We're in a soup kinda mood

When my husband and I took our honeymoon to Mexico, I came across a gem of a soup. I was instantly addicted. I came home and again began inventing and lo and behold, this soup was born. Yes, it is green, but give it a chance.

This soup is a little different than I'm sure most of you have seen because I have never found another version of it around here. It is Roasted Poblano Soup, yumm. In case you haven't heard of them, poblanos are a large green chile pepper. They are in the middle of the heat scale, not too spicy but with a little kick. The ones from last night were a lot milder than usual which I guess was good because my kids aren't so into the spicy food like my husband and I. I top the soup with a mound of cripsy tortilla strips and cotija (ko-tee-huh) cheese. Cotija cheese is a part-skim milk mexican cheese that you can find in most supermarkets now. It is dry and salty and can be crumbled over almost anything. It has a little resemblance to feta in both texture and taste. Fresh cilantro really adds brightness and I would urge you not to leave it out unless you are really adverse to it. During the summer months, I love to add fresh roasted corn on top for an added crunch. I also like to serve the soup with a pile of sliced limes for those that like a little zip to the soup.

It has been a long, long time since those honeymoon days spent on the beach in Mexico. And the soup had almost slipped my memory. I hadn't made it in a few years because frankly, I had forgotten about it. But, a conversation about our honeymoon brought it back to my memory and I am so glad that I could somewhat recall the way that I made it, (I had forgotten to write the recipe down years ago when I invented it). My kids were a little skeptical about eating something green as most kids are, but when they saw the crispy tortilla stips on top, they were a little less aprehensive. My oldest dove right in, (she is a lot like me in both temperament and image). She then questioned me as to why mine had cilantro and hers did not, I chopped some more and sprinkled it over hers at which point she exclaimed, "I love cilantro!". My other daughter however, began to pick the soup apart, (she is definately more like my husband!). She can't stand to have things mixed or touching. So, after seperating the tortilla stips from the soup, she ventured a little bite and then slowly ate the rest of the soup. My youngest, who is not quite 2 just played in the soup, but by the looks of him, I think that he got some in his mouth. My husband, who does not like anything that grows in the ground let alone anything green, loves this soup also. I am a little worried though, as he discovered my secret last night that the soup contains frozen peas. (Why didn't I throw the bag away before we ate?!) I hope that you enjoy this recipe as we do. It really is delicious, even if it is green.



Roasted Poblano Soup


4-5 poblano peppers
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 (16oz) bag of frozen peas, thawed
1 potato, peeled and cubed
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup water
1/2 cup heavy cream
crispy tortilla strips or tortilla chips*
Cotija cheese (monterey jack can be substituted)
fresh cilantro


1. Preheat the broiler in your oven. Cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Place the poblano peppers on the cookie sheet and place under the broiler, close to the heat source. Broil, turing once the first side is charred and black. Make sure that the peppers are blackened all over. Remove the peppers from the sheete and place in a glass bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap, let sit for about 5 minutes to cool and allow the skins to loosen. When cool enough to handle, peel away the skins and then remove the stems. Open up and remove the seeds. Roughly chop the peppers.

2. While the peppers are in the bowl cooling, heat the oil in a dutch oven over meduim heat. Add the onion, celery and salt and pepper. Cook to softern about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and the peppers and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Add the peas, potato, broth and the water. Simmer for about 10 minutes or until the peas are cooked and the potato is softened.

3. Puree the soup in the pot using an immersion blender. Or puree the soup in batches in a blender. ( do not fill the blender more than half full unless you want to be wearing that hot green soup!) If the soup is too thick, add water when blending.

4. Return the soup to the pot and warm through. Slowly stir in the cream, adjusting the amount depending on the spicyness and consistency Taste and add more salt if needed. Dish into bowls and top with tortilla strips, cheese and cilantro. Enjoy!

*to make your own tortilla strips, thinly slice a few corn tortillas. Place them on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Spray the tortilla strips with cooking spray, tossing to coat. Sprinkle with salt and bake at 450 degrees until crispy, about 5-10 minutes. watch them closely as they burn easily.

Minestone soup that's mmm mmm good!

A few years ago I was craving a good vegetable soup. I looked through the recipes that I had and couldn't find one that fit my mood, so I got out some things from the fridge and the pantry and began inventing. This delicious soup was the creation that I came up with. I quickly scribbled the recipe down and tucked it away into one of my recipe books. Anytime that I am in the mood for a good comforting soup, I reach for this recipe. What amazes me most is that my kids will eat it. In fact, when I made it this evening, my daughter asked if I would make it again tomorrow. Luckily we have a few leftovers.

Minestrone Soup

3 large carrots, sliced

4 stalks of cerey, sliced

1 onion, diced

2 TBS. olive oil

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tsp, Italian seasoning

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 zucchini, cut into half moon pieces

1 cup freash baby spinach, chopped

2 TBS. tomato paste

4 cups of water

4 cups vegetable broth
2 cans white beans, drained and rinsed ( I use S&W brand)

1 cup whole grain penne or elbow pasta ( I love the Barrilla Plus)

Heat the oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add the carrots, celery and onion. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 5-7 minutes to soften. Add the italian seasoning, garlic, zucchini and spinach, saute for 1 more minute. Add the tomato paste, water, vegetable broth and white beans. Stir well to combine. Bring to a simmer and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Turn the heat up to a boil and add the pasta cook 10 more or until the pasta is cooked through (penne will take longer than elbows). Top with fresh parmesan cheese and enjoy!

I love to serve the soup with a good french bread. I have a recipe that I love that has a whole grain cereal in the dough which makes it moist when cooked through. Toast the bread slices with a little olive oil and rub with a garlic clove and you have a piece of garlic toast that just can't be beat.

10 Grain French Bread

(Adapted from a Bob's Red Mill recipe)

4 1/2 tsp. instant yeast

2 cups warm water

2 Tbs. brown sugar

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 Tbs Kosher salt
4 cups all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/3 cup Bob's Red Mill 10-grain cereal

1 egg, beaten

2 TBS italian seasoning

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In the bowl of a mixer, combine the water, yeast and sugar. Leave to proof for 10 minutes. (The mixture should foam up and smell "yeasty") Add the oil, 3 cups of the flour and the salt. Mix, using the dough hook, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the whole wheat flour and the 10-grain cereal. When well mixed, slowly add the other cup of all purpose flour. Let mix/knead for 10 minutes. Empty dough onto a floured surface and knead a few times to form a smooth dough. Divide the dough in half. Roll out each half into a 13" x 9" rectangle and roll up from long end, like a jelly roll. Pinch seams to seal. Transfer to a greased cookie sheet. Brush tops and sides with beatened egg. Sprinkle the dough with a little salt, the italian seasoning and the cheese. With a sharp knife make slits across the dough. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about 30-45 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake 25-30 minutes or until browned.