Pumpkin Curry Bisque

serves 2

Ingredients:
1 small sugar pumpkin, cut in half with seeds scooped out
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
3/4 tsp salt
2 tsp curry powder
1 tbsp maple syrup
chopped cilantro for serving
roasted pumpkin seeds for serving

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lay pumpkin, cut-side down, on a tin foil lined baking sheet. Place in the oven and roast for about 40-45 minutes until very tender. Remove pumpkin from the oven and let cool slightly.
• When cool enough to handle, scoop the insides of the roast pumpkin into a large blender. Add the coconut milk, salt, curry powder and maple syrup. Puree until smooth.
• Serve with chopped cilantro and roasted {or roasted and candied!} pumpkin seeds on top.

Time:
~ 1 hour

Winter Minestrone
serves 4

loosely adapted from Alice Waters The Art of Simple Food

Ingredients:
1 cup dried cannellini beans
1 yellow onion, small dice
4 carrots, small dice
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped
1 small butternut squash, small diced {or any other winter squash}
1 fennel bulb, small dice
2 cups loosely packed spinach leaves, rough chopped
2 bay leaves
3 tbsp olive oil
3 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 tsp salt
pepper
parmesan cheese for serving

Directions:

• The night before, soak the beans in cold water in a large pot. In the morning, drain the beans, add fresh water {about 3″ above beans} and simmer until very tender – about 1 hour. Drain cooked beans and reserve cooking liquid.
• Heat the olive oil in a heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and fennel and saute for about 15-20 minutes until veggies are soft and onion has started to turn golden brown. Don’t skimp on this step because it adds so much flavor for the soup later!
• Add the garlic, rosemary, bay leaves and salt and saute for another 3 minutes. Then, add the water and the squash. Bring to a simmer and cook until squash is tender – about 15 minutes.
• When the squash has become tender, add the beans and enough bean cooking liquid until you reach desired thickness. Keep in mind that this soup is supposed to be very thick so don’t add to much liquid here! Less is more. Add the spinach and cook just until the spinach has wilted.
• Adjust seasonings if need be and serve soup topped with a tbsp {or more!} of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Bread is always a good idea as well.

Time:
1 hour

 

Smoky Kale and Bean Soup
serves 4

Ingredients:
1 yellow onion, small diced
2 cups cooked cannellini beans {or your favorite bean}
2 slices bacon
2 cloves garlic, minced OR 1 green garlic bulb, minced
2 carrots, small diced
1 large bunch kale, roughly chopped
5 cups chicken stock
1 poblano pepper
3/4 tsp smoked paprika
1 1/2 tsp salt, divided

Directions:

• Roast the poblano pepper over an open flame on a gas burning stove OR under “broil high” settings in an electric stove. You want the skin to be pretty much totally blackened. This will take anywhere from 10-20 minutes depending on your stove. Once blackened, carefully and quickly transfer into a small plastic ziploc bag. Seal bag and set aside.
• In a heavy bottomed pot or dutch oven, fry the bacon until crisp then remove and set aside to crumble later. Pour off all but 1 tbsp bacon grease and add the chopped onions and carrots. Saute for 10 minutes, until onions start to turn golden around the edges. Add the garlic and continue sauteing for another 2 minutes.
• At this time your pepper should be cool enough to handle. Rub off as much of the blackened skin as you can, remove the seeds and roughly chop remaining pepper. Add this to the onion and carrot mixture.
• Add the chopped kale and toss well to combine. Pour in the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add salt and smoked paprika. Add beans and crumbled bacon. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes for flavors to combine before serving.

Time:
45 minutes