Meaty Minestrone Soup

So, I was out with the kids yesterday, and we ended up lunching at Whole Foods. The produce there is simply irresistible. I ended up buying a zucchini, a cauliflower, a bell pepper, celery, carrots, and a couple of giant cans of fire roasted crushed tomatoes. I had soup on the brain. I found a recipe for a Paleo Minestrone Soup, and I adapted it to my family's (okay, MY) liking. Just as an FYI - I would never normally add ground meat to a soup, so this was a huge departure from my normal...

Okay, so before I do anything else, I need to say that I am NOT on any type of Paleo lifestyle/meal plan. However, I did recently have a baby, and I'm exploring ways to increase my milk supply, and eat in a healthier way, to improve my physical and mental energy and health. Once upon a time, I read that crazy book: "Eat for your Type" (or whatever it's called). It told me that my blood type should eat more meat. I totally discounted this, as total hooey. I was a vegetarian for many years, and I enjoy carbs and beans, more than the average bear. That being said, I have a huge energy increase, when I eat more meat. I am learning to accept this, and in addition, to accept the fact that eating beans and carbs all day, is not what is best for my satisfaction levels. I am constantly hungry, when I eat a vegetarian diet. I am learning... and learning... and learning.
Okay, so here's a recipe for minestrone soup, that was so delicious, I could have inhaled it through a straw. I will mourn its loss, when we finish it. I was secretly bummed that Kevin liked it, because it means less for me. Have I mentioned that I adore vegetables? I mean, for real. I heart them a whole lot.

Meaty Minestrone Soup

Prep time:  15 mins

Cook time:  60 mins

Total time:  1 hour 15 mins

Serves: A Lot (or just me, for many days in a row)

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 Large Yellow Onion, medium dice
• 6 Small Stalks Celery 
• 1/2 a head of chopped cauliflower
• 4 Large Carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 Medium Zucchini, medium dice
• 1.5 lbs turkey breast
• 1.5 teaspoons Salt
• 1 teaspoons Pepper
• 2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
• 3 Garlic Cloves, finely minced ( used jars, out of total laziness)
• 3 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
• 1 (28-oz) can of fire roasted crushed tomatoes
• 8 Cups Chicken Broth
• frozen or fresh spinach (I didn't use, but will try next time)
• frozen or fresh string beans (again, didn't use, but want to put in here, for next time)

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a large heavy bottomed pot (I used a 7.5 Qt Dutch Oven) over medium heat
2. Add veggies (minus zucchini) and saute until translucent and vegetables start to soften (about 10 minutes)
3. Add zucchini and saute for 3-5 more minutes and then push veggies to one side of your pot
4. Turn heat up to medium high and ground beef in and proceed to crumble and brown
5. As turkey begins to brown, stir in with all the vegetables
6. Add salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and minced garlic and saute for 2 minutes
7. Stir in tomato paste and let it melt into other ingredients
8. Add crushed toms and broth and bring to a boil
9. Once boiling, lower heat to medium low and simmer for 30 minutes uncovered (or longer, if you feel like it)
10. Add any frozen veggies you want to add, and simmer for 10 minutes, covered
11. Serve and Enjoy!

This is a giant pot of comforting, spicy, tomatoey deliciousness. I can't find my "bowl" symbols, but I would call this a 4.5 bowler. I would give it a 5, but it's such a simple recipe, it almost feels like a 5 would be a bit over the top. Know what I mean. Anyway... Make this. It's a winner, and the pot will probably last for a week of lunches. I. Can't. Wait.

(I stole this image from Pinterest, so imagine it without the pretty purple cabbage) I had to steal it, because my phone photos were fuzzy, at best. Meh.

Roasted Vegetable-Rosemary Chicken Soup

First of all, I am so sure I've posted this recipe before, but it bears repeating, since it's really delicious. I made this for the first time, when Kevin was sick with a bad cold, about a year ago. He was a huge fan. I've made it several times since then, always with good reviews. The nice thing about it, is that you can modify it, by adding more veggies, or taking out the things you don't like. This time, I added potatoes, which, in retrospect, wasn't the best idea. My fam still liked it, but they gave the potato addition a thumbs down. Oh well. Live and learn. I'll continue to make it. It's easy and has a great flavor balance. The roasted vegetables add that nice, charred sweetness that gives this a bit of a unique chicken soup taste. Make it!





