Yam and Peanut Soup

OMG........That is all.

What you need
2 large yams, peeled and cut into cubes
1 onion, diced
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 sticks of celery, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tbsp chopped fresh ginger
1 14 oz can of diced tomatoes with juice
6 cups of water
1/3 cup crunchy or smooth peanut butter
Salt, pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon and allspice to taste

BOIL or roast your yams until just about tender. Meanwhile, saute your onion, carrot and celery in a large soup pot on medium heat for about 10 minutes or so. Add the ginger and garlic and saute one minute more. Add the tomatoes, water and the yams chunks and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until sweet potato is tender and soft. Add salt, pepper and spices to taste.
TRANSFER to a blender and blend in batches until very smooth. You can add water if it is to thick.
STRAIN your soup through a fine mesh strainer into a clean pot to give it an amazingly smooth and velvety consistency.
ADD the peanut butter and more seasoning to taste.
GARNISH with some chopped peanuts and chopped green onion.

Mulligatawny Soup

 My wonderful work associate Linda asked for this soup in exchange for a jar of her homemade hot pepper jelly. I had no idea what Mulligatawny soup was. Well I thought I did but I was completely wrong. Apparently it's an Indian soup made with curry, apples, chicken and rice. Sounds odd but it is actually amazing! I am definitely making this a keeper! Thanks Linder!

START by sauteing one minced, medium size onion, 4 sticks of celery, chopped and 2 carrots cut into coins in about 1/2 cup of butter (I know it's a lot!) over medium heat in a large stock pot.

ADD 3 Tbsp of flour and 1 Tbsp of curry powder and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often.

ADD one carton of organic, free range chicken broth and 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 1/2 hour.

ADD one apple, cored and chopped, 2 organic or free range chicken breasts, cubed, 1/2 cup of white rice, salt and pepper to taste and 1/4 tsp or so of dried thyme. Simmer 15 minutes or until rice is done.

IF you want it creamier you can add a cup of heavy cream or milk if you don't want so much fat. 

Summer Corn Chowder

The last of the Taber corn :( An ode to the end of summer. Where did it go??? Well we may as well enjoy what's left of it before the snow flies.....It's all very depressing....... until you try a bite of this sweet, creamy soup. fresh corn off the cob is best of course but frozen will also work well. On the upside it's a whole new season of veggies to try and blog about so I will have something to look forward to I guess. Keep smiling!
Make this vegetarian by easily omitting the bacon and using some vegetable oil instead. It's still amazing without it.

Summer Corn Chowder
3 slices of bacon, sliced (optional)
1 Tbsp butter
2 bunches of green onions, sliced
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
Salt, pepper and 1 1/2 tsp of thyme
3 1/2 cups of chicken stock
5 ears of corn, corn sliced off the cob* (reserve 2 cobs)
1 Large yukon gold potato, diced small
2 Tbsp cream

Directions 
SAUTE bacon in a large soup pot or saute pan on med. heat until browned and crisp. Transfer bacon to a small bowl lined with paper towel. Remove all but 1 Tbsp of bacon fat from pot.
ADD butter and heat until melted. Add white and light green parts of the green onion and the jalapeno. Saute until onion is softened.
ADD chicken stock, corn, 2 corn cobs, potato, salt, pepper and thyme. Bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer until potatoes are tender. About 15 minutes.
REMOVE cobs and blend about 1 1/2 cups of the soup in a blender then add back to pot along with the cream. season to taste and sprinkle with bacon and remaining dark green onion.

*An easy way to slice corn off the cob without getting it everywhere is to get a very large bowl and place a smaller bowl upside down in the big bowl. Hold each cob upright on the little bowl and slice. The big bowl will catch all the corn.

 

Roasted garlic butternut squash soup

I think I enjoy making soup more then many other foods. I think they are seriously underrated. Quantities don't really have to be perfect and I love that kind of cooking. It feels almost rustic in a way. There is something so comforting about it, especially in the winter or a rainy day. This is one of my favorites. Roasting the garlic with the squash creates a whole new depth of flavour to this soup that just can't be achieved any other way. I love to make a big pot so I always have lots of leftovers.

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Slice your butternut squash in half and drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper. Roast it in the oven with a few whole cloves of garlic thrown in as well (don't bother peeling them). Set your timer for 45 minutes.

While that's cooking heat a large stock pot on the stove on medium and add a few glugs of olive oil. When oil is shimmery saute an onion, a few stalks of celery and a couple carrots all roughly chopped. Add a bay leaf or two, a few sprigs of fresh thyme, chopped or 1/2 tsp or so of dried thyme, and a pinch of cinnamon and ginger to taste. When vegetables are soft add enough organic chicken or vegetable broth to just cover veggies. Simmer until the squash is done.

Remove the bay leafs and scrape all the squash meat (not the seeds or stringy bits) into the pot and squeeze the garlic out of the skin into the pot. Blend the whole works in a blender (be careful it's hot!) on high speed for about 3 minutes. Transfer back to pot and add salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish with sour cream if you like or you can even try some homemade croutons. Not those tiny, halitosis inducing store bought ones please!