Cream of Tomato and Hamburger Soup (Gluten-free, Paleo, SCD)

We love to eat this soup and I especially love to make it.  Most soups that I make are pureed and this one doesn't require cleanup of my blender or food processor...bonus!

cream of tomato soup

1 large can(1.36L) tomato juice(tomato and salt only in ingredients list) 
1 cup yogurt (I use my homemade SCD yogurt, instructions in the book "Breaking the Vicious Cycle")
1 lbs lean ground beef
1 onion
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
pepper to taste

1. Fry onion and ground beef in a hot skillet until well done.  Set aside.
2. In a large soup pot, add tomato juice, yogurt and honey.  Whisk until smooth.
3. Turn heat to medium high, whisking occasionally until thoroughly heated.
4. Add ground beef mixture and fresh basil and stir.
5. Add pepper to taste.
6. Serve and enjoy!

Paleo: Some are ok with having this 24-hour fermented yogurt while following the Paleo diet and some prefer not to have any type of dairy products.  

***I will post the yogurt recipe very soon!

Butternut Squash Soup

When I think butternut squash soup, I think velvety, comforting, flavourful and simple.  This soup is all of the above.  If you like butternut squash, you will absolutely love this soup.  I don't have a picture of the finished product but it should be a nice soft, velvety texture. 

butternut squash soup

1 butternut squash, halved and seeded

3 vine tomatoes

1 large red onion, peeled and halved

2 garlic bulbs, tops sliced off

olive oil

dried thyme 

4 cups chicken stock

salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Lightly oil a baking sheet.
3. Place all vegetables on baking sheet as shown in picture below.

    3.  Brush butternut squash and onions with olive oil.

    4.  Drizzle olive oil on top of garlic bulbs.

    5.  Sprinkle a good amount of dried thyme on top of the butternut squash, onion and garlic.  Leave 

         the tomatoes as they are.

    6.  Bake until butternut squash is soft.  The timing is tricky to predict as butternut squash comes in so 

         many different sizes.  Check after 30 minutes: if other veggies are ready but squash is not, remove 

         the ones that are ready and return squash.  

    7.  In a large pot, put the following:

• chicken stock
• garlic: grab the whole garlic bulb and squeeze out roasted garlic (cutting the tops off initially makes squeezing out the softened garlic a breeze!)
• tomatoes: chop off the coarse top that attaches to the vine.
• onion: remove outer skin layer if it has become blackened or tough.  You want only the softened onion skins.
• butternut squash: with a spoon, scoop out all the softened squash meat.

    8.  Bring all ingredients to a simmer and mash roughly with a potato masher. 

    9.  If you have a good immersion blender, now's the time to let it work its magic.  If not, puree in 

         batches in your food processor or blender.

  10.  Return all to blender, heat and add salt and pepper to taste.  (This soup freezes very well!)

    

Carrot Soup

Easy peasy carrot soup!

As with most weekend mornings, my sunday morning started with a power cook.  It's when I have the most energy to chop, cook and clean, many times over.  It's my favourite time in the kitchen, and afterwards, have prepared, healthy food for my family for at least a few days.

One of the recipes I made this morning was my Mom's carrot soup.  It's really easy and simple to make and the flavour of this soup is amazing.  It's not always easy to get my kids to have their quota of vegetables every day and this soup sure helps!

carrot soup

5 cups water
2 1/2 cups carrots, chopped
1/4 cup basmati rice (for paleo, simply omit the rice.  It will still be nice and creamy)
1 onion, chopped 
2 garlic cloves, chopped
3 tablespoons butter
salt and pepper to taste

1. Put all ingredients in a large pot.
2. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Let it cool for a bit, then blend in food processor, blender, or with handheld blender until smooth.
4. Return to pot, add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Heat and enjoy!  

Rice tips: There are many different kinds of cooking rices out there.  Make sure to use a rice that cooks in less than 30 minutes.  

                If I have cooked brown rice in the fridge, I use 3/4 cups of it instead of the basmati rice, resulting in an equally smooth textured soup.

Curry Peanut Soup

Better-Than-Restaurant Soup!

I got a recipe for Curry Peanut Soup from my sister, which is a new favourite in their household.  An easy to make, delicious soup.  The first time I made it, I followed the recipe and had delicious soup for the week to bring to work.  This weekend, I made it again and decided to change it up a little bit.  Partly because I was missing some ingredients and I also wanted to add some heat to it.

When my man took his first bite, he melted a bit and said: "This soup is better than at the restaurant!" I can tell you that here in Calgary, Alberta, the days are getting increasingly colder.  We've already had a couple spells of snow, and this soup hits all the right buttons to make you feel warm and cozy.  It's easily adaptable to different diets and as usual, will make some suggestions at the bottom of this post.

Here's my take on this delicious, gluten-free soup!

curry peanut soup

2 tablespoons Bragg's Soy Seasoning (you can use soy sauce if not following specific diet)
1 onion, chopped
1 medium sweet potato, diced
1 large carrot, sliced
1 celery stalk, sliced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 lb small shrimp, cleaned and deveined
5 medium roma tomatoes, chopped roughly and pureed in food processor with skin on
1 cup coconut milk
3 cups water
2 cups chickpeas, cooked (or 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons green curry paste
2 tablespoons peanut butter 
1 tablespoon fish sauce

1. Heat 1/2 cup water and soy seasoning in a large pot
2. Add onion and sweet potatoes.  Cook for 5 minutes over high heat, stir occasionally.
3. Add carrot, celery and pepper.  Cover and cook 3 minutes, stir occasionally.
4. Add shrimp and tomato sauce and cook until white, about 5 minutes.
5. Stir in coconut milk, water, chickpeas and cilantro
6. In a small bowl, mix peanut butter with 1/3 cup water, fish sauce and curry paste with a fork.  Add to soup.
7. Mix well, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Candida: replace raw shrimp with cooked chicken or meat of choice.  Find curry paste with only acceptable ingredients.  I found one in the ethnic section at Superstore with no added sugars.  Also use almond butter instead of peanut butter and omit fish sauce (you might need to add a little salt).

Paleo: Omit chickpeas and soy sauce (use oil for frying instead of water/soy sauce mix)

Vegetarian: use firm tofu instead of shrimp.

Candida: use almond butter instead of peanut butter

Note: this soup was ready from start to finish in 30 minutes.  If you have fresh tomatoes, don't skip this step, it's so worth it!  If you don't have fresh, use 15 oz can of crushed tomatoes.  But I tell you, the taste is so much better if you crush your own!