[Meatless Monday] 8-Vegetable Soup & Cornbread Skewers

Today may be the sixth day of spring and the last Monday of March, but the weather is seriously lagging behind. The snow started falling at about 3:00PM yesterday and there was nothing much else to do than to simply embrace it; so I spent the majority of the afternoon walking the white-dusted streets of Richmond. While I much rather be walking by the James River in flip-flops, listening to the crunch of snow beneath my boots and the fluttering of flakes in the sky can be just as relaxing.

Plus, this weather means we have time for one more wintery soup recipe!

For Christmas this year, all of my sisters and I got cake ball makers from our aunt. And I've been determined to make anything but cake balls with it! (Why in the world would I want to use something for its actual purpose?)

To be completely honest with you, I've also been having a little issue with portion control lately. Sometimes (all the times), I'm really good at letting myself get away with things. "Oh, just one two three more cookies..." With these cornbread balls, however, I get some buttery carbs minus the 8-inch iron skillet of leftovers. Also: food on a stick > food on a plate, napkin, what-have-you...bet you didn't know this was a math blog!

The buttermilk cornballs come together insanely quick. You can mix together the ingredients in one bowl and bake them in under 10 minutes flat. They are perfectly moist, slightly sweet, fluffy, and one serving of 3 balls is relatively low in calories (~ 50 calories per ball).

What the cornbread is lacking, the soup makes up for: it's seriously veggie-dense and adaptable. Simply add whatever vegetables that you like and have on hand. I also added farro for some chew. This soup reheats well, and I imagine could be frozen for later meals; but I ate all of mine within a matter of 5 days.

Stay warm, and stay hopeful!

8-Vegetable Soup with Farro
Inspired by Various Recipes

Servings: 4-5 

1 tablespoon butter or oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup carrots, finely chopped
1 can diced fire-roasted tomatoes with garlic

3 small red potatoes, chopped

2 small sweet potatoes, chopped
2 cups green beans
2/3 cup peas
2/3 cup sweet corn
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2-3 cups water
1/4 cup uncooked farro (I used Trader Joe's 10-minute farro)
Salt & pepper to taste (I used about 1 teaspoon salt)

• In a large soup pot, place butter or oil over medium heat and saute onion for about 5 minutes or until translucent. Add in carrots and saute for another 5 minutes, followed by tomato paste. Stir and cook for one additional minute. Pour in tomatoes with juices and crush tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon.

• Add in stock and water, followed by potatoes and green beans. Season with salt and pepper Bring to boil, and then turn down to low heat. Allow to simmer, covered, for ten minutes. Add in peas, corn, and farro and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Add more water, if needed. Serve warm or cool and store in fridge for up to 1 week.

Buttermilk Cornbread Balls
Slightly Adapted from MyRecipes.com

Servings: 24 balls

1/2 cup, plus 1 tablespoon cornmeal

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/2 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 egg

• Plug in cake pop maker to preheat. In a mixing bowl, mix together (first four) dry ingredients. Create a well in center of dry ingredients and add remaining wet ingredient. Fold into dry ingredients until just combined.

• Place about 1/2 tablespoon batter in eat cake ball well. Close and bake for about 2-3 minutes (I found that the built-in sensor was fairly accurate in judging when the cornbread was baked through). Serve warm.