Make this. It's a great "Sick Soup." 5 Bowls!

Roasted Vegetable-Rosemary Chicken Soup

Ingredients

• 1 cup (1-inch) cubed carrot
• 1 cup (1-inch) cubed onion
• 1 cup coarsely chopped mushrooms
• 1 cup (1-inch) pieces celery
• 1 cup (1-inch) pieces red bell pepper
• 2 tablespoons extravirgin olive oil
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 (14-ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 cups uncooked whole wheat rotini pasta

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°.

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; drizzle with oil, and toss well to coat. Arrange vegetable mixture in a single layer on a jelly-roll pan lined with foil. Bake at 375° for 50 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally.

Combine water and next 5 ingredients (through chicken) in a large Dutch oven; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes. Add roasted vegetables; simmer 30 minutes. Bring soup to a boil. Add pasta; simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Nutritional Information

---

• Amount per serving
• Calories: 176
• Calories from fat: 25%
• Fat: 4.8g
• Saturated fat: 0.8g
• Monounsaturated fat: 3g
• Polyunsaturated fat: 0.7g
• Protein: 17.9g
• Carbohydrate: 15.5g
• Fiber: 2.3g
• Cholesterol: 33mg
• Iron: 1.5mg
• Sodium: 450mg
• Calcium: 45mg

---

Cooking Light JANUARY 2006

Chili-Spiced Chicken Soup with Stoplight Peppers

Gotta love a spicy chicken soup... This recipe had a little blurb up at the top, saying that it was like a soup version of a chicken fajita. That sold me. We adore soup, on a cold winter evening, and this was about as warm and cozy as I could have hoped for. I didn't think I could like a soup with so many peppers, but boy oh boy - it was a tasty one. Maya and Jonah slurped it down, and even Kevin was impressed.
Make this. It's easy and tasty, and not too spicy for tiny mouths. 4 Bowls.

Chili-Spiced Chicken Soup with Stoplight Peppers and Avocado Relish

Finalist, Family Dinners

My husband likes Mexican food tacos, fajitas, burritos. This recipe is everything you'd find in a fajita in a healthy, tasty soup instead. Jamie Miller, Maple Grove, Minn.

Yield: 8 servings


Spice blend:
2 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Soup:
1 tablespoon canola oil, divided
1 1/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips
2 cups chopped sweet onion
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups fresh corn kernels
1 (32-ounce) carton fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 (28-ounce) can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes, undrained
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Relish:
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/3 cup chopped green onions
1 teaspoon grated lime rind
3 ounces queso fresco, crumbled
1 diced peeled avocado
Cilantro sprigs (optional)

1. To prepare spice blend, combine first 6 ingredients in a small bowl.

2. To prepare soup, heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick saucepan over medium-high heat. Add chicken; sprinkle 1 1/2 tablespoons spice blend over chicken. Sauté 8 minutes or until done; cool. Chop chicken; set aside.

3. Heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil in pan over medium-high heat; add onion, bell peppers, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Sprinkle vegetable mixture with remaining spice blend; sauté 8 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in chicken, corn, broth, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 15 minutes. Add lime juice.

4. To prepare relish, combine chopped cilantro and next 4 ingredients (through avocado).

5. Ladle 1 1/4 cups soup into bowls; top with 1/4 cup relish. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, if desired.

