J's Onion Soup

Well not only have I been a bit obsessed with soup lately, Brett and I have both been fighting a nasty cold that doesn't seem to want to go away. So soup has been an even bigger part of our lives lately.

Nothing feels better on a sore throat than a flavorful, brothy soup. At least that is how I feel.

I wanted something simple, tasty, and that would also do the trick. I've never been much of a chicken noodle girl (or a "No Chicken Noodle" girl as it now stands), and I really love the taste of caramelized onions, so I thought I'd give this a shot.

It turned out good - darn good, and it was easy to make, and that is the only tolerable cooking that can be done when sick. Not that I don't like quick and easy meals on a good day though either...

Anyways, check it out.


















The local booty legend (aka revealing my sources):
no asterisk = grocery store
+ = local produce from The Root Cellar
++ = The Peace Nook (will denote whether product is local or just from the Nook)
* = farmer's market
** = CSA
*** = Container or Community Garden
**** = the non-profit buying club, Blue Planet or Purcell Mountain Farms

J's Onion Soup

Mushroom Broth:
1 package portobello mushrooms
1 yellow onion, halved
5 cloves of garlic, crushed
2-3 tbsp Earth Balance or butter
6 cups water

Melt EB or butter in pot over medium-high heat.

Add the mushrooms and onion and cook until they begin to caramelize, about 15 minutes. Add the garlic and cook an additional 10 minutes.

Add the water and simmer over low heat for about an hour.

Strain broth with a wire mesh strainer. Reserve at least 3 cups.

Rest of the Soup:
2 tbsp safflower oil
2 red onions, peeled and sliced
2 yellow onions, peeled and sliced
6 cloves of garlic, peeled
salt
pepper

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until they begin to soften and caramelize, about 15-20 minutes. Add the garlic and cook an additional 5 minutes.

Transfer to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Add the mushroom broth in batches until it is at your desired consistency.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Very simple, very good.

J's Songs of the Day:
Japura River - Philip Glass
Paru River - Philip Glass

'Til next time.

Southwestern Lentil and Veggie Bisque

I've been on a soup kick for quite some time now, so nobody should be surprised that this is...yet another soup post.

I have been into trying out smooth soups lately, perfecting the arduous process of pressing everything through a wire mesh strainer feels like quite an accomplishment when you get a beautiful tasty soup in the end. And it is a good arm workout.

So without further fanfare...


















The local booty legend (aka revealing my sources):
no asterisk = grocery store
+ = local produce from The Root Cellar
++ = The Peace Nook (will denote whether product is local or just from the Nook)
* = farmer's market
** = CSA
*** = Container or Community Garden
**** = the non-profit buying club, Blue Planet or Purcell Mountain Farms

Southwestern Lentil and Veggie Bisque

1 cup green lentils, rinsed
water

2-3 tbsp safflower oil
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped *
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped *
4 New Mexico chiles, seeded and chopped (red if you can get 'em) *
1 red onion, sliced
1 yellow onion, sliced **
3 red potatoes, scrubbed and cubed *
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup sweet corn
1 tomato, cored and chopped **
5 cloves of garlic, peeled
1/2 cup veggie broth
1/4 cup cilantro *
cumin to taste
salt to taste
pepper to taste

Put lentils in a small sauce pan and fill with water.

Bring to a boil and simmer until done, about 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat oil over medium-high heat and saute peppers, onions, potatoes, carrot, and corn until they begin to soften, about 15-20 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and garlic and cook for an additional ten minutes.

Tranfer veggies to a blender or food processor and puree. Add the veggie broth and cilantro. Slowly add the lentils (with cooking liquid) in small batches and puree until smooth.

Over a large soup pot, smash the mixture through a wire mesh strainer.

The resulting soup should be very smooth.

Season to taste with cumin, salt, and pepper.

This was a really tasty soup and quite filling too!

I will be working on updating the recipe index this evening, as well as responding to the comments I have been neglecting (I suck sometimes).

