Cream of Mushroom Soup: Rich & Vegan for Souper (Soup, Salad, & Sammie) Sundays

I have been thinking about Cream of Mushroom Soup lately but put off making it until the weather turned a bit cooler. Of course that was yesterday when it was gray and drizzly all day, and today is both warmer and sunnier, as is my usual timing. Still it sounded good and I had been wanting to make another vegan soup out of I Can Cook Vegan by Isa Chandra Moskowitz that I received as part of #AbramsDinner Party last year. 

Isa says, "This is a luxury for mushroom lovers. The kind of soup that tastes like you just returned from cooking classes abroad. But the truth is; garlic, white wine, and mushrooms are pure umami. If you'd like to get even fancier, substitute half (or all) of the creminis with oyster mushrooms or anything tickling your fancy at the farmers' market. All of the attitude of a culinary degree with none of the debt!"

Cream of Mushroom Soup

From I Can Cook Vegan by Isa Chandra Moskowitz 

(Serves 6)

 

1 medium yellow onion, chopped into medium diced

3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 Tbso refined coconut oil

1 (10-oz) package cremini mushrooms, sliced (I used 1 lb cremini mushrooms)

2 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup white wine

4 cups vegetable broth (I used porcini mushroom bouillon cubes)

1/2 cup whole unroasted cashews (soaked overnight if you don't have a high speed blender)

3 cups loosely packed baby arugula (I omitted & used parsley)

truffle oil for serving, optional

Preheat a 4-quart pot over medium hea. Saute the onion and garlic in the coconut oil with a pinch of salt, until just softened, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and saute until softened, another 5 minutes. Remove 1/2 cup of the mushroom slices to use as garnish, if you like.

 

Stir in the thyme and pepper to taste. Add the white wine and use a spatula to deglaze the pan. Turn up the heat a bit and cook for 3 minutes to reduce the alcohol. Mix in the broth and turn off the heat. 

Place the cashews in a high-speed blender. Add everything from the mushroom pot and blend until completely smooth. The soup will be very hot, so turn off the blender and remove the lid every 10 seconds or so to let steam escape and to scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula.

Return the soup to the pot over low heat to warm through and thicken, 3 to 5 minutes. Taste for salt. Transfer to bowls and garnish each serving with the reserved mushrooms. Top with arugula and drizzle with truffle oil, if you've got it. Finish with the black pepper.

Notes/Results: Rich, velvety and delicious--full of umami flavor for sure. This is the kind of soup where a piece or two of bread, toasted or just soft is welcome for dipping. I do wish I had left more mushrooms out to and stir into the soup but otherwise, I am very happy with this one. I don't think anyone tasting it would realize that it's vegan too. I will happily make it again. 

Let's take a look into the Souper Sundays kitchen and see who is here:

Judee of Gluten Free A-Z Blog and I were on the same mushroom wavelength this week and she made a French Creamy Mushroom Soup, saying "Looking for a thick and creamy mushroom soup? You can't go wrong with this flavorful French recipe. It is one of my favorites and yet one of the easiest to make. The rich mushroom flavor blends beautifully with the French herbs and freshly cracked pepper."

Thank you for joining me this wee, Judee!

 
(If you aren't familiar with Souper Sundays, you can read about of the origins of it here.
 

If you would like to join in Souper (Soup, Salad, and Sammie) Sundays, I would love to have you! Here's how...

To join in this week's Souper Sunday's linkup with your soup, salad or sandwich:

• Link up your soup (stew, chili, soupy curries, etc. are fine), salad, or sandwich dish, (preferably one from the current week or month--but we'll take older posts too) on the picture link below and leave a comment on this post so I am sure not to miss you. Also please see below for what to do on your blog post that you link up to Souper Sundays in order to be included in the weekly round-up.

and 

On your entry post (on your blog):

• Mention Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen and add a link back to this post. (Not to be a pain but it's polite and only fair to link back to events you link up at--so if you link a post up here without linking back to this post or my blog on your post, it will be removed.)
• You are welcome to add the Souper Sundays logo to your post and/or blog (completely optional).

