Jill Fergus

I began cooking as a child and feeding family and friends has always been my passion. My kitchen is a busy one. I love to experiment and embrace the kitchen successes along with the accidents. I love to cook and collaborate with friends. I am seasonally driven (I love the farmer's market!), avoid processed foods and focus on whole and organic (mostly plant-based, but not exclusively) choices. In my home, my family has a variety of eating preferences from plant-based, gluten free, refined sugar free to full on omnivore. My goal is to create dishes to please all, either as is or with minor adjustments to the recipe. Where did "Feed the Swimmers" come from? When my kids began swimming competitively and growing into young adults, I realized, even more, how important nutrition is to performance, growth and overall health and emotional well being. Everyone (including the coach during travel meets) would ask "what are you feeding the swimmers?" This has become my mantra whenever I'm in my kitchen cooking for family and the friends I love.

 

 

Creamy Escarole and White Bean Soup

Creamy Escarole and White Bean Soup

Jill Fergus

I’ve partnered with #wolfgourmet as an #ambassador and have created this hearty Creamy White Bean and Escarole Soup using their amazing High Performance Blender. This is the perfect time of year to grab hearty greens at the market and work them into more than just salads and sautées. And, adding a smooth bean puree to your favorite recipes is an ideal way to add a creamy and rich component while adding protein, fiber and nutrients while keeping things plant based and focusing on healthy fats. This blender truly yields superior results! It's the perfect time of year to get creative and add soup like this to your meal rotation. Its also great for after school refueling! You’ll find the recipe below!

 

Creamy Escarole and White Bean Soup

RECIPE

Ingredients-

 1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 large celery stalks, chopped

3 Tbs love oil, plus more for finishing

1 very large head of escarole, rinsed and torn

2 cans organic cannellini beans, rinsed and drained (chick peas may be combined or substituted), plus 1 additional can for thicker soups

32 oz vegetable stock (preferably reduced sodium if not homemade)

Parmesan rinds, about 2 oz. (skip if vegan)

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Sea Salt

Fresh Ground Pepper

Red Chili Flakes to taste (approximately 1/2-1 tsp)

 

Method-

 1-In a heavy bottomed pan over medium high heat, add olive oil and sautée onion until translucent. Add garlic and celery and continue until celery begins to soften. Season with salt and pepper.

2-Stir in escarole and continue just until wilting. Adjust seasoning. Add 1/2 of beans and cover with vegetable stock (and add Parmesan rinds if using) Bring to a simmer.

3-Remove one cup of liquid and add to your high performance blender with remaining beans and puree until smooth and creamy.

4- Add bean puree to pot along with lemon juice and desired amount of chili flakes and allow to simmer for 45 minutes. If a thicker soup is desired, you may puree 3rd can of beans and add to pot.

5- Remove rinds before serving. Finish with fresh herbs a drizzle of olive oil and a small pinch of chili flakes (here I also added a pickled ramp) and serve with crusty bread.

Enjoy!

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For those who are not vegan, this is delicious topped with fresh grated Parmesan! 

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