When blight wiped out my tomatoes a few years back, I made salsa out of yellow plums instead. And when the cold and rain kept my tomatoes from ripening, I started making a green gazpacho soup recipe instead of the traditional red. In the end, I always seem to end up thanking Mother Nature for pushing me to think and cook outside the box.

Green Gazpacho Soup Recipe

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 jalapeño, stemmed and seeded
4 large green tomatoes or 16 husked tomatillos, chopped
1 avocado, peeled and pitted
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Sea salt
2 scallions, chopped
1 lime, cut into wedges

Directions

With food processor running, drop in garlic and jalapeño to mince. Turn processor off, add tomatoes and process to chop and combine. Add avocado, lime juice and vinegar. Process until almost smooth. Add basil and pulse to mince and combine. Season to taste with sea salt and serve topped with chopped scallions and a wedge of lime.

Serving Suggestion: For a zestier finished soup, add an additional jalapeño or replace the jalapeño with a hotter pepper such as a serrano.

Reprinted with permission from “Eat Clean Live Well“ © 2014 by Terry Walters, Sterling Epicure, an imprint of Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. Photography by Julie Bidwell

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The post Green Gazpacho Soup Recipe appeared first on EcoSalon.

These gluten-free and vegan thickening agents will redefine your next creamy, decadent sauce or soup.

Often for a soup or sauce, I am reduced to making a “roux” – a mixture of equal parts butter and flour – to thicken the dish. Even after all the vegetable goodness thrown into the soup, there is that itchy overtone bringing down my dish’s nutritional integrity – the empty calories, gluten and lack of nutrition inherent in wheat flour. While it’s not the end of the world, I’d rather not mess up my plant-based flow with wheat and non-vegan butter. Fortunately, there are vegan and gluten-free thickening agents that can do the trick.

1. Arrowroot

Arrowroot is a powder-like starch that comes from the rhizomes of the Maranta arundinacea plant, commonly found in St. Vincent and Jamaica. It is a gluten-free, easy-to-digest starch that works well in sauces, gravies, pie fillings and puddings. Whisk arrowroot powder into a bit of cold water before adding to a hot liquid. Use 1/2 tablespoon per cup of liquid. Its flavor is neutral.

2. Cornstarch

Derived from the corn grain, cornstarch is already widely popular and called for in many recipes. Cornstarch is often preferred over flour to thicken sauces and soups, because it forms a translucent mixture, rather than an opaque one. However, cornstarch retains a slightly sweet overtone that may be sensed by the palate. To thicken a sauce, use ½ tablespoon per cup of liquid and let it sit for a minute before it thickens. For those abstaining from corn-derived products, arrowroot replaces cornstarch in a 1:1 ratio.

3. Guar Gum

Guar gum is the ground seeds of guar beans, which are de-husked, milled and screened before becoming guar gum. Grown mostly in India, guar gum is traditionally used as a thickener, binder and volume enhancer. It is stronger than arrowroot and cornstarch, so one cup of liquid requires only ¼ to ½ teaspoon.

4. Kuzu Root

A common ingredient used in macrobiotic recipes, kuzu root starch has long been considered medicinal by Eastern healers for more than 2,000 years. It is believed to cure common ailments, such as digestive and nervous system related problems. Use ½ teaspoon per cup of liquid. Whisk into a bit of cold water before adding to a hot liquid.

5. Tapioca

Tapioca starch derives from the Manioc root. Native to Northern Brazil, tapioca is now widely used around the world. It creates a jelly-like texture. Neutral in taste and a great thickener for low-temperature sauces or gravies, tapioca starch requires one tablespoon per cup of liquid. Whisk into a bit of cold water before adding to a hot liquid.

Aylin Erman is founder of GlowKitchen. There she shares step-by-step picture recipes of her plant-based creations. Aylin lives and works in Istanbul as a writer and editor at the country’s first-ever green-living and sustainability platform, Yesilist. Like her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter to keep up with food news and recipes.

Related on EcoSalon:

The EcoSalon Gluten-Free Flour Guide

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Photo Credit: Hey Tiffany!

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This vegetable soup recipe is full of a variety of textures, flavors and shapes that work together to keep you cold-free this winter.

In the winter months, it’s easy to fall sick if you are not supplementing your diet with foods that help keep your body in balance and thus equipped to fight off disease.

