POTATO + LEEK + WHITE BEAN SOUP

I love soups this time of year! I've been making them like crazy lately. They're just so easy to throw together. And when it's time to clean out the fridge, I can almost always pull something together with a few stocked canned goods. They've made life a little easier around here with all the hustle and bustle over the holidays. So in comes this crazy good soup loaded with leeks, potatoes & white beans. I'm in love with leeks at the moment and used two large ones here. They add a wonderful mellow onion flavor that pairs perfectly with the other ingredients. I've made this soup a few times over the past couple of weeks and found that I love tarragon as my herb, along with savory. But don't worry, if you don't have either of these two herbs on hand, thyme and/or herbs de provence will work perfectly in their place. The latter are two herbs I always have stocked! The preferred potato to use would be red or Yukon gold. For the beans, I would stick with cannellini or great northern but chickpeas (garbanzo beans) would be ok too. If you manage to have left overs, the flavors get even better. Soup will thicken a bit after a couple of hours (here) from the potatoes which is nice (soup shown here is right after cooking and broth is thin). So gather your ingredients and get ready for a simple and flavorful soup to keep you warm and feeling your best any time of year!

Sauté your leeks, add spices and cook a minute more. Add the remaining ingredients and cook until potatoes are fork tender. And voila...soups on! It's that easy...

 POTATO + LEEK + WHITE BEAN SOUP

Ingredients

• 3 lbs. yukon gold potatoes, cubed 1/2 inch
• 2 medium/large leeks, sliced and dirt removed (white & pale green parts only)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil or 1/4 cup water (water saute)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons each dried tarragon & savory or 1 tablespoon herbes de provence or thyme
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• 3 cups cooked or 2 cans (15 oz.) cannellini beans (drained and rinsed)
• 5 cups vegetable broth
• mineral salt & fresh cracked pepper to taste

In a large pot or dutch oven, heat oil/water over medium-high. Add leeks and saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Add in herbs and spices, cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add in potatoes, beans, broth and salt & pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until potatoes are fork tender. Let cool a few minutes before serving.

Serve with topped with chopped parsley if you like and a slice of crusty bread to soak up the juices.

Serves 4 - 6

Notes:

You can change up the herbs here with what you have on hand. I really love the tarragon and savory here but starter cooks may not have them on hand so the herbs de provence and thyme will be great too!

Here is a simple guide to slicing and cleaning leeks: How To Clean Leeks 

RUSTIC CABBAGE, POTATO & WHITE BEAN SOUP

Wondering what to do with a half head of cabbage and potatoes I had sitting around brought about this hearty soup. It's brimming with vegetables, white beans and spices and is enough to feed a small crowd. Add some socca or crusty bread to the meal and you're all set. The socca I made here was seasoned simply with salt & pepper and can be whipped up while the soup is cooking. It's a nice accompaniment, not so much of a soaking bread like crusty bread, but delicious and filling. The soup in itself makes for a complete, nutritious meal with the beans adding a good amount of protein. I used leeks in this recipe, they lend a nice mellow onion flavor, but you can sub in an onion if you like. This turned out to be a great place to use up the leftover produce. I love cabbage in soups, this will be made many times to come. I'm happy to share another hearty soup for the recipe collection to inspire your senses, keeping you plant strong and loving it! 

Feel free to change up the vegetables. If you're missing one or two, you can still pull this together and have a wonderful soup. If you can't find leeks, use 1 medium onion, diced, in its place. For the cabbage, use your favorite here. I happen to have regular green cabbage on hand but savoy cabbage would be great too. 

For this time around I chose to use herbes de provence. I love the combination of spices, especially the fennel that I find in this blend from The Spice Hunter. I also added in a teaspoon of fennel here because I love it. Feel free to use any spices you like as most of them will work well here. You can use 2 - 3 teaspoons of an Italian blend or combine a few herbs using 1 teaspoon each: thyme, oregano, rosemary. You can also use sage, marjoram or parsley, savory, etc...in any combination as long it equals about 1 tablespoon. 

When using Better Than Bouillon vegetable broth base, I never use the recommended serving size. I use just enough to flavor the water. For this recipe I used just under 2 teaspoons. This makes my jar last a lot longer and reduces the 'would be' sodium content per recipe. I've just recently (the last six months or so) been using their vegetable broth base and love it!

This is a one pot soup that's so easy to pull together. Saute the leeks, celery and carrots, add spices and garlic, cook a bit more. Add remaining ingredients ending with cabbage and white beans last as pictured above. Cover and simmer until cabbage and potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes. Serve with bread of choice. Enjoy often!