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Have a happy, healthy week! Happy New Year!

 

Black Bean Soup from "What's Gaby Cooking: Eat What You Want" by Gaby Dalkin for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays & for #AbramsDinnerParty

I had heard of Gaby Dalkin and her blog What's Gaby Cooking but I had never really explored it or her recipes until I received her cookbook, What's Gaby Cooking: Eat What You Want: 125 Recipes for Real Life as part of #AbramsDinnerParty. I have just started going through the book and found many recipes to try, the first being her Black Bean Soup. I'll review this cookbook officially after I have tried a couple more recipes (the Baked Feta with Honey & Black Pepper, Goat Cheese Polenta with Cherry Tomatoes & Basil Vinaigrette are next up) so let's get right to the soup.

I stuck to the recipe with the exception of adding a slightly limp red pepper that I needed to use so as not to waste it. I also thought I had a can of chipotles in adobo and didn't buy one when I went to the store so I substituted McCormick Chipotle and Roasted Garlic Seasoning to taste.

Gaby says, "I have such fond childhood memories of my mom making this for us ... and then letting us pile on an insane amount of cheese. We were seriously aggressive.) For this version I've swapped all that cheese for sour cream, which gives the soup the perfect amount of tangy creaminess. It's easy to make, fantastic as leftovers, and freezes well too."

Black Bean Soup 
From What's Gaby Cooking: Eat What You Want by Gaby Dalkin 
(Serves 6 to 8)

2 Tbsp olive oil, plus more for serving
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 stalk celery, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 Tbsp ground cumin
1 to 2 Tbsp adobo sauce from a can of chipotles in adobo, depending on desired spiciness
kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper
4 (15 oz/430 g) cans black beans, drained & rinsed
2 1/2 cups (600 ml) vegetable broth
juice of 1 lime, plus more lime wedges for serving
1/2 cup (120 ml) sour cream
1 ripe avocado, pitted, peeled and diced
fresh cilantro sprigs
fresh scallions, thinly sliced

Warm the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute. Stir in the cumin and adobo sauce and cook until the vegetables are well coated and very fragrant, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the beans and vegetable broth and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low and cook, covered, until the beans are very tender, about 30 minutes.

Transfer half the soup into a blender and blend until smooth. Return the puree to the pot and stir to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper, and the juice of 1 lime. Divide the soup among bowls, Top with a drizzle of olive oil and some sour cream, avocado, cilantro, and scallions. Serve lime wedges alongside.

Notes/Results: This soup smelled really delicious while cooking and tasted just as good. Smoky, a kick of spice, just a good simple black beans soup. I especially liked that she used 4 cans of beans. It seems like I always add extra cans to bean soup recipes because when you puree half a soup and there aren't enough beans it just isn't chunky enough. This one is definitely chunky. I approve of the toppings too--the sour cream is delicious and you could use a vegan version if you wanted a vegan soup.

   

Many thank to Abrams Books and #AbramsDinner Party for this great new cookbook that I intend to cook a lot from. This post is sponsored by Abrams Books, as part of the Abrams Dinner Party however my thoughts, feelings and experiences cooking from it are my own. #sponsored 

Let's see who awaits in the Souper Sundays kitchen this week:

Shaheen of Allotment2Kitchen brought Pea Shoots and Asparagus Pasta Salad, saying, "Yes, I know what some of you may be thinking - another Pasta Salad! but you will be pleased to note that this one does actually have some homegrown ingredients - Pea shoots. The pea shoots and pea stems and leaves are all from the garden, not the asparagus - that came from the supermarket. ... The pea shoots pasta salad is not heavy in pea flavour, its delicate in flavour. And to punctuate the green, I stirred in some raw diced red pepper for colour and crunch."
  

Tina of Squirrel Head Manor was also feeling the black beans this week and made this unique Black Bean Gnocchi Soup loosely inspired by Kong Skull Island. She said, "I don't have a recipe but I'll tell you what I did. I sauteed an onion and several garlic cloves in olive oil. Once the onions were soft I added a can of black beans and chopped tomatoes. Mix this up well then add broth, salt, ground pepper, roasted garlic powder and basil. I used roughly 4 cups of broth as I like it soupy. Now add gnocchi and simmer."
  

