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Curried Lentil Soup with Chickpeas and Quinoa

January 3, 2011 Leave a Comment

I thought I would offer up a very ‘good-for-you’ recipe after all the indulging we’ve done the last few weeks!  But healthy doesn’t mean that it can’t taste great.  This soup is full of flavor!  And don’t let the long list of ingredients throw you off; once you are through chopping the onion, carrot and celery (and only 1/2 cup of each), the recipe comes together very quickly.

A couple of notes.  This recipe calls for red lentils.  They are smaller than the typical lentils you find in the grocery store (depends on where you shop) and cook quicker.  If you are using a different lentil you will need to adjust (lengthen) the cooking time.  A taste test will let you know when it is ready.

If you’ve never used quinoa, its a grain that is packed with protein – among the highest concentration among all grains.  Also, the recipe calls for 1 Tbsp. of a chili sauce such as sambal oelek (check your international/Asian aisle at your grocery store) but if spicy isn’t your thing, leave it out.  Or bring the amount down to 1 tsp.

Finally – left overs will most likely absorb a good amount of the liquid in the pot.  Simply add some chicken stock to the pot when you reheat if you would like it to be more brothy (personally, I like eating the leftover more as a thick ‘stew’).

Curried Lentil Soup with Chickpeas and Quinoa (from one of the incredible cooks on the recipe swap I belong too!)

  • 1 Tbsp.  vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup onion, chopped
  • 1/2 cup carrots, chopped
  • 1/2 cup celery, chopped
  • 1 Tbsp. garlic, minced
  • 1 Tbsp. ginger, minced
  • 1 Tbsp. curry powder
  • 1 cup red lentils
  • 3 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
  • 1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes
  • 1 Tbsp. Asian chili sauce (such as sambal oelek)
  • 1 (19 oz. can chickpeas), rinsed and drained
  • 1 cup quinoa, cooked (follow package directions)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • chopped cilantro and sour cream orGreek yogurt (optional)
  1. Heat the oil in a pan (I spray the pan with non-stick spray first).
  2. Add the onions, carrots and celery and saute until tender, about 10 – 15 minutes.  If the pan gets too dry add a tsp. of oil to the pan.
  3. Add the garlic, ginger and curry powder and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
  4. Add the lentils, stock, canned tomato (including the liquid in the can) and chili sauce.
  5. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the lentils are tender, about 15 minutes.
  6. Add the chickpeas and quinoa and warm them up.
  7. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  If you’d like, serve individual portions with a garnish of cilantro and a dollop of the yogurt or sour cream.

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Filed Under: Soup

Gazpacho Soup

August 16, 2010 Leave a Comment

Diva Enertains Gazpacho

Forgive me my indulgence for this and the next two posts.  But it IS tomato season and it lasts such a sweet, short time.

This recipe for Gazpacho Soup comes from Thomas Keller of  “The French Laundry” restaurant, perhaps one of the most coveted reservations in our nation.   I’m not sure Chef Keller would appreciate the liberties I’ve taken with his recipe but we love it!  The two parts I’ve left out are: 1) Keller calls for blending all the ingredients in a blender prior to serving it which is the way it is prepared in its country of origin, Spain.  However, as you will find it on many menus in the U.S., we like ours with texture so we skip the blending. (That being said – you could do most of the prep work, chopping, in a food processor)

Diva Enertains Gazpacho Side View

2) He calls for a Balsamic reduction to “dot’ over the top of the soup.  We have done it and it is both delicious and beautiful.  But not something we want to do every time we make this recipe – it’s a lot of work and time (it requires close monitoring and a ‘diffuser’ function on your range).  I’ve included instructions for the glaze in case you would like to make it!

Gazpacho Soup Recipe

  • 1 cup chopped red onions
  • 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
  • 1 cup chopped English cucumber
  • 1 cup chopped and peeled tomatoes
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped garlic
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
  • 1/4 cup tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 3 cups tomato juice
  • Sprig of thyme
  1. Mix all the ingredients except the balsamic glaze together in a bowl or other container, cover, and let sit in the refrigerator overnight or for at least 8 hours.  Serve and enjoy!
  2. (If following the original recipe): The next day, remove the thyme and blend all the ingredients in a blender until the gazpacho is smooth.  You will have about 2 quarts.  For a smoother texture, strain the soup to yield about 1 quart.  Refrigerate the gazpacho until ready to serve.

If using Balsamic Glaze:  Heat  2 cups of balsamic vinegar in a heavy saucepan over medium heat until steam rises from the liquid. Place the saucepan on a heat diffuser and let the liquid reduce very slowly (it shouldn’t simmer) for 2 to 3 hours, until it has reduced and thickened to a syrupy glaze. There should be approximately 1 cup of glaze. Keep the glaze in a squeeze bottle at room temperature for garnishing: if the glaze is too thick, warm the bottle in hot water to loosen the glaze.  To serve, ladle the cold soup into bowls and squeeze dots of balsamic glaze over the top.

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Filed Under: Soup

Lightly Creamed Asparagus Soup Recipe

June 10, 2010 Leave a Comment

Diva Entertains Asparagus Soup

Now that asparagus is in season this is a wonderful recipe to showcase its freshness and flavor.  It also allows you to play with the amount of cream you add to the soup.  I’ve made it with the cream and without the cream and loved it both ways.  You can also cut down the amount of cream and increase the chicken stock if you would like.

Lightly Creamed Asparagus Soup

Serve 4

  • 2 Tbsp. butter
  • 1 leek, sliced and rinsed (white and light green portions only)
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 lb. fresh asparagus, ends trimmed and cut into thirds
  • 2 1/2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • salt and pepper to taste
  1. Melt butter in medium saucepan on medium-high heat.  Add leeks, cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
  2. Add garlic to the pan and stir for 1 minute.
  3. Add asparagus and chicken stock, bring to a boil.  Once it boils, lower the heat to a simmer and cook 5 – 7 minutes until asparagus is crisp tender (depends how thick your asparagus stems are).  Let cool 10 minutes.
  4. Add contents of saucepan to blender, in batches, and puree until smooth.  After each portion is blended, return it to another medium sized sauce pan.
  5. Add cream and reheat soup, mixing well.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.  Serve!

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Filed Under: Soup

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