Garnishing with Vegetable Chips

Garnishing with veggies is a simple way to enhance your soup, and one that can be done in its raw form or changed up a bit, by turning veggies into a crunchy chip. Probably best placed on top of a thicker soup, like say a butternut squash and not water-based one, veggie chips can enhance the flavor and texture of your soup or just be a tasty side to your dish. I tested our making a veggie chip with carrots (had them on hand), but this recipe can work with sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, beets, and squash, etc-it's really limitless and easy to use for virtually all root veggies.

Vegetable Chips
Ingredients:
10-15 baby carrots, cut lengthwise-(I had the baby ones, but whole carrots would have been better)
bunch of fresh mint
pinch of celery salt
pinch of sea salt
pinch of pepper
approximately 1 tablespoon of olive oil 


Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the carrots lengthwise on place them on a sheet of aluminum foil or a baking sheet. Cut up the fresh mint and place it on top, along with the celery salt, sea salt and pepper. Let cook for 30-45 minutes, let dry and place on a soup of your choice or simply eat as is.

Soups That Work With Veggie Chips

• Butternut Squash Soup
• Asparagus Soup 
• Sweet Potato Soup
• Mushroom Soup or Cream of Mushroom Soup

Beans in the Cupboard Soup

 Carrot Lentil/Split Pea Soup aka Beans in the Cupboard Soup - Seriously Soupy

Frigid temperatures, snow shoveling, and lunchtime were pretty-much the inspiration for this little soupy. I hadn't planned to create a new recipe, but as I mentioned those aforementioned situations occurred, and really all that I could think of to cure these ails was with a soup. Assessing the inventory in my cupboard, I located some lentils and yellow split peas used in previous soups that were just waiting to be used again, and a pound of carrots in my fridge that I decided would be the base. I then decided to add onions, parsnips, garlic and various seasonings and instantly a soup was created without having to spend any additional money or even having to think that much about what I was creating.Who knows-- you may have these ingredients in your cupboard and be on your way to a delicious and savory soup in no time.

Carrot Lentil/Split Pea Soup
Ingredients:
4-5 cups of water, may need more as soup cooks
1/2 bag of dry lentils
1/2 bag of yellow split peas
1 yellow onion, chopped up into squares
1/2 clove of garlic, finely chopped up 
1 chive, chopped up into squares
1 bag of baby carrots
2 parsnips
small bunch of fresh parsley
small bunch of fresh dill
1 teaspoon of curry, adjust based on your preference
1 teaspoon of ginger, adjust based on your preference
pinch of sea salt
pinch pepper

Directions:
If you have time, placed dry beans in a small bowl in water for two-three hours before prep of the soup. When ready to cook, add water to a pot. When slightly boiled, add the onions, chives,parsley, dill, and garlic. Start boiling another pot (medium-sized) of water for the carrots and one parsnip. In the large pot, add the beans and the other parsnip and cover. After 20 minutes the carrot/parsnip mixture should be done. Drain the water and mash the mixture (I used a fork and then a hand blender). Add this to the bean pot, along with the seasonings (curry, ginger, salt, and pepper) and let cook for another 45-minutes or so, adding additional seasonings or water if you think the soup needs it. Turn off the flame and enjoy!

What have you found in your cupboard that you turned into a soup?

Seriously Soupy Serena

Garnishing with Vegetables

I hope everyone enjoyed and tested out the crouton recipe from last weeks post. They make an nice addition to numerous soups, but another option is to garnish with vegetables. Using vegetables can enhance the look of a soup by utilizing unique shapes and design forms, as well as change a soups composition, color, and flavor. Since I had beets and carrots at home (the "use what you have" mantra) I decided to incorporate that into a tasty garnish. Generally, when you use vegetable garnishes they are a component of a soup (you make an asparagus soup, most likely an asparagus garnish would be used), but they can also include different ingredients that enhance its flavor (an asparagus soup with a zucchini and rosemary garnish) may also be an option. It's really up to you, and most of the fun is experimenting with different flavors until you find the garnish that works best for your soup. Check out my quick and easy beet/carrot garnish to top off your next soup:

Garnishing with Beets and Carrots

Ingredients
2 beets, very thinly sliced
2-3 carrots, very thinly sliced
1/2 of garlic clove, chopped
1-2 sprigs of fresh sage (can also use rosemary, basil, etc)
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
pinch of sea salt
pinch of black pepper

Directions:
I had beets already prepared, but basically all you have to do is add water to a pot and let it boil. Then, peel the beets, cut them up and add them to the boiling water. After 15 minutes or so they should be ready. Once your beets are prepared (and cooled), cut them and the carrots into very thin, long strips. Cut up the sage (or your favorite herb) into fine squares and mix it into the beets and carrots, along with salt and pepper. Add olive oil to a pan, add the vegetables and sautee for 10 minutes, making sure all sides of the veggies are cooked. Use 2-4 thin strips of a carrot and beet combination or just one vegetable and place it on top of the soup, along with a few squares of sage. Enjoy!

* For this garnish (beets and carrots), I would top it with a pureed soup such as squash soup, carrot soup, or a potato-based soup

Other Vegetable Garnish Options:

• Leeks
• Zucchini
• Squash
• Pumpkin
• Bell Peppers
• Sweet Potatoes and White Potatoes
• Radishes
• Artichokes
• Eggplant 
• Asparagus

Soups that Work with Vegetable Garnishes

Vegetable Purees such as:

• Squash Soup
  
• Carrot Soup
  
• Asparagus Soup
  
• Tomato or Cream of Tomato Soup
  
• Potato and Leek Soup
• Leek Soup
  

What vegetable garnishes do you use and with what types of soup?

Seriously Soupy Serena