Thank you to Tina and Shaheen for joining me this week!

(If you aren't familiar with Souper Sundays, you can read about of the origins of it here.
If you would like to join in Souper (Soup, Salad, and Sammie) Sundays, I would love to have you! Here's how...

To join in this week's Souper Sunday's linkup with your soup, salad or sandwich:

• Link up your soup (stew, chili, soupy curries, etc. are fine), salad, or sandwich dish, (preferably one from the current week or month--but we'll take older posts too) on the picture link below and leave a comment on this post so I am sure not to miss you. Also please see below for what to do on your blog post that you link up to Souper Sundays in order to be included in the weekly round-up.

and 

On your entry post (on your blog):

• Mention Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen and add a link back to this post. (Not to be a pain but it's polite and only fair to link back to events you link up at--so if you link a post up here without linking back to this post or my blog on your post, it will be removed.)
• You are welcome to add the Souper Sundays logo to your post and/or blog (completely optional).

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Have a happy, healthy week and be well. 
 

Creamy Garlic Soup with Shrimp and Tofu from "Joy Bauer's Superfood!" for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays and #AbramsDinnerParty

I always love getting a new cookbook, even better when their are healthy recipes and it doesn't rely heavily on meat so I was very excited to receive a copy of Joy Bauer's Super Food! from Abrams Books as part of the Abrams Dinner Party. I have a couple of Bauer's other books and like her recipes. I was bit worried about finding the ingredients to cook with as with the whole COVID19 pandemic, not every ingredient is readily found. I did have all of the ingredients to make the Creamy Garlic Soup with Shrimp and Tofu though, so it was the first recipe I wanted to "road test."

First a little about the book and the other recipes I want to try. Joy Bauer's Super Food! has the tagline: 150 recipes for Eternal Youth with Bauer saying she has chosen recipes to highlight the "most stellar superfoods--those that have been highlighted and singled out for being the most powerful, potent, and nutrient-packed." The book is divided by Morning Meals, Breads, Bagels, Muffins, and Biscuits, Soups and Salads, Sides, Spreads, and Dips, Superfood Fries (it's hard not to like a book with a whole chapter on fries!), Superfood Pizza and Pasta, One-Pot Wonders, Enticing Entrees, Vegetarian and Vegan Entrees, and Sweet and Savory Sweets, Smoothies, Slushies, Beneficial Bevvies, and Grown-Up Cocktails. Recipes include an introduction about the superfood, most have a  clear color photo of the dish, and there is nutritional information for each dish.

Abrams Books April 21, 2020

Hardback 288 Pages / 100 Color Photographs

I tagged a bunch of recipes to make including Rainbow Shakshuka, Dirty Chai Overnight Oats, Creamy Scrambled Eggs with Kale Spinach Pesto, Low-Carb tortilla Wraps, Whole Grain Naan with Super Seeds, Creamy Cauliflower Leek Soup with Crispy Seaweed, Detox Salad with Lemon-Chia Dressing, Shaved Fennel, Kale, Oranges, and Feta, Sesame-Garlic Edamame, Charred Shishito Peppers and Radishes, Brooklyn-Style Apple Cider Vinegar Pickles, Kale Pesto Macaroni Salad, Artichoke Salsa, Rosemary Chickpea Fries with creamy Tahini Dipping Sauce, Jicama Fries with Avocado-Lime Dipping Sauce, Creamy Vegan Penne Alfredo, No Noodle Cheesy Spinach Lasagna, Roasted Fish fillets with Smoky Apple Cider Vinaigrette, Creamy Farro Risotto with Riced Broccoli and Parm, Alaskan Salmon Cakes with lemon Avocado Sauce, Roasted Veggies with Cashew Mac  and Cheese Sauce, Black Lentils with Coconut Citrus Slaw, Rosemary-Spiced Walnuts, Dark-Chocolate-Stuffed Raspberries, PB & Strawberry Energy Bites, Gooey Apple Pie Filling with Toasty Pecans, Sweet Cherry Slushie, Salted Caramel Milkshake, Fruit-Infused Frose, and Blackberry Margarita. I think the Blueberry Pie Oatmeal is next up and I'll report back on some of the other dishes I try.

