Roasted Garlic Lover's White Bean Soup Recipe (Fat-Free, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Vegetarian, Vegan)

Easy cooking with dried beans: hearty, flavorful, healthy soup.

American cooking has come a long way over the past 25 years. Once exotic ingredients from faraway places now line supermarket shelves and have been incorporated into classic dishes. Previously unheard of ethnic cuisines become more mainstream every day. And farmers' markets carry extraordinary vegetables and herbs that were unobtainable just a short time ago.

But in this rush to embrace the exciting and new, some faithful culinary friends were nearly forgotten. One of these was dried beans. During the eighties and nineties, beans were all but left by the wayside in favor of cutting-edge, unconventional fare. Chefs and cooks across the country were too busy serving up pumpkin seed-cilantro pasta with wilted chicory and sour cherry fennel sauce to bother with the humble legume.

Fortunately tastes change, and although it is still possible to dine on sea urchins with strawberries and squid ink foam, many of those now-weary fast-track eaters have decided to simplify and slow down. Old-fashioned comfort food is back in style. Elegant restaurants proudly offer mashed potatoes on their menus. Food magazines tell us that there is nothing more satisfying than having a modest pot of beans simmering on the back of the stove.


Organic great northern beans are a cheap and nutritious pantry staple.

Recipe below. . .

Use It Or Lose It Lentil & Escarole Soup Recipe

It's Hard To Beat Homemade Soup & Handmade Bread

Another lentil soup recipe? Well, yes. But this one isn't an old favorite like my Hearty Lentil Soup with Smoked Sausage. It is in fact completely new, created last week out of desperation. Here is what I suddenly found myself face to face with:

1. Twelve pounds of organic onions.
2. Six pounds of organic carrots.
3. Several heads of organic garlic, all beginning to sprout.
4. A small but colorful mix of the very last garden tomatoes, rescued weeks ago and now looking rather pathetic and shrivelly (but in no way ready to be fed to the chickens).
5. Seven cups of luxuriously rich, homemade chicken stock taking up an entire (much needed) shelf in the refrigerator because I am out of little plastic freezer containers.
6. A couple dozen beautiful escarole plants still thriving in the garden but threatening to freeze to death at any moment.
7. A bag of tiny organic lentils staring up at me from the kitchen counter because they were too cute to stash away in the pantry.

So I ask you, what would you have done? That's what I thought. Soup.

I extolled the many virtues of lentil soup in the my recipe for Hearty Lentil Soup with Smoked Sausage post, and this recipe did not disappoint. It was cheap, easy, amenable to my choice of ingredients, ready in about an hour, and, most importantly, it tasted great. The first day it was very nice, the second day it was even better, and after 48 hours in the fridge I caught myself eating it straight from the pot and wondering if I really needed to bother heating it up. (I did, and it was sublime.)

This is a thick, quiet soup that is not full of herbs and spices and flavors that jump out at you. It is subtle. At first I wondered if it needed to be livened up a bit, but after about a dozen test spoonfuls (I'm serious), I realized that it was absolutely fine just as it was. You can, however, use it as a starting point to create all sorts of flavorful variations.

For instance, next time I will definitely be adding much more escarole. I put in two large handfuls (that weighed about 4 ounces total), and I think it could have used at least twice that much, if not more. You could also substitute other greens, such as one of those handy bags of organic baby spinach or some nice kale (though you may need to cook the kale a bit longer).

I like my soups blended so that they are thick, and while I was inhaling those twelve test tastes, I found myself staring into the pot, trying to find any sign at all of the tomatoes I knew were in there. That's when I had a Very Interesting Revelation: You could hide all kinds of stuff in this soup. Just blend it up, and your picky little (or big) eaters will have no idea that they are happily slurping up a dreaded carrot or tomato--or even spinach. I could barely even make out the escarole in this batch. Now don't feel guilty. This is not being sneaky; it is being smart. Plus sometimes there is just no way you can eat all that escarole yourself.

