Soup

==Mark's 30-second Bean Soup==
1 cup of mixed beans (7-bean, 10-bean etc. - frequently sold in bulk bins)
1 bouillon cube (chicken, beef, vegetable, etc.) or 1 teaspoon bouillon broth powder
The '30 seconds' refers to how long it takes to prepare this soup. I'm really lazy, and almost never pre-soak the beans. Put beans and bouillon in 32 oz. black-painted mason jar. Fill jar with water to within 1 inch of neck line. Seal with black-painted ring and lid (oil the inside parts of the lid and ring first). Cooks in 2.5 to 8 hours depending on conditions, solar cooker type, etc.
Many spaghetti sauces come packed in 26 oz. canning jars. If you've converted one of these 'free' jars into a cooking jar (by painting it black), follow the same recipe except use only 3/4 cup beans.
==60-second Split Pea and Potato Soup==
1 cup split peas (frequently sold in bulk bins)
1 bouillon cube (chicken, beef, vegetable, etc.) or 1 teaspoon bouillon broth powder
1/2 cup diced potato pieces
Put peas, potatoes, and bouillon in 32 oz. black-painted mason jar. Or, if using a 26 oz. jar, use only 3/4 cup of split peas. Fill jar with water to within 1 inch of neck line. Seal with black-painted ring and lid (oil the inside parts of the lid and ring first). Cooks in 2.5 to 8 hours depending on conditions, solar cooker type, etc.
Note that texture of soup will vary with cooking time. Thoroughly cooked pea soup will have almost no pea chunks in it -- they all dissolve! So watch the soup carefully after the first 1.5 hours if you like your soup with a few remaining split peas.
== Solar Veggie Puree==
Put an assortment of garden vegetables in a solar cooker. You can use carrots, potato, summer squash, green bean, beet, tomato, winter squash etc. Use what ever method you prefer for the cooking (black painted canning jar, black pot in cooking bag, etc.) You can be creative according to what vegetables you have on hand.
Cook them until tender -- they can be slightly under cooked and still be good. 
Puree or mash the cooked vegetables until smooth. Add your favorite seasonings -- salt, pepper, garlic powder, curry powder, ginger, nutmeg etc. You may want to add a bit of water, broth, cream or butter or oil to create the texture you like. That's all there is to it.
 
Note 1: Potato helps add a smooth texture to the puree so I usually include a few small ones to the group of vegetables.
Note 2: raw onion cooked with the other vegetables does not taste as good as sautéed onion or onion powder added later. I prefer to add onion powder along with other spices while pureeing.
Today I cooked a few small new potatoes, 2 carrots, a hand full of green beans, 2 summer squash and then pureed them together with a pinch of curry, salt and pepper. I added no broth or cream but it was still VERY GOOD.
==SharonID's Solar Project Soup==
This formula was developed for a project with kids from a Roots and Shoots group. Each child will make their own small cooker, then we will have a field trip at a country park, where each child will get to make a little pot of soup, tailored to their individual taste preferences. This recipe was designed for the small backpacking pots we'll be using, but I think it would fit in a one pint cooking jar, too. I tried this out a couple of days ago, and it worked like a charm. Cut up the vegetables ahead of time and present them separately, so that each child can fill a measure with their favorites. Try for a variety of vegetables, such as carrots, celery, onions, garlic, corn, peas, green beans, squash, potato, etc. Slightly sprouted legumes could also be used as part of the vegetable and would add protein to the soup.
Put into a small dark cooking pan or pint cooking jar:
1 cup water
1/4 cup chopped tomatoes (or an additional 1/4 cup water)
1/2 teaspoon stock concentrate or bouillon powder or 1/2 a bouillon cube
1/2 cup mixed chopped vegetables of choice
a pinch or two of dried herbs if desired (basil, oregano, marjoram, thyme, etc)
Close the pot or jar and put into the cooker for about an hour and a quarter (soup should be at or near a boil by this point). Take out the pot or jar, open it, and add:
a heaping tablespoon of small pasta (alphabet noodles are a favorite of many children) or quick-cooking grain, such as white rice or quinoa. 
Close the pot or jar, return to cooker, and give it another 45 minutes. Take out the pot or jar and sit down to a delicious lunch! If someone in the group has a box oven, you could use that to bake cornbread or flatbread or some other quick bread to go with the soup. When we do our field trip, we'll make cornbread in my box oven and use my monster truck windshield cooker to make warm, spiced apple cider for the whole group.
Note: This formula could certainly be multiplied to make multiple servings of soup in a single pot. This recipe was tested in the autumn. Cooking time would be less with higher sun. A quarter cup of protein food, such as tofu or precooked beans or meat or poultry could also be added. Condiments such as salt, pepper, hot sauce, etc, can be added after the soup is cooked.
