Butternut Bisque with Kale Cream, Pepitas + Smoky Mushrooms

This might be the most gorgeous soup I've ever made. The intense color - blocking turned out so good and only works this well when the consistency of the two layers are thick enough not to mix when you pour the cream on top just before serving. The addition of toasted pepitas, cremini mushrooms and smoked paprika put the entire thing over the top. This can be made vegan by using coconut milk instead of dairy milk. It is delicious both ways! The kale cream is also delicious over pasta, rice or quinoa with roasted butternut squash for a variation. I've also used it in lasagna, as a flatbread pizza sauce and as a creamy dressing on a winter salad. Experiment!

INGREDIENTS
For the soup:
1 butternut squash, peeled, de-seeded and cubed
1 cup coconut milk or vegetable stock
1|2 medium yellow onion, sliced
olive oil
sea salt + black pepper
nutritional yeast
pinch of cayenne
a little grated nutmeg
toasted pepitas are pumpkin seeds
sliced cremini mushrooms
1 clove of minced garlic

For the kale cream:
8 large leaves of kale, washed, deveined and chopped
1|4 shallot, diced
1|2 - 3|4 cup coconut milk
pinch of sea salt

DIRECTIONS
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Toss the cubed squash and sliced onion in a bowl with a drizzle of olive oil, seasoned with salt + pepper. Roast on a sheet pan for about 30 minutes, shaking the pan half way through to ensure even cooking, until they are golden and fragrant. Remove the pan from the oven and scrape everything into a blender. Add the nutritional yeast, cayenne and the nutmeg. You could also add it directly to a soup pot with the coconut milk or stock and use an immersion blender. Blend until thick and creamy. Adjust the liquid so that it is not too thin or the cream will not sit on top and you'll get a murky blended effect instead. Return the soup to the pot.

Start making the kale cream by adding all of the ingredients to a second small pot and cook until just tender and the kale is bright green. If you overcook this step, the kale can become bitter. While this is cooking, gently saute the mushrooms and garlic, season with salt + pepper. Blend the kale cream in the blender (rinse it out first) or with the immersion blender. It should be thick as well. Build your bowl by ladling in the soup first. Gently and slowly pour or spoon some of the kale cream on top. Gently set the mushrooms in the middle and top with the pepitas  and smoked paprika. These layers should sit one right on top of the other for maximum wow factor and to get the color - blocked effect.

ENJOY!!

Tomato Chickpea Curry with Kale

I think most everyone has a deeper relationship with soups and stews in the fall and winter when warm broth, spices, root vegetables and hearty greens are in season and taste their best. I always look forward to using my kale, spinach and chard this time of year because I can simply walk into my garden and cut a big armful to throw right into the pot. Eating foods that are in season simply means that they are actively producing during the time of year when they naturally thrive. Their nutrients and nutritional profiles are at their peak and our bodies absorb them readily. This principle also applies to nature and wildlife. We eat foods that are higher in healthy fats to support a balance between the cold temperatures and the ecology inside of our bodies. Our feet and hands run cold and our circulatory systems thrive on the boosting properties of warming spices like cinnamon, cayenne, cumin, cardamom, turmeric and ginger. This also the season when we become susceptible to virus and pathogens and these foods and spices are great at stimulating immune response.

Not all soups have to take hours to simmer. I made this one for lunch using organic canned beans and I was sitting at the table in 30 minutes! Obviously, if you have the time to soak and cook your beans and roast your tomatoes, it would be twice as good for you. But if you need to buy canned foods for quickness and ease, always buy organic because you won't find anything in there but a little water and salt, which is optional. This curry is warm, spicy and very satisfying. I made the base of mine a little creamy by using potato broth. You can find this in health food stores in paper cartons, or of course you could make your own (which I did) by boiling down some potatoes in a little water and tossing it in the blender or using an immersion blender. It makes the base of the soup a little heavier without using a bunch of cream.

INGREDIENTS
1 large or 2 medium carrots
3 - 4 stalks of celery
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
1|2 yellow onion, chopped
1 can of fire roasted tomatoes with their juice
1 large can of organic chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
5 - 6 large leaves of kale, stemmed and chopped
2 cups of unsalted potato stock
1 cup of filtered water
1 - 2 t curry powder
1 T nutritional yeast
big pinch of cayenne
salt + pepper to taste
olive oil

DIRECTIONS
Warm enough olive oil in the bottom of a heavy soup pot enough to completely coat the surface. Saute the onion, carrot and celery for about 7 minutes or until it begins to brown. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. De-glaze the pan with the can of tomatoes. Add the potato stock, chickpeas and seasonings. Cover and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Add the kale for the last 5 minutes until it turns bright green. You're ready! I like to serve my curries with a dollop of plain greek yogurt and some fresh cilantro. You could substitute fresh parsley and sour cream if you wanted to. Other optional embellishments could be pepitas (pumpkin seeds) or toasted cashews.

ENJOY!