RUSTIC CABBAGE, POTATO & WHITE BEAN SOUP

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup water or 2 tablespoons olive or grapeseed oil (for sauteing)
• 2 leeks (use white & pale green parts), sliced and rinsed 
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon herbs de Provence OR 1 teaspoon each thyme, rosemary, oregano
• 1 can (15oz) diced tomatoes 
• 6 - 7 cups vegetable broth or water
• 2 medium gold potatoes, diced
• 1/2 head large cabbage, sliced (savoy or green)
• 3 cups cooked white beans or 2 cans (15oz), drained and rinsed (use cannellini, great northern or navy) 
• mineral salt & fresh cracked pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley, to garnish

Prepare your vegetables. After slicing your leeks, be sure to place them in a colander and rinse them well under cool running water to remove any dirt and sand that may have collected between the leaf sheaths. If there's a lot of dirt, place sliced leeks in a bowl of cool water and gently swish the leeks around to dislodge any unwanted remnants. Drain water by gently tilting the bowl with one hand and holding your hand over the leeks with the other so they don't fall out, or simply drain into a colander. Repeat until leeks are clear of dirt and sand. Here is a good tutorial from, The Kitchn, on how to wash and prep your leeks. Lastly, another method you may try is this: Slice off the root and the dark green parts. Slice in half vertically. Run under cold running water, opening up the layers as you rinse. Lay on flat surface and slice thinly hortizontally. 

In a large dutch oven or stock pot, heat water/oil over medium to medium-high heat, add leeks, carrots and celery, saute for 5 minutes. Smells delicious already! Add garlic and spices, saute for 1 minute more or until fragrant. Add tomatoes, broth, potatoes, cabbage and beans, bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes, until potatoes and cabbage are tender. Taste for seasoning adding salt & pepper as needed. 

Serve topped with parsley and a serving of socca or crusty bread. Enjoy!

Serves 6 - 8.

Notes: 

As noted above, change the herbs to whatever you have on hand. You could also use an Italian blend seasoning if you like. I also like to add in a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.

I would suggest using the biggest pot you have for ease, this makes quite a bit of soup.

If leeks are not available, sub in 1 medium onion, diced.

Chickpea Ratatouille Niçoise

Ratatouille, a rustic farm to table style dish. It's a summer/early fall recipe for those who appreciate big flavor and simplicity while using the seasons harvest. Originating in Nice, it's a traditional French Provençal stewed vegetable dish. Ratatouille is often served as a side dish but it is a recipe that can undoubtedly stand alone, especially with the addition of chickpeas adding a fair amount of protein to this colorful array of garden vegetables. There is much debate as to how to prepare ratatouille, but I chose to adapt my recipe from this one at La Tartine Gourmade, she also has a nice story with hers. It's a fairly simple approach to preparing this dish involving sauteeing and stewing on the stove top which resulted in a wonderful finish. And it tastes even better the next day! You may also like to see other cooking styles of ratatouille, I recommend looking at these for more inspiration: Saveur (I'll for sure be doing this one, it's perfectly old world rustic and comfy looking),  86 Lemons (a simple roasted version using chickpeas as well) and Olives For Dinner (a 'confit byaldi', a little more tidy looking making for a beautiful presentation). 

I know ratatouille isn't anything new but this classic sure deserves a place in the simple veganista collection!

Gather your ingredients. These are all common vegetables, and fruits ie, tomato, and available year round here in Southern California. Eggplant is the only produce that seems to be more seasonal here, or maybe I just don't notice it as much as I don't use it often. For the garbanzo beans, you can start with dried beans cooking them according to this guide or use canned for extra ease. Herbs can be varied to suit your taste. Bea, author of the original recipe, uses a bay leaf and tarragon in her recipe. Here I have used fresh basil, thyme and some herbes de Provence. I even threw in some red pepper flakes. Go with what you feel, there is no wrong way to season your ratatouille as long as you like it! It's also a great way to change it up. I think I'll try some tarragon next time myself.

Dice your vegetables. Next time, I'll be sure to chop the bell peppers the same size as the zucchini and eggplant, about 1/2 inch cubes. It makes it a bit easier to eat when they are uniform in size. I do like the onion sliced here but feel free to dice that instead too. It may seem as though you have too much produce (the tomatoes aren't even shown) and won't fit in the pot but the eggplant will shrink down and the rest of the veggies will soften and you'll be fine. You may even consider adding extra next time to make sure you have leftovers.

Vegetables have been sauteed and the ratatouille is ready for the first round of simmering before adding in the chickpeas. Still nice and colorful.

