Lentil Soup with Sausage and Kale

 Soups  7 Responses »
Feb 012014
 

 Hearty, healthy, and easy-to-make lentil soup from mylittlegourmet.com

Winter has arrived. To be honest I had already decided we weren’t having a real winter this year and was getting myself excited for spring, and now this! Snow, ice and temperatures down to -15 C (5 F).  I mean, around Christmas time this kind of weather is fine and I’ll even go so far as to say I like it, but now? Shoudn’t winter be wrapping up and moving on at this point?

Bowl of brown lentils

Hearty, healthy, and easy-to-make lentil soup from mylittlegourmet.com

Well, to deal with this I decided to make us a big pot of piping hot delicious lentil soup. I’ve tried my fair share of lentil soup recipes and was never quite satisfied (Arik wasn’t either :)). Then recently, I stumbled across this recipe and had to try it.  It doesn’t taste like your typical lentil soup, which I love. I left the garlic oil off of Arik’s portion, but all of the adult portions should definitely include it.

Hearty, healthy, and easy-to-make lentil soup from mylittlegourmet.com

Garlic Oil

Hearty, healthy, and easy-to-make lentil soup from mylittlegourmet.com

I hope this weather ends soon, but until then lets just stuff our faces with lots of delicious hot soup. What is your favorite soup on a cold day?

* I should add, that I wrote this post a few days ago and today Berlin is filled with sunshine and is a toasty 5 degrees C (41 degrees F). Things are looking up! 🙂

Hearty, healthy, and easy-to-make lentil soup from mylittlegourmet.com

5.0 from 2 reviews
Lentil Soup with Sausage and Kale
 
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Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • ½ cup/120 ml olive oil
  • 2 links of Italian sausage or bratwurst, casings removed
  • 1 med. onion, chopped
  • 2 carrots, peeled and diced
  • 2 sticks of celery, diced
  • 4 cloves of garlic, pressed (reserve half for later)
  • 1 cup/160g brown lentils, rinsed
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 28oz/800g can crushed tomatoes
  • 5 cups/1200ml water
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 3-4 cups/300g chopped kale, fresh or frozen (if frozen, thawed and liquid squeezed out)
  • shredded Parmesan cheese for topping
Instructions
  1. Heat ¼ cup/60ml olive oil (enough to coat the bottom of a large pot) on medium heat.
  2. Add the sausage, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until it starts to brown (about 5 minutes).
  3. Add the onion, carrot, celery, 2 pressed garlic cloves and some salt to the pot. Cook another 5 minutes or until the vegetables start to soften.
  4. Add the lentils, bay leaves, tomatoes, water and some salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Bring to a boil and let simmer for about 45-60 minutes or until the lentils and vegetables are soft and soup is at the consistency you prefer. (You may have to add more water if the soup gets too thick)
  6. When the lentils are cooked, add the kale and cook for a few minutes more until soft.
  7. While the kale cooks heat the rest of the olive oil (1/4cup/60ml) in a small skillet and add the pressed garlic. Cook just until the garlic sizzles and softens.
  8. Remove the bay leaves from the soup and top each portion with some Parmesan cheese and a teaspoon of the garlic oil for the adults.

Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen.

 Posted by at 14:04

Creamy Tortellini Tomato Soup

 Soups  3 Responses »
Nov 232013
 

Done in 20 min and the perfect comfort food on a cold fall day from mylittlegourmet.com

All I want to do in this cold weather is stay at home and eat soup! Preferably a nice filling soup that can classify as a meal. 🙂 This tortellini soup is exactly that!

Done in 20 min and the perfect comfort food on a cold fall day from mylittlegourmet.com

I used tortellini filled with parma ham and cheese because I wanted some meat in the soup, but I think next time I will use whatever mini tortellini I can find. Arik had some problems eating the normal-sized  tortellinis so I had to cut all of them into smaller chunks, which I think could be avoided when using the minis. I served the soup with some oven-roasted cauliflower on the side, which is my new favorite side dish because it is so easy and tasty too. Whether it’s cold or not wherever you are, you should definitely try out this  soup…it’s so easy to make and the perfect comfort food for your little ones.

