Roasted Root Lentil Soup

Today was a cold, dreary, rainy day and I have a bag full of fall veggies.  These elements combine into a hearty warm soup.  Saying goodbye to summer is never easy, and if you just want to take it easy and pretend you are a hibernating animal, like me, this soup will serve you well for the next few days.

In case you don't want to eat soup everyday (but let's face it, soup is the world's most perfect food) and even if you DO want to eat this spiced belly-pleaser everyday, I suggest you store the lentils + broth in one container and the roasted veggies in another  They will keep better, and allow for focused snacking.

It's vitally important to triple rinse those lentils in cold water, since you'll be using the well-seasoned boil liquid as your soup base.  Don't skimp on the seasoning for this stage either, a well seasoned lentil soup transforms it into a dish you'll crave.  It may even change your opinion on lentils overall.


What you'll use form your bag
All your sweet potatoes
Both your squash
1 onion
4 bulbs of garlic
a few small sage leaves

What else you'll need

For the lentils + broth:
2-2.5 cups lentils
1 Tbs oil of your choice
1 tsp salt
2 bay leaves
1 tsp cumin seeds, whole
1 black cardamom pod, cracked open

and then:
1/4 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
4 small sage leaves, chopped

For the roasted veggies:
1 tsp cinn
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
2 tbs oil
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp smoked paprika



First, start cooking your lentils
Lentils, definitely need to be well rinsed. 2.5 cups of lentils in 8 cups water, and add your seasonings straight away. Cover, bring to a boil, stir, and reduce heat to a simmer covered for 25-30 min (This is the ideal time to preheat your oven to 400 degrees and prep your veggies.)

When the lentils are soft, but still have some body to them, turn off the heat and let it sit in the warm pot and liquid. Add the turmeric, and 1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper to taste, the chopped sage and stir.  Keep covered until ready to serve, or allow to cool completely before putting in the fridge.


Next, roast your veggies
Chop all your veggies so no dimension is larger than 3/4 of an inch.  As before, the garlic can stay whole with just the bottom of the entire bulb chopped off. I do not peel my sweet potatoes because the peel is chock full of nutrients, but I do peel the squash because its too hard to eat comfortably.

When chopping the squash, carefully remove the seeds, and reserve them.  Slice them into 1/2-3/4 inch discs, and then halve the discs,

to scoop the seeds out.  This will also make it easier to chop into uniform pieces.

Throw the chopped veggies into a roasting pan, and toss them in the oil and seasonings above.

Place them in the middle rack of the oven for 10 minutes, then stir, and another 15 minutes.

Now, prepare your seeds
Seeds are the hidden gem of all squash, you can eat them on their own, or sprinkle them onto
something you want a flavorful crunch added to, but they also pack in the nutrition.  You do't want to eat too many, but it is always good to consider parts of the plant you may normally overlook.

Rinse the seeds in cold water and separate them as best you can from the guts.  Sprinkle some sea salt over them and place them on the top rack of your oven.

Place them into the oven for the last 15 minutes of your veggie roast.


When it is time to serve, spoon in some lentils and broth to the bottom of a bowl, and top with the veggies and seeds.   also recommend adding some apple slices, fresh basil and more fresh sage, and a pinch of cardamom powder if it is handy.

Enjoy!

Roasted Pesto Mashed Potato Stuffed Peppers

 Stuffed peppers are just about the most perfect food.  Full of flavor, a little bit sweet, and a really savory kick when you roast it.  You can put almost anything in them, but I'll bet you never thought to stuff potato into them, so here we go!

The potato mix makes more than enough to stuff all of your peppers, large and small, and you can even boil a larger number of potatoes than you need and reserve some for plain mashed potatoes for tomorrow night's starch side dish.

The best part is the flavor absorption, which allows you to highlight the basil, making this a pesto-hybrid, combined with the roasted peppers, garlic, and onion and no doubt you'll lick the spoon, the plate, and the food processor clean (please restrain from licking the blade :) )

Serves 2 for dinner, or 6-8 as party finger food in the small peppers.

What you'll use from your bag:
3 large red peppers for stuffing
4 orange peppers for roasting
1 medium or 2 small onions
2 garlic cloves
all your basil
5 medium or 8-10 small potatoes

What else you'll need:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup cashew milk
1/4 tsp sage powder
1 tsp tarragon leaves



First, you'll preheat the oven to 400 degrees
While the oven is preheating, add some salt to a large pot of water, and boil your potatoes. This takes approx. 25-30 minutes until they are soft.  (I keep my skins on, but feel free to peel)

Then, prepare your veggies to roast

Find the flat side of your large peppers, and slice a thing layer of the OPPOSITE side, exposing the hollow so you can remove the seeds.  Chop the thin layer.

