My 5 Favorite Soups of 2021 for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays

I meant to do this roundup post last Sunday and then lost power for almost 5 hours and never got it posted during the week. I also never made soup. Yep, still in my no-cooking funk. 

But anyway, here are my 5 favorite soups of last year and a round up of the past few weeks from friends in the Souper Sunday kitchen. If you wanted to share a soup, salad or sandwich last week or this past week, feel free to share it below and I'll recap it next week.

Chickpea Curry & Rice Soup, created by me back in August to fulfill a craving and a delicious one-pot meal. 

Easy Tortellini Alfredo Soup is mostly from the pantry but with homemade Alfedo sauce and really hit the spot. 

This Mini Wonton Vegetable Soup is also easy and so good. I keep thinking about it!

I loved this Ethiopian Lentil Stew (Misr Wot) and it was worth the berbere (Ethiopian Spice Mix) and nit'r qibe (spiced butter) I bought online to make it. 

I tinkered a bit with Mark Bittman's Garlic Fideo Soup and ended up loving this simple hug in a bowl. 

I did make other very delicious soups during the year, even in and around my cooking/blogging funk, but these are the ones I think most about. 

Let's see who has been waiting in the Souper Sundays kitchen these past couple of weeks. 

Tina of Squirrel Head Manor made Beef Vegetable Soup and said "This soup doesn't require a recipe or measurements. I use a couple of marrow bones and add beef, fresh veggies such as tomatoes, carrots, onions, corn, green beans, zucchini and potatoes.  My mom added cabbage and lima beans but that's not happening this time :-)"

Melynda of Scratch Made Food shared this Winter Pea Salad Plate with Tomatoes and Cashews saying it "is a fresh breath of air, for winter salads! This delicious salad calls for frozen peas, which is perfect, because good quality frozen peas are available year-round, but always a favorite in winter!"

Melynda also made Lentil and Mushroom Soup with Kale and Bacon and says, "I love mushrooms in lentil soup, so I use as many as possible. And of course some kale, there are very few pots of soup made in this kitchen where kale is not added. The secret about using kale is to cut it small if you want it to get eaten without question. I no longer consider this sneaky, I consider it good nutrition. As it turns out kale is really good for you, but hard to like in the same way people like spinach..."

Radha of The Magical Ingredients for a Wholesome Life From the Heart of My Home brought healthy Zero Oil Veggie and Millet Noodle Soup and said, "This is a very healthy soup perfect for the weather. The brothy soup filled with veggies and some millet noodles makes a wholesome and nutritious soup. Did I tell you that this is zero oil soup? Yes, no oil to butter! zero fat soup! This soup is vegan too!"

Thank you Tina, Melynda and Radha for joining me! 

(If you aren't familiar with Souper Sundays, you can read about of the origins of it here.
 

If you would like to join in Souper (Soup, Salad, and Sammie) Sundays, I would love to have you! Here's how...

To join in this week's Souper Sunday's linkup with your soup, salad or sandwich:

• Link up your soup (stew, chili, soupy curries, etc. are fine), salad, or sandwich dish, (preferably one from the current week or month--but we'll take older posts too) on the picture link below and leave a comment on this post so I am sure not to miss you. Also please see below for what to do on your blog post that you link up to Souper Sundays in order to be included in the weekly round-up.
• Although we are pretty wide on what defines a soup, sandwich or salad, entries that are clearly not in the same family (ie: desserts, meats, random main or side dishes that aren't salads, etc.) are meant for another round up and will be deleted. 

and 

On your entry post (on your blog):

• Mention Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen and add a link back to this post. (Not to be a pain but it's polite and only fair to link back to events you link up at--so if you link a post up here without linking back to this post or my blog on your post, it will be removed.)
• You are welcome to add the Souper Sundays logo to your post and/or blog (completely optional).

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Have a happy, healthy week!

My Favorite Pappa Al Pomidoro Soup (And Fried Basil Croutons) for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays

Back to a no soup making week, this week. It was a great day for it, rainy and cool but I was busy and slightly under the weather with asthma. That made me think about this Ina Garten Papa Al Pomidoro Soup that I first made back in 2008 over Christmas Weekend when I was too sick to go to Oregon. Excuse the early days pictures. 

I ate meat on the regular at the time and the topping of ciabatta, fresh basil, and pancetta but I have made the topping again, several times since, with the bread and basil. It's the best part of the soup. Here it is on Creamy Red Pepper & Tomato Soup with Fried Basil Croutons from Christmas Eve 2017. 

