thai butternut squash soup

Fall is here.  And just what does that mean?  Soup!

I had a butternut squash to use up and one of my first thoughts was to make soup with it.  Honestly, I'm not a huge fan of butternut squash.  I like it but get sick of it pretty quickly... I think it's a bit too sweet for my natural taste preference.  Because of that, I wanted to offset the sweetness of the squash as much as possible, and Thai flavors are perfect for that.

thai butternut squash soup

Ingredients:
4 c. peeled and cubed butternut squash
3 c. vegetable or chicken broth
a big splash of dry white wine - about 1/4 c.
1 small or 1/2 of a large onion, diced
3 stalks celery, chopped
3-4 cloves minced garlic
1-2 T. sesame oil
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 cayenne (optional)
1/3 plain yogurt
1 lime
finely chopped cilantro & peanuts for garnish
salt & pepper

Instructions:
In a large pot, saute onions, garlic, celery, and spices in the sesame oil over medium heat for a few minutes, or until the onions and celery are just starting to become tender.  Add the white wine and cook for a couple more minutes.  Add the butternut squash and broth and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the squash is fork tender.

Turn off the heat and remove the pot from the stove.  Puree the soup until smooth, either with an immersion blender, or by pouring it into a blender and then back into the pot.  Once the soup is pureed, return to the stove on low heat.  Stir in the plain yogurt until throughly combined.  Add more broth or water if soup is too thick.

Garnish with cilantro, peanuts, and a squeeze of lime juice.

Serves 4-6.


adapted from this recipe

brothy chinese noodles

When I saw this recipe in my Eating Well magazine, I knew it was a must try.  And I'm thankful I did.  It was super, super delicious.  Especially with a little hot sauce to spice it up.  If you have a love for Asian flavors at all, make this recipe.  It was one of those dishes that I wanted to keep eating and eating even after my stomach was telling me it was full, because the flavor is that scrumptious.  I will definitely be making this recipe over and over, especially during the cold winter.

I was much too excited to eat it to take a picture, so below is a picture from eatingwell.com and here's the recipe.  I modified the recipe just a tad (mostly the quantities), so I included my version below.  I think next time I will add even more cabbage, just because I love it and like my veggie to carb ratio to be high.

brothy chinese noodes
picture credit: eatingwell.com

Ingredients:
2 T. sesame oil
1 lb. ground pork or turkey (I used pork)
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
2 T. minced fresh ginger
4 c. chicken broth (plus more if needed)
3/4 c. water
10 oz. bag of shredded cabbage (just because I didn't have bok choy and it's cheaper)
2 large handfuls whole wheat thin spaghetti noodles, broken in half
4 T. soy sauce
2 T. rice vinegar

Instructions:
Saute ground meat in 1 T. of the sesame oil, garlic, and ginger on medium heat until cooked through.  Drain off extra grease if needed and set aside.
While the meat cooks, in a separate pot combine broth, water, cabbage, noodles, soy sauce, vinegar and remaining 1 T. sesame oil.  You want the liquid to barely cover the noodles and cabbage so that the dish will have a little broth, but not as much liquid as soup.  Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook 3-5 minutes, or until noodles are al dente.  Add the cooked meat and stir to combine.

The original recipe suggested serving with scallions and cucumbers, neither of which did I have on hand (this is what I get for not meal planning).  It was super tasty without them, but I'm thinking a little crunch from the cucumbers would be a nice addition.

Serves 4-6.

tomato soup

Ah, what better dish to make on a cold day, after a weekend of being sick... meaning no new and fresh groceries are in the house?  Tomato soup.  Simple, yet satisfying when eaten with some good bread and cheese.

This recipe was passed along to me by a friend and it's a delicious take on tomato soup.  It has a hint of sweetness from the balsamic vinegar and although it is pureed, it still has the right amount of texture and isn't overly smooth.

tomato soup

Ingredients
3 cloves minced garlic
1 small onion, chopped
2 T olive oil
1/4 c. dry white wine (optional)
1 15 oz. can fire roasted tomatoes (or plain tomatoes are fine too)
1 12 oz. jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped *
2 c. chicken broth
1/2 c. packed fresh basil, roughly chopped (or a couple large spoonfuls of pesto)
1 T. balsamic vinegar
2 tsp sugar
1/4 c. plain yogurt
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Cheese bread
slices of whole wheat baguette
olive oil
garlic or onion powder
freshly ground black pepper
cheese of your choice (parmesan, goat cheese, feta) ... I used goat cheese

Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 (for the bread).
Saute garlic and onion with olive oil in a large pot over medium heat for a few minutes.  Add white wine, if using, and cook for a few more minutes, or until most of the wine has absorbed.  Add the tomatoes, red peppers, and chicken broth.  Simmer for 15 minutes.

While the soup is simmering, drizzle slices of bread with olive oil, sprinkle with garlic or onion powder, freshly ground black pepper, and cheese.  Bake at 400 for about 10 minutes, or until the bread is golden and the edges are crusty.

While the bread bakes, remove the soup from heat and add the basil, balsamic vinegar, and sugar.  Stir until combined.  Puree the soup with a hand immersion blender, (If you don't have one of these I highly recommend owning one.  They are fairly inexpensive and are great for smoothies, dressings, soups, etc.  It's easier than getting out the blender.) blender, or food processor.  If using a blender or food processor, you might have to puree the soup in a couple batches, depending on the size of your device.  You may also want to let the soup cool a little before handling.

