During the coldest months of the year, so many of us flock towards meals that are heavy, meaty, and hearty. We all tend to rely on foods that warm us up and warm us through, but sometimes forget to get enough fruits and vegetables onto our plates.

Eating “in season” is one of the most simple and cost effective ways to get more fruits and vegetables to your plate any time of year. When you eat fruits and vegetables that are in season, the flavors will jump out at you, the nutrients found in them shoots through the roof, and the price you’ll pay is significantly cheaper than buying these same ingredients in their off-season.

Some of the produce picks that will soon be making their way to your local market in the next few weeks are: citrus fruits, dark leafy greens, and root vegetables. Here are three recipes that will have you saving money this winter and keeping your nutritional levels high.

Spinach Salad with Clementines, Feta, and Walnuts

Serves four

• 1-10 oz. bag fresh baby spinach leaves
• 2 clementine oranges, peeled and segmented
• ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
• ¼ cup walnuts
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
• Juice of 1 clementine orange
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper

1. In a large bowl, create the dressing by adding olive oil, vinegar, juice of one clementine orange, salt, and pepper. Whisk together to combine.
2. Next, add fresh baby spinach leaves and toss to evenly coat the leaves with the dressing. Sprinkle on feta cheese and walnuts.
3. Divide evenly among four plates and serve.

Curried Sweet Potato Soup

Serves four

• 2 lbs sweet potatoes
• 1 onion
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp curry powder
• 3 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Peel and cut the sweet potatoes into cubes. Spread into an even layer on a roasting pan or 9 x 13” glass baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then place into the oven to roast for 60 minutes.
2. Within the last few minutes of the sweet potatoes, prepare an onion, by cutting into cubes. Preheat a soup pot over medium high heat and add butter. Sauté onions until translucent, about ten minutes.
3. Once the sweet potatoes are done being roasted, transfer to the soup pot along with the onions. Add the curry powder and stock and bring to a boil. When the soup has reached a boil, lower the heat to medium low and simmer for 15 minutes. Puree with an immersion blender or work in batches to create a smooth velvety texture. Adjust the seasonings, then divide among four bowls and serve.

Kale and Tomato Pasta

Serves four

• 1 lb whole wheat pasta
• 1 bunch fresh kale, rinsed
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
• 1 ½ cups crushed tomatoes
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper

1. Heat a large pot of water over medium high heat to prepare for boiling noodles.
2. Meanwhile, prepare the kale by slicing the leafy parts away from the hearty stalk. Tear the leaves into two-inch pieces. Heat a pan over medium high heat with olive oil. Add minced garlic and kale. Sauté the kale leaves, adding one tablespoon water to help steam them. Once the kale has cooked for a few minutes, it will appear bright green and wilted.
3. Drop the pasta into the boiling water and add a pinch of salt to the water to season it. Cook according to package directions. Strain.
4. In the same pan that was used to prepare the kale, add the tomatoes and pasta and heat over medium heat. Add the crushed tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine and allow the flavors to mingle about ten minutes.
5. Adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper. Divide among four plates and serve.

Eating fresh seasonal produce will benefit you any time of year and these winter recipes will be sure to get you through the cold spell with a full stomach and wallet.

How do you make the most of winter produce?

Rachael is the blogger behind KitchenCourses.com and is the author of How to Cook For Yourself: A Complete Beginner’s Guide. She writes about her passion for food, eating well while saving money, and inspires people to get familiar with their kitchens and cook for themselves.

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After some research I found an easy answer that will help make your soups delicious and nutritious.

Tools:

• Pressure Cooker (takes 10 minutes to prepare at high pressure)
• Standard stove top stock pot (takes 60 to 90 minutes)

Take Your Pick Ingredients for Vegetable Stock:

• Asparagus and broccoli stalks
• Bay leaf or a few pinches of dried herbs
• Celery, parsnip and carrot chunks, peelings and trimmings
• Corncobs and husks
• Garlic (unpeeled, crushed)
• Kale stalks (if you’re looking for a strong distinctive flavor like cabbage)
• Leek greens and roots
• Onions (unpeeled for a darker stock)
• Potatoes and potatoe peelings (remove any green spots)
• Scallions (including root ends)
• Sweet potatoes, apples or pears (for a slightly sweet stock)
• Tomatoes or lemon slices (for a slightly acid stock)
• Turnips (peel to avoid bitterness)
• Wilted celery, lettuce and watercress
• Winter squash (avoid waxed peels)
• Zucchini

