Roasted Squash and Carmelized Onion Soup Au Gratin

We all have one of "those" days once in a while.  You know, the character building type where you get home and ask..."Where is my big glass of wine and comfort food?"  I had one yesterday.  We were short at work, I wasn't feeling the best due to a cold, and I felt like I was wishing there were 3 Amys to do my job as it seemed like there was not enough time to get everything done.  Alright, so maybe it wasn't so bad...at least my coworker's and I had time to laugh in between the chaos and joke about the glass of wine we would all be needing after work!  I was tired when I got home, but was in a good mood at least despite the character building day at work.  As I walked in the door I was feeling a bit chilled due to the cool weather that has found its way to Minnesota this week, and so I decided I needed a big bowl of something comforting and delicious for dinner.  Afterall, I needed something to go with my wine. My favorite soup came to mind, roasted squash and caramelized onion soup au gratin.  Who doesn't love a soup topped off with toasted bread and bubbly cheese? 

I hadn't made it in a while, and it was about time!  So I poured myself some wine and got to work.  Little did I know that a bit of the sort of work day I had would follow me home...as I was trying to unclog the cooking spray so I could roast my squash to go in the soup I totally nailed myself in the face.  So I admit, it was rather funny, and at least I didn't get my eyes...but really?  I hadn't even drank but a few sips of wine either!  Luckilly the rest of the soup making went smoothly and my kitchen was starting to smell of sweet onions and herbs from the pot simmering on the stove.  By the time I had ladled the soup into a bowl, topped it off with toasted bread and cheese and broiled it to perfection I was about drooling.  It was just as amazing as it always is.  Sweet squash and caramelly onions, fragrant herbs, and crusty bread with ooey gooey cheese...pure deliciousness!  I can't believe I haven't shared this one on my blog yet, but it is amazing, and sure to make you forget anything unpleasant that happened earlier in the day.  What Wednesday?  Did that really happen?  Well, if you would like to enjoy some for yourself, here is the recipe!

Roasted Squash and Carmelized Onion Soup Au Gratinserves 4

This is the perfect fall soup, great for warming you up on a dreary fall or winter day! This is my absolute favorite soup recipe.

Ingredients:
1 large kabocha or buttercup squash, cut in half from top to bottom, and seeded
non-stick spray
2 Tbsp olive oil

3 medium red onions, halved and sliced thinly
6 garlic cloves, pressed
2 bay leaves
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried sage
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt, or to taste
1/4 cup white wine (of the quality that you would drink)
4 cups veggie stock
1 baguette, cut into 1 inch thick slices (there should be 12), and toasted
6 oz gruyere cheese, grated
6 oz mozzarella cheese, grated

Heat the oven to 475, and line a baking sheet with foil. Spray with non-stick spray, and place squash cut side down on the sheet. Roast for about 40 minutes or until tender. Remove from oven and let cool slightly, then remove skin, and cut flesh into large cubes, and set aside. In a large dutch oven or pan, heat the oil, over medium heat and add onions. Cook, stirring occasionally until starting to turn golden and carmelizing, about 10-15 minutes. Add the garlic, bay leaf, and herbs, as well as salt and pepper, and cook for a minute, stirring constantly. Add wine, and scrape up any brown bits or carmelization on the bottom of the pan. Add the stock and squash cubes and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and let cook for at least 20 minutes until squash is falling apart. Add more salt if needed. Turn the oven on to broil. Ladel the squash into 4 large shallow bowls, and top each with 3 pieces of toasted baguette, and the gruyere and mozzarella cheeses. Place under the broiler, and broil until the cheese is brown and bubbly, about 3 minutes more or less depending on the oven. Let cool a few minutes, then serve!

Sweet and Spicy Squash and White Bean Chili

You would think that after making soups at work during the week when it has been 80 degrees in Minnesota, the last thing I would want to be making on the weekend would be chili...wrong.  It may be hot outside, but for sime reason I decided that I had to have chili today.  Maybe because it is Sunday, and the football game was on?  Those two things go together right?  I don't think that was what influenced my decision.  Although I watched the game today, and was pleased to see that the Minnesota Vikings actually won a game for the first time this year...I would not consider myself a football kind of girl.  Good for them though, hopefully they will win a few more before the year is up!  Anyways, more than likely it is the feeling of autumn that I got when going for a walk this afternoon through the woods and admiring the beautiful firey colored trees and crunching the leaves beneath my feet that said to me "it is fall, you should make chili!"  Nevermind the warm temperatures. 

