Tag Archives: onions

Curried Red Lentil and Roasted Delicata Squash Soup

Lentil Soup Drizzled with Coconut Milk.

Lentil Soup Drizzled with Coconut Milk.

Recently, I was approached by the lovely Katie over on the amazing blog, Whole Nourishment.  She is a fellow whole foodie and wellness coach and she just happens to post super tasty recipes!  She approached a number of bloggers that focus on whole food cooking about putting together a series which highlights recipes for Cooking for One.  I was super excited to team up with all of these bloggers because we share a common philosophy about food.  I was also excited about the thought of devising a recipe for people who cook for themselves.  Usually, I am cooking for my whole family so I have four people’s tastes and desires I have to take into account.  For this recipe, I got to focus on only myself!  Yippee!

On the rare occasions when I am cooking for only myself, I see it as an opportunity to eat exactly what I want.  Sometimes, I take the easy way out and just eat a salad or buy take out but every once in awhile, I am inspired to create something that truly nourishes my body.  This recipe is one of those times.  I know a big pot of soup seems like too much for one person but I see it as a chance to be prepared.  I now have lunch or dinner for the next few days and can even freeze a few individual portions for future meals.

Delicata Squash.

Delicata Squash.

This recipe is an extension of a recipe I posted a few weeks ago.  The soup calls for Roasted Delicata Squash but butternut squash or any other fall squash would be good.  Here is the recipe for roasting the squash.  I am a huge fan of  delicata squash because it does not need to be peeled and is incredibly sweet when roasted. In fact, when it is in season, I cook it so much that my kids complain as soon as they see one in the house.  (However, that’s the beauty of this recipe, the boys didn’t even notice the squash blended into the soup!)  Since delicata squash is high in vitamins A and C  and iron and calcium, I loved knowing I had snuck all those nutrients into the boy’s bodies!

This soup is filled with amazing whole foods nourishment perfect for the up coming winter.

Red Lentils.

Red Lentils.

Red lentils are a fiber all star with 16 grams of fiber in  a one cup serving.  All this fiber helps balance blood sugar and lower cholesterol.  They are also an excellent source of folate, copper, phosphorous, manganese and iron.  Eating just one cup of lentils will provide your body with over 35% of its daily protein needs.

Ingredients.

Ingredients.

This soup also features garlic and onions, two members of the alluim family.  Both are rich in sulfur-containing compounds that are responsible for their pungent odors and for many of their health-promoting effects. They have traditionally been used to fight colds and the flu.  Ginger has traditionally been used to combat nausea and stomach upset.  It is well known for its  antioxidant effects, an ability to inhibit the formation of inflammatory compounds, and direct anti-inflammatory effects.  One of curry powder’s main components is usually turmeric and  turmeric’s active compound, curcumin, has been shown to prevent sharp spikes in blood sugar, is anti-inflammatory and helps manage cholesterol. All of these soup ingredients are considered “warming” in Traditional Chinese Medicine, making them an excellent addition to a winter diet!

Mixed greens.

Mixed greens.

I added about a cup of mixed greens towards the end of cooking to boost the nutrition in the soup.  I used a mixture of different kales, spinach and red and green chard.  Leafy greens are full of vitamins, minerals, and disease-fighting phytochemicals. They are rich in fiber, and kale, in particular, adds a boost of calcium. They are packed with Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Vitamin E- all important for optimal health.

Finished Soup without Coconut Milk.

Finished Soup without Coconut Milk.

Curried Red Lentil and Roasted Delicata Squash Soup

Ingredients

  • 2 roasted delicata squash
  • onion
  • 4-5 cloves of garlic
  • 1- 1 1/2 tbs of curry powder (to taste)
  • 1 cup of red lentils, rinsed
  • 1-2 tbs of coconut oil
  • 1/2 inch nob of ginger, peeled and diced
  • 1/2 can coconut milk, more for drizzling
  • 1 cup of chopped mixed greens
  • 4 cups of veggie broth
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Cook squash according to directions in the recipe link.
  2. Heat oil in large pot.
  3. Add onions, ginger and garlic and cook til begin to turn translucent.
  4. Add curry powder and heat til becomes fragrant.
  5. Add lentils and broth and cook until lentils become soft. (About 30 minutes.)
  6. Dice up the cooked squash.
  7. Add half of the cooked squash to the pot and set the other half aside.
  8. Blend soup with an immersion blender or in a regular blender in batches until no chunks can be seen.
  9. Now add the remainder of the squash.
  10. Add coconut milk.
  11. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  12. Add greens.
  13. Let simmer til greens are wilted and squash is heated through.
  14. Serve with a drizzle of coconut milk or plain according to your taste.
http://www.nourishedrootspdx.com/uncategorized/curried-red-lentil-and-roasted-delicata-squash-soup/

Unfortunately, I am the last blogger to post in the Cooking for One series.  I highly recommend you check out the other posts.  There are some VERY  tasty recipes.

