Coconut Curry Pumpkin Soup

I know it has been a while my friends but life has been very busy with two little ones and lots more.  I have tried lots of recipes and I need to get better at posting my favourites.  Our garden was wonderful this year and I have been trying lots of new ways to use up the various squash and pumpkins we grew this year.  I have also found my new favourite type of pumpkin.  It's colour is amazing, I love it's shape, I love how easy it is to prepare for baking and most importantly it has a wonderful flavour!  For those of you who garden as well I got the seeds from Renee's Garden and they are called Cinderella's Carriage Antique French Pumpkins.

I had some leftover pumpkin puree from making some other delicious pumpkin recipes (I will try to post them soon) and needed to make dinner so I decided on a curried pumpkin soup I came across a while back.  This soup turned out amazing.  Everybody loved it. My husband even said he was sorry he didn't have to take lunch in to work tomorrow because he loves it when his coworkers comment on how wonderful his lunches smell when he heats them up in the office kitchen.

 Coconut Curry Pumpkin Soup

1/4 cup butter

1 large onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced

3 cups chicken stock

1 tbsp curry powder

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 cups pumpkin puree

1 can coconut milk

1. In a heavy bottomed stock pan, melt the butter and sauté the onions until they begin to brown.  
2. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant.
3. Add the stock, salt and spices and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and allow this to simmer covered for 20 minutes to deepen the flavour of the broth.
4. Add the pumpkin and coconut milk and blend using an immersion blender or in batches in a regular blender.
5. Allow the soup to reach desired temperate before serving.

This soup goes well with a biscuit to help clean the bowl with.  I found a great Apple Cheddar biscuit recipe I made along with it.

Curried Pumpkin Soup

Growing up my aunt and uncle would have a big pumpkin carving party at their house and one of my favourite things about this party was enjoying my aunt's curried pumpkin soup.  It was always so flavourful and creamy.  I still had some pumpkins to use up so I thought I would make a batch now that  the colder weather has come to stay.  I was having some friends over and found a dairy free recipe so everyone could eat it.  The blend of spices in this recipe were wonderful, especially on the second day.
If you are new to cooking with pumpkins, the best ones to get are the proper sugar or baking pumpkins as they are tastier than the other varieties.

Curried Pumpkin Soup

2 onions, diced

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and minced

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1/8 tsp ground cardamin 

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp dried hot red pepper flakes (more if desired)

4 cups pureed sugar pumpkin pulk

4 cups water

1 1/2 cups vegetable broth

1 can coconut milk

1. Cook onions in olive oil over a medium-low temperature, stirring occasionally, until they are tender.  Add the garlic and ginger and stir for 1 minute.  Add the spices and continue stirring for another minute.
2. Add the pepper flakes, pumpkins, water, broth and coconut milk.  Allow the soup to simmer over low heat for half an hour, stirring occasionally. 
3. Use a blender to puree the soup in batches.

Curried Zucchini Soup

Zucchini season is here and they are growing like crazy.  Now it is time to try all those recipes I have saved on my desktop or found in a cookbook so over the year.  I think we get enough zucchinis during the season that I don't go out of my way to buy them when they are not in season.  Plus if I don't have enough time to make use of them before I get the next batch off the vine then I will freeze them for soups, sauces and muffins to use throughout the year.
I came across this recipe for a soup that could be serve hot or cold and figured it would be worth a try.  I don't think I would have thought to use curry powder with zucchini on my own.  I really enjoyed the flavour of this soup.  It is a nice and straight forward recipe that does not require too much prep time which is a bonus in my books.

Curried Zucchini Soup

1 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp curry powder

1 large or 2 medium zucchinis, sliced

1. In a large saucepan, over medium heat, add the oil and onion.  Stir occasionally, until the onion is soft (about 4-5 minutes).  Add the garlic and curry powder, stirring constantly until it is fragrant.
2. Add the zucchini and add enough water to cover the zucchini.  Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat, simmering the zucchini until it is tender.
3. Using a blender or an immersion blender, puree the soup and then serve at your desired temperature.

Creamy Ginger Carrot Soup

I think ginger and carrot go so well together.  I am alway looking for new recipes to blend these two ingredients.  I do not usually make many soups in the warmer weather so while the soup seasons (3 of the four seasons where I live are cold enough for soup) is coming to an end I thought I would try this recipe.  I really liked the result and think it would be a great soup to use as a starter for a dinner party.  It tastes great fresh but it is really nice the next day once the flavours begin to mature.  It freezes well so if you want to make a big batch and save some for later, I am sure you won't be disappointed when you defrost it at a later date.

