Zucchini and Leek Soup

Zucchini and Leek Soup

by Julie Watson Nourish

One of my clients recently made me zucchini soup, and I had never ate it before. Expecting it to have a thin consistency with little taste, it was slightly creamy and surprisingly delicious. Her secret to texture and taste – leeks. Knowing that cooked zucchini is easy to digest and is good when your having gut issues (which I was) I decided to try making a similar soup myself. Not bad, not bad…

  • 4 Tbs olive oil
  • 3 leeks, white and green parts only, halved lengthwise and sliced.
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 7 large zucchini, halved lengthwise then cut into 1-inch thick half moons
  • 4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ tsp ground pepper
  • 1 tsp Allepo pepper or ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 Tbs unsalted butter or olive oil (optional)

In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat olive oil on medium heat. Sauté leeks and onions until they soften. Add zucchini, stock, salt, pepper and Allepo (or crushed red) pepper. Bring to boil then reduce heat to low-medium, cover and simmer for 40-50 minutes, or until zucchini is tender. Remove from heat, and butter or additional olive oil and blend using an immersion blender or transfer to a blender. Add salt, pepper and Allepo pepper to desired taste.

Serves 6-8.

Kohlrabi and Baby Leek Soup

Kohlrabi and Baby Leek Soup

by Julie Watson Nourish

My husband and I were at the Farmers Market. He wanted kohlrabi; I wanted baby leeks. I thought I’d make a soup with both. That’s essentially how this recipe was created.  And while the recipe is written for kohlrabi and baby leeks, there are some alternate ingredients included below. When visiting friends in Seattle and wanting to make it for a dinner party, kohlrabi and baby leeks weren’t available or in season. So, I used what was at hand locally and in my friends’ pantry. I know you aren’t supposed to experiment when cooking for others but I made a rutabaga, which I’ve never cooked but is from the same brassica family, and leek soup. Both soups were equally delicious and didn’t disappoint.

The flavor profile using kohlrabi versus rutabaga is mildly different – hints of sweet, peppery broccoli stem versus bitter turnip. And, the kohlrabi will create a slightly thicker soup. Pick your desired combination and enjoy!

  • 5 Tbs unsalted butter, separated, plus more for flavor if needed
  • 4 Tbs olive oil
  • 1 bunch baby leeks* (about 5-6) chopped; use entire leek
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 3 small to medium kohlrabi,** greens and stems removed, cut into ½-inch chunks
  • 1 medium Yukon potato, peeled and cut into ½-inch chunks
  • 5 cups stock (chicken or vegetable)
  • Aleppo pepper
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3-4 sprigs of thyme, plus extra for flavor or garnish
  • Salt and pepper
  • Pecorino Romano cheese,*** grated, for garnish

Heat 4 Tbs of butter and the olive oil in a large pot on medium heat, melting the butter until it is slightly foaming. Add baby leeks and onion and cook until the onions become slightly translucent, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Add thyme sprigs and 3 generous pinches of Aleppo pepper. Reduce heat slightly and cook until leeks or onions just start to caramelize.

Add kohlrabi, potato and 1 tsp salt. Return heat to medium and cook about 5-7 minutes.

Add stock and bay leaf. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, or until kohlrabi and potato are tender.

Remove pot from heat and discard bay leaf and thyme stems. Purée mixture with a hand blender until smooth and creamy. Add stock to thin or cook longer to reach your desired consistency. Taste and add chopped thyme, Aleppo pepper, salt and/or pepper to adjust seasonings as needed. Butter can also be added if desired (which I did for the rutabaga variation.)

Return pot to heat and cook on low until ready to serve. Garnish with Pecorino Romano and thyme. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 3-4 dinner portions or 6-8 side portions.

Alternative Ingredients (interchangeable for one or all of the above):
* 2 leeks, white and light green portions only, chopped
**1 large rutabaga, peeled and cut into ½-inch chunks
*** Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated

Cauliflower and Cashew Soup

Cauliflower and Cashew Soup

by Julie Watson Nourish

This vibrant, warm and sweet soup reminds me of the Autumn season, but I’d happily feast on it all winter though spring. It’s easy to make and really yummy. In my recipe I used some of Elemental Alchemy’s Spiced Golden Milk, which contains turmeric, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg and more. You can also substitute it for more turmeric to start and add a dash of any of those flavors you enjoy.