Must Have Ingredients

• 8 cups water
• 8 cups coarsely chopped miscellaneous vegetables
• 2 medium onions, coarsely chopped (include sins for a daker stock)
• 1 to 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed (optional)
• 3 large carrots, cut into 3 to 4 chunks
• 4 large ribs celery, cut into 3 to 4 chunks
• 1 to 2 parsnips, cut into 3 to 4 chunks (optional; makes the stock sweeter)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup tightly packed minced fresh parsley stalks and leaves
• A few sprigs of fresh thyme or oregano, or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme or dried oregano (optional)
• Sea salt to taste

Pressure Cooker Instructions:

1. Place the water in the cooker and over HIGH heat begin bringing to the boil.
2. Prepare and add the remaining ingredients except for the salt.
3. Lock the lid into place.
4. Over high heat bring to high pressure.
5. Lower the heat just enough to maintain the pressure at high and cook for 10 minutes.
6. If time permits, allow the pressure to come down naturally.
7. If you’re in a hurry reduce pressure with a quick-release method.
8. Remove the lid, tilting it away from you to allow any excess steam to escape.
9. Allow the stock to cool slightly.
10. Pour the stock through a strainer into one or more storage containers.
11. Smash the vegetables against the sides of the strainer to extract all of the liquid.
12. Cool and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months.

Standard Stove Top Instructions:

1. Finely chop the vegetables.
2. In a large soup pot, proceed as directed in Steps 1 and 2 of the Pressure Cooking Instructions.
3. Bring to the boil.
4. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered until the vegetables have given up their flavor for about 60 to 90 minutes.
5. Follow Steps 9-11 from the Pressure Cooking Instruction.

photo credit: joyosity

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Leek soup is another healthy and low calorie soup to add to your cooking arsenal.

Nutrition Information:

• 70 calories per servings
• 1/2 cup vegetables
• 7g carbohydrate
• 1 g protein
• 3g fat (0g saturated fat)
• 0mg cholesterol
• 340 mg sodium.

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp Pure Olive Oil
• 32 oz. chicken or vegetable stock
• 16 oz. leeks, cut into 1/2 inch slices
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 tsp. herb seasoning salt

Instructions:

1. Add leeks and olive oil to stockpot on MEDIUM-LOW
2. Cook, stirring often, 10 minutes or longer until onions are soft and translucent, but not browned
3. Add stock
4. Season with salt and pepper
5. Bring to a boil on HIGH
6. Reduce heat and simmer about 10 minutes, until leeks are fork- tender
7. Season to taste with herb seasoning salt
8. Ladle into warm bowls

photo credit: diekatrin

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Nutrition Information:

• 60 calories per 1 cup serving
• 3/4 cup vegetables
• 7 g carbohydrate
• 2 g protein
• 3  fat (0g saturated at)
• 0g cholesterol
• 430 mg sodium

This recipe makes 5.5 cups and takes at total 20 minutes (15 minutes active preparation).

Tools:

You’l need a handheld blender for this one.

Ingredients:

• 1 small white onion, 1/2 inch dice (1  cup)
• 1 Tbsp pure olive oil
• 32 oz. vegetable stock
• 1 lb. asparagus, trimmed, 1 inch diced
• Salt and pepper
• Herb Seasoning Salt

Instructions:

1. Add onion and olive oil to stockpot on MEDIUM-LOW.
2. Cook on LOW, stirring often, 10 min or longer until onions are soft and translucent, but not browned.
3. Add stock and asparagus.
4. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Bring to boil on HIGH.
6. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minute until asparagus is knife-tender.
7. Remove pot from heat.
8. Carefully puree soup with handheld blender until smooth.
9. Season to taste with herb seasoning salt.
10. Ladle into warm bowls.
11. Garnish with creme fraiche or Parmigiano-Reggiano.

photo credit: stu_spivack

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Dietary Information:

This soup makes 5.5 cups and takes 25 minutes to prepare. Each serving of this soup (1 cup and 1 poached egg) contains 180 calories, 1/2 cup of vegetables, 11g carbohydrates, 9g protein, 7g fat (2g saturated fat), 180 mg cholesterol and 580 mg sodium.

