roasted butternut squash soup

i love fall/winter and the veggies that come with the season.  it is the perfect weather for enjoying a cup of warm creamy soup.

this soup is so fall to me and super creamy but does not require any cream at all...

ingredients/supplies:
-2 medium/large butternut squash
-1 onion
-2 carrots
-2 celery stalks
-28 ounces of organic chicken or veggie stock (1 box - you may need a bit more than that but you can always add a touch of water)
-3 tablespoons of olive oil
-kosher salt and pepper to taste
-a splash of apple cider vinegar
-2 cookie sheets, 1 soup pot, a sharp chef's knife and cutting board, a blender, kitchen tongs, a spatula, a metal soup spoon, measuring spoons, and an oven

-prepping/chopping
-pre-heat oven to 420 with 2 cooking racks in the top positions
-wash the 2 squash and then cut the tip and tail off - leaving 2 flat surfaces (i only cut the tip off as my tail was very flat of both of mine)
-stand the squash on its tail and slowly press your chef's knife from the middle of the tip to the tail cutting the squash in 1/2...repeat with the 2nd squash

-with a soup spoon, scoop out seeds of all 4 pieces and discard
-place the squash on cookie sheets
-pour 1/2 a tablespoon of olive oil on each piece (skin side and flesh side) and sprinkle with salt

-wash, peel,  and chop carrots, celery and onion into similarly sized pieced

cooking:
-place the 2 cookie sheets with the seasoned squash in the oven and cook for about 20 mins (or until one side is roasted), then turn the squash and roast for another 20-30 mins or until soft
-place chopped carrots, celery,  and onion in a pan over medium-low heat with a tablespoon of olive oil

-cook veggies until the onions start to turn a bit translucent

-take the skin off of the squash with kitchen tongs and add to the veggies (it comes off so easily that you could do it with a fork if you don't have tongs)

-cover the veggies with stock and bring to a simmer for about 10-15 mins to blend the flavors

-blend to your desired texture...you may need to add a bit of water or stock to get the right balance creaminess

-add salt and pepper to taste

-at the very end add a splash of apple cider vinegar and stir  

to spice it up...i served this in a little mug with a touch of creme fraiche (just for color really as the soup totally does not need any dairy at all), a sprinkle of cayenne pepper, and some chives...cayenne is super nice in the creamy, buttery, roasted soup and a bit of spice is always nice...

enjoy!!!

asparagus soup

this soup screams spring to me...if you like asparagus...you will love it...

ingredients/supplies:
-2-3 bunches of organic asparagus (2 bunches if you are using thick stalks and 3 if they are a bit thinner - i recommend the thicker stalks if given a choice)
-1 small white or yellow onion (if it is a large onion - use only 1/2)
-1 shallot
-1 leek
-2 stalks of celery
-1 box (32oz) of organic, low sodium veggie or chicken broth (homemade broth or canned broth works too)
-1 tablespoon of olive oil
-salt and pepper to taste
-a dash of white vinegar
- you will need a blender or immersion blender, a soup pot, a knife, a vegetable peeler, and a cutting board...if you decide to use a few tips of the asparagus for decoration, you will also need a smaller pot for blanching the tips

prepping/chopping/cooking:

prep:
-rinse the leek and celery with water
-rinse the asparagus with water
-hold the tip of the asparagus with one hand and with the thumb of your other hand, run your thumb along the stalk until you find the natural breaking point of the end and discard it
-reserve a few asparagus tips by cutting the prettiest tips for decoration if you care to top the soup with the tips
-with the vegetable peeler, lightly peel the asparagus to remove the leaves (or spikes as i call them)
-put your pot (or pots -if you are using the tips for decoration) on the stove
-get your blender or immersion blender out

chop:
-chop the onion, celery, shallot and asparagus into 1/2 pieces - whatever shape you fancy as it will all be blended in the end
-chop the leek (first discarding the root) by chopping the white portion into rings (stop cutting at the point where the leek starts to turn light green - you will only use the white portion for this soup)

cook:
-heat the stove to medium heat and place the soup pot on the heat
-add the olive oil to the heated pot
-add the leek, celery, onion and shallot and saute until the colors turn bright and the onions look a bit translucent
-add the cut asparagus and add them to the veggies
-add the broth to just cover the veggies and stir
-lightly boil until the asparagus are tender
-if you wish to top the soup with the tips that you have set aside for decoration, you will blanch them by heating a bit of stalk in a small pot, bring the stalk to boil, and toss in the tips...boil just until the tips turn bright green, drain, and run the tips under cold water to stop the cooking process and set them aside (this process makes sure that the tips hold their color)
-use an immersion blender or blender to blend the soup to a smooth texture...you may need to add more broth to reach your desired creaminess
-add salt and pepper to taste
-add a dash of white vinegar and give a final stir

enjoy!

broccoli soup

this soup makes me happy...it reminds me of being a kid....

ingredients/supplies:

-2 heads of organic broccoli (if the head is larger - you may only need one)

-1 small white or yellow onion 

-2 small organic carrots

-2 stalks of organic celery

-1 box (32oz) of organic, low sodium veggie or chicken broth (homemade broth or canned broth works too)