I had piles of ripe tomatoes from my Grandpa ready to be roasted and thrown into chili as well as a good selection of hot peppers and buttercup squash begging to be eaten.  So chili it was!  Being that I only had navy beans in my cupboard, this was to be white bean chili.  In the deli where I work I always catch a hard time from all of my coworkers every time I use navy beans.  This is because they know it is my favorite bean and more than likely it is what I am putting into anything containing beans.  My friend Gabrielle even put a lable on the white beans that read "Amy's White Beans".  So I had to laugh to myself when they were the only beans I found on my search through the cupboard this afternoon.  I had all day to putz with this chili, so cooking the beans myself and using oven roasted homegrown tomatoes and squash in the chili were no problem.  Some ingredients I don't normally put in chili found their way into the pot this time making it even more irrisistable when I snuck a taste...raisins, almond butter and red wine.  My kitchen smelled wonderful as the chili simmered away!  I couldn't wait enjoy a bowl! 

I whipped up a batch of vegan cornbread and was ready for dinner!  It was scrumptious!  It was sweet and spicy, savory, and autumnal.  Not bad for a throw together on a whim.  If you would like to experience the chili for yourself, here is the recipe!

Sweet and Spicy Squash and White Bean Chili

Serves 8

1 Tbsp peanut oil
2 large onions, diced
2 jalapenos, seeded and minced
1 habanero, seeded and minced

1 cup carrots, sliced

8 garlic cloves, minced
3 Tbsp chili powder
1 1/2 Tbsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp ground chipotle pepper, or to taste
1 Tbsp smoky paprika

1/4 cup red wine

3 16 oz cans organic fire roasted tomatoes
2 red bell peppers, diced
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
2 Tbsp maple syrup
2 Tbsp tamari

2 Tbsp almond butter

4 cups veggie broth
4 cups cooked navy beans
1/4 cup raisins

sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

3 cups cubed cooked buttercup or butternut squash*

vegan sour cream
sliced scallions

In a large stockpot or dutch oven, heat the peanut oil over medium heat.  Add the onions, habanero, jalapenos, and carrots, and saute until softened, about 6-7 minutes.  Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, oregano, paprika, chipotle powder, and cook for a minute until fragrant, then add the wine, tomatoes, red bell peppers, cider vinegar, cocoa powder, maple syrup, tamari, almond butter, veggie broth, and bring to a boil.  Simmer until flavors have blended, stirring often, about 20 minutes.  Add cooked beans, raisins and squash, and sea salt and pepper to taste, and continue to cook until heated through.  Serve hot with vegan sour cream sliced scallions to garnish and cornbread if desired.

* Preheat oven to 475 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with foil, and spray with non-stick spray.  Cut 1 large buttercup squash in half from top to bottom, and remove seeds.  Place cut side down on baking sheet, and roast for about 25-30 minutes until tender.  Remove from oven and let cool until cool enough to handle, then remove skin and cut into cubes. 

Asian Root Vegetable Tofu Stew

It was fabulous at the start of this week in Minnesota, gorgeous, sunny and up to 70 degrees, but not so much at the end.  Today it is a bit windy and there are a few sprinkles starting to fall...snow is possibly in the forecast for overnight tomorrow.  Yuck!  I thought spring was supposed to be here?  I was making salads and wraps on Monday and Tuesday, but now I want something warming and substantial to take the chill away.  I can tell the weather is affecting other people as well because our customers in the deli I work in are buying lots more soup today!  I don't blame them.  We have a soup at work called "Spring Chicken"  and it is funny because people request it year round, no matter what season it is.  I have never tried it being a vegetarian, but it always smells amazing!  Tonight I decided to create a stew using some of the same veggies that are found in that soup.  Most importantly rutabagas and carrots in a delicious broth.  But I have swapped out the onions for leeks and shallots and the cabbage for kale, because that is what I happened to have in my fridge. 

 

 

I also gave mine a little bit of an Asian flair with some miso, mirin and tamari.  I love these three ingredients in a broth, they give it so much flavor!  Since my soup had no chicken I added some baked tofu for a protein source.  The stew was delicious!  Delicious just tender veggies in a rich vegetable stock with meaty tofu...it definately warmed me up!  I am bummed that I won't be hot soup again because it is going to be too warm outside after this week... just kidding.  I want it to be warm and can live without hot food, I will be happy to be outside!  On the off day though when it rains, and the wind is blowing  and I want something warm, I can make this again!  Using whatever is in season at the time of course!  Here is the recipe if you are in a cool part of the country and need a little warm up!   