CALORIES 285 ; FAT 9.6g (sat 2.1g,mono 4.7g,poly 1.8g); CHOLESTEROL 648mg; CALCIUM 99mg; CARBOHYDRATE 23.1g; SODIUM 773mg; PROTEIN 27.2g; FIBER 5.5g; IRON 3.1mg

Cooking Light, MARCH 2010

Isa's Lotsa Veggies Lentil Soup

As you may know, we love lentil soup in our house. It's funny, though, because there are some specific flavors that I think of, when I think lentil soup. I think Indian, tomato, barley, or even chicken and sweet potatoes. This recipe called for a bunch of things I would never think to put in a lentil soup, including tarragon, thyme, spinach, and zucchini. I didn't think I'd like it at all - especially when I took my first whiff, and it had a really "herbal" aroma, that I immediately disliked. After an hour of simmering, however, it looked and smelled divine in my house. The end result, was absolutely perfect, and tasted very different than the typical lentil soups I make. The other nice thing about this soup, is that it was a soup, and not a stew, which is usually how my soups turn out. This soup almost reminded me of a chicken soup, but you didn't miss the chicken. Amazingly flavorful, complex, and delicious.





Get the book. Make the food. Tell me about it. 5 Bowls.

Roasted Vegetable-Rosemary Chicken Soup

Kevin came down with a cold on Monday, so I decided to make chicken soup. I've made this recipe several times, and it always gets really good reviews. It was funny, because it takes a very long time to make. It's not a lot of active time, but you have roast the veggies for an hour, and also let it simmer for an hour, so if you add the time it takes to chop everything, it's really kind of a long process. Anyway, about 30 minutes into making it, I started to feel a sore throat coming on. By the time we sat down to dinner, I had a full blown cold. Ugh. Anyway, I'm glad I had some chicken soup, to go with my cold, you know?

This soup is really mellow. The roasted veggies caramelize, so they add a really nice sweetness to the salty broth. This time, I broke up whole wheat spaghetti, which was a fun alternative to using rotini. I also added parsnips, which lend a really nice flavor to chicken soup. I didn't use fresh rosemary in this soup, and I'm not sure I really added enough of the dried kind, but the soup was very tasty, nonetheless. Next time, I am going to spring for the fresh kind. I think it will add a whole new depth of flavor to the soup. In any case, this is a great dish for my arsenal of soup recipes.




Make this. It's terrific. We gave it 4 Bowls!

Roasted Vegetable-Rosemary Chicken Soup

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)


1 cup (1-inch) cubed carrot
1 cup (1-inch) cubed onion
1 cup coarsely chopped mushrooms
1 cup (1-inch) pieces celery
1 cup (1-inch) pieces red bell pepper
2 tablespoons extravirgin olive oil
1 cup water
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 (14-ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 cups uncooked whole wheat rotini pasta

Preheat oven to 375°.

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; drizzle with oil, and toss well to coat. Arrange vegetable mixture in a single layer on a jelly-roll pan lined with foil. Bake at 375° for 50 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally.

Combine water and next 5 ingredients (through chicken) in a large Dutch oven; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes. Add roasted vegetables; simmer 30 minutes. Bring soup to a boil. Add pasta; simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.



CALORIES 176 (25% from fat); FAT 4.8g (sat 0.8g,mono 3g,poly 0.7g); IRON 1.5mg; CHOLESTEROL 33mg; CALCIUM 45mg; CARBOHYDRATE 15.5g; SODIUM 450mg; PROTEIN 17.9g; FIBER 2.3g

Cooking Light, JANUARY 2006

Chicken and Cornmeal Dumplings

I really struggle with whether or not to post recipes that flopped. Thoughts?


Kevin loves chicken and dumplings - particularly the Cracker Barrel variety. This is so strange to me, since he usually dislikes anything creamy. I have made a shortcut recipe in the past, but last night, I decided to create the dumplings from scratch, which is not anything tremendous, since they are essentially just dough balls.

Anyway, this particular recipe is basically a chicken soup, with dumplings instead of noodles or rice. I ended up using a different dumpling recipe, than the original recipe called for, because cornmeal dumplings sounded pretty awesome. Well, here's the thing - the chicken soup was delicious. We all loved it. The dumplings... Meh. Not so good. In fact, I ended up throwing alphabet pasta into the pot, in order to compensate for the fact that none of us were going to end up eating the dumplings. Basically, they ended up being gritty, bland, tough dough balls, that just tasted plain old strange. Oh well. The good news is, the actually soup recipe was great. It had a terrific flavor, without being overly salty, and the blend of veggies was perfect. I will definitely make this one again, and I might even consider adding matzah balls next time. As for the dumplings - I'm really not finished trying. Perhaps I should have followed the original recipe... Hmmmm. There must be a perfect dumpling out there somewhere.





