Quinoa Chicken Soup

 Quinoa Chicken Soup

It was one of those days-I needed a quick and easy soup for dinner and the rainy day had me jonsing for a classic chicken. I mixing it up a bit by using Quinoa, chickpeas, chicken breasts (instead of a whole one) and various seasonings (sea salt, tumeric and curry) that was pretty true to a standard chicken soup. Enjoy!

Quinoa Chicken Soup
Ingredients:
6-8 cups of water
2-3 chicken breasts
1 whole leek, chopped up
2-3 carrots, chopped up
1 cup of Quinoa
1 yellow onion, diced
1-2 cups of chickpeas

1 tablespoon of garlic
bunch of fresh dill
bunch of fresh basil

pinch of sea salt
pinch of pepper
pinch of celery salt
pinch of tumeric
pinch of curry

Directions:
Add water to a pot and start boiling the water. Cut up the onions, garlic, leeks and carrots and add them to the pot, along with the fresh dill and basil. Cut the chicken into one-inch squares and add to the pot. Cover and let cook for 20-30 minutes. Add the Quinoa, chickpeas and various seasonings (sea salt, pepper, celery salt, tumeric and curry). Taste to adjust. Let cook for another 15 minutes. Turn off the flame and enjoy! So easy!

Seriously Soupy Serena

Community Supported Agriculture

Holton Farms in Westminster, Vermont

Hibernation season is over! The spring/summer months are here and that means we can finally enjoy longer days, soak in a good dose of vitamin D and chow down on fresh and locally produced food directly from a farm such as through a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. These program allow participants to purchase a share of farm so that a farmer can have a source of income for seeds, labor and the ability to maintain their gardens during the off-peak season. During the spring/summer months -- when the crops are ready-- seasonal vegetables are available every week and delivered to various drop-off locations. Here in NYC, we have access to numerous CSA's such the family-owned Holton Farms located in Westminster, Vermont. This eighth generation of farmers produces over 100 items, including "a diverse selection of agricultural products including vegetables, herbs and fruits, grass-fed beef cows, pigs, cage-free eggs, maple syrup and more," according to Jenny Lee of Holton Farms.

The CSA program at Holton runs from May 17 until November 21, bringing seasonal produce to  various drop-off locations (check out the Holton Farms map for locations near you!). Plans are aviable through three membership options (ranging from $250-$1,000) and participants can use Holton's online ordering system to check out the availability of crops.

To learn more about Holton's CSA Select program, check out for the ABC's of the CSA: http://www.holtonfarms.com/how-to-buy/csa-select/how-it-works/ and this one for pricing info: http://www.holtonfarms.com/how-to-buy/csa-select/


PROMO!
All Seriously Soupy readers will receive 5% off of their next purchase at Holton Farms. Use the promo code HFSERENA to redeem the coupon at checkout.

Seriously Soupy Serena

Triple Squash Soup

 Triple Squash Soup

Squash is back on Seriously Soupy! This time around I not only used the standard butternut squash, but added some yellow and green squash to create. This soup also has a bit of kick with some red pepper, along with a savory bite from the fresh basil. I also ended up using this blend as a base for a pasta sauce that could also be added to rice, cous cous or grains! Enjoy!

Triple Squash Soup
Ingredients:
4-6 cups of water (approximately)

1 whole butternut squash
2 yellow squash
1 green squash
1 yellow onion, chopped up
1 tablespoon of minced garlic (from a jar)
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
2-3 leaves of fresh basil, cut up
2 tablespoons of parmesan cheese
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper

Directions:
Add the water to a pot. Cut up the onions and add it to the pot, along with the minced garlic. Peel the skins from the various squashes, cut them into small squares and add them to the pot when boiled. Cover and let cook for 20-30 minutes. Cut up the fresh basil and add to the pot, along with the red pepper, cheese, salt and pepper. Turn off the flame and blend together with a hand mixer. Enjoy as is or add to pasta or rice!

Seriously Soupy Serena

Carrot Ginger Soup

 Carrot Ginger Soup

Many people use the terms "quick and simple" to describe soup. This little number is no exception, except that I would add "light" to the mix to describe this carrot ginger soup. Perfect for a quick (key word) meal or a simple (key word) dinner.  You can also add cream or another veggie to thicken the soup or leave it as is a little on the watery side with some nice gingery/curry flavors, and of course a whole lot of carrots. Enjoy!

Carrot Ginger Soup
Ingredients:
1 whole bunch of carrots
15-20 baby carrots
6 cups of water
1 stalk of ginger, cut up
1 yellow onion, cut up
1 tablespoon of pre-chopped garlic
1/2 of a whole lemon
salt and pepper, to taste
pinch of curry

Directions:
Pour water in a pot and let boil. Chop up the onions and add the garlic. When there is a steady boil, add the carrots and cover for 20 minutes. Chop up the ginger and add, along with the salt, pepper, curry and lemon. Blend together (I used a hand blender), stir and enjoy!

Seriously Soupy Serena

Lentil, Sweet Potato and Spinach Soup

Lentil, Sweet Potato and Spinach Soup

Since I started this little blog,  I wanted to learn more about soups and expand from my soupy routine (butternut squash, lentil, and white bean were my soupy norm). Since October of 2009, I have made a matzoh ball soup, a sweet potato/cranberry soup, and even a hummus soup (hooray for soupy); but despite the various new soups that I never thought I would create there are always the classics that I miss having on a regular basis. Low and behold, a rainy, dreary day hit NYC and all I wanted was a classic lentil soup. I added in some curry, sweet potatoes and peanut butter (yep, I said pb!) to change up some of the flavors (only slightly). The classic staples (bay leaves, carrots, onions, garlic, and of course lentil) was also used to create this old favorite. Sometimes an oldy, but a goodie is just enough. Enjoy!

Lentil, Sweet Potato and Spinach Soup
Ingredients:
6 cups of water
2 cups of dry lentils
1 teaspoon of chopped garlic
1 whole sweet potato, chopped up
1 yellow onion, chopped up
bunch of carrots, cut up
1 tablespoon of smooth organic peanut butter (optional)
5-8 whole bay leaves
bunch of spinach
pinch of cumin
pinch of curry
pinch of pepper
pinch of sea salt

Directions:
Let the dry beans soak for a 2-3 hours before you start the soup. When ready to cook, pour the water in a pot, let boil and add the onions and garlic. Add the lentils, peanut butter, and bay leaves when the water comes to a steady boil. Cover the pot and cut up the potatoes and carrots. Let the lentils cook for an hour or so, checking on it periodically (adding water is common). Then add the potatoes and carrots, along with various seasonings (curry, salt, pepper and cumin) and cover. Make sure to taste as go and let cook for about another 45 minutes to an hour. Turn off the flame and place a bunch of fresh spinach on the bottom of a bowl, pour in the soup and enjoy!

How have you made lentil soup?

Seriously Soupy Serena