Cilantro-Kale Soup with Carrot and Peanut Butter Puree

A few of my closest relatives have an old family friend that was born in the Caribbean and makes an awesome peanut soup.  I’ve heard about it at least three times.  They talk about how amazing it is, how their friend is a chef, and how wonderful it is that it’s made from scratch – without a recipe.  And yet, it’s so good.

They’ve tried to duplicate it time and again, but it never turns out.  Somehow, it’s never right – no matter how much peanut butter is added or salt or…

I’m sure you have those moments, those connections with people that just seem to make it work, and yet… so unexplainable.  They make that beautiful meal – so flawlessly, so… without effort.  The key is: there is effort.  And, they have figured “it” out.  The recipe doesn’t need to be written down, because it’s been practiced time and again, over and over.  It’s been perfected.

To be even more intense: I’m learning through this road trip that life is like that.  That, people – individuals within a community – have learned that fine art of flawless effort and ease and practice.  And meal-making.  They’re in the career of perfecting “it,” of attempting to figure “it” out – a frustrating dance with choice and art and time.

Preparing this recipe reminded me of childhood days of helping my mom in the kitchen – making biscuits or gravy or stock.  Poaching pears, rolling cookies, testing oil for frying.  Sounds like life in the Southern US, right?  It should, because it was.  I grew up in Louisiana, making roux my mother’s way and stirring flour in a hot pan until it turned a deep shade of brown.  It was a fine art of practice and patience and wrist dexterity.

Since then, my cooking style has simplified to include a more subdued palette – one that (hopefully) draws out the individual tastes of each item added and relies on their influence and texture to create a dish; a meal.  Although this recipe isn’t quite as complex as roux-making, I hope you enjoy it, nonetheless.  Bon appetit! 

For the base of the soup:
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup white (or sweet) onion
1 cup kale stems
3 fresh garlic cloves, smashed flat and diced
a pinch crushed red pepper
1 Tablespoon smoked paprika
1 bunch fresh cilantro, washed and thinly sliced (entire bunch: stems plus leaves)
1 and 1/2 cups water, divided
salt and pepper, to taste

For the puree:
3/4 cup peanut butter
2 cups roasted carrots
1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 cups water, divided
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions: Place a large saucepan (or small stockpot) over medium heat.  Add oil and onion and sauté until tender and slightly golden brown.  Add kale stems, garlic, crushed red pepper, and 1 cup water.  Cover pot with lid and cook until water has evaporated and kale stems are tender.  Add paprika, cilantro, and 1/2 cup water.  Reduce heat to low.  Cover and cook until water has evaporated (at least 95%).  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Next, place peanut butter, carrots, cumin, cinnamon, and two cups water into a blender.  Pulse or *blend* until smooth.  Add remainder of water and continue pulsing/blending until smooth.  Season with salt and pepper.  Stir into soup base in large sauce pan.  Heat on low until warmed through and serve.

Note: like most soups (and – tomato-based sauces), although this can be served immediately, it tastes better if served a day after it is prepared.

Makes: 4 servings

Creamy Tuscan Cannellini and Kale Soup with Lemon – Gluten Free

It sounds weird, but trust me on this.   

Since the moment I saw this recipe on Pinterest, I’ve been [absolutely] pining to do a remake.  To be honest, I looked at the recipe long enough to see that the creator used a cashew cream base, which she homemade using equal parts cashews and water.  And, I knew I needed some sundried tomatoes, kale, and white beans – from the first picture and the recipe’s title.  But, I wanted to switch things up a bit, lessen the cashew to water ratio, and give it a thinner base.  As a result, the flavor needed to be richer, in order to compensate for the richness lost in the thinning of the broth.  And so, instead of sautéing all the vegetables, I chose to roast the carrots and caramelize the onions – alongside the added bonus of using a flavor-intense oil like olive oil instead of a milder, avocado or coconut oil.  Bon appetit! 

