Thai Red Curry Pumpkin Soup

Not the typical curried pumpkin soup. This smooth pumpkin soup uses Thai red curry paste (I use Mae Ploy) to give it a bit of a kick. You can choose to use more or less red curry paste as your taste prefers. This recipe calls for a modest amount of curry that should suit most pallets.
The pumpkins are roasted in the oven to give them a more robust sweetness that blends perfectly with the spicy curry. Great for cold winter evening family meals.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Cut each pumpkin in halves or quarters and rub butter all over them. Sprinkle generously with salt. Place on a baking sheet skin sides down and put in the oven. Bake for for about an hour or until the pumpkins are tender.
Allow pumpkins to cool enough to handle and then scoop out the seeds and pulp. Then scoop the flesh into a blender. Add coconut milk and curry paste. Blend until you have a thick base.
Pour pumpkin base into a heavy bottomed soup pot and add chicken stock until the soup is the consistency you prefer. Bring to a simmer and add salt and additional curry paste to your taste. Simmer for about 7-10 minutes.

Asian Inspired Butternut Squash Soup

This soup is an Asian adaptation on traditional butternut squash soup - creamy and delicious, with just the right hints of taste-bud pleasing flavor. Filling enough for a meal, or use smaller portions as a starter. This is a favorite autumn recipe of kids and adults in my family!

Melt butter in 3-4 quart pot.
Add onion, ginger, garlic, and chili. Cook until onion is softened.
Add squash, salt, and pepper, and saute for 5 minutes.
Add stock. Simmer for 20 minutes or until squash is tender.
Blend in batches in blender until smooth. Add back to pot.
Take one ladel of soup, add to a small bowl, and mix with the nut butter. Add back to soup pot.
Squeeze lime into soup.
To serve, sprinkle with cilantro and dollop with yogurt and coconut creme.

Greens Soup Enhancer

I make these soup enhancers out of strongly flavored greens from spring and fall garden. I use mustard greens, kales, arugula, and broccoli leaves. These soup enhancers go well in just about any soup, pot roast, or other dish that could use a flavor boost.

Place the greens and water in a blender, food processor, or in a wide mouth jar for an immersion blender.
Finely chop the greens with your choice appliance.
Fill the ice cube tray with greens. Add any excess water to the green filled cubes. Adding the excess water will allow you to remove the green cubes easier from the ice cube tray.
Freeze over night.
Remove the green cubes from the ice cube tray and move to an air tight container in the freezer or toss in any smoothie, soup, pot roast, or other dish that you want to add extra flavor and vitamins to.

Simple Vegetarian Lentil Soup

Compared with other legumes, lentils require much less cooking time. They are rich in in minerals, two of the B vitamins, protein, and high in fiber. They readily absorb the flavors of the dish they are cooked in and so are versatile. This simple soup is delicious and comforting. We like to eat it with some properly prepared corn bread and plenty of butter. Another nice way to serve it is poured over some cooked rice.

Pour the lentils into a colander, rinse them, and pour into a non-reactive bowl. Cover the lentils with plenty of filtered water.
Add 2 Tablespoons raw vinegar, lemon juice or live whey. Cover and let soak for 24 hours.
When you are ready to assemble the soup, drain and rinse the lentils. Pour them into a large saucepan.
Add the stock, onion, potato, celery, bay leaves, and olive oil.
Add enough filtered water to cover the lentils by at least 2 inches. (As the soup simmers, check occasionally to make sure there is enough liquid.)
Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 1/2 - 1 hour, until the lentils are very tender.
Add the salt just prior to serving. Remove bay leaves.
This soup reheats and freezes well. Some in our family like to add a little hot sauce to this.

Tomato Soup with Chicken Stock

This version of tomato soup is filling and nourishing. I use basil that I preserve in the refrigerator in raw apple cider vinegar (http://eatnourishing.com/recipe/preserved-fresh-genovese-basil/), but fresh basil will do admirably. Warm homemade muffins make this a complete meal, or served as a soup course, sprinkled with a few homemade croutons, it is very nice as well.

Melt the butter in a large, heavy-bottomed pan.
Saute the onions and garlic on medium/low heat, stirring constantly, until soft.
Add tomatoes, chicken stock, pepper, basil and salt. Simmer for 1/2 hour.
Add the milk and either using a stick blender or a stand blender, blend until smooth.
Serve. Makes about 1/2 gallon of soup.
Like so many dishes, this is best the next day. It freezes well also.

Vegetarian Chili with Red Kidney Beans and Red Peppers

Vegetarian chili — a healthy comfort food for anyone fasting from animal products or if you’ve run out of grass-finished ground beef and still want a yummy bowl of chili! This vegetarian chili with red peppers will keep you warm on the coldest of days.

Prepare the beans. Soak red kidney beans overnight in an acidic medium. Then, drain, rinse and add to large pot. Add 2 cups of water and some asafoetida powder (helps make digestion easier) and bring to a boil. Skim off any scum that rises to the surface. Then, turn to medium-low heat and cook for an hour and half to two hours till soft. Add more boiled water if the liquid runs low throughout cooking.
Prepare chili concoction. While the beans are cooking, warm a tablespoon of ghee (or olive oil) in a separate large pot over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and saute for a few seconds. Add the chopped onions and garlic, and once translucent and fragrant, add the red peppers, jalapeño pepper, oregano, and cinnamon. Sauté over medium heat for 2 minutes, stirring continuously. Turn off heat and wait for beans to cook.
Boil filtered water. Bring several cups of water to a boil in a teapot or separate pot.
Mix the beans into the chili mixture. Drain the beans and add them to the mixture above, saute for a minute and then add enough of the boiled water to cover the mixture. Mix in 6 tablespoons of tomato paste, and stir until well incorporated. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes or so until the flavors have incorporated thoroughly and the sauce has thickened a bit.
Adjust thickness of soup. If mixture becomes too thick, add some more boiled water to lighten it up.
Add parsley, salt and pepper. Just before turning off the heat, add some fresh chopped parsley to the soup and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Keep boiling for a couple of minutes and turn off the heat.
Add more condiments to individual plates. Right before serving, add fresh lemon or lime juice, a pinch of cayenne pepper, and more salt, pepper and olive oil — all according to taste.

Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup

Canned tomato soup and grilled cheese. It was a staple on rainy summer days in elementary school, or snow days in the winter. It’s been a long time since I’ve had any sort of tomato soup, but this adult version put the canned tomato soup of my childhood to shame.

Preheat the broiler. Place the red pepper halves, onions and garlic cut side down (with liberal use of evoo), in a baking pan and broil 4 to 5 inches from heat until the skins are black and blistered, about 8 minutes. Let cool, uncovered, 10 to 15 minutes.
In a 3- to 4-quart pan over medium heat, simmer tomatoes, along with their juices, and the paprika. Bring to a low simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes.
In a blender or food processor, purée the soup in small batches until smooth. Return purée to the pan and stir in broth and lemon juice. Stir over medium heat until hot. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Curried Cauliflower Coconut Soup

A super easy, vegan curried cauliflower soup made with coconut oil and dried coconut for extra creaminess. Perfect for those avoiding dairy, or for those times when there isn’t enough homemade broth or stock to make soup.

Chop and saute onion and garlic: Chop 1 yellow or red onion and saute it on medium heat in a large pot with 2 tablespoons of virgin coconut oil. When the onion becomes translucent, add 2-3 cloves of minced garlic and saute for a few more minutes.
Chop cauliflower and add to pot: Once the onions have very lightly browned and become fragrant, add the chopped cauliflower and saute for another few minutes.
Heat water: In a teapot or other pot, add 6-7 cups of filtered water and heat. Pour into pot with cauliflower, onions and garlic, and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes or so until cauliflower has cooked.
Blend and add seasoning: Using an immersion blender (it’s easier than transferring to blender), blend the cauliflower, onions, garlic and water into a creamy puree. Add 3-4 tablespoons coconut manna (dried coconut), and blend again to melt and incorporate the flavors. Spice it up by adding the turmeric, garam masala, allspice, cumin, coriander, and crushed cardamom pods. Add salt and pepper to taste, blend to mix in spices, and serve while hot, with a few drops of fresh lemon juice if you wish.

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Don’t pop open that can! Make this creamy soup and serve with freshly baked bread and butter. Great for lunch or dinner on a cold winter day. You can also use this in casseroles or as a pasta sauce.

In a large pot melt the butter over medium heat.
Add in the chopped onions and cook for 5 minutes.
Add in the sliced mushrooms, stir well, and put the lid on.
Cook 10 minutes until the water has come out of the mushrooms and they are becoming soft.
Take the lid off and cook for 10 more minutes.
Add in the beef broth and simmer another 10 minutes.
Mix the corn starch together with the cold cream. Add to the soup.
Bring the soup just to a boil, stirring frequently, until it thickens.
Using an immersion blender (or regular blender in batches), blend until creamy with a few mushroom pieces left - you don’t want to completely cream it.
Salt and pepper to taste.

Roasted Vegetable Stock

I have sensitivities to bell peppers, and most stock recipes contain them. You can use any vegetables that you desire. This is great for all vegetarian recipes.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Wash and Cut Vegetables and place on baking sheet. (Not collards)
Salt and Pepper to taste.
Bake until fork tender 30-45 minutes.
Place roasted vegetables in a large pot.
Tie Rosemary, Oregano, Thyme, and Dill in unbleached cheesecloth, place in pot.
Add collards, water, and tomatoes; bring to a boil.
Turn to simmer and cook for 45 minutes.
Allow to cool. Pour into desired containers, and freeze.
**Note. I will freeze stock into ice cube trays. That way I have small portions ready.

Creamy Tomato and Basil Soup

A creamy, satisfying tomato soup. Great with a grilled cheese sandwich!

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, until onions have softened.
Add the tomatoes, chicken stock and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook until tomatoes, onions, and garlic are soft. Then add the half and half and the chopped basil.
Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until it’s smooth. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can puree the soup in batches in your regular blender.
* I tried using just whole milk instead of a combination of cream and whole milk, and it wasn’t very good. I don’t recommend it.

Caramelized Onion Sweet Potato Bisque

There’s no sugar added in this delightful soup, though it’s hard to believe. The caramelized onions and sweet potatoes naturally lend just the right sweetness for this dish.

In a heavy-bottomed soup pot, melt butter on medium heat. Add onions and sprinkle with a little salt. Stir occasionally until onion in softened. Lower heat and continue to cook the onions, stirring occasionally until the they onions are mostly brown. At this time, add the garlic and spices. Stir and continue to cook for a few more minutes until fragrant.
Pour in chicken stock and add diced sweet potatoes. Add a little water if necessary to cover the sweet potatoes. Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer until sweet potatoes are tender and easily pierced with a fork or knife.
Turn off the heat and blend using an immersion blender, or work in batches and puree in a blender. Once the soup is pureed. Taste it and add any salt to taste.
Serve with Wholesome Soaked Cornbread!