  • 3 Tbs olive oil
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 head of cauliflower, roughly chopped
  • 1 cup raw cashews
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 ½ tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp Spiced Golden Milk or 1 additional tsp turmeric
  • 6 cups vegetable or chicken stock
  • Juice from ½ lime
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Cilantro

In a large pot, heat olive oil and sauté onions until they start to slightly soften. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add cauliflower, cashews and salt, stir and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, and then stir in 2 ½ tsp or a combination of turmeric and Spiced Golden Milk. Cook an additional minute. Add stock. Once mixture boils, bring to a simmer and cook until cauliflower and nuts soften, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat and blend soup well with an immersion blend or transfer to a blender. Add lime and salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with cilantro.

Serves 6-8

Butternut Squash Soup with Thyme and Rosemary

Butternut Squash Soup with Thyme and Rosemary

by Julie Watson Nourish

As we transition into fall, it can be helpful to pause and reflect on the busyness and outward movement of the summer and prepare to turn inwards and find comfort as we prepare for the winter. A comforting soup made from this season of harvest, along with herbs that remind us of the fall and winter seasons can be just what the mind and body needs. And, one can never have too many butternut squash recipes.

  • 2 Tbs olive oil
  • 1Tbs unsalted butter
  • 1 large butternut squash
  • 1 small to medium onion, chopped
  • 1 stalk celery, roughly chopped
  • 1 carrot, roughly chopped
  • 1 Tbs fresh thyme
  • 2 pinches dried rosemary or ¾ tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
  • 5 cups vegetable or chicken stock
  • ½ tsp Aleppo pepper (optional)
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Puncture the butternut squash a few times and place on a baking sheet. Roast until squash is fork tender, about 60 minutes.

Once the butternut squash is done, cut it in half and allow it to cool until it can be safely handled. Remove and discard the seeds. Scoop out the flesh from the skin.

In a large pot, heat oil and butter until butter begins to froth. Sauté onion, celery, carrot and thyme until onion has softened.  Add the rosemary and cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add the squash, stock and Aleppo if using, stir, bring to a boil and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Purée mixture to desired texture with a hand blender. Salt and pepper to taste and warm the soup until ready to serve.

Garnish with fresh thyme.

Serves 6-8.

Fennel and Leek Soup

Fennel and Leek Soup

by Julie Watson Nourish

This is great for a warm day is soothing on the belly. It’s light and cooling, with a nice touch of sweet, pungent and bitter qualities. Fresh herbs would work perfectly – for the flavor I wanted I only had dry herbs on hand. Also, if you enjoy the flavor of fennel, I suggest adding ½ teaspoon or more of crushed fennel to stock.

  • 3 Tbs olive oil
  • 1 large fennel bulb with stalks, coarsely chopped, stalk ends and fronds set aside
  • 3 leeks, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced and cleaned
  • 3 stalks celery, roughly chopped and divided
  • 1 small red potato, diced
  • 3 cups vegetable or chicken stock
  • 2 cups water
  • ½ tsp dried fennel, crushed
  • 3 pinches dried summer savory
  • 3 small pinches dried rosemary
  • ½ cup parsley, coarsely chopped, and more for garnish
  • ½ raw pumpkin seeds
  • ½ tsp Aleppo pepper (optional)
  • Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, sauté leeks in olive oil until the leeks start to soften. Meanwhile, in another pot, heat stock, water, fennel ends and fronds, fennel seed, 1/3 of celery and chopped parsley on medium heat.

To leeks, add fennel, fennel stalks and remaining celery. Cook until fennel starts to soften, approximately 5 to 10 minutes, stirring often. Add potato and a generous pinch of salt. Stir then add all the contents from the pot with the stock. Add the summer savory and rosemary and bring to a boil. Once it boils, bring to a simmer, cover and cook for about 25 minutes.

While the soup is simmering, lightly toast the pumpkin seeds in a skillet for 1 or two minutes. Immediately remove and pulverize in a food processor. Add a ladle of liquid from the soup to saturate the pumpkin seeds and set aside.

Remove large pot from heat and add the pumpkin seed mixture. Blend soup well with an immersion blend or transfer to a blender. Add Aleppo pepper if using and salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with parsley.

Serves 6-8.

