tomatoes
3-6 cups water (depending on how creamy you like it)
1 (14 oz) can coconut milk

To serve :  Top with your choice of croutons, a dollop of sour cream or coconut milk, fresh herbs, roasted slivered almonds, juice from a lemon, a scoop of brown rice, or a poached egg. In the picture above I had rice, roasted almonds, oregano, lemon juice, and a drizzle of coconut milk. Perfection!

Directions

In a large pot over medium heat, melt the coconut oil. Add the onions and salt, stirring occasionally until the onions soften up (about 10 minutes). Once the onions are soft, stir in the curry powder, coriander, cumin and chili flakes. Stir constantly for 30 seconds until the spices are fragrant. Stir in the tomatoes, the juices from the cans and 3-6 cups of water. Simmer for 15 minutes or so then puree with a hand blender until smooth. Test the soup and decide if you want it thinner (by adding more water), or creamier (by adding some coconut milk). Taste and adjust with more salt to taste. Enjoy! Alex

French Onion Soup

I discovered this soup a couple of years ago on Simply Recipes and I have had a severe addiction to it ever since! I usually make it for lunch on cold days, and my little ladies and I can't get enough of it. Although it is a bit time consuming, I can easily say it is my favourite soup recipe to date, and most certainly worth the time it takes to make it! 

Ingredients

6 large yellow onions

Olive oil

1/4 teaspoon sugar

2 cloves of garlic, minced

8 cups beef stock 

1 bay leaf

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

Salt and pepper

8 slices of french bread

1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese

Directions 

In a large sauce pan sauté the onions in olive oil on medium high heat until browned, but not burned. (It usually takes 30-40 minutes, or longer.) Add the sugar about 10 minutes into the process to help the onions caramelize. 

Once the onions are nicely browned, add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Then add broth, bay leaf, and thyme. Cover and let simmer on medium low heat for 30 minutes until the flavours are well blended. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Discard the bay leaf. 

Ladle soup into oven proof bowls. Cover with toast, sprinkle with cheese and broil for 10 minutes at 350 degrees, or the cheese bubbles and is slightly browned. Serve immediately. I hope you enjoy this as much as we do! -Alex

Creamy, Butternut Squash Soup

 I'm a bit of a squash fanatic. Especially butternut squash - I love to utilize it in any way possible, and this is one of my favorite ways!

I'll admit, while this may not be the healthiest recipe around, it is certainly delicious! (But who can live without that cream cheese??) This warm, creamy soup is so simple and perfect for a cold day. Or any day for that matter.

Ingredients

1 apple cubed (peel optional)

1 butternut squash (peeled and cubed)

1 onion, chopped

4 cups chicken (or vegetable) stock

1/2 package cream cheese

nutmeg - dash

salt to taste

pepper to taste

Place chicken(or vegetable) stock, onion, apple, and butternut squash in a pot and bring to a boil for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and place in a blender. Add cream cheese and puree. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste.

Enjoy!

- Arianne