 

Asian Root Vegetable Tofu Stew

Serves 3

1 10 oz block firm tofu, diced

peanut oil

1 Tbsp peanut oil
2 large shallots, sliced
1 large leek, sliced
2 cups carrots, sliced on the diagonal
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp dried rosemary
1/4 cup mirin
2 Tbsp tamari
2 cups potatoes, cut into medium cubes, or sliced if very small
2 cups rutabagas, cut into medium cubes
4 cups vegetable stock
1/2 tsp sea salt or to taste
freshly ground pepper
1 small bunch kale, torn into bite sized pieces
2 Tbsp white miso
2 Tbsp arrowroot, dissolved in 2 Tbsp water

Preheat oven to 475 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with foil, and toss tofu with just enough peanut oil to coat.  Place on baking sheet, and bake until starting to brown at edges.  Remove from oven.  Meanwhile, Add peanut oil to a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add shallots, leeks, and carrots, and saute until they are softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic, thyme, and rosemary, and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add mirin, tamari, potatoes, rutabagas, stock, sea salt, freshly ground pepper to taste and bring to a boil.  Lower to a simmer and cook until veggies are tender, about 20 minutes.  Add tofu, and kale, and cook until kale has just wilted, then add miso and arrowroot mixture, and cook until soup thickens slightly.  Taste and add more salt if necessary.  Serve hot! 

Curried Coconut Borscht

Yesterday, I had a large amount of beets and cabbage in my fridge that needed to be eaten, and was in the mood for some soup!  So of course the first thing that came to mind was borscht, but I was not in the mood for the typical flavors of borscht.  Something more exotic however sounded good!  What I really wanted was some really good Indian curry with tofu.  So I decided to make a hybrid of the curried tofu I normally make with borscht!  Of course all of the usual borscht suspects were involved...beets, cabbage, carrots, and potatoes. 

But instead of the usual red onions I would normally use, I used shallots and scallions.  I also added some jalapeno and ginger for a kick, some mild curry, tumeric, and a good amount of garlic!  I made the soup silky with coconut milk, and added lime and cilantro to finish it off.  But not to forget the tofu, which I crisped up in the oven before adding it to the soup!  It was delicious!  Very warming, and all of the good qualities of both dishes!  It was as well beautiful due to the beets, and their ability to dye anything deep magenta!  For some reason spring makes me think of borscht, and this was the perfect warming dish for a cool spring day!  Here is the recipe if you would like to try some!

Curried Coconut Borscht with Tofu 

Serves 3

1 10 oz block firm tofu, diced

coconut oil, warmed to liquid

1 Tbsp coconut oil

1 large shallot, sliced

1 bunch scallions, sliced
2 cups red beets, cut into large dice

2 cups carrots, sliced on the diagonal

4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed, minced
2 tsp fresh ginger, minced
1 1/2 Tbsp mild curry powder
1 tsp tumeric
2 cups potatoes, diced, or sliced if very small
2 cups red cabbage, chopped
1 15 oz can lite coconut milk
2 cups vegetable stock
1/2 tsp sea salt or to taste
1 Tbsp agave nectar
juice of one large lime
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
2 Tbsp arrowroot, dissolved in 2 Tbsp water

Preheat oven to 475 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with foil, and toss tofu with just enough coconut oil to coat.  Place on baking sheet, and bake until starting to brown at edges.  Remove from oven.  Meanwhile, Add coconut oil to a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add scallions, shallot, beets, carrots, and saute until onions are softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic, jalapeno, ginger, curry powder, tumeric, and saute until spices are fragrant, about 2 minute.  Add potatoes, cabbage, coconut milk, stock, sea salt, and agave nectar, and bring to a boil.  Lower to a simmer and cook until veggies are tender, about 20 minutes.  Add tofu, lime juice, cilantro, and arrowroot, and cook until soup thickens slightly.  Taste and add more salt if necessary.  Serve hot! 

Black Quinoa and Root Vegetable Stew with Tofu

I came across some black quinoa recently and decided to buy it thinking something interesting could be made with it!  My favorite way to use quinoa would have to be in a tabouli, but since I enjoy tabouli more in the warm months I decided to use the quinoa in a little different way than I normally would.  My friend Gabrielle, who cooks wonderful vegetarian dishes, and who I work with at the deli had told me about using quinoa in a soup she had recently made, and I loved the idea so I decided to borrow it!  I thought the black quinoa would be a nice change from the usual grains used in soups and stews. 

