VERY SOUPY WEEK!!

Hi Y'all!! Hope you all had a great long weekend and paid respect for the fallen soldiers. We went to see the local Veterans parade, then drove to to Raleigh and nearby towns to visit a wonderful South Indian restaurant for lunch and a Indian grocery store too. I bought lot of Indian veggies there (no big deal for some of you but I bought Snake gourd ,green Mango and Ridge gourd after a looong time!:D)and ordered a brand new Sumeet Mixer too.I also made some delicious soups (soups in Spring and yes, I wear white after labor day too!;D), Irish Soda bread,went to a movie (Pirates of the Caribbean), did a BBQ on Monday evening and enjoyed the Sunshine and breeze on the deck! PHEW!! :)

Anali , my good, hardworking, beautiful fellow blogger friend nominated my blog "Foodie's Hope" as the "Best food blog" this weekend , a pleasant surprise for me! Thank you Anali, I really appreciate it. My best ever reward for my hardworking blog (and for me as a foodie of course! :D) is all of you my friends, who show up to say hello to me with so much affection every week! Thank you and hugs to all of you! I can't ask for more!

Menu this week:
Delicious Irish Soda Bread,
Leeks,Celery and Carrot soup with Turkey meatballs,
Thai Lentil,Coconut and Peanutty soup,
and my best Roasted Garlic and Portobello Mushroom Soup!!

Irish Soda Bread:
Here is a recipe for an easy and wonderful dipper bread for all your delicious soups.This is not sweet or soft like other breads but a crusty outside and a tender inside country bread,great tasting just out of the oven and as sliced next day.Enjoy the 8" round loaf which will be ready in about 50-60mins.Legend says that an X cut on top of the bread to evade the evil eye!!OOOH!!;D


You Need: 4 cups Plain four or 2 cups each of Wheat flour(Not chapati flour/atta but regular wheat flour) and 2 cups Plain flour,1 1/2 tsp salt,1 tbsp sugar,1 tsp baking soda,about 2 cups Butter milk(no need to add all of 2 cups).
How to bake the loaf:
1. Preheat the oven to 375F.Spray a baking cookie sheet lightly,keep aside.
2. Mix all the dry ingredients by hand or wooden spoon well.
3. Now add the buttermilk 1/2 cup at time (do not have to use all the buttermilk unless you need it all) and mix it to to make soft dough like a Chapati dough.
4. On a lightly floured counter,knead the dough gently for not more than 12 times to make big round loaf(take out 2 tennis ball size lumps to make garlic sticks and spiced buns/rolls if you want to),place on the sheet,flatten gently up to 2" thickness.
5. Cut an X 1/4" deep on top of the loaf and bake for 40-50mins.When it sounds hollow when tapped,it's ready.
6. Don't let it brown,should be slightly golden.Cool completely on a rack before you store in a Zip lock bag.
7. Serve torn into chunks or sliced.Tastes great buttered too.
Note:You can add 1/2 cup of Raisins,1 egg to make it sweet and tender bread.For variations: Make shapes with lumps you saved as above to bread sticks and add spices to the balls and bake them along with the bread.You might have to take them out little earlier from oven though.You can halve the recipe to make a loaf just enough for 4 servings.Dough should be soft but not sticky or very stiff.Enjoy.

Leek,Celery and Carrot soup with Turkey meat balls:Serves 4
Vegetarians,skip the Turkey balls and make this hearty and healthy soup.Use a blender carefully or hand held blender which can be used directly in the pan for easy and safer to cream the soup.Enjoy.


You Need: 3-4 celery sticks trimmed and sliced,3 leeks, sliced, 1 small potato peeled and cubed(optional), 1 small onion chopped, 1 bay leaf, fresh parsley and Tarragon, about 2 carrots sliced, 1 tbsp butter,2/3 cup stock OR 2/3 cup dry white wine,2 tsp of poultry seasoning(store bought or a mix of Thyme,Sage,Marjoram,Rosemary,pepper and Nutmeg),salt and pepper to taste. About 8 Turkey (or Chicken)meatballs made from 1 lb ground turkey.
To Garnish: 2 tbsp bacon bits, few slices of celery and leeks.

