Ginger Peanut Soup

Sundays are a great day to kick back, stay indoors and make a big pot of soup. Especially during these colder months of the year. One of my favorite things to do on the weekend is to make a big batch of soup, stew or chili to store in the freezer - storing it away for a day when you don't have time to make a meal.

How to freeze soup and stews
Soups, stews and chili freeze really well. You can freeze your soup in single serving portions so that you can grab just one or two at a time for a quick meal or lunch.

There are a couple basic steps to freezing soups and stews- it's really as easy one, two, three. Once the soup is made, leave it on the stove top to cool. When the soup is about room temperature, pour it into single serving sized plastic containers or zip-lock freezer bags. A final, nice-to-do step is to label and date the containers or bags to help keep you organized. Frozen soups and stews tend to all look the same in the freezer. Be sure to enjoy your soup within two or three months as you will lose flavour.

Allison, a woman I work with, makes amazing soups and has kindly shared with me one of her favorites. Her ginger peanut soup is so delicious, flavourful and hearty. Trust me, this recipe is bound to become one of your favorites too. It's very similar to this recipe on VegWeb.com - an online resource for vegetarians and vegans.


Ginger Peanut Soup (serves 6)

Ingredients
2 cups broccoli, chopped into small pieces
2 cups cauliflower, chopped into small pieces
2 tablespoons grape seed oil
1 onion, diced
2-3 tablespoons ginger, minced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
2.5 cups vegetable stock (I prefer the Pacific Organic brand)
1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
5-6 tablespoons natural peanut butter

Directions
On a medium heat, saute onions in grape seed oil for 10 minutes until the oils are golden and beginning to caramelize.

Add broccoli, cauliflower, ginger, garlic, cayenne, salt and pepper, salt. Stirring occasional, cook for about 10 minutes or until the veggies are tender. Drizzle in oil olive five minutes into sauteing the vegetables.

Add stock, tomatoes and peanut butter. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste for flavour, and adjust to taste.

Using a food processor, add half the soup to the processor and pulse just a few times to break down the larger chucks of broccoli and cauliflower. Although this step isn't necessary, it does add a nice texture to the soup. Enjoy hot or allow the soup to cool for freezing.


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