Tuscan Kale and Squash Minestra

I found this recipe  on Food & Wine's site here and it is pure fall  in a bowl. Super tasty, super satisfying, and super healthy. The soup trifecta.

EVOO 

1 large onion, finely chopped

One ~2-pound butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes 

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary

1 pound Tuscan kale, chopped (make sure to remove the stems! They are chewy and can make your soup taste like dirt...)

4 cups chicken stock (I used my usual Better than Bouillon)

1 cup canned navy beans, drained

Give the pan a good go-round with a couple of glugs of EVOO, somewhere between 1-2 tbsp. Cook the onions over medium heat until soft and just slightly browned. Add the squash and cook for about 5 minutes  until it is also slightly browned. Give the pan a couple go-rounds of salt. If you are not using a low-sodium broth, you may want to go easy on the salt in this step, and wait until you taste everything all together later.

 
If you're using a good heavy-bottomed pan, don't be afraid to let some brown bits start accumulating on the bottom of the pan- you'll get those back up into the broth in a bit. Add the garlic and rosemary and let it cook for a minute. Add the kale. It will look huge, but let it cook for a few minutes and it will wilt.

Add the chicken stock. You should get a nice sizzle- take a second to make sure you scrape up any of those brown bits and get them working together with the broth. You don't want to miss those flavor bits.... Cover and simmer the mixture until the kale and squash are tender- it shouldn't take long, approx 10 minutes.  Add the beans and cook for 5 more minutes, uncovered. Taste and add S&P as needed (depending on what stock you use, you may not need any salt at all).

At this point, you could add a small pasta such as ditalini, tortellini, or any other cute mini pastas Barilla has on the market these days. I'm more of a quinoa fan- it's tasty and chock full of protein. I serve the soup over a small scoop for a complete meal, topped with a fair bit of freshly shaved parm. Yum. 

Healthy, Hearty, and Kinda Creamy Mushroom Soup

I recently discovered Skinnytaste.com's soup recipes. I had some dental work done and was only able to eat very soft foods for a loooooong time. Once I got tired of scrambled eggs and mashed potatoes, I decided I was going on a mission for actual tasty soft food recipes. 

 I have now tried quite a few of the Skinnytaste soup recipes. This mushroom soup and the Curried Squash soup (to be posted shortly) have been my favorites.

This soup clocks in with a meager 65 cals/ serving (1 1/4 cup). I ended up reducing some of it down even further and using it as a nice low-cal gravy for my fluffy mashed potatoes (use a food mill/ricer!!)

3 tbsp flour (white or wheat)

4 cups water

4 tsp Better than Bouillon Chicken dissolved in 1 cup water

5 oz shiitake mushrooms (the meatiness of these mushrooms makes the splurge worth it)

8 oz baby bellas

1 celery stalk, cut in half

Chop up your mushrooms- do not throw away your shiitake stems! Gather them in a little bundle and toss them in with the rest of the 'shrooms:

 

They add a valuable earthy flavor to the broth- you will remove them at the end when the soup is done cooking.

 Blend the flour and water in a blender until completely mixed. I  used a whole wheat flour with no problems. Pour the mixture into a soup pot over medium heat. Add the broth, mushrooms, and celery, and a fair amount of salt (based on your personal preferences).  Cook until the veggies are soft- about 20 mins.

Place the celery stalk and two ladles of soup in the blender. Blend until smooth and add back into  the soup as a thickener, add S&P to taste. If you want it a bit thicker, you can add cornstarch mixed with cold water while the soup is still hot. You can also continue to cook it over low-medium heat, uncovered for an additional 20-30 minutes. When I reduced it down to a gravy-like consistency, I only used about 1 1/2 cups that I had added a bit of cornstarch to. This recipe doesn't make a giant pot, maybe enough for 4-5 servings.

I somehow managed to not take a pic of the finished product- do not expect a white, creamy mushroom soup. This is more of a meaty, slightly creamy broth soup- but it is richer and thicker, so you will still get the satisfaction of the full texture and flavor. 

