Cream of Greens Soup

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last weekend we decided to go out of the town to visit a friend for couple of days. I had to put all the fresh vegetables in the freezer before we left. When we came back, I decided to make a soup with those frozen vegetables. You can use fresh or frozen vegetables, you can even use the leftover vegetables from the previous night.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20-25 mins
Yield: 5-6 servings

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion (chopped)
3-4 garlic cloves (chopped)
1 small potato (small cubes)
1 bunch chopped spinach
1 bunch collard greens
2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
¼ cup yogurt or fresh cream to season

Directions

  1. In a large frying pan, sauté onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat about 5-6 minutes until they become soft and translucid.
  2. Add potatoes and stir periodically until they become soft.
  3. Add spinach and collard greens and cover. (I had those at home but you can use any green leafy vegetable you want) Cook about 10-15 minutes, stirring periodically until all vegetables is slightly soft and cooked.
  4. Place all ingredients into a blender, add the broth and blend until smooth.
  5. Put them in a pot, add salt and pepper or any other spices you want to add.
  6. Cook in medium heat until you start seeing the bubbles and turn the heat off.
  7. Whisk the yogurt in a bowl.
  8. When you serve the soup, put one tablespoon of yogurt (or fresh cream) to season.

Enjoy

 

 

Chickpeas and Greens

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Yield: 2-3 servings

Ingredients

1 glass of boiled chickpeas (or you can use a can if you perefer)
1 bunch collard greens, chopped (or any kind of chard, spinach, kale —your choice of greens)
1 tomato, chopped (you can use tomato paste if you want)
1 medium size onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloces, minced
2 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste (you can add cayenne pepper if you like spicy)

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until tender, about five minutes.
2. Add the garlic and the tomato and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring for one to two minutes until they soften.
3. Add chopped greens stirring often, for five minutes.
4. Add the chickpeas and ¼ cup water, lots of freshly ground pepper and bring to a simmer for 5-10 minutes.
5. Taste, adjust salt and cayenne and serve.

 

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

1 pound Brussels sprouts
2 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon seasalt

Dressing

2 tablespoon minced red onions or shallots
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and ground black pepper
1/2 cup toasted pecans, walnuts and/or seeds

Directions

1. Cut off the bottoms of the Brussels sprouts stems and remove any yellow or dry outer leaves. Cut them in half lengthwise and toss with the olive oil and the salt.
2. Place them cut side down on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 375ºF (190ºC) oven until just tender and lightly browned on the cut side, 12-15 minutes, depending on the size of the sprouts.
3. Meanwhile make the dressing: In a serving bowl, whisk together red onions or shallots, lemon juice and olive oil. Stir the roasted Brussels sprouts and sprinkle with pepper and some more salt to taste.
4. Just before serving, toss with the toasted nuts and seeds. (I also put some dried cranberries to decorate)