Month: October 2021

Winter Squash Lentil Soup

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ 5 Comments
Winter Squash and Lentil Soup

This nutrient dense soup is packed with umami and has a gorgeous color for a delicious, satisfying vegan meal. I could just as easily have called it a stew – it is that thick and hearty! While I might be a bit sad to see the days getting shorter, I always look forward to wearing my fall clothes and eating the wonderful variety of winter squashes and root vegetables. And unlike summer squashes, having winter squashes is like having money in the bank. Kept in a cool, dry place, they will last for weeks or even months. They really were a saving grace during the worst of the pandemic when we tried to only shop once every few weeks.

It’s true that it can often be dreary outside at this time of year, but our food can still be filled with color and flavor. This Winter Squash Lentil Soup has everything going for it in a one-pot meal. Add some bread and maybe a nice glass of wine or some herbal tea and happily call it dinner. Though I would never eschew a nice green salad, it isn’t actually necessary. The kale, chard or spinach that is added at the end will give you more than enough greens and is a beautiful contrast to the bright orange of the squash, carrots and turmeric.

I came across a recipe that looked appealing when I was surfing for ways to use up some lovely squashes I had picked up at the farmers’ market.

Winter Squash Lentil Soup

Nowadays, of course, many large supermarkets also have a good variety of winter squashes available. And I make a delicious curried butternut squash soup every Thanksgiving. But I had never thought about adding lentils before. As I have mentioned in several posts, my husband and I are eating a largely vegetarian diet these days, although we have no plans to give up meat altogether. It does mean, though, that I try to be very conscious of adding in plant protein whenever I can.

The original recipe looked good to me but I wanted to make some changes – as is my wont. So below is the recipe as I made it and it’s wonderful. However, while I used Red Kuri Squash, just about any other orange-fleshed squash would work here. Butternut, carnival or pumpkin squashes all would be delicious. I also chose to go with a chana dal or yellow split pea rather than the green or brown lentils called for in the original. Part of the reason was to maintain that gorgeous color, but I also love that the chana dal maintains its bite even with a long cooking. I always use it 50/50 in my green split pea soup for that reason. If you don’t have them, pretty much any lentil will do.

Not only can you control or adapt the soup to what you have on hand, but you can also decide if you are going for a mellow curried flavor or one that is more spicy. And if you don’t like peanut butter, you can substitute cashew butter or even almond butter. Fall and winter not only bring out the beautiful squashes but also the heartier greens. Dino or lacinato kale, Swiss chard in all of its varieties, collards, mustard or turnip greens. I happen to love beet greens, but it is difficult to come across really nice ones where I live and many grocery stores actually throw them out before they are ever seen by customers.

This hearty soup comes together pretty quickly, making it a nice anytime soup. And while it is rare for me to buy pre-chopped squash, if you are really in a pinch for time, many grocery stores do offer that option. Winter Squash and Lentil Soup can be made ahead and refrigerated. Just gently warm it and add the greens before serving, allowing them to just wilt.

This is a soup to enjoy throughout the fall and winter. It will banish the drears away.

Recipe

Winter Squash and Lentil Soup

Yield: About 6 servings

Ingredients

Winter Squash Soup

1 Tablespoon oil (Canola, coconut or EVOO)

3 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced

1 Tablespoon of freshly grated ginger

1 yellow onion, peeled and chopped – about 2 cups

1 large carrot, thinly sliced or diced

1 winter squash, about 2 pounds, peeled and cubed (about 6 cups)

1 Tablespoon yellow curry powder (hot or not or a mix)

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 15 ounce can of coconut milk – full fat, preferably

4 cups of vegetable broth

1 cup of chana dal or yellow split peas (green or brown lentils will work but the color won’t be as lovely), rinsed well and sorted. If your lentils are older, give them an overnight soak. Drain them before using.

3 Tablespoons natural peanut butter without any sugar – smooth or chunky

1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt

Freshly cracked black pepper to taste

2 good handfuls of baby spinach or kale

Optional Garnishes

Chopped fresh cilantro or parsley

Chopped roasted peanuts or cashews

Sing Bhujia Masala Peanuts

Chakri

Fresh lime

Directions

Add the oil of choice to a largish pot or Dutch oven. Heat to medium high and add the chopped onions and salt. Sauté for 3 to 5 minutes or until they begin to soften. Add the turmeric powder and curry powder and stir through for 30 seconds to bloom the spices.

Now add the squash, carrot, lentils, garlic and ginger and stir everything well, coating all of the veg with the spices.

