Tuscan-Style White Bean, Quinoa & Kale Soup

Happy December!

So... I first made this recipe in Iowa with ingredients from my mother-in-law's cupboard. I was craving something warm and toasty to combat the snow piling up outside. It worked.

Now that I'm back in LA, I decided to make it again, this time with my slow-cooker. That worked beautifully. This soup is rich enough and hearty enough to be the centerpiece to a meal. It's also great leftover. Homemade chicken stock is an added bonus if you've got it. I always keep some in my freezer. Here's my easy stock recipe using a slow-cooker.

I used a combo of cannellini and garbanzo beans. I like to make it thick, almost like a stew. But you can add more or less beans depending on your preference. Usually, this sort of soup would have a glutenous pasta component, but I made it with quinoa—gluten free! And still delicious.

I also pop a parmesan rind into the broth for added richness. It's not required, but it sure is amazing tasting. I'll write this recipe up with chicken broth, but it's super easy to make vegan. Just use vegetable stock instead.

This is the perfect mid-winter recipe. Enjoy!

To make in a slow-cooker, just add all the ingredients and simmer on high for 4-6 hours. 

Tuscan-Style White Bean, Quinoa & Kale Soup
Serves 6-8 people
Cooking time: about 40 minutes
Vegetarian; gluten-free

Ingredients
4 cups low sodium chicken stock (preferably homemade)
28 ounce can cannillini beans
14 ounce can garbanzo beans
14 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
pinch of chili flakes
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup quinoa
2 cups kale, chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 parmesan rind (optional)
parmesan reggiano, for grating (optional)

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and carrots and saute until beginning to soften (about 5 minutes). Add the garlic and chili flakes and saute for one more minute.

2. Add the tomatoes, stock, beants, quinoa, thyme, bay leaf, parmesan rind. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for about twenty minutes. 

3. Add the kale, cover, and cook for ten more minutes, or until the kale is tender. Then pick out the bay leaf and parmesan rind. Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper.

4. To serve, ladle a generous portion of soup into a big bowl. Top with grated parmigiano reggiano cheese, freshly ground pepper, and a healthy drizzle of good olive oil. Enjoy!

Meatless Monday: Mushroom Cassoulet

Mushroom Cassoulet

Is your to do list as long as mine?

Lately, I feel like I wake up every morning and have to climb a mountain. It's not as high as Mount Everest (though some days it feels that way). But it's not a hobbit hill either. Between the house, cooking, cleaning, blogging, freelance writing, looking for an agent for my book, polishing my script, researching my next book, the dog, twittering, updating Facebook, the gym (somehow this always falls off my list), there's barely time to breathe, let alone get to the end of my list. And the next morning it starts all over again... sleep... repeat... sleep... repeat...

It's all I can do some days to remember to breathe.

I think God invented to do lists to torture us.

Here are a few things that I've learned over the years:

* Remembering to breathe is the most important thing on your to do list.

*A deep breath is better than Prozac most days. So is a glass of wine.

* It's not about getting to the end of your list. It's about the journey.

* If you're not enjoying the journey, then it's time to delete items off your list.

*Your Twitter followers will forgive you for not posting every second of the day, but your dog may not if you forget to feed him.

* You may not scale the mountain, but at least you tried. And you didn't get your arm trapped under a giant boulder and had to hack it off with a blunt instrument.

*There's always tomorrow.

But if I don't post this Mushroom Cassoulet recipe today, it will be Meatless Tuesday. And that doesn't have as nice of a ring to it, does it?

Also, if can take a break from your to do list, check out Meatless Monday's website this week. They're featuring two of my recipes for Slow Cooker Corn Chili and Avocado Radish Salad. Try them out, Twitter them, share them on Facebook, rate them, comment on them, whatever floats your boat. 

Mushroom Cassoulet
Serves 4-6 people
Cooking time: 2-3 hours
Vegan; dairy-free
Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups portobello mushrooms, chopped
• 1 cup shitake mushrooms, chopped
• 1 cup cannellini beans, soaked overnight or for six hours (to soak, cover with two inches of water in a bowl)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
• 5 cups water (preferably filtered)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste 
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (pimenton)
• 1 bouquet garni of bay leaf, thyme, and parsley tied together with kitchen twine
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
• salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a braising pan with a tight-fitting lid, heat the grapeseed oil over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and carrots, stirring occasionally until lightly caramelized (about 10 minutes). 
3. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the mushrooms and cook until becoming tender, about 4 minutes.
4. Add the cannellini beans, water, tomato paste, paprika, bouquet garni, and a pinch or two of salt and some pepper. Stir to combine. 
5. Cover with the lid and bake in the oven for 90 minutes to 2 hours, or until the beans are becoming tender.
6. Meanwhile, toss the breadcrumbs with the olive oil, parsley, salt, and pepper.
7. Remove the cassoulet from the oven and check seasoning (salt and pepper). Top with the breadcrumb mixture and bake uncovered for another 30 minutes or until golden brown.
8. Serve family style. Enjoy!

Source for Ingredients

• portobello and shitake mushrooms, parlsey, onions, carrots, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, and celery from the West Hollywood Farmers Market
• organic breadcrumbs and organic tomato paste from Trader Joe's 
• Bob's Red Mill cannellini beans and smoked paprika from Whole Foods

Meatless Monday: White Bean Soup with Rosemary and Garlic Crostini

Divas, did you know that beans are one of the healthiest foods on the planet?  They even straddle two food groups - they have enough protein to be classified as a meat and enough nutrients to be classified as a vegetable.  That's impressive!  They're also packed with iron and calcium, making them a great meat and dairy substitute.

Cannellini beans have to be one of my favorite varietals.  Also known as white Italian beans and kidney beans, I love them for their mellow nutty flavor.  For this simple soup, I soak the beans overnight and then simmer them in water until tender (canned beans may be used in a pinch).  Them, I puree half of them with vegetable stock into a creamy broth and add the other half of intact beans, creating a rustic soup.  I serve this soup with garlic bread.  Add a green salad, and you have the perfect lunch or dinner. 

White Bean Soup with Rosemary and Garlic Crostini
Serves 4-6 people
Cooking time: 20 minutes (not including soaking and simmering beans)
Print Recipe

Ingredients
3 cups cooked Cannelini beans (canned beans may be substituted - make sure to drain and rinse them with cool water)
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 sprig rosemary, leaves removed from stem
2 sprigs thyme, leaves removed from stem
2 sprigs oregano, leaves removed from stem
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cups vegetable broth
salt and pepper

garlic crostini
4 slices of baguette
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove
4 sprigs rosemary

Directions
Place half of the beans (1 1/2 cups) into a blender or food processor.  Add the herbs, olive and stock.  Process until smooth.  Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour into a stock pot and stir in the remaining 1 1/2 cups of beans.  Bring to a boil and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, toast the baguette slices.  Then, drizzle with the olive oil and rub with the garlic clove.  Top with a fresh rosemary sprig.

To serve, ladle the soup into bowls.  Top with a garlic corstini and drizzle with olive oil.  Finish with a little cracked black pepper.  Enjoy!

Source For Ingredients
dried cannellini beans from Bob's Red Mill (Whole Foods)

organic herbs from my herb garden

organic vegetable stock, organic garlic and baguette from Trader Joe's