I hope everyone is have a great weekend!

'Til next time.

Roasted Onion, Garlic, and White Bean Bisque

More soup!

I have been wanting something creamy and tasty, but not heavy. I watched an episode of Iron Chef recently where they made French Onion soup and that got my mind to working. I have never had traditional French Onion soup, so I am not sure what it is supposed to taste like. I also need to figure out how to make it vegetarian. But I loved the idea of a mild savory soup flavored with onions, as they have an excellent taste and this is what I came up with:

















The local booty legend (aka revealing my sources):
no asterisk = grocery store
+ = local produce from The Root Cellar
++ = The Peace Nook (will denote whether product is local or just from the Nook)
* = farmer's market
** = CSA
*** = Container or Community Garden
**** = the non-profit buying club, Blue Planet or Purcell Mountain Farms

Roasted Onion, Garlic, and White Bean Bisque
2 red onions, peeled
2 yellow onions, peeled *
1 bulb garlic, 1/2 inch of the top removed
1 cup white beans, soaked overnight and cooked
2 1/2 cups veggie broth (homemade if possible) *
dash oregano
dash basil
salt
pepper
safflower oil

Preheat oven to 400.

Cover onions and garlic evenly with oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast in the oven for about 30 minutes, turning the onions half way through cooking.

In a blender, puree the beans and veggie broth.

Once veggies are roasted, add those to the bean mixture and blend until very smooth.

Transfer to a large soup pot and season to taste.

We ate this with some of the DanJo Farms foccacia cut into breadsticks and toasted in the oven. So flippin' tasty!

'Til next time!

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

Not long ago, I was not a huge fan of the idea of soup during summer. It seemed to boggle my mind as to why someone would want to eat something hot, while it is hot.

Not too long ago, I got the craving for soup and made a recipe for the cookbook and it turned out that I actually loved soup in the summer. I like to eat light in the summer, I hate being really full when it is hot and humid outside, and soup is a great option and a way to take advantage of all the veggies of summer.

And who doesn't like tomato soup? I've always been a huge fan of tomato soup, but I think I have outgrown the ability to eat Campbell's canned soups. Especially with all the gorgeous tomatoes available at the farmer's market. So I decided to try my hand at making a home-made tomato soup and it wasn't bad at all. In fact, it was pretty darn tasty!


(Sorry for the crummy picture.)

The local booty legend (aka revealing my sources):
no asterisk = grocery store
+ = local produce from The Root Cellar
++ = The Peace Nook (will denote whether product is local or just from the Nook)
* = farmer's market
** = CSA
*** = Container or Community Garden
**** = the non-profit buying club, Blue Planet or Purcell Mountain Farms

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup
6 red tomatoes, cored **
1 heirloom tomato (we used a pink variety), cored *
1 yellow onion, skin removed **
1 head of garlic, top removed to expose some of the garlic clove
3-4 tbsp. canola oil
salt
pepper
1 cup veggie broth
1 cup non-dairy or cow's milk
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped ***

Preheat oven to 400.

Drizzle oil over tomatoes, onion, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper.

Roast for about 30 minutes, turning the onion about halfway through. Be watchful, you don't want to overcook the tomato.

Peel garlic cloves and transfer the veggies and veggie broth to a blender or food process. Blend until very smooth.

Strain mixture through a wire mesh strainer into a small pan on medium heat on the stove. (We fed the left over pulp that remained after straining to the worms, and they liked it!)

Add the milk and basil and heat through.

Serve with crackers, bread, or the classic grilled cheese sandwich.

Yum!

'Til next time!

Hubbard Squash and Potato Soup with Roasted Garlic, Caramelized Red Onions, and Fresh Parsley

I go through our "stash" of winter squash each week to pull out anything that either needs to be used or catches my eye for use during that week. Late last week when I was going through the squash, I chose the mini hubbard squash. I decided I wanted to make soup out of it (big surprise) but I wanted to do something a little special. I don't cook with fresh herbs a lot, I don't really know why, but I found some fresh parsley at The Root Cellar and this soup came together for a delicious and satisfying soup and bread night.