Done in 20 min and the perfect comfort food on a cold fall day from mylittlegourmet.com

Creamy Tortellini Tomato Soup
 
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Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1 large clove of garlic, pressed
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 14oz./400g can chopped tomatoes
  • 2-3 tablespoons chopped sun-dried tomatoes
  • 1 cup/240ml milk
  • ½ cup/120ml cream
  • 2 cups/500ml vegetable broth
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon basil, dried
  • ½ teaspoon oregano, dried
  • ¼ teaspoon thyme, dried
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 9oz./250g package fresh tortellini, I used some filled with Parma ham and ricotta
  • shredded parmesan cheese for garnish
Instructions
  1. Heat olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat and saute garlic for 30 seconds or until golden brown.
  2. Add canned and sun-dried tomatoes, milk, broth and seasoning.
  3. Bring to a simmer and add tortellini. Cook according to package instructions.
  4. After tortellini are cooked, ladle soup into bowls and top with parmesan cheese.

Adapted from Key Ingredient

 

 

 Posted by at 13:38

Grilled Cheese Rolls

 Lunches/Snacks  7 Responses »
Oct 112013
 

Grilled Cheese Rolls | My Little Gourmet

Last week I shared our 10-minute Tomato Soup with you all and as promised, this week I’m sharing the recipe (if you can even call it one) for the grilled cheese rolls we had with the soup. The roll-ups are done in under 10 minutes and the perfect addition to any soup or a great snack on their own.

Grilled Cheese Rolls | My Little Gourmet

At first I had some issues with the rolls not staying rolled up. It’s best if you press down on the rolls (with a spatula or something flat) and start with the seam-side down in the pan. Be sure to wait until the seam is sealed before starting to to rotate the rolls and brown the other sides. Once I made sure to do this, my only issue was making them as quickly as Arik was eating them, but this is an issue I’ve become accustomed to. 🙂

Grilled Cheese Rolls | My Little Gourmet

5.0 from 1 reviews
Grilled Cheese Rolls
 
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Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • 4 slices of sandwich bread
  • 4 slices of cheese, I used gouda
  • 1 tablespoon butter
Instructions
  1. Cut the crusts off of the bread.
  2. Roll each slice flat with a rolling pin.
  3. Place a slice of cheese on each piece of bread and roll up tightly.
  4. Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat.
  5. Place the rolls, seam-side down, in the pan and press down so that they don't unravel.
  6. Rotate until golden brown on each side and cheese is melted.
 
Recipe from the Dainty Chef
 Posted by at 13:08

Creamy 10-Minute Tomato Soup

 Soups  2 Responses »
Oct 042013
 

Creamy 10-Minute Tomato Soup | My Little Gourmet

Fall has definitely arrived here in Berlin and although I am not a big fan of being cold, I do look forward to hot chocolates, the coziness of being at home, and of course, home-made soups. Recently, Arik and I got home from a long and cold afternoon at the playground and I wanted nothing more than a hot bowl of soup. It was already pretty late and I had few ingredients so I made this creamy tomato soup in about 10 minutes. Best decision I have ever made. 🙂

Creamy 10-Minute Tomato Soup | My Little Gourmet

This soup was exactly what we needed that night. So easy and quick to prepare, yet much healthier and tastier than a opening up a can of soup. I have tried making this with honey in place of sugar and personally found the taste to be better when sugar was used, but I will leave what sweetener you use up to you. We had this soup with some grilled cheese roll-ups…more on that, next week. 🙂

Creamy 10-Minute Tomato Soup | My Little Gourmet

Creamy Homemade Tomato Soup in 10 Minutes
 
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Serves: 2-3
Ingredients
  • 14oz./400g can chopped tomatoes
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • ½cup/120ml vegetable broth
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 tablespoons creme fraiche
  • fresh basil leaves for garnish
Instructions
  1. Combine tomatoes, sugar, and broth in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat.
  2. Bring to a boil, turn down heat, and simmer for about 5-10 minutes.
  3. Blend (I use a hand-held blender) soup until fine.
  4. Stir in creme fraiche and salt and pepper to taste before serving.
  5. If desired, top with some chopped fresh basil leaves.

