Forks Over Knives: The Cookbook (25 page)

7 small red-skin potatoes, scrubbed and chopped

1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped

3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

1.
In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, sauté the onion and garlic in ½ cup vegetable stock until the onions are translucent.

2.
Add the carrots, celery, potatoes, sweet potato, and remaining 3½ cups of vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Once the pot reaches a boil, lower the heat and simmer until the vegetables are soft, approximately 25 to 30 minutes.

3.
Add the soy sauce, stir to combine, and serve hot.

GAZPACHO IS THE summer soup of choice—there’s no cooking involved and there’s not a lot of prep work. The beans make it a filling meal, but you can leave them out if you want to make a light side dish.

SERVES 4

6 large ripe tomatoes (about 4 pounds)

2 large cucumbers, peeled, halved, seeded, and diced

1 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced small

1 medium Vidalia onion, peeled and diced small

¼ cup red wine vinegar

Zest of 1 lemon

½ cup 
chopped 
basil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 cups cooked
cannellini beans
, or one 15-ounce can, drained and rinsed

Coarsely chop 2 of the tomatoes and puree them in a blender. Transfer to a large bowl. Chop the remaining 4 tomatoes and add them to the bowl. Add the cucumber, red pepper, onion, red wine vinegar, lemon zest, basil, salt and pepper, and beans, and mix well. Chill for 1 hour before serving.

VARIATION

Make a spicy version of this soup by adding 1 or 2 finely chopped jalapeño peppers, replacing the basil with chopped cilantro, and replacing the red wine vinegar with the zest and juice of 2 limes.

DURING THE SUMMER months, all of the vegetables in this soup can (and should!) be found fresh. Tomatoes, squash, and corn will be at their peak, and their fresh flavors will really shine through in this dish.

SERVES 6

1 large yellow onion, peeled and chopped

4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

6 medium tomatoes, chopped

2 medium zucchini, diced

1 yellow squash, diced

3 ears corn, kernels removed (about 2 cups)

6 cups
Vegetable Stock
, or low-sodium vegetable broth

½ cup
 finely chopped
 basil

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place the onion in a medium saucepan and sauté over medium heat for 7 to 8 minutes. Add water 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time to keep the onions from sticking to the pan. Add the garlic and sauté another minute. Add the tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes, or until the tomatoes start to break down slightly. Add the zucchini, yellow squash, corn, and vegetable stock. Bring the pot to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Add the basil and lemon zest and juice. Season with salt and pepper.

THIS IS A simple soup to put together, and it’s best made when green beans and corn are ripe in the garden. Vegetables that are in season, fresh from the garden, taste far superior to those that travel across the country, or the world, to get to your table. If you don’t have a garden, check out your local farmers’ market instead. You will quickly become a fan of the remarkable difference in flavor.

SERVES 8

1 large yellow onion, peeled and diced

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 tablespoon
 minced
 thyme

8 cups
Vegetable Stock
, or low-sodium vegetable broth

1 pound red-skin potatoes (about 7 to 9 small), scrubbed and cut into ½-inch cubes

1 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into ½-inch pieces

6 ears corn, kernels removed (about 3½ cups)

4 cups cooked
navy beans
, or two 15-ounce cans, drained and rinsed

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place the onion in a large pot and sauté over medium heat for 10 minutes. Add water 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time to keep them from sticking to the pan. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for another minute. Add the vegetable stock, potatoes, green beans, and corn and cook, covered, over medium heat, for 15 minutes. Add the navy beans, season with salt and pepper, and cook for another 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.

LEMON ZEST AND rosemary add a little flair to what would be a good but otherwise plain bean soup. Here, the lemon flavor comes not from lemon juice (which adds a sour flavor to any dish), but rather from the zest, which brings out the true essence of the lemon.

SERVES 6

2 large leeks (white and light green parts), chopped and rinsed

1 celery stalk, chopped

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

2 teaspoons minced rosemary

1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes (about 3 medium), peeled and cubed

2 cups cooked
navy beans
, or one 15-ounce can, drained and rinsed

6 cups
Vegetable Stock
, or low-sodium vegetable broth

Zest of 2 lemons

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place the leeks and celery in a large pot and sauté over medium heat for 10 minutes. Add water 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time to keep the vegetables from sticking to the pan. Add the garlic and rosemary and cook for another minute, then add the potatoes, beans, and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to medium, and cook, covered, for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Add the lemon zest, season with salt and pepper, and cook for another 5 minutes.

