Roasty toasty soup

Surely, sweltering summer said sayonara and autumn arrived abruptly...

(Annie adores alliteration!)

...which is why I'm bringing back soup! That, and also because once again, I was too lazy to go grocery shopping. Yup, another weeknight, another dinner born from ingredients on hand and a little experimentation. I'm psyched to say that this is now going to be one of my go-to soup recipes! You can use regular peppers and tomatoes in this, but the fire-roasted variety lend a smoky, slow-building heat that's incredibly warming - and the addition of brown rice and lentils makes it a healthful and filling meal in a bowl.

Fire-Roasted Tomato and Red Pepper Soup

(makes about 4 servings)

1 T olive oil

1/2 c chopped onions (about 1/2 medium onion)

2 t ground cumin

1/2 t ground coriander

1 t chili powder

1/4 t freshly ground black pepper

1 jar fire-roasted bell peppers, drained and chopped

1 14.5 oz can fire-roasted or 'chili-ready' chopped tomatoes with juice

1/2 t kosher salt

1/4 c to 1/2 c chicken/vegetable stock or water

1/4 c dried lentils, picked over and rinsed (I used French green lentils)

1/4 c short-grain brown rice (I used a boil-in-bag)

(Note: Cook the lentils and rice together in a separate pot while the soup is going, and undercook them, as they'll finish in the soup - refer to your package directions and go about with about 5 minutes less cooking time. Also, 1/4 c of each may not sound like a lot, but trust me - your soup will be packed!)

In a 2-qt saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat and add the onions, sweating for about 1 minute. Add the cumin, coriander, chili powder and black pepper to the onions, and cook for another 5 minutes, until the onions have softened and the spices have become fragrant and toasted. Add in the chopped roasted peppers and stir to coat in the onion/spice mixture, cooking for about 1 minute. Add in the can of tomatoes along with the juice and the salt, stir everything to combine, and turn up the heat to bring the mixture up to a simmer for about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat, and carefully transfer the mixture to a food processor (or use a blender/immersion blender); first process on low for about 30 seconds to get things going, then scrape down the sides and continue to puree until the soup is almost entirely smooth. In between your pulses, add the chicken/veg stock or broth, using your judgement about how much you need. If you had a really juicy can of tomatoes, you may need less, and if your mixture is really thick, you may need more. I used about 1/2 c total of additional liquid.

When the soup is the desired consistency, transfer it back to the original saucepan and bring up to a simmer. Add in the slightly undercooked lentils and rice, and allow everything to simmer together for another 5 minutes. Serve with crackers or crusty bread!

Aarti Party in my kitchen

One of my favorite shows is Next Food Network Star - I feel like it's one of the few reality/competition shows that still focuses on what's important (um hello, the FOOD!) and mostly avoids mind-numbingly dumb drama. [SPOILER ALERT] I'm excited that Jeff won this year, I can't wait to try out some of his terrific Sandwich King recipes. I'm also a fan of last season's winner, Aarti Sequiera - she's so genuine and loveable, I'm really glad she won and is now sharing her love of Indian food with the masses.

Having recently scored a huge knob of fragrant, spicy ginger, I knew I wanted to use it in something with the classic Indian spices I already had. Although at some point I'd like to attempt Chicken Tikka Masala or Indian Butter Chicken, the ingredient lists and number of steps can be impossibly long - and last night, I wanted something a little simpler. Aarti's recipe for Kheema looked quick and straightforward and got great reviews, so I decided to go with it, swapping turkey for beef. Bonus - no trip to the grocery store needed!

It's kind of like an Indian-style shepard's pie (minus the pie part)

Kheema (Indian Ground Beef / Turkey with Peas)
adapted from Aarti Sequiera (original recipe here)

2 T olive oil

1 medium onion or 1/2 large onion, finely diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1-inch thumb fresh ginger, peeled and minced

2 t ground coriander

1 t paprika

1/2 t garam masala

1/2 t ground cumin

1/4 t cayenne

1 T tomato paste

1 pkg ground turkey (1-1 1/4 lbs)

1/2 large sweet potato (about 1 1/2 c), chopped into 1/2" pieces

1/3 c water

1 t kosher salt

1/4 t freshly ground black pepper

1/2 c frozen peas, thawed

2 t apple cider vinegar

1 t frozen chopped cilantro (if you have fresh, use about 1/4 c chopped)

In a large skillet, heat the oil on medium, then add the onions and cook until golden. Add the garlic and ginger, and saute for another minute. Stir in the spices (coriander, paprika, garam masala, cumin, cayenne) and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the spices have toasted and the onion/garlic/ginger mixture has taken on a deep color and fragrance. Add the tomato paste and really work it into the mixture, stirring and cooking for another 2 minutes.

Add the turkey, breaking up lumps with a spoon, and saute for about 5 minutes (meat will not be done yet). Add the sweet potatoes and stir to combine, then season with salt and pepper and cook another 2-3 minutes. Next, turn up the heat to medium-high and add the water, then simmer covered for about 3-5 minutes until potatoes are cooked through. Remove the cover and add the frozen peas, vinegar and cilantro. Stir to incorporate everything, allowing to cook for another minute (the peas will warm through in this time). 
For serving: I spooned this on top of oat groats I'd cooked overnight in the slow cooker earlier this week, but you can serve with rice, naan or even tortillas.

