Pumpkin Soup 2.0

Hello Fall, you sexy creature with your falling leaves, chilly evenings perfect for puppy cuddling and best of all the copious amounts of squash.  The rain still isn't getting me down, you'll have to try harder than this.  It's impossible to be bothered by the weather when I'm spending my free time keeping the kitchen warm by cooking organic local squash.  Mmm...homemade pie pumpkin puree.

I already turned my pumpkin into bread, today it was time for some soup. This one was a favorite last fall but no matter how many times I made it, there always seemed to be something missing.  This time around I figured it out.  Ancho powder!  It adds the extra kick and bit of smoky goodness that was lacking in the original recipe.  Now it is spicy and perfect.  It warms and fills you up with very little work.  And if you're not up for heading the Penzey's to get the best ancho powder money can buy, some decent chili powder will probably work just as well.


Pumpkin Black Bean Soup Version 2.0

2 15-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed (or 2 cups dried beans cooked)
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes (or 3 fresh tomatoes diced)
4 cups vegetable broth

4 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2  teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons ancho chili powder

1 16-ounce can pumpkin puree
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Baked pumpkin seeds, for garnish

In a food processor puree the beans and tomatoes with half of the vegetable broth.  (If you have an immersion blender you can just blend the soup at the end.)

Warm oil in a large pot then sauté red onion, garlic, cumin, salt, cinnamon, allspice, pepper, cayenne  and ancho powder on medium heat until onion and garlic are browned; about 3 minutes.

Add pureed ingredients, pumpkin and the rest of the broth to the pot. Simmer uncovered until thick, stirring often and scraping the bottom, about 30 minutes or until warmed through.

Before serving stir in balsamic vinegar. Garnish with baked pumpkin seeds.  I baked my own pumpkin seeds sprinkled with ancho powder.

Choose Your Own Adventure Squash Soup

The only reason I'm excited about the chillier weather is that it means it's time for soup.  Not that summer ever really prevents me from doing things as insane as making brownies and stew on 90 degree days.  But there is just something about coming in out of the cold and the rain to make a big pot of simple, filling and warm soup that really can make your day.

My fella and I have been amused by all the signs around town claiming winter is here.  "Weatherize your home.  Winter's coming!"  "Time to winterize your vehicle."  As Wisconsinites accustomed to winters of over 100 inches of snow, the idea that 60 degrees with no wind or weather can be considered "winter" has been amusing us to no end.  The west coast must spoil everyone and make them all soft and easily chilled.  People are running around in parkas and scarves, while the fella and I are still running around in sandals and bare legs.

Apparently all the hype finally went to the fella's precious bald head because the other morning he woke me up extremely excited.  "It's cold.  I got to turn on the heater."  There are two reasons this is funny.  A.  It was about 55 degrees which to me, as my mother's child is "put on a freaking sweater you sissy tempterature." B. Our apartment doesn't have heat per say so much as mini warm air blowers mounted in each room.  So Mr. Lets-move-somewhere-warm was bouncing up and down about getting to flip the switch on a glorified space heater.  He's so cute sometimes.

So to do my part to get into the supposed winter spirit I decided to make soup.  Problem is I'm still feeling extremely basic.  So basic I couldn't even handle reading a recipe so this is what came out of playing squash and the various Indian spices in the cupboard.  It took 15 minutes to make, no effort and was super tasty.  So exactly what I wanted.  With a little vegan yogurt to make it creamy it was just that much better.

You can choose your own squash and Indian spice and go crazy, that's the joy of this recipe.  I had acorn squash in the fridge so that made my squash decision easy.  Somehow we have two full containers of Penzey's Tandori seasoning so I figured I better put that to use.  And I was happy with my decision.  If you're feeling basic butternut squash and curry powder is a traditional match up well known for the happy soup eating noises it creates.  Basically any squash you have hanging around will pair well with a good quality Indian spice blend.  Experiment and let me know what you come up with.

Squash Soup


1 tablespoon vegan butter spread
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, diced
1/2 small onion, diced
1 tablespoon Indian spice mix of your choice (curry powder, Tandori seasoning, masala)
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)


2 cups cooked squash (butternut, acorn, pumpkin)
4 cups vegetable stock
salt and pepper, to taste

vegan yogurt and cilantro, to top


In a large pot over medium heat, melt the butter spread and oil until warm.  Add garlic and onion to the pot and cook until browned.  Sprinkle in the spice mix and red pepper flakes, stirring until thoroughly integrated into the onion mixture (this will prevent the spices from clumping when the liquid is added.)


Add the squash of your choice and the vegetable stock to the pot.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for a couple minutes.  Add salt and pepper and adjust seasoning to your taste.


Using an immersion blender or carefully pureeing in the regular blender, mix soup until smooth and creamy.  Serve with a dollop of vegan yogurt and some cilantro leaves.

Vegan "Parmesan" Cheese

Tonight in my on going quest to cook all the artichokes I impulse bought at the farmer's market I went super basic by steaming a handful of the baby ones.  Paired with some local caught salmon and dipped in some vegan butter substitute, it was a very happy making meal.

It also made me realize I don't miss dairy at all.  Considering I spent 28 years in the dairy state surrounded by some mind bogglingly delicious cheese, giving up milk products seemed like it would be a pretty big deal.  Turns out, not so much.  It takes an adjustment and strong will but there are so many decent ways to substitute the few dairy products I did enjoy that I don't feel like I'm missing out.

Earth Balance spread tastes and acts like butter so that one is easily covered.  There are so many great dairy free milk alternatives that you're bound to find one that tickles your taste buds.  For the most part I stick to making my own rice milk at home for basically free but Trader Joe's (on my side of town at least) sells gluten free hazelnut milk for about $2 that I'm also becoming a huge fan of.  Coconut yogurt isn't so bad if you need to fill that void.  Liquefied tofu or coconut milk make pretty great faux heavy cream.  And coconut ice cream is far better than even the best custard I've ever tasted, to the point that I wish I didn't know it existed seeing as it's awfully tempting to justify living on nothing but cookie dough coconut dream ice cream.

So far the only dairy free problem I have is cheese.  Soy cheese is creepy and it doesn't melt correctly.  Nut cheese has an odd texture.  And some dishes just aren't the same without cheese in some form.  I'm a big proponent of if you're eating vegetarian then eat food that is naturally vegetarian (no fake meat burgers or soy chicken nuggets for me...too creepy.)  But sometimes I stumble upon an easy and tasty alternative that allows me to pretend I'm eating the real thing and I'm all about that.

Surprisingly enough Parmesan cheese was one of those things I've been able to find a decent substitute for.  All it takes is a blender and a trip to the bulk bins at Whole Foods or New Season's and you have a vegan cheese creation that will fool you into thinking you're eating the real thing.  Nutritional yeast is actually a pretty good fake out for most of your vegan cheese needs so I always keep some on hand.

So blend some up and try it everywhere you've been missing Parmesan; in pesto, in risotto, on top of pasta, you name it and this recipe will work



Vegan "Parmesan" Cheese


1/4 cup raw cashews
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 dash mustard seed

Put everything in a food processor or spice grinder and process until the texture of crumbled Parmesan.  I use my bullet style blender gizmo  to grind the ingredients which also allows me to leave the left overs in the same cup for storing.