Sometimes I feel like devoting my whole heart and soul to dinner and sometimes I just want to phone it in. Today was one of those days so made the laziest soup in the history of all time. This week was a killer across the board and at the tail end of the action, I’m coasting on fumes. Honestly, I’m not even sure I have enough left in me to write this post but I’m gonna give a solid go. Yup, this is how I’m starting my first new post of the year, in a complete state of meh.

In addition to my genuine lack of energy, cooking on the nights I have Bella is always challenging as I have to balance Mummy time with tummy time. With this soup, I might have just found the balance. I baked the spiced pecans while she ate her dinner. I roasted the squash, garlic and pears while we chased her Zu Zu Pet and watched the Gruffalo then sauteed the leeks while we brushed her teeth and got into jammies. All I needed to do once she was in bed was combine and puree the ingredients together then find something to watch while I enjoyed the fruits of my nearly negative labour. The Master Class interview with Sean Carter a.k.a Jay-Z  was my viewing pleasure and as I’m sitting here writing this post, it’s lifted me from meh to hell yea. Once again I’m So Ambitious its On to the Next One before this is even done.

Now don’t get it twisted, just because I didn’t apply a lot of effort doesn’t mean this soup is half-assed, just the opposite. It’s flavours are developed in the oven over time. The heat caramelizes the sugar in the garlic, pear and squash then binds them to heat of the cayenne, all while the salt and pepper spin their savoury magic. Flavour plays large here, just not while your slaving over the stove. You can sit it out with the one you love and just let it ride.

Roasted Winter Squash, Pear and Leek Soup

Would Rather Gather original
Active time: 15 minutes / Cooking Time: 1 hour 15 mins / Makes: 6-8 cups

For the soup:

1 tbsp + 1 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 small butternut squash
1 small pepper or buttercup squash
2 cloves garlic, smashed
2 bosc pears, peeled, trimmed and quartered
1 tbsp Earth Balance buttery stick
2 leeks, white and pale green parts only, halved and cut into 1/4″ crescents
4 cups vegetable stock
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup belsoy cream
sea salt, freshly cracked black pepper and cayenne to taste.
chopped spiced pecans

Method :
1. Pre-heat the oven to 325° and make spiced pecans according to linked recipe above.
2. While pecans are roasting, halve and scoop out the seeds of the squash then rub them with olive oil and season liberally with sea salt, cayenne and freshly cracked black pepper. Once squash are seasoned, fill their hollows with smashed garlic cloves and pear quarters.
3. Once pecans are finished, remove from oven to cool and increase oven temperature to 425°. Place squash halves on foil-lined baking tray and roast for about an hour or until they’re tender all the way though.
Note: This is when you get to do just about anything you’d like for an hour.
4. Once squash is finished roasting, remove from oven and set aside to cool. In a dutch oven over medium heat bring remaining olive oil and Earth Balance up to temperature, add leeks and saute for 15 minutes until completely softened.
5. Once leeks are soft, add vegetable stock and bring temperature up to high. Scoop out garlic, pear and all squash flesh into the pot, add nutritional yeast and purée until smooth using a hand blender. Stir in belsoy cream and season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. Ladle out into bowls and garnish with roughly chopped spiced pecans, settle in and savour.

So, it would seem that all I make is super rich, complicated food but you’d be wrong. Don’t get it twisted – I love the long labour of a beautiful meal but some days I just don’t have the time, energy, inclination to invite that kind of drama. It doesn’t mean I don’t want to eat a round, beautiful meal – I just don’t want to work for it. This soup is something I can produce in spurts, which, is brilliant for days like these when the long weekend wasn’t long enough and you’re still warming up into the week.

The active time says 40 minutes but it’s really more like 20. You’ll notice in the method there are little stretches of time where the soup is just simmering. Make simmer time your downtime. While the soup simmered tonight,  I read my daughter a bedtime story, facebooked and shopped for sunglasses I definitely don’t need. It’s nearly no effort and when it’s done you’ll have a great soup for dinner and an even better lunch for the next day. Not bad for a 20 minute investment of time.

You’ll also note that I have a great love for colourful produce. I’m worse than Bella with a new package of markers when it comes to selecting vegetables. And, while it might seem silly, I’m inspired by pretty produce. I think food tastes better when it’s colourful. Mock me if you like, but give it a try and see if it doesn’t make a difference to you too. You could do worse than to create something beautiful that also feeds your body and soul in under an hour.

I should also note Aires thinks this soup might be better suited to a red kidney bean over the great northern because “it’s minestonesque”. I liked the smaller, lighter northern just fine. I suspect this is a girl food / boy food difference of opinion. I’m sure you can’t go wrong with either.