Tools:

• For this soup you’ll need a handheld blender.

Ingredients:

• 1 small white onion, 1/2 inch diced (1 cup)
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 32 oz. of vegetable or chicken stock
• 2 pkgs (5 oz. each) baby spinach
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon herb seasoning salt

Instructions:

1. Add onions and oil to stockpot on MEDIUM-LOW.
2. Cook, stirring 10 minutes or longer, until onions are soft and translucent, but not browned.
3. Add stock and spinach
4. Season with salt and pepper
5. Bring to a simmer
6. Cook about 3 minutes or until spinach is wilted and tender.
7. Remove pot from heat
8. Puree soup carefully with handheld blender until smooth
9. Season to taste with herb seasoning salt
10. Ladle into warm bowls
11. Serve with poached egg

photo credit: bobjudge

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Ingredients

• 1 small white onion, 1/2-inch dice (1 cup)
• 1 Tbsp Pure Olive Oil
• 32 oz. chicken or vegetable stock
• 1/4 lb. celery root, peeled and shredded very finely (about 1.75 cup)
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 tsp. herb seasoning salt

Instructions:

1. Add onion and olive oil to stockpot on MEDIUM-LOW
2. Cook, stirring often, 10 minutes or longer until onions are soft and translucent, but not browned
3. Add stock and celery root
4. Season with salt and pepper
5. Bring to a boil on HIGH
6. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes, until celery root is tender
7. Remove pot from heat
8. Season to taste with herb seasoning salt
9. Ladle into warm bowls
10. Garnish with chives or scallions

photo credit: Charles Haynes

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I found it very interesting that you can actually make the soup from scratch in just 15 minutes from start to finish. So here are the four main steps:

1. Cook onions
   1. Add 1 cup of diced onion
   2. Add 1 tbsp pure olive oil to stockpot on MEDIUM-LOW
   3. Cook and stir about 10 minutes until the onion is translucent
2. Add stock and vegetables
   1. Add 32 oz o stock
   2. Add 10 oz to 1 lb of vegetables
   3. Season to taste. You can use bouillon cubes for a more robust flavor
3. Follow recipe heating instructions
   1. Cook until vegetables are tender
4. Puree
   1. If you’d like a creamier soup, puree a part of your vegetables and stir it back into the soup

Season to taste. Garnish and serve

photo credit: avlxyz

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Potato Soup

• 2 ham bones
• 6 cups GF chicken stock
• 4 potatoes peeled and diced
• 1 large onion diced
• 1 carrot diced
• 1 tsp salt
• 6 twists on the pepper grind

1. Start by cooking your ham bone in the broth for at least 30 minutes.
2. Remove the bone from pan and cut up the left over meat into bite size pieces. Add ham pieces back into soup.
3. Add the rest of your ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes.
4. If soup seems too thin add 2 tbl of tapioca starch to thicken. Serve with a fresh piece of hot bread.

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Lately I have begun to realize how much of my respect celery actually deserves. I used to think it was okay with cream cheese in it, but I wouldn’t go out of my way or anything. It was a diet food; something you were supposed to crunch on to satisfy your need to chew without adding calories (it only satisfied me if it was stuffed with cream cheese.)

Then last year I moved close to my oldest sister. I was telling her one day how much I used to love her tuna sandwiches when I was a teenager. She said the secret ingredient that made them so good was celery.

What?

My mother-in-law used to make a fantastic potato soup. She taught me how to make it, and for some reason I thought she said to put chopped celery in. When I made some and gave her a taste, she noticed there was celery in it and said that she’d never tried that before. She said it was better than hers, and made hers with celery from then on.

I realized that all my homemade soups were better with celery in it.

Oh, and Buffalo wings! I love Buffalo wings dearly, and I realized why they are always served with celery. For some reason, celery and Buffalo wings go fantastic together! Okay, I’ll stop shouting!

So I finally apologized to celery for the things I used to say about it. It’s actually a wonderfully nutritious and taste-enhancing vegetable, which now has an honored place in my health-smoothies, soups, stir fries, and relish dishes.