Chickpeas have been added and will simmer awhile longer. Depending on how you like your vegetables will depend on the length of time you allow your ratatouille to simmer. The longer you leave it, the more juices will form making for a great dipping sauce for a slice of good artisan bread. I preferred simmering mine for a total of about 35 minutes, I like the color and crisper texture but I didn't get as much of the juices. Go for a full hour or more to really let the ingredients sweat and get the juices going. Again, still colorful here. Your colors may become muted the longer you stew but the result with be delicious!

Chickpea Ratatouille Niçoise

Ingredients

• 3 cups cooked chickpeas (2 cans (15oz) garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed)
• 4 tablespoon olive oil, divided
• 1 eggplant, diced
• 3 small zucchini or 2 medium, diced
• 2 bell peppers (1 yellow & 1 red pref.), seeds removed, sliced
• 1 onion, sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 lb. grape tomatoes, cut in half 
• 2 teaspoons herbes de Provence or fresh thyme (I added a bit of both)
• a few fresh basil leaves (left whole or chopped)
• mineral salt, to taste
• pinch of red pepper flakes, optional

In a heavy bottom pot or dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat, add eggplant and zucchini, saute for 5 minutes. Remove from pot and set aside.

Heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat, add onions, garlic and bell peppers, saute for 3-4 minutes. Add tomatoes, mix well and cook 5 minutes. Add in eggplant, zucchini, herbs, spices and season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to a low and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Add in chickpeas and simmer anywhere from 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on your personal preference (less time for crisper vegetables, more time for softer vegetables and more juices). Stir occasionally until ready.

Serve topped with chopped fresh herbs. Pair it with a gluten free or favorite artisan loaf of bread. I have it here with a wonderful olive loaf. Try serving it on a bed of quinoa, rice or pasta to make it go further.

Serve warm, cold or at room temperature.

Notes:

To make this virtually fat free, try water sauteeing your vegetables using about 3 - 4 tablespoons of water instead of oil. Total amount of water for this recipe would be 6 - 8 tablespoons, divided.

I would dice my bell peppers next time, it's easier to eat them when they are the same size as the zucchini and eggplant pieces.

For the spices, try mixing and matching marjoram, thyme, rosemary, fennel and/or savory. Or use a bay leaf and tarragon.

The longer you simmer the more juices will accumulate.

Enjoy!

WINTER POTATO, WHITE BEAN & KALE SOUP

Another soup is born! I love soups...plus it's raining here today and I wanted something easy and warm. I've been on the computer most of the day too setting up my Instagram account and playing with my phone, linking everything together with social media. All that stuff takes time and I'm glad to be done with that. It's time well spent as it's a new experience for me...and your more than welcome to join me if you like to see what else is going on in my kitchen, as well as out and about in the big wide world. This was a perfect soup to accompany the weather and my geek day. It's also great for it's healing, relaxing, warming and flavorful qualities. All the vegetables and spices came together so well. The purplish hue of the broth comes from the purple sweet potato I used. With all this color, you know it's full of nutrients. The sweet potato and sun-dried tomatoes add a nice sweetness to the soup. If you can't find purple potatoes, you can sub with any color you can find. If you don't care for sweet potatoes, use Yukon gold, red or purple or blue potatoes. This is a perfect hearty and nutrient dense soup for those cool afternoon days and chilly nights. It was so good and filling! 

WINTER POTATO, WHITE BEAN & KALE SOUP

Ingredients

• 2 large sweet potatoes, diced (orange, purple, white or combo)
• 1 tablespoon grapeseed or olive oil OR 1/4 cup water
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cans (15 oz) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed or 3 cups cooked
• small handful sun-dried tomatoes, chopped 
• 4 - 5 cups vegetable broth
• 2 teaspoons herbes de provence or thyme
• 3 or 4 handfuls kale, chopped (I used tuscan)
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• sea salt & fresh cracked pepper to taste

In large pot or dutch oven, heat oil/water over medium heat, add onion and saute for 5 minutes, until onion becomes translucent. Add garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and herbes de provence, saute 1 minute.

Add broth, potatoes, beans and kale, bring to a boil, cover, turn down heat to low and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes...just until potatoes are tender. Remove from heat add nutritional and give a good stir. 

Serve with crusty bread and a light dusting of  almond parmesan. 

Makes about 4 - 6 servings.

Notes: 

Use any potatoes you like, just use about 5 cups worth. Leave the skin on or remove it according to your preference. 

*Herbes de provence is a great herb blend for the pantry. I use them quite often in my soups, like this Parsnip & Split Soup and Chickpea Ratatouille. It won't go to waste if you love soups and cook often enough. And if you can't find it, the thyme is a great herb all by itself!

Recipe adapted from Elizabeth Antionette