Creamy Ginger Carrot Soup

1 tbsp unsalted butter

1 spanish onion, coarsely chopped

2 lbs carrots, in 2 inch lengths

pinch of ground cinnamon

8 cups chicken stock

2 tsp fresh ginger root

1/2 c heavy cream

chopped fresh parsley or chives to garnish

1. Place a heavy bottomed stockpot over medium heat and when it is hot, add the butter.  Once the butter has melted, add the onions and carrots.  Cook until they are tender and lightly coloured, about 10-15 minutes.
2. Add the cinnamon, ginger and stock. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat allowing it to simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Remove the solids and place them in a blender. While blending, gradually add the cooking liquid and heavy cream.  
4. To serve, garnish with extra heavy cream and some herbs.

Moroccan Style Vegetable Stew

I love all the different spices in the recipe and how well they combine together.  I think this is the first time I have had raisins in a soup, I was sceptical as to how it would turn out but the stew was wonderful.  All my guests really enjoyed it.
This is a nice and flexible recipe that allows you to make omissions, substitutions and additions as you please based on what you have available to you and your likes.

Moroccan Style Vegetable Stew

2 tbsp olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
1 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock
1 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cardamon
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground or grated nutmeg
pinch of ground cloves
1 small butternut squash, peeled
1 large baking potato
3 carrots
1/4 cup raisins
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium zucchini
1 can chick peas
1/3 halved and pitted black olives
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup chopped parsley or cilantro
3 tsp fresh lemon juice
several drops of hot pepper sauce

1. Heat a large dutch oven to medium heat and add the oil.  Once it is warm, add the onions and cook them until they have softened.
2. Stir in the stock and simmer until the onions are very tender, about 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile in a large bowl, mix the cumin, chill powder, cardamon, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.
4. Cut the squash, potato, carrots and zucchini into bite size pieces.
5.  Toss the squash and potatoes with the spice mixture.
6. Add the vegetables into the onion and broth mixture, along with the carrots, raisins, garlic and cloves.  Bring to a simmer and then reduce the heat to medium low.  Cover first with a sheet of aluminum foil and then with the lid.  Simmer gently until the vegetables are completely tender.
7. Add the zucchini, chickpeas, olives, salt and pepper. Simmer, uncovered until the zucchini is tender (about 10 minutes).
8. Stir in the parsley, lemon juice and hot pepper sauce.
9. Serve.

Velvety Coconut Soup

I was having some friends over for dinner and one of them had given me a cookbook for Christmas.  I thought it would be nice to choose a recipe out of the cookbook to make for dinner.  This was the first recipe that caught my eye and it went well as a starter for the other dishes I was planning on making for the night.
The soup was amazing, everybody wanted more.  If you are making it for 8 people, I suggest you make a double batch (I am glad I did).  If you want to make enough for two nights but want a different flavour for the next night, just add a bit of curry powder in with it.  It freezes well and is one you can make in advance.
Enjoy!

Velvety Coconut Soup

1/2 butternut squash
2 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1 medium onion, diced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, chopped
1 tsp butter
1 apple, peeled and diced
1 cup coconut milk
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/2 tsp ground cardamon
salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 375.
2. Gut the squash and brush it with olive oil.  Place the garlic inside the squash.  Cover the squash with aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet in the oven for 20 - 25 minutes.
3. In a saucepan, sauté  the onion and ginger in butter over medium heat.
4. Add the apple to the mixture and simmer for a few minutes.
5. Scoop out the cooked butternut squash flesh and mash it with a fork.  Add it to the saucepan.
6. Mix the coconut milk and chicken stock together before pouring it into the saucepan.
7. Season with the cardamon, salt and pepper. 
8. *Optional* Use a blender to puree the soup.
9. Simmer for about 15 minutes before serving.

Roasted Tomato and Eggplant Soup

Last year I had a huge harvest of tomatoes, I had more than I could eat reasonably so I decided to freeze them.  I still had one bag left in the freezer so I set out to find a recipe to use them up.  I came across this one from good old Martha Stewart and decided to give it a try.
I made a couple of changes to her recipe so I will let you know what I did differently. Her recipe calls for plum tomatoes but I used at least four different types in mine and it worked wonderfully.  I will use the recipe again in the future when I am trying to figure out what to do with a surplus of tomatoes.  She also does not puree the eggplant mixture but I prefer a blended soup.  Martha also suggest sprinkling some fresh cilantro on the top of it along with a rustic bread.  I served mine with beer bread and it was great!

