Welcome to a special edition of Soupin it Up w/Sped. Tonight is a return of one of my favorites...Soups for the Troops. Those that know me know that NFTT is a cause that is near and dear to me... last year it was important enough to me to have been the factor that put me over the edge and attend NN09...and we all know how that turned out LOL.
So tonight, for every soup recipe posted in this diary I will donate 5 cents to NFTT. I hope many of you will chip in with matching donations! The more we raise for this cause, the better for all of us!
So tonight's soups are Chilled & vote in the poll for next week's theme!
Chilled Zucchini Soup w/Purslane
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
8 small zucchini (3 pounds), thinly sliced, plus long zucchini shavings for garnish
Kosher salt
3 cups water
2 tablespoons finely shredded basil
2 cups ice
Freshly ground pepper
2 cups purslane or baby arugula
Directions
- In a large saucepan, heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and cook over moderate heat until translucent, about 8 minutes.
- Stir in the thyme and bay leaf and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add the sliced zucchini, season with salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 10 minutes.
- Add the water and bring to a boil. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Discard the bay leaf and stir in the shredded basil.
- Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender until very smooth. Transfer the zucchini puree to a large bowl.
- Stir in the ice. Refrigerate the zucchini soup for at least 3 hours, until thoroughly chilled.
- Season the soup with salt and pepper. Ladle into shallow bowls and top with a small handful of purslane and zucchini shavings. Drizzle with olive oil and serve.
Cold Cherry Tomato Soup
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup thinly sliced onion
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 clove garlic -- sliced
2 1/2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives -- divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup plain nonfat yogurt
1 cup evaporated skimmed milk
Directions:
- Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, sugar, and garlic; saute 5 minutes.
- Add tomatoes, 1 tablespoon chives, salt, pepper, and broth; cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 20 minutes.
- Place tomato mixture and yogurt in a food processor, and process until smooth. Pour mixture into a bowl; stir in milk. Cover and chill.
Apple Vichyssoise
Ingredients:
4 medium leeks -- white bulbs only, trimmed
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 granny smith apples -- peeled, cored and sliced
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion -- thinly sliced
7 cups vegetable or chicken broth
4 russet potatoes -- peeled and thinly sliced
1 cup half-and-half
1 1/2 cup milk
salt and pepper -- to taste
1/3 cup freshly snipped chives -- for garnish
Directions:
- Halve the leeks lengthwise and place them in a bowl covered with water and the vinegar. Soak for 15 minutes. Rinse the leeks, pat dry and thinly slice.
- Toss the apples with 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice; set aside.
- Melt the butter with the olive oil in a heavy pot over low heat. Add the leeks, apples and onion. Saute until tender, about 15 minutes.
- Add the broth, potatoes and remaining 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool slightly.
- Puree the soup in batches in a food processor or blender. Do not overprocess; a slightly coarse texture should remain. Return the soup to the pot and stir in the half-and-half and milk. Season with salt and pepper. Heat through if serving immediately (do not boil). Refrigerate overnight if serving cold. Garnish with snipped chives.
Creamy Cucumber
Ingredients:
8 medium cucumbers
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoon dried dill
1 1/2 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 tablespoon salt
2 cups sour cream
3 cups buttermilk
Directions:
- Peel and halve cucumbers. Remove seeds. Cucumbers can be diced into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces or put through food processor with julienne attachment. Set aside.
- Combine remaining ingredients in large bowl. In batches, pour into food processor bowl and process until slightly chunky consistency is achieved. Refrigerate 4 to 6 hours or overnight. Serve chilled.
Now for more info about our sponsor tonight NFTT...
Again, this year, Netroots For The Troops seeks to make a tangible thank-you in our small way to the troops who are still serving, before they become veterans. Our mission is two-fold: shipment of CARE packages to U.S. soldiers and Marines serving in hostile regions of Iraq and Afghanistan for the duration of their deployment, and on-going financial assistance for veterans and their families upon their return to the States.
Our goal for 2010 is $100,000 (cash or in-kind donations). So far, we've raised $24,591, 25 percent of our goal. So there is a long way to go.
NFFT is a project of Netroots Arts and Education Initiative (NAEI), a 501(c)3 organization. Donations are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.
Here’s other ways you can help:
• Please contact TexDem or VeloVixen if you know someone who might be helpful in securing the corporate, in-kind donations. To help you think of companies that could donate products, see below* for a list of potential items. It takes time to get through the corporate processes, so we need to hear from you ASAP!
• The cash from individuals – donate here – will enable us to buy the things we are unable to obtain through corporate donations and help pay the costs of shipping them to our troops.
• $10 donors to Patric Juliett's team receive an ebook of Tales from the Larder.
• At the NFTT 2010 Personal/Team Fundraising Pages, you can set create a Personal NFTT 2010 Fundraising Page. This gives you a means to approach your friends, relatives, neighbors, co-workers and colleagues to donate to NFTT via your page. We're asking you to sign up to personally raise $1000.00. If you were a small donor last year but wanted to do more, this is a way for you to increase your donation via your contacts.
• Sign up for a diary! Our goal is to post two diaries per day until NN10, which doesn't start until July 21. That’s a lot of diaries! Don’t worry -- we’ve made it easy for you. We’ve got a template set up, and all you need to do is add a small introduction telling us why you are donating, sharing a story of someone you know who has served or is serving, or any other thing you want to share that might help motivate others to donate. Please contact jlms qkw if you are interested in posting a diary.
• Do you know a service member who would like to receive a care package? Email your request to: info@netrootsforthetroops.com before June 25, 2010.
Please include all of the following information. Unfortunately we will not be able to process any incomplete requests:
Rank:
Last name:
First name:
APO Address Line 1:
APO Address Line 2:
APO Address Zip:
• Help us assemble the packages in Vegas. It's fun! More information will be forthcoming for those of you who are going to be in Vegas and would like to help there.
• Please consider joining the NFTT FaceBook Group. Invite your FaceBook and non-FaceBook friends.
* The following list contains some of the things we would like to include in the packages. Please let us know if you know someone who might be helpful in securing these corporate in-kind donations. (Please DO NOT send these items yourself! We have no way to accept them. Instead, your cash donation is the very best way to help make this happen on the ground in Vegas.) * Baby
wipes * Mechanix gloves * LED flashlights * Gel shoe insoles * Goop Cleaning Gel * Powdered energy drinks * Gel energy food packets * DVDs and CDs * Letters to the soldiers * Sand scarves & cool ties.
We realize that you may want to donate something tangible to go inside the packages that will be mailed to the troops. Unfortunately, accepting in-kind donations from individuals is not practical in terms of storage and handling of the items. Instead, we will only be accepting corporate donations or cash from you to purchase items for the care packages this year.
We are accepting hand-written or typed letters. See Lusty's diary for details. Mail hand-written letters to Lusty, email typed letters to jlms qkw, at jlms_qkwATxmissionDOTcom
Books for Soldiers
Soldiers love to receive books, but due once again to the logistics of collecting and storing them prior to NN10, books will not be included in the packages that NFTT will put together this year. Other organizations are more specialized in the collection and
distribution of books to Iraq and Afghanistan . If you are interested in sending books, please consider checking out the Books For Soldiers website. It is run by DKos's very own StormBear and is a great resource for giving.
Since March 1, 2010, monthly donations are no longer being deducted. Please consider donating the difference here.