I promise I plan to make more than just creamy smooth soups, we've just been on a ciabatta kick lately, and to be honest, I'm not sure what to serve with a chunky soup. But I have lots of ideas for the soup itself. Any pairing suggestions would be much appreciated.

Anyways, this soup came together surprisingly quickly. By the time the squash and potatoes were done boiling, the garlic was roasted and cooled, and the onions were caramelized, so all in all, this is about a 45 minute dinner. Not too shabby. And as always, this makes about 6 or so cups, I take the leftovers to work with me during the week for yummy lunches.















The local booty legend (aka revealing my sources):
no asterisk = grocery store
+ = The Root Cellar
++ = The Peace Nook
* = farmer's market
** = CSA
*** = Container or Community Garden
**** = the non-profit buying club, Blue Planet or Purcell Mountain Farms

Hubbard Squash and Potato Soup with Roasted Garlic, Caramelized Red Onions, and Fresh Parsley

Squash and Taters:
1 mini hubbard squash, halved, peeled, seeded and chopped (about 4 cups)*
2 medium new potatoes (or other brown or yellow potato), peeled and cubed *
4 cups of water
1 veggie bouillon cube (you could just use 4 cups veg broth)

Combine ingredients in a large pot. Boil until squash and potatoes are tender, about 35 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes.

Caramelized Red Onions:
1 large red onion, sliced +
2 tbsp safflower oil
dried basil
dried thyme
garlic powder
salt

Heat safflower oil in a small pan over medium heat.

Add the onions and sprinkle the seasonings on.

Stir-fry until onions are golden brown, about 10 minutes.

The Rest of the Stuff:
1 small bulb of garlic, roasted +
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped +
3 cups plain hemp milk ++
salt
pepper

Blend everything in a food processor until very smooth. Return to large pot (used for squash and potatoes) and heat through.

I love soup and bread night. This weekends soup and bread night will feature yet another creamy soup - this is a trial run of the soup I would like to make for my family over Thanksgiving (I will be making a mostly local veg*n spread!).

'Til next time.

Spicy Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash Soup

Each week, we have a routine of going through our paper bag filled with community garden tomatoes in various stages of ripening, as well as through our winter squash "stash" to pull out anything that needs to be eaten. After getting an "inventory" as to the ingredients we have at home to work with, I can then plan our weekly menu. This week, on top of all those tomatoes you saw in the Weekly Local Booty Update, we also had a butternut (from our community garden) and a delicata squash (from the farmer's market) to work with. The delicata is reserved for a meal later in the week. The butternut was featured in this week's installment of "soup and bread" night, also informally known as Saturday night. :-)

After last week's thick soup, I decided another thick, hearty soup was in order seeing that it has gotten a lot more seasonal (aka cold) this week. This was a very easy soup to make - which was a good thing, I spent all of Saturday doing gardening work, baking, and doing some dishes. Poor Brett was inundated with homework. Sunday, when I should have been cleaning the apartment, I watched football instead. Brett worked on more homework, and watched a full game and part of the evening game with me. I hope everyone had as lovely of a weekend as I did.

Now, enough of the small talk, on to the pictures and recipe!















The local booty legend:
no asterisk = grocery store
+ = The Root Cellar
* = farmer's market
** = CSA
*** = Container or Community Garden
**** = the non-profit buying club, Blue Planet or Purcell Mountain Farms

Spicy Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash Soup

1 medium butternut squash, halved, seeds and "innards" removed, peeled and cubed ***
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed *
1 red onion, quartered +
4 cloves of garlic, peeled +
3 dried cayenne peppers, stems removed and seeded ***
4 cups of water
ground cumin
ground coriander
pepper
salt

Combine butternut, sweet potato, onion, garlic, peppers, and water in a large pot.