Celery Root Fennel Soup

Celery Root Fennel Soup

by Julie Watson Nourish

This soup is great for Kapha season as we transition from the cooler temps to the spring. Celery root, which is one of lighter of the root vegetables, is a mild diuretic and slightly warming for the lungs and sinuses. Fennel and celery are diuretics as well. All three help pacify Kapha and encourage healthy digestion. Adjust texture and flavor with other spices by adding a fingerling potato or splash of heavy cream or replace the quantity of butter with ghee or olive oil. You can also use the fennel stalks in lieu of the bulb if you aren’t sure for what to use them.

  • 2 Tbs olive oil
  • 1 Tbs unsalted butter
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 fennel bulb, chopped
  • 3 stalks celery, chopped
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 or 2 fingerling potatoes, chopped (optional)
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 large celery root, peeled and chopped
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 5-6 cups stock (vegetable or chicken, less for a thicker consistency)
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • 1/8 cup half & half (optional)
  • Salt and pepper
  • Fennel fronds or fresh dill for garnish

In a large pot, heat oil and butter. Sauté onion, fennel, and celery until tender for about 5-10 minutes, adding 1 tsp salt a few minutes into cooking. Add potato if using, then add garlic and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until garlic is fragrant. Add celery root, stock and bay leaves and bring to a boil and simmer for 20-30 minutes, until celery root has softened. Remove from heat and purée mixture with hand blender. Add pepper and if using, half & half and stir. Salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish bowls with chopped fennel fronds or fresh dill.

Serves 4-6.

Tofu, Bok Choy & Shiitake Mushroom Noodle Bowl

Tofu, Bok Choy & Shiitake Mushroom Noodle Bowl

by Julie Watson Nourish

It’s that time of year when our immune system may need a little help adjusting to the colder season. This dish contains ingredients that contain anti-viral properties (garlic, ginger and shiitake mushrooms, as well as antioxidants (bok choy.)  For preparation, you can either layer it noodle bowl style or combine it all before serving. The former is a prettier and more ‘bowl’ presentation, but I typically use prepared noodles and like combining them and the tofu into the broth to warm.

  • 3 Tbs canola oil, divided
  • 2 ½ tsp toasted sesame oil, divided
  • 3 large cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 Tbs fresh ginger, minced
  • 4 green onions, sliced, whites and greens separated
  • 1 small jalapeño, ribs and seeds removed, sliced
  • 4 cups broth (vegetable or chicken)
  • 1 cup water (or 1 additional cup of broth)
  • 2 Tbs soy sauce
  • 6 to 7 oz shiitake mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
  • 3 heads baby bok choy, thinly sliced, lengthwise
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp white pepper
  • 10 oz yakisoba, soba or buckwheat soba noodles (fresh or dry)
  • 1 14-oz package extra-firm tofu, drained and cut into bite-size cubes
  • Cilantro for garnish
  • Furikake (optional)

If using dried noodles, bring a medium saucepan to a boil.

In a large pot, heat 1 Tbs canola oil over medium-low heat. Add 2 tsp toasted sesame oil, garlic, ginger, green onion whites and jalapeño and sauté until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Add broth, water and soy sauce and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to a slight simmer.

In another large skillet, heat 2 Tbs canola oil on medium-high heat and sauté mushrooms and bok choy until the bok choy stalks become slightly translucent, about 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off heat and add remaining ½ tsp sesame oil, salt and white pepper.

If using prepared & refrigerated noodles, add noodles to the broth mixture. Set tofu on top and return broth mixture to a simmer until noodles and tofu are warmed through.

Either add vegetables to broth mixture or bowl and serve, or for a prettier presentation, in a bowl place noodles, top with tofu and vegetables, and then add the hot broth. Garnish bowls with green onion greens, cilantro and furikake (my favorite is noritamago furikake.) Add salt, pepper if desired.

Serves 4.

Wholesome Mushroom and Barley Soup

Wholesome Mushroom and Barley Soup

by Julie Watson Nourish

I’m back on my soups and stews trend, for they make great leftovers and freeze well. This satisfying soup is full of aromatics and flavor. It has hearty mushrooms, healthy vegetables and tender barley. I love the color and texture and the extra finish with black garlic salt. And, if you like and have white truffle oil on hand, try adding a couple drops to each bowl. This wholesome soup is simple and filling.

