Tag Archives: potato soup

Comfort food, Healthy, Main Dishes, Soups, Vegetarian

Corn & Potato Chowder

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As summer winds down and schools re-open, some mourn the loss of hot, carefree summer days at the beach, while others rejoice at cooler nights and empty houses (I see you, moms everywhere!). For those who garden, or anyone who eats locally, you know this means that corn and potatoes are coming to the end of harvest season. There isn’t much better than biting into a crisp, sweet corn on the cob! But in case you get tired of that, this is a great way to use corn, or feel free to substitute in canned or frozen too.

Now that the heat of summer is starting to wane, soups and chowders become more tempting. Save some of your bumper crop of corn in the freezer, and potatoes store well for months in a cool dry place, and you can have this chowder anytime in the coming months. You can take fresh cooked corn cobs, and using a sharp knife just cut all the kernels right off.  Freeze those in bags, and you will have a taste of summer any time. Or use the freshest, sweetest corn you can get your hands on and make it right now!

Corn and potato chowder

Ingredients:

  • 3-4 ears of cooked corn, with kernels cut off (or 1 can/small bag frozen)
  • 3-4 medium red skin potatoes, diced
  • 2 tbsp butter or oil
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 3-4 tbsp flour or cornstarch
  • 2 small leeks
  • 1/2 small onion
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • Black pepper & salt to taste

Step 1: In a frying pan, cook the onions, leeks, garlic, and potatoes in oil for 10-15 minutes, until onions are translucent and potatoes are soft. Add the corn and chicken stock, bring to a boil for 3-5 minutes.

Corn and potato chowder with biscuit

Step 2: Remove a few tbsp of the soup, and add the flour to it. Mix well to create a roux, then pour back into the pot along with the milk. Bring to barely a simmer, season to your tastes. Serve with fresh biscuits and top with fresh parsley if you like!

 

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Comfort food, Crock pot, Healthy, Less than 5, Main Dishes, Slow cooker, Soups, Vegan, Vegetarian

Parsnip, Potato, & Leek Spring Soup

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I don’t know about the weather elsewhere, but the weather here in Connecticut seems to be very bi-polar.  One day it is in the 50s and sunny, and I am getting cabin fever and want to plant everything in the seed catalog immediately, the next day we get almost a foot of snow dumped on us overnight.  What’s going on here?

I am so thankful that CT has some amazing farmers who have hoop houses, green houses, store rooms, and other ways of extending our crazy growing season, so that we are already getting some of the first tender crops of the springtime.  Though not quite yet asparagus season, we have access to several root crops (beets, parsnips, onions, potatoes, leeks…), winter squash, eggs & meats, and tender fresh greens (grown inside of course).

Spring Farmers Market Foods

Usually I plan the week’s meals before going to the store, but I decided to get crazy this week, and let the market make my meal plan.  Whatever was fresh and available, I will form the week’s meals around that.  This is one small step on my lifelong journey to be a locavore (to eat whole seasonal foods grown as close to me as possible as often as possible).

A big bag of fresh microgreens, spinach, and head lettuce means tons of fresh salads.  Healthy brown eggs means breakfasts, frittatas, and quiches.  CT grown oyster mushrooms may be grilled, sauteed, added to soups, or stir fried.  The fingerling potatoes will complement just about anything, and the beets too have many many options.

Soup spices whole

The first dish I decided to make (after a giant fresh greens salad, because I couldn’t wait and helped myself almost as soon as I got home) was a slow cooker soup.  I had obtained leeks, parsnips, and fingerling potatoes.  Combined with onions I had over-wintered, fresh ground spices, and canned turkey broth (from Thanksgiving!) it would be the perfect thing on a chilly snow-covered day.

Parsnip Potato Leek Soup Ingredients

Ingredients:

  • 1 large parsnip (or carrot)
  • 1 large leek
  • 3-5 small potatoes
  • 1/2 medium onion
  • 2-3 cups bone broth, vegetable broth, or water
  • Optional spices: black pepper, fennel, cumin, sea salt, garlic

Spring soup in the crock pot

Step 1: If using fresh whole spices, grind them up in a coffee or spice grinder.  In a crock pot or small soup pot, add the broth.  Wash the outside of the produce, but leave the skin on.  Dice up the potatoes, parsnip, onion, and leek and add to the pot.  Add water to cover.

Step 2: Cook in crock pot on “high” for 4 hours or “low” for 6-8 hours, or bring to a boil on the stove, and simmer for 1-2 hours. Serve fresh with a drizzle of olive oil and maybe some thick bread or rolls.