Turkey Meat balls:


To make turkey balls: Mix 1 lb ground turkey with 3 tbsp bread crumbs, 1 egg, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1 tbsp dry minced onion OR 1/2 fresh minced onion,1 tbsp fresh or dry parsley,chilli flakes, salt and pepper to taste, and 1 tsp of any dry spices of your liking.Mix everything to a semi-soft mixture and make balls about 2x2 inches thickness. Bake them at 350 F for 35 minutes or until golden on top. Your lean Turkey balls are ready.Cool and keep them aside.


To make the soup:
1. Heat butter in the pan, saute onions until soft, add the leeks, celery, carrots and potatoes, stir them for 5 minutes.
2. Add all the other ingredients, and simmer for 30 minutes until the vegetables are cooked.
3. Season well, and blend them coarsely or smoothly to a thick soup,adjust the seasoning.
4. Garnish them with bacon bits, celery, leek pieces, and serve with cheese sticks.
To make cheese sticks:
Cut the Irish bread sticks into half lengthwise, sprinkle Parmesan cheese and grill it at high heat until it melts and colored golden to serve with the soup.

Thai-style Lentil-Coconut-Peanutty Soup:
Thai vegetarian soup is wonderful tasting,lightly spiced soup with Masoor dal.Since red lentils becomes naturally mashed when cooked soft,no need to cream it in the blender unless you want a smooth textured soup.A wonderful soup to eat with chunks of bread or with a cup of rice!

You Need:
2 tbsp oil, 2 small red onions, (finely chopped),1 Thai chili (sliced), 2 garlic cloves (chopped),2" fresh lemon grass (sliced),1 cup red lentils (masoor dal) (cooked),2 tsp coriander powder,1/2 paprika,about 1 1/2 cups coconut milk, 2 tbsp chunky or smooth peanut butter, salt and pepper to taste.1/2 tsp Thai red curry paste(optional)
To Garnish:Lemon slices, 3 green onions (chopped), cilantro.
How to make it:
1. Heat the oil in a pan, saute onions,chilly,garlic and lemon grass until soft but not browned.
2. Add the lentils and the spices.Simmer and add coconut milk and 2 cups of water if needed to thin the soup.
3. Simmer on low heat for 15 minutes.
4. Squeeze in the lemon juice, scallions, and cilantro.
5. Serve with a chunk of Irish soda bread OR a cup of rice OR with egg noodles.You can add chicken or fish to this soup as well.

Roasted Garlic and Portobello Mushroom Soup:
Now this is my best soup made with both of my favorite flavors.I love roasted garlic and Portobello(canned is okay)taste wise and the aroma.I grill the whole pods of garlic with Olive oil and salt drizzled on it.You will have to try it yourself to taste it!:))


You Need:
3 big pods (or more if you like)of garlic,1 cup Portobello mushrooms chopped(canned),1 tbsp of olive oil, 1 tbsp butter, 1 small onion (finely chopped),2 tbsp plain flour, 1/2 tbsp white wine vinegar,3 cups or less veg or chicken stock.
How to make the soup:
1. cut the top of the whole garlic pod, drizzle olive oil and little salt, grill until browned and garlic cloves are soft.Cool them.
2. Squeeze out the soft garlic out of the pods and keep it aside.
3. Heat the butter in a pan,add onions, saute until soft, but not browned.
4. Sprinkle the plain flour, stir with a wooden spoon to make roux, until reddish.
5. Stir in the Garlic, mushrooms, white wine vinegar, 3cups of stock and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Adjust the seasoning.Blend coarsely or smoothly as you like the soup in a blender.
6. Serve garnished with some Chives or scallions along with spiced Irish soda buns/rolls OR chunks of Irish soda bread.

That's it! We had three days of different soups for Dinner and enjoyed them all.Hope you try the easy Irish Soda bread with one of these soups.All these soups are inspired by the book "The ultimate Soup Bible" by Barnes and Noble.I changed the recipes quite a bit to suit my taste,so I am not going to give the book full credit!!;D

Would you like some dessert?!



Have a low fat ,tangy Strawberry-Yogurt Pie I made last week.It tastes like baked Strawberry Shrikhand!Try it:)





Have a great weekend.I am still thinking about the dishes and cooking for RCI. I am still not ready yet for that, so don't know what's coming next! All I can say is "NO SOUP FOR YOU" next week as that soup guy says in 'Jerry Seinfeld'!:D