 

 Posted by at 13:24

Carrot Ginger Soup with Avocado

 Soups  3 Responses »
Dec 012012
 

Carrot Ginger Soup with Avocado

As you’ve probably noticed I’m a little behind with my post this week.  That’s because I’ve spent pretty much the whole week on the couch and sick.  It has not been fun, let me tell you.  And when I am sick, the only thing I really have an appetite for and am able to eat is soup…which is exactly what I did.

Carrot Ginger Soup with Avocado

This carrot soup is so easy to make, which is perfect when you’re not feeling too hot.  The freshness of the lime and ginger and the coolness of the avocado was exactly what I needed to get me back on my feet.  I always double the recipe and freeze any leftovers so I’ve got them ready to go for the next sick day…

Carrot Ginger Soup with Avocado

Carrot Ginger Soup with Avocado
 
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Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 30 g or 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 10 g or 2 teaspoons ginger, chopped
  • 1 organic lime, zested and juiced
  • 500 g or 5-6 medium carrots, chopped
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 800 ml or 3⅓ cups vegetable stock
  • 1 avocado, cubed
  • 100-150 ml or ¼ cup crème fraiche (plus a few tablespoons for the garnish)
Instructions
  1. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, ginger and lime zest and sautee for a minute.
  2. Add the carrots, continue to sautee for another minute, season with salt and pepper, add the sugar, and sautee for about 2 more minutes.
  3. Pour in the stock, bring to a boil, cover and let simmer for about 20 minutes.
  4. In the meantime combine the cubed avocado, 2-3 tablespoons lime juice and salt and pepper in a small bowl and set aside to use as a garnish.
  5. Puree or blend the soup, stir in crème fraiche, and season with salt, pepper and 2-3 tablespoons lime juice.
  6. Portion the soup into bowls and top each portion with a teaspoon of crème fraiche and a tablespoon of the avocado pieces.

Original recipe from Schmitzebilla

 Posted by at 14:00

Baked Potato Soup

 Soups  Comments Off on Baked Potato Soup
Oct 052012
 

Baked Potato Soup

Slowly but surely, it’s turning into fall.  Although, I am definitely a summer person, I am pretty excited for this change because it means soup weather is starting.  There are few things that are better than a steamy hot bowl of soup on a cold fall day.  And in order to celebrate this, here is the first of probably many  soup recipes to come.  The best thing about this soup, is that you can bake the potatoes anytime beforehand so that the actual cooking of the soup takes no time at all.  Of course Arik gets to put all of the toppings on himself since that makes the soup the tastiest!

Baked Potato Soup

Baked Potato Soup
 
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Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 4 bacon strips
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • 3 cups/750ml vegetable broth
  • 4-5 medium sized baked potatoes, peeled (if desired) and cubed
  • 1 cup/240ml cream
  • Toppings:
  • green onions, shredded cheese, hot pepper sauce for toppings
Instructions
  1. In a large saucepan, cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, leaving about 1 tablespoon of drippings behind.
  2. Saute the onion and garlic in the drippings until tender.
  3. Stir in flour, salt, basil and pepper; mix well.
  4. Gradually add broth. Bring to a boil, and continue boiling while stirring for 2 minutes.
  5. Add the potatoes (baked beforehand) and cream; heat through but do not allow to boil again.
  6. Top each serving with cheese (I use cheddar or gouda), green onions, bacon and hot pepper sauce (for the adults).
 
Adapted from Kristi Teague
 Posted by at 15:00