Roasted Butternut Squash, Carrot, and Ginger Soup

Sorry for the leave of absence!  I might have over committed myself a little last year.  Might meaning definitely!  Armed with a new camera and not one lesson, I am going to give picture taking a shot!  Bare with me. 

I cannot begin to tell you how much I love this soup.  Hearty, flavorful, healthy- a winning combo for me.  I made it three times the first week I tried it!  If you are more of a "fewer steps" kind of cook, you could skip the roasting process, though I do believe that the caramelized vegetables add an element of flavor that you don't want to miss!  I hit it heavy with ginger and nutmeg for little extra heat and was glad that I did!  Enjoy!   

Roasted Butternut Squash, Carrot, and Ginger Soup

Serves 4-6

Recipe adapted from http://withstyle.me/

Ingredients

1 medium butternut squash (I usually buy the pre-cut containers and use about half)

1 lb carrots, peeled

1 yellow onion, finely diced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon of fresh ginger, peeled and grated

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

4 cups low sodium chicken broth

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

Garnish- spicy pecans

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. To prepare baking sheet, cover with foil and drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil; set aside.

Peel and cut the butternut squash and carrots into a 1 inch dice and place on prepared baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil and lightly season with salt and pepper.  Roast the vegetables at 375 for 35-45 minutes.

In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook for about 5 minutes until translucent. Add ginger and garlic and cook for one minute. Add squash, carrots, chicken broth, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Increase heat to medium-high, bringing to a boil. Reduce to low and simmer, uncovered for about 30 minutes.  Remove from heat and puree with an immersion blender, food processor or blender and season with more salt and pepper if needed.

Crockpot Kale and Butternut Squash Stew

For those of you that know me, you know I do not often make the same thing twice.  Of course I have my favorites, but usually when given the option of old or new, I side with new.  That is half of the reason I started this blog; so that I could have a way to organize and revisit the new recipes that I have tried that I should make again.  I sometimes think that maybe it is a result of growing up in a house that had a weekly/monthly meal rotation and always knowing what to expect at dinner.  I loved the predictability back then and maybe I will again in the future.  I am working on that!  My whole point is that I have made this stew twice in the past week and at first I was shocked that I had, but then the reasons became obvious.  First, it is absolutely delicious and incredibly healthy- packed with vegetables, beans, and whole grain orzo.  Second, there is minimal prep time chopping and then it all goes in the crockpot- done!  Bonus- my 20 month old loves it! 

3 celery stalks, finely chopped
3 carrots, peeled & chopped
1 yellow onion, diced
1 bay leaf, dried
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dried rosemary

32 oz. chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes

1 can white beans, drained and rinsed

1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into small pieces (I use one half package of the precut)
1 bunch of kale, washed and chopped
1 cup whole wheat orzo

1 package of mild chicken sausage (thinly sliced)
fresh ground pepper
parmesan cheese, for topping

Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients except pasta in the bowl of a crockpot. Cover and cook on high, 3-4 hours.
2. Ten minutes before eating, add the pasta. Just before serving, remove bay leaf.
3. Ladle soup into bowls and top with parmesan cheese.

Cream of Fresh Tomato Soup

We got a summer tease here last week with 80 degree days and 60 degree nights, but this week we are back to freezing temperatures again. The only upside to this brutal return of winter is that I can squeeze out a few more cold weather meals that I did not get around to trying yet. At the top of this list is Ina Garten’s Cream of Fresh Tomato Soup. I love tomato soup and basically anything that Ina makes, so I knew the odds were in favor of me liking this recipe. No surprises here! It was wonderful! I only decreased the cream a little as I think she prefers things creamier than I do.

Cream of Fresh Tomato Soup
Barefoot Contessa
Serves 4-6

Ingredients
3 tablespoons good olive oil
1 ½ cups chopped sweet onion
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
4 pounds vine-ripened tomatoes, coarsely chopped (5 large)
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 cup packed chopped fresh basil leaves, plus julienned basil leaves, for garnish
3 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
½ cup heavy cream

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat. Add the onions and carrots and sauté for about 10 minutes, until very tender. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, sugar, tomato paste, basil, chicken stock, salt, and pepper and stir well. Bring the soup to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes, until the tomatoes are very tender.

Add the cream to the soup and run a immersion blender through the soup to create your desired consistency. Reheat the soup over low heat just until hot and serve with julienned basil leaves

White Bean and Rosemary Soup

Last night my husband was out and my mom was visiting so I thought it would be a great night for a soup and salad dinner. There are several soups that I have been meaning to try, specifically the Barefoot Contessa’s version of White Bean and Rosemary Soup. I did not have time to soak the beans like she recommends in her version, so I used canned beans instead and I still think it turned out perfectly! This soup is not only good for you, but can be prepared in less than 30 minutes when using canned beans. This is not the time for dried rosemary, only the fresh stuff! It is delicious!

