Sopa de Garbanzos (Chickpea Soup)

Sopa de garbanzos is one of those foods that holds a special place in my heart. It makes me think of the times we would visit my Abuela’s house, and she made a big pot of garbanzo soup for us all to share. Just the smell of the soup was heavenly, and the taste divine. Suffice to say, my version of sopa de garbanzos is based on my Mother’s and Abuela’s recipes. This is the type of recipe that is very simple and efficient because all the ingredients are put into a single pot and left to cook. Little effort is required, yet the outcome is a hearty soup that is rich in flavor! This soup tastes great as is, served with a side of bread to dunk in the soup, or served with white rice. I really love Sopa de garbanzos, so have fun trying this recipe and enjoy! 

Sopa de Garbanzos Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

• 3lbs of ham shank or butt (preferably with a bone)
• 1 large-sized onion
• 1 medium-sized red pepper
• 1 packet of sazón con azafran or ½ tablespoon saffron
• 45 oz of garbanzo beans (canned or dry)
• 1 teaspoon of salt (Note: the ham has salt, so don't add too much additional salt)
• 1 tablespoon of garlic powder
• 13 cups of water
• ¼ teaspoon of oregano

TOOLS NEEDED:

• A large pot
• A knife, cutting board, large spoon, and measuring utensils
• A food processor (optional)

VIDEO DEMONSTRATION / INSTRUCTIONS

BRIEF DIRECTIONS (See the video demonstration for detailed instructions):

1. Collect ingredients. Finely chop the onions in a food processor or by hand. Cut the red pepper into long strips about a ¼ inch thick.
2. To a large pot, add the ham in one large piece (not cut up), the onion, red pepper, garbanzos, saffron, garlic powder, salt, and oregano. Then add enough water to the pot leaving at least an inch of space empty on the top of the pot. Stir the pot and bring to a boil over high heat.
3. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium and let cook for 2 hours with the lid skewed on the top of the pot.
4. Now add about 2 cups of water and let cool for another 30 minutes.
5. Turn off the soup. Remove the ham from the soup, place on a cutting board, and let cool for a few minutes. Then use a knife to remove the ham meat from the bone along with any cartilage or fat pieces. Discard the bone, cartilage, and fat.  Then cut the ham into medium or small chunks and put the meat back in the soup.  Now the soup is ready to serve!

Dairy-Free Cream of Mushroom Soup

There is nothing like having a bowl of cream of (insert whatever vegetable name here) soup. I love soups that are thick and have the body to them. Unfortunately, I am sensitive to dairy and have to limit how much dairy I eat, which can be very difficult at times. However, I’ve managed to create a recipe for cream of mushroom soup that tastes just like the dairy version but is actually dairy-free. This soup comes out thick and creamy in texture with a strong mushroom flavor. It is also a great option to eat when doing a liquid detox because it is very hardy and satisfying. My mushroom soup recipe is also vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free friendly; requires few ingredients, and is quite simple to make. So have fun trying out this recipe, and enjoy!   

Dairy-Free Cream of Mushroom Soup Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

• 48 oz of baby bella mushrooms
• 7 cups of water
• 2 medium-sized onions
• 1 cup rolled oats, finely ground
• 4 teaspoons of onion powder
• 4 teaspoons of garlic powder
• 2 ½ teaspoons of salt
• ½ teaspoon of ground black pepper
• 1 ½ tablespoons of olive oil

TOOLS NEEDED:

• A large pot
• A frying or sauté pan
• A knife, cutting board, large spoon, and measuring utensils
• A food processor

VIDEO DEMONSTRATION / INSTRUCTIONS

BRIEF DIRECTIONS (See the video demonstration for detailed instructions):

