Simply Wonderful Life℠

A bag of French lentils, or lentils du Puy, have been staring me in the face for weeks. These little green beauties, which are grown in the Le-Puy-en-Velay commune in the Haute-Loire department of south-central France, are wonderful. They have a nutty flavor that I really like, and they stay firm after cooking. While they’re perfect for soup, they’re also a nice addition to a salad, and I’ve also used them to make Nepalese Dal.

We added crumbled goat cheese and roasted rosemary cashews, which give the soup a tangy flavor and nutty crunch.

French Lentil Vegetable Soup

 

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Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

1 hour

Total time

1 hour 30 mins

 

French Lentil Vegetable Soup

Author: Laurie Palanza, Simply Wonderful Life

Recipe type: Soup

Cuisine: French

Serves: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 yellow squash (cut into ½ inch cubes)
• 1 zucchini (cut into ½ inch cubes)
• ½ white onion (diced)
• ¼ of a
• buttercup
• or butternut squash (cut into ½ inch cubes)
• 2 carrots (diced)
• 2 large leaves of kale (chopped)
• 1 quart (32 oz or 946ml) vegetable stock
• 1.5 cups peeled and chopped tomatoes
• 2 cups of water
• 1.5 teaspoons dry basil
• 1.5 teaspoons curry powder
• 1.5 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Cooking the lentils: Bring 3 cups of water to a boil and add 1 cup of French lentils. Simmer over medium heat until the lentils are tender. Add a teaspoon of salt to the water (after they're finished cooking as this keeps the legumes tender) and allow to sit for a few minutes.
2. Dice the onion, cut the buttercup squash into ½ inch cubes (peel first if using butternut).
3. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to your soup pot, then add the onions, carrots and buttercup squash. Allow to cook for 5 minutes.
4. Add the spices plus 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook for another 3 minutes. Toss in the yellow and zucchini squash, then add the stock, tomato sauce, and water.
5. Cook over low to medium heat (gentle boil) for 15 minutes. Drain the lentils and add to the soup with the chopped kale. Allow to simmer another 5 minutes, add salt and pepper to taste.

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Kabocha, also known as buttercup squash, is the color of butternut squash, but its texture is a bit drier and similar to that of a chestnut. That texture, combined with its sweet flavor, makes for a velvety smooth pureed soup when combined with the juicier butternut squash. Kabocha is rich in beta-carotene, iron, vitamin C and potassium with smaller traces of calcium and folic acid. It’s hearty, satisfying and could be the perfect starter for your winter meal or add a side salad and it is the meal!

Serve with Roasted Rosemary Cashews.

Winter Squash Soup with Rosemary Cashews

 

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Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

45 mins

 

Winter Squash Soup with Roasted Rosemary Cashews

Author: Laurie Palanza, Simply Wonderful Life

Recipe type: Soup

Cuisine: American

Serves: 6-8 servings

Ingredients

• 1 medium sized Kabocha squash
• 1 small butternut squash
• 4 shallots sliced thinly
• 5 slices of fresh ginger
• 2 oranges, peeled and quartered
• Pinch of sea salt
• Pinch of pepper
• 2 cups/500 ml vegetable stock
• ½ cup/125 ml of almond milk or cow's milk

Instructions

1. Quarter the squashes and remove the seeds. Place in a baking dish or cast iron skillet, drizzle with a little olive oil, cover with foil and bake in a 375-degree oven for about 90 minutes. They're done when you can easily pierce them with a fork.  Cool, remove the flesh from the skin, and place in a blender (I use the Vitamix ).
2. Add a little water to the baking dish and deglaze the pan. Add these pan juices to the blender for added flavor.
3. Saute the shallots in olive oil or a few pats of butter, until they just start to brown. Add shallots, ginger, oranges, salt, pepper, vegetable stock and almond milk to the blender. Begin on low speed and slowly increase the speed to high, blending for about 1 minute, or until your soup is smooth and creamy. If the mixture is too thick just add a little more stock. Use the tamper with Vitamix to combine your ingredients, or turn off the blender and mix with a spoon then resume blending.
4. Heat the blended soup in a pan until it just reaches a boil. Pour into a bowl and sprinkle each serving with chopped cashews, two whole cashews and a sprig of rosemary.
5. I served it with a salad of arugula, green apples, Kalamata olives and crumbled goat cheese all lightly dressed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

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