Creamy Tuscan Cannellini and Kale Soup with Lemon

1 large brown onion, chopped
3 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
2 Tablespoons chopped sundried tomatoes (use the olive oil packed kind)
1 cup chopped kale stems
1 and 1/4 cup cooked cannellini beans (feel free to substitute with White Kidney Beans or Great Northern Beans here)
1 cup chopped roasted carrots
2 teaspoons italian seasoning
2 cloves fresh garlic, smashed and minced
3/4 cups raw cashew pieces
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 + 1 + 2 cups water
1 and 1/2 lemon, juiced
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions: In a large saucepan, add chopped onion and 1 Tablespoon oil.  Sprinkle with thyme leaves and season with salt.  Cook over lowest possible heat setting until onions are browned and caramelized.  Increase heat to medium.  Add 1 Tablespoon oil, kale stems, and sundried tomato pieces to saucepan and cook until kale stems are tender.  Next, add cannellini beans, carrots, italian seasoning, garlic, and one cup water to pan.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Continue cooking until all water has evaporated (or, more than 75% – if it absolutely makes you nervous to wait until all that water evaporates).  Decrease heat to low.  Add 2 cups water to pan and cook until heated through.

Meanwhile – add 2 cups water to a small saucepan, place it over medium high heat, and bring to a boil.  Get your *blender* (or Vitamix!).  In it, place the cashews, all of the boiling water, juice of 1/2 lemon, nutritional yeast, and a sprinkle of salt.  Blend until smooth and then, blend for 2 minutes longer – you want it to be REALLY smooth.

Last step: Stir the juice of 1 lemon and the cashew “cream” and season with salt and pepper.  And – eat!

Makes: 4-6 servings, depending on how hungry you are.

Shells and Cheese-Less Pasta

Macaroni and Cheese is a comfort food, and unfortunately – I had a huge craving for it last night.  Fortunately, I had all the ingredients to make it – being that, in the vegan world, this translates to: winter squash and nutritional yeast.

Somehow, the final result arrived at the full-on non-vegan all-dairy crossroads of Havarti and Jarlsberg.  Except: without it. 

With a blender and the ability to operate it, this recipe should come together pretty quickly.  Makes: an 8″ x 8″ baking pan of almost-Havarti/Jarlsberg comfort.  Robusto!

8 oz. pasta shells, cooked and drained
1/2 cup Tofu-Cashew Ricotta cheese
1 cup cooked, cubed winter squash (I used pumpkin)
1/3 cup caramelized onions
3 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 Tablespoon “milk”
pinch turmeric
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions: In a blender, combine: Tofu-Cashew Ricotta, squash, onions, nutritional yeast, milk, and turmeric.  Blend until smooth.  Then, stir into cooked pasta – in a large mixing bowl.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease an 8″ x 8″ baking pan.  Pour the pasta mixture into the pan and bake for 30-45 minutes, or – until heated through.

Pre-baking topping suggestions:
– Mix 1/2 cup breadcrumbs with 2 tablespoons “butter,” and season with salt. 
– Parmesan “cheese.”
– Vegan “cheese.”
– Roasted broccoli (because it’s that good)

Makes: 4 servings 

A Very Un-Typical Lentil Soup With Root Vegetables

Since we’re currently stationed in Boulder, Colorado, I hit up a few of the very-nearby farm stands for some grocery staples this week.  Our first stop was at Munson Farms, a place that specializes in winter squash.  In order to fuel my semi-quenchable fall appetite our purchase included 1.5 mammoth-sized pumpkins (not those wimpy pumpkin pie types) and an acorn squash.  If you’re not in the mood for mammoth pumpkins, they also sell other types of winter squash, like: gourds, delicata, and butternut… among others.