Mahalo to Abrams Books and #AbramsDinner Party for this great new cookbook that I know I will be cooking from a lot. This post is sponsored by Abrams Books, as part of the Abrams Dinner Party however my thoughts, feelings and experiences cooking from it are my own.  #sponsored 

So let's talk about the soup!

Joy Bauer says, "This luxurious soup is easy to make but delivers an indulgent flavor with a sinfully rich texture because of the cashews, which are soaked, softened, and blended into a silky cream. I've added a good dose of garlic for flavor, but that's not its only perk. The kitchen staple can also help manage blood pressure thanks to two active ingredients, allicin and glutamylcysteine. While I often give the option for swapping jarred garlic or garlic powder for the sake of convenience, in this case, I encourage you to use fresh garlic cloves and take the time to mince them, because it's really one of the star ingredients. But I'll offer you another time saver in its place: You can buy precut matchstick carrots. (I'm all about shortcuts!)"

Creamy Garlic Soup with Shrimp and Tofu
Reprinted from Joy Bauer's Super Food!
(Makes 8 Cups | Prep Time: 15 Minutes | Cook Time: 20 Minutes)

1 cup raw cashews, soaked in hot water for at least 30 minutes and drained
4 cups reduced-sodium vegetable or chicken broth, divided
6 large cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp Thai or Korean chili paste
1/2 cup (4 oz) canned tomato sauce
1 to 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, tail off
1/2 block (8 oz) firm tofu, well-drained and cut into 1/2-inch cubes*
2 medium carrots, cut into matchsticks (about 1 cup)
fresh cilantro for garnish

In a blender, combine the cashews with 1 cup of the broth and blend for about 30 seconds, until completely smooth and creamy. Set aside.

Liberally mist a large pot with nonstick oil spray and warm over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes, stirring constantly so it doesn't burn. Add the chili paste and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomato sauce and stir to combine. Add the pureed cashews, the remaining 3 cups broth, and the vinegar and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the shrimp, tofu, and carrot sticks to the pot and continue to simmer for about 4 minutes, until the shrimp are fully cooked and the tofu absorbs all of the yummy flavors. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish each with cilantro.

*Joy notes: If you prefer a firmer tofu consistency, sandwich the drained block between layered paper towels (or kitchen towels) and top with a heavy book. Let sit for at least 30 minutes to drain before cutting into cubes.

Nutritional Information: Per 1 Cup Serving: 170 calories, 14 g protein, 8 g fat (6.5 unsaturated fat, 1.5 g saturated fat) 55 mg cholesterol, 9 g carbs, 1 g fiber, 3 g sugar, (3 g natural sugar, 0 g added sugar) 480 mg sodium.

Notes/Results: Spicy, creamy and indulgent, this is a tasty soup! I kept the recipe mostly as written--although I did use the whole package of tofu (might as well) and extra-large shrimp as that is what I had on hand. I used Thai red curry paste for the spice and added a bit more broth to make it slightly less thick. It made for a satisfying lunch on it's own, although I may add a scoop of rice on the side. Easy to make and lots of flavor, I'd happily make it again.

Let's see who is waiting in the Souper Sundays kitchen this week:

Judee of Gluten Free A-Z Blog brought Cucumber and Red Onion Salad and says, "Grated cucumber salad is extremely refreshing in this hot and humid weather that we have been having in South Florida. I was looking for lighter recipes, when I remembered when I was young, my mother used to make a grated radish and cucumber salad that my father looked forward to on hot summer nights. … Being gluten free, dairy free, vegan, and nut free, this light and delicious salad is allergy friendly and therefore suitable for most guests for any occasion."

