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Creamy Butternut Squash Soup

December 5, 2016

  butternut-squash-soup-final Creamy Butternut Squash Soup
(AKA Sunny Day Soup)

Des Moines has been gray. People didn’t tell me about this. I heard about the cold, but I didn’t know about the gray. I’ve lived in Ireland and this gray doesn’t compare. Then again, I was clouded with Guinness and cheese, so who really knows.

butternut-squash-half

When gray days got me down in the past, I used to watch a clip from a popular 80s show where the kids put on a show for their parents’ anniversary, lip syncing Ray Charles’ “Night Time is the Right Time.” If you’re able to figure out the show, you’ll know why I can’t watch it anymore.

butternut-squash-prep

In fairness, New York got pretty gray at times. I learned some ways to help boost my mood. They’re nothing groundbreaking, but they help me and I hope they help you too:

  • Spend time outside every single day – take your sunglasses off and take in the sunshine, even if it’s behind a cloud – absorb that Vitamin D!
  • Get exercise – I make a point to exercise at least 4 days a week. It’s a non-negotiable for me. It’s so much more to me than keeping fit. I am miserable to be around without getting some sort of physical activity.
  • Meet a friend for coffee – It’s hard for me to be blue around my friends, coffee, and croissants.
  • Get a therapy lamp – Okay, I haven’t tried it myself, but some people love it and I’m thinking about getting one.
  • Talk about it – with a friend, partner, sibling, therapist, or parent. It’s not complaining, it’s just asking for a little support.
  • Cook for someone – cooking for people brings me so much joy.

Now I also have this soup to help with the grayness. When I studied at NGI they had a full day of soup making that was life changing. (Yes, I went that far and I’m not taking it back.) It was called “Creamy Soup Practicum,” and we didn’t use a drop of cream. We used several different methods, such as potato, oats, and butter. I thought the butter version was the best, but you really don’t need it. It certainly adds an element of richness, but it’s still delicious without the butter.

Butternut Squash Cooking

 

Creamy Butternut Squash Soup
(Method adapted from NGI)
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
1 small yellow onion, diced
½ of 1 medium butternut squash, large dice (about 4 cups)
1-2 teaspoons of curry powder (I like Frontier)
½ teaspoon of turmeric
¼-½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper
4 cups of vegetable stock
2 tablespoons of cold butter (optional)
Salt

Directions:

  1. Heat a medium size pot (4 quarts) on a medium flame. Add olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan, add the onion and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Sauté for about 5 minutes, or until translucent, stirring occasionally so they onions don’t stick or brown.
  2. Add the squash, spices, and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Cover the pot with a lid, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, or until the squash is tender.
  3. Add stock, bring to a boil, and then simmer for 20 minutes.
  4. Scoop the soup into a high-speed blender with a ladle (you may need to do this in 2 parts). Blend on high for at least a minute, adding the optional butter while it’s running.
  5. Garnish with spiced chickpeas.

 

Curry Spiced Chickpeas
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups of cooked chickpeas, dried on a paper towel
1 tablespoon of olive oil
½ teaspoon of salt, separated
1 teaspoon of curry powder
½ teaspoon of turmeric

Directions:

  1. Preheat over to 425° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. On the baking sheet, toss the chickpeas in the olive oil, spices, and ¼ teaspoon of salt.
  3. Bake for 5 minutes, give the pan a shake and bake for another 5 minutes. Add ¼ teaspoon of salt, allow to cool.

butternut-squash-soup

Question: What are some ways you combat winter grayness?

 

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Dinner Recipes Soup Vegetarian

Lemon Coconut Soup

March 20, 2016

DSC_0465

Lemon Coconut Soup aka Learn How to Photograph Soup.

Not a very timely topic, but what are your thoughts on New Years Resolutions? Years in the past I made resolutions like picking up my clothes before I go to bed (I literally did not do it a day) or cut back on my almond butter habit (HAH!!!) This year I decided to make a resolution only for January and then go from there – have one green vegetable a day. While searching for different recipes to support my resolution, I was led to this list of detox recipes on Greatist. After a few dozen butterballs, I needed a little detoxing. I haven’t made it through too many of the recipes, but it did lead me to Supper with Michelle. A few months later, I’m doing okay on my “one green thing a day.” I’m far from perfect, but I’m doing my best.

DSC_0484That’s a complete lie. I am not doing my best at all. Yesterday I had quinoa, rice, sushi, and Girl Scout cookies (quinoa and rice were separate meals). To support my “green habit” I am making this soup regularly. I had small expectations  – I didn’t think I’d be a fan of a lemony soup, but the lemon is not over powering and gives it a nice brightness. The coconut milk is what makes this soup so satisfying, and the quinoa adds a nice crunch.

Confession: Until about a year ago I’d never made grains on a stovetop. I use a rice cooker at home. Before my “grain test” in school I called my friend, Kaitlin, in a panic to have her walk me through the process. In case there are any others out there who are grainaphobic, The Kitchn has simple directions to make rice, and rice and quinoa have the same proportions grain to water.

DSC_0490Also, an interesting fact about cooking grains – if you boil the water first, then add the grain, it will give you a fluffy texture. If you combine the grain with cold water and bring it up to a boil, it gives you sticky grains. I prefer sticky. I recently tried freezing the soup. I’ll get back to you on how it does. Here’s to eating more greens!

DSC_0496 (1)

Lemon Coconut Soup
Serves 4 – Adapted from Supper with Michelle “Lemon and Spinach Orzo Soup”

Ingredients:

  • ½ cup of quinoa
  • 2 Tablespoons of olive oil
  • ½ a yellow onion, small dice
  • 3 carrots, sliced on a bias
  • 2 stalks of celery, small dice
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • ½ – 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
  • ½ cup of red lentils
  • 5 cups of vegetable stock
  • 1 can of full fat coconut milk
  • ½ a lemon – juice & zest
  • 3 cups of de-stemmed, chopped curly kale
  • Salt to taste

Directions:

  1. Prepare quinoa according to your preferred method and set aside.
  2. In a 4-quart pot, on low-medium heat, add olive oil and stir in onion. Add a pinch of salt to help sweat the onion. Sauté for 5-10 minutes, or until translucent.
  3. Add celery, carrot, garlic, lentils, and red pepper flakes. Stir occasionally until vegetables become slightly tender – about 5 minutes.
  4. Turn the heat to high and pour in vegetable stock and cover soup until it comes to a boil.
  5. When the soup boils, bring down the heat to low and simmer with the lid off for 10 minutes.
  6. Stir the coconut milk into the soup until it becomes well incorporated. Squeeze half a lemon into the soup, and microplane the zest to your liking. (I probably used ¼ teaspoon)
  7. Add chopped kale and prepared quinoa to the pot and heat for another 5-10 minutes or until the kale becomes wilted.
  8. Season with salt to your liking.

Question: Do you make resolutions and if so, how are they going?

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