Green bean soup (Sopa de feijao verde)

Looking back at my blog, it's been a long time.  So my Resolution this year is to document my family, and document the food that we all love.  I have to admit, after working full time and then coming home to 3 children that are asking "what's for dinner" the last thing I'm thinking is plate it nicely and take a picture.  I don't know about anyone else's kids, but I can tell you that my 5 year old can go from princess to pain in the butt when the hunger sets in.  And of course she always goes from being full to being starving in 3.6 seconds.  LOL! 



With all kidding aside, I always felt that blogging was a outlite for me, and most of all a way to track the recipes that were major wins.  There have been times when I find myself taking pictures of food, but never seem to find the time to come back and write up a post for it. like in the case of this soup.  I made it back in November and I finally got around to posting about it.  I promised myself that I would start being better about.  I think the fact that I started a Facebook page called Portuguese Cuisine I found some motivation.  Time will tell. 




The goal is to share at least 2 new recipes a month.  I think that's doable.what better way to start than to share one of my favorite childhood soups.  As a kid I can remember my parents having a garden and growing their own veggies.  One of the many things that they grew was green beans.  I can still remember my parents being outside every other day filling a plastic grocery bags of green beans.

 They grew so much that our extended family and neighbors would come over and pick green beans for themselves.  With the abundance of green beans there is only so much that you were able to eat, so my mom would chop it into small pieces and freeze it so she could make soup thought-out the year.  While it' a very  simple soup to make it's also a soup that is packed with flavor.  Definitely a must try.  I hope you all enjoy it as much as my brother and I did when we were little. 

Source: My Mother



WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

1 large chopped onion
3 large chopped carrots
1 stalk celery
1 large clove garlic
3 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2-2 cups of green beans cut into small peices
8 cups water
2 cups chicken broth (or vegetable if you prefer)
salt and pepper to taste
1 cups small pastina 

WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO DO:

In a large soup pan, saute the onions, carrots and celery in the olive oil until translucent.

Add the chicken broth, garlic, water, and seasonings.

Bring to boil and cook on medium until vegetables are tender.

Remove pan from heat. Puree the soup with an immersion blender to desired consistency.  

Place the soup back on the stove on medium heat. When it comes back up to a boil, add the pasta, green beans. 

Cover and let it simmer on medium heat for about 20 minutes or until the pasta is cooked. Add more seasoning if desired.

Enjoy with some delicious home made bread, and like always, HAPPY COOKING!

Cheesy Cauliflower Soup

 One of things I look forward to in the winter months is making a big pot of soup and enjoying in on cold nights.  This holds especially true when the soup is easy to make and packs a lot of flavor.  but aside from that, this recipe is kid proof.  My 6 year old, how tells me that he wouldn't eat cauliflower because "it stinks" actually will eat a bowl without complaining so its a double score in this house.  I hope that anyone with small finicky children like mine will give this soup a try. 

Like always Happy Cooking and Baking!

Recipe adopted from http://www.tasteofhome.com

 

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

 

1medium head cauliflower, broken into florets 1 medium carrot, diced small 3 cups of water 1 chicken bouillon cube 3 tablespoons butter 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour salt and pepper to taste 2 1/2 cups lite Cream 1 to 2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce, optional 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

 WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO DO:

1. In a large bowl, combine the cauliflower, carrot, water and bouillon.
2. Bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until vegetables are tender (do not drain).
4. Remove a couple of florets to a blow and set aside.
5. Use handheld stick blender and puree remaining ingredients until smooth.
6.  In another large saucepan, melt butter.
7. Stir in the flour, salt and pepper until smooth.
8. Gradually add milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
9. Reduce heat. Stir in the cheese until melted.
10.  Add hot pepper sauce if desired.
11. Stir into the cauliflower mixture.
12. place a couple of the remaining cauliflower florets to the bottom of your soup bowl and pour soup over and serve. 
13. Enjoy!