Greens Galore Soup with Cayenne and Lemon

After a food-filled four days in California over the new year, I was ready for some greens. So I decided to make this soup I had recently saved which is basically just a ton of greens blended up with caramelized onions.  The result is a super fresh soup that I felt really good about eating!  

I liked this soup a lot more than I thought I would, and will probably end up freezing half of it because it made a lot of soup.  Another reminder to read a recipe carefully before you start to make it because I should have cut this in half based on the amount of liquids alone.  The small pinch of cayenne does not add a lot of heat, feel free to add more if you like spicy.

In any case, this soup is a wonderful kickstart to the new year and I hope you like it as much as we did!

Greens Galore Soup
Adapted slightly from Cookie and Kate
Serves at least 6

• 2 Tbsp olive oil, plus more for garnish
• 2 large yellow onions, chopped
• 1 tsp salt, divided
• 2 Tbsp plus 3 cups water, divided
• 1/4 cup arborio rice, rinsed
• 1 large bunch Italian kale (about 1 pound), thick ribs removed, leaves chopped coarsely.
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 10 ounces of gently packed spinach or baby cooking greens, such as chard (I used two 5 oz tubs of OrganicGirl's Super Greens which is a mix of spinach, chard, and other baby greens)
• 4 cups broth (I used chicken, but veggie would make this dish vegan!)
• 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper (or more to taste)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice (or more to taste)
• Serve with (optional): Cooked rice and a can of drained and rinsed chickpeas

First, start the onions caramelizing. Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet.  Add the chopped onions and 1/4 tsp salt.  Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are starting to brown, about 5 to 10 minutes.  Reduce the heat to low, add 2 Tbsp water, and cover. Cook until the liquid is greatly reduced and the onions are a rich caramel color, this should take about 20 to 30 minutes. Stir occasionally, and each time replace the cover on the pan.

While the onions are cooking, combine 3 cups water, 3/4 tsp salt, and the arborio rice in a large soup pot or dutch oven.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover.  Cook for 15 minutes. 

(If you want to have this over Jasmine rice and with chickpeas like we did, start the rice now. 1 1/2 cup water and 1 cup jasmine rice with a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 18 minutes.  If you have a small strainer that fits inside your pan that you used to rinse the chickpeas, when the 18 minutes are up set that strainer on top of the hot rice pot and put the lid over it to warm up the chickpeas!)

Add to the soup pot the chopped kale and the minced garlic.  When the onions are caramelized, stir them into the soup pot along with the baby greens, broth, and cayenne pepper. 

Return the pot to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes until the greens are slightly wilted but still bright green.

Puree the soup with an immersion blender or in batches in a regular blender until smooth. Stir in the lemon juice.  Taste and add more salt, lemon, or pepper to taste. 

You can eat this as is for a super healthy green soup, or on top of rice and chickpeas for a heartier dinner.  Drizzle with olive oil and enjoy! This looks swampy, but me and my love agree, this soup tastes much better than it looks!

Harissa and Veggie Wild Rice Pilaf with Crispy Prosciutto

This recipe was very compelling to me even though it could come off as confusing to some.  I was in search of something indulgant, which for me means cheese, but still somewhat healthy and also weeknight friendly.  I recalled seeing this recipe and it checked all of those boxes for me. Also if you aren't already following the Half Baked Harvest blog then please do, I just love her stuff.

The result of this was very satisfying.  I was really in love with this dish.  The crispy prosciutto on top was so good and it would've never occurred to me to crisp it up like that but it added an extra treat to the dish.  If you are trying to go lighter with it you could always leave it off. I also loved the wild rice and it reminded me of a wild rice "stuffing" my mom always made at Thanksgiving time. Also this dish is very versatile in that you could use whatever veggies and cheese you wanted to the mix and still come up with something great.  This would also make a lovely side dish but I ate it as my main.  I went back for seconds of course because it was just that good.  I ate it all week for dinner and it stands up really well for leftovers.

A really great weeknight meal for the new year - enjoy!