Shaheen of Allotment2Kitchen shared Chilli Peanut Carrot Soup and said, "I had been inspired to make this Chilli Peanut Carrot Soup by Judee who blogs at Gluten Free A-Z Blog. Her soup aptly called Pandemic Carrot Peanut Soup was shared on Souper Sundays hosted by Kahakai Kitchen, a space where bloggers can come share together once a week an share homemade comfort foods like soup, salads sandwiches appealed to me for many reasons. I did not have peanuts to hands, so used from crunchy peanut butter. It was really delicious."  

Thank you to Judee and Shaheen for joining me this week!

(If you aren't familiar with Souper Sundays, you can read about of the origins of it here.
If you would like to join in Souper (Soup, Salad, and Sammie) Sundays, I would love to have you! Here's how...

To join in this week's Souper Sunday's linkup with your soup, salad or sandwich:

• Link up your soup (stew, chili, soupy curries, etc. are fine), salad, or sandwich dish, (preferably one from the current week or month--but we'll take older posts too) on the picture link below and leave a comment on this post so I am sure not to miss you. Also please see below for what to do on your blog post that you link up to Souper Sundays in order to be included in the weekly round-up.

and 

On your entry post (on your blog):

• Mention Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen and add a link back to this post. (Not to be a pain but it's polite and only fair to link back to events you link up at--so if you link a post up here without linking back to this post or my blog on your post, it will be removed.)
• You are welcome to add the Souper Sundays logo to your post and/or blog (completely optional).

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 

Potato-Leek Soup with Tarragon and Fennel Seeds from "Eat For The Planet Cookbook" for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays & for #AbramsDinnerParty

I was very happy to find out that several of the cookbooks I received from Abrams Books as part of Abrams Dinner Party were veg-friendly and I wasn't trying to find recipes in a bunch of meat-centric cookbook. Eat For The Planet Cookbook: 75 Recipes from Leaders of the Plant-Based Movement That Will Help Save the World is a vegan cookbook with a plethora of recipes that I can eat and that sound totally appealing. I plan to cook a lot from this book and the Potato-Leek Soup with Tarragon and Fennel Seeds tempted me first.

I love potato-leek soup and tarragon and fennel seeds so this simple, but highly-flavored soup is right up my alley. First let's talk about the book. Edited by Nil Zacharias, Co-Founder of One Green Planet and Eat for the Planet, and Gene Stone, Author of the New York Times Best Seller, Forks Over Knives. and features contributions from about 50 contributors--individuals and companies. More than a vegan cookbook, it's a resource for how eat less meat and more plants and explaining why that's better for the planet. The book starts with the whys, then covers how to prepare your kitchen for a plant-based diet. Recipes are broken down by Breakfast and Brunch, Appetizers, Soups, Stews, Salads, and Sides, Wraps, Burgers and Tacos, Pasta and Noodles, Main Dishes and Desserts. Although there are some recipes that are based around particular vegan products, the majority can be made with access to good produce and items readily found in a good grocery store. I saw someone call it "vegan junk food" on Amazon but I disagree, there are plenty of healthy, non-processed options balanced with more indulgent options.

Abrams Books (January 7, 2020)

Hardcover 192 pages / 75 color photographs

I tagged multiple recipes to make including: Biscuits with Hollandaise, Wicked Baked S'mores Oatmeal, Baked Artichoke Hearts, Loaded Brussels Sprouts Nachos, Cambodian Mushroom Dip, Macadamia Pesto Crostini, "No Chicken" Enchilada Soup, Smoky Jackfruit Stew, Thai Slaw, Nepali Greens, Farmhouse Caesar, Crispy Smashed Potato with Avocado Aioli, Lentil Tacos with Roasted Cauliflower, Artichoke Penne, Vegan Seafood Pasta, Lentil Shepherd Pie, Mushroom Stroganoff, Country-Fried Tofu, Almond-Rosemary-Crusted Tofu, Golden Milk Rice Pudding,  Barely Any Sugar Blueberry Cobbler, Mango Chia Seed Pudding, and Lemon Cheesecake Frozen Cookies and I look forward to cooking more from it and posting it here.

