Soup Time!

We've had a very mild Fall here.  The first frost just came the other day...4 weeks later than usual.  With the days shorter, and temperatures cooler now, there is that definite pull towards comfort foods.
Now, I've never been a great soup maker(in my mind), but I've decided that this is something I am going to work on.  Soups can be so easy, filling, and something you can make and freeze.  Not to mention, a way to get more vegetables into our diet!

In the past week, I've made several soups that have been pretty darn tasty...even our wee one has been enjoying them.  The first was a soup, I made from the leftovers of 2 different slow cooker recipes.  It was basically a mixture of leftover root vegetables, and homemade chicken broth that I blended to a smooth consistency, and added some chopped up pork and apple sausages.  Yummy!

Ever since I spent some time in New Mexico, Posole has been a household favorite.  I use to make it with dried posole (hominy), but as I have difficulty finding that here, I have resorted to canned hominy.  Which come to find out, it much easier, and cooking time is far quicker!  Posole is just a mixture of pork, onion, broth, hominy, some canned tomatoes, and I usually put in some salsa verde. Serve with slices of avocado, and shredded cheese.  That's my down and dirty version.

Earlier this Fall, we purchased quite a few Sugar Pie pumpkins.  We had planned to roast or steam, then freeze the pumpkin.  This weekend, my husband so patiently steamed all but 2 (left for decorating the Thanksgiving table) while I was sick in bed.  He even roasted the seeds! Roasting seeds was something he had never done before,  But, he found a recipe, and made them because he knows how much I like them.  I love this man!

A storm is headed our way, and something warm seemed appropriate for tonights dinner.  I was looking for a dairy free version of pumpkin soup.  I'm taking a little break from dairy right now, to see if I might feel better.  I decided to try this recipe - Pumpkin Coconut Milk Soup.  So super easy and super tasty.  We garnished with some of the roasted pumpkin seeds, and dipped with a boule of sourdough bread.  I wish I could say that I am a bread maker, but sadly I am not.  Maybe I should make that my next kitchen mission...once I feel like I've mastered soups.

Please feel free to send me the link to your favorite soup recipe.  I would love to try them!!

Cheers!
Forestry Mama


Below - Recipe for Pumpkin Coconut Milk Soup

Ingredients (See Link Above- All Recipes)

Original recipe makes 5 servingsChange Servings

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 cups water
• 2 chicken bouillon cubes
• 2 (14 ounce) cans pumpkin puree

• 1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
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1. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat; cook and stir the onion and garlic in the melted butter until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir the water and chicken bouillon cubes into the mixture; cook and stir until the bouillon cubes have dissolved, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir the pumpkin puree, coconut milk, ginger, orange juice, pumpkin pie spice, and chili powder into the liquid. Bring the soup to a simmer, and cook until heated through, 5 to 7 minutes.
2. Pour the soup into a blender pitcher to no more than half full. Hold down the lid of the blender firmly in place. Start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree in batches until smooth, and pour into a clean pot. Alternately, you can use a stick blender and puree the soup in the pot.
3. Return the pureed soup to medium heat; bring to a simmer and cook another 10 minutes.