Quick and Easy Bulgur Salad

 

I came across a version of this recipe some time ago somewhere on the Real Simple website. It makes a huge batch and can be a great side dish for a group get-together with some grilled chicken or a fatty fish like salmon. It can also be used as a tasty vegetarian main course- the bulgur is filling and the tangy notes of the olives make for a great balance of flavor. 

Here's what you will need:

1 cup uncooked bulgur

1 contained of grape tomatoes- chop in half if they are larger than bite-size

1/2 c kalamata olives, chopped

About 1/3 cup chopped scallions

Chopped fresh parsley & oregano. 

S&P to taste

A splash of  EVOO (1-2 tablespoons to taste)

A splash of red wine vinegar (to taste)

Cook the bulgur as directed- try not to overcook it, it will become too mushy for this recipe. Toss in the solid ingredients and add EVOO as needed to loosen up the wheat and lightly coat the ingredients. If you have a tasty olive oil, this is the type of recipe you would want to use it for. Taste and season as you go along. I like the splash of red wine vinegar at the end to balance out the dense flavor of the wheat. Again, this is where personal tastes really come in to play. 

This recipe can be served warm, cold, or at room temp. I actually preferred it cold after it had had a few hours for all of the flavors to really marinate...which makes it great for a late-night snack or lunch leftovers :)

Hummus... my new favorite addiction

I don't know why it took me so long that making your own hummus at home is so much better than store-bought... I can add what I want flavor-wise, and I know exactly what's going in it, so I don't have to worry about weird preservatives or a ton of sodium....

Here are two recent versions I have made and loved- I had a can of pumpkin hanging around and added it to the first one, thinking I would get pumpkin flavor. I didn't. BUT I did get a lovely fall color and a great creamy texture. Also, when I make these recipes, I like to let the processor run until the hummus has almost a whipped texture, I love the velvety mouthfeel and it makes it seem like I'm eating something luxurious instead of a healthy snack ;)

Hummus #1 Lemon Rosemary Pumpkin

1 15 oz. can chickpeas
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 small clove of garlic, smashed. (this may sound like not enough- but raw garlic is potent, and it will get stronger as time goes by...)
1-2 sprigs fresh rosemary, minced
Cumin to taste
2-3 tbsp lemon juice (start with 2)
EVOO
S&P

Toss everything but the EVOO and S&P into the food processor and just let it go for a minute. Then slowly add in the EVOO a tablespoon at a time until you get your desired consistency. I try to keep it to a minimum, and the pumpkin really helps with the texture, so I think I only used 2-3 tablespoons here. Taste and then adjust the cumin, rosemary, and S&P as needed. You may also want a tad more lemon juice to brighten it up- if you really want a good punch of lemon, try tossing in some grated lemon peel.

Hummus #2- Curry Pumpkin

About 2 tbsp fresh grated ginger
1 clove garlic, smashed and lighted roasted in a saute pan
1 tbsp honey
1 15 oz can chickpeas
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
Toasted curry powder, start with about 1/2 tsp and up as needed (and yes, toasted- trust me, it's totally worth it)
EVOO
S&P to taste
Cayenne pepper (optional- I would start with about 1/8 tsp)


I roasted the garlic in this recipe to get the garlic flavor while keeping it from being overwhelming. It gave it a great flavor and it smelled a-ma-zing...

Just like last time, toss everything in a food processor except the EVOO, let it run for a bit and then gradually add the olive oil as needed.
Taste and then play with the seasoning- you may also want extra honey. I toasted some pine nuts and put them on top with a swirl of EVOO. So. Good.

Once you've started playing with different combinations, you will get more familiar with what types of flavors you like and then- just start throwing them in the food processor! Hummus is pretty forgiving, you can really have fun trying all kinds of new things. I made a pumpkin version of the standard hummus as well- chickpeas, tahini, lemon, pumpkin, dill, salt, EVOO. Bright, simple, delicious. Hmm... I may have to go whip some up now....