Tuscan-ish Leftover Soup

I don't like soup. I know that is a totally weird admission and I'm probably part of a very small soup-averse minority. Anyway, after 7 years of this blog, it only seems right to admit this. So why am I posting a soup recipe? Well, I don't feel 100% and it's probably at least 60% due to the weather. Today is April 14th and in Madison, Wisconsin, we started the morning with gale force winds, that turned to gale force windy rain around noon, and finally turned to gale forced windy snow around dinner time. When I looked outside and realized that snow was accumulating on my neighbors roofs and even on the grass, I decided that soup was a respectable dinner choice.

In truth, I'd already been thinking about soup but I felt very non-committal. I accidentally bought 2 pounds of green beens when I only needed 1 pound for a bean salad I made on Easter. Then I used a half pound to smoke up my house for the most delicious blistered green been recipe. (Thank you Alison Roman ("Dining In") for both delicious recipes. You have changed my feelings towards green beans. I now like them - caveat - fresh.) So I had some soft, starting to shrivel green beans in the fridge and I remembered a soup made by a boyfriend's lovely Hoosier mother that used fresh green beans. She also made one with asparagus, which lead me to make Creamy Asparagus Soup many years later for my VegOut! Challenge. Joyce cooked with no recipe, she simply made the same basic soup with whatever she had on hand. She did the same with pie and frequently had a berry pie on the corner of her kitchen counter that got mysteriously smaller every time anyone walked past. Anyway, Jocye's soup reminded me of Frances Mayes describing Tuscan food and leftovers soup in Under the Tuscan Sun. So I made a soup by throwing all the leftovers into a pot, in the correct-ish order.

As I started to prep this, with absolutely no recipe in mind, I smiled thinking of the Spinach and "Recycled" Brats Soup I posted one Earth Day with some ideas for cutting waste in the kitchen. I have made leaps and bounds in my kitchen efficiency since that post (cloth napkins, nearly eliminating paper towels [the exception being for oily jobs], reusable canvas bags instead of reusable plastic-based bags, mason jar storage for bulk purchasing, etc.), but mostly, even cooking for one, I've done a good job of reducing food waste. I'm still not at 100%, but I'm throwing out so much less food than I was before! Anyway, it's almost Earth Day. Do something good for the planet. Even better, do lots of good things for the planet because, folks, this is the only one we've got. Respect her, care for her, nurture her.

Tuscan-ish Leftover Soup

Serves 2, generously

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. olive oil

1/2 onion, diced

1 large carrot, sliced

2 red potatoes, scrubbed and chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 pound fresh green beans, trimmed and cut in 2" pieces

1 smoked spicy chicken sausage, sliced

a couple of parsley stalks (leftover from Romesco sauce)

hunk of Parmesan rind

1/4 tsp. rosemary

1/4 tsp. thyme

Salt and pepper, to taste

1-2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

Parmesan, to serve

Green Romesco, to serve 

For the Green Romesco (modified from Alison Roman):

1/4 cup parsley leaves, finely chopped

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup toasted walnuts, finely chopped

1 tsp. red wine vinegar

salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

In a medium pot, heat oil. Add onion and saute until soft. Add carrots, potatoes, and garlic. Saute for a bit and then add the green beans, chicken sausage, parsley stems, Parmesan rind, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper. Cook until the sausage is warmed through.

Add broth and then water to cover. Bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are soft. Remove the Parmesan rind and parsley stems. While the soup cooks, stir together all of the ingredients for the Green Romesco and set aside.

Ladle the soup into big bowls, top with freshly grated Parmesan and a spoonful of Green Romesco. 

Meal Prepping Breakfast: Overnight Oats, Yogurt, and Smoothies

It has been what feels like a lifetime since I posted to this blog! I moved to Botswana for a year in July of 2014 and basically stopped cooking. That's not entirely true, but I only cooked or baked 1-2 times a month that year. Maybe 3-4, but I think that's a stretch unless spreading Black Cat Peanut Butter on toasted Brown Bread or sprinkling Muesli over Parmalat Passion Fruit yogurt counts as "cooking."

There came a point in Botswana when power was cut for "load shedding" each night at dinner time and so I was eating Phaphata (a griddle-grilled flat bread akin to a non-sourdough English Muffin) for USD $0.25 from the Hopsital cafeteria each morning while I drank a cup of tea, takeaway lunch from the local Nurses Union that I counted as a complete meal for USD $2.50 (2 pieces of grilled chicken, a grain, a vegetable, and a salad with a Stoney Ginger Beer when I really felt like splurging), and blue cheese slathered on ProVita whole grain crackers for dinner. If we wanted to cook dinner, we had to be done by 5 pm or we'd use our allotted "load" in no time and have our flat's power cut for a few hours. On the plus side, I read a lot during those last few months by candlelight, "torch" and headlamp! But my stomach started to bloat from all of the cheese I was eating and my arteries are probably still disappointed in me.