THIS SIMPLE BUT popular Portuguese soup is traditionally made with potatoes, onions, and kale. Adding beans is not normally done in this dish, but doing so makes it a filling meal. Think of this recipe also as a template for other pairings of root vegetables, greens, and beans—it works for a wide range of combinations, depending on what’s most readily available, what you may already have on hand (especially if you’re looking for a quick weeknight meal), and what you may be craving.

SERVES 4

1 large yellow onion, peeled and diced

6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

4 cups
Vegetable Stock
, or low-sodium vegetable broth

2 large russet potatoes, peeled and diced

1 large bunch kale, ribs removed, chopped

2 cups cooked
cannellini beans
, or one 15-ounce can, drained and rinsed

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place the onion in a large saucepan and sauté over medium heat for 10 minutes. Add water 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time to keep the onions from sticking to the pan. Add the garlic and cook for another minute, then add the vegetable stock, potatoes, kale, and cannellini beans and cook, covered, for 25 minutes. Season the soup with salt and pepper and cook, uncovered, another 5 minutes.

THIS SOUP IS a natural pairing of summer’s freshest ingredients. For a richer dish, use
Basil Pesto
in place of the basil chiffonade.

SERVES 4

2 medium yellow onions, peeled and coarsely chopped

2 large red bell peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped

3 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 teaspoon thyme leaves

1 pound fresh tomatoes (about 3 medium), coarsely chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

¼ cup basil
chiffonade

Place the onions and red pepper in a large saucepan and sauté over medium heat for 10 minutes. Add water 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time to keep the vegetables from sticking to the pan. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for another minute, then add the tomatoes and cook, covered, for 20 minutes. Puree the soup using an immersion blender or in batches in a blender with a tight-fitting lid, covered with a towel. Season with salt and pepper and serve garnished with the basil.

ALTHOUGH THERE ARE as many versions of minestrone as there are of tomato sauce (it is simply a vegetable soup usually made with beans and pasta or rice), you’ll quickly become a fan of this particular whole-foods recipe. For variation, try this recipe with spinach instead of kale, and turnips in place of potatoes. The nutritional yeast, while not traditional, is a great addition to any soup recipe for adding a deeper flavor to the dish.

SERVES 8 TO 10

1 large onion, peeled and chopped

2 large carrots, peeled and chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

8 cups
Vegetable Stock
, or low-sodium vegetable broth

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast, optional

One 28-ounce can diced tomatoes

2 teaspoons oregano

2 medium red-skin potatoes, scrubbed and cubed

4 cups packed chopped kale, ribs removed before chopping

½ cup uncooked brown basmati rice

6 cups cooked
cannellini beans
, or three 15-ounce cans, drained and rinsed

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 cup
 finely chopped
 basil

Place the onion, carrots, and celery in a large saucepan over medium heat and sauté for 10 minutes. Add water 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time to keep the vegetables from sticking to the pan. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the vegetable stock, nutritional yeast (if using), tomatoes, oregano, potatoes, kale, and rice. Bring the pot to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the beans and simmer for 15 minutes, until the rice is tender. Season with salt and pepper and add the basil.

MAKE THIS FRESH-FLAVORED soup in the spring when asparagus is in season. The bright green, tender stalks available in the warmer months really make this soup something special.

SERVES 6

1 large yellow onion, peeled and diced

2 teaspoons thyme

1 tablespoon minced tarragon

4 cups
Vegetable Stock
, or low-sodium vegetable broth

2 pounds fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into ½-inch pieces

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1.
Place the onion in a large stock pot and sauté over medium heat for 10 minutes. Add water 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time to keep the onion from sticking to the pan. Add the thyme, tarragon, vegetable stock, and asparagus and cook over medium-low heat for 20 to 25 minutes, until the asparagus is very tender.

2.
Puree the soup using an immersion blender or in batches in a blender with a tight-fitting lid, covered with a towel. Season with salt and pepper.