The immune system is not just one identifiable part that feeds on certain vitamins, minerals and nutrients. Instead, it is a system that requires an overall balanced body that is strong enough to fend off disease. By eating more plant-based foods and staying active, you are doing your best to keep your immunity system in check. This vegetable soup recipe is simply a terrific representation of the rainbow of plant-based foods you should be eating to keep warm and satisfied during the cold season. It is full of flavor and devoid of fat. Enjoy!

Immunity-Boosting Winter Vegetable Soup

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

• 2 cups uncooked barley
• 2 cups kale leaves, pieced
• 15 1/2-ounces cooked kidney beans
• ½ cup chopped dried tomatoes
• ½ cup chopped cauliflower
• 1 carrot, shredded
• 1 scallion, chopped
• 1 stick celery, chopped
• 1 long green bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, diced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 6 cups hot water

Directions

Place all of the ingredients into a large deep pot and bring the mixture to a boil. Fold and stir all the ingredients so that all is evenly combined. Once the mixture reaches a boil, reduce it to a simmer and cook with a lid for 45 minutes to an hour until the barley is cooked through and the veggies are tender.

Photo Credit: GlowKitchen

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The post Immunity Boosting Winter Vegetable Soup Recipe appeared first on EcoSalon.

Wishing for a Vitamix but just can’t come up with the cash? Enter to win  your very own Vitamix with the EcoSalon, Organic Authority and Well + Good NYC Sweepstakes!

Pulling together thoughtful sustainable meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner just got a whole lot easier. We’re big fans of all things plant-based, local, and organic but who has time to spend all day chopping greens? Knock a few items off your meal prep to-do list with this all-in-one versatile kitchen tool. Whether it’s a mango lassi or homemade miso soup, you can make yummy sustainable meals at home.

If you’ve ever used a Vitamix, you know that it provides restaurant quality results in a few seconds flat. But no matter how much time it saves you in the kitchen, it’s a pricey venture. That’s why we’ve partnered with Well + Good NYC to launch this awesome sweepstakes to win a free Vitamix 5200 [a $450 value]!

Vitamix is the universal tool for creating everything from your favorite kale smoothie to an orgasmic parsnip puree. The 64-ounce container is big enough to create tasty meals for the whole family with chef-quality results.

Put all your favorite organic fruits, vegetables, superfoods, and plant-based proteins to work in your very own Vitamix. Chop, cream, blend, heat, grind, churn–basically do it all with one versatile kitchen tool. When you’re all done, clean up is a cinch just add a drop of dish soap and run on high for 30 seconds. That’s it!

Enter to win your very own Vitamix along with a Getting Started Guide, DVD tutorial and cookbook with over 100 chef-tested recipes just by entering our EcoSalon/Well + Good NYC Sweepstakes.

Want that Vitamix 5200? Enter today! The Sweepstakes start at 8:00 AM EST on Monday, November 4, 2013 and ends at 8 AM EST on Friday, November 22, 2013 (“Contest Period”). Learn more about eligibility, and other terms and conditions at Well + Good NYC. Good luck ES readers and here’s to hoping that we can all juice our way to health and happiness this holiday season. Still haven’t signed up? ENTER HERE.

Like this? Follow Sara on Twitter and Facebook.

Related on EcoSalon:
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Image: quinn.anya

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From parsnips to pumpkin, 50 soup recipes using delicious fall ingredients. 

Colder weather calls for warmer dishes, and what better way to heat up than a delicious bowl of soup? Taking advantage of seasonal ingredients, there are plenty of different options to keep your palate entertained. Want to try more soup recipes than you can eat on your own? Host a soup swap.

Separated into several seasonal ingredients, here are 50 soup recipes that will make your fall a delicious one.