Long live celery!

The Best Potato Soup Recipe

5 or 6 red potatoes, cleaned and cubed
Salt
1 medium onion, chopped
3 large stalks celery, chopped
½ lb bacon, chopped while raw
1 tbsp chopped garlic
3 cups chicken broth
4 cups milk
½ cup flour
2 beaten eggs

Put cubed potatoes in a Dutch oven and pour enough water in to just cover them. Add salt to the water. Cook on high until the water boils, then reduce heat and boil gently for about 20 minutes. Drain the water out.

While the potatoes are boiling, put the bacon, onions, celery, and garlic in a frying pan over medium heat. Sauté until the onions are translucent. Add the contents of the frying pan to the potatoes in the Dutch oven. Pour in the chicken broth.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about a half hour. Add milk and continue simmering.

Put the flour in a wide, flat bowl and add a tiny bit of the beaten egg. With a fork, beat the part where the egg is very quickly until it forms little lumps. Add a bit more egg and repeat the process until you have a bunch of little lumps or what my mother-in-law used to call “krinkles”.

Turn the heat up under the soup and watch carefully until it looks like it’s just about to boil. Quickly turn the heat back down, and add the little egg/flour lumps. Stir them in slowly. (They are like little dumplings.)

Let the soup simmer for another 20 minutes or so, and serve.

This is wonderful with fresh bread and butter!

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Soup has many advantages over other foods. Vegetables can be hidden inside and the picky eater will never know the difference – pulverize them in a blender. Just stifle the urge to ask, “Do you know what you just ate?” or giggle uncontrollably when they eat it and ask for more.

Your grocery will stock many soups that are ready to serve. Many of them are just terrific to use as a base for other things and are great helpers for holiday meals. A wide variety of sauces, gravies, and whole meals can be based on these soups, whether they are single serving or condensed. This makes four main dish servings or at least eight if served in cups depending on size.

Your holiday meal can start with ready to serve New England Clam Chowder.

18 oz. (or more) can New England Clam Chowder
5 four-inch long potatoes small cubes
1/2 to 3/4 cup thin sliced or diced celery
2 tablespoons onion chopped
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1 ¾ to 2 cups of water
1/2 cup of milk
12 to 16 (or more) cooked whole shrimp
Croutons

Optional
1/2 cup diced fresh mushrooms
Additional canned clams
Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on soup

Boil together water, potatoes, celery, onions and mushrooms until tender with black pepper, and parsley. Mash a portion of the potatoes so mixture becomes thick. Add soup and milk to swirl out remainder of soup in can. Stir well and heat gently until hot and simmering. Serve soup, top with shrimp.

Mom, you are a “souper” cook!

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As long as you have a few base ingredients such as chicken or beef stock and onions, you can just sort of rummage through your cupboards, refrigerator, and freezer and see what else you can toss in. And when it’s done people will ask you for that wonderfully unique recipe. (Tell them it’s a secret, because you’re not going to bother writing down what you threw in the soup and you usually won’t be able to remember everything.)

Here’s one of the toss-it-in soups that I made on the spur of the moment and that turned out to be good enough to make again. I don’t put amounts here because, frankly, I don’t remember!

Chicken, sausage and bean soup

4 cups chicken bullion
2 cans great northern white beans, drained
Cooked, cubed chicken
Polish sausage, sliced
Chopped garlic
Chopped onion
Chopped celery
Any other veggies you want to throw in there
A touch of basil
A touch of sage

Melt some olive oil and a touch of butter in the bottom of a Dutch oven. Add the garlic, onion and celery. Sauté until the onion starts to become translucent, then pour the bullion in and add all the other ingredients. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for at least an hour, but the longer the better.

That one is my favorites. It is seriously tasty. The whole point is, though, that a lot of the time you can make soup out of what you have on hand. Look around and see what you could make soup out of. Don’t worry about whether you’ve ever seen it in a soup before; if it sounds good to you, throw it in! You really should always use the bullion or stock, though, because it’s the base upon which you build.

There’s something wonderful about smelling soup simmering on the stove. Throw a soup together, add some bread and butter, and you have a meal that would make grandma proud!

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