After making pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin brownies, multiple pumpkin quiches (recipe coming soon!), pumpkin tacos with black bean salsa, and pumpkin and black bean soup (among others) – I still have half of a pumpkin left.  Overbought?  Surely, you jest.A short drive down the road is Cure Organic Farm.  Although this farm sells 100% certified organic fruit and vegetables, you can also find some local products like wool and honey here as well.  We parked for all the non-winter-squash items there, and purchased some golden beets and radish bunches.  Beets are typically on the sweeter side of the vegetable category, and can be seen roasted, pickled, grated into cake batter, baked for chips, and even made into gnocchi or pasta.  Radishes, on the other hand, are diagnosed into the split personality side of a vegetable: zesty when raw, mellow when cooked.  Think: pre-morning coffee, post-morning shower.  Although I like the root side of both of these veggies (which I use in the recipe below), I was mainly shopping for their greens to make my Fall Greens and Grain Salad with Acorn Squash.  Beet greens, like swiss chard, can play a major role as spinach substitute, and radish greens – with their peppery bite, work well as arugula stunt doubles.

The inspiration for my recipe below came from a post I found at Eating Well for a Moroccan Lentil and Cauliflower Soup.  I really liked the spice of the recipe, but had close to none of the ingredients that it called for – and then I got to work.  Incorporating the spice, I chopped and sautéed the veggies, added the lentils, stirred in the parsley and created this hearty soup; perfect for a crisp fall meal.

Note: I made this in my all-purpose cooker, which can easily switch from saute to steam to roast to slow cook by a matter of pressing buttons.  If you have one, use it for all of the steps in the recipe; cooking everything in one pot is the best flavor enhancer.  If you don’t have an all purpose cooker, no need to worry – I wrote the instructions below for you.  Bon appetit! 

Beet, Radish, and Cauliflower Lentil Soup

1/3 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic
1 Tablespoon oil
1 and 1/2 cup chopped radishes
1 cup chopped golden beets (peeled first)
1 cup lentils
7 cups water, divided
1 teaspoon grated ginger (or ginger paste)
1 and 1/4 teaspoon coriander
1 and 1/4 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
3-4 cups chopped cauliflower (around 1/2 head)
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh parsley – finely chopped
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions: place a large skillet over medium heat.  Add onion, garlic, and oil.  Saute until onion is tender.  Next, add radishes and beets to the pan and sauté until fork tender.  Transfer everything from the skillet to a slow cooker, turn dial to “Low” setting, and add: water, lentils, ginger, coriander, curry, and turmeric.  Cook on “Low” for 3-4 hours (or longer if you don’t mind a softer bean).  Add cauliflower to slow cooker and cook one hour.  Stir in parsley, season with salt and pepper, and serve.

Makes: 6 servings

Pumpkin Tacos with Black Bean Salsa

There are many paths that you can take with these tacos.  You can toss the pumpkin (or other winter squash!) with:

– 1/2 teaspoon curry powder, 2 Tablespoons parsley – chopped, and season with salt and pepper.
– 1/4 cup chopped cilantro and season with salt and pepper
– 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (or toasted cumin seeds) and season with salt and pepper
– 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin + 1/4 cup chopped cilantro and season with salt and pepper
– 1/2 teaspoon garam masala (yum!) and top with some mango chutney and roasted chickpeas

So, that last suggestion might be a future post; it’ll definitely be on a plate in my home at some point in the future.  I made the first version of pumpkin: tossed it with some curry powder, salt and pepper, and parsley – and, despite what might seem contradicting, served these with some fresh salsa – like the one below.  I ate one plain and another one topped with Sriracha.  So good. 

Chew away, dear friends. 

3 cups cooked pumpkin (cut into large chunks – I baked mine in the crockpot, although roasting would work really well here, too)
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
2 Tablespoons chopped parsley
2 Tablespoons sweet onion, minced
1 cup diced fresh tomato
1 cup cooked black beans
1 fresh garlic clove, smashed and chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
salt and pepper, to taste
tortillas – flour or corn – you’ll need around 9 or 10

Directions: In a medium bowl, toss pumpkin with curry powder, parsley, and season with salt and pepper.  In a separate medium bowl, combine onion, tomato, beans, garlic, cilantro, and season with salt and pepper.

Note: if the salsa seems too hot (as in: spicy), nuke it in the microwave a few minutes to cook the garlic and make it more mellow.

To serve: top tortilla with pumpkin chunks then salsa.  Fold.  Eat.  Use napkins.

Makes: at least 4 servings