3 lbs tomatoes (about 12) cut in half and cored
1/2 lb carrots, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
10 garlic cloves
4 tbsp olive oil
Coarse ground salt and pepper
1 large eggplant (about 1 1/2 lbs) cut into 3/4 inch chunks
1 can chickpeas, drained and washed
2 tsp curry powder

1. Preheat the oven to 425.
2. On a rimmed baking pan place tomatoes (cut side down), garlic and carrots. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle 2 tbsp of olive oil over top.
3. On a second rimmed baking pan place the chick peas and eggplant.  Drizzle over remaining olive oil and add the salt, pepper and curry powder on top.
4. Roast until tender, tossing the vegetables half way through.  It should take about 45 minutes.
5. Peel off the tomato skins and discard the tomato skins.
6. In a blender combine the ingredients in batches.  Blend until it reaches your desired consistency. 
7. After you have blended each batch put it into a large pot.  Once you have added all the ingredients thin the soup with water until it reaches the thickness you prefer.
8. Simmer and season with any additional spices.

West African Vegetable Stew

One of the girls I group up with and I have started to cook together once a week to try out some new recipes and techniques.  The was a recipe she picked out for us to make and it turned out so nice.  It was very nice served over quinoa.

West African Vegetable Stew

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cups onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch half slices
1 large tomato, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup water
1 can chick peas, rinsed and drained
4 cups coarsely chopped spinach or kale

1.  Heat oil in skillet. Add onion and garlic. Cook until onion is tender.
2. Add potatoes and tomatoes. Cook 5 minutes. 
3. Add raisins, cinnamon, red pepper, broth and water. Heat to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat 15 minutes.  
4. Add chickpeas and spinach/kale. Heat through. 
5. Serve over cooked rice or couscous, if desired.

Rosemary and Chickpea Soup

I am always looking for new ways to use chickpeas as I am not a big fan of meat.  I was happy to find this recipe because I have a lot of fresh rosemary in my garden and I love to use it in my cooking.  This was an easy soup to make and fairly mild.  If you like spice I would add more red pepper flakes.  This is a fairly thick soup if you make it following the recipe I have posted but if you would prefer a thinner one, simply add more broth or water to it.

Rosemary and Chickpea Soup

3 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for garnish

8 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves, minced

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

3 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

4 cups chick broth

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

sea salt

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add the rosemary, garlic and pepper flakes.  Stir constantly until the garlic begins to brown.
2. Add the chickpeas and continue to cook for about two minutes, stirring continuously.
3. Add the broth and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
5. Puree the soup with an immersion blender or in a stand blender.
6. Stir in lemon juice and sea salt (to taste).
7. Drizzle with olive oil and some extra pepper flakes when you serve.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Butternut squash is one of my preferred guards and I had a big one to use up so I thought I would look for a new recipe.  I came across this one and it worked out well because I already had most of these items in my fridge.  I am glad I decided to make a double batch, I am looking forward to enjoying some on an evening where cooking is the last thing on my mind.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

1 small butternut squash, peeled and chunked

2 leeks, cut into small chunks

4 celery ribs, cut into small chunks

1 red onion, peeled and cut into small chunks

2 large carrots, cut into chunks

2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp cloves

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp ginger

2 bay leaves

1/4 tsp thyme

1/4 tsp rosemary

1/4 cup maple syrup

6 cups vegetable stock

1 tsp cider vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place the butternut squash, leeks, celery, onion, carrots, garlic, olive oil, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves in a large bowl and toss until evenly mixed.
3. Spread the vegetables on a large greased baking sheet and roast for 25min, or until browned.
4. Transfer the vegetable mixture to a large pot and add the bay leaf, thyme, rosemary, maple syrup, vegetable stock and cider vinegar.
5. Bring to a boil then lower the heat and simmer for 30min or until the vegetables are tender.
6. Remove from heat and remove the bay leaf. Puree until smooth and strain to remove any chunks if desired.
7. Return to the heat adjusting the consistency with water if required and adding salt and pepper to taste.

Roasted Tomato Soup

I love to make soups in the fall, they are so easy and a great way to warm up on a chilly day.  Soups are also so easy to make and freeze well so you don't have to eat the whole pot at once.  This year we probably had close to fifteen tomato plants in our backyard that turned into more of a tomato hedge.  I had so many to use up I thought that making a soup would be a great way to use up the tomatoes and enjoy them when we can no longer eat them fresh off the vine.  Plus I love tomato soup.  It makes me think of rainy days spent at my Grandma's house when I was growing up.  This isn't her recipe but any tomato soup brings back the memories.
This is an easy recipe to make and one you can do while making something else for dinner.  It has a lovely flavour to it and a wonderful thick consistency.  If you prefer a thinner soup simply add more stock to it.