Simmer for 30-35 minutes, or until veggies are very soft.

Let cool for a few minutes.

Transfer to a food processor and add cumin and coriander.

Blend until very smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.

This went really well with some crusty bread. I love how sweet, spicy and creamy this soup turned out. So yummy!

'Til next time.

Leek and Potato Soup!

After last week's delicata squash soup, and my first (and very pleasant) experience using leeks in soup, Leek and Potato Soup was mentioned a couple of times in the comment section of that soup post. Now, I had never had leek and potato soup, but with everyone raving about it, I decided that would be the "soup of the week" for last weekend (I am a little behind on posts). As you can see from last week's Local Booty Update, we had all the necessary ingredients, so last Sunday, I concocted a tasty Leek and Potato Soup. I must agree, so far, out of all the soups I've tried, this is the best one. And it is so simple too!

My only complaint was that it turned out a little thicker than we like our soup, so next time, I will add more liquid. With the weather cooling down here in Mid-Missouri again, I am really looking forward to soup, salad, and bread night this weekend; I have another soup idea in the works!















The local booty legend:
no asterisk = grocery store
+ = The Root Cellar
* = farmer's market
** = CSA
*** = Container or Community Garden
**** = the non-profit buying club, Blue Planet or Purcell Mountain Farms

Leek and Potato Soup
4 medium new potatoes (or other yellow potatoes), peeled and cubed *
3 large leeks, sliced (white and light green parts) *
4 cloves of garlic, peeled *
1 tbsp Earth Balance
1 veggie bouillon cube
4 cups of water
1 cup of plain hempmilk
salt
pepper

In a medium pot, melt Earth Balance over medium heat. Add leeks and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes.

Add the potatoes, veggie bouillon, and water. Cook for 30-35 minutes or until potatoes are very soft.

Allow mixture to cool a little bit.

Transfer to a food processor and blend until very smooth. Add hempmilk and blend again.

Return to the pot on the stove and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Enjoy with a loaf of crusty (preferably local) bread!

Yummy, yummy, yummy!

Well, I have some baking and indoor gardening adventures in the works for this weekend, so I am pretty stoked that it is Friday. I'll be back tomorrow with the weekly local booty update, sadly, I also believe that tomorrow is the last weekend of the local farmer's market for the season. :-( However, The Root Cellar is overloaded with local produce and will be for at least a month or so. Then, there will be some staples, so we'll see how well we meet our goals for local eating this winter.

Happy Friday everyone!

'Til next time.

B's "Cheesy" Delicata Squash and Potato Soup

We had another "soup night" over this past weekend and I must say, for a "theoretical" soup, this turned out oh so well. The idea for this soup was Brett's. He thought that delicata squash tastes ever-so-slightly "cheesy" and that it would make a great "cheesy" style soup. Boy was he right. I helped "fill in the details" of the recipe and did the actual preparation, but the overall idea was most definitely his.

Now, I've only made soup at home a couple of times, and am fairly new to the whole thing, but this was by far our favorite yet, and it was so creamy and tasty. It was like chili too - even better the next day.

This was also my first experience cooking with leeks. I've had leeks before, but have never purchased one to cook with. All I can say is that when it comes to soup, onions better watch themselves, they've got some competition from the leeks.

I think soup and local crusty bread are becoming a Saturday tradition. I am going to have to expand our soup repertoire so we don't get burnt out on any one kind. Soup varieties in the works: Pumpkin Soup, Minestrone, Some Bean Soup (hopefully I'll come up with a better name), and Leek and Potato Soup. And these are just the ideas I've had so far. I see many cold, blustery Saturday evenings made better by tasty homemade soup and local Uprise Bakery bread this winter.

Anywho...

The local booty legend:
no asterisk = grocery store
+ = The Root Cellar
* = farmer's market
** = CSA
*** = Container or Community Garden
**** = the non-profit buying club, Blue Planet or Purcell Mountain Farms















You know, soup is flippin' hard to get a good picture of. Especially light colored soups!