Pappa Al Pomidoro

Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics, Ina Garten

(1/2 Recipe Below Makes 6 Servings) 

1/2 cup good olive oil
2 cups chopped yellow onion (2 onions)
1 cup medium-diced carrots, unpeeled (3 carrots)
1 fennel bulb, trimmed, cored, and medium-diced (1 1/2 cups)
4 teaspoons minced garlic (4 cloves)
3 cups (1-inch) diced ciabatta cubes, crusts removed
2 (28-ounce) cans good Italian plum tomatoes
4 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
For the topping:
3 cups (1-inch) diced ciabatta cubes
2 ounces thickly sliced pancetta, chopped
24 to 30 whole fresh basil leaves
3 tablespoons good olive oil, plus more for serving
Salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, fennel, and garlic and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, until tender. Add the ciabatta cubes and cook for 5 more minutes. Place the tomatoes in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process just until coarsely chopped. Add the tomatoes to the pot along with the chicken stock, red wine, basil, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper. Bring the soup to a boil, lower the heat, and allow to simmer, partially covered, for 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

For the topping, place the ciabatta cubes, pancetta, and basil on a sheet pan large enough to hold them in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss well. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 to 25 minutes, until all the ingredients are crisp. The basil leaves will turn dark and crisp, which is perfectly fine. Reheat the soup, if necessary, beat with a wire whisk until the bread is broken up. Stir in the Parmesan and taste for seasoning. Serve hot sprinkled with the topping and drizzled with additional olive oil.

What I said about it then: 

Notes/Results:  This makes a lot of soup--Ina says it serves 6 and as usual, they would be "ginormous" servings.  I made a half batch, which was at least six, decent-sized servings, but I ate it all the past few days and actually wish I had more. Don't omit the topping--if you don't do meat, still bake the basil and ciabatta cubes and then grate some Parmesan over it when you serve.  This soup is delicious and I will make it again. Thanks Natalie for a great recipe pick!  Since it's Christmas, the Barefoot Bloggers have until 12/31 to post this recipe and you can check out their results here.

Linking this Ina soup up to I Heart Cooking Clubs November Potluck:

Now let's check out the Souper Sundays kitchen and see who is here:

Judee of Gluten Free A-Z Blog shares Mediterranean Tomato and Red Onion Salad, saying, "Tomato and red onion salad is simple to prepare yet makes a lovely presentation and is very delicious. It's made of a few ingredients and can be thrown together quickly. With all the rich heavy food for the holidays, why not serve some healthy low calorie salads as well."

Radha of The Magical Ingredients for a Wholesome Life from the Heart of My Home brought Roasted Cauliflower Soup and says, "This is a simple, creamy, and delicious soup made with roasted cauliflower. A piping hot bowl of this soup is a perfect one as the temperature dips. For a vegan version, add coconut milk. Serve with a crusty bread or garlic bread."

Finally Tina of Squirrel Head Manor brings Dal Makhani from the local Indian shop, saying, "The Indian market always has interesting fare on their shelves.  They also have the best fresh green beans and lots of other fresh produce.  Pity it's located so far from our home so we don't go often.  I'm loving this prepackaged Dal Makhani for lunches."

Thank you Tina, Judee, and Radha for joining me this week! 

(If you aren't familiar with Souper Sundays, you can read about of the origins of it here.
 

If you would like to join in Souper (Soup, Salad, and Sammie) Sundays, I would love to have you! Here's how...

To join in this week's Souper Sunday's linkup with your soup, salad or sandwich:

• Link up your soup (stew, chili, soupy curries, etc. are fine), salad, or sandwich dish, (preferably one from the current week or month--but we'll take older posts too) on the picture link below and leave a comment on this post so I am sure not to miss you. Also please see below for what to do on your blog post that you link up to Souper Sundays in order to be included in the weekly round-up.
• Although we are pretty wide on what defines a soup, sandwich or salad, entries that are clearly not in the same family (ie: desserts, meats, random main or side dishes that aren't salads, etc.) are meant for another round up and will be deleted. 

and 

On your entry post (on your blog):

• Mention Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen and add a link back to this post. (Not to be a pain but it's polite and only fair to link back to events you link up at--so if you link a post up here without linking back to this post or my blog on your post, it will be removed.)
• You are welcome to add the Souper Sundays logo to your post and/or blog (completely optional).

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to ente

Have a happy, healthy week!

 

Five Soups with Toppings That Take Them to the Next Level for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays

I love how toppings can take a simple bowl of soup to the next level. Here are five favorites:

White Bean Farro Soup with Chickpea Parmigiana by Terry Hope Romero uses chickpea flour for a fun, cheese-ish topping in a vegan soup. 

Moroccan Lentil Soup with Yogurt & Chili-Fried Onions--so many layers of flavor in this lentil soup by Diana Henry.