 

 

Main Dishes, Sneaky Healthy, Soups, Vegan, Vegetarian

I can’t believe it’s healthy baked potato soup

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As winter slowly and painfully winds to a close, here is a recipe sure to warm you as you dream of spring. Everyone loves a nice hot baked potato, and even more so when it is in soup form. I love baked potato soup because it is a great use of a cheap yet healthy staple food, and it is so darn tasty.

The problem lies in the cream. Most baked potato soups either at a restaurant or in grandma’s kitchen rely on heavy creams, dairy, and lots of salt. This creates a dish which delights the taste buds, but not so much the waistline. Excess sodium and fats are terrible for heart health as well as overall health.

So how do you get the creamy taste and filling nature of potato soup without the extra day’s worth of calories? Simple, sneak extra fiber in place of the cream to thicken and add layers of flavor. If you must add in some dairy, try using skim or 1% rather than whole milk or cream. But this recipe makes a soup so thick and tasty you may not even notice it isn’t there.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup cooked mashed acorn squash
  • 1 pound potatoes, diced (peeled if desired)
  • 1 cup red lentils (or brown)
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 2-3 strips bacon (optional)
  • Cheddar cheese & green onion for garnish (optional)

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Step 1: If you haven’t already, cook the acorn squash. Cook the lentils by adding 1 cup to 2 cups water, and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Dice the potatoes and add to a pot of boiling water. Boil for 8-10 minutes, until soft when poked with a fork. Drain.

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Step 2: In a large bowl, combine the potato, cooked lentils and squash. Add the stock, and bring to a boil. Pour into a blender, and blend on high until combined.

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Step 3: Mix in the nutritional yeast, and pour into bowls. If you wish, season with salt & pepper, or add bacon bits, cheddar cheese, and or chives as garnish.

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This soup is super satisfying, and tastes just like a baked potato. No one will suspect you’ve given it a huge boost of fiber and vitamins while simultaneously removing the biggest source of fats. The blended lentils and squash keeps the thick, creamy base of the soup which previously the dairy caused.

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Comfort food, Soups, Vegan, Vegetarian

Split Pea, Lentil, & Potato Soup

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As the weather turns foul and temperatures drop, I find myself craving thick, hearty, hot soups. There is nothing quite so cozy as sitting on the couch in slippers and PJs with a steaming bowl of goodness while the wind blows, and perhaps the snow falls.

One of my all-time favorite soup bases is the humble potato. Potatoes are so delicious and go well with just about anything, with no super-strong flavor of their own. I’ve previously shared my addictive Loaded Baked Potato Soup and copycat Zuppa Toscana recipes, both of which are sure to please.

One night, with three baked potatoes in my refrigerator and a small bag of split peas in the pantry I’d picked up on a whim, I decided to make the ultimate cold weather comfort soup.

I didn’t want just split pea soup, mostly because I didn’t have a lot of them and I also didn’t have a ham bone. All the recipes say use a ham bone.

So potatoes were the chosen base. I put on a pot of water, and threw them in first. Then I dumped my little bag of peas in, and it still seemed to need something. One more thing.

I looked over on my counter, where I keep several jars (just like these square glass stackable jars) of bulk ingredients that I buy whenever I’m at sprouts and feel adventurous. I especially love pretty colored things. And there it was, the perfect missing ingredient.

Orange Lentils.

You can of course use brown or green lentils as well. With some kale from the fridge and other spices, this turned into a thick, hearty, dreamy soup.

And as a bonus, it is accidentally vegan! But trust me when I say it is so completely delicious. You may crave it all winter long. You’ve been warned.

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Ingredients:

  • 3 small baked potatoes
  • 2/3 cup green split peas
  • 1/2 cup lentils
  • 1/2 cup torn kale
  • 1 tbsp dried onion
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp garlic salt

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Step 1: In a sauce pot, throw in diced baked potato, peas, and lentils. Cover with water, plus about 1 inch. If your potatoes aren’t cooked yet, boil those for 15 minutes before adding the other legumes.

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Step 2: After boiling about 10-15 minutes, add in the kale and seasonings. Stir well, and continue to simmer another 10 minutes or so. The longer you simmer the soup, the more the ingredients will fall apart.

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If you don’t like chunks, you can certainly use an immersion blender or a regular blender in batches to create a puree. But I liked the slightly chunky potato and the still-detectable little peas and lentils.

This soup is so incredible, I ended up having it three meals in a row.

 

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