But now the soup...

"This recipe is perfect for a cold day and when you want something quickly," says Allison. Made with just a few simple ingredients, this soup is nutritious and a lighter take on traditional creamy potato-leek soup. The fennel seeds add a unique taste that complements the sweetness of the leeks perfectly.

Potato-Leek Soup with Tarragon and Fennel Seeds
Recipe by Allison McLaughlin for Eat For The Planet Cookbook
(Makes About 8 Cups/Serves 4)

1 tsp olive oil
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 carrots, diced
10 Yukon gold potatoes, diced (I used baby Yukon gold potatoes)
2 leeks, trimmed, thinly sliced, and rinsed to remove sand
1 tsp dried tarragon
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
salt and ground black pepper
4 cups (960 ml) vegetable stock, plus more if needed (I used non-chicken soup paste)
chopped chives or scallions, for garnish

In a soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring until toasty and aromatic, about 1 minute. Add carrots, potatoes, and leeks and stir to combine. Add tarragon, bay leaves, and fennel seeds. Season with salt and pepper. Continue to cook for about 5 minutes, stirring to allow the vegetables to soften slightly and become infused with the herbs. 

Gently pour in 4 cups (60 ml) stock and turn up the heat to medium-high. Bring the soup to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes. Check the potatoes and carrots to make sure they are fully cooked but not overdone. Add more stock if you prefer a thinner consistency. Remove the bay leaves and serve hot (see Note), garnished with chives or scallions. Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 1 month.

Note: If you prefer a creamier texture, use an immersion blender or a high-powered blender to blend part of the soup.

Notes/Results: I love the flavor of this soup--the tarragon and fennel seed adds so much distinctive taste--they definitely come through so you need to like then. I ended up blending a couple of cups of my soup back into the pot and liked the thick and creamy texture it added. This is a simple soup, satisfying and filling and makes a great light meal--though you could certainly add bread or a side salad. Although the recipe blurb says this easy soup is good for a cold day, I live in Hawaii and find it just as good on a temperate 80 degree day as well. I would happily make it again.

Many thank to Abrams Books and #AbramsDinner Party for this great new cookbook that I intend to cook a lot from. This post is sponsored by Abrams Books, as part of the Abrams Dinner Party however my thoughts, feelings and experiences cooking from it are my own.  #sponsored 

I'm also sharing this post with the Weekend Cooking event at Beth Fish Reads, a weekly event that is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share. For more information, see the welcome post.

Let's check the Souper Sundays kitchen this week and see who is here:

Judy of Gluten-Free A - Z Blog shared Hearts of Palm Salad and said, "Hearts of palms are a perfect addition to any salad. They have a great taste, are low in calories and fat but high in nutrients. This is a picture of the salad that I shared with my husband last night for dinner before we mixed it. Not only did I use hearts of palm, but I added some of my other favorite vegetables: purple radicchio, cucumber, artichoke, spring mix, avocado. walnuts, and sunflower seeds. You can use any proportion according to your own tastes and preferences."

 

Tina of Squirrel Head Manor brought a Chicken Salad Sandwich made from a roast chicken dinner, saying "Our main dish was an easy roasted chicken meal with halved cherry tomatoes, onions, olive oil, basil and oregano. The chicken dinner lasted for two nights and as this left two smaller chicken thighs, I decided to make the most of it and create a chicken salad. Very little mayo but lots of the flavors of the olive oil, roasted tomatoes and onions. Sliced tomato and lettuce made it a hearty enough lunch.  Highly recommended."

Vicki of I'd Rather Be At the Beach shared Instant Pot White Beans with Smoked Sausage and said, "This was quick and easy meal to make. I left the celery out because I didn’t have any and I used Cajun seasoning because I love it and anyway I didn’t have any fresh thyme. … My favorite thing about making this recipe in the Instant Pot was that I didn’t have to boil the beans and let them sit for an hour or so. Just pick, rinse, and add to the IP. So easy! So good!"

Thanks to everyone who joined me this week.