When I moved back from Botswana, sort-of-newly single and with really no idea of what to do with the rest of my life, I moved in with my parents. I assumed it would be temporary but it took me 7 months to find a job back in Wisconsin. Ok that's a stretch - it took me 5 months to decide I was going to stay in Wisconsin and not move away like I was desperately hoping to do before winter rolled in. Then it took another 2 months to start my new job (some HR kerfuffles). I spent those glorious 7 months eating chocolate-covered peanut-butter filled pretzels (thank you Trader Joe's) and hummus on tostadas. I supplemented that delightful diet with iced lattes and lemon scones from the various coffee shops that I frequented to give me space to write and job hunt. Luckily the twice a day yoga kept my waistline in check.

Then I started working again and totally overcommitted my time and my self to my job. I tried to start cooking, but it went in waves. I threw away a lot of food I intended to cook but couldn't get the motivation to actually prep (it sounded fun at the grocery store, but when I got home, I'd look at the tub of prepared hummus and it was over). I also felt like I was imposing - I didn't have my own kitchen stuff and had a couple little cupboards, so I basically only ever prepped my morning yogurt and cold brew coffee.

And then! Last October, I bought a house - surprise! Kitchen number 6 since starting this blog! And I love it - this kitchen is my happy place. I made so many quick breads, cinnamon rolls, and soups that first month but quickly got back into my hummus on tostadas habit. Cooking for one is hard - there's no way around it. I hate eating leftovers for a week straight unless those leftovers are enchiladas. And I couldn't stand all the waste I was producing. So much food packaging. So, in 2018, I've committed to going green(er) in the kitchen.

Step one: I bought microfiber towels to replace paper towels.
Step two: I found thrifted mason jars to use with reusable plastic caps for food storage.
Step three: I bought reusable cotton shopping bags and produce bags.
Step four: I reassessed my containers and assigned them to items I could buy from the bulk section.
Step five: I started meal-prepping and keeping a list on the side of the refrigerator with what meals I had the stuff in the fridge to make - rather than assigning it to a day, it allows my appetite to guide me without having to stand with the fridge open wondering, what should I make tonight?
Step six: I moved my roll of paper towels to the top of the fridge so that it's out of sight and I grab a cloth towel unless paper is necessary.
Step seven: I bought a set of brand new reusable cloth napkins from a thrift store.
Step eight: I switched from the "normal" to "Eco" air dry cycle of the dishwasher.
Step nine +: Stay tuned, as I'm not done yet!

Let's hone in on one new habit: Meal prep. And even farther: Meal prep for the most important meal of the day - breakfast. Cereal gets boring. Plus it's way over packaged (plastic and cardboard) and pretty overpriced for what I buy (organic cinnamon shredded wheat or organic corn puffs). Not to mention, I'm rarely hungry right when I wake up and I'm not going to lug cereal and milk to work. Enter: Overnight oats. I don't like cooked oatmeal - I'm sort of realizing that I don't love hot, cooked foods for most meals. I really like cold overnight oats. And I can start eating them at home, cap them when I'm done eating, and take the rest to work to finish when I'm actually ready for breakfast. Then, I bring along yogurt and toppings for my mid-morning snack. Both of these things last a few days, so if I don't eat them the next day, they aren't wasted.

Overnight Oats
In a small mason jar, layer:
1/2 banana, mushed or 1/4 apple, in cubes
1 to 2 tbsp. peanut butter or other nut butter
1/2 to 1 tbsp. hemp seeds or chia seeds or flax seed meal or some combination thereof
a sprinkle of cinnamon (optional - best with apple)
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup milk or don't measure fill the remaining space in the jar

Shake, cap, and refrigerate. Stir & eat.

Yogurt "Parfait"
Favorite flavors:  halved coconut yogurt with oats, sliced almonds, and chocolate or halved lime yogurt with oats, cashews, and dried flaked coconut.

1/2 container of flavored yogurt (coconut or lime)
1/4 cup plain greek yogurt (this reduces the sweetness of the flavored yogurt)
*If I have fresh fruit, I use plain greek yogurt, fresh fruit, and a squirt of honey

Mix yogurts together and divide between a mason jar and the original small container. Place the original container into a small reusable container so that it doesn't spill. When ready to eat, stir in an oat topping (see below).

Oat Topping:
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup nuts/protein (eg. pecans, almonds, cashews, hemp seeds)
1-2 tbsp. something sweet (shredded coconut, mini chocolate chips)

In a reusable container, mix oats, nuts, and other mixins. Sprinkle over yogurt and stir in before eating.

I also discovered that if I make a smoothie on Sunday, or for dinner on a weeknight when I just want something light, I can make double and put half in the fridge to take for breakfast the next morning. I pour whatever is left in the blender into a mason jar and cap it so it won't spill (see picture above - tall jar with purple contents).

Smoothie

In a blender, puree until smooth:

1/4 cup plain greek yogurt

1/4 to 1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup raw spinach

1 tbsp. hemp seeds

(optional: 1/4 cup cucumber, 1/2" raw, peeled ginger, 1/2 apple, 1 small orange)

Add:

1 cup frozen berries (mix of strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries)

Blend again until smooth, adding milk as needed so that it whirls.

So, in about 20 minutes on Sunday morning, I prepped 2 smoothies, 2 jars of overnight oats, 4 days worth of yogurt for a total of 8 breakfasts or snacks! Bam! That frees up time on my weekday mornings so that I can make pour-over coffee and sip it from my chair, wrapped up in a cozy blanket, reading a book. That's a 10 minute morning tradition I've come to love.

Paper towels - out of sight, but accessible!