Fall is here!

I saw the first pumpkins at my local market this week and I couldn't be more excited. Pumpkins means the winter squashes are here and cheap, nutritious easy-to make meals are not far behind. Even if the days are still warm, it cools down considerably at night, and a dinner with this delicious soup is a lovely way to warm up.

Pumpkin Soup

:

This is a bit of a misnomer since any kind of squash or root vegetable will do - butternut squash, acorn squash, hubbard, turban or all the other crazy looking squashes would make an equally tasty soup. as would carrots, turnips, parsnips or rutabaga or a mix with some assorted squash with a bit of potato or sweet potato.

You’ll need: (for about 6-8 servings)



6 cups peeled squash
 - this takes a while but it is worth it!
2 onions chopped

3 cups vegetable stock

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 tablespoon soy sauce

1/2 cup citrus juice - lemon, lime, orange, etc

zest of said citrus - please use organic - otherwise don’t use the zest - just the juice

1/2 cup sour cream - optional if you want to keep it vegan

2 tablespoons chopped parsley or cilantro or sage

salt and pepper



1. Add the first seven ingredients to your soup pot, season with salt and pepper and cook for 45 minutes over medium heat. You want your veggies to simmer very slightly but not to boil.



2. Let the contents cool and pierce the squash to make sure it is tender, transfer into a blender or use a soup blender stick in the pot itself if you have one and blend to creamy consistency.

3. Transfer blended soup into a pan and gently reheat. Add more stock if too thick. Taste and finish seasoning.

4. Serve in soup bowl with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of chopped parsley/scallions.

Taste the Lavender!

If you mix equal parts dried: marjoram, rosemary, thyme with light touch of lavender - you have - you guessed it -HERBES DE PROVENCE:- using fresh lavender makes this meal incredibly sensual - try it out.



Pinto Bean and Carrot Soup:

You will need:

2 teaspoons olive oil
1  leek, sliced, including green top
1 teaspoon garlic powder
8  medium carrots, sliced
1 teaspoon salt
3-4 cups vegetable stock

1 cup cooked pinto beans or any other bean will do
2 teaspoons sage
2 teaspoons herbes de provence


Heat olive oil in large pot and sauté leeks, garlic, carrots, and sea salt. Add stock and pinto beans and cook for 10 minutes. Scoop out half the soup and puree in blender. Return to pan, add sage and herbes de provence, and cook for 5-10 minutes longer.

Should you have any leftovers - just drain the soup - reserve the stock for your next summer soup - and puree the veggies with a little olive oil - for an incredible bean dip. Garnish with lavender flowers and serve with pita chips.

Foraged foods! - What to do with wild onions!

I am sure you have seen them grow somewhere near you. Wild onions. They look like a cross between Chives, scallions and Garlic plants and they also taste very much like that. Here is a recipe that would call for a good amount of wild harvested onions - the green bits only. Of course wash them well use them only from a source you know so you can be sure they were not sprayed with weed-killer. And of course if you don’t have any wild onions handy you can use store bought chives or scallions - even the organic bunch of scallions is only 60 cents now!



Thai - Coconut Soup:

For 4 servings - for a light lunch or a first course:

1 can coconut milk - not the light version
1 large bushel wild onions - green parts only or substitute one bunch scallions
1 lime - organic if you can
2 large carrots - sliced thin
2 large potatoes

salt
other veggies such as zucchini, squash, mushrooms - optional

This makes a very nice light, yet filling soup - other than the carrots and potatoes if feel you could add whatever veggie you have in your refrigerator. It is also quite quick to make - 30 minutes from scratch.

1. In a shallow pan add all the soup veggies - carrots and potatoes and whatever else you would like to add. Add 1 1/2 cups of water and simmer lightly with a touch of salt until tender to pierce with a fork - about 10 - 15 minutes.

2. Meanwhile open your can of coconut milk and empty into a blender - make sure you get all the coconut goodness including the fat that likes to stick to the side of the can. Add a good amount of salt - a 1/2 teaspoon - and slice the lime in half. If using an organic lime you could throw in half the whole lime -skin and all. If using a non-organic lime I would suggest to scrape out the flesh only - a grapefruit knife works best and use both halves. Next add the wild onions or scallions - trim off the white ends and wash really well first. Add about 4 coconut cans worth of water and blend until you get a nice creamy, green colored water - about 30 seconds to one minute.

3. Add you coconut water to the softened veggies and heat up your soup. Taste for seasoning you want a salty, creamy, slightly sour taste - that is quite addictive. Serve immediately and enjoy.

Main Dish: Super Easy Bean Chili + Leftover Recipes!