Rustic Winter Vegetable Soup

Would Rather Gather original / serves 2 big or 4 small bowls
Prep time: 10 minutes / Active time: 40 minutes

For the Soup:
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp Earth Balance Buttery Sticks
1 bay leaf
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 sprig of rosemary
1 tbsp whole black peppercorns
two-finger pinch of red chili flakes
1 large leek, rinsed, quartered and sliced
1 large shallot, roughly diced
2 cloves garlic, roughly diced
2 medium carrots, cut into 1/2″ sections
1/2 cup sweet potato, diced into 1/2″ cubes
2 cups tomatoes cut into 1″ cubes or 14 oz. can of diced tomatoes
1 bunch kale, hard stems removed and roughly chopped
1 cup great northern beans
2 tbsp Better than Bouillon vegetable stock paste
1 tsp freshly grated lemon peel
1/4 cup coarsely chopped italian parsley
1 cup Israeli couscous
sea salt, freshly cracked pepper and sugar to taste.
toasted pine nuts to garnish

Method:

1. In a in the heaviest stock pot you have over medium high heat bring olive oil and Earth balance up to temperature. Add garlic, leeks, shallot, carrots and sweet potato and saute for 15 minutes.
2. Add tomatoes, thyme, rosemary, bay, peppercorns and chili flakes to vegetable mixture and saute for another 5 minutes.
3. Add 4 cups of water and vegetable stock paste and bring up to a boil. Once soup has boiled, reduce heat medium, add kale and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. While soup is simmering, in a medium sauce pan, bring salted water to boil, add a splash of olive oil, couscous and cook according to the package instructions. Once cooked to el dente, drain, rinse with cold water to halt cooking and set aside.
5. After 10 minutes, ladle out 2 cups of the soup and puree until smooth then return to soup. This will help to thicken the soup a little and give it nice texture.
6. When kale is tender, add beans, couscous, parsley and lemon rind then salt, pepper and sugar to taste. Simmer for 2 minutes to marry finishing ingredients, Ladle, garnish with toasted pine nuts and be warmed.

Wait, why sugar? Sugar cuts the acidity of the tomatoes if you’re using fresh. If you’re using the canned variety you might not need any at all depending on the brand. This is why I season soup at the end, you never know how the flavours will come together and once you over salt there’s no coming back. Also, I’m sure the lemon rind seems weird but it buddies up with the parsley to balance the beans and keep this soup light on the palette.

This soup is also really good the next day, if you have any left over…

It was a crap day. The kind of Monday that just makes you want to crawl into bed until a week passes and you can start over again. I needed something warm and satisfying to sooth my frazzled soul and soup is always the best remedy. But today, the vegan standards daal or chili just wouldn’t do. I wanted something rich and creamy and once again the Conscious Cook had me covered.

I love Tal Ronnen’s work because he’s brings traditional French techniques and flavours to vegan cooking. His goal is to convert carnivores anywhere and everywhere he can. Not with lectures or rhetoric but with damn good food. He understands that there is a time and a place for balanced healthy food but every once and a while you need a little indulgence. Today was this day so I reached for the soup I’ve had tabbed with a sticky note since I opened his cookbook on Christmas morning.

I’ve tweaked it a little here and there but this is pretty straight up in terms of execution. The result is so creamy, so delicious that I will be gobbling this up at lunch for the rest of the week and want for nothing else. Bring it on Tuesday, I’ve got you now.

Celery Root and Granny Smith Apple Soup

Adapted from Tal Ronnen’s, The Conscious Cook, yields 2 litres

Prep time: 20 minutes / Active Cooking Time: 40 minutes

For the Soup:

2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp Earth Balance Buttery Sticks
2 medium celery roots, peeled and diced into 1″ cubes (you’ll want to give these a really good rinse once diced to remove all residual soil left over from the roots)
2 stalks of celery, roughly diced
1 medium sized, yellow onion, roughly diced
1 large shallot or 2 small, roughly diced
1 clove garlic, finely minced
2 quarts faux chicken stock (I use Better than Bouillon brand stock paste)
1 bay leaf or 3 fresh
1 cup thick cashew cream
3 Granny Smith apples, 1 peeled and diced into 1″ cubes, the other 2 finely diced with the peels on.
1 bunch of chives, snipped into 1 mm rounds

Method:

1. In a large stock pot over medium heat, bring the olive oil and Earth Balance up to temperature. Add the celery root, stalks, onion, shallot and 1 peeled, cubed Granny Smith apple to pot and saute for 7-10 minutes, stirring often until soft but not brown.
2. Add the stock, bay leaf(s) and bring up to a boil. Once boiled, reduce to medium-low heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the cashew cream and simmer for an additional 10 minutes. Sea salt and pepper to taste.

NOTE: I find the faux chicken stock to be salty enough on it’s own in the soup without adding more. Please be sure to taste the soup as you go and leave the salt until the very last.

3. Working in batches, pour the soup into a blender or full-size food processor and puree until desired smoothness is achieved. I like mine with a bit of texture so I only blend for around 2-3 minutes. For a truly silky soup, you’ll want to let it blend for somewhere near 5 minutes per section. Recombine and heat through once more before serving.

NOTE: If you find the soup is a little on the thick side, you can always add more water or stock to thin it out. Personally, I prefer to upgrade to cream.

4. Ladle out into bowls and garnish each with a tablespoon of the diced apple and a tbsp of chives. Enjoy!