Spring Soup Recipes
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By Wanda Clark What a wonderful time of the year! Nature begins to wake up after playing dead all winter. The sun starts staying out a little longer each day—stirring the anticipation of the return of Daylight Savings time. We compete to be the first to spot a snow crocus, or daffodil poking through the soil. That always means it won’t be long before the new buds will be popping out on the trees.
Spring is time to start tilling the ground to plant the early vegetables— and the indoor planting so that the seedlings will be ready to plant after the last frost! We spend hours mulling over seed catalogs. We still have “country hearts” from the homes of our childhoods—confined in the suburban sprawl that represents our now reality. We dream of having hundreds of acres in our backyard garden plot.
Spring marks a very special time of year for people of many faiths— Passover, Lent, and Easter. A time to reflect and re-focus—a “different” type of new year. To provide quick and easy meals that meet the Wednesday and Friday Lent requirements, we package the following mixes ahead of time. Most of these mixes can also be used for Passover—either as they are or with minor modifications. Pre-packaging mixes ensures that we will be compliant to our faith commitments—regardless of what we are faced with in our busy schedules.
Quinoa (pronounced Keen Wah) is a near-perfect protein grain similar to grits and is typically approved for Lent and Passover. Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP) is a soy-based vegetarian meat alternative that is Kosher and approved for Lent. The following are some of our favorite mixes.
Curry Quinoa Soup
1/4 cup quinoa
1 cup TVP chicken bits
1 cup dehydrated mushrooms
1 tablespoon dehydrated celery
1/2 cup dried apple dices
1 tablespoon chicken bouillon
1 tablespoon dehydrated onion
1 tablespoon dry milk
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Mix with 8 cups of water and cook for 30 minutes or until vegetables are to the desired doneness.
Carrots, Spinach & Quinoa Soup
1/4 cup quinoa
1 tablespoon chicken bouillon or dehydrated chicken broth
1/2 cup dehydrated spinach
1/4 cup dehydrated onion
1 tablespoon garlic
1 tablespoon dehydrated carrots
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon coriander
2 teaspoons ginger
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
Mix with 8 cups of water and cook for 30 minutes or until vegetables are to the desired doneness.
Sweet Potatoes & Quinoa Soup
1 cup Quinoa
1 cup dehydrated sweet potatoes
1 tablespoon chicken bouillon or dehydrated chicken broth
1 tablespoon peanut butter powder***
1/4 cup dehydrated corn**
2 teaspoons dehydrated mixed peppers
1/4 cup dehydrated onion
2 teaspoons dehydrated minced garlic
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon dried cilantro
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
Mix with 8 cups of water and cook for 30 minutes or until vegetables are to the desired doneness.
**Do not include the corn for kitniyot. Increase the dehydrated sweet potatoes to 1 1/4 cups for a kitniyot-friendly version of this mix.
***Optionally, add 1 tablespoon of peanut butter when you cook the recipe.
TVP Ham Split Pea Soup
1/4 cup dehydrated onion
1 tablespoon dehydrated carrots
1 tablespoon dehydrated celery
1/2 cup dehydrated potato dices
1 tablespoon chicken bouillon or dehydrated chicken broth
1 teaspoon marjoram
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon sage
1 tablespoon basil
2 cups dehydrated split peas**
1/2 cup TVP ham bits
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
Mix with 8 cups of water and cook for 30 minutes or until vegetables are to the desired doneness.
** May not meet the requirements for kitniyot
Curry Split Pea Soup
1/4 cup dehydrated onion
1 tablespoon dehydrated carrots
1 tablespoon dehydrated celery
1 tablespoon curry powder
2 cups** dehydrated split peas
1 cup TVP ham bits
1 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
Mix with 8 cups of water and cook for 30 minutes or until vegetables are to the desired doneness.
** May not meet the requirements for kitniyot.
Classic Potato Soup
1 cup dehydrated potato dices
2 teaspoons dehydrated celery 1/4 cup dehydrated onion
1 tablespoon dehydrated carrots
1 teaspoon garlic
2 teaspoons thyme
2 teaspoons chicken bouillon or dehydrated chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup dry milk
1/2 cup instant potato flakes
1/4 cup butter powder
Mix with 8 cups of water and cook for 30 minutes or until vegetables are to the desired doneness.
Italian Stew
1 cup small pasta like orzo**
1 tablespoon dehydrated mixed peppers
1/4 cup dehydrated onion
1/2 cupTVP chicken bits
1/2 cup tomato powder
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons celery
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons oregano
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons pepper
1 tablespoon chicken bouillon or dehydrated chicken broth
Mix with 8 cups of water and cook for 30 minutes or until vegetables are to the desired doneness.
** May not meet the requirements for kitniyot. Replace with 3/4 cups quinoa for a Kosher version of this mix.
Garden Vegetable
1 tablespoon dehydrated leeks
1 tablespoon dehydrated carrots
1 cup dehydrated potato dices
1/4 cup dehydrated onion
1 tablespoon dehydrated green beans**
1/3 cup dehydrated tomato dices
1/3 cup tomato powder
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup corn
1/4 cup parsley
1 tablespoon lemon juice powder
1 tablespoon chicken bouillon or dehydrated chicken broth
3 tablespoons garlic
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
Mix with 8 cups of water and cook for 30 minutes or until vegetables are to the desired doneness.
** May not meet the requirements for kitniyot. Replace with dehydrated zucchini if desired.