I was in craving Asian flavors so I decided to make my stew with a miso and mirin laced broth, and throw in some delicious roasted root vegetables.  I finished the stew off with some mustard greens and baked tofu I had made and although it wasn't the prettiest to look at it was amazing to eat!   I was sharing it with my Mom who was skeptical about how tasty it would be, her not being a fan of root vegetables, but she loved it!  It was one of those things where you taste it and go this is good.  Take another bite and go this is really good, and finally this is awesome!  The savory flavors of the broth combined with the nutty quinoa, chewy tofu and sweet root vegetables is a perfectly composed symphony of a stew!  It is warming and comforting, and dare I say it comfort food!  Without being unhealthy of course.  Here is the recipe if you would like to enjoy it for yourself! 

Black Quinoa and Root Vegetable Stew with Tofu

Serves 2

Tofu:

1 10 oz block firm tofu, cut into small triangles

1/4 cup vegan worchestershire sauce

1/4 cup tamari

1 tsp minced garlic

Quinoa:
1 1/2 cups water

3/4 cup black quinoa

Veggies:
1 1/2 cups sliced rutabagas
1 1/2 cups carrots, sliced on the diagonal
peanut oil

Stew:
1 Tbsp peanut oil
2 shallots, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried rosemary
1/4 cup mirin
4 cups vegetable stock
2 Tbsp tamari
2 Tbsp white miso
a few large leaves mustard greens or kale
sea salt to taste

Preheat oven to 475 degrees.  Line 3 sheet pans with foil, and spray with non-stick spray.  Toss tofu with worchesetershire sauce, tamari, and garlic until well coated, then spread out on one of the sheet pans.  Place in the oven and bake until crispy and starting to brown at edges, about 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and set aside. 
Meanwhile, to prepare the quinoa, place quinoa and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until all the water is absorbed about 15 minutes, or when all the grains have turned from white to transparent, and the spiral-like germ has separated. Drain, and set aside. 
To prepare roasted veggies, toss rutabagas and carrots with peanut oil, then spread out on 2 remaining sheet pans.  Roast for 15-20 minutes until starting to brown at edges and tender.  Remove from oven and set aside. 
Meanwhile, heat 1 Tbsp peanut oil in a large stockpot.  Add shallots, and saute until softened, about 5 minutes, then add the garlic, thyme and rosemary and saute until fragrant about 1 minute more.  Add mirin, stock, and tamari, and bring to a simmer. Add root vegetables and cook for about 15 minutes to allow flavors to develop.  Add cooked quinoa, tofu, and mustard greens along with sea salt to to taste.  Cook until tofu and quinoa are heated through and mustard greens have wilted.  Serve hot!
 

Creamy Roasted Autumn Root Vegetable Soup with Cornbread Croutons

My day is often filled with soup...chopping veggies for, cooking, and refilling soup.  I guess that is a deli in the cold months!  It is always "Will you be bringing out more soup?  You don't have anymore? When are you making...I had my heart set on it!"  The talk of soup is never ending.  You would think I would be sick of soup with the amount of it that I make at work and see every day...but no, apparently not!  I decided to make some the other night...some that I felt like eating that would be healthy and comforting.  I had a large amount of root vegetables in my fridge, carrots, rutabagas and parsnips.  I knew that they would make a delicious soup, especially if I roasted them first to deepen their sweet flavors.  Of course, I had to sample a few after they had been roasted before they made it into the soup...that is part of the fun of cooking for yourself!  I combined the roasted veg with some pureed squash for sweetness, some onions and garlic, and some thyme and rosemary, as they are my favorite herbs this time of year.  I wanted my soup to be as creamy and comforting as something that contained cream, so I added almond butter for silkyness along with almond milk.  To give the soup the flavor of parmesan cheese I included miso, and nutritional yeast as well.  It tasted as if there were lots of things that were not so good for you in it, but I knew the truth!  The soup was delicious, creamy, and comforting as it was, but I like adornments so I added some corn bread croutons and vegan sour cream to top it off!  I served it alongside a salad, and I was one happy girl!  You can never have too many vegetables as far as I am concerned...and this soup is a good way to enjoy them!

Creamy Roasted Autumn Root Vegetable Soup with Cornbread Croutons

Serves 6

3 large carrots, sliced

3 large parsnips, sliced

2 medium rutabagas, sliced

olive oil

1 large red onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups pumpkin or squash puree
4 cups vegetable stock

3 cups almond or soy milk

2 Tbsp almond butter
1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp sea salt
freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup light miso