Stir in the coconut milk, peanut butter and vegetable broth. Mix well and add in the cracked black pepper.

Bring the soup to a boil, then partially cover the pot, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes to an hour.

If you are making this ahead, allow the soup to cool a bit. Using an immersion blender, partially blend the soup. You want to still see some of the chunks of squash. This can also be done in a standing blender. In that case, only blend about 3 cups. Be VERY careful if the soup is hot. Cover the top of the blender with a kitchen towel and do not overfill the blender. Start on a low speed to prevent the hot liquid exploding out the top.

Just before you are ready to serve, make sure that the soup is hot and add in your greens of choice. Depending on the kind of greens you are using, they may take as little as 3 minutes to wilt (spinach) to more like 20 minutes (collards). I used a Dino kale (lacinato kale) and gave it about 8 minutes. Garnish and enjoy! Leftovers can be refrigerated and will last about a week.

Lasagna Soup

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ 1 Comment
Lasagna Soup

Lasagna Soup is the cure for the autumn drears that I need NOW! Easy comfort food in a single pot. Fall can be the most beautiful season. The trees are sporting their colorful adornment before the leaves dance off until the spring. The days can be beautifully crisp and clear, making walks in forest preserves a delight. OR, it can be grey, dreary and damp like it has been this whole week, making getting out of bed a major achievement.

These are the days that make me hunker down, burying my head in a good book with a pot of delicious soup bubbling on the stove. This easy Lasagna Soup gives me everything I need to conquer the drears. And it can be vegan or beefy and cheesy or something in between, made with ground turkey. With just a few swaps (included below) this comforting soup can make anyone happy. I mean, who doesn’t love a good lasagna – in a fraction of the time?!

I love a good lasagna and my mother made one of the best. But even with the no-boil lasagna pasta now available, it’s still a bit of a production. This soup won’t replace lasagna when I have the time and inclination to make it, but it definitely gives me a lot of that satisfaction in a much easier, quicker format.

When deciding to make this soup, I checked out a bunch of different recipes. It’s one of those things that wasn’t there a week ago and now is EVERYWHERE. Since most of the ingredients are pantry staples, it’s the kind of thing that can be made without a run to the grocery store. And thanks to the pandemic, don’t most of us have great pantries and a few things like ground beef, turkey or vegan crumbles in our freezers?

So if you are ready to rise above the autumn drears or simply just want a bowl of warming comfort, give this a try.

Recipe

Lasagna Soup

Servings: 4 to 6

Ingredients

Lasagna Soup

1 Tablespoon of EVOO

1 large yellow onion, peeled and medium diced

2 to 4 garlic cloves (I use 4), peeled and minced

4 cups of broth (Vegan, chicken or beef)

2 Tablespoons tomato paste

24-ish ounces of marinara sauce OR 24 to 28 ounces of diced tomatoes (preferably fire-roasted)

1.5 teaspoons each: dried oregano, basil, onion powder

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon kosher salt or to taste

1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper or to taste

1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar)

13 ounces (390 g) soy veggie crumbles or vegan ground “meat” or 1 pound of ground beef or turkey

About 3 cups of roughly diced fresh mushrooms (button, baby bellas or cremini (They lend umami and great mouthfeel, especially if you are going with the vegan version.)

8 to 10 ounces of dried lasagna or Gigli pasta

About 2 big handfuls of fresh spinach (Optional but recommended) or thawed frozen spinach with extra liquid squeezed out

Lasagna Soup

Optional Garnishes

If you are not making this vegan, you can add a dollop of ricotta cheese or parmigiana before serving.

Ribbons or torn fresh basil leaves or chopped flat-leaf parsley

A few chili flakes if you want this spicier

Directions

Heat the oil in a large, heavy pot over medium high heat. Add the onion and sauté until just becoming golden, about 7 minutes. If the onion seems to be sticking you can add a splash of water or red wine to deglaze.

Once the onion is golden, add the garlic, tomato paste and spices and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more. (If using, you could also add the chili flakes here instead of as a garnish.)

Next add the ground meat or meat substitute along with the mushrooms, if using and cook for about 5 minutes or until much of the mushroom moisture evaporates. The mushrooms add a “meatiness” of their own. My mushrooms were very fresh and actually had almost no additional moisture, so I cooked them down enough to just begin to soften.

Lasagna Soup

Add the marinara sauce or canned tomatoes, vinegar and the broth. Bring everything to a boil and then add the noodles. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until the noodles are al dente. Stir in the spinach until wilted, if using. Remove from the heat, garnish and enjoy! A great crusty garlic bread or focaccia and some nice red wine wouldn’t go amiss.

