The Starch Solution (42 page)

2 cups coarsely chopped leafy greens, such as chard, kale, or spinach

Sea salt (optional)

Pour ¼ cup water into a large soup pot. Add the onion and garlic and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens, about 5 minutes.

Mix in the ginger, paprika, cumin, coriander, and pepper to taste. Add the lentils, chickpeas, tomatoes, potatoes, and 3 cups of water. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until the lentils are tender, about 50 minutes.

Stir in the lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of the chili paste, and the greens. Cook until the greens are tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Taste and add more chili paste and a bit of sea salt, if desired.

Serve hot.

This soup is perfect for those cold winter nights that call for something simple and comforting. Fingerlings are long, narrow potatoes that look like pudgy fingers. If you can’t find them, cut Yukon Gold or red new potatoes into bite-size chunks.

PREP: 15 MINUTES | COOK: 40 MINUTES • SERVES 6 TO 8

4 cups vegetable broth

½ cup quinoa, rinsed well in a strainer under cool running water

2½ cups chopped fingerling potatoes, cut into bite-size pieces

1 large onion, chopped

2–4 cloves garlic, crushed or minced

2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and finely chopped (wear plastic gloves when handling)

2 cups fresh or frozen and thawed corn kernels

4 cups fresh spinach, coarsely chopped

Chili sauce

Freshly ground black pepper

Put the broth, drained quinoa, potatoes, onion, garlic, and jalapeno peppers in a large soup pot along with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover, and cook until everything is tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in the corn and cook 15 minutes. Five minutes before the soup is done, stir in the spinach. Just before serving, add some chili sauce and pepper to taste.

Serve hot, with additional chili sauce on the side for those who prefer a little more kick.

This is the perfect soup for your slow cooker: Pile the ingredients into the pot in the morning and you’ll have soup in time for dinner.

PREP: 10 MINUTES | COOK: 8 HOURS • SERVES 8 TO 10

2 cups dried black beans

2 cans (16 ounces each) fire-roasted chopped tomatoes

1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chiles

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed or minced

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper

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teaspoon chipotle powder

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Put the beans, tomatoes, chiles, onion, garlic, chili powder, cumin, red pepper, and chipotle powder in a slow cooker. Stir in 6 cups of water. Cover and cook on high for 8 hours.

Serve the soup hot, stirring in the cilantro as you serve it.

This soup uses a nice variety of vegetables. Feel free to substitute your own favorites.

PREP: 45 MINUTES | COOK: 1 HOUR • SERVES 8

1 onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, crushed or minced

2 carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds

2 ribs celery, chopped

6 cups vegetable broth

3 cups chopped Roma tomatoes

1 can (15 ounces) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 can (15 ounces) small white beans, drained and rinsed

2 tablespoons regular or reduced-sodium soy sauce

2 cups sliced zucchini

2 cups small cauliflower florets

2 cups thinly sliced green cabbage

2 cups thinly sliced Swiss chard

½ cup small uncooked pasta

¼ cup fresh basil, cut into fine ribbons

Freshly ground black pepper

Put the onion, garlic, carrots, and celery in a large soup pot and add ½ cup of water. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Stir in the broth, tomatoes, both types of beans, and the soy sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in the zucchini, cauliflower, and cabbage and cook for 15 minutes. Add the chard and pasta and cook until the pasta is tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the fresh basil and pepper to taste just before serving.

Serve hot.

Either sweet potatoes or yams work well in this soup; yams are the orange-fleshed tubers and will result in a deeper orange bisque.

PREP: 20 MINUTES | COOK: 1 HOUR • SERVES 6 TO 8

1 onion, chopped

4½ cups vegetable broth

2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and chopped (wear plastic gloves when handling)

3 cups coarsely chopped peeled sweet potato or yam

3 carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds

1 cup soy milk or rice milk

1–2 tablespoons fresh basil, cut into fine ribbons

1 tablespoon brown sugar

Dash of ground red pepper (optional)

Put the onion and ½ cup of the broth in a medium saucepan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens, about 5 minutes. Add the jalapeños and cook 2 minutes. Add the remaining 4 cups of broth along with the sweet potatoes or yams and carrots. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, then cover and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes.

Puree the soup using an immersion blender, or process it in batches in a blender or food processor, returning the soup to the pan.

Stir in the milk, basil, brown sugar, and ground red pepper, if using. Simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve hot.

Purchase the broccoli already cut into florets to make quick work of this soup.

PREP: 10 MINUTES | COOK: 20 MINUTES • SERVES 6 TO 8

4 cups broccoli florets

3 cups vegetable broth

2 cups frozen chopped hash brown potatoes

1 onion, chopped

1 teaspoon dried dill weed

2½ cups soy milk or rice milk

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Dash of ground white pepper

Put the broccoli, broth, potatoes, onion, and dill weed in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes.

Puree the soup using an immersion blender, or process it in batches in a blender or food processor, returning the soup to the pan.

Stir in the milk, mustard, and white pepper. Heat until steaming and serve hot.

Purchasing sliced fresh mushrooms and shredded cabbage will save you some time in making this soup.

PREP: 10 MINUTES | COOK: 1 HOUR • SERVES 4 TO 6

1 cup pearled barley

1 onion, chopped

1 tablespoon regular or reduced-sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon parsley

2 teaspoons dill weed

½ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

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teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

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teaspoon wasabi powder

½ pound fresh mushrooms, sliced

2 cups shredded cabbage

Put the barley, onion, soy sauce, parsley, dill, cumin, garlic powder, pepper, and wasabi powder in a soup pot and stir in 6½ cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium, cover, and cook until the barley is tender, about 30 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cabbage and cook 30 minutes.

Serve hot.

This is my version of the revitalizing lentil stew served at the bed and breakfast where we stay when we go windsurfing in La Ventana, Mexico. We sometimes serve this over whole wheat bread or split rolls or ladled over baked potatoes or brown rice.

PREP: 10 MINUTES | COOK: 1 HOUR 15 MINUTES • SERVES 6 TO 8

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed or minced

1–2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and chopped (wear plastic gloves when handling)

2 cups green lentils

2 cups chopped fingerling potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces

¼–½ teaspoon chipotle chili powder

2 cups baby spinach leaves or chopped spinach

Hot sauce, for serving

Put the onion, garlic, and jalapeños in a large saucepan along with ½ cup of water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lentils, potatoes, ¼ teaspoon chipotle powder, and 5½ cups more water. Cover and bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the lentils are soft, about 1 hour. Stir in the spinach and cook 5 minutes. Add additional chili powder to taste.

Serve hot in bowls, with hot sauce on the side.

This recipe takes a little more work than most, but it makes an impressive presentation and is truly delicious. We love it as a holiday centerpiece and dinner. I suggest using one of the many gourmet pumpkin varieties rather than the regular Halloween-type pumpkin, because the flesh in the gourmet pumpkins is much more flavorful and less stringy. Some suggestions are Lumina (white skin), Jarrahdale (blue-gray skin), and Long Island Cheese (pale gold skin). All of these have a moist, delicious, deep-orange flesh.