Curried Turkey Broccoli Soup

So I was really skeptical about this one, but since it combines a bunch of things I love, I decided to give it a shot.

You know what? It's good! Really good!

And a very pretty colour, don't you agree?

Ingredients

• 1 cup of soy milk
• 1 head broccoli, chopped
• about 1/2 lb of chopped turkey breasts
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• olive oil (about two table spoons)
• 1 cup of crushed walnuts
• 1 medium size bowl of grated carrots
• 1 teaspoon of curry
• 1/2 teaspoon of cumin
• Juice of 1/2 a lemon
• salt

Directions

1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add olive oil. When it's good and hot, add the turkey and some salt and sear the outside. We're looking to get it brown, not necessarily cook it all the way through. This should take between 5 and 10 minutes.
2. Remove the turkey to a plate and set aside.
3. In the same skillet, add onion and garlic with a pinch of salt. Let everything cook down for about 5 minutes, then add spices. Let the spices cook for about a minute, then add the broccoli and mix. Let that cook for a minute or two, then add the soy milk.
4. Reduce heat to low and let everything cook uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Turn off the heat and grab your immersion blender and blend til everything is nice and, well, blended. It will look like a mint green smoothie.
6. Add the meat back in and turn the heat back on. Cook on medium for another 5-10 minutes to get everything nicely mixed. Add the lemon juice to give it some zip and check for seasonings.
7. Serve with grated carrots and walnuts for garnish.

Yes, that's a giant bag of red lentils in the background. I lurve me some lentils. :)

Curried Carrot Lentil and Apple Soup

You know what else you can do with lentils? Add them to soups! When blended, they make everything nice and creamy and rich, just like they do in this soup. It's spicy, tangy, fresh, and rich, and can be enjoyed hot or cold. I had this for dinner one cold dreary Sunday night and cold for lunch the next day. It was lovely with a dollop of plain yogurt. You could also serve it with goat cheese for extra yummy.

Since this will all be pureed at the end, don't worry about your chopping.

If you're looking for a good wine pairing, I recommend Riesling or Rose.

Curried Carrot Lentil and Apple Soup (adapted from Dinner with Julie)

Ingredients

olive oil for cooking

1 large onion, rough chop

2-3 celery stalks, rough chop

4-5 garlic cloves, chopped

1-2 Tbsp curry powder

1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger

4-6 large carrots, peeled and chopped

1 cup dry lentils (red or green, doesn't matter)

1 Granny Smith apple, chopped

1 L turkey or veg stock (or chicken stock for you non AB's out there)

Sour cream or plain yogurt, for serving (optional)

Directions

In a large pot, heat a drizzle of oil over medium-high heat and saute the onion, celery and garlic for a few minutes, until soft. Add a pinch of salt to help everything soften and cook. Add the curry powder and ginger and cook for another minute, then add the carrots, lentils, apple and stock. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat and cook for about 30 minutes, until everything is nice and soft.

Using a hand-held immersion blender, puree the soup right in the pot. Season with salt if it needs it, and serve hot, with a dollop of yogurt sour cream on top to cool the spice, if you like. Serves 6.

Cheesy Broccoli Soup

I love cheesy broccoli soup. Back when I used to snowboard regularly, it was my favourite thing to eat after a day on the slopes. Perhaps not the best choice nutritionally, but man did it taste good.

Luckily for me, broccoli and several dairy products are on the beneficial list, and it's easy to healthy it up a bit. I based my recipe on the Broccoli Soup recipe at Fat Loss Quickie by Scott and Angie Toussignant.

Ingredients:
Extra virgin olive oil
2 large heads of broccoli, chopped (including stems)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups water
1 large stalk of celery, fine dice
1 onion, fine dice
2 tbsp almond or walnut oil
2 tbsp arrowroot starch
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
Dash of ground nutmeg
1/2 cup goat milk
1-2 oz. goat cheese
cheddar (AB) or feta (A), for topping
Salt to taste

Directions:
1. Heat oil over medium heat
2. Add broccoli, celery, garlic and onion, sprinkle with salt, and saute until slightly softened.
3. Add water, cover and boil for 5-10 minutes or until broccoli is tender. Do not drain.
4. Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth.
5. Mix arrowroot and oil together until smooth, and add a ladleful of warm soup. This is going to create a slurry.
6. Stir slurry into hot soup, add broth, and heat to boil. Boil mixture for 1 minute while continuously stirring.
7. Add nutmeg then turn heat down to low (or off). Add milk and goat cheese and stir.
8. Remove from heat and season to taste. Serve with grated cheddar cheese or feta on sprinkled on top.