Here are some other things you could do with this recipe:
--Add a lot more carrots.
--Add a lot more garlic (and roast it first).
--Use fire-roasted and/or flavored canned tomatoes.
--Add extra tomatoes.
--Use water or vegetable stock for a vegetarian version.
--Stir in some cooked shredded chicken after you blend it up.
--Garnish it with a dollop of sour cream.
--Add your favorite herbs or spices, such as rosemary & thyme or even curry powder.
--Make it a Mexican meal by adding cumin, coriander, and a jar of green tomatillo salsa to the soup, then garnish it with shredded Jack cheese, diced avocado, chopped tomatoes, fresh cilantro, and sour cream (this would be good with the shredded chicken added, too). Serve with tortilla chips.
--Slip in any veggies you can't get people you are feeding to eat otherwise.

I think you get the idea. It is hard to go wrong with lentil soup. All that and it is good for you, too. And of course it is even better for you (and everyone else) if you seek out locally grown and organic ingredients. Enjoy.

Farmgirl's Use It Or Lose It Lentil & Escarole Soup
Makes About 8 to 10 cups

Few Tablespoons good olive oil
12 ounces onions, chopped (about 2 medium)
12 ounces carrots, chopped (about 3 to 4 medium)
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1-1/2 cups lentils, any kind
12 ounces fresh tomatoes, chopped (or 1 can tomatoes, any size, any kind; I love Muir Glen brand)
7 cups homemade chicken stock (or good quality storebought)
4 to 8 ounces (or more) escarole, coarsley chopped

Heat olive oil in a large pot on medium. Add onion and carrots and cook about 5 minutes, stirring so the oil coats the vegetables. Make a space in the bottom of the pan, add the garlic, and cook for another two minutes, stirring constantly, until the garlic is cooked but not brown.

Add the lentils, tomatoes, and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Simmer, with the lid cracked, for about 45 minutes. Stir every now and again.

Add the chopped escarole and cook another 5 minutes. Carefully puree about half of the soup in a blender on low speed until still slightly chunky, then return to the pot. Or use an immersion hand blender (I'm crazy about my KitchenAid Hand Blender) to puree the soup to desired consistency. Cook over medium heat another five minutes.

Serve hot, garnished as desired, and preferably with some kind of yummy bread, such as a crusty sourdough or a loaf of my Beyond Easy Beer Bread. (Just mix up the batter while the soup is coming to a boil, and you'll have hot, fresh bread ready when the soup is.) This soup keeps well for a few days in the refrigerator and freezes beautifully—assuming you haven't run out of freezer containers.

© Copyright FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where Farmgirl Susan shares recipes, stories, and photos from her crazy country life on 240 remote Missouri acres.

Hearty Lentil Soup Recipe With Carrots, Tomatoes, & Smoked Sausage

This healthy soup isn't gorgeous, but it tastes great

Here's the perfect thing to go with your beer bread. This flavorful tummy warmer was another big hit at my Cozy Breads & Soups cooking class. It's quick and easy to put together, yet it tastes as if it's been simmering on the stove for hours. Start the soup, then mix up the beer bread batter while it comes to a boil, and in a little over an hour you'll be serving up cold weather comfort food at its best.

Add a bag of organic baby spinach tossed with your favorite dressing (or try my Lower Fat Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing) and an Emergency Chocolate Cake, and casual weeknight entertaining is suddenly a snap. Is everyone coming over to your place to watch the big game on Sunday? This recipe, which tastes even better after a day or two in the fridge, can easily be doubled, and it's hardly any more work to make two batches of beer bread (perhaps different flavors?) than it is to make one. Simply reheat the soup while the beer bread bakes, and you can effortlessly feed a crowd without missing a minute of the fun.

The nice thing about lentil soup is that it's very accommodating. You can make it with just about anything, and it's always tasty and satisfying. It happily adapts itself to whatever ingredients you have on hand, freezes beautifully, and can even be eaten cold. It's also cheap to make. Leftover lentil soup makes a lip-smacking lunch, whether consumed after a morning spent stacking firewood or slaving away in a cubicle.

This stew-like version takes advantage of the winter pantry by using canned tomatoes, onion, garlic, and carrots. Packed with nutrients and fiber, it'll fill you up and keep you going. Consider trying a bowl for breakfast. Use whatever types of lentils and sausage strike your fancy.


