soup – Strong Roots Nutrition

main dish, meal prep, soup, summer, vegetable, vegetarian

May 22, 2017

Summer Minestrone with Farro

A good pot of soup is such a good thing. I love to make a big batch at the start of the week and have enough leftovers for days of packable lunches. Pair with a loaded-up salad and a big slice of crusty bread and done! This soup does well with this make-ahead method: the vegetables hold up to reheating, and a fresh drizzle of pesto and grating of Parmesan easily brings it back to life. Prepping meals in advance can be extremely helpful when you don't necessarily have time to cook every day. Cooking in bulk not only allows you to spend less time in[...]

fall, side, soup, vegetarian, winter

February 10, 2014

Roasted butternut squash and apple soup

I love the Winter Olympics but they aren't helping my withdrawals from the mountain views and year-round fun in Colorado. St. Louis just doesn't have much going for it in February. When I lived in Vail and worked at a local athletic club, one aspect of my job had me working closely with the restaurant on our property planning nutrition seminars for our club members. These seminars were both educational and delicious: I presented information around a specific topic, and the incredible restaurant staff provided tastings of coordinating dishes. For one of my[...]

side, soup, vegetarian, winter

January 27, 2014

Mushroom soba miso soup

Miso is fermented soybean paste made from mashed soybeans that have been mixed with salt and a mold culture and aged for 6-36 months. Yum? It may not sound appetizing, but fermentation is a natural process that simply involves bacteria breaking down and "digesting" carbohydrates. And bacteria aren't that scary. If you don't believe me, some fermented foods that you may regularly enjoy include sauerkraut, pickles, sourdough bread, beer, wine, and yogurt. Miso is used to give a rich depth of flavor to many foods, and it is a common base for soups[...]

fall, main dish, soup, vegetable, vegetarian

October 28, 2013

Tuscan bean soup

Sometimes winter food can get a little monotonous because of a lack of fresh flavor and limited produce variety, but one great way to combat the winter food blues is an indoor herb garden. Little pots of thyme, rosemary, sage, and basil sitting by a sunny window can be a great kitchen asset, ready to give even the most bland root vegetables a kick of flavor. There really is no comparison between fresh and dried herbs, and I think that one of the easiest ways to take your cooking from a 4 to an 8 is to utilize fresh herbs whenever possible. Fresh-cut herbs[...]

fall, main dish, meat, pasta, soup

October 25, 2013

Using a whole chicken: Chicken noodle soup with homemade egg noodles

Tastes of winter are creeping in left and right these days. This week, Denver got its first snow. This was no wimpy little dusting, but at least two inches of wet powder that coated the lawns outside our apartment. Mike discovered it first. I discovered it second when Mike threw a snowball at me as I sleepily emerged from our cozy bedroom. Fall weather has been in full swing for several weeks now, but the first snow takes it to another level. So soup season commences. Humans have been cooking food for many, many years - probably since the first campfire. C[...]