Spicy Pumpkin Jalapeño Soup

Creamy pumpkin soup is spiced up with jalapeño and a refreshing dollop of chipotle sour cream.

Ingredients

Soup

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups diced onion
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1/2 cup diced carrots
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced jalapeño, seeds removed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3 cups pumpkin purée (canned or fresh cooked)
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 1/2 cups milk (or vegan substitute such as coconut milk)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Chipotle Sour Cream

• 8 tablespoons sour cream or vegan substitute 
• 1 teaspoon finely minced chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (see note)
• 1 tablespoon minced cilantro

Preparation

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion, celery, carrots and jalapeño peppers, stirring frequently, for about 10-15 minutes. Add the cumin, garlic powder, pumpkin purée, broth and milk. Bring to a simmer for another 5-10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
2. While the soup is cooking, blend the sour cream ingredients together in a small bowl. Place a dollop of the sour cream on each soup serving.

Serving Suggestion

Served with mulled apple cider and hearty bread, this soup goes equally well with roast pork or a spinach salad.

Tips & Notes

Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce are smoked jalapeño in a tangy, slightly sweet sauce. Look for them in a small can with other Mexican condiments. They can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks or frozen for up to 6 months.

Reprinted with permission by strongertogether.coop

Pho with Shrimp

Classic Vietnamese pho is based on a slow-cooked beef stock, one that takes beef bones and lots of simmering. This easy rendition relies on good boxed stock, quickly infused with star anise, cinnamon and other pho flavors that add fragrant notes. You can opt for making the soup in each bowl, or making one big pot of soup and ladling it over noodles, whatever is more convenient for you.

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons canola oil
• 3 slices fresh ginger
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 8 cups chicken broth, 2 boxes
• 2 whole star anise
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorn
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce, to taste
• 4 small baby bok choy, cut in 2 inch pieces
• 16 large shrimp, shelled and deveined
• 4 ounces rice noodles, flat
• 1 large carrot, julienned
• 1 8-ounce package baked tofu, sliced
• 2 cups bean sprouts, rinsed
• 4 large scallion, sliced on a diagonal
• 2 large limes, halved and sliced

Preparation

1. In a 2 quart pot, heat the oil over medium high heat, then saute the ginger and garlic just until fragrant, about a minute. Add the stock, anise, cinnamon, peppercorns and fish sauce. Bring to a simmer and lower heat to keep it at a gentle bubble. Cook for 20 minutes. The stock will reduce to about 7 cups.
2. While the stock takes on flavor, prepare the garnishes. Chop the bok choy, prep the shrimp, and have all the vegetables in separate piles on a plate. Cook the noodles, and divide them between six wide soup bowls.Arrange the tofu and bean sprouts on top of the noodles.
3. When the stock is ready, strain it, taste for salt-adding more fish sauce if you think it needs it, and bring it to a boil. At serving,simmer shrimp, bok choy and carrot in the stock until cooked, about 3 minutes, then ladle the hot soup over the noodles, tofu and sprouts.

Serving Suggestion

Serve piled with scallion and lime wedges on the side. If desired, you can cook the shrimp, bok choy and carrot in the simmering stock and serve the soup from a communal pot, ladling it over the rice noodles and tofu in each bowl and garnishing with scallions.

Reprinted by permission from StrongerTogether.coop. Find articles about your food and where it comes from, recipes and a whole lot more at www.strongertogether.coop

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Photo Credit: Minimalist Baker

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 pinch ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 8 ounces chicken breast, chopped
• 1 small red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 6 6-inch corn tortilla
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1/2 cup cilantro, stems removed
• 1 large lime, cut in wedges

Preparation

1. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over high heat and add the onion, garlic, clove, cumin and chopped chicken. Stir for five minutes or so, lowering the heat to medium, until the onions are soft and the chicken is golden but not fully cooked. Add the red bell pepper, chili powder, oregano and stock and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer just until the chicken is cooked and the pepper is soft.
2. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Stack the corn tortillas and slice in 1/4-inch strips. Place them on a baking sheet and drizzle with the canola oil, chili powder and remaining salt. Bake, stirring every five minutes, for about 20-25 minutes, until the strips are crisp.
3. Serve the soup topped with cilantro and corn strips, with lime wedges for squeezing over the soup.

Authored by Robin Asbell. Reprinted by permission from StrongerTogether.coop. Find articles about your food and where it comes from, recipes and a whole lot more at www.strongertogether.coop

Soba with Kale and Edamame

Soba is a nutty, whole grain noodle that is often served in simple soups like this one. This vegetarian broth relies on dried mushrooms and the sea vegetable kombu to build flavor, but if you have a pre-made mushroom or chicken stock that you prefer, that would make this soup nearly instant.

Ingredients

• 6 cups water
• 2 pieces kombu, about 1 ounce
• 1/2 ounce dried shiitake mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons mirin (sweet rice wine)
• 4 ounces cremini mushrooms (baby bellas), sliced
• 1/2 cup shelled edamame, thawed
• 4 ounces kale, leaves and stems, chopped
• 4 ounces soba noodles
• 2 large scallions, slivered

Preparation

1. Put on a large pot of water to boil for cooking the noodles. In another large pot, combine the water, kombu and shiitake mushrooms and place over low heat. Cover and let the water slowly heat for about 30 minutes, extracting flavor from the mushrooms and kombu. Don't boil the water; just let it form a few bubbles, then turn off. Let the broth stand for 5 minutes, then use a slotted spoon to remove the mushrooms and kombu. Strain the liquid through a coffee filter and pour it back into the pan.
2. Bring the mushroom stock to a boil and add the tamari, mirin, and cremini mushrooms, edamame and kale and simmer until the kale is softened, about 4 minutes.
3. Cook the soba until al dente, then add to the soup. Serve immediately, topped with scallions.

Authored by Robin Asbell. Reprinted by permission from StrongerTogether.coop. Find articles about your food and where it comes from, recipes and a whole lot more at www.strongertogether.coop

Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho

This refreshing summer soup is a delicious way to celebrate juicy seasonal tomatoes.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds ripe heirloom tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 cucumber, seeds removed, roughly chopped
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 jalapeño pepper, chopped
• 1 cup cubed bread (French or rustic bread)
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Preparation

Combine all ingredients in a blender (in 2 to 3 batches, as everything will not fit into the blender at once). Blend until very smooth. Place in a bowl, stir the blended batches together and refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to meld. Taste for salt and black pepper and serve chilled.

Serving Suggestion

A summer favorite, this Spanish soup makes a refreshing and simple lunch with a green salad and crusty bread or alongside a meze platter. You can sweeten the dish by adding some cubed fresh melon or strawberries. Gazpacho is best served slightly chilled, not ice cold.

Total Time: 1-3 hours; 20 minutes activeServings: 6

Strawberry Tomato Gazpacho

This summer soup is as refreshing and flavorful as it is beautiful.

Strawberry Sweet Spicy Tomato Gazpacho

Ingredients

• 1 pound strawberries, washed, hulled, and coarsely chopped
• 1 pound tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1 cup chopped cucumber (peeled and seeded)
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 clove fresh garlic
• 1 fresh jalapeño, seeds and stem removed
• Zest of 1 lime
• 4 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation

Blend all of the ingredients together in a blender, in small batches if necessary. Stir well and taste for salt. This soup is at its refreshing best when served just under room temperature. Refrigerate the fruit and vegetables shortly before blending if you plan to serve it immediately.

Serving Suggestion

Garnish with freshly-snipped chives or a pinch of cracked black pepper.