2 cups cubed corn bread
olive oil
sea salt

vegan sour cream

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees with the rack set at the top position.  Line 3 large baking sheets with foil, and spray with non-stick spray.  Toss carrots, parsnips, and rutabagas with just enough olive oil to coat, and spread out on 2 of the sheets.  Roast in the oven for about 15-20 minutes until softened and starting to brown at the edges.  Remove from oven and lower temp to 375.  Meanwhile, heat 1 Tbsp oil in a large stockpot over medium heat.  Add onions, and saute until translucent and starting to caramelize, about 7-10 minutes.  Add garlic and saute a minute, then add pumpkin, vegetable stock, almond milk, almond butter, thyme, rosemary, sea salt, pepper, yeast, miso, and roasted veggies.  Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes to allow flavors to blend.  Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth (you can also use a blender and puree in batches, but allow steam to escape, or let cool a bit before blending to prevent the soup making the top of the blender explode).  To make croutons, toss cornbread with a little olive oil, and spread out on remaining sheet pan.  Sprinkle with a little sea salt, and bake until crunchy, about 10 minutes.  To serve soup, ladle some into a bowl, and top with a bit of vegan sour cream and croutons!

Chili and Cornbread...comfort food for a bad day

Wednesday I was having one of those terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days. Work was hectic to begin with, and I was feeling stressed. I spent a significant amount of time making a large batch of soup, and I walked away for too long and it burned.  This wasn't one of those times where I could just not disturb the bottom burt part and the rest would be fine...no, I knew it was bad when I walked into the kitchen and took a whiff of the horrible burnt smell that was permeating it.  I tasted some, and had a coworker do the same for a second opinion, and we both agreed that it was awful...the burnt flavor had tainted the delicate curried soup that had previously smelled so wonderful.  The worst part was that it had to be thrown out, which was quite a process...making a mess and stinking up the deli.  You can't just throw it away either, since it is a liquid it has to be strained and is still quite heavy.  By the time I got home that day I was just exhausted, feeling really rotten about the soup, and needed a pick me up.  No, I didn't go for a large glass of wine, I decided that if soup was my downfall, soup would be my comfort!  So I got to work preparing a batch of chili and some cornbread to go with it!  This wasn't going to be regular chili, I used my regular chili base, but added some roasted buttercup squash that I had on hand, since nothing makes me feel better than squash!  I used black and white beans, since I didn't have enough of either to make a full batch and what the heck, I wasn't going for glamour here, just comfort!  I always add a few unusual ingredients to my chili that make it unique, and those things are cocoa powder, worchestershire sauce, and peanut butter.  They may sound wierd, but they give it that "it is really good, but I can't quite put my finger on it" detail that I love!  I can't have chili without cornbread, so I had to make some to go with this one!  I decided to incorporate the squash into the cornbread as well to keep it moist and do something a little different than normal.  Tis the season for squash and pumpkin afterall!  I wasn't sure how the cornbread would turn out, because it was a new recipe that I made up.  But it was delicious and tender, most likely due to the squash and coconut oil.  It was a perfect partner for the chili, and the recipe was definately a keeper.  This meal ended up being just what I needed after the not so fun day I had just gotten home from.  I will be making this again soon, hopefully this time on a good day!  Here are the recipes if you are interested!

Buttercup Squash, Double Bean, and Seitan Chili

Serves 6

1 Tbsp peanut oil
2 large onions, diced
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp ground chipotle pepper, or to taste
3 16 oz cans organic fire roasted tomatoes
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 Tbsp agave nectar
1 Tbsp vegan worchestershire sauce
2 Tbsp tamari
2 Tbsp peanut butter
3 cups veggie broth or as needed

1 1/2 cups cooked black turtle beans (or 1 15 oz can)

1 1/2 cups cooked navy beans ( or1 15 oz can)

sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

4 cups cubed cooked buttercup or butternut squash*

vegan sour cream

In a large stockpot or dutch oven, heat the peanut oil over medium heat.  Add the onions, and saute until softened, about 6-7 minutes.  Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, oregano, chipotle powder, and cook for a minute until fragrant, then add the tomatoes, cider vinegar, cocoa powder, agave nectar, worchestershire sauce, tamari, peanut butter, veggie broth, and bring to a boil.  Simmer until flavors have blended, stirring often, about 20 minutes.  Add cooked beans, squash, and sea salt and pepper to taste, and continue to cook until heated through.  Serve hot with vegan sour cream and cornbread.

* Preheat oven to 475 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with foil, and spray with non-stick spray.  Cut 1 large buttercup squash in half from top to bottom, and remove seeds.  Place cut side down on baking sheet, and roast for about 25-30 minutes until tender.  Remove from oven and let cool until cool enough to handle, then remove skin and cut into cubes. 