There's something about lentils and chili oil because Ottolenghi's Red Lentil Soup with Fried Tofu and Chilli Oil is another favorite.

And tofu cubes as a topping work really well in Chloe Coscarelli's Vegan Ramen Bowl with Crispy Hoisin Tofu.

Finally, there's Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Mushroom & Hazelnut Topping where the topping is a unique mix on Ellie's Krieger's simple pureed soup. 

I could easily find another five, ten or twenty soups for this theme! But instead, let's check out the Souper Sundays kitchen and see who is here:

First up is Melynda from Scratch Made Food with a slaw salad. She says, "Celery Root Carrot and Apple Slaw is easy, delicious! Fall is the perfect time to add a vegetable salad to your dinner table, and this one will become a new family favorite. We love this salad because it is delicious, and adding more vegetables to the table is always a good thing!"

Next is Debra of Eliot's Eats with her Spicy White Pumpkin Soup. Debra says, "After Halloween, I found a few pumpkins on sale—for 50 cents a piece. I had to buy some to roast. These were “white” pumpkins (Pumpkins Lumina). While I was writing this post, I was roasting them so it just made sense to utilize them for something Friendsgiving-like. I was also spending part of the morning going through my November magazines (bon appetit, Food & Wine, Southern Living, and Martha Stewart). I garnished with sliced jalapenos, cilantro, and crumbled cojita."

Finally, Judee of Gluten Free A-Z Blog shared her insta-pot Butternut Squash and Red Lentil Soup, saying, "Combined with red lentils, butternut squash makes a hearty cool weather soup that is filling, comforting, and delicious. The savory flavors come from tomatoes, peppers, onions, chiles, potatoes and cumin. Although this recipe could also be made on the stove top, I made this version the Instant Pot. It's fast and easy, especially if you buy pre-cut up butternut squash to avoid having to peel, clean out the seeds, and chop the firm squash (I peeled and chopped)."

Thank you Debra, Judee and Melynda for joining me this week! 

(If you aren't familiar with Souper Sundays, you can read about of the origins of it here.
 

If you would like to join in Souper (Soup, Salad, and Sammie) Sundays, I would love to have you! Here's how...

To join in this week's Souper Sunday's linkup with your soup, salad or sandwich:

• Link up your soup (stew, chili, soupy curries, etc. are fine), salad, or sandwich dish, (preferably one from the current week or month--but we'll take older posts too) on the picture link below and leave a comment on this post so I am sure not to miss you. Also please see below for what to do on your blog post that you link up to Souper Sundays in order to be included in the weekly round-up.
• Although we are pretty wide on what defines a soup, sandwich or salad, entries that are clearly not in the same family (ie: desserts, meats, random main or side dishes that aren't salads, etc.) are meant for another round up and will be deleted. 

and 

On your entry post (on your blog):

• Mention Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen and add a link back to this post. (Not to be a pain but it's polite and only fair to link back to events you link up at--so if you link a post up here without linking back to this post or my blog on your post, it will be removed.)
• You are welcome to add the Souper Sundays logo to your post and/or blog (completely optional).

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Have a happy, healthy week!

 

Six Tasty & Satisfying Pasta e Fagiolis for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays

Since I am still waiting for my soup mojo to come back, this week I am rounding up 6 favorite Pasta e Fagioli recipes from the blog. 

Giada offers up a tasty and flavorful classic Pasta e Fagioli

I added a topping of kale pesto and capers to Mark Bittman's satisfying classic Pasta e Fagioli

Traditional Pasta e Fagioli is always great but if you want a variation and love smoky paprika, try Mark Bittman's Spanish-Style Pasta e Fagioli. 

Ina's "16 Bean" Pasta E Fagioli was another favorite, lots of flavor and great texture. 

One yummy variation from my own recipe, Herby Bean & Pasta Soup (Pasta e Fagioli) with Spinach.

Finally, this Pasta E Cici (Pasta with Chickpeas) from Vegetarian Times is a close cousin to Pasta e Fagioli and equally delicious.

Just follow the links to the posts and recipes, you can't go wrong with any of these soups!

Now let's take a look into the Souper Sundays kitchen: 

Judee of Gluten Free A- Z Blog is here with this healthy soup saying "Baby Brussels Sprouts Soup is delicious and can be prepped and cooked rather quickly- in just 12 minutes. ... This soup is perfect for the busy cook who likes healthy recipes. It took only 5-7 minutes to prep and 10-12 minutes to cook, yet it tasted warm, delicious, and comforting. It's a nice nutritious fall soup to add to your repertoire."

