Warming the Heart and Soul

Warming the Heart and Soul

I love Fall. There, I said it. It's not just a fondness, it's 100 percent L-O-V-E. I love the crispness in the air, I love the sweaters, the hoodies, the rustle of the falling leaves, the smell of a wood stove burning. Most of all, I love the food! Pumpkin abounds during this time of year. It's almost an epidemic! There's pumpkin rolls, pumpkin pies, pumpkin soup, pumpkin bread....for Pete's sake now there a pumpkin coffee creamer that more than one person on my shift at work may need a 12 step program for when it goes away at the end of the season. I do love pumpkin. It's my favorite pie and when it's smothered in whipped cream? Just leave me alone and allow me to wallow in the spicy goodness! Since the cooler temperatures have arrived I've been thinking about whipping up a nice, steamy pot of my Curried Pumpkin Soup. I thought I'd share the recipe with you and hope you'll let me know if you try it and what you think. I'm also throwing in my recipe for my Vegetable Beef Soup. It's one of my husband's favorites and I was asked for the recipe recently and since I had to type it out thought I'd give you that one too. 


Curried Pumpkin Soup

1/2 C Minced Onion
2 T Butter
2 T All Purpose Flour
1 tsp Curry Powder
3 C Chicken Broth (use vegetable if you'd rather)
1 can (15 ounces) Solid-pack Pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling!)
1 can Coconut Milk
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
1/4 tsp Ground Nutmeg
Pinch of Sugar
Heavy Cream
Cilantro

In a large saucepan, saute the onion in butter until tender. Stir in the flour and curry powder until blended. Gradually add the broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add the pumpkin, coconut milk, salt, pepper, sugar and nutmeg; heat through. Garnish with cream and cilantro if desired. 

Vegetable Beef Soup

1 LB Sirloin Steak cut into cubes
1 T Garlic, minced
2 Bags Vegetables for Soup (in the frozen foods section)
3 Handfuls Quick Barley
1/2 can tomato paste
2 heaping T Beef Base (not the powdered kind but the paste kind)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Brown your meat in a large stock pot along with the garlic, salt and pepper. When brown add your veggies and then fill the pot with water. Bring to a boil and add your barley, beef base and tomato paste. Contine to simmer at a low boil for about 45 mins. This should soften up the veggies and cook your barley. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

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