Buttercup Squash Cornbread

1 cup medium grind cornmeal

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp sea salt

1 cup coconut milk

1/2 cup squash or pumpkin puree

2 Tbsp coconut oil

1 Tbsp agave nectar

1 Tbsp cider vinegar

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Line a 9 inch round pan (0r 2 6 inch round pans) with parchment on the bottom and spray with non-stick spray.  In a large bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, baking soda, baking powder, sea salt.  Whisk in coconut milk, squash, coconut oil, and agave nectar until well combined.  Whisk in cider vinegar quickly until just combined, then pour into prepared pan(s).  Bake for 15-20 minutes until lightly golden on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Cool a few minutes before turning out from pans.

Red October Soup with Sourdough Croutons

At my work, I make a tomato cabbage white bean soup that is really simple, but very good.  It is hearty and satisfying and I like to make it during the summer and early fall because it is still light enough to enjoy when the weather is not quite cold yet.  I wanted to make some at home yesterday, but I realized that I didn't have green cabbage, which is what I normally use.  I also had some locally grown vegetables that needed to be eaten, and I thought what better way to use them in a soup?  This was quickly becoming quite different than the soup at work...leeks, shallots, and edamame were added in addition to the usual ingredients list.  I also added a bit of red wine I had on hand for flavor, and some tomato paste to make it a little thicker and give it a deeper flavor.  When it had all simmered together, it was a beautiful red hue thanks to the cabbage and tomatoes...hence the name "October Red" soup, because it was also made with veggies that are currently in season.  It was delicious as it was, but I like my soup with a bit of bread for dipping, or croutons, so I decided to make some to go atop it.  I cubed some sourdough, tossed it with a little olive oil, garlic and sea salt and baked it until crispy.  It was a wonderful textural contrast, and it was especially good when soaked in the flavorful broth!  If you would like a comforting soup, make some for yourself! 

Red October Soup with Sourdough Croutons
Serves 6

1 Tbsp olive oil
2 medium leeks, sliced
4 small shallots, sliced
1 medium red onion, diced
4 medium carrots, halved and sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp dried rosemary
2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 cup red wine
1 32 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 small red cabbage, chopped

1 cup edamame, shelled

2 cups cooked white beans (I used navy)

2 Tbsp tamari
4 cups water or vegetable broth
1 Tbsp vegetarian Worchestershire sauce
1 Tbsp agave nectar
1/4 cup tomato paste
sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Croutons:
1 1/2 cups cubed sourdough bread
olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
sea salt

To make soup, in a large stockpot, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add leeks, shallots, onions, and carrots, and saute until translucent and starting to brown slightly, about 5-7 minutes.  Add garlic, rosemary and thyme and saute until fragrant, 1 minute.  Add wine to deglaze and scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pot.  Add tomatoes, cabbage, edamame, white beans, tamari, water, worchestershire sauce, agave nectar, tomato paste, sea salt and freshly pepper.  Bring soup to a low boil, then lower to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 20-30 minutes to allow the flavors to develop.  Taste for seasoning and add more sea salt if needed.  Meanwhile, make the croutons.  Heat oven to 475 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with foil.  Toss bread with just enough olive oil to moisten, along with garlic and a little sea salt. Spread out on sheet, and bake until crispy, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool slightly.  To serve, ladle soup into bowl, and top with a few croutons. 

Mushroom Lentil Wild Rice Soup and Honeycrisp Apple Salad

There are many variations of creamy wild rice soup, especially here in Minnesota where it seems to be a standard item on many restaurant's menus.  It is funny how every store or restaurant claims that theirs is the best...which lead me to thinking I should create my own vegetarian version!  I decided that mushrooms were a must in my soup, because they love wild rice being that they are both so earthy.  I also included onions, carrots and garlic, but no celery, because I am really not a fan of it.  I believe that main dish soups need a protein source, and although chicken style seitan would have been delicious in this soup, I decided to go with lentils instead.  Nothing fancy, just what I had on hand the humble brown lentil.  Many wild rice soups are gut bustingly creamy...which is why many people love them, but I did not want mine to be.  Just rich enough to be satisfying, but still leave me feeling good after enjoying it.  So instead of the usual large amounts of butter and cream with white flour roux, I used olive oil with whole wheat pastry flour and a mixture of stock and soymilk instead.   It was still rich tasting and satisfying, and you wouldn't have known it was healthy.  The soup was wonderful...so much better than it's gut busting cousins!  Wonderfully earthy and silky...a wonderful marriage of flavors, a bowl of warming comforting goodness perfect for a fall evening! 