Roasted Tomato Soup

5 large tomatoes, cut into 3/4" slices1 onion, cut into 1/2" slices1/2 jalapeno, cut in half lengthwise, seeded2 bell peppers, seeded, cut into 4 piecesolive oil1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika1/2 teaspoon garlic powder3/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)freshly ground black pepper2 cups vegetable broth1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (plus additional cheese for garnishing)few tablespoons of heavy cream or creme fraiche (optional)

1. Preheat your oven to 375.  On cookie sheets or in a roasting pan place the vegetables and sprinkle with olive oil.  Roast them for 20 to 30 minutes.
2. Blend the roasted vegetables in a standard blender and add them to a pot.  Add the remaining ingredients.  If you are using an immersion hand blender add all the ingredients into the pot and then blend.  
3. Bring the soup to a boil and then serve.  Garnish with parmesan cheese and or cream if you desire.

Roasted Carrot Soup

I have always found going back to school a really busy time trying to adapt to the new schedule.  The past couple of years I have started to try and make a pot of soup a week so I can take it with me for lunch or on a busy night I can have it for dinner.  This was the first pot I have made for the year and it turned out marvelously so I thought I would share the recipe.

Roasted Carrot Soup

Preheat your oven to 400.
Wash and cut up 5 pounds of carrots. (I cut them into about 3 inch peices)
Cut 2 large onions into chunks.
Place the vegetables in a large roasting pan and drizzle with olive oil.
Sprinkle the vegetables with 2 Tbsp of vegetable seasoning.
Place the pan in the oven to roast for an hour, tossing the vegetables a few times.
Prepare 8 cups of Bouillon
In batches puree the vegetables together with the bouillon.

It makes roughly 12 cups of a thick soup.  If you prefer a thinner soup just add more bouillon.  You could also add some ginger, garlic and turnip if you wanted.

Roasted Cauliflower Soup

When I was at the farmer's market the other day there was a great deal on some cauliflower that was close to expiring so I decided to grab some to make some soup.  I enjoy making soups because the leftovers freeze well and make great lunches.
2 heads cauliflower
3 cloves garlic
2 shallots
2 tbsp olive oil
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
1 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
2 cups heavy cream

1. Preheat the oven to 425 F.
2. Cut cauliflower into 1-inch flowerets (about 10 cups). In a large baking pan toss cauliflower, garlic, and shallots with oil to coat and roast in middle of oven about 30 minutes, or until golden.
3. In a 4-quart kettle simmer broth, water, roasted cauliflower mixture, and herbs 30 minutes, or until cauliflower is very tender. 
4. Discard bay leaf and in a blender puree soup in batches until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids), transferring to a bowl. 
5. Return soup to kettle and stir in cream and salt and pepper to taste. Heat soup over moderate heat until just heated through.

The original recipe can be seen here.

Velvety Coconut Soup

I love making soups for so many reasons! They are a great comfort food and I love making something that I can eat on several occasions.  I invested in some great corning ware containers that have good lids on them so when I make a batch of soup I will freeze some.  This way on days when I am not in the mood to pack a lunch or if I don't have the time to make a meal I can just grab one out of the freezer.  My husband will often take a couple to keep stashed in his work freezer for when he forgets his lunch.

This recipe is from a cookbook a friend gave me and so I made a point of choosing a recipe to cook from it when I had her over for dinner.  It was amazing fresh and when I ate some of the leftovers the next day it had a richer flavour to it.

Velvety Coconut Soup

1/2 butternut squash 

2 tbsp olive oil

3 garlic cloves

1 medium onion, diced

1 tbsp fresh ginger

1 tsp butter

1 apple peeled and diced

1 cup coconut milk

1-1/2 cups chicken stock

salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 tsp ground cardamon

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Scoop out the strings and seeds of the butternut squash.  Brush the squash with oil and place garlic inside.  
3. Place butternut squash on a baking sheet and cover with aluminum foil.  Bake for 20-25 minutes until very tender.
4. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, saute onion and ginger in butter over medium heat.  Add apple to the mixture and simmer for a few minutes.
5. Scoop out the cooked flesh of the butternut squash and mash with a fork. Add to saucepan
6. mix together the coconut milk and chicken stock.  Pour into the saucepan.
7. Season with salt, pepper and cardamom.
8. Simmer soup for about 15 minutes.