Impromptu holiday soup

It all started with bacon fat.


Wednesday night, amid pumpkin and apple pie baking and stuffing making, my mom decided to cook up a batch of bacon for using throughout the holiday weekend so that "the house won't smell like bacon all weekend" (which, for some reason, would be a bad thing?). After crisping up the bacon, the 12" skillet was left housing a few precious tablespoons of bacon fat, and since we obviously couldn't waste it, we started thinking about what we could do with it. Inspired by an excess of sweet potatoes and my cold-weather obsession with eating soup, this delicious and savory recipe was born.

Sweet Potato Soup
(makes 8-10 servings)


2-3 T melted bacon fat (I suppose you could use olive oil/butter...but why would you?)
1 onion, medium slice (if not using blender/processor later, mince the onion finely instead of slicing)
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 large sweet potatoes, 1/4" dice
4 small (ours were smaller than palm-size) Idaho potatoes, 1/4" dice
1 1/2 T chopped fresh rosemary and thyme (sage would be delicious as well, use whatever you have)
6 cups stock (we used fresh-made turkey, could use chicken or vegetable)
salt and pepper
For serving (optional): crumbled bacon, sour cream/creme fraiche


Note: Since I was cooking at my mom's house, I had access to a boat-motor (aka immersion blender), which is what we used to puree the soup. If I were at my apartment, I would have used a food processor. You can make this recipe work even if you don't have any of these tools. 
In a large skillet, heat the bacon fat over medium-low heat and add the onion. Season the onions with salt and pepper and cook for about 8 minutes or until the onions have softened and begun to caramelize, stirring frequently. Add the garlic to the pan and stir. Dice the potatoes while the onions are cooking, then turn the heat up to medium add to the pan. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper. Cook the potatoes, stirring frequently to prevent burning, for 15-20 minutes until just starting to yield to fork (but not fully cooked). Add the fresh herbs and stir. Add 1 cup of stock to the pan and scrape the bottom to deglaze, then add 2 more cups of stock. Simmer the vegetables in the stock for 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through, allowing the flavors to all meld together. Then, take a potato masher and slowly go around the pan, mashing the potatoes and breaking down the soup until there are no big chunks of potato left. Add remaining 3 cups of stock. (If not using a blender/processor, keep mashing until soup reaches desired consistency). Turn the heat to low, then use the immersion blender and blend the soup until pureed to desired consistency. Serve with crumbled bacon bits and a dollop of sour cream or creme fraiche.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I have much to be thankful for this year - great friends and family, and especially the fact that my first niece (and goddaughter!) was born last Saturday. :)

A little taste of autumn

There's that moment every year. You know what I mean. You wait for it, wondering if it will be tomorrow, or the next day, and then suddenly - BAM! It hits you. That perfect moment when the last few leaves on the trees are all fiery reds, oranges and yellows, the fallen ones underfoot crunch that lovely sound, and the crisp wind bites at your nose and hints at the chilly winter ahead. Every year, I wait for this moment of true autumn to come - and then I make pumpkin muffins.

I love pumpkin in pretty much anything, but muffins are one of my favorites. I think it was the abundance of pumpkin muffins during my autumns in college, made by various roommates through the years with a little bit of extra TLC, that got me hooked.


My recipe has evolved over the years, and is now healthier and easier than ever. They're light and chewy in texture, moist on the inside, have a great pumpkin flavor and are just sweet enough. Feel free to substitute ingredients with whatever you have on hand or might prefer - I've included alternatives in parentheses in the recipe, and have had successful results with all of these options.

Incredibly Easy Pumpkin Muffins
(This batch made 24 mini muffins + 4 regular sized muffins)


1 1/2 cups flour (you can use all AP, I usually do 1 cup whole wheat and 1/2 cup AP but wouldn't recommend more than 1 cup whole wheat)
2 T ground flaxseed (or oat/wheat germ/bran - this addition is optional)
1 1/4 t baking soda
1 t salt
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg (I never measure nutmeg since I freshly grate it; just eyeball it!)
1/2 t ground cloves (or cardamom, or allspice, or ginger, or even Chinese 5-spice powder)
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar + 1/4 cup honey (I'm trying to cut back on added sugars in my baking, and these muffins aren't meant to be overly sweet - so keep the total sugar to about 3/4 cup - you can use all brown sugar, or substitute maple syrup for the honey)
1 egg
1/2 cup buttermilk (or regular milk, or yogurt)
1 T olive oil


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray your muffin tins (whatever size you want, or loaf pans) with nonstick cooking spray. In a medium-size bowl, combine flour, ground flaxseed (optional), soda, salt, spices and stir to combine. Add the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, and honey to the bowl, and start to mix until the ingredients start to come together. In a separate bowl, beat the egg, then add to the medium bowl along with the buttermilk and oil. Mix to combine, about 20-30 seconds or until there are no more visible dry ingredients. An ice cream scoop with a spring-loaded handle make scooping perfectly sized muffins a breeze - but regular spoons work just fine too. Fill tins 3/4 high, and bake mini-sized muffins for 15 minutes, rotating the tin(s) once. If making regular-sized muffins, bake time is a few minutes longer at 18 minutes, rotating the tin(s) once. 

I like to enjoy a few for breakfast...sometimes with Nutella!