Vegetarian Cooking (formerly Watercress Soup)

I made this soup this weekend.  Really nice, subtle flavor.  And good way to get some greens in.  The Asian market on Springfield Ave has nice big bunches of watercress.  I only got one, which was not quite enough for this recipe, so I added a couple big handfuls of spinach.  I also used a large white onion and double the garlic.  Highly recommend the recipe.  So easy.  I froze several portions.

https://cleananddelicious.com/2014/04/11/clean-eating-watercress-soup/

It looks really good. I'll try it if I see watercress in the store. I suppose one could substitute other bitter greens.

That's what made me think of trying it.  I saw the giant bunches of watercress at the market.   Btw, I don't chop garlic anymore.  I mash it in my new handy-dandy mortar and pestle that I got at the wonderful Kitchen a la Mode.  So much less messy.

you want delicate ones, Tom. 

I’ve made something similar using finely shredded brussel sprouts if you want to try experimenting. 

And my mum used to use sorrel when it was first in season. 

Thanks for the inspiration. I skipped greens so often last month that I pushed myself to get back on track the past 2 days. I'll add watercress to my shopping list. I wonder how lemon grass would be added to the watercress.

Making this. Thank you!

By the way, my wife insists on eating greens every day. We often just chop them and sauté them in garlic.

That's great, Tom.  I try to as well, but I often will miss several days.  I'm always on the lookout for easy ways to get enough greens in my diet everyday.   I need to spend more time on a daily basis in the produce section at Whole Foods or the Asian market.

The thing that keeps me eating them is that my wife isn't even satisfied unless she's had some, sometimes at two meals a day! We have a lot of kale, collards, bokchoi, and others.

We’ve always got celery, several kinds of lettuce, and cabbages in our crisper and munch them at least twice a day, usually raw and by the handful - easier than grabbing other nibbles b/n meals or for a late lunch, a quick dinner, and they go with any combo of proteins. 

The freezer has a mix of small packs of broad beans, green (string) beans, peas, mixed veg, and frozen berries. Again, easy to throw something in quickly for cooking a stirfry, or a soup, and D has the basics for a quick smoothie. 

I’ll shop for fresh twice a week since I have a great market literally within walking distance, 24/7/365. 

Asparagus and broccolini are wonderful for us at present - Yum.

I've gotten into broccolini lately. They seem to have it every day at my local supermarket (Brooklyn Fare). It closes at 10pm. I can't believe yours is 24 hours.

not a supermarket (although, with the Commonwealth Games starting here next week, our supermarkets have to run 24/7 in order to get deliveries and cater for locals, tourists and elite spirts teams). My market is a true fruit/veg market, supplying catering trade as well as households. 

(My ethical butcher is open 7days 6-6, too) 

Well, upstate (where it's rural), we have a 24 hour ethical butcher shop, if you can believe it.

when I visit, you'll have to tell me where!  

I need to hunt up some more allergy-friendly vegan soup and spreads for Pesach, if I'm not derailing Angela's thread. Anyone got ideas for celery based recipes? I'm on the strictest level of Failsafe/elimination, so it's quite plain. Oh! Chokos! Just remembered I can use them!

Joanne -- No problem.   The conversation is interesting.  Since I've become mostly vegetarian, I'm always interested learning new things to try.

I think the next time I make a "greens soup" I'll try white beans instead of potato.  Or a combo.  That will add a creamy texture, but also up the protein.  

Recently, I've been reading about the G-BOMBS way of eating.  It was mentioned to me a long while ago by a MOLer using the diet to control cardiovascular disease.  Greens, Beans, Onion, Mushroom, Berries and Seeds.  Here's my G-BOMBS breakfast today.  This is one of the strategies I use to make vegetarian cooking fun.

Sauteed mushroom, spinach, black beans, scallion, flaxseed (+ some buckwheat and lentils).  Smoothie is 1/2 cup frozen blueberries, 1 cup soymilk, handful of ice (+heaping tablespoon of pure cacao powder).  Both were really delicious.

oh yum!

Most of that is out for me now. I’m down to 100g of rice milk daily, no more. And only a little tofu occasionally as my only soy. 1 real coffee a day, the rest is half-strength decaf (and the only black coffee I can tolerate is Greek coffee). Yeah, I know. 

No onions only green shallots or leeks. No spinach or silverbeet or kale or .... No mushrooms. I can’t tolerate buckwheat anymore, only rice, quinoa, chia. Luckily lentils are ok, and plain canned basic beans (white, kidney, Lima/navy, chickpeas). Need those drained and rinsed. 

I make different kinds of hummus from them I’m not allowed herbs or spices, a teeny bit of citric acid as fake lemon juice and rice oil and very occasionally a teeny sprinkle of fresh parsley. I can have fresh pear juice but have to be careful. My plate never has colour! Lol

My only fruit is still a peeled pear. Sigh.