After pureeing the soup, return to a low simmer and add the yogurt and black pepper.  Stir until combined and serve!

Serves 2-3.


* the jar of roasted red peppers I used also had some artichokes and eggplant in it...  the soup is good either way!

lentil soup

I love soup.  Making it.  Eating it.  And I rarely get sick of leftover soup... it tastes so good for several days after you make it.

Soup is a way to be creative... all food is, really.  But taking what you have on hand and putting it into a pot and having a tasty outcome... that's just satisfying.

Any kind of lentil, bean, pea soup is my absolute favorite.  So when I remembered I had some lentils in the pantry for lentil soup, I was excited.

And it did not disappoint.  I had it for lunch today and wished I could have ate three bowls (the only downfall of soup... it fills you up fast!).  I've said this before, but I love eating bean and lentil soups with hot sauce and vinegar.  Yes vinegar, plain white vinegar.  Odd huh?  But for some reason it is so good.  That's just how I ate mine, and it was delicious.

lentil soup

Ingredients
2 c. + chicken broth
1 c. dried lentils (I just used the regular brownish looking ones)
1 can (11.5 oz) v8 tomato juice
1 small onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped (or about 10 baby carrots)
2-3 bay leaves
1 tomato, chopped
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/8 tsp celery salt
pepper

Instructions
Saute carrots, onion, and spices in olive oil for a few minutes until the veggies are just starting to get tender.  Add the lentils, 2 c. chicken broth, tomato juice, and bay leaves.  Cover and simmer at least 30 minutes, or until lentils are tender, adding more broth as needed.  I ended up simmering mine for 45 minutes - hour.  Add the tomato and simmer a few more minutes until it is tender.

Serves 3-4.

vegetable soup

It might seem a little early for soup, as it's not even fall yet, but my fight with hay fever earlier this week left me feeling sickly and in the mood for soup.

Soup is one of my favorite things to make because you can use whatever you have on hand and it's all about approximates... a little of this and that until it looks and tastes right.  No two pots of soup are ever the same in our house.  So forgive my recipe if it needs altered - more liquid, seasoning.  I, of course, did not measure out everything when I made it, this is just to the best of my knowledge.  :)

beef vegetable soup

Ingredients:

4 c. chicken broth (will need to adjust depending on the amount of grain used)

1 can V8, or other vegetable juice

1 can diced tomatoes

4 c. chopped baby kale or fresh spinach

2 c. shredded beef or chicken

1 pepper, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1/2 - 1 c. farro or barley (depending on how hearty you want the soup)

1 c. chopped carrots

1 large handful of italian parsley, finely chopped

2-3 cloves minced garlic

2 bay leaves

2 tsp dried oregano or basil

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp garlic salt

freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

Saute carrots, garlic, onion, and seasonings (including bay leaves) in 2-3 T. olive oil over medium heat for 3-5 minutes.  Add peppers and farro or barley and saute another 3-5 minutes or until peppers are a little tender and grain is lightly toasted.  Add parsley, canned tomatoes, V8 juice and chicken broth.  Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the grain is almost fully cooked, adding more broth or water if needed while the grain cooks. 

Add shredded beef or chicken (I had leftover italian beef I had made from a roast that I used), chopped kale, and more broth or water or salt if needed.  Cook until the kale is wilted and the grain is fully cooked.

Sprinkle with shredded parmesan cheese to serve, if desired.  This recipe should make 6-8 servings.

We ate our soup with garlic, parmesan multi-grain toasted bread that was good to dip in the broth (somehow it missed the picture).  Just spread a little butter or olive oil on slices of bread, sprinkle with garlic or onion powder and dried basil, then top with a little shredded parmesan.  Bake at 400 for about 5 minutes, or until golden brown.

whatever is in the pantry

Our little family is leaving for a vacation in Hilton Head this Friday (which we are anticipating with much excitement!), so I have been trying to buy as few of groceries as possible this week and emptying out the fridge, pantry and freezer.  Although this limits my options greatly, I find it a very fun challenge to see what I can create without going to the grocery store.

What I often end up making in these situations is soup!  It's so flexible and the combinations of spices, veggies, beans, grains, etc. you can use are endless.  Plus, it lasts for several meals, making life that much easier.  

I ended up really enjoying the combination I made below and ate mine with vinegar and hot sauce... hum, that probably doesn't sound appealing to very many people - maybe just my family as we grew up putting vinegar and hot sauce on ham and bean soup.  It does kind of sound odd as I write that, but I promise it's tasty!

lentil, white bean & broccoli soup

Ingredients:

1 medium onion chopped

2 cloves garlic minced

4 small or 3 large carrots peeled and chopped

2 bay leaves

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp paprika

2 tsp italian seasoning

freshly ground black pepper

1/3 c. farro (or barley)

4 c. chicken broth

1 c. red lentils

2 c. frozen broccoli

1 can white beans undrained

Instructions:

Combine the first 3 ingredients with 1 T. olive oil, bay leaves, and seasonings.  Saute on medium heat 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add farro and cook another 3 minutes.  Add the lentils and 3 c. chicken broth.  Cover and bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer 20-30 minutes, or until the lentils and farro are almost completely cooked, adding more broth if needed.  Add broccoli and simmer until broccoli is heated through.  Add white beans and remaining broth until desired consistency.  If soup is still too thick, add some water.

disclaimer:  I do not measure seasonings when I cook and I need to start doing so if I am going to be posting recipes!  I add a little of this, little of that until I like the taste.  Always season your food as you like - you may want more or less than what I use in my recipes.