NOTES:

This recipe will produce a wonderful cross between a thick soup and a saucy pasta. If you have left-overs, you likely will need to add some liquid when you go to reheat it. We are not vegan so I did serve the soup with some real cheese. However, I have been googling and there are a number of pretty simple recipes for all kinds of vegan cheeses should you wish to go that route and they are not readily available in your local stores. Some are made with cashews and others with soy milk. Some day, simply out of curiosity, I may try one or two.

SD* Chickpea Burger

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ 2 Comments
SD* Chickpea Burger

SD* Chickpea Burger works. The SD* stands for “simply delicious.” I love a good vegan burger. It’s not as a substitute for a meat burger. But as a delicious canvas for toppings, enjoyed in its own right. This SD* Chickpea Burger delivers. Unlike many bean burgers, this one gets beautifully crispy on the outside and does not fall apart with a mushy center when you bite into it. There are just four ingredients to the burger and they are pantry staples. What you do about the toppings is between you – and you!

The method used here is the same one used to make great falafel. Chickpeas are given a long soak, generally overnight (12 to 24 hours) and then they are ground up in a food processor. Now while this burger only uses a couple of flavorful ingredients, you could up the spice level easily enough if you choose.

I came across this burger recipe on YouTube and decided to give it a try. The only changes I made were to use both black and ivory chickpeas and to slightly simplify the method. My version uses one less bowl that I didn’t need to wash. Black chickpeas were a novelty for me and since I had them I decided to try it here. They are smaller than the more familiar ivory chickpeas, and perhaps have a slightly different flavor. Frankly, just using regular (ivory) dried chickpeas is fine.

The marinated artichokes are already seasoned and the oil-soaked sun-dried tomatoes add umami and great texture.

While you might be able to make this without a food processor, it would be pretty difficult to get the correct texture. Now this recipe makes 6 burgers. My 6’3″ husband ate two with corn on the cob as a side. I only needed one to be satisfied. We served the burgers on a toasted onion kaiser roll with beefsteak tomatoes from the farmers’ market, caramelized onions, radish sprouts, avocado and pickle. On the second burger my husband put some Sriracha Aioli on the bun. It was all delicious and I know that the next time I eat it, I’ll likely use other toppings like fast pickled onions and arugula.

SD* Chickpea Burger

Like falafel, the chickpeas you are using are only soaked – not cooked ahead of time. And no, canned chickpeas will not work here. In order to ensure that the chickpeas are fully cooked, do not make fewer but larger burgers. The SD* Chickpea Burgers will need time to cook through. I have not tried making them in the oven, which should work, but would likely produce a less crispy burger than one cooked in oil in a cast iron skillet. And in order to get that color and crispiness you might end up drying out the burger.

Because it is just the two of us, I plan on using the leftover burgers as my lunch during the week. They will last in the fridge for a week and in the freezer for much longer.

Brass tax: is this SD* Chickpea Burger likely to convert die-hard beef burger lovers? No. But is it a really good vegan burger enjoyed in its own particular glory? Absolutely yes. So if you are looking to add more plant-based meals to your diet, give this a try. Simply Delicious!

Recipe

Servings: 6 burgers

Ingredients

SD* Chickpea Burgers

1 cup dried chickpeas (Use organic!)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

12 to 14 ounces jar or can of marinated artichokes, drained (You can use the liquid as a base for salad dressing)

1/2 cup, drained sun-dried tomatoes in EVOO

Neutral oil for pan-frying (I used Canola)

SD* Chickpea Burgers

Directions

Soak the chickpeas 3 cups of water for 12 to 24 hours

Drain the soaked chickpeas. Then add them to a food processor with the salt. Pulse, scraping down the sides until the beans are finely minced and easily hold together when squeezed in your hand.

Add the artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes to the chickpeas and process until everything is ground up and evenly distributed.

Using your hands, form 6 burgers. Place them on a plate or in a container that will fit in your fridge, covered. Refrigerate for at least one hour or up to 1 week. This will help them hold together in the pan when cooking.

When you are ready to cook them, heat a heavy or cast iron skillet with enough oil to cover the bottom well. When the oil is shimmering, carefully add the burgers in one layer without touching each other. Do this in batches if your pan won’t hold them all. Cook for 4 minutes per side. DO NOT MOVE THEM AROUND OR SMUSH THEM DOWN! Carefully flip the burgers over and cook for another 4 minutes.

Garnish and enjoy!