Sweet Potato and Green Banana Soup

(recipe cut from a magazine, not sure which one)

2 large sweet potatoes (1 lb.)
2 green bananas (8 oz.)
1 T. olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg (I used dried)
6 cups vegetable stock
salt and pepper to taste
dash hot pepper sauce

Peel and dice the potatoes and bananas.  Heat oil in a saucepan; saute chopped onion until transparent.  Add the potatoes and bananas; cook over low heat for five minutes.  Sprinkle nutmeg over the vegetables.  Add the stock and salt; bring to a boil.  Simmer, cover, and cook for 30 minutes.  Puree in a blender or food processor.  Add pepper sauce and pepper.

(Quite a nice soup.  I added some berbere spice blend instead of hot pepper sauce; this gave an additional curry-like heat and savory depth that tempered the sweetness of the soup.  Also, I lessened the broth a bit, pouring in what would cover the veggies and adding a little extra.  Super easy and unique!)

Butternut Squash and Coconut Soup with Shrimp

(recipe from Whole Foods Market)

2 tsp. oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 tsp. finely chopped fresh ginger
1 tsp. red curry paste, more to taste
2 tsp. light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces, about 4 cups
2 cups vegetable broth
1 (14 oz.) can coconut milk
1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup shredded coconut, toasted (optional)
lime wedges

Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat.  Add onion, garlic, and ginger.  Cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant and onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.  Stir in curry paste, sugar, and salt and cook one minute longer.  Stir in squash, broth and coconut milk, and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until squash is tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

Stir in shrimp and simmer just until cooked through, about 2 minutes.  Stir in cilantro, sprinkle with coconut, and serve with lime wedges on the side.

(So delicious!  I added a berbere spice mix instead of the curry paste.  Also, used much more cilantro, added the juice of 1/2 a lime directly to the soup, and omitted the shredded coconut.  If I had it to do again, I'd probably chop the squash, onion, and shrimp into smaller, consistent pieces, like a chowder.  I also added chopped spinach to some reheated bowls, and it was lovely.)

Good - For - What - Ails - You Stew

(recipe from Christina Cooks)

1 inch piece kombu
2 dried shitake mushrooms, soaked until tender (I just used about 8 fresh, sliced shitakes)
1 cup diced fresh daikon
1 cup burdock
1 cup diced winter squash
1 cup diced carrot
Organic soy sauce
Juice of 1/4 fresh lemon
3-4 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped

Layer the veggies in a heavy pot in the order listed.  Add 1/3 cup spring or filtered water and a splash of soy sauce and bring to a boil over medium heat.  Reduce heat to low and cook until carrot is soft, about 20 minutes.  Season to taste with soy sauce and simmer, uncovered until any remaining liquid cooks away.  Stir gently to incorporate lemon juice and parsley and serve hot.

(I altered this a lot!  I used the same veggies, layered as instructed, but then covered with vegetable broth completely for a soupier mix.  Also, added lots of curry-like spices, just to give more flavor.  I also peeled the squash and burdock.  These are all supposed to be cleansing veggies that help prevent sniffles, aches, and pains.)

Sweet Potato and Chickpea Curry

(recipe from newyorktimes.com)

2 medium red onions, peeled
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 bird's eye pepper, Thai chili, or other very hot small pepper with its seeds
a 2 1/2-3 inch piece of ginger, peeled and cut into chunks
3 Tbsp. oil
1/2 tsp. hot red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
3 cardamom pods, lightly crushed (I used ground cardamom)
salt
2 lbs. (about 3 medium) orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-1 inch cubes
1 3/4 cups coconut milk
1 Tbsp. tamarind paste
2 1/4 cups hot vegetable broth
4 to 5 cups (about four 15.5 oz cans, drained) cooked chickpeas (I only used one can)
1 Tbsp. chopped cilantro leaves

In a food processor, combine onions, garlic, hot pepper and ginger.  Pulse until finely chopped.  Place oil in a large saute pan over medium-low heat.  Add chopped onion mixture and saute until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add hot pepper flakes, ground ginger, ground coriander, cumin, turmeric, cardamom pods, and 1/2 tsp. salt.  Stir to mix.  Add sweet potatoes and stir until well covered in spices.  Stir in the coconut milk.

Dissolve tamarind paste in hot broth and add to the pan.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until sweet potatoes are just tender, about 25 minutes.  (Taste potatoes to be sure they are cooked all the way through, and allow additional cooking time, if necessary.)

Add chickpeas and simmer until heated through, about 5 minutes.  Adjust salt to taste.  Transfer to a warmed bowl and sprinkle with chopped cilantro.

(Thus begins the sweet potato/squash/coconut/stew/curry onslaught of recipes...  Tis the season.  All of the spices made this lovely.  I mix a ton of cilantro right in at the end.)

Paul Bertolli's Cauliflower Soup

(Recipe from Food 52 blog)

3 Tbsp. olive oil 1 medium onion (6 oz.), sliced thin
1 head very fresh cauliflower (about 1 1/2 lbs.), broken into florets
salt, to taste
5 1/2 cups water, divided

Warm the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan. Sweat the onion in the oil over low heat, without letting it brown, for 15 minutes.

Add the cauliflower, salt to taste, and 1/2 cup water. Raise the heat slightly, cover the pot tightly, and stew the caulifower for 15 to 18 minutes, or until tender. Then add another 4 1/2 cups hot water, bring to a low simmer, and cook an additional 20 minutes uncovered.

Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender to a very smooth, creamy consistency. Let the soup stand for 20 minutes. In this time it will thicken slightly.

Thin the soup with 1/2 cup hot water, if needed. Reheat the soup. Serve hot, drizzled with a thin stream of olive oil and freshly ground pepper.

(Very simple and delicious. I used vegetable broth in place of water.)

Hazelnut-Pear Salad with Radishes

(recipe from Whole Foods Market)

4 cups herb salad blend
2 medium radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
2 medium Asian pears, diced and divided
1/4 cup dried apricots, thinly sliced and divided
1/2 cup hazelnuts, plus more for garnish, toasted, chopped, and divided
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

In a large bowl, combine the salad blend, radishes, half the pears, half the toasted hazelnuts, and half the apricots.  Set aside.

To make the dressing, place reserved pears, hazelnuts, and apricots in a blender along with vinegar, mustard, and 1/4 cup water.  Cover and puree until well combined and slightly thick, adding water, if needed, to reach the desired consistency.

Combine salad mixture and dressing and serve immediately.

(This dressing is wonderful!)

Deviled Eggs

(recipe from Real Simple magazine)

1 dozen eggs
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. minced fresh tarragon
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. mustard seeds
dash of Tabasco

Place the eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Cover and remove from heat.  Set aside for 15 minutes.

Drain the pan and fill with cold water.  Peel the eggs when cool enough to handle.  Cut the eggs in half lengthwise and scoop out the yolks.  Mix the yolks with the other ingredients.  Spoon the mixture into the whites and serve.

(Not vegan, no, but I just love deviled eggs.  So, I used Vegenaise, probably double the amount, and replaced tarragon with sage, and used some cayenne pepper instead of the Tabasco.  But it's hard to mess up deviled eggs, so all was well.)