But of course, soup alone is not a full meal for me...so I made a light salad to go along with it!  And what better to feature in a salad this time of year than Honeycrisp apples?  They go wonderfully with bitter greens and shallots, so I included those as well.  Some roasted figs found their way into the mix, as well as some sweet and salty walnuts for crunch.  I dressed it all in a riesling vinaigrette, which happens to be my favorite because it is wonderfully sweet but has a nice tartness without being too acidic.  My last addition to the salad was a sprinkling of a locally produced cheese, Northern Lights Blue, which is actually made at the U of MN!  It is like a roquefort...sweet and salty.  It goes wonderfully with apples, especially Honeycrisp, and I often eat the two together for dessert if I want something light.  This salad is a mosaic of textures and flavors, and it has them all...tart apples, sweet figs, crunchy toasty nuts, bitter greens, and salty cheese...I don't know if I can call a salad heavenly, but this one is in my opinion!  Together this soup and salad made the perfect meal for a fallish night!  I have included both the recipes below if you are interested!

Mushroom Lentil Wild Rice Soup

Serves 4

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 small red onion, diced

2 carrots, sliced

2 garlic cloves

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp flour

2 cups stock
2 cups soy milk
12 mushrooms, sliced

1 can lentils, drained and rinsed

2 tsp thyme

1 tsp sea salt or as needed

freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 cups cooked wild rice

Heat olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat.  Add the onions and carrots and saute until starting to soften.  Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute, then add flour, and cook for another minute, or until starting to toast, and lightly brown.  Add stock and soymilk slowly, stirring constantly to prevent any lumps from forming.  Add mushrooms, lentils, thyme, sea salt, and pepper, and bring to a boil.  Lower to a simmer, and let cook until mushrooms have softened, soup has thickened, and flavors have melded, about 20 minutes.  Add wild rice, allow to heat through, taste for seasoning, add more salt if needed, and serve!

Honeycrisp Apple and Northern Lights Blue Cheese Salad with Walnuts

Serves 3

Walnuts:

1/2 cup walnuts

1 Tbsp agave nectar

1 Tbsp maple sugar
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp ground chipotle powder

10 mission figs, halved
olive oil

Dressing:
1 Tbsp olive oil

3 Tbsp riesling vinegar

1 tsp honey dijon

1 Tbsp honey

1 tsp dried thyme

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

5 cups mixed flavorful greens such as arugula, mizuna and dandilion

1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots

2 small honeycrisp apples, sliced
2 oz roquefort or a local roquefort style blue cheese, crumbled

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with foil, and spray with nonstick spray. Toss walnuts with agave, maple sugar, sea salt , and chipotle and spread out on one of the sheets. Roast in the oven until fragrant and starting to brown, about 7-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Increase the oven temp to 475, and place rack in the top position. Toss figs with a just enough oil to coat and spred out on other baking sheet and roast for about 15 minutes until softened but not mushy. When done roasting, remove from oven and let cool to room temperature. Meanwhile, whisk dressing ingredients together in a small bowl. Combine greens, shallots, figs, and apples in a large bowl, pour dressing over, and toss with hands to coat. Divide salad between 3 plates and top with toasted nuts and cheese.

Autumn Vegetable and Seitan Stew with Rustic Whole Wheat Zucchini Bread

Autumn is here, and therefore, it is time for hearty homey stews!  At least I thought so when I woke up this morning and it was a bit chilly.  So, as I doing my workout this morning, I made it go faster by thinking up what sort of delicious stews I could make.  I had lots of wonderful veggies to choose from, and I landed on onions, shallots, parsnips, carrots, mushrooms and potatoes.  All things that are available locally in Minnesota this time of year.  I was dreaming up a hearty stew with a luscious savory sauce, the kind my Mom used to make when I was little...however mine would be a bit different.  No meat involved here, and no onion soup mix!  I used chicken style seitan in mine, as I am a vegetarian, and my soup base was flavored with mushroom stock, Sangiovese red wine, tomato paste, worchestershire sauce, Tamari, and some nutritional yeast.  It is a wonderful combination, and makes for a lick the bowl  clean soup.  After the soup had simmered on the stove and I was devouring it with my crusty bread alongside to mop up sauces, I decided that it was better than the stew my Mom used to make!  Now earlier in the day before I started on the soup I had made some bread.  It was a zucchini yeast bread, because I have a lot of zucchini on hand right now I am trying to find uses for.  It was a wonderful crusty bread, laced with rosemary and thyme, perfect for mopping up a saucy stew, and that is why I decided to serve it with mine.  So I have included the recipe for that bread as well below after the stew recipe if you are interested. 

