Adventures in Baking (Plus Soup!)

I've gotten into a bread baking kick.

Why, you may ask?

Well, it's cost effective and a great stress reliever (kneading bread dough is serious work) and it offers a sense of accomplishment. Plus baking bread is fun and the results (hopefully) taste good.

For my first loaf, I found a recipe for 100% whole wheat bread. No white flour whatsoever. You'd be surprised how many wheat bread recipes have more white than whole wheat flour in them. The bread baked perfectly and tasted wonderful. Mission accomplished. 

Encouraged, I decided to try baking a loaf of classic white bread (because the family loves it no matter how many whole grains I introduce to them) and the result turned out to be satisfactory. My husband and oldest girl-child decided this particular effort was best suited for sopping up "italian butter" (olive oil and spices). 

My own thought's for the classic white bread (what was leftover after those two nibbled) veered more toward soup. A nice, filling and nutritious vegetable soup for Meatless Monday (especially since I've returned to vegetarian cuisine after watching the new documentary film What the Health on Netflix the other day),

I've made a lot of soup over the years so I don't really have a recipe per se. I decided to create a siimple vegetable broth. So easy to do:

Bring eight cups of water to a boil. Turn down the heat and add:

1 to 1 1/2 cups baby carrots (choppe or sliced to bite size pieces)

1 whole white or yellow oninon (chopped or sliced)

6 cloves of garlic (chopped or minced)'

(you can dump all of the above straight in the pot or soften in a tablespoon of olive oil first before adding to water)

4 bay leaves

Spices (your choice but I like Thyme, Rosemary, Smoked Paprika) then salt, and white pepper to taste. For some richness you can also add a teaspoon of Better than Bouillon (Any of the Vegetarian or Organic Veg varieties--your taste preference).

Let this simmer about 2 1/2 hours.

 Then to the broth I added a can of white beans (rinsed) and one cup of dried Amaranth. I returned the soup to a low boil for 20-25 minutes. When I served the soup I added sauteed sliced baby bella mushrooms. So delicous!

My family loved this soup. Didn't miss the meat at all and used the white bread to dip in the soup as well. For myself, I decided to enjoy the soup with a slice of the Sunflower and Flax Seed bread I'd made while the soup simmered.

Healthy eating doesn't have to be boring. You can experiment with nutritious bread recipes, soups, or other entrees to nourish your body.  And if you don't like to cook or bake there are plenty of healthy options from which to choose both in the supermarket and online.

If you decide to try any of the bread recipes I've shared (or make your own version of the Vegetable Soup) please share your results with me or any tips you have discovered on the way to making great food.