Pumpkin Rarebit Soup

Happy Halloween-Eve!

I wanted to cook and have a final product where I saw colors of orange and black- this is pretty good. Pumpkin soup made in a black cast iron ;-)

This recipe can be found in The Enchanted Broccoli Forest by Mollie Katzen (author of Moosewood cookbooks) on page 33.

4 cups cooked pumpkin
1 cup stock or water
1 1/2 cups light beer or ale (I used Alaskan White)
1 heaping cup chopped onion
2 Tbs. butter
3/4-1 Tbs. worcestershire sauce
freshly-ground pepper (of course!) to taste
cayenne pepper to taste
1 packed cup grated cheddar cheese

1) Using a blender or a food processor, puree the pumpkin in the stock. Combine with beer or ale in a heavy saucepan. Heat just to boiling point. Partially cover, and let it simmer while you:

2) Saute the onions and garlic with salt in butter, Keep these cooking until the onions are very well done, just this side of Brown. (Keep the heat low, and le tthe onions render gracefully and gradually.)

3) Add the onions to the simmering pumpkin puree. Add remaining seasonings and cheese. Stir well, and let it immer partially covered, another 20-30 minutes.

4) Serve topped with croutons and/or walnuts.

Enjoy!

Spicy Peanut & Sweet Potato Soup

1 T olive oil
1 onion
1 med carrot
1-2 t minced, peeled fresh ginger (or more, if you want)
dash of cayenne (MORE!)
1 sweet potato, peeled & chopped
2 1/2 c water, divided
1/2 tomato juice (I used sauce + water because I didn't have juice)
1/4 t salt
1/4 t black pepper
1/2 c creamy peanut butter
5 green onions, chopped ( I didn't use this, but I added some chopped cilantro)

Directions: Heat oil, stir onions & carrots and cook until onions are soft. Add ginger and cayenne - cook 1 min. Add sweet potato, 2 c water, tomato juice, salt & pepper. Bring to boil then reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are soft. About 15 minutes.
Ladle soup into food processor. Add peanut butter. Cover and process until smooth. Pour into clean pan (I just used a hand blender for soups and blended it in the pot the soup was made in- WAY less mess)

Heat soup over low heat. Add remaining 1/2 c water to thin if desired.

Mexican Minestrone

I love this new recipe from 150 Vegan Favorites (by Jay Solomon). Great for a rainy day!

I doubled this recipe and added onto it. I added a can of diced tomatoes with the juice, and also a half of a zucchini. I also made my own vegetable stock because I didn't have any off hand (plus homemade tastes better). I think you can add any extra veggies that you have or want....

This is the original recipe, with my additional notes

1 T canola oil (I used olive)
2 large carrots, diced
1 med onion, diced
1 red or green bell pepper, seeded and minced (I used small multi-colored peppers and added a lot, not minced, just diced)
3 or 4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
2 cans (14 1/2 oz) vegetable broth
2 T tomato paste (I used all of a 6 oz can)
2 t dried oregano
1 t dried basil
1 t ground cumin
1/2 t black pepper
4 oz. spaghetti, linguini snapped in half (or any pasta)
1 cup cooked or canned red kidney beans, drained
1 can (11 oz) corn kernels, drained (I used frozen)

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over med-high heat. Add the carrots, onion, bell pepper, garlic, and jalapeno and cook, stirring for 7 min. Add the broth, tomato paste, oregano, basil, cumin, and pepper and bring to a simmer over med-high heat, stirring occasionally. Stir in the pasta, beans, and corn and return to a simmer. Cook until the pasta is al dente, 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

A couple new recipes...

Two new recipes I photographed- one from Simple Suppers, another from Cooking Light. Absolutely fabulous meals.

Spinach polenta with tomato-garlic-balsalmic topping :: Summer vegetable tostadas

Three recipe combo dinner- DIVINE!

Simple Suppers cookbook.....again. Ah! I'm so happy every single time I try a new recipe from it. Such healthy, colorful, awesome tasting meals.

This evening I tried out a multi-recipe dish. It was supposed to be- Pickled Red Onions and Black Beans over Yellow Rice, but down at the bottom of page are other suggestions for toppings- one included a Quick Avocado and Corn- salsa thing. IT WAS AMAZING~ So at the bottom is the Yellow Rice (jasmine rice made with a little tumeric and olive oil)- Black Beans ( with cumin, cayenne, red pepper flakes - I added the last two myself- and chopped cilantro) with the Avocado and Corn salsa topping (which is a cup of fresh salsa with a teaspoon or tablespoon of lime juice, chopped cilantro, a cup of corn and cubed avocado mixed up). I topped the layered dish with a little tablespoon of sour cream. It was so fantastic!!!!

My son loved it....

Lemon Buttermilk Pudding Cake w/ lemon&berry topping

Here's the link to the AMAZING dessert I found and made last week on Epicurious.com

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Meyer-Lemon-Buttermilk-Pudding-Cake-with-Fresh-Berries-231451

TRY IT!!!!!!!

It's been awhile!

I'll just post a few pictures of some of my cooking lately- I've still been trying a lot of new stuff- I just haven't been taking as many pictures! I have found amazing recipes on Epicurious lately.....you should check it out if you're ever searching online for something new to make! I also have tried a few new recipes in my favorite cookbook- Simple Suppers. They never cease to amaze my taste buds <3 I just LOVE their veggie recipes.

These two pictures are of two great salmon dinners I had last month, they were really awesome. One was a salmon&potato pie, and another was my mother's excellent grilled salmon w/ lemon pasta. Yum!!