This batch was made with these small, reddish brown organic lentils that I found in the bulk section at Whole Foods Market


and this fully-cooked, smoked kielbasa made by our local meat processor. Sausages vary widely from region to region (and even from town to town), so feel free to experiment. I once bought kielbasa from another nearby meat processor to use in this recipe, and it turned out to be an uncooked sausage that looked like what I call Italian sausage. The resulting soup was delicious. You can also omit the sausage altogether for a vegetarian version.

As always, I encourage you to seek out local and organic ingredients. They really do make a difference. Organic carrots and onions are year round best buys and can be found in many supermarkets. Are you a garlic lover? Look for interesting varieties of organic garlic—as well as other locally produced foods—at your local farmers' market.

Hearty Lentil Soup With Smoked Sausage
Makes about 8 cups — Recipe may be doubled

1 to 2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 lb. (8 ounces) kielbasa or other sausage, sliced into 1/2-inch thick rounds
1 large onion (about 12 ounces), chopped
3 medium carrots (about 12 ounces), chopped
4 to 6 cloves garlic, chopped

4 cups water
1 cup lentils, rinsed
1 28-ounce can tomatoes with juice (about 3 cups)
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, plus additional for garnish
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 Tablespoon paprika
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

1. Heat 1 Tablespoon of the olive oil in a medium pot. Add the kielbasa and cook over medium heat until nicely browned, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from pot and set aside. When cool, slice rounds in half and set aside.

2. Add the onion and carrots to the pot, adding up to 1 Tablespoon of olive oil if necessary to prevent sticking. Cook 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring so that the vegetables are coated with the caramelized bits left in the pot from cooking the sausage. Add the garlic and cook 1 to 2 more minutes.

3. Add the water, lentils, and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, with the lid cracked, 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Stir in the parsley, cumin, paprika, salt, and red pepper flakes if desired. Simmer, with the lid cracked, an additional 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. Carefully purée about half of the soup in a blender on low speed until still slightly chunky, then return to the pot. Or use an immersion hand blender to purée the soup to desired consistency. (I love my KitchenAid hand blender; it may be the best $50 I've ever spent in the kitchen.) Stir in the sausage. Cook over medium heat 5 minutes. Serve hot, garnished with chopped fresh parsley if desired.

How about some bread to go with your soup?
Beyond Easy Beer Bread (my most popular recipe)
Quick Rosemary Focaccia
Whole Wheat Beer Bread
Onion Rye Beer Bread
Savory Feta Cheese & Scallion Scones
Parisian Four Hour Daily Baguettes
No-Knead Crusty Freeform Bread
Oatmeal Toasting Bread (makes great rolls, too)
Fresh Tomato & Basil Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread
Italian Black Olive Cheeks
Carrot Herb Rolls (And A Bargain Bread Book For Beginners)
Three Onion & Three Cheese Pizza

You might also enjoy my other Less Fuss, More Flavor soup recipes:
Quick Black Bean Soup/Chili
Quick and Easy Roasted Red Pepper, Tomato, & Artichoke Soup
Cream (or not) Of Artichoke Soup With Garlic, Onions & Garbanzo Beans
Broccoli Onion Garbanzo Bean Soup
Susan's Super Spinach Soup
Garlic Lover's White Bean Soup
Use It Or Lose It Lentil & Escarole Soup
Spur Of The Moment Summer Squash Soup
Simple Summer Harvest Soup
Simple Summer Harvest Soup, the Autumn Version

© Copyright 2005 FarmgirlFare.com, the tummy warming foodie farm blog where Farmgirl Susan shares recipes, stories, and photos from her crazy country life on 240 remote Missouri acres.

Recipe: Cinnamon Chocolate Banana Mexican Monkey Cake

I know. You were expecting bread. Oatmeal Toasting Bread, to be exact. And the Hearty Lentil & Smoked Sausage Soup I promised to go with it. I'm getting there, really. (Update: The recipes are up! Click here for the bread and here for the soup.)

