Maple Pumpkin Soup

This is flagrant theft, but I'll cite my source (as good archivists are wont to do) because this soup is so lovely! I found this on Girl Chef so do please go and check her site out. There's lots of other delicious-sounding recipes, which I plan on trying.

I did consider changing the date stamp on this post because this is definitely an autumn soup, but it's cold in San Francisco and I've been surviving off soup for awhile (side note: I'm escaping to Palm Springs this weekend partially to enjoy cold dishes). I changed a couple of things from the original recipe and here it is:

Ingredients:

2 maple flavored sausages, sliced and browned
1 red onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 large can pumpkin puree
3 cups stock (+/- depending on how thick you prefer your soup)
1 can Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
4 tablespoons real maple syrup
1 teaspoon nutmeg
Salt, to taste
Fresh sage, to garnish

Directions:

Saute minced onion in stock pot. When soft, add garlic and toss. Add pumpkin puree and mix. Add stock, beans, syrup, sausage, and nutmeg. Cook on medium heat for 15 minutes. Add salt to taste. Serve with crusty bread and garnished with sage leaves.

Versatile Blended Cannellini Soup

For the past six months or so I've been playing around with blended cannellini soup not only because it's (typically) a super cheap and easy meal but also because there are so many directions you can take it. Here are two of my favorites!










Southwest Italian Blended Cannellini Soup

Ingredients:

2 cans drained (and washed) cannellini beans
1 can Progresso (or similar) Light Southwest Vegetable (noodle-less) soup
2 cans stock (or 1 1/2 can water)
1 onion, diced
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 pinch of red pepper flakes
2 shakes each of Oregano and Basil (or an Italian spice blend)
Mexican Chili Powder
Olive Oil
Garlic salt/pepper/salt to taste

Directions:

Begin by sauteing the onions with a sprinkle of chili powder and olive oil in a dutch oven or stock pot. When soft, add the rest of the ingredients (adjust water/stock to whatever thickness you prefer). Cook on medium heat for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and blend completely with an immersion blender (my favorite kitchen appliance). Adjust garlic salt/salt/pepper to taste. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil, ground pepper, and crusty bread.

Blended Tomato Cannellini Soup

Ingredients:

2 cans cannellini beans, strained and washed
1 can Campbells Tomato Soup
1 onion, diced
Mexican chili powder
Olive Oil
Garlic, minced (however much you prefer)
2 cups stock or water
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
Salt/Pepper to taste
Oregano/Basil to taste

Directions:

Saute onions and a pinch or two of chili power with olive oil in a dutch oven or stock pot till soft. Add the rest of the ingredients (except ricotta cheese!). Cook on medium heat for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and blend with an immersion blender. Add salt to taste. Serve with a dollop of ricotta in the center, a drizzle of olive oil, and ground pepper.

EXTRA:

Grilled Cheese Croutons

I know these have become super fashionable but I'm still a fan--especially with these soups. Just make a grilled cheese sandwich like normal (however you prefer, though good cheese and crusty bread helps). Let cool, and with a sharp knife slice into crouton-sized bits. Heat in the oven for a minute or so before serving with either soup.

Butternut Cashew Corn Chowder

Cashew Fruit

I have been playing around with other people's recipes again. There was something similar on AOL and I messed with it. This is the result! A warm, wintery, yummy chowder! Hooray for immersion blenders!

1 large butternut squash
Olive oil
1 cup raw or dry-roasted cashews
2 cups frozen or canned corn
1/3 cup water
2 medium onions, chopped fine
2 stalks celery, chopped fine
2 carrots, peeled and chopped fine
1 garlic bulb, cloves peeled

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
4-5 cups chicken or vegetable stock

Cut the squash in half and scoop out seeds. Rub with olive oil and pour some in the holes. Put garlic cloves in holes and bake for an hour at 400 degrees. Meanwhile, chop onions, celery, and carrots and put in dutch oven with water, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Saute for 5 minutes or so and add stock. Simmer till vegetables are soft. Scoop out squash from the skin and put in dutch oven with garlic. Process cashews till they are a sort of paste/flour-y consistency. Add to dutch oven and puree ingredients with a hand blender. Mix corn with a little salt, pepper, and oil. Bake for 10 minutes at 325 (this step can be skipped and the corn can just be added to the soup). Add corn to soup and serve!

Sunglow Winter Soup

"The Potato Harvest" Jules Breton

One of my favorite butternut squash soup recipes. It's pretty basic as far as they go, but you don't have to mess with classic.

Ingredients:

* 2 tablespoons butter
* 1/2 butternut squash, cubed peeled
* 4 large cubed peeled russet potato
* 1 teaspoon kosher salt
* 2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
* 2 cups sliced leek (about 2 medium)
* 4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
* 1 cup milk
* 1/2 cup sour cream
* Dash Tabasco and/or Lawry's Season Salt

Directions:

Melt butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add squash, potato, salt, and pepper to pan; sauté 3 minutes. Add leek; sauté 1 minute. Stir in broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until potato is tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in remaining ingredients. Blend with hand mixer (electric) until smooth. Pour into a large bowl. Cover and keep warm.

Southwestern Corn Chowder With Chicken and Cilantro

glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com

I totally stole this recipe from Gluten Free Goddess, but only because I love it and hopefully this will lead people to Karina's blog (even though she's far more popular than I ever could be).

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon curry or chili powder or paste, mild or hot, to taste
4-5 cloves fresh garlic, chopped
1 medium sweet onion, diced
1 can of unsweetened, no salt corn
1 large sweet potato, peeled, diced
1 14-oz can Diced Tomatoes with Green Chiles
1 cup seeded, chopped fresh tomatoes
4 oz. chopped roasted green chiles
1 quart vegetable broth
1 14-oz can coconut milk
2 rounded cups cooked chicken pieces
Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste

To serve:

3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
Fresh lime juice from 2 limes

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat and stir in the cumin and curry or chili powder; cook for one minute to infuse the oil with spice.

Add the chopped garlic and onion. Stir and cook for five minutes. Add the corn, sweet potato, canned fire roasted tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, green chiles; stir for a minute. Add in the broth.

Cover and bring to a high simmer. Lower the heat and simmer gently, until the sweet potatoes are tender, about twenty minutes or so.

Add the coconut milk and cooked chicken pieces. Stir and season with sea salt and ground pepper; and add a drizzle of organic raw agave to taste. Heat through gently- please don't boil it.

Just before serving, add the chopped cilantro and fresh lime juice. Stir. Taste test. Adjust seasoning.

Garnish with a lime wedge and pass out the spoons.