==Gallon of Great Sun Soup==
1 pint diced tomatoes (canned or fresh, undrained)
1 can whole kernel corn (undrained)
1 can broth (OR homemade stock OR water plus bouillon or stock concentrate)
1 large onion, diced
2-8 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 carrot, sliced
1/2 c. dry beans or lentils, soaked/drained or slightly sprouted
1-2 tablespoons olive or canola or other healthy oil
Water or tomato juice or vegetable cocktail
2 cups mixed seasonal vegetables
1/2 c. white rice, quinoa, pearled barley, OR small pasta
1 teaspoon salt
2-4 cups chopped chard, kale, cabbage, bok choy OR collards (optional)
1-3 tablespoons herbs, fresh or dried
Pepper or seasoned pepper
Mix first nine ingredients in dark pot that holds a gallon. Add hard seasonal vegetables now, tender ones with second additions. Add water (or tomato juice or vegetable cocktail) to bring level an inch or so from the one-gallon mark.
Bag or cover; set in cooker in full sun, early in the day. Once it starts to simmer (watch for steam, don't open to check), give it an hour, then quickly stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and cook until it reaches a simmer again, then give it at least half an hour before checking to see if the grain or pasta is done. Holds well in a heat retention cooker or box oven. Freeze leftovers for an easy supper another night. Good for solar cooking demos. Since it's vegan, almost everyone can eat it (if you will be cooking for the gluten intolerant, rice or quinoa are the safest grain choices). If you prefer your soup with meat or sausage, add some at the beginning. This is a thrifty way to use up leftover bits of meat or chicken if you have some around.
Note: To use slower cooking grains (brown rice, wheat berries, hulled barley) soak overnight or sprout slightly and add at beginning. Cans are the size that is close to a pint.
If the day dawns cloudy, you can also make this soup in a slow cooker (aka crockpot), with very little fuss and only a small cost in power. Set your slow cooker on low (unless you have some reason to want to hurry it up) and follow the same general guidelines.
==Solar Project Soup==
(Makes aprox. 1 pint)
Put into a small dark cooking pan or pint cooking jar:
*1 cup water
*1/4 cup chopped tomatoes (or an additional 1/4 cup water)
*1/2 teaspoon stock concentrate or bouillon powder or 1/2 a bouillon cube
*1/2 cup mixed chopped vegetables of choice a pinch or two of dried herbs if desired (basil, oregano, marjoram, thyme, etc)
Close the pot or jar and put into the cooker for about an hour and a quarter (soup should be at or near a boil by this point). Take out the pot or jar, open it, and add a heaping tablespoon of small pasta (alphabet noodles are a favorite of many children) or quick-cooking grain, such as white rice or quinoa.
Close the pot or jar, return to cooker, and give it another 45 minutes. Take out the pot or jar and sit down to a delicious lunch! If someone in the group has a box oven, you could use that to bake cornbread or flatbread or some other quick bread to go with the soup. When we do our field trip, we'll make cornbread in my box oven and use my monster truck windshield cooker to make warm, spiced apple cider for the whole group.
Note: This formula could certainly be multiplied to make multiple servings of soup in a single larger pot in a larger solar cooker. This recipe was tested in the autumn. Cooking time would be less with higher sun. A quarter cup of protein food, such as tofu or precooked beans or meat or poultry could also be added. Condiments such as salt, pepper, hot sauce, etc, can be added after the soup is cooked.
Copyright 2008 Sharon Cousins -- http://www.ez-3solarcooker.com/
== Gallon of Great Sun Soup==
*1 pint diced tomatoes (canned or fresh, undrained)
*1 can whole kernel corn (undrained)
*1 can broth (OR homemade stock OR water plus bouillon or stock concentrate)
*1 large onion, diced
*2-8 cloves garlic, minced
*2 stalks celery, diced
*1 carrot, sliced
*1/2 c. dry beans or lentils, soaked/drained or slightly sprouted
*1-2 tablespoons olive or canola or other healthy oil
*Water or tomato juice or vegetable cocktail
*2 cups mixed seasonal vegetables (or mixed frozen vegetables, if necessary)
*1/2 c. white rice, quinoa, pearled barley, OR small pasta
*1 teaspoon salt
*2-4 cups chopped chard, kale, cabbage, bok choy OR collards (optional)
*1-3 tablespoons herbs, fresh or dried
*Pepper or seasoned pepper
Mix first nine ingredients in dark pot that holds a gallon. Add hard seasonal vegetables now, tender ones with second additions. Add water (or tomato juice or vegetable cocktail) to bring level an inch or so from the one-gallon mark.
Bag or cover; set in cooker in full sun, early in the day. Once it starts to simmer (watch for steam, don't open to check), give it an hour, then quickly stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and cook until it reaches a simmer again, then give it at least half an hour before checking to see if the grain or pasta is done. Holds well in a heat retention cooker or box oven. Freeze leftovers for an easy supper another night.
Note: To use slower cooking grains (brown rice, wheat berries, hulled barley) soak overnight or sprout slightly and add at beginning. Cans are the size that is close to a pint.
If the day dawns cloudy, you can also make this soup in a slow cooker (aka crockpot), with very little fuss and only a small cost in power. Set your slow cooker on low (unless you have some reason to want to hurry it up) and follow the same general guidelines.
Copyright 2008 Sharon Cousins -- http://www.ez-3solarcooker.com/
Category:Recipes