Hooray, It's Friday and Vegetable Soup Recipe Links

Gorgeous Late Summer Vegetable Soup with Basil Pesto by Food Blogga

Not only is it good old T.G.I.F but it's time to roundup the best soup links from the great big blog-o-sphere. I was excited to discover so many veggie-based soups, which is a delicious way to get three or four or even 10 vegetables in one serving that doesn't feel as if you eating your vegetables -- if you know what I mean. A roasted pepper, minestrone and a summer soup packed with vegetables are some recipes definitely worth checking out this weekend.

Late Summer Vegetable Soup with Fresh Basil - Created by Susan of Food Blogga, this summer soup is a power packed medley of veggies (see pic). From corn to zucchini to carrots and bell peppers, this colorful soup makes it really easy to get a hearty dose of essential vitamins and minerals that is also pretty easy to make. On top of all of that veggie goodness, the soup is enhanced with a tasty, yet simple basil pesto that, I'm sure, would be amazing all on its own.

Roasted Yellow Pepper Soup and Summer Tomato Soup by Dishin' in the Kitchen
Photo Credit: Carl Kravats

Roasted Yellow Pepper and Summer Tomato Soup with Serrano Cream - Me and Dishin' in the Kitchen had similar soup ideas this week as we both created a pepper and tomato soup. This two-toned soup recipe, adopted by Cindy Epstein from Parade magazine, included yellow bell peppers peppers, plum tomatoes, sherry, butter, heavy cream and white among many other tasty choices. She stated that they could be served hot or cold, however, she goes on to say that "the preparation is lengthy." I really enjoyed this post and especially the step-by-step instructions of the entire soup process from the roasting to how to make the serrano cream.  

Summer Minestrone Soup by Behind the Skillet

Summer Minestrone Soup - As the temps are inevitably dropping, it's time to start thinking about hearty soups like this one on Behind the Skillet. This minestrone recipe -- adapted from Alice Waters -- is packed with summer vegetables like carrots, spinach, tomatoes, onions, zucchini, leeks as well as a hearty dose of beans and pasta for the perfect meal-like soup.The post also includes lovely pictures of the whole soup making experience that secretly has me longing for days when soup like this can be enjoyed every day.


What are your favorite vegetable soups?
Seriously Soupy Serena

Chilled Watermelon/Lime Soup

Chilled Watermelon/Lime Soup Topped with Basil -- Seriously Soupy

Who doesn't love watermelon in the summer? This tasty/crunchy fruit is not only refreshing but it is packed with heaping dose of the good stuff our bodies needs (vitamin C, vitamin A, lycopene, etc) --  believed to protect us from inflammation, colon cancer, arthritis, etc. Basically, it's a perfect fruit (at least in my eyes), which is why it was time to mix up the taste a bit and turn it into a soup. I decided to make it a salted watermelon soup with fresh basil, lemons and lime and water. Simple enough and it only took 10 minutes to prep for a new take on the beloved summer treat. Enjoy!

Chilled Watermelon/Lime Soup

Ingredients:

1/2 of a watermelon

1 bunch of fresh basil

1 bunch of fresh lavender 

1/2 cup of water

2 tablespoons of lime juice

2 tablespoons of lemon juice

pinch of sea salt

Directions:

Cut a medium-sized watermelon in half. Cut up and add to a bowl with the lemon juice, lime juice, basil, lavender and salt. Let chill in the fridge for 20 minutes. Add the mixture, along with some water into a blender. Liquefy the watermelon mixture and pour into a bowl. Let chill in the freezer for about an hour and serve cold.

Seriously Soupy Serena

Tomato Pesto Soup

 Gorgeous Tomatoes -- Before the Soup

 Tomato Pesto Soup -- Seriously Soupy

The heat wave in NYC has made the whole soup-making thing quite difficult (to say the least). Of course there are chilled soups, but making anything in general has not been favorable, especially when there is ice cream! However, there was a bit of a relief today (with temps in the upper 80s), and thanks to the farmers market I was inspired to break a sweat and make a soup.  I found these gorgeous tomatoes -- a mixture of orange, heirloom and green -- and decided to use them as a base, along with homemade pesto. But, I must warn die-hard pesto lovers: my pesto isn't 100% authentic -- more of a variation used to compliant the soup. This light summer soup was so easy to make,  leaving less time to sweat and more time to enjoy this delicious basil and tomato soupy. Let me know what you think and I'm hoping to try a chilled number next week. Stay cool!

Tomato Pesto Soup

Ingredients:
For Soup
4 cups of water- approximately
4 tomatoes - mixed blend
bunch of fresh basil
bunch of fresh sage
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper


For Pesto:
1/4 cup of pine nuts
bunch of fresh basil -- approximately a handful
2-3 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
pinch of pepper
pinch of salt

Directions:
Start by boiling water into a medium-sized pot. Dice tomatoes and place them into the boiling water, along with the fresh basil, sage, and salt. Cover the pot and start making the pesto. Mash the pine nuts. I used a rolling pin, but you can also use a sturdy can or grind them in a blender. Chop up the basil (very fine) and place it in a bowl, along with the pine nuts olive oil, basil, lemon, salt and pepper.  Place the pesto mixture into a blender until the mash is semi-liquefied -- (the grind setting did this nicely!). There will be some chunks, if that bothers you continue to blend. Add the pesto to soup and cover. Let cook for 15 more minutes, tasting the soup along the way. I ended up adding another cup of water. Turn off the flame and enjoy!

Seriously Soupy Serena

Spinach and Corn Soup Recipe

Spinach and Corn Soup - Seriously Soupy

Who knew that spinach and corn worked so well together? Certainly not me. But after reading about this creamy green soup by April Paffrath of Wicked Tasty Harvest, I was inspired to try my own green-like concoction. Having spinach at home made that "green" part easy, I then decided to use corn, a medley of fresh herbs, some cream, butter and some spices. The butter/cream bit can be omitted, but there isn't such a large quantity of it to stress about, and really it made taste oh, so good! Let me know how you like it. 

Spinach and Corn Soup Recipe
Ingredients:

4-6 cups of water

four ears of corn

1 bunch of fresh spinach-you can use more if you desire

1 bunch of fresh herbs- I used basil, red basil, sage and lemon thyme

1/2 cup of heavy cream

2 tablespoons of butter

Approximately 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper 

pinch of salt

pinch of celery salt

pinch of black pepper

Directions:

Pour the water into the pot and let boil. While the water is starting to boil, shuck the corn. Add the corn to the water, along with the herbs. Cover the pot and when the corn is finished cooking (approximately 20 minutes), remove it from the pot. Place the corn under the cold water and cut it from its base, but be careful -- it will be hot. Place the corn back into the pot, along with the spinach, cream, butter cayenne pepper, sea salt and pepper and cover. This will only take a few minutes to cook, let cool and place the soup the soup into a blender (you can also use a hand blender) until the consistency is fused together. Pour into a bowl and enjoy!

Seriously Soupy Serena