(If you aren't familiar with Souper Sundays, you can read about of the origins of it here.
If you would like to join in Souper (Soup, Salad, and Sammie) Sundays, I would love to have you! Here's how...

To join in this week's Souper Sunday's linkup with your soup, salad or sandwich:

• Link up your soup (stew, chili, soupy curries, etc. are fine), salad, or sandwich dish, (preferably one from the current week or month--but we'll take older posts too) on the picture link below and leave a comment on this post so I am sure not to miss you. Also please see below for what to do on your blog post that you link up to Souper Sundays in order to be included in the weekly round-up.

and 

On your entry post (on your blog):

• Mention Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen and add a link back to this post. (Not to be a pain but it's polite and only fair to link back to events you link up at--so if you link a post up here without linking back to this post or my blog on your post, it will be removed.)
• You are welcome to add the Souper Sundays logo to your post and/or blog (completely optional).

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Have a happy, healthy week!
 

The Book Tour Stops Here: A Review of "Meet Me on Love Lane" by Nina Bocci, Served with a Recipe for Mini Artichoke Lasagnas & Garlic Toast

Happy 2020! I am kicking off the new year with my first TLC Book Tour review of the decade, Meet Me on Love Lane, a novel by Nina Bocci. Accompanying my review off this sweet romance is a recipe for Mini Artichoke Lasagnas from The Forest Feast Mediterranean by Erin Gleeson, served with garlic toast.

Publisher's Blurb:

From the USA TODAY bestselling author of On the Corner of Love and Hate comes a romantic comedy about a woman who grudgingly returns home to small-town Pennsylvania, only to find herself falling in love—not only with the town, but with two of its citizens. 

Charlotte Bishop is out of options in New York City. Fired, broke, and blacklisted by her former boss, she’s forced to return to her hometown of Hope Lake, PA to lick her wounds. Although she’s expecting to find a miserable place with nothing to do, she is pleasantly surprised to discover it is bustling and thriving.

She’s only supposed to be in Hope Lake temporarily until she can earn enough money to move back to New York. She’s not supposed to reconnect with her childhood friends or her beloved grandmother. She’s not supposed to find her dream job running the local florist shop. And she’s definitely not supposed to fall for not one but two of Hope Lake’s golden boys: one the beloved high school English teacher, the other the charming town doctor.

With a heart torn between two men and two cities, what’s a girl to do?

A perfect blend of humor and heart, Meet Me on Love Lane is the second in a new series from USA TODAY bestselling author Nina Bocci that is sure to charm fans of Josie Silver and Sally Thorne.

Series: Hopeless Romantics (Book 2)

Paperback: 304 pages

Publisher: Gallery Books (December 10, 2019)

My Review: 

I like a good small town romance, Hallmark-like rom-com novel every so often, especially around the holidays and Meet Me on Love Lane is exactly that. Part of the Hopeless Romantics series, it's the second book and although it isn't necessary to start with On the Corner of Love and Hate, I am quirky about reading books in order to get the back story so I asked that I be sent the first book too. I'm glad I read it first since the series centers around a group of childhood friends, grown up to their early thirties and building their adult lives in the town they grew up in. Meet Me on Love Lane centers around Charlotte, who had to leave her hometown of Hope Lake, Pennsylvania when she was ten with her bitter mother after her parents divorce, and returns to town from New York City to regroup after her event planning career implodes. After 21 years, Charlotte's memory of the town is spotty but she is sure her exile in Hope Lake will just be for the summer. Her childhood friend Emma (the main character in the first book) is determined to keep her there and offers up a tempting opportunity for Charlotte to open and run the local flower shop. There are also two attractive men vying for her attention--Max, the new doctor in town working with Charlotte's father and Henry, her childhood best friend and the English teacher at the town's high school. So there is romance and a cast of fun small town characters including Gigi, Charlotte's irrepressible grandmother a retired doctor, and her best friend and neighbor Mrs. Mancini. 

It's sweet and touching and the kind of feel good story that is a pleasure to read. I did like Meet Me on Love Lane better than On the Corner of Love and Hate which took me longer to get into but after finishing both, I became quite enamored with Hope Lake and its citizens and I am excited to read the third book The Ingredients of You and Me, coming out at the end of April. If you want something light and romantic to read, this series will appeal. 