Parsnip Soup Recipes

1. Curry Spiced Cauliflower Parsnip Soup

2. Carrot Fennel Parsnip Soup

3. Swiss Chard and Parsnip Soup

4. Apple and Parsnip Soup

Squash Soup Recipes

5. Kabocha Squash Soup with Pomegranate and Pepitas

6. Creamy Red Kuri Squash Soup with Cinnamon

7. Roasted Garlic and Delicata Squash Soup

8. Pear, Shallot and Delicata Squash Soup

9. Black Bean and Butternut Soup

10. Butternut Squash Soup with Coconut Milk

11. Butternut Beet Soup

12. Squash and Fennel Soup with Candied Pumpkin Seeds

Soup Recipes with Greens

13. Kale Spinach Ginger Miso Soup

14. Nutty Vanilla Sweet Potato and Kale Soup

15. Kale Parsley Soup

16. Chard and White Bean Stew

17. Navy Bean Soup with Kale, Preserved Lemon and Harissa

18. Chard, White Bean and Tamarind Stew

Pumpkin Soup Recipes

19. Pumpkin Soup with Chocolate and Chipotle

20. Spicy Southwest Pumpkin Soup

21. Pumpkin and Ginger Soup

22. Vegan Creamy Curried Pumpkin Soup

23. Pumpkin and Rice Soup

24. Pumpkin Tortilla Soup

Soup Recipes with Grains

25. Lentil Soup with Chipotle Yogurt

26. Chickpea and Rice Soup with a Little Kale

27. Smoky Spicy Black Bean and Quinoa Soup

28. Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Quinoa Salsa

29. Toasted Quinoa Mexican Soup

30. Minnesota Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup

Beet Soup Recipes

31. Roasted Red Beet, Blood Orange and Ginger Soup

32. Beet and Fennel Soup with Kefir

33. Five Spice Beet Soup

34. Quinoa Soup with Beets and Fresh Dill

Chanterelle Soup Recipes

35. Creamy Vegan Chanterelle Mushroom Soup

36. Pumpkin Soup with Chanterelles

37. Chanterelle and Lentil Soup

Cauliflower & Broccoli Soup Recipes

38. Cumin Roasted Cauliflower Soup

39. Cauliflower and Leek Soup

40. Roasted Cauliflower and Onion Soup

41. Vegan Cream of Broccoli

42. Broccoli and Zucchini Soup

Celeriac Soup Recipes

43. Curried Celeriac Soup

44. Reverse Universe Soup with Garlic and Celeriac

45. Gingered Carrot Soup with Avocado

Sweet Potato Soup Recipes

46. Black Bean, Sweet Potato and Quinoa Chili

47. Lentil Soup with Sweet Potatoes and Spinach

48. Sweet Potato and Purple Cabbage Soup with Peanut Butter

49. Sweet Potato Soup with Walnut Pesto

50. Sweet Potato and Orange Soup with Smoky Pecans

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Image: Le living and co

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Bridging seasons with soup.

As the weather is getting warmer, my appetite is warming up to lighter soups. In the winter, I  tend to stick to the starchier vegetables like parsnip, sweet potatoes, and carrots. And in the summer, I’m all about the fresh, cool soups such as Gazpacho or a fruit-based soup. However, spring is about bridging the way from fireside to poolside, and this recipe uses springtime favorites such as leeks, Vidalia onions, and asparagus while still incorporating a root vegetable – celeriac – to keep the comfort level.

The backbone to the flavor and health benefits in this dish comes from the leeks. Leeks are especially notable for their role in promoting cardiovascular health. They raise HDL (good) cholesterol and lower LDL (bad) cholesterol, effectively preventing plaque build up in blood vessels and arteries. They also decrease high blood pressure and are thus helpful in shunning a stroke or heart attack. Leeks are also a powerful antiseptic and fight against infection.

The other stand-out veggie in this soup is asparagus. Asparagus juggles a lot of responsibilities. It is detoxifying, decreases the risk of heart disease, protects against cancer, has anti-aging properties, prevents osteoporosis, staves off pain and inflammation, and is considered an aphrodisiac in many cultures (but mostly for its shape than for a scientific reason).

Served warm or cold, this soup is nutritious and flavor-packed!

Spring Asparagus & Leek Soup

Serves up to 4

Ingredients:

• 250 grams asparagus
• 2 leeks
• 1 Vidalia onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 celeriac
• 1 long green pepper
• 1 tbsp butter (or oil)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• Fresh thyme for garnish

Directions:

Remove the stem and skin of the celeriac and roughly chop. Snap off about an inch from the end of each asparagus spear and slice into thirds. The spears will break naturally where they need to if you bend them to snap rather than cut them with a knife. Chop the leeks into 1-inch thick pieces and soak in water to remove any sand. Slice along the length of the pepper, remove any seeds and flesh, and chop. Peel the garlic cloves and chop the onion.

In a pot over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Add the chopped vegetables, salt, pepper, and thyme. Mix over the heat for about 2-3 minutes.