1. Collect the ingredients. Finely chop the onions in a food processor or by hand. Finely grind the rolled oats in a food processor until they reach a flour-like consistency. Take ¾ths of the mushrooms and cut them into ¼ inch cubes. Then take the remaining ¼ of mushrooms and cut into slices ¼ inch thick.
2. In a large pot, add the onions, 1 teaspoon of olive oil, and cook the onions on high heat, with the pot covered, until the onions are translucent. Be sure to stir the pot occasionally.
3. Add the chopped mushrooms to the pot and sauté for 5 minutes with the pot covered stirring occasionally until the mushrooms begin to brown, have released some fluids and reduced in volume by half.
4. Now add the ground oats to the mushrooms and mix thoroughly. Then add the water to the pot, stir, and bring to a boil over high heat.
5. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium, and let cook for 20 minutes with the pot covered stirring occasionally.
6. While waiting, sauté the sliced mushrooms in a frying pan. Add about a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and heat on high heat. Then add the sliced mushrooms and sauté for 5 minutes. Next, add a pinch or two of salt to the mushrooms and continue to sauté for a few minutes until the mushrooms have browned (See video demonstration for a visual). Turn off the stove and set the mushrooms aside for later.
7. After cooking for 20 minutes, the oats in the soup should have completely dissolved, and the soup should have thickened. Now season the soup with the salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper and stir thoroughly (Note: don’t over season the soup at this point as the soup still needs to cook an additional 10 minutes).
8. Next, add some of the sautéed mushrooms to the soup. You can reserve some of the mushrooms to place on top of the soup if you want. Then stir the soup and let cook for another 5 minutes.
9. At this point, the soup is done. You can add more salt and pepper to taste if you’d like and then the soup can be served!

Lemon Pancakes with Berry Compote

I always try to think of something special to make my mom on Mother’s Day, and this is one of the recipes I came up with in the process. My mom really likes things that are lemon flavored, so I figured some fluffy, lemon flavored pancakes would be perfect! And accompanying the pancakes with a berry compote and fresh fruit provides a sweetness and tartness that contrast perfectly with the lemon flavor of the pancakes! My family loves these pancakes! In fact, the lemon pancakes taste great on their own, or with other food items like scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, or whatever you want. This lemon pancake recipe is a great option for making a special meal because it isn’t too difficult to make but the flavors are simply amazing! So have fun trying this recipe and enjoy! 

Lemon Pancakes with Berry Compote Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

For Lemon Pancakes:

• 1  ½ cup of all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons of baking powder
• ½ tsp of baking soda
• 4 tbsp of white sugar
• ½ cup of milk
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 3 tbsp of unsalted butter, melted
• 2 lemons, zested
• ½ cup fresh lemon juice
• Butter or margarine for cooking
• Fresh berries to add on top of the pancakes (optional)

For Berry Compote:

• ¼ cup of blackberries
• ½ cup of raspberries
• 1 ¼ cups of strawberries
• 1 ½ cups of blueberries
• 2 tsp of brown sugar (or white sugar)
• ¼ cup of water

          (Note: you can use fresh or frozen berries to make the compote)

TOOLS NEEDED:

• A medium-sized bowl
• A small pot
• A flat griddle pan
• A knife, cutting board, large spoon, and measuring utensils
• A ladle
• A spatula

VIDEO DEMONSTRATION / INSTRUCTIONS

BRIEF DIRECTIONS (See the video demonstration for detailed instructions):

1. Collect the ingredients. Zest and juice the lemons. Thoroughly whisk the egg until it looks frothy.
2. Put the flour in a medium-sized bowl and whisk to loosen the flour. Add the baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and lemon zest to the flour and mix to evenly distribute the ingredients.
3. Now add the eggs, melted butter, milk, and lemon juice to the flour mixture. Then stir and fold the ingredients until you don’t see any streaks of flour (Note: don’t over mix the batter or the pancakes will end up flat). Then let the pancake mixture sit for 15 minutes.  In the meantime, make the berry compote.
4. First, coarsely chop the strawberries. In a medium-sized pot, add the blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, brown sugar, and water. Then place the pot on the stove, give it a good stir, and bring to a simmer on high heat with the pot covered.
5. Once the pot is simmering, stir the pot, reduce the heat to medium-high, and let cook for 15 to 20 minutes with the pot uncovered, but make sure you stir the pot occasionally. You can start making the pancakes while the compote is cooking.
6. Take a griddle pan and heat on medium-high heat. Then take the unmelted butter (or margarine) and coat the spots on the pan where you are going to put the pancake batter. Next, use a ladle to pour the batter onto the pan, and let cook for about 2 minutes or until you see bubbles forming across the batter of the pancake (see video demonstration for a visual). Flip the pancakes over and let cook for about 20 seconds. Then remove them from the pan. Repeat the process for the rest of the pancake batter.
7. By this point, the compote should be almost finished, and the berries will be soft. Take two spoons and smash the berries between the spoons to beak them down a bit. Then take a large spoon and squash the berries against the bottom of the pot until there are no large chunks of berries. The mixture should have thickened but still be a little bit runny. If the compote is too thick just add 1 or 2 tablespoons of water and mix. Then the compote is done.
8. Serve the pancakes with the warm compote, and some fresh fruit on the top or side of the pancakes!