Roasted Red Pepper Soup

I was flipping through the Oct 2009 Sunset magazine and thought I would try out one of their quick and easy soups. It's good and I think the brand of vegetable broth used makes a difference. I used Trader Joe's vegetable broth and I think it marred the taste since I could really taste the celery in the stock. It really just came through. Cook's Illustrated has done taste tests of vegetable broth and they recommend the organic Swanson's Vegetable broth, so I'll try again since I think this could be a great recipe.

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Barley, Leek, Mushroom and Greens Soup

I was in Washington, DC for the holidays, and it was COLD! Nothing like a little soup to warm up and detox from the overload of French style holiday cooking. It takes about an hour total with prep but prep is not time consuming.

This is another earthy, warm, easy to make soup! Just loved it. My 8 year old nephew said, "Nirmala, I like your soup." Apparently, he never says that about anyone's cooking.

This recipe comes from the Dec 2009 issue of Bon Appetit.

Wild Rice, Butternut Squash, and Cannellini Stew

This recipe is SO delicious, it's unbelievable that it's done in about 30 minutes! It's warm, earthy, and perfect for the unrelenting rainy weather we've been having in California. Also a big plus are the various short cuts you can take (suggested in the recipe itself), including purchasing precooked wild rice and cubed butternut squash. I tried the cubed butternut squash and think it tastes better with fresh. The squash was more tender, and melted in my mouth. I've made this soup about 3 times now, and it tastes equally great if not better if you substitute the chard with kale.

It's a MUST try. DELICIOUS!

This recipe comes from Jan 2010 issue of Sunset magazine.