  • 3 Tbs olive oil
  • 10 oz shitake mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
  • 8 oz cremini mushrooms, cleaned, about ¾ of them sliced & ¼ chopped
  • 1 small to medium onion, chopped
  • 2 stalks celery, chopped
  • 1 large carrot, chopped
  • 8 oz white button mushrooms, cleaned and chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, chopped
  • ½ cup diced tomatoes with juice
  • ¾ tsp cumin, ground
  • 1 tsp coriander, ground
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 cup pearl barley, rinsed
  • 7-8 cups stock (vegetable, chicken or beef)
  • ¾ cup parsley, chopped
  • Salt and pepper
  • Black garlic salt for finishing (optional)

In a large pot, heat 2 Tbs oil. Sauté shitake and sliced cremini mushrooms until mushrooms soften, about 5-10 minutes. Remove mushrooms from pot and set aside.

In same pot, add remaining oil and sauté onion, celery and carrot until onion has softened, about 5-10 minutes. Add chopped cremini and white button mushrooms and sauté another 5 minutes. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, and then add tomatoes, ½ tsp salt, cumin, coriander, smoked paprika and barley. Stir for 2-3 minutes.

Add 7 cups of stock to the pot and bring to a boil. Then, cover and simmer on low heat until barley is tender and cooked through, about 45-50 minutes, adding more stock and adjusting spice amounts if needed. Once barley is tender, add the cooked shitake and cremini mushrooms. Stir and cook for an additional 5 minutes until mushrooms are warmed through. Remove from heat and combine in ½ cup of parsley and salt and pepper to taste.

Finish individual bowls with small pinch of black garlic salt (and white truffle oil if you have it on hand.) Garnish bowls with parsley.

Serves 6-8. For leftovers, a splash of water may be necessary as barley continues to absorb liquid.

Late Summer Wakame and Greens

Late Summer Wakame and Greens

by Julie Watson Nourish

This is side dish that is healing and simple. Wakame has a very cooling thermal nature and moistens dryness, which is ideal for the transition from late summer into autumn. It’s a diuretic and also one of the seaweeds highest in calcium (hijaki is the first) and is said to promote healthy hair and skin. Here I combined it with amaranth greens, which is in season from summer to mid-fall. The leaves are similar to that of spinach, and the stems are a little thicker which I chopped in ½” pieces. Amaranth greens have a deep flavor and are hearty yet tender. The overall flavor is slightly salty, sweet with a touch of pungency. If amaranth greens aren’t available, you can make this dish with any greens you choose. Kale is an accessible go-to green. This serves as a side dish or is great integrated in a soup, with rice and/or lentils, or in Asian noodle dish.  I added soy sauce to it and paired it with chow mein for dinner and the following day tossed it into a soup for lunch.

  • 4 cup wakame, soaked, drained & chopped
  • 2 tsp avocado or sesame oil
  • 3 cloves of garlic, pressed
  • 1 large bunch of greens (about 12 oz) chopped
  • 2 tsp avocado or sesame oil
  • 2 pinches of sea salt
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • ¼ cup stock or water, as needed

In a sauté pan, heat oil on medium heat. Sauté wakame 10 to15 minutes, adding a little water as needed. Add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds or until fragrant, then add greens, salt and lemon. Stir greens until they begin to wilt, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until greens are tender. Add water or stock as needed.

Serves 6-8.

Fresh Vegetable Quinoa Soup

Fresh Vegetable Quinoa Soup

by Julie Watson Nourish

For this soup I used lots of summer/early autumn vegetables. Substituting the zucchini and corn with butternut squash and turnips and using canned tomatoes in lieu of tasty summer tomatoes would be an easy transition for a warming late autumn or winter soup. This soup is well balanced with flavor and texture and is quite fulfilling in the belly.

  • 2 Tbs olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 1 poblano pepper, seeded and diced
  • 2 medium carrots, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1-inch piece ginger, minced
  • 2 tsp dried Mexican oregano
  • 4 medium tomatoes, diced
  • 2 medium red potatoes, diced
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
  • 2 cups water
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • ½ cup quinoa, rinsed
  • 1 small zucchini, diced
  • 1 ¼ cup corn kernels (2 cobs)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • ¼ cup cilantro, chopped, and more for garnish

In a large pot, sauté onions, carrots and peppers until onions become slightly translucent. Add garlic and ginger and sauté for about 1 minute. Add Mexican oregano and tomatoes, cooking for about 5 minutes, then add the potatoes, stock and water and bring to a boil. Add the quinoa then reduce to a simmer. Cook for approximately 10-15 minutes and stir occasionally. Add salt and pepper to taste, and possibly more smoked paprika. Stir in cilantro before serving and garnish individual portions as desired. Although not listed as an ingredient, a splash of lime adds a nice brightness.

Serves 6-8.