Forks Over Knives: The Cookbook (28 page)

1 bay leaf

2 teaspoons
 minced
 rosemary

2 teaspoons thyme leaves

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced

1½ cups split peas

6 cups
Vegetable Stock
, or low-sodium vegetable broth

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place the onion, carrot, and celery in a large saucepan and sauté over medium heat for 10 minutes, or until the onions are translucent. Add water 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time to keep the vegetables from sticking to the pan. Add the garlic, bay leaf, rosemary, thyme, paprika, sweet potato, split peas, and vegetable stock and bring the pot to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the peas are tender, about 50 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

THIS SOUP HAPPENED by accident one day when I happened to be making two different soups at the same time: Lentil on one burner, and Cauliflower, Potato, and Spinach on another. I added some ingredients meant for one soup into the other pot—but as so often happens with cooking “mistakes,” it worked out well. The cauliflower, potatoes, and lentils all add a creaminess to the soup as it cooks, and the smooth texture is especially pronounced if you serve it the next day.

SERVES 8 TO 10

1 large onion, peeled and chopped

6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

2 bay leaves

2 teaspoons curry powder, or to taste

½ teaspoon turmeric

Pinch ground nutmeg

One 15-ounce can diced tomatoes

1 cup green lentils, rinsed

2 large waxy potatoes, scrubbed and cut into ½-inch dice

1 small head cauliflower, cut into florets

6 cups finely chopped spinach leaves

2 tablespoons minced cilantro

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1.
Place the onions in a large pot and sauté over medium 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 1 minute. Add the bay leaves, curry powder, turmeric, and nutmeg and cook 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes. Add the lentils and 6 cups water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, covered, for 30 minutes. Add the potatoes and cauliflower and cook until the lentils are tender, about 15 more minutes.

2.
Stir in the spinach, cilantro, and lemon zest and juice. Season with salt and pepper.

THIS POPULAR EGYPTIAN bean soup is made with fava beans (also known as broad beans), which are native to North Africa. If you can’t find them, use chickpeas or any other bean. The mint and lemon really bring the soup to life.

SERVES 4 TO 6

1 large yellow onion, peeled and diced

1 medium carrot, peeled and diced

1 celery stalk, thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic, peeled

2 teaspoons cumin seeds,
toasted
and ground

1 tablespoon sweet paprika

2 bay leaves

1 large tomato, finely chopped

6 cups
Vegetable Stock
, or low-sodium vegetable broth

3 cups cooked
fava beans

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

¼ cup
 finely chopped
 parsley

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons
 finely chopped
 mint

Salt to taste

1.
Place the onion, carrot, 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, cumin, paprika, bay leaves, and tomato and cook for 5 minutes. Add the vegetable stock and fava beans and cook, covered, for 20 minutes.

2.
Add the cayenne pepper, parsley, lemon zest and juice, and mint. Cook for another 5 minutes, and season with salt.

THIS LIGHT SOUP, a standard in Japanese meals, comes together quickly. It makes an easy start to any meal, or a last-minute lunch if served with a salad.

SERVES 4

6 cups
Kombu Broth

½ cup mellow white miso

½ cup chopped green onion (white and green parts)

Bring the kombu broth to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and transfer 1 cup of the broth to a small bowl. Add the miso to the bowl and whisk the mixture until is smooth and creamy. Add the miso mixture to the pot. Add the green onion and cook over low heat for another 2 minutes, or until heated through.

VARIATION

Add 1½ cups cooked spinach or 1½ cups sliced mushrooms with the green onion.

ONCE THE INGREDIENTS are prepped for this soup, the dish comes together quickly. Sautéing the vegetables first shortens the stewing time, so there’s no need to spend long hours over a soup pot. This is a great one-pot meal that makes serving dinner a snap.

SERVES 4

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced

1 medium carrot, peeled and julienned

6 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems removed

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 tablespoon grated ginger

2 cups sliced bok choy

4 cups
Vegetable Stock
, or low-sodium vegetable stock

2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

Zest and juice of 1 lime

1 serrano chile, stemmed and sliced into thin rounds (for less heat, remove the seeds)

6 ounces brown rice noodles, cooked according to package directions, drained, and kept warm

1 cup
mung bean sprouts

½ cup
 chopped
 cilantro

1.
Place the onion, carrot, and mushrooms in a medium pot and sauté for 7 to 8 minutes. Add water 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time to keep the vegetables from sticking to the pan. Add the garlic, ginger, bok choy, vegetable stock, soy sauce, lime zest and juice, and serrano chile. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for 10 minutes.

2.
To serve, divide the noodles between four individual bowls. Pour the broth over the ingredients and garnish with the mung bean sprouts and cilantro.

Recipe by Judy Micklewright

THIS PUNGENT THAI-STYLE soup is sweet, sour, and spicy. The vegetables in this dish create a soup rich in nutrients, flavor, and color. Added sweetener is generally an integral part of this soup, but this version is naturally sweetened by the yams and sweet potato. Cut the yams and potato into rather large chunks so that they do not fully break down into the soup. If you do not have fresh coconut, substitute unsweetened shredded coconut.

SERVES 4 TO 6

Coconut water from 3 young coconuts, or about 3½ cups of your favorite coconut water

Coconut meat scraped from ½ coconut (about 4 to 6 ounces), optional

1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1½-inch pieces

2 yams, peeled and cut into 1½-inch pieces

1 small butternut squash, peeled, halved, seeded, and cubed

2 small carrots, peeled and diced

¼ pound shiitake or cremini mushrooms, sliced

2 medium tomatoes, diced

3 stalks of lemongrass (bottom white part only), halved and cut into 2-inch pieces

2 jalapeño peppers, halved and seeded

3 kaffir lime leaves

½ medium onion, peeled and diced

1-inch piece ginger, peeled and scored

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

Juice from 2 large limes (about ½ cup)

1½ tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

1½ teaspoons ground coriander

Pinch white pepper

3 cups spinach (about ½ pound), coarsely chopped

1½ cups snow peas, trimmed

Chopped cilantro

1.
Add the coconut water and coconut meat to a blender and puree on high.

2.
In a large stockpot, combine the pureed coconut, sweet potato, yams, butternut squash, carrots, mushrooms, tomatoes, lemongrass, jalapeño pepper, kaffir lime leaves, onion, ginger, garlic, lime juice, soy sauce, coriander, and white pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the spinach and snow peas and cook for 1 minute.

3.
Remove the pot from the heat. Remove and discard the lemongrass, ginger, lime leaves, and jalapeños. Garnish with cilantro and serve immediately (best served piping hot).

TIPS
If you do not have both yams and a sweet potato on hand, one or the other will do, but you may need to adjust the potato or yam quantity to balance the sweetness and sourness of the soup. The soup will get sweeter as the potato melts into the soup, and yams give off more natural sugar than sweet potatoes. If you find the soup is not sour enough for your taste, just add more lime juice or, if you run out of lime juice, a small amount of rice wine vinegar will work. Since jalapeño peppers may vary in spiciness, start out with 1 jalapeño and add more according to your personal taste.

TOM YUM GOONG is usually made with chicken stock, and often includes both shrimp and a fish sauce called
nam pla
. Shopping for this soup takes more effort than preparing it, but it is well worth it. Many grocery stores have well-stocked Asian sections, but you can also order ingredients online or seek out Asian grocery stores. When possible, choose fresh lemongrass instead of jarred, and Thai basil instead of the standard Genovese you’ll find in most American markets.