Try the soup. Kevin gave it 4.5 Bowls! Don't try the dumplings. Kevin gave them a measly 2 Bowls. Add pasta instead!

Chicken and Dumplings


Yield: serves 6


Chicken:
3 tablespoons canola oil
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 skinless chicken thighs (about 12 ounces)
4 cups thinly sliced leek, rinsed and drained
4 cups low-sodium, fat-free chicken broth
1 1/2 cups baby carrots, cut diagonally into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup chopped parsnip
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup frozen petite peas, thawed

Dumplings: THESE ARE NOT THE ONES I MADE! MY 2 BOWLER RECIPE IS BELOW!
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon whole milk
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Combine the flour, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Dredge the chicken in flour mixture, and turn to coat; shake off excess flour. Add the chicken to the pot; cook 3 minutes on each side, or until well-browned. Transfer chicken to a plate.

Add leeks to pot; cook over medium heat 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Return chicken to pot, and stir in broth, carrots, parsnips, celery, thyme, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Partially cover; reduce heat. Simmer 15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked. Remove chicken from pan. Pull the meat from bones; discard bones. Return the chicken to the pot, and stir in peas.

To prepare the dumplings, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt 3 times (this makes the dumplings very light). Combine the flour mixture, milk, and chives, and stir until moist.

Drop dough by 3 tablespoonfuls into a barely simmering chicken mixture. Cover and cook over medium-low heat 12 minutes, or until the dumplings are done (do not bring to a boil, or the dumplings will break up).

CALORIES 362 ; FAT 12g (sat 2g,mono 5g,poly 3g); CHOLESTEROL 45mg; CALCIUM 213mg; CARBOHYDRATE 47g; SODIUM 825mg; PROTEIN 18g; FIBER 5g; IRON 4mg

Health, MARCH 2003

Cornmeal-Herb Dumplings

The dough can be prepared, covered, and chilled about a half-hour ahead of time

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 4 dumplings)

1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons dried dill
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 eggs

Combine the first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl. Combine water, olive oil, and eggs, and stir well. Add to dry ingredients, stirring until well-blended. With moistened hands, shape the dough into 32 (1-inch) balls, and set aside.

Bring 2 quarts of water to a simmer in a large saucepan, and add half of dumplings. Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until done (do not let boil). Remove the dumplings with a slotted spoon; set aside, and keep warm. Repeat procedure with remaining dumplings

CALORIES 148 (23% from fat); FAT 3.7g (sat 0.7g,mono 1.9g,poly 0.6g); IRON 1.7mg; CHOLESTEROL 55mg; CALCIUM 82mg; CARBOHYDRATE 24.3g; SODIUM 316mg; PROTEIN 4.5g; FIBER 2.1g

Cooking Light, MARCH 1996

Coconut-Curry Chicken Soup

After my little sis (curry-hater) made a comment about the curry overload on the blog lately, I decided to take a curry break. After all, she is one of the few who follow this blog, so I must cater to my readers. Then I found this recipe, and the amazing reviews were screaming at me, so I just had to give it a try. On Wednesday, Kevin was home at lunchtime, and I decided, on a whim, to whip it up and see how it turned out. Well, this is a terrific recipe. I see what all the hype was about. First of all, it has a terrific base. It's like a really thick, flavorful chicken soup, with a different texture in every bite. You have the al dente noodles, the tender chicken, the crispy bite of the snap peas, and the leafy greens, all coming together in a really nice, hearty, hot pot of deliciousness. In fact, I wouldn't even call it a soup. It's more like a brothy hot pot. It is actually tough to eat this with just a spoon, because of the long noodles. Anyway, Kevin found this to be only okay. Basically, he loved the flavors, but didn't love the components. He'd rather have a chicken and rice soup, with your standard soup veggies, but with the awesome broth of this recipe. Okay. Maybe next time. I'm glad I made this one. It is a really cool recipe, and it looked really pretty. Of course, I made some minor modifications, so as not to have to buy ridiculous amounts of ingredients, but I pretty much stuck to the book. We liked it. I'll tweak it and try it again in a few weeks!





