Read Dharma Feast Cookbook Online
Authors: Theresa Rodgers
This recipe makes a big pot of delicious soup so it’s perfect for a large gathering or a holiday dinner. The almonds bring substance and a nutty flavor and make it a little creamy. Children like this soup. It might even become one of your family’s favorites.
S ERVES 10–15 | P REP TIME 1 HOUR 10 MINUTES |
1 large onion, chopped 2 tablespoons olive oil 10–12 large cloves of garlic, pressed or finely minced 10 cups carrots, chopped 2 cups celery, chopped 1–2 bell peppers (any color), chopped Several bay leaves Salt and pepper to taste 4 tablespoons fresh sage 1 tablespoon fresh thyme Bragg Liquid Aminos 2 cups almonds | Sauté the onion in a large pot in olive oil. Add garlic. Sauté until brown. Add carrots. Once they are well-cooked, add celery, peppers, and enough water so that it covers vegetables plus an inch over them. Add several bay leaves, salt, and pepper in generous amounts, sage, thyme, and a good squeeze (about a tablespoon) of Bragg. Bring to a boil and simmer until carrots are very soft. In a skillet with NO OIL, roast almonds. Once they are roasted, put a third of them in the blender and add water to cover the almonds. Blend until completely smooth—there should be no almond bits. Add water as necessary during this process. Do three separate batches and then set aside. When the carrot soup part is well-cooked, remove bay leaves and blend the rest in batches in the blender until smooth. Add water if needed. Add carrot and almond mixes together. It should have a “creamy” look to it. |
S PLIT P EA S OUP |
This soup is so simple yet delicious. Our recommendation is to use green split peas because they will give your soup the color of summer grass. We use shitake mushrooms. When you store it in the refrigerator the soup gets thicker so add more water when reheating.
S ERVES 12–15 | P REP TIME 2 HOURS |
5 cups green or yellow split peas 13 cups water 4–5 cups mushrooms, sliced 1 medium onion, chopped 1 tablespoon safflower oil 3 tablespoons shredded ginger Sea salt to taste | Wash and sort peas (see After split peas have been cooking for 1½ hours, in a separate pan sauté onion in safflower oil until soft. Add mushrooms. Sauté for another 3–4 minutes, until mushrooms are releasing liquid. Put onion-mushroom mixture in split peas. Put ginger in a blender with a little water and blend until pasty. Add ginger to soup during last 5 minutes of cooking. Add additional water to adjust consistency, if needed. Salt to taste. |
V EGETABLE B ROTH |
Vegetables like to be together and cooked in one pot. They give out all their nutrients and make a cleansing broth that is beneficial for the body. Drink it pure as a vegetable tonic or use it as stock for soups.
1 whole onion | P REP TIME 2 HOURS 20 MINUTES |
1 daikon radish 4 carrots 1 bunch parsley 6 ribs celery 1 bunch hearty greens (kale, mustard greens, swiss chard, etc.) Leeks (optional) | Fill a stock pot with water. Add whole, unchopped vegetables. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 1½–2 hours. Remove vegetables and compost them, as all the nutrients are in your stock. Variation |
W HITE B EAN S OUP |
One of our friends is from Arkansas. She visited one of us and made White Bean Soup. This is her recipe. When she brings this soup to the table people get excited. She says the key is “soft beans” (but not too soft). We take her word on this. For a burst of extra flavor, stir in a tablespoon of pesto (see
Pesto
in
Sauces, Spreads, and Dips
, page 181) just before serving.
S ERVES 8 | P REP TIME 3 HOURS |
3 cups great northern beans 8 cups water 5 -inch by 1-inch piece of dried kombu (seaweed) 1 small onion 2 stalks celery 3 carrots 1clove garlic ¼ bunch flat-leaf parsley 2 bay leaves 1 large onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 1 cup chopped celery 1½ cups diced potatoes 1 cup diced carrots 4 cups vegetable broth (see Note below) Salt and pepper to taste Tamari to taste | Soak beans in water overnight, drain, and rinse. Put beans in a large stockpot. Add water, kombu, onion, celery, carrots, garlic, parsley, and 1 bay leaf. Bring water to a boil then reduce heat, cover, and cook slowly for 2–3 hours or until beans are soft. When beans are tender, remove vegetables and compost them because their flavor and nutrients are in the broth. Add chopped onion, garlic, chopped celery, diced potatoes, diced carrots, vegetable broth, 1 bay leaf, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook over low heat for about 45 minutes or until vegetables are done. Add more liquid during cooking if needed. Adjust seasoning by adding salt, pepper, and tamari to taste. Remove bay leaf before serving. Note-To make vegetable broth |
L ENTIL S OUP |
An Italian friend of ours gave us this recipe. In Italy, it is common to eat lentils over pasta. Lentils are an inexpensive source of protein and they come in several varieties and colors. When cooked, brown lentils hold their shape better than red lentils, so they’re a good choice for soups. Over pasta or as a soup, this recipe works either way.
S ERVES 4–5 | P REP TIME 55 MINUTES |
1cup brown lentils 8 cups water 2 bay leaves 1 yellow onion, chopped 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 or 3 stalks celery, cut in half lengthwise and chopped 2 carrots, diced (optional) 1 small potato, chopped (optional) 2–3 tablespoons dried oregano (use more if using fresh) 1½ teaspoons ground cumin 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, plus more at the end Salt and pepper to taste Tamari (optional) 1–2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes (optional) Tabasco (optional) | Sort and wash lentils (see In a large pan, sauté onion in olive oil until almost clear. Add celery and, if using, carrots and potato, and continue sautéing, stirring frequently, until vegetables begin to soften. Add herbs and either V cup water or a mixture of water and tamari to equal about ½ cup. Add diced tomatoes, if using, and pour over sauté. Cover and simmer over medium to medium-low heat for about 5 minutes or until vegetable are tender. When lentils are soft, add the sautéed vegetables, mix well, and adjust seasonings, adding more salt, pepper, tamari, and Tabasco, if using, to taste. Simmer for a few minutes. Add more boiling water if soup is too thick. Remove bay leaves before serving. Note |
M ISO S OUP |