Indian Spiced Squash and Bean Soup

Happy happy Thursday!

I love Thursdays in general and am having an extra good Thursday, and I'm not even sure why. Especially since Fall has been stolen from me and my world now looks like this:

Beleive me that's not the worst part. This week the temperature plummeted...wasn't I just talking about fall running gear? Looks like it's time to dig out the winter layers...

So of course I had a food craving today, something to soothe my cold bones...my wild rice soup was the first thing that came to my mind.  But when I got home (after planning a creamy delicious navy bean/pea/brocolli soup) I whipped open the fridge to find that I did not have enough milk to make a creamy soup, instead I had...

Lots of orange things to eat up.  I wasn't about to abandon my soup idea though. I knew with a little vegetable broth and lots of spices I would be able to create a delicious dish.

3 of the 4 essential spices used: Rosemary, Cumin, and Ginger.  The secret spice? Read on...

Indian Spiced Squash and Bean Soup

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp EVOO
½ Onion
2 Garlic Cloves
2 Tbsp Whole Wheat Flour
2 cups Vegetable Broth (I made mine using bullion cubes)
1 1/2 tsp Rosemary
1 tsp Cumin
1/2 tsp ginger
1 Tbsp Curry Powder
2 cups Butternut Squash
1 cup navy beans
1 cup carrots

Directions:
1. Steam butternut squash and carrots to desired softness.  Mash/puree butternut squash. Set aside.

2. In large pot saute the garlic and onion in olive oil.  When onions are translucent and soft add the whole wheat flour to the mixture.  Stir in well, you may need to add a bit more olive oil if the flour makes it dry/clumpy.

3. Add the vegetable broth and spices.  Stir well to make sure there are no lumps of flour.  Let simmer for 10 minutes to bring out spice flavors.

4. Stir in butternut squash.  Mix well to make sure there are no huge lumps.  (My soup is slightly lumpy because I don't like perfectly smooth butternut squash, I left a couple lumps in when I was mashing!)  Add in beans and carrots.  Once the beans and carrots are heated through this soup is ready to serve!

Makes about 4-5 servings...or 2 if you're me :)

Definitely helped take the chill out of my day.

As I write this post my hands are slowly freezing...looks like I'll be making lots of soup this winter to stay warm.  I love the big windows in my apartment...during the summer.  When it was warm I never really thought of how a corner full of floor to ceiling windows might be a tad impractical in Minnesota.

Alright I'm off to edit some photos of my art work for my upcoming B.F.A. application.  I'll post a couple soon!  The ceramic studio is taking over my life lately, but I am SO excited for the pay off.  Pretty soon I will have new mugs and bowls to put my food into and take pretty pretty pictures of.  I'm getting really sick of the plain white bowls and plates we have.  Are you? Haha, ok I'm going to get to work on my portfolio and my homework so I can relax and cook all weekend long.

Stay warm!


What's the weather like where you are?

Better Than Chicken Noodle Soup (Tempeh and Lentil Soup)

3 weeks ago I had had the general icky cold since September
2 weeks ago the common cold stepped it up a notch and sent me home for the weekend
1 week ago I had some sort of flu bug
This week? Sore throat.

After living off of these for a bit...

I decided that cough drops, water, and juice weren't going to cut it.  Something else had to be done to get me out of the sickness rut.  I opened up the cupboards and gathered some ingredients and set out to make a healing soup.  A soup that would replace Chicken Noodle Soup.  I always dreaded being sick because well being sick is no fun.  But even worse than being sick was eating disgusting Chicken Noodle Soup.

My goal today was to make a soup that would ease the pain of getting sick, to make a soup that would almost make getting sick something to look forward to.

What started out as just a simple soup turned into a complete delicious healing lunch.  Just like the one's my mom used to make me, but minutes the icky chicken noodle soup (and steaming my face over a pot of boiling water- I always hated that too!).  You know you've really grown up when you have to make your own lunch of healing goodness when you're sick...

The healing lunch not only had the double action of veggie broth goodness from the soup and a vitamin c boost from the grapefruit.

 But I took it a step further with the patented trifecta healing approach, #1. soup, #2. tea, and last but not least #3. citrus.

The tea and the grapefruit are no brainers...but what in the world did I put in this soup to make it SO delicious?