Harissa and Veggie Wild Rice Pilaf with Crispy Prosciutto
slightly adapted from Half Baked Harvest

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 cups cooked wild rice
• 1/3 cup store bought (or try homemade) harissa
• 1/2 cup fresh broccoli, cup into small pieces
• 12 oz. fresh spinach
• 1 tsp. dried dill
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped. plus more for garnish
• 4 oz. dill cheddar cheese
• 2 oz. gouda cheese
• 5 oz thinly sliced prosciutto
• 2 tblsp. toasted and chopped almonds
• salt and pepper

Grease a 2-3 quart baking dish with butter or olive oil.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Cook wild rice and set aside.  Heat a very large skillet or wok over medium-high heat.  Once hot add 2 tblsp. of olive oil, the chopped onions and minced garlic.   Cook 8-10 minutes or until onion is soft and lightly caramelized. Add the broccoli, spinach, cilantro and dill and cook about 3-5 minutes longer or until spinach is wilted and broccoli is slightly softened. Remove from heat and stir in the cooked wild rice, harissa and remaining 2 tblsp. of olive oil.  Pour mixture into prepared casserole dish and cover with grated cheeses.  Lay out prosciutto evenly over top of cheese.  Bake for about 20-30 minutes until prosciutto is crispy.  Remove and sprinkle with cilantro and almonds.  Serve immediately.

Avgolemono with Chicken, Rice, and Spinach

Avgolemono is a lot harder to spell and to pronounce (Ah-vo-lem-oh-no) than it is to make, at least that's what I discovered this week.  This is a Greek soup, the name Avgolemono translates to Egg-Lemon. I know, I know, it sounds a little weird. But if you have ever tried this delightfully comforting soup, you know how great it is!  I have only ever had this at a sort of 'fast food' version of Greek food, but I loved it so much. I always imagined it to be much more difficult to create at home and I am so glad that I was wrong!

This is comfort food for sure, a Greek version of chicken noodle soup, perfect for rainy days.  Requiring few ingredients that you probably already have on hand, perfectly creamy from the eggs, and bright with lemon, this soup is comforting as well as light and refreshing! This is one of my favorite soups that I have made, and I would not change a thing. 
 
I was inspired to make this by a recipe that was in a local grocery store ad booklet that came in the mail.  I cut it in half and combined it with some elements from a recipe I had seen on The Kitchn.  Below is the recipe as I made it.  

Avgolemono, with Chicken, Rice, and Spinach
Serves 4 hungry people as a main course

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 of a medium onion, diced (about 1/4 cup)
1 carrot, shredded (about 1/4 cup)
2 celery sticks, sliced (about 1/4 cup)
fresh spinach, I used all of a 5 oz package
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more, depending on your taste)
1 cup of cooked jasmine rice or other white rice
1 cup cooked chicken, diced (I used some breast and some thigh meat from a rotisserie chicken))
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 egg yolks (room temp if you can!)
1/4 cup of fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp of lemon zest
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh Italian parsley, chopped (to serve)

Heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the onion, carrot, and celery.  Cook until the onion is slightly translucent.  Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, and cook for about a minute until fragrant.  Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, broth, and diced chicken.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a low simmer.  Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.

While the broth is simmering away, cook the rice.  This should take about 20 minutes, depending on the type of rice you use. (I used 1/2 cup dry jasmine rice, and ended up with just about 1 cup of cooked rice. It was the perfect amount. )

Once rice is cooked, remove from heat and set aside.  Reduce the heat of your broth to the lowest heat your stove allows.

Now to temper the eggs.  Whisk the egg yolks vigorously in a medium bowl until they are frothy.  Take a small ladle full of the soup broth and slowly pour it into the yolks while continuously whisking.  Do this a few more times, allowing a minute or two between each new addition of hot broth, all the while whisking.   (I was super nervous of ruining this step, so I was super cautious, adding a very little bit at a time, but I don't think you can be too cautious.  You are not making egg drop soup, you want this to just create a frothy, creamy texture, and you are trying to bring the egg yolks to a temperature close to the temp of the broth, so that you can combine them without them curdling/cooking.)   Once you have whisked in a fair amount of broth and the temperature of the yolk mixture is pretty warm, nearly hot, add it slowly into the soup pot, whisking in the soup pot this time. 

Add the spinach to the soup. Don't bother chopping it or anything, just throw it in and stir.

Let the soup cook for about 10 minutes on very low heat, until slightly thickened and the spinach is wilted.  Adjust seasonings.  Serve immediately and top with fresh chopped parsley.  We ate this with a delicious olive bread which was a perfect accompaniment.

***One more note: If you do not eat this all on the first night, be aware that it does thicken up overnight because of the rice, but ours was still pretty soupy, and did not need additional broth.  If you need to, yo could add a bit of broth when heating up.  But,  be careful when reheating! Heat the soup over very low heat, in a pot with a lid, so that the eggs don't curdle.  Not sure how well a microwave would work in this situation.

I cannot wait to make this again!