Try this. It's a great variation from your standard chicken noodle.


Coconut-Curry Chicken Soup


Chicken soup flavored with coconut and curry make this Thai a reader favorite. Snow peas, spinach, and chicken breast give the soup flavor, texture, and a wealth of nutrients.


Yield: 7 servings (serving size: 2 cups soup and 1 lime wedge)


4 cups water
3 cups fresh spinach leaves (I used frozen, because I had it, and wanted to get rid of it.)
1/2 pound snow peas, trimmed and cut in half crosswise
1 (5 3/4-ounce) package pad thai noodles (wide rice stick noodles)(I just used plain linguine)
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots
2 teaspoons red curry paste
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 (13.5-ounce) can light coconut milk
2 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast (about 1 pound)
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce (I omitted this. I just can't bring myself to use it.)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (omitted)
4 small hot red chiles, seeded and chopped, or 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
7 lime wedges (omitted)

1. Bring 4 cups water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add spinach and peas to pan; cook for 30 seconds. Remove vegetables from pan with a slotted spoon; place in a large bowl. Add noodles to pan; cook 3 minutes. Drain; add noodles to spinach mixture in bowl.

2. Heat canola oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and the next 5 ingredients (through garlic) to pan; saut� 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add chicken broth to pan, and bring to a boil. Add coconut milk to pan; reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Add chicken, onions, sugar, and fish sauce to pan; cook for 2 minutes. Pour chicken mixture over noodle mixture in bowl. Stir in cilantro and chiles. Serve with lime wedges.


CALORIES 315 (22% from fat); FAT 7.8g (sat 3.7g,mono 2.2g,poly 1.3g); IRON 3.2mg; CHOLESTEROL 62mg; CALCIUM 78mg; CARBOHYDRATE 30.9g; SODIUM 841mg; PROTEIN 29.3g; FIBER 2.4g

Cooking Light, DECEMBER 2008

Pumpkin Soup - 2 Ways...

First of all, I do not understand why it's "unacceptable" to soup in the Spring and the Summer. Ridiculous. To make matters worse, people go pumpkin crazy in the Fall, and yet, barring a pumpkin shortage, one can buy canned pumpkin in the store, during all seasons. So what's this pumpkinsanity, during the month of October? I mean, how many people actually cook with fresh pumpkin? Seriously. If you cook with fresh pumpkin, leave me a comment, because I am dying to know if this is really a trend.

Okay. Rant over.



Now, onto the cooking. For the first time ever, I cooked with fresh pumpkin. My close friend, former roomie, and now neighbor to my parents, sent me a Harvest Pumpkin Soup recipe, which looked delicious, though I was quite intimidated by the use of fresh pumpkin and fresh butternut squash in the dish. In the past, I've tried cutting a butternut squash, and it was both messy, and extremely difficult. My knives are okay, but truth be told, I need a new set pretty badly, because cutting the pumpkin was a beast. Maya helped me by doing the "mixing," and we roasted some delicious pumpkin seeds after our project. Anyway, Liz's gave me some roasting tips, which really helped, and I ended up modifying her recipe, because Kevin is very skeptical about recipes with dairy in them. I found an alternate recipe, from Cooking Light (of course), and I married the two together, in the hopes of creating a masterpiece. Basically, I took Liz's recipe, and cut down on the butter, subbed skim milk for the cream, and did a little finagling of the spice combination.

e

Okay, so the end result was a deliciously thick, yet smooth soup, that had a perfect blend of sweet cinnamon subtlety, and roasted cumin saltiness. We aren't usually fans of smooth soups, because we adore chunky soups that border on stews (Rachael Ray would call us a "Stoup Family"). This soup is an excellent companion to a grilled cheese (and tomato, of course) sandwich, or a grilled chicken salad. It's very light, and, in my opinion, it wasn't a meal by itself , but that may be because I didn't make it quite as rich as the recipe suggested. If you are in the mood for some tasty, Fall inspired, fresh pumpkin/squash yumminess, you should make this. It's worth the effort, even if you have old, dull knives!




