Squash Soup

Another cool, rainy October day sparked an interest in soup again...this time for dinner. A large butternut squash on the counter, fresh from yesterday's Farmer's Market made the decision easy as to what kind of soup it would be. A bunch of fresh sage, also from the market inspired me to bake a round of foccacia. Some Edamame in their pods, seared in an iron skillet gave us some protein, and a crisp romaine salad with blended sunflower seed, garlic and lemon dressing rounded out the meal. After cutting in half and scooping out the seeds, I roasted the squash, cut side down on a pan for about 40 minutes in a 400 degree oven. I imagine the squash can be steamed or boiled, but heating up the kitchen with the hot oven was appealing. The squash can be mixed with any number of spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, curry, etc). I added an apple, some shallots, a carrot, several cups of vegan broth, a touch of soymilk (K didn't want coconut milk which I would have chosen) lots and lots of fresh grated ginger and then used my immersion blender to make a creamy puree.

Soup For Lunch

Today was the first cold October day, and I needed a warming lunch. The first thing I ever cooked in high school Home Economics class was a celery soup. ( I remember that I was surprised that I could actually create something that could be eaten.) So, today I realized that I had a couple heads of celery in the refrigerator that were fast becoming "woody" and needed to be consumed rather soon. So, celery soup it was. I also made some savory Tomato Rosemary Scones that I got from Isa Chandra Moskowitz's new Vegan Brunch cookbook.

Creamy Celery Soup
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon flour
4 cups celery, chopped
2 cups chard stems, chopped
6 cups vegetable broth
1/3 cup chopped fresh dill
1/2 cup soy milk
salt to taste

Saute the onion in the oil until beginning to soften. Add the salt, chopped celery, and chard stems and continue to saute for a bit before adding the garlic. (You don't want the garlic to burn or it will turn bitter.) Stir in the flour until it incorporates and disappears. Add the broth and simmer, covered for 25 minutes. Somewhere near the end of cooking time add the fresh dill. After fully cooked, stir in the soy milk. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup.

First Day

I am starting a blog today. K is helping her idiot mother who is in the Dark Ages when it involves computers. Tomorrow I won't be able to find this anywhere in cyberspace and will need to call K to help me.