Day
Friends
Sunday, October 5th
Katie @ Whole Nourishment ~ Green Quinoa Bowl
Monday, October 6th
Kellie @ Food to Glow ~ Grilled Shiitake Kimcheese
Tuesday, October 7th
Isadora @ She Likes Food ~ Vegetable Lasagna Roll-ups
Wednesday, October 8th
Dearna @ to her core ~ Roasted Pumpkin and Peanut Soup
Thursday, October 9th
Lynsey @ lynseylovesfood ~ Roasted Root Vegetable Calzones
Sarah @ Highgate Hill Kitchen ~ Spicy-Roasted Chickpeas, Herbed Freekeh & Moroccan Carrot Salad
Friday, October 10th
Grace @ Earthy Feast ~ Marinated Mushroom Sandwich with Sautéed Greens + Avocado + Egg
Saturday, October 11th
Teri @ Nourished Roots ~ Curried Red Lentil and Roasted Delicata Squash Soup

Enjoy all the deliciousness and remember just because you might be cooking for yourself, does not mean you don’t deserve to nourish your body with tasty, whole foods you enjoy!  YOU ARE WORTH IT!

Sneaky Veggie Filled Buffalo Chili

Finished Chili with avocado garnish and corn bread.

Finished Chili with avocado garnish and corn bread.

In our house, it is still a struggle to get the boys to eat most veggies.  I have found, however, that if I can serve them a big, hearty bowl of stew where the vegetables are not the first ingredient that jumps out at you, then I can get much less push back.  Spaghetti sauce and chili are two amazing opportunities to sneak in some veggies.  Both have the tomato base which allows me to hide finely chopped (When I say fine chopped, I really mean pulverized in a food processor.) carrots, onions, garlic and red peppers within the yummy meat and beans.

Veggies before they hit the food processor.

Veggies before they hit the food processor.

Veggies after being ground in food processor.

Veggies after being ground in food processor.

As you can see from the pictures above, this sneaky buffalo chili allows me to pack in a lot of veggies with no protest from the boys.  Both the carrots and the red pepper are extremely high in Beta Carotene, the precursor to Vitamin A, which is important for vision, healthy immune systems and cell growth.  Red peppers are powerhouses in Vitamin C, an incredibly important nutrient for immune health.  It can also lower blood pressure, and is a powerful antioxidant which protects our bodies from free radicals.  The tomato base also supplies healthy doses of Beta Carotene and Vitamin C.

All the veggies and buffalo cooking on the stove.

All the veggies and buffalo cooking on the stove.

The goodness in this chili does not stop with all the packed in veggies.  Instead of using a traditional ground turkey or ground beef for the base of this chili, I used bison or as it is commonly called, buffalo.  Buffalo has an incredible 34 grams of protein per pound, It is significantly lower in fat, calories and cholesterol than both beef and turkey.  It has more iron than beef, an important nutrient for the blood oxygen delivery system.  (If your blood is iron deficient you will start feeling tired, pale, irritable and listless.)  Buffalo  is also a significant source of B vitamins which are important for energy and provides good doses of zinc and selenium.  Currently, most buffalo in the US is grass fed which leads to higher concentrations of inflammation fighting Omega-3s than feed lot produced beef.  Buffalo has a similar taste and look as ground beef so it is an extremely easy substitution in chili, stews, hamburgers and other foods where you would traditionally use ground beef.

Chili with cornbread.

Chili with cornbread.

Sneaky Veggie Filled Buffalo Chili

Ingredients

  • 1 lb buffalo
  • 1 red pepper
  • 1 onion
  • 3 of garlic
  • 1 cup frozen corn
  • 1 can kidney beans
  • 1 can tomatoes 28 oz
  • 1 tbs of oregano
  • 1 tbs of cumin
  • 1 tbs of chili powder
  • 1 tsp of salt
  • 1 tsp of pepper
  • 1 tsp of paprika
  • hot pepper sauce to taste
  • 1 tbs of olive oil

Instructions

  1. Place red pepper, onions and garlic in food processor and chop to desired consistency.
  2. Heat olive oil in deep pot.
  3. Place chopped veggies in the pot and cook for about 6 minutes or until translucent.
  4. Add buffalo and spices.
  5. Stir to combine all the ingredients.
  6. Add can of rinsed and drained beans.
  7. Allow the buffalo to brown.
  8. Turn down to simmer and allow to cook for about 30 minutes to allow flavors to meld.
  9. Taste to adjust seasonings.
  10. Add cup of corn and allow to heat through.
  11. Serve chili with garnish of avocado if desired. (Also good with sour cream and cheese.)
http://www.nourishedrootspdx.com/blog/sneaky-veggie-filled-buffalo-chili/

photo 1 (5)You can feel great about serving this very healthy chili and your kids or other veggie resistant people in your life will never realize they are getting mega doses of  protein, zinc, Vitamin A,  Vitamin C and B vitamins.  They will be too busy asking for seconds.

This post appeared on Skip to My Lou’s linky party.

 

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