Here is Liz's recipe, including my modifications, from the Roasted Pumpkin and Winter Squash Soup recipe I nabbed from Cooking Light.


Harvest Pumpkin Soup

~2-lb Sugar Pumpkin
~2-lb Kabocha Squash, or Buttercup Squash (I used a butternut squash)
Salt & Pepper
4 Tbsp Butter (salted) (I cut this way down, but I'm not even sure how much I used)
1 cup Sweet Onion, diced (I used 2.5 cups of onion)
1/2 cup Carrots, diced
1/3 cup Celery, diced (My celery was looking sad, so I didn't use it)
1 tsp Ground Ginger
1 Tbsp Ground Cinnamon
1 1/2 Tbsp Tomato Paste (concentrated)
1/4 cup Brown Sugar, packed (I cut this way down, too, but again, not too sure how much)
4 cups Vegetable Broth (I use the little squares that you mix with boiling water)
1 cup Half & Half (I used skim milk, because that's what I had)
I added a 1/4 tsp of pepper, and a 1/4 tsp of cumin
dash of clove at the end (I used allspice instead)

Preheat your oven to 400. Slice the pumpkin and squash from stem to bottom and remove seeds and pulp. Season with S&P and roast on a cookie sheet for 45 – 60 minutes, or until tender. (As Liz suggested, I put the halves face down in casserole dishes, with a dash of water, while they roasted. Yum.)

Ten minutes before the pumpkin and squash are done roasting, in a large stock pot, melt the butter. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and saute until the onions are soft and translucent. Then add the ginger, cinnamon, tomato paste, and brown sugar. Stir to combine heat over medium until the sugar is dissolved. Add the vegetable stock and bring the pot to a boil. When the pumpkin and squash are tender (pumpkin may be more so than the squash), scoop out all of the flesh and add it to the pot, along with the Hald & Half. Return everything to a boil. Using a slotted spoon, scoop out as much as you can of the vegetables and pumpkin and squash, and liquify it using a blender (or if you have an immersion blender, that would be perfect for this). Return the liquefied veggies to the pot. You don’t have to blend the entire pot – just however much you want to that you’re comfortable with the consistency of the soup. When everything is smooth and heated through, taste and add salt or cinnamon as needed.

The Best Red Lentil Soup

I have tried dozens of lentil soup recipes, ranging from incredibly simple, to very time and labor intensive. This basic red lentil soup recipe is so easy, and so delicious. I've been making it for a couple of years, and I really can't find any other recipe that is comparable in taste. I found this recipe on 101cookbooks.com, which is a site hosted by Heidi Swanson, who calls herself a "Supernatural Cook." Her recipes look and taste delicious, and this is no exception. It is definitely one of her easier dishes, and it only has a few basic, cheap ingredients. If you are new to the world of lentils, or even just new to the world of red lentils, you should try this. It is the ultimate comfort soup. It would also be terrific, with the addition of any root veggies, like potatoes, carrots, parsnips - even broccoli or cauliflower would go beautifully.
I add broccoli to just about everything...



Red Lentil Soup
Adapted from 101Cookbooks.com

1 1/3 cups red lentils
1/2 cup brown rice (short grain is perfect here)
3 shallots (chopped)
1 onion (chopped)
1 (or 2 or 3) Red Bell Peppers
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
6 cups of water or vegetable broth (I use refrigerated veg base)

Toasted slice almonds (optional, but delicious as a topping)

Directions:
Sautee shallots, onions, crushed red pepper, and bell peppers in the olive oil for a few minutes. Then add the other ingredients, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, covered, for about an hour, or until rice is tender. Top with toasted almonds, pesto, anything else that sounds good...