Thank you Judee for joining me this week! 

(If you aren't familiar with Souper Sundays, you can read about of the origins of it here.
 

If you would like to join in Souper (Soup, Salad, and Sammie) Sundays, I would love to have you! Here's how...

To join in this week's Souper Sunday's linkup with your soup, salad or sandwich:

• Link up your soup (stew, chili, soupy curries, etc. are fine), salad, or sandwich dish, (preferably one from the current week or month--but we'll take older posts too) on the picture link below and leave a comment on this post so I am sure not to miss you. Also please see below for what to do on your blog post that you link up to Souper Sundays in order to be included in the weekly round-up.
• Although we are pretty wide on what defines a soup, sandwich or salad, entries that are clearly not in the same family (ie: desserts, meats, random main or side dishes that aren't salads, etc.) are meant for another round up and will be deleted. 

and 

On your entry post (on your blog):

• Mention Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen and add a link back to this post. (Not to be a pain but it's polite and only fair to link back to events you link up at--so if you link a post up here without linking back to this post or my blog on your post, it will be removed.)
• You are welcome to add the Souper Sundays logo to your post and/or blog (completely optional).

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Have a happy, healthy week!

 

Six Seafood Chowders for Souper (Soup, Salad, & Sammie) Sundays

It's one of my favorite soups, there are not Clam Chowder recipes on my blog. I'm not sure why as there are fish, seafood and shrimp chowders on here. I had a takeout Hawaiian Clam Chowder this weekend from a local restaurant that was made with ulu (breadfruit) clams, and smoked meat and was served with grilled sourdough. it was delicious and had me thinking about seafood chowders. 

Here are a half-dozen recipes for some fish and seafood chowders from my kitchen. 

I made this Cod and Potato Chowder to pair with a book review and it is smooth. rich, slightly smoky and full of good flavor. 

Another bookish pairing was this Creamy Shrimp and Corn Chowder made smoky with Old Bay Seasoning and smoked paprika.

You can't beat chowder in a bread bowl and this Farmers' Market Smoked Fish, Corn and Vegetable Chowder:  is full of veggies and satisfying without being heavy.

Jacques Pépin's Seafood Chowder from More Fast Food My Way is quick, easy and tasty.

My Smoked Salmon, Vegetable, and Barley Chowder is a great combination of flavor and texture with the chewy barley. 

This Cajun Shrimp Chowder had great flavor. 

I will rectify my lack of clam chowder recipes on this blog sometime soon. Now let's take a look into the Souper Sundays kitchen: 

Radha of The Magical Ingredients for a Wholesome Life From the Heart of my Home shares a Vietnamese Pho saying, "This is a delicious, vegan version of the most popular noodle soup bowl in the world. Vietnamese Pho bowl is a comforting bowl and uses beef. This version of mine uses tofu as beef substitute. This simple and comforting bowl with toppings can satisfy any craving for flavorful food - the secret is the broth."

Tina of Squirrel Head Manor shares both a salad and sandwich from here kitchen, saying, "Now that we are home and have been able to cook some healthy meals we have been enjoying vegetables and homemade fare. Restaurant food for several days got to us. Here is a simple salad of  lettuce, beefsteak tomato, fresh Parmesan cheese, cucumbers, scallions and red onion."

Tina also shared a sandwich saying, "The weather is holding onto summer instead of moving into Autum so we have been able to eat outside on the porch quite a bit.  This BLT on toasted potato bread made a semi-healthy lunch a few days ago."

Thank you Radha and Tina for joining me this week! 

(If you aren't familiar with Souper Sundays, you can read about of the origins of it here.
 

If you would like to join in Souper (Soup, Salad, and Sammie) Sundays, I would love to have you! Here's how...

To join in this week's Souper Sunday's linkup with your soup, salad or sandwich:

• Link up your soup (stew, chili, soupy curries, etc. are fine), salad, or sandwich dish, (preferably one from the current week or month--but we'll take older posts too) on the picture link below and leave a comment on this post so I am sure not to miss you. Also please see below for what to do on your blog post that you link up to Souper Sundays in order to be included in the weekly round-up.
• Although we are pretty wide on what defines a soup, sandwich or salad, entries that are clearly not in the same family (ie: desserts, meats, random main or side dishes that aren't salads, etc.) are meant for another round up and will be deleted. 

and 

On your entry post (on your blog):

• Mention Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen and add a link back to this post. (Not to be a pain but it's polite and only fair to link back to events you link up at--so if you link a post up here without linking back to this post or my blog on your post, it will be removed.)
• You are welcome to add the Souper Sundays logo to your post and/or blog (completely optional).

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Have a happy, healthy week!