Better Than Chicken Noodle Soup (Tempeh and Lentil Soup)


Ingredients:
4 cups vegetable broth (or use 4 cups water + 4-5 tsp vegetable bullion)
½ cup lentils
2 tbsp olive oil
8 oz. tempeh, cubed (I used wild rice tempeh but plain would work too)
3 cloves garlic, crushed
½ large onion, chopped
2-3 medium carrots, diced
1-2 stalks celery, chopped
2 bay leaves
2 tsp Rosemary
1 tsp oregano
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:
Add lentils, bay leaves, rosemary, and oregano to 4 cups broth. Bring to a boil and then let it simmer on high for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile in a skillet heat olive oil then add the onion, garlic and tempeh. Sauté the mixture until the tempeh has browned slightly and the onions are translucent. When the lentils have cooked for 15 minutes or are almost done, add chopped carrots to broth mixture and finish cooking lentils. (I always add the carrots to soup before the rest of the veggies because they take longer to cook) Then add the celery and the sautéed mixture to the broth and stir. Taste, and add spices to adjust.  Cover and let the soup simmer for 5-10 minutes to really bring out the flavors of the spices.  Enjoy! You should be feeling better in no time.

Of course the tea, soup and grapefruit were wonderful.  But they were even better with a hearty slice of whole wheat bread on the side :)

Really it doesn't get much more comforting than lentil and tempeh in vegetable broth.  I've only recently discovered lentils, but now I know I have really been missing out for 20 years.  And tempeh is like tofu's older brother more sophisticated, complex, and delicious!  I don't think I'll be buying much tofu anymore...

This lunch was gone before I knew it.  I probably could have eaten the entire pot of soup I made.  But since I have grown up I controlled myself, put myself down for a nap, and saved the soup for tomorrow.  I'm sure my poor sore and scratchy throat will thank me during tomorrow's leftover lunch when I don't have to eat leftover Devil's Vegetarian Chili ;)

Do you like chicken noodle soup?

Devil's Vegetarian Chili

My Devilish grocery shopping experience combined with the onset of chilly fall weather inspired this hearty dish.

I think Chili is my absolute favorite part of winter...even better than sweater socks.

I love all the colors and flavors of chili, the amount of ingredients make it look intimidating but chili is one of the easiest soups to make. Chili is basically a bunch of beans, veggies and spices tossed in some diced tomatoes and simmered, easy enough right?  Because chili is such a hearty soup it is always satisfying and it never disappoints.  

The key to a good chili is a variety of spices.

Spices I used in Devil's Chili:
Cumin
Chili Powder
Paprika
Cayenne
Ground Black Pepper
Sea Salt
Oregano
Bay Leaves

On top of the spices I added even more flavor with garlic and onions.

Although chili is hearty it is never complete without, of course, toppings.

Devil's Vegetarian Chili

Ingredients:
1 TBSP Olive Oil
½ Medium Onion, chopped
3-4 Bay Leaves
1 Stalk Celery, chopped
½ Bell Pepper, chopped (I used red but I prefer green)
1-3 TBSP Canned Jalapeno Peppers (depending on how spicy you like your chili)
3 Cloves garlic, chopped
1 TSP of cumin, paprika, ground black pepper, cayenne, sea salt and oregano
2 TBSP Chili Powder (or more)
1 28 Ounce can of diced tomatoes
4-6 dahses of Louisiana Hot Sauce
1 cup cooked black beans
1 cup cooked kidney beans

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in large pot. Add onions and bay leaves and cook until onion is tender.
2. Add celery, bell pepper, jalapeno peppers, garlic and spices (excluding chili powder) and cook until veggies are heated through.
3. Add diced tomatoes and juices, chili powder, and Louisiana hot sauce to the pot. Stir well and bring to a simmer.
4. Add beans, taste test. Add spices to adjust taste to your liking. (All the amounts of spices are approximate, I start with these amounts and then adjust as I go, every pot of chili is different!)
5. Cover the pot of chili and let it simmer (DO NOT boil, you will boil the taste out!) for 5-20 minutes.
6. Serve immediately with desired toppings. (Cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips, and avocado are my favorite chili toppings).

Enjoyed thoroughly in front of my Oncoming Winter Display.

So far we've discussed how spices, strong flavors, and toppings make the perfect bowl of chili.  The final touch?  A big hearty chunk of whole wheat bread.

What can I say? Oh yes, perfection.

When the first signs winter start showing I immediately get excited to make the first pot of chili of the year.  While cooking it up I envision cozy nights in front of the fireplace, twinkling Christmas tree lights, and the beautiful sight of a fresh snowfall.

Don't worry, in about a month reality will hit and the cheese factor of my posts will go down.

Winter in Minnesota does include all those warm fuzzy images but only about 10%of the time.  The reality of winter while attending college consists of trudging to class through slushy snow hiding a sleek layer of black ice beneath it. While your face is being assaulted snow that has turned into ice pellets because the wind is so fierce.  This whole horrendous scene usually ends in me slipping and landing on my butt in a pile of slush.
   
Those are the days when chili is essential to my survival.

What is your favorite and least favorite part of winter?