Add 4 cups of water. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the pot with a lid.

Let simmer covered for approximately 25 minutes, or until the onions and asparagus are soft.

Let the mixture cool. Before serving, blend the soup until smooth. You can warm up the soup in a saucepan or enjoy it cool. Garnish with a sprig of fresh thyme.

Enjoy!

Aylin Erman currently resides in Istanbul and is creator of plant-based recipe website GlowKitchen.

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One of my favorite MKF Fisher books is How to Cook a Wolf. The wolf reference is to hunger. Real hunger. Wolf scratching at the door hunger. It’s about knowing how to feed yourself when it’s cold and dark and the wolf is outside waiting to pounce. It’s about not giving into despair. It’s about celebrating the joy of cooking and eating well, no matter how little you have. MFK Fisher wrote the book during wartime. Such skills are necessary for wartime, or other times of scarcity. But I don’t think we have to be in a war (or even a recession) to learn something about making due with what we have.

You might have days when you have little in the cupboard and want something comforting to eat but have no inclination to go to the store (even though you could). Maybe you’re broke and waiting for the next check. Perhaps you’re snowed in. Maybe you’re suffering from a post-holiday over-indulgence hangover. Whatever the reason, it’s useful to know how to make something from nearly nothing. Stone Soup, if you will.

Here are my two favorite Stone Soups for lean times. It helps if you always have some chicken broth in your freezer, but if you must, you can use canned broth, bouillon, or even water (stir in some miso at the end for flavor, if you have it)

Garlic-Potato Soup

I made this once when I was on an intense deadline and it was super satisfying and took less time than going out. Garnish with fresh herbs and a little plain yogurt if you have them.

2 tablespoons butter

2 large heads of garlic, each clove peeled and sliced thinly

4 cups chicken broth

3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

Salt and pepper to taste

In a soup pot, warm the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté gently until soft and fragrant but not brown. Add the broth, potatoes, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer until potatoes are tender. Cool slightly and puree using an immersion blender. Or transfer to a regular blender. Taste and correct for salt and pepper.

Rice Porridge

This classic Vietnamese porridge is kitchen alchemy. I learned to make it from Andrea Nguyen’s Into the Vietnamese Kitchen. You can add a poached egg, if you like, for extra nutrition, or even some shredded leftover chicken or other meat. But no need. It’s Stone Soup.

1/2 cup long grain white rice

8 cups chicken broth

3 coins of ginger

Salt to taste

In a heavy-bottomed soup pot, bring the rice, broth, ginger, and salt to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer and cover partially. Cook for about an hour, stirring occasionally, until the rice gives up its starch and starts to melt into the broth. Watch carefully to make sure it doesn’t scorch. Taste and correct for salt. Serve garnished with chopped green onion, if you have some.

Image: Vanessa Barrington

The post Make Something Out of Nothing: Two Stone Soups appeared first on EcoSalon.

Have I got a healthy, healing soup for you! Soba noodle soup it is and the cooking time is very brief. Most of the active time is spent preparing and sauteing the vegetables while bringing water to boil for the noodles and heating the stock. Overall time is about 30 minutes.

Serves two.

Ingredients:

2 – 3 oz. bundles soba (Japanese buckwheat) noodles

3 cups homemade chicken or vegetable stock

1 teaspoon peanut oil

1/2 onion, sliced

1 generous inch ginger, peeled and minced

1/2 – 1 serrano pepper, minced (seeds and all)

6-8 dried shittake mushrooms*

1/2 zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced

1 cup spinach leaves, chopped

8-10 basil leaves, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/8 teaspoon sesame oil

freshly ground pepper

Directions:

1. Heat water in large saucepan to boil for noodles. Prepare all vegetables.

2. Meanwhile, in a second saucepan, bring chicken stock to a boil. Rinse off dried mushrooms and place in boiling water. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer 5 minutes. Remove mushrooms with slotted spoon and slice when cool enough to handle. Return sliced mushrooms to pot, and keep stock at a low simmer. Add 1/4 cup soy sauce and 1/8 teaspoon sesame oil to stock.

3. Heat oil in a frying pan or skillet. Saute ginger and half of the minced pepper, about 30 seconds. Add onion and sauté until softening and becoming translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add zucchini and sauté about 2 minutes. Put sauteed vegetables into simmering stock.