-1 tablespoon of olive oil

-salt and pepper to taste

-dash of white vinegar

-you will need a blender or immersion blender, a soup pot, a knife and a cutting board

prepping/chopping/cooking:

prep:

-rinse the broccoli, carrot, and celery with water
-peel the carrots

-put your pot on the stove

-get your blender or immersion blender out

chop:

-chop the onion, celery, carrot into slices - whatever shape you fancy as it will all be blended in the end
-cut the broccoli off the main stalk into little flowers - or trees as they look to me
-cut the broccoli stalk into thin slices

cook:

-heat the stove to medium heat and place the pot on the heat

-add the olive oil to the heated pot

-add the carrot, celery, onion, and saute until the colors turn bright and the onions look a bit translucent

-add cut broccoli and stir together with the other veggies until the broccoli turns a bright green

-add broth just to cover veggies

-lightly boil until broccoli is tender

-use immersion blender or blender to blend to a smooth texture...you may need to add a bit more broth or water to achieve your desired texture...this is a matter of preference and play with it by adding a little more liquid at a time until you reach the smoothness you prefer. 

(if you are using a blender, make sure that you are careful when starting the blender as the steam will create a ton of pressure and the soup will explode all over you and your kitchen (and it hurts to be burned with hot soup) so make sure you are very firmly holding the lid on the blender before starting to blend)

-add salt and pepper to taste

-add a dash of white vinegar and give final stir

i topped ours with white cheddar cheese and served it for dinner....it was my low carb way of reliving my childhood love of hot broccoli soup with a white cheddar grilled sandwich.

enjoy!!

black bean soup

this soup can be super easy to make by buying organic canned black beans...or by making the beans from scratch...either way works to make a delicious soup that can be served as an entree with many fun fixings or as a starter or a side.....

ingredients/supplies:
5 cups of black beans (about 3 cans)
32 ounces of organic chicken or veggie broth
1 small onion
2 peeled small carrots
2 branches of celery
1 jalapeno
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (depending on how spicy you like it)
1 clove of garlic
1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
a small soup pot, a knife, a cutting board, and an immersion blender or regular blender

(optional fun topping ideas: cheese, green onions, chips, sour cream, creme fraiche, bacon, jalapenos, pico de gallo)

prepping/chopping/cooking:

prep/chop:
-chop onion
-wash, peel, and chop carrots
-wash and chop celery
-wash, deseed, devein, and chop jalapeno
-peel and chop 1 clove of garlic
-drain and rinse beans
-measure out cayenne pepper and set aside
-measure out apple cider vinegar and set aside
-preheat soup pot on medium heat
-put 2 tablespoons of oil in hot pan

cook:
-put onion, celery, carrot, garlic and jalapeno in the hot pan and saute, stirring frequently, until onions are a bit translucent
-add broth just to barely cover veggies and simmer until veggies are tender
-add beans, cayenne pepper and simmer for about 8 mins
-add salt and pepper to taste (probably about 2 teaspoons of salt)
-add apple cider vinegar right before blending
(you may need to add broth as you blend to get desired texture and consistency)

this recipe serves about 4 (this soup is excellent after living in the frig for a few days and reheated)....serve this with any fun toppings you can think of....

enjoy!

cauliflower soup

this yummy soup reminds me of potato leek soup minus the potato....

ingredients/supplies:
-2 heads of organic cauliflower (if the head is larger - you may only need one)
-1 small white or yellow onion (if it is a large onion - use only 1/2)
-1 shallot
-1 leek
-2 stalks of celery
-1 box (32oz) of organic, low sodium veggie or chicken broth (homemade broth or canned broth works too)
-1 tablespoon of olive oil
-salt and pepper to taste
-dash of white vinegar
-you will need a blender or immersion blender, a soup pot, a knife and a cutting board

prepping/chopping/cooking:

prep:
-rinse the leek and celery with water
-cut the cauliflower off the main stalk into little flowers - or trees as they look to me - and rinse with water
-put your pot on the stove
-get your blender or immersion blender out

chop:
-chop the onion, celery, shallot into slices - whatever shape you fancy as it will all be blended in the end
-chop the leek (first discarding the root) by chopping the white portion into rings until the leek starts to turn light green (this will be the only portion used for this soup)

cook:
-heat the stove to medium heat and place the pot on the heat
-add the olive oil to the heated pot
-add the leek, celery, onion, and shallot and saute until the colors turn bright and the onions look a bit translucent
-add cut cauliflower and stir together
-add broth just to cover veggies
-lightly boil until cauliflower is tender
-use immersion blender or blender to blend to a smooth texture (if you are using a blender, make sure that you are careful when starting the blender as the steam will create a ton of pressure and the soup will explode all over you and your kitchen (and it hurts to be burned with hot soup) so make sure you are very firmly holding the lid on the blender before starting to blend)
-add salt and pepper to taste
-add a dash of white vinegar and give final stir

top with cheese (i love it with a bit of parmigiano) or truffle oil or bacon or just plain...

enjoy!