In the meantime, there was this yummy looking cake sitting on the counter begging to be photographed. And since I have yet to see anyone not, well, go bananas over it, I figured some of you might be interested in the recipe. Just a little something to hold you over until I serve up what you're really waiting for of course.

This is one of those handy cakes that you can pretty much rationalize eating any time of day. My hunky farmguy Joe polished off a piece this morning with breakfast. And while it can by no means be considered health food, nutritionally speaking it does have more going for it than, say, a couple of Chocolate Babycakes. There are the bananas of course, plus walnuts and cinnamon, which has a long history as both a spice and a medicine. And everyone knows that chocolate is good for you.

You could probably even sneak a little whole wheat flour into the recipe if you felt like it. What you do not want to sneak in, though, is that one extra overripe banana desperately staring up at you. Trust me on this.

Tempting as it may be, it will do very strange things to the bottom half of the cake. Measure out your 1¼ cups of mashed bananas and stop right there. Toss the last one into a smoothie or, if you must, the compost pile. I fed mine to the chickens.

This recipe is adapted from one that appeared in Bon Appetit magazine a few years ago. The snappy name is mine. The 'Mexican' part comes from the combination of chocolate and cinnamon that is popular in Mexico, not because this is a Mexican cake.

As always, I urge you to seek out local and organic ingredients; they really do make a difference.

Farmgirl Susan's Mexican Monkey Cake
Makes one 8-Inch square cake—Adapted from Bon Appétit

**Click here to print this recipe**

1½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
2/3 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon


1/2 cup (1 stick/4 ounces) organic butter, softened (or 1/2 cup trans-fat free vegetable oil sticks, such as Earth Balance)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1¼ cups mashed, very ripe bananas (the riper the better)
2 Tablespoons organic yogurt or sour cream
1 Tablespoon organic milk
1½ cups organic all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat the oven to 350°. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan. In a small bowl, combine chocolate chips, brown sugar, walnuts (if desired), and cinnamon; set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar, and egg with an electric mixer until fluffy, about 1 to 2 minutes (I use a hand held mixer). Add the bananas, yogurt, and milk, and mix well. On low speed, beat in flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt just until well combined.

Spread slightly more than half of the batter in the pan. Sprinkle with half of the cinnamon streusel. Carefully spread the remaining batter over the streusel and then top with the rest of the streusel.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 40 to 50 minutes. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

This cake tastes even better the next day, and it freezes beautifully. You can freeze the cake whole or cut it into pieces, wrap them tightly in plastic, and place them in a zipper freezer bag. Defrost at room temperature—or in the microwave if you are being attacked by The Chocolate Force.

Other sweet recipes on FarmgirlFare.com:
--Blueberry Breakfast Bars
--Just Peachy Blueberry Breakfast Bars
--Blueberry Bran Muffins (plus two other flavors of bran muffins)
--Cranberry Christmas Scones (tasty any time of year)
--Spicy Pumpkin Pecan Raisin Muffins
--Really Raspberry Tartlets
--Emergency Chocolate Cake
--Chocolate Babycakes
--Crazy Cookies
--Molasses Ginger Spice Snaps
--Chocolate Biscotti For Beginners
--Toasted Almond Chocolate Chip Biscotti

Still hungry? You'll find links to all my sweet and savory Less Fuss, More Flavor recipes in the Farmgirl Fare Recipe Index.

© FarmgirlFare.com

My Favorite Easy Pizza Dough Recipe

Caramelized Onion and Garlic Three Cheese Pizza Recipe, plus tips for beginners on how to make great pizza at home.

Swiss Chard and Artichoke Pizza? Oh yeah. Recipe here.

I recently received an e-mail from a friend saying she had just made eight pizzas for her husband's birthday. "I'm so glad you told me to start with pizza dough," she said. So am I.

Whenever someone tells me they want to try baking bread but have no idea how to begin, I suggest they make pizza dough first. This is the equivalent of learning to bake biscuits or scones before attempting Danish pastry and eclairs.

The thought of baking your own bread can be a little frightening. It's time consuming, and numerous things can go wrong. Then if the end result is disappointing, there's never enough time to turn around and bake another loaf.