Made up Pumpkin Soup Recipe

Creating new recipes is something that has always intrigued but scared me. Considering some recipes that I follow to a T are still terrible, making one up seems risky. However! I think I've learned the secret: start with a tried and true recipe and then tinker away. I wanted to cook a pumpkin soup Monday night, because I had defrosted a pie pumpkin a few days ago and hadn't attended to it. But I didn't want to make Black Bean & Pumpkin Soup, which, though a favorite, uses precious CSA Hopi beans and we only have 2 cups left in the freezer (the recipe uses 4 cups.) So, I found a recipe that had all rave reviews, plus some suggestions in the comments, and tinkered away. Here is my version of a homemade, all local, delicious yet simple Pumpkin Soup. All ingredients but spices from my CSA.

1 sugar pie pumpkin (yields about 4 cups)
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups veggie broth
2 TBSP peanut butter
2 TBSP ginger
1 TBSP nutmeg & thyme
salt and pepper

Bring all ingredients to a boil and simmer 30 minutes. Puree then add 1/2 cup milk (we used homemade almond milk). Stir to combine.

I served our soup garnished with crispy onion straws and freezer coleslaw on the side. Later in the week (this makes a lot of soup!) we had it alongside Rosemary Butter Rolls and baked squash. I probably roast a squash every other day; I either brush it with butter and sprinkle on brown sugar or brush it with olive oil and sprinkle on some curry. Either way, it's a ridiculously easy, fool-proof and versatile way to use up the squash.

99% local chili

This chili made me very happy. And with my goal of canning tomatoes next summer, this meal will be a frequent one next winter as well! Plus, isn't that the funniest picture? It looks so old fashioned, like it belongs in an old crusty diner that serves really good food. Anyway!

Ellen's CSA Chili in the Crockpot (all ingredients (but spices) from CSA share)

1 large yellow onion (CSA)
2 cups chopped tomatoes (local, frozen last summer)
2 cups Hopi beans (or any dark bean) CSA
2 cups Indian woman beans (or any white bean) CSA
2 cups corn (local, frozen last summer)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp tumeric
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup vegetable broth (homemade from CSA veggies)
1 cup shredded cheese, optional (Local)

Put all in crockpot and put on Low for 8 hours or High for 4.

Credit for this recipe goes to Stephanie - without her, my love for my crockpot would never have been realized.

I meant to serve it with skillet cornbread and local honey on the side, but we had a bag of (gluten free - always!) Fritos in the cupboard so we tossed those on top. YUM! I guess that makes this meal more like 95% local rather than 99% - aw, let's just count the chili! It was hearty, warming and delicious. Hooray for chili! (I love dinners that make me look forward to lunch the next day!)

French Market Soup in the crockpot

Last week we ate locally but didn't cook. How? Leftovers! It was lovely.

This Monday morning I tossed some ingredients into the slow cooker. A hearty simple soup will be ready tonight at 6pm, using almost all local ingredients. The recipe is here. It includes (all from the CSA) beans, onions, garlic and broth. Non-local ingredients are a can of tomatoes (grrr - hey! is anyone willing to barter? My peach jam for your canned tomatoes?), s&p, lemon juice and liquid smoke. Homemade rolls will round out the meal. Is it dinner time yet? mmm.....

Celery Curry Soup

This recipe and directions are from "my farmer" at Abbo. We'll be having this soup this week! Sounds delicious, and a great way to use up all that celery!

Yummy Celery Curry
Ingredients:
1 super large Abbo onion (I prefer the yellow ones for this recipe) diced
4-6 Abbo potatoes peeled and sectioned
10-12 stalks of Abbo celery with leaves, chopped
2 Tbs Curry Powder
4 cups broth (I like Rapunzel bouillon when I do not have home made)

In sesame oil saute the onions. Once softened, add the broth, celery and potatoes. When a fork easily passes through the potatoes add 2 tablespoons curry powder, stir and let simmer for about 5 minutes.
Get out your blender! Blend to desired consistency (if you like chunky soup for example, only blend for a short time or only blend half, or blend all but your potatoes) and stir back together.

Wala! You're done. Add plain yogurt or sour cream to the top with a couple celery leaves for a beautiful presentation.

I've added carrot to this recipe, and I think squash would also be good. I have not tried freezing, but suspect it would work out just fine. If you find your soup a bit thick, you could certainly add coconut milk as a thinner instead of additional broth. This is a terrific variation! Enjoy!

Yum

There were some very old and sad-looking bok choi languishing away in my crisper. And our squash seems to be multiplying somehow. Tonight I wanted a warm, filling soup that would bring them together. Red lentils proved to be the perfect glue. Lentil Buttercup Soup was a favorite last winter and now I remember why. We didn't have any spinach, but the bok choi subbed in just fine. I roasted the seeds too and it made the perfect Shabbat dinner. This time I did roast the squash beforehand, which made it a simple and fast soup to prepare. We will enjoy this soup for lunch in the next few days, and I'll prepare it again on the 18th with the frozen roasted buttercup that is waiting in the freezer. Yup, batch preparing ingredients is the way to go, if you have freezer space. Why roast one squash when you can roast an entire oven full?

More info on meal planning soon, but I use Tsh's system whenever I can get organized. She is a wonderful source of organization inspiration!