"Cheesy" Delicata Squash and Potato Soup
1 delicata squash, halved with seeds and stringy parts discarded *
2 large carola (or yukon gold) potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks *
1 leek, sliced (white parts only) *
2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped *
1 tbsp safflower oil
1 cup plain hempmilk
1 cup water
4 tbsp nutritional yeast (nooch)
1-2 tsp ground mustard
1 tbsp shoyu (or other soy sauce)
a couple of dashes of dried basil
black pepper
salt

Preheat oven to 400.

Spray delicata halves with safflower or other oil spray.

Place cut side up in a baking dish. Roast for 40-50 minutes or until really soft. Let cool.

Meanwhile, heat a medium pot of water on the stove top. Add the potatoes and simmer until soft, about 30 minutes. Drain water.

Heat safflower oil in a small skillet. Add the leeks and garlic and cook for about 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently.

Scoop delicata flesh into a food processor. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until really smooth.

Return to the stove and simmer for an additional 10-15 minutes.

Serve with warm, crusty bread!

Oh my goodness, I never thought soup could be this good.

'Til next time.

Roasted Butternut and Garlic Soup with Caramelized Onions

With the evenings beginning to get chilly, soups have started to sound good. Neither Brett or I have ever really been "soup people" but I think it is due to bad experiences with canned soups. I've had a few homemade soups and have enjoyed them, but never really anything from a can. With the soup craving taking hold and a stash of butternut squash from our community garden plot hanging out in our closet, things fell in to place for a soup, salad, and bread night.

I've seen many recipes for a flavorful, warm, slightly sweet butternut squash soup - which I will be trying out quite soon - but I wanted something more savory and creamy. So this is what I came up with! Both Brett and I really enjoyed this soup - so much so that it is jumping straight on to J and B's Favorite Recipes.

The local booty legend:
no asterisk = grocery store
+ = The Root Cellar
* = farmer's market
** = CSA
*** = Container or Community Garden
**** = the non-profit buying club, Blue Planet or Purcell Mountain Farms















The soup looking, well, like soup with some extra caramelized onions on top.















The loaf of local ciabatta (from Uprise Bakery) sliced up. We dipped the bread in our soup and also had a salad using the lovely head of lettuce we got in our CSA last week (I forgot to get a picture of the salad). We topped the salads with Annie's Tuscany Italian dressing. We need to use it up, but once it is gone, I will be making my own dressings.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Garlic Soup with Caramelized Onions
1 large butternut squash, halved with seeds and stringy insides scooped out and discarded ***
1 bulb of garlic, 1/4 inch of the top cut off *
2 vidalia onions, thinly sliced *
1-2 tbsp safflower oil
3 cups of hot water
2 veggie bouillon cubes
dried basil (to taste)
sage (to taste)
black pepper (to taste)
salt (to taste)

Preheat oven to 400.

Place butternut halves skin side down on a baking dish.

Roast in oven for 20 minutes.

Place the bulb of garlic on the baking dish and drizzle with a little bit of safflower oil. Roast for an additional 20 minutes or until squash is very soft.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp of safflower oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Let pan heat up for about 2 minutes, then add the onions.

Sprinkle onions with sage, black pepper, and salt. Stir-fry until onions are golden brown. Add another tbsp of safflower oil if needed to keep onions from sticking. Keep onions warm on low heat.

Let butternut squash and garlic cool for about 15-20 minutes when they are finished in the oven.

In a large pot dissolve veggie bouillon cubes in hot water.

Add the butternut flesh, roasted garlic (just squeeze the end of each clove and they will slip right out of the skin), and all but about 2-3 tbsp of the onions to a food processor and puree until very smooth.

Add butternut mixture to the large pot and combine with water. Add basil, and more salt and pepper if desired.

Let simmer for about 15-20 minutes.

Serve topped with more onions.

This was surprisingly filling and an all-around wonderful meal!

'Til next time.