During holiday time I am always lo0king for shortcuts in the kitchen.  Lately, I’ve been loving soups as they are filling, healthful and simple to whip up – especially when I throw the ingredients into my Vitamix and have a warm soup in minutes.  It’s super simple!  For this month’s Recipe Redux, I am taking a classic, Fresh Pea Soup St. Germain, from page 54 of The Soup Bible – one of my all-time favorite cookbooks, and creating a bean soup – sticking the green soup theme, using edamame (a.k.a. soybeans) and adding an Asian twist with sesame oil, scallions, a hint of soy sauce and Sriracha.  Plus, it creates a creamy soup sans  any actual cream.

This month’s Recipe Redux Theme: Grab a Book & Cook

We’re repeating last December’s theme due to popular demand: It’s the end of the year and we’re taking a moment to reflect – The Recipe ReDux has been around for 54 months! To celebrate, we’re playing a little party game this month: Grab your nearest cookbook and ReDux the recipe on page 54 or 154. We can’t wait to see the books you’re cooking from these days.

The beauty of this recipe is that you can use frozen edamame – just rinse it under cold water to thaw for a bit before placing into Vitamix or into a sauce pan to heat with a touch of sesame oil, scallions, and broth and then add to blender to puree.

Not only are soups healthful, but they last a long time, too.  Pour leftover soup in a freezer-safe container and freeze for months.  Be sure to put the date on the container so that you can keep track of how long it’s been in the freezer.  It should last a good 3 to 6 months in the freezer, though.

As you see this soup is ready in minutes – just throw all of the ingredients together and it’s ready to serve to your family, friends or yourself. This makes for a great solo meal — as I mentioned before you can refrigerate or freeze the rest to enjoy another time.

Creamy Edamame Soup

Serves 6 

Ingredients

1 teaspoon sesame oil

4 scallions or green onions, coarsely chopped

3 cups frozen shelled edamame, thawed

1 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

1 1/2 cups water

1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce

Directions

If you have a Vitamix, place all ingredients in a set to Soup program and start.

Otherwise, on the stovetop over  medium heat, pour oil and scallions into a large stockpot.  Add soybeans and liquid and soy sauce, bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes until beans become soft.   Transfer to a food processor or blender and puree until smooth.

Pour into bowls and serve.  Enjoy with a crusty bread or salad.

Nutrition Information (per 1 cup serving):  Calories: 495, Total Fat: 22 g, Saturated Fat: 3 g, Trans Fat: 0 g, Cholesterol: 0 mg, Sodium: 178 mg, Carbohydrates: 34 g, Dietary Fiber: 10 g, Sugars: 8 g, Protein 40 g

Enjoy eating simply.  Happy and healthy holidays!

-Vicki