Sunday, May 03, 2009

Soup & Salad, please!

We're big soup eaters. I think soups and stews make family meals much simpler. How else can you put so many nutritious things into one dish (ex: vegetables, legumes, whole grains)... and have leftovers to refrigerate or freeze for another meal? Brilliance in a bowl, I say!

Not that our kidlets like every soup that I make, mind you. When I want to get experimental with flavors and textures, they aren't always ready to join the party. But, hubby and I enjoy the culinary adventure, and I keep the faith that eventually our girls' tastebuds will follow suit. (Instead of "something's spicy in here"... "ew, is that pepper?"... "there are funny seeds in here" ((cumin seeds))... "can I have bread to put it on?")

Yep, the complaints can be plenty! I've started repeating something my mom used to say when we were kids - "Like it, or lump it!" Really, with six quibbling girls at the table, I'm surprised our mother was this polite!

This was a soup our girls were "okay" with. Just okay. But, hubby and I really enjoyed it - so there, kiddos! :) It's a Pureed Apple, Celeriac, and Sweet Potato Soup that I finished testing during the winter. I use yellow-fleshed sweet potatoes, and love the sweet creaminess they give to the soup. Celeriac gives a mellow celery flavor with better texture than celery - and for this soup, just the right color! And, fresh thyme adds a herby earthiness to round out the flavors.

We typically have bread and a salad with soup, and this is a very simply prepared green salad with a "raw" ranch dressing. I'm temporarily calling it "Raw-nch" Dressing, but it sounds a bit hokey, so that might change. (Not that some of my other recipe names aren't hokey - ha!)

Oh... and as for salad and the kids? That's another mountain to climb! Actually I'm noticing our older girl now starting to enjoy small (ahem, small) portions of salad - with the right dressing. As for our younger girl... fuggedaboutit!

11 comments:

Laci said...

Ah- soup is a classic quickie that can be turned into so many variations- I personally like the purred kind only is it's a sweeter veggie like orange squash, carrots or red peppers- this is when silken tofu comes in place! :-) I noticed all your variations of soups from ED&BV- I made a stew based on "monkey minestrone" for christmas last year, and it was probably everyone's favorite, even past the turkey and pork! I think it was the warm, soft chick peas and hearty wild rice that made it so appealing. I am still picky about salad- like your eldest daughter, it must have a favorite dressing (like lemon flax oil or living ceaser) and have toppings more than just raw veggies (sorry raws) like beans, fruit, grains, nuts or roasted veggies. Anyways, enough about my personal favorites! Glad you like to make soup variations, looking forward to more! :-)

Sarah said...

That's so funny, cause my daughter likes salad sometimes, but has yet to like soup, except for a few bites of a borscht I made once.

And RAWnch. Hehe. I'll think on it :D

veggievixen said...

wow, i've never used apple in a soup before! sounds like such a great combination of flavors--and looks like just the right texture too :)

moi + toi PHOTOGRAPHIE said...

i made 'cream' of mushroom soup last night.. i love soup too. at anytime of the day! even breakfast... seriously

Janae @ Bring-Joy said...

My 3 year old and 2 year old like salad as long as it's "chunky"--chunks of cucumber, olives, cauliflower, corn...with a really good dressing.

Dreena said...

Laci, I so enjoy your comments, and I'm happy to hear your personal faves & stories!!

Sarah, go figure, huh?! There's no formula for parenting!

veganmothering, that is admirable to say the least! I might have to get some tips from you on getting raw *chunks* of veggies into kidlets... kudos!!

Thanks for all you notes, guys!! :)

Anonymous said...

Love talking chunky raw veggies because truly, it's one of those things that takes strategy when feeding to my kids. Plain, they love red pepper, carrots and cucumber. That's it for the raw ensemble although my daughter is a fan of lemon pepper which disguises the "nakedness" of the raw veggie for her.

Raw-nch dressing! Hokey? Absolutely!!! The hokier the better, in my book. And it's not some trivial thing, either. Names are important. Your recipe titles are great (i.e. "Tickled Pink Cookies"--how can you not offer one to a kid without eliciting a smile? Heck, it gives me warm fuzzies, too!) Fun/unique recipe titles entice the reader--especially when said reader has had a hard day and pulls the cookbook from the shelf--seriously, a quick glance at a fun recipe title offers a freshness to what might have continued to have been a musty day.

The "raw" in Raw-nch tempts me into thinking it'd be a great dip option for kids (and husband) like mine who would order Hidden Valley Ranch dressing on tap if they could. I'm trying so hard to crack the code on their tricky tastebuds...it'd be great to find a yummy vegan ranch that's not to garlicky or sour for them.

Sorry to be so long winded. Thanks so much for keeping vegan dining exciting in my home. The soup looks wonderful.

Stacey

Dreena said...

motherhoodtales, your feedback is terrific, thank you! And, I'm relieved to know that there might be others out there that don't wince at my recipe titles, but find them oddly amusing. :) As for the veggies, I don't know if our girls will ever take to bell peppers - they can even locate the *tiniest* piece in a spoonful of soup and pick it out of their soup! You've got something going if they're eating peppers raw!

tc said...

This looks yummy.

If you get a chance, check my blog out at Awesome Vegan Blog

tc said...

aaahh, I love it, my kids are the same way. I know for a fact that I was the same way as a kid too!

Check out some of my recipes on my blog! Awesome Vegan Girl

Rose said...

This soup looks delicious! I love soup now that we are in winter, goes perfect with some lovely fresh bread.
I also like the look of the breakfast cookies in a more recent post. Your blog has some interesting recipies :)

Rose