Easy as Pie Test Kitchen

Warm tummy

It's been unusually rainy and could here in southern California, and I'm trying to be thorough about using the food I have before I make another big trip to the store. So, we've been eating a lot of soup. Nothing else can quite give you that same toasty-from-the inside feeling, can it?

One of my favorite restaurants is a Lebanese place. We go there so often we are now good friends with the owner, and he was kind enough to share his secret to their delicious lentil soup. Well, okay, he didn't so much share the recipe as he said it's a matter of putting some onions and lentils in a pot, boiling them, and adding lemon juice. Turns out that's actually about all there is to it. If only the garlic sauce he serves was so easy to reproduce!

Mediterranean Lentil Soup ($5.20)

3 tablespoons oil
1/2 yellow onion ($.50)
1 tablespoon minced garlic ($.10)
1 lb red lentils ($1)
3 cups chicken broth ($3, or free if you make your own)
3 cups water
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 cup lemon juice ($.50)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley ($.10)

Saute the garlic and onion in oil over medium high heat until onions are getting tender. Add the lentils, chicken broth, water, cumin, lemon juice, and salt. Bring to a boil and simmer until lentils soften and come apart. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle parsley on the top.

"Whoopy once, whoopy twice, whoopy chicken soup with rice"

In honor of the new "Where the Wild Things Are" movie (that I haven't seen yet), here's a recipe inspired by one of Maurice Sendak's lesser known books, "Chicken Soup with Rice". The book is a poem about eating chicken soup every month of the year. October ends with, "Whoopy once. Whoopy twice. Whoopy chicken soup with rice."

Besides having Sendak on the brain, I wanted to make something for my burly Alaskan husband who was sick with the flu. What better remedy than chicken soup? I like my soup thick, so you are welcome to add more water or broth if you prefer yours to actually be soupy. I used red wine, which gave it a nice fall kick and also a neat purplish color.

 
Chicken soup with rice ($7.24)

1 1/2 cups rice (I used a wild rice mix from Trader Joe's, but I don't remember how much it cost. $.75 for everyday grocery store rice)
2 large carrots, sliced ($.50)
2 stalks celery, sliced ($.50)
1 14.5-ounce can tomatoes ($1.49)
4 cups broth ($2)
2 cups red wine ($1 from Trader Joe's)
2 cups pieces of chicken ($1)
3 tablespoons dried parsley
salt and pepper

Put all ingredients in a crock pot and heat on high 4-6 hours. Or, if the chicken is already cooked, just nuke it until it's hot. Whoopy twice and enjoy. 4-6 servings.

Chilled cucumber soup on a hot evening

 In the summer, I like nothing better than biking to the farmer's market, coming home with a big bag of produce, and enjoying dinner fresh from the market out on my porch. (Unless, of course, it's biking to the farmer's market, coming home with a big bag of produce, enjoying dinner fresh from the market out on my porch, AND getting a footrub from my husband after he does the dishes.) Chilled cucumber soup fits the bill--it's quick, refreshing, and free from the top 8 food allergens (although people with tree nut allergies may choose to be extra cautious and avoid coconut).

Ingredients:

3 cucumbers
1 cup coconut milk
3 leaves mint
1 tablespoon chopped ginger
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon salt
4 ounces tofu, (optional)

Directions:

Peel the cucumbers and slice them in half lengthwise. Scoop the seeds from middle with a spoon and discard them. Chop the cucumbers and put them in the food processor. Add all of the other ingredients to the food processor bowl and puree until the mixture is smooth. (Tofu is optional, but makes the soup a little thicker.)