White Bean and Rosemary Soup
Adapted from Barefoot Contessa
Serves 2-3

2 cans of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 ½ cups diced yellow onions
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 large branch fresh rosemary
2-3 cups of chicken stock (depending on how thick you want it)
1 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions
In a large stockpot over low to medium heat, sauté the onions with the olive oil until the onions are translucent, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the garlic and cook over low heat for 3 more minutes. Add the drained white beans, rosemary, chicken stock, salt and pepper. Cover, bring to a boil, and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. Remove the rosemary branch. Use an emersion blender until the soup is smooth or if you prefer a more textured soup place in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until coarsely pureed. Return the soup to the pot to reheat and season with salt and pepper if needed. Serve hot.

Curried Sweet Potato Soup

I don't know about everyone else, but I am loving the comeback of the local farmer's market.  Here in Raleigh we have access to fresh local produce, meats, and dairy through a variety of distributors that accommodate to all different shoppers.  While I am still enchanted with the beauty of a fully stocked Whole Foods produce section, I also love the simplicity and pureness of a local market.  The NC State Farmers Market  is an old standby and is at the top of my list!  As a working mom, this is the market that I go to when I have an hour of free time and I want to indulge!  We also have neighborhood markets, such as the constantly evolving Bickett Market in our neighborhood.  Considering the size of this store they offer a huge variety of fresh caught NC seafood, local produce, meat, dairy and wine.  I love this visionary market because I can pick up ingredients for a fresh and seasonal dinner on my stroll home from the park.  Last, but certainly not least, we have online farmer's markets that offer you the best local produce, meats, cheeses, and condiments and they deliver it straight to your door! I personally use Papa Spuds here and Raleigh and am always excited to come home on Wednesday afternoons to find my box waiting!  How much easier can it get?!  

Last week when I opened my produce box, I found 2 lbs of white sweet potatoes.  I decided to turn to an old recipe that I made before using yams to make a Curried Sweet Potato Soup.   I made a few adjustments to the old Bon Appétit recipe and using the white sweet potatoes proved to be just as, if not more delicious!  This is definitely for the heat lovers, so if you do not care for spicy foods, I would omit the cayenne pepper. I highly recommend this recipe for you next winter afternoon- which for most of us is today!  Don't forget your grilled cheese!

*Butternut Squash and yams are easy substitutions for the white sweet potatoes.  You can usually buy the butternut squash peeled and cut, so that saves you a few minutes!


Print Recipe

Curried Sweet Potato Soup

Adapted from Bon Appétit | October 1998

Serves 4


Ingredients

1/2 cup diced onion

4 cups vegetable stock or chicken stock

2 lbs of peeled white sweet potatoes cut into 1 inch pieces (this is the equivalent of 3 large potatoes or one large butternut squash)

1 1/2 tsp curry powder 

1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (depending on how spicy you want it)

Chopped pecans for garnish- I love the sweet and spicy ones from Trader Joe’s


Directions

1. In a large saucepan, saute 1/2 cup of onion in a tsp of olive oil over medium heat until the onions are translucent- about 4-5 minutes
2. Add curry powder, cayenne pepper if using, and a pinch of salt and pepper and stir for 30 seconds.
3. Add 4 cups of vegetable stock and bring to a boil
4. Add sweet potatoes cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until potatoes are very tender.
5. Hand blend with an emulsion blender, or transfer with a slotted spoon to a food processor or blender. Puree until smooth. If using a food processor or blender, add broth  for desired consistency.  Process until well blended. Return mixture to saucepan. 
6. Season with salt and pepper.  
7. Garnish with sweet and spicy pecans.

White Chicken Chili

All of this ice and snow is instigating a chili crave.  I love the traditional red chili with beef, but last night I needed to use up some rotisserie chicken that I had which sent me in the direction of a white chili instead.  I usually pick a rotisserie chicken up once a week to have around for the emergency dinner that I inevitably need.   This a great shortcut that can get dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes. I make enchiladas, tacos, soup, casseroles, pizza and sometimes just eat it plain over a salad. Last night I merged several white chili recipes that I have on file to work with what I had in my pantry.  The result was a flavorful and filling dinner that was on the table in no time!  This would double easily and tastes even better after sitting for a day.

Print Recipe

White Chicken Chili
Serves 3

Ingredients
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons diced jalapeno peppers (jarred or fresh)
2 cups of shredded chicken
1 can of white cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
3 cups of chicken stock ( low sodium is preferred)
3/4 teaspoon of oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt (less if you are not using low sodium chicken broth)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon cornmeal (optional)
2 tablespoons heavy cream (optional)

Directions

1. Heat olive oil over medium heat and saute onion until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the garlic, cumin, and oregano and saute for one minute, stirring frequently to avoid burning.
3. Add the jalapenos, chicken, beans, and chicken stock  and then turn up the heat to bring it to boil.
4. Once boiling, cover, reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
5. Mix in the cornmeal and heavy cream and let it simmer 5 more minutes.  
6. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Serve with your desired toppings: chips, cheese, sour cream, cilantro, lime, hot sauce- what ever you like!