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Author Notes: Nina Bocci is a USA TODAY bestselling novelist who loves reading and writing about swoony, relatable heroes and smart, witty heroines. If it’s set in a small town, even better. You can always find her chatting on social media about her massive, crazy Italian family, and her favorite person in the world, her son.

Connect with Nina on her website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

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Food Inspiration: 

There was a good amount of food in Meet Me on Love Lane even though most of the main and supporting characters are not cooks. Mentions included ice cream, coffee, cookies, pasta Fagioli, big sandwiches with pickle spears and chips, scones, wine, garlic-Parmesan chicken wings, Nathan's hot dogs, Peeps, fries, pizza, iced tea, a meatball appetizer with Mozzarella inside, grapefruit and blood orange draft beer, pasta, green tea, fortune cookies, Kung Pao chicken, shrimp with garlic sauce, bananas foster cupcakes and cookies.

I was torn between three different Italian dishes for my book-inspired dish, the Classic sandwich that Emma advises Charlotte try on their lunch together (fresh mozzarella, fresh spinach, sliced tomato, and basil pesto mayonnaise on a soft bun), the pizza from the local hang out (thin, cheesy, and the right amount of crunch to the crust) and the "too-large piece of lasagna and slice of garlic toast" that Mrs. Mancini leaves for her on her first night.

Ultimately the lasagna won out especially since I had all of the items I needed to make the Mini Artichoke Lasagnas from The Forest Feast Mediterranean: Simple Vegetarian Recipes Inspired by My Travels by Erin Gleeson, a book that I received from Abrams Publishing as part of their #AbramsDinnerParty event. (I'll be reviewing the cookbook soon--I want to try a couple more of the recipes first.) Although the portion isn't "too-large" like the slice in the book, the ramekins make more convenient portions.

Mini Artichoke Lasagnas
The Forest Feast Mediterranean by Erin Gleeson
(Makes 4)

1 cup (240 ml) marinara sauce
6 oz (170 g) fresh mozzarella, sliced
4 Tbsp chopped marinated artichoke hearts
4 strips of no-boil lasagna noodles, broken into pieces
1/2 cup (50 g) grated Parmesan

Put a spoonful of marinara in the bottom of each of 4 (3 1/2-in/9-cm) ramekins, then layer all other ingredients except the Parmesan which goes on top. Try to give each ramekin 3 layers of noodles & always make sure sauce is covering the noodles. 

Bake at 375 degrees F. (190 degrees C.) for 25-30 minutes. Cool a bit before serving & top each with fresh basil, salt & pepper.

Notes/Results: For a quick and easy vegetarian lasagna without a lot of bells and whistles, this one is pretty tasty. I used a good marinara sauce and fresh Parmesan-Reggiano and mozzarella, which help with the flavor. I will make this again--maybe using a larger ramekin as getting all of the layers into this one was a bit tricky. I had not used no-boil lasagna noodles before and was pleasantly surprised that the texture was comparable to the kind you boil. For my garlic bread I mixed melted salted butter with roasted garlic powder and brushed it on the bread and toasted it in my toaster oven, Delicious and I have no issue with double carbs. ;-) The portion of lasagna with the bread was satisfying, although a green salad would be a nice addition. A great comfort food meal!

(Many thank to Abrams Books and #AbramsDinner Party for the gorgeous new cookbook that I know will become a favorite part of my collection. My thoughts, feelings and experiences cooking from it are my own. #sponsored)

I'm sharing this post with the Weekend Cooking event at Beth Fish Reads, a weekly event that is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share. For more information, see the welcome post.

Note: A review copy of "Meet Meet on Love Lane" (and a copy of "On the Corner of Love and Hate) was provided to me by the author and the publisher via TLC Book Tours. I was not compensated for my review and as always, my thoughts and opinions are my own. 
 
You can see the other stops for this TLC Book Tour and what other bloggers thought of the book here.