Autumn Vegetable and Seitan Stew

Serves 4

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 cup red onion, diced

1 cup shallots, diced

1 cup carrots, halved and sliced

1 cup parsnips, halved and sliced

6 garlic cloves, minced

2 Tbsp tomato paste

2 tsp dried rosemary

2 tsp dried thyme

3 Tbsp good quality red wine

2 Tbsp Tamari

1 Tbsp vegan worchestershire sauce

1 15 oz can diced tomatoes

10 mushrooms, sliced

2 cups diced waxy potatoes (such as yukon gold)
4 cups mushroom stock
2 16 oz pkgs chicken style seitan, cut into bite sized pieces
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 Tbsp arrowroot starch dissolved in 1 Tbsp water

In a large dutch oven or stock pot, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add onions, shallots, carrots, and parsnips, and saute until starting to soften and onions are starting to brown, about 7-10 minutes.  Add garlic, tomato paste, rosemary and thyme, and cook another minute until garlic is fragrant.  Add wine to deglaze the pan, stirring well to scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom.  Add tamari, worchestershire sauce, tomatoes, mushrooms, potatoes, stock, seitan and sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.  Bring stew to a boil, then lower to a simmer.  Cook for about 30 minutes to allow flavors to develop.  Add nutritional yeast and arrowroot mixture, and cook another few minutes.  Taste for seasoning, and add more sea salt if needed.  Serve warm with some good crusty bread!

Rustic Whole Wheat Zucchini Bread Loaves
Makes 2 large loaves

About 4 cups of Zucchini, grated

1 1/2 cups warm water
2 packets of rapid rise yeast
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp sea salt

1 Tbsp dried Rosemary

1 Tbsp dried Thyme

6 cups whole wheat pastry flour, plus more if needed

Place zucchini in a colander, and sprinkle with sea salt.  Toss well, and let drain over a bowl for about 30 minutes.  Squeeze dry with a towel, and set aside.  In a large bowl, combine yeast and water, and let sit 5 minutes.  Add oil, sea salt, herbs, and grated zucchini and mix well.  Stir in flour one cup at a time, until you have a dough that stiff and not too sticky, then turn out onto a floured surface and knead until elastic and smooth, about 8-10 minutes.  If dough at any time seems too sticky, add a little more flour.  When dough is finished kneading, place in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.  Punch dough down, and preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Divide dough into two pieces and shape each into a long loaf.  Place on a parchment lined baking sheet, and cover with plastic wrap.  Let rise about 30 minutes, or until almost doubled in bulk.  Slash each loaf diagonally with a sharp knife, but just marring the surface and not cutting too deep.  Brush each loaf with a little olive oil, and sprinkle with coarse sea salt.  Bake for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown, hollow sounding when tapped on the bottom the bread's internal temperature reads at 190-200 degrees.  Let cool on a rack. 

Creamy Zucchini and White Bean Soup

Soup weather is here once again, so what better to make than  a warming bowl of goodness for dinner!  That was my thought tonight when I decided that was what I was going to make.  I had a giant zucchini that I had acquired, and it was far to much to simply make baked goods out of, so it went into my soup.  I wasn't sure what kind I wanted to make when I started with this zucchini soup, it was sort of a random choosing of ingredients as I went.  In fact when I started and as I was sauteeing the shallots and garlic, I thought a curried zucchini soup might be nice, but the theme quickly switched to an Italian flavor when I remembered I had some cooked white beans I wanted to throw in. A creamy white bean zucchini with parmesan was what I had in mind, but oops!  No parmesan cheese, so I made the soup creamy with the addition of almond butter instead of adding any dairy to the broth.  Rosemary, basil and thyme were my herbs of choice, and at the end I threw in a little miso paste which was just what it needed to give it that delicious I don't know what it is but it is crazy good flavor.  The soup was wonderfully creamy and warming, silky in my mouth with a light herby and savory flavor.  It was made even better with the addition of some toasted garlic basil bread for dipping, as a nice bread used for mopping up extra soup is a must for me.  What a wonderful use for that extra zucchini!  If you  have a bit of zucchini you need to use, or you would just like a warming dish for early fall, give this one a go!

Creamy Zucchini and White Bean Soup
Serves 3

1 Tbsp olive oil
3 large shallots, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups zucchini, diced
1 1/2 cups cooked navy beans
2 cups vegetable broth
1/4 cup unsalted roasted almond butter
2 Tbsp white miso
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp basil

1 tsp rosemary

2 tsp sea salt or to taste

In a medium stockpot, heat olive oil and add shallots.  Saute until translucent, about 5 minutes, then add the garlic and saute another 30 seconds until fragrant.  Add zucchini, beans, vegetable broth, almond butter, miso, thyme, rosemary, and sea salt and simmer until zucchini is tender, about 20 minutes.  Use an immersion blender to puree until smooth and serve!