4. When water is boiling, cook the soba noodles. (Follow directions for cooking, usually about 3 minutes cooking time.) Once cooked, drain noodles and set aside.

5. Add spinach leaves and the rest of the minced serrano to stock and turn up heat slightly, cooking briefly (1-3 minutes) while the noodles cook.

6. Serve noodles in two bowls, cover with hot stock and vegetables, topping with freshly ground pepper and generous basil.

* You can use fresh mushrooms instead of dried ones, depending on what you have on hand. Dried mushrooms help add flavor to the stock, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to buy them. If using fresh, slice 4-6 mushrooms and saute about 3-4 minutes in Step 3. (First saute onion for 3-4 minutes, then add the mushrooms and saute for 2-3 minutes, then add the zucchini.)

Enjoy!

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After taking a look last week at how many people see foodies as elitists, I figured it was time to take it down a notch, highlight the fact that the underground foodie movement is often less about culinary complexities and more about keeping things simple. Growing your own food, buying local, eating seasonally, dining at food carts; these are all more about taking time to slow down and enjoy the essence of food than they are about tracking down the latest trendy sushi bar.

Maybe that’s why the latest hot topic that caught my foodie underground eye (thanks to – how else? – Twitter) is not just sharing food at markets, but actually getting together to trade homemade goods, in this case, soup. They’re called soup swaps, and in an age where people are more and more concerned with not only eating well, but also building community, the idea of sharing food is appealing.

It’s not the first time soup swaps have crossed my path – in fact, halfway through reading this article I remembered that I too had once been to a soup swap. I had a failed attempt at making a vegan potato leek soup, but that didn’t stop me from taking off with a backpack full of quarts of chili, chowder and other goodness that my friends who had actually mastered soup recipes, managed to concoct. But I certainly had no idea that I was taking part in a growing trend.

Nowadays there’s SoupSwap.com, a comprehensive website for swapping newbies that guides you through the logistics of hosting your own soup swap, an event that consists of making and bringing six individually packaged quarts of soup, joining in the “Telling in the Soup,” otherwise known as your-near-death-cooking-disaster-the-last-time-you-tried-to-make-this-soup, and of course, swapping the soup so that you go home with a variety of new things to try out instead of sticking to your winter basics. Given that the colder months are upon us, you’d be hard pressed to find an easier way to broaden your weekly menu.

Ultimately, soup swaps aren’t really about the product being served. They’re about connecting with people over one of our most time treasured traditions that brings people of all kinds together: eating. They offer the opportunity to put some time and love into a meal, share it with others, and spend a moment on focusing on real, human relations, something far from most of our everyday, busy, computer-driven lives. And what’s simpler than that?

Editor’s note: This is the latest installment of Anna Brones’s column at EcoSalon, Foodie Underground. Each week, Anna will be taking a look at something new and different that’s taking place in the underground food movement, from supper clubs to mini markets to culinary avant garde.

Image: Magic Madzik

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Instead of going from zero to 60 in no time flat, we’ve gone from the 90s to 60s in less than a week. I’m talking temperature.

Just last week I was panting at my desk and now I’m stepping outside for a spot of sun every time my fingers freeze up at the keyboard.

I have to confess that I’ve been eating nothing but salads, raw tomatoes, cheese, fruit, bread, and sometimes leftovers for lunch lately. But now I want soup. The hot weather had gotten me a little out of the habit of hauling out the big stock pots and turning on the stove, so in truth, I’m feeling a little lazy.

But I still want soup. And I want it homemade. I just want it to be easy and streamlined. As a way to ease into soup making season, I’ve hit up some of my favorite food blogs for three simple soup recipes, each with very few ingredients, to get you back into the soup-making swing of things.

From 101 Cookbooks, we’ve got a warming (and vegetarian) red lentil soup recipe. The addition of brown rice makes it a complete meal.

Here’s a recipe for Barley Beans and Chard Soup from The Dinner Files that can be made vegetarian or not, depending on the stock you use. I bet you have most of these ingredients on hand already. I often make a similar soup with rice (in case you don’t have the barley).

My favorite dry-farmed potato vendor is back at my local farmers’ market. Cooking with Amy provides us with the simplest ever Potato Leek Soup. She’s right, the less you fuss with additional ingredients the better.

Image: Claire L Evans

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