Summer Squash Soup

So it's official. This is the time for soup. 

Not just weather wise, but baby wise. 

I've quickly realized that soup is the perfect meal for me to cook while taking care of the babe while my husband's at work. I start it late in the morning while the babe is napping, eat some for lunch then serve the rest for dinner, or just save it for another days lunch. If the babe wakes up and I have to leave my cooking, it's so easy to just take it off the heat or turn it down while putting it together, and of course once its done its perfect to just leave on the low heat ready for whenever I can sit down and eat some.

I wish I had found this recipe earlier. It's the perfect way to use up oodles of zucchini or other summer squash that we all end up having a little too much of now and then. With a hint of coconut milk and green curry, this simple soup was another great way to celebrate the transition into fall. I think I'll definitely be making this again this winter with some of the zucchini I've tucked away into my freezer.

Cauliflower Soup

Since getting home from vacation I've made a few promises to myself. The first one was to really crack down on eating healthier and making time for exercise.

 I was doing great before vacation but it's amazing what a huge step back it is to eat out and not exercise for almost three weeks. Ugh. I really can't believe how out of shape I feel.

The second promise was to really make great use of my time at home since I'll be working at the family biz full time for...well...quite a while. I wish the two promises weren't so interconnected..but they are (having barely any time to cook, clean, or relax leaves very little motivation to eat healthy and work out).

So today is my first day off since working full time again and I've done laundry, ran errands, made soup, and am currently making veggie burgers and cookies to have in the freezer for those upcoming days when we'll need them most. I'm also planning on dusting off my rarely-used slow cooker in hopes that it'll provide some amazing meals while we're both at work. Have any great slow cooker recipes? I'd love to hear about them!

Black Bean Pumpkin Soup

Do you ever have those days when you wake up and it's pouring and you say to yourself "I'm not going to leave the house today."? Well I'm having one of those days and it's great!
I love that rainy days make me feel less guilty for being a hermit. It feels a bit more socially acceptable to keep my pajamas on while I bake bread, make soup and quilt, when it's pouring outside.
I predict that the rest of the day will include pots of tea,  crib games, and knitting. Is it really any wonder why I love rainy days?

Corn Stock

So have you been freezing any delicious local corn lately? If not, you still have time to head to the market this weekend and get some, and then you can use the leftover cobs to create the tastiest corn soup stock ever. I really can't wait for that snowy winter night when I can take this out of our freezer along with some frozen corn and make a sweet corn chowder that will make my kitchen smell just like summer.

I read about corn stock on Local Kitchen the other day and was totally inspired. Why on earth haven't I been using those corn cobs to make myself some super flavourful soup stock?? It feels like I'm getting that much more bang for my buck to be able to make something out of (what feels like) nothing. But I guess that's the beauty of making stocks in general. Using up vegetable scraps, and or poultry or fish carcasses that would otherwise be throw out to create something so useful, and of course delicious.

Swiss Chard Soup

When making this soup I really had to fight the urge to add things to it and change it too much.
I kind of hate when I read reviews for recipes and the reviewer writes "Oh this soup was so great! I substituted the swiss chard for spinach, added carrots and mushrooms, omitted the anchovies, added onions, substituted the pasta with rice and I'll totally make this again." That's not even the same soup anymore! How is that review going to help anyone wanting to make this?!

But, today I almost felt like one of those reviewers. I just kept reading the ingredient list over and over as if the missing ingredients would suddenly appear.

"No onions??? Is there really just swiss chard, beans and pasta?? What is going to make this so good?" I thought to myself. 

I ended up making a few minor adjustments (some based on lack of ingredients, some based on personal preference) and was pretty happy with this soup.

Red Lentil Soup with Bacon

This soup is a wonderful reminder that simple is best. It also doesn't hurt when simple is surprisingly delicious.

Miso Soup

It's been years since I've cooked with tofu. The smell of it brings back almost fond memories of when I was vegetarian and barely knew how to cook.
Tofu rarely makes an appearance in our kitchen anymore. It's been years since my husband was vegan, and much much longer since I was vegetarian.
But lately I've been craving miso soup. Maybe it's the frigid cold of winter, or the overly indulgent meals we've been eating for the last few weeks. Either way this soup is my ticket to feeling good.

Moroccan Chickpea Soup

Have I ever mentioned my love for tomato based soups? No?
Well let this be a gentle reminder that the way to my heart is with a bowl of piping hot soup that contains little or lots of tomatoes.

Tomato Soup

My favourite kind of tomato soup (other than this one) is one that is chock full of veggies and herbs, especially basil. I puree it into the heartiest, faux creamy tomato soup ever, and could easily eat a whole pot of it myself. My husband on the other hand quietly complains that he doesn't want to eat "a bowl of pasta sauce" for dinner (clearly he's a bit crazy for not understanding my version of soup heaven).
So I guess you could say that this soup is my way of trying to call a truce on our tomato soup arguments.

Plain, simple and oh so classic.

Fennel, Pear & Squash Soup

If you like squash soup, you'll probably like this.
If you want a new way to make squash soup, you'll probably love this.

Bison & Barley Soup with Swiss Chard

Clearly I'm a bit of a soup fan.

I've only been sharing my homemade world with you for about 2 months and here is my 7th soup! And that's not including all the ones that I've been too shy to show you...

Borscht

Considering my love for beets, and my even greater love of soups, it's really quite astounding how I long it's taken me to get around to making Borscht.

Squash Soup with Kale & Bacon

Mmmm...
A hearty fall soup with a sweet creamy squash broth, hearty kale and salty bacon. What more could you want?

Potato Leek Soup with Bacon and Corn

This creamy comforting soup is just what my body wants as soon as the temperatures drop and the winds pick up. It's rich and hearty but I feel like the corn adds some light crunch with a hint of sweetness. 

Tomato Coconut Soup

When my husband and I lived in Calgary years ago, we were very fortunate to discover the Coup restaurant so quickly upon moving there. It instantly became a favourite, and when I recently heard the owners produced a cookbook I knew I just had to get my hands on it.

The bad news was it's only sold in their restaurant, but the good news was we had a quick vacation to Calgary already planned. We went there Sunday night and aside from the addition of Meet (the lounge now attached to the Coup) everything was just as we'd remembered. We ordered the dragon bowls with peanut satay, and pseudo sushi. We felt like we had never left.

Later that night after my husband dozed off in our lush hotel bed, I read the cookbook cover to cover, occasionally nudging him excitedly.

"Oooh pear, fennel and squash soup!"

"Beatnuts!"

"Look, here's the dragonbowl!"

"Ooh cashew yam burger!"

As you can imagine, he was not quite as excited as I was.

Spicy Vegetable Soup

This should be called the about-to-leave-for-vacation-empty-the-fridge-soup.


I wasn't expecting anything extraordinary. Just wanted some nice hot soup, and needed to get rid of some veggies before leaving for vacation. I didn't even really have a vision in mind of what this would taste like, but I did know two things.
First I wanted it to be fairly tomato based. A good friend of mine got me hooked on tomato based vegetable soups last year, and I just can't shake em. Second, I started to crave a spicy vegetable soup with an indian influence, just like the ones my husband used to make me when we first met.

Hearty Carrot Ginger Soup

The addition of lentils and squash really make this old favourite feel heartier and healthier.