I know you all have a favorite chili recipe. This is the bare bones version - a great way to stretch a budget and an awesome cornerstone for a whole week’s worth of dinner, dinner variations and lunches. After all, chili is not just a main dish, but also an ingredient in dishes such as tacos, fajitas, burritos and can easily be made into a soup. There are not many recipes that are that versatile.


Super easy Bean Chili:

 For about six servings you will need: Cost from $6.31


½ pound dried beans - prepared the Romanian way - or substitute two cans if you are in a rush = $0.90 for dried or $2.00 for canned

vegetable oil of your choice - $0.50

1 28 oz can tomato - you can used crushed, or whole peeled or sauce = $1.79

2 large onions - chopped roughly = $1.10

2 large carrots - diced = $0.35

2 green peppers - chopped ( can be omitted if organic green peppers are too expensive) $1.00

about two cups corn - frozen works well ( highly optional) $1.00

1 head garlic - cloves roughly chopped - or if you must substitute, one generous tablespoon garlic powder $0.37

1 small can green chilies or 1 fresh chili pepper - (believe it or not those are optional) =$1.25

1 tablespoon cumin = $0.10

1 tablespoon chili powder = $0.05

hot pepper - dried or liquid = $0.10

2 tablespoons salsa ( can be omitted - but rounds up the flavor nicely) = $0.25

fresh cilantro - really nice when you can add it, but optional = $0.50

Salt and pepper = $0.05



1. After you have prepared your basic beans or opened two cans of beans, chop onions, carrots and green peppers and gently sauté in two tablespoons of oil.


2. While your veggies are sautéing prepare your fresh garlic - roughly chop or finely grate with a cheese grater and add to the sauté. Move everything around - the garlic usually makes things sticky, and once you see the onion softening add a tiny bit of the tomato sauce.


3. In about half a cup of tomato sauce - dissolve your spices - cumin, chili powder, garlic powder( if you use it) and stir to dissolve - add to your saute and once stirred in, add the rest of the tomato sauce.


4. Add beans, corn and chilies and turn heat down to simmer. Let simmer for about 35 minutes. Mix occasionally, taste and add salt towards the end, also add hot peppers to taste.



Potluck variation chili:

When I take this recipe to a gathering of non-veggies, I usually add some sort of vegetarian version of ground beef to disguise my chili. Peoples jaws drop when after they lapped it all up they are told they just had vegetarian chili. So, to add extra protein you could use TVP- texturized vegetable protein - the best brand in my opinion is made by Heartline Meatless Meats - their products absolutely rock! You could also use their vegetarian jerky which they sell in little lunch box bags - they are under a dollar - the jerky cut into little strips would dress up any chili.

A more expensive option is ground beef style crumbles found in the freezer section by Boca Burgers or Ground Beef style quorn. But do keep in mind that none of these products are needed and they make this dish considerably more expensive!



Ideas for leftovers:



Leftover chili is awesome!



Leftover recipe 1: Burritos


You will need:


Leftover chili

One package whole wheat tortillas

½ jar salsa

Cheese of choice - optional of course



1. Heat oven to 375º. Heat up your leftover chili in a pan.


2. If you have an electric stove - rejoice - perfect for heating up tortillas - just heat on very low setting and then put the tortillas directly on the coils. Warning this is a major fire hazard - so watch them like a hawk and leave them on there only for about ten seconds. If you don’t have an electric stove, either omit this step altogether or heat up your tortillas in a pan over low heat for a couple of minutes. Basically, you want to heat them so they become nice and pliable and not to be ice cold straight out of the refrigerator. (Yes, I keep my tortillas in the fridge - they last longer that way)


3. Scoop some chili into each burrito, add some shredded cheese and a small scoop of salsa, roll up and arrange in a slightly greased baking dish our better yet in a large cast iron pan.


4. Use up all your tortillas and your chili - and layer your burritos in the pan. Top with salsa and some more cheese and put in oven for about 10 - 15 minutes. Not really to cook just to heat everything well through.


5. For my vegan friends - the cheese is absolutely optional - the meal tastes equally good without it - if you want to splurge on vegan cheese you can but it is certainly not necessary and a tad expensive.



Leftover Recipe 2: Bean Soup:



Takes minutes and is phenomenally delicious and filling.



You’ll need:

Leftover chili

1-2 28 oz cans of crushed tomatoes - or any style that is on sale - break down large chunks if necessary

1- 2 cups of basic beans - either prepared the Romanian Way - or canned

dried herbs

salt and pepper



Sorry I am a bit vague with the the number of cans of tomatoes and beans, but it really depends on the amount of chili you have left over. You want the chili - tomato ratio to be equal, maybe leaning towards the chili a bit. But again my recipes are merely suggestions, I am sure you can make a stunning soup that would be much heavier on the tomatoes.



1. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and heat.


2. Taste for seasoning - you probably will have to add - salt, pepper, and any dried spice (short of mint) should lend itself well - oregano, marjoram, sage, basil will all work well. You can add extra chili powder and adjust hotness according to your wishes.


3. You may top with a tad of shredded cheese - just before serving - for extra impact.

Free soup!


One of the challenges I have set for myself for 2009 is to never again buy pre-fab stock for my soups. The buying of big containers full of flavored water for up to $3.50 per 32 oz has always irked me, but I never really took the plunge to make an effort to end this travesty.
If we look at the ingredients of the stock pictured above, the first one listed is “water” - and of course water accounts for about 98% of what is in that $3 container, all the rest of the ingredients onions, carrots, celery, tomatoes, salt, spices, oil and garlic are represented as mere trace elements floating in water.
To get to make your own stock for free I followed the advice of a dear friend and restaurant owner, who makes the best soups far and wide. His secret lies in the compost bin - or rather the things he will not throw in, in order to make soup. Kitchen scrap soup - I am pretty sure that was also my grandmother’s secret for her fantastic vegetable soup. Basically as you chop veggies for stir fries, curries or any other vegetable dish, have a separate container ready to collect all the bits and pieces that even though they are not good enough - or sometimes merely not attractive enough - for your stir fry - they are perfect for cooking over a slow simmer and giving you that flavor that we are looking for in a good broth. The obvious candidates are: the tough core of a cabbage, the woody ends of broccoli, the butts of carrots, the outer layer - not the skin - of onions, the stem of kale etc. All these should go into your soup stock container and keep in the refrigerator for two or three days - after that - if you are eating enough veggies - as you should - you will have a full container of cookable scraps. Put up a large pot with water, salt and spices and simmer - after about an hour you have wonderful and free stock! Enjoy!
It freezes great and lasts almost indefinitely!

Get your leftovers signed up with the Witness Protection Program!

I know this is a really stupid title - but follow me along here for a moment. Do your leftovers get eaten or shuffled around and ignored? Does your family avoid them like the plague - or do they pretend they are completely clueless about how to reheat, just to avoid eating leftovers?
Do leftovers check into your freezer, but never check out?
I think many of us are in that boat and here is a way out of this dilemma, because let’s face it - we cannot afford to let leftovers go to waste. They contain pricey ingredients, the work and time you put into cooking them and they are usually perfectly seasoned just waiting to be eaten. They have to be put to use. And here is where the Witness Protection Program comes in. Because we are going to give them a new identity and a new name.

There are three main ways of using leftovers but they have one thing in common, they use leftovers as an ingredient in itself and not a finished meal. Let me demonstrate: Let’s say we cooked vegetarian lasagna - it was a hit, but we made too much. What to do if your family does not go along with your plan of eating lasagna for breakfast, lunch and dinner the next two days - simple - you’ll deceive them. Obviously!


The three ways of hiding leftovers are:


1. Soup; kind of obvious - puree the sucker - add some broth - reheat and most importantly - rename. Vegetarian Lasagna - becomes a thick, creamy soup called “Roman Wedding Soup” - or something like that - the more outlandish the name the better! And the funny thing is - it tastes really good! Cross my heart! I have done this and people were asking for the recipe. Which I did not give them - for obvious reasons - “Well,make lasagna and then put it in a blender.” Right.



2. Make a dip out of it. Also kind of obvious - no reheating and the result is “potluck-worthy” good - again you will be asked for the recipe - I guarantee! Method: stick your leftover lasagna in the blender, add some extra virgin olive oil and blend. Move things along with a spatula if things stick a bit. Cut in some olives or a bit of salsa and serve with tortilla chips or pita triangles.



3. This is my personal favorite because it actually makes a whole other meal out of your leftovers - which is great for the budget. One word - veggie burger. Do you know the ingredients of a veggie burger? No? Relax, no one really does. Because it is very flexible: basically, you need - a bit of tofu - any kind will do - your leftovers - anything from lasagna - can you say “Italian burgers” to leftover Indian food “Kashmiri burgers anyone” will work, and a bit of flour. Method: Chop your leftovers finely - add tofu - add flour or some sticky starch such as cooked rice or quinoa (also a leftover hopefully) - mix by hand, form patties - cook in a good oil - serve with a side salad. They will be the best veggie burgers ever, trust me!