Take your 4 small peppers, chop the ends, remove the seeds, and rough chop.

Rough chop the onion, and cut the ends off of the garlic, keeping them in the paper.

Toss them in a light amount of oil, and place them on a cookie sheet, for 10 minutes, then flip, and another 10 minutes.


Now, add the remaining ingredients into the food processor
When the roasted veggies are done, set the large peppers (or stuffing peppers) aside, and toss the remainder into the food processor with the basil, spices, oil, and cashew milk, making sure to squeeze the garlic out of the paper case.

Take the tender potatoes out of the boiling water, drain, and quarter them, and toss it into the food processor, and pulse to combine until desired consistency.

Scoop the filling into the empty roasted peppers, and dress with any stray basil leaves or pepper pieces.

Enjoy!

Deviled Potatoes

Anyone else's refrigerator feel too empty on our CSA week off?   It's good to have it full of Karma Farm produce again.

Summer is really almost gone, just a few days left to soak in the backyard parties, lazy weekend sun, and exposed skin walks.  As we turn our attention to fall, the hearty foods like potato and pumpkin are all over, and before we dive headfirst into pumpkin everything, I thought I'd help you transition smoothly with a light finger-food to get your hearty started with potato.

These deviled potatoes make excellent party hors d'oeuvres, or with a few extra garnishes or a green side can easily make a filling meal.  Whether snacking or carb-loading, you can enjoy these low-fat deviled egg replacements with only about 30 minutes of cooking.
Makes about 12-15 medium sized deviled potatoes, with a but more devil spread, you can enjoy on toast or chips :)

What you'll use from your bag:
All your potatoes
1 hot pepper of your choice

What else you'll need:
1 can of Cannellini beans, chickpeas or other white beans, drained
1/4 tsp coriander seed, ground
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp Kala Namak (India Black Salt)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp nutritional yeast
1/4 cup vegetable broth
splash of lemon broth
pinch of black pepper
Oil for taste, roast (optional)


First, preheat the oven to 400 degrees
Scrub and rinse the potatoes. Cut them in half so you have two fat halves, rather than two long flat halves.  Toss them in 1 tsp oil (optional) and place them with their whites down on a foil covered baking sheet.

Place another piece of foil on top of the potato halves, fold the
bottom layer up around all of the edges to create an envelope, that will speed up the baking process incredibly on these potatoes.

Roast for about 20 minutes, until you can easily scoop the insides out, and leave a strong and in-tact outer shell.  (they will be cooked more later, don't over cook them now!)



Now, make your Devil Spread
Add the beans, the broth, and all the spices into the blender, and turn on high for 2 minutes, while the potatoes roast.  If the fatty satisfaction of eggs is something you think you'll miss too much, or you want a much thicker mixture, add 1 tablespoon of oil during this step.  Remember, as soon as those potatoes are done, all their insides are going into this mix too.  Taste your mix, it should be rich, slightly egg-y, and flavorful.  If you need more egg flavor, increase your India Black Salt, if you need more pow for a wow, add more smoked paprika, or a couple seeds from your hot pepper, and blend for another minute until completely smooth.  Don't forget to scrape down your sides, so all your spices are mixed evenly.

Take your hot pepper and slice it as thinly as possible, removing all the seeds.  Add these to either 2 tablespoons of broth or 2 tablespoons of oil, a pinch of salt and pepper, to let "infuse" while everything else comes together.  You can always throw one or two pieces into the bean spread to spice it up too.


Then, scoop our your potatoes and finish cooking them

With an oven mitt on (trust me) hold a potato half in your left hand, and use a small spoon to scoop the insides out in a round shape from the middle.  You will be left with cute hollows that will get baked before you fill them up withy you devil spread.

Spray or coat the potatoes with oil or broth, and return to the oven, white sides exposed, no foil.  Bake for 10 minutes.

While the potatoes finish up, blend the potato insides into the bean mix.  This will thicken the mix up considerably, but will also mute the flavors, so make sure you are spicing this for  your tastebuds.  I don't want you to set yourself on fire now that the heat outside is turning down :)  Remember, we have hot peppers for garnish too.

When the potatoes are done, spoon them to fill, sprinkle with cayenne, smoked paprika, and garnish with hot peppers and drizzle the rest of the oil on.  You can also top with tomato, Cheeze Sauce or anything else your heart might desire.