I love soup. In my world there really isn’t “soup season.” That’s because no matter the time of year, I eat soup almost every week. Granted when the seasons turn, which here in Minnesota they most certainly do, and the temperatures cool down as has happened this week, I find myself looking online and in my many cookbooks for delicious fall soups.
One day last week, I met up with my dear friend Linda Brandt for a walk and talk. I had meant to bring some extra chard that my other dear friend Nadine had given me from her abundant delicious garden.
I love chard, but Nadine had given more than what I could figure out what to do with. The thing is I had forgotten to bring the extra chard with me when I went to meet Linda. I offered to bring it to her later in the day.
Linda in her ever gracious manner, declined the chard, saying that she wasn’t quite making soups yet. That got my wheels spinning. I had just made a new-to-me Pumpkin Lentil Soup that I learned about from writer, dog-lover, hiker and vegan Tom Ryan.
Here’s the Pumpkin Lentil Soup recipe I made:
https://nutritionstudies.org/recipes/soup/pumpkin-lentil-soup/
Tom is a Substack writer and I get his beautiful letters and essays on a regular basis. I appreciate his writing and find it lyrical and soothing as well as inspirational. Worth the $7 a month to be one of his Substack subscribers.
Tom is the author of several books about his dogs and his relationships with these incredible animals. Additionally, Tom came back from the near dead by becoming vegan for his health and well-being. He regularly shares recipes with his readership. The Pumpkin Lentil Soup caught my attention and I had to make it.
In fact, I was so inspired, I decided to get a baking pumpkin from the coop and make my own pumpkin puree. Something I’d never done before. It was remarkably easy to make.
Here is the recipe I followed for Pumpkin Puree:
https://www.inspiredtaste.net/35527/easy-pumpkin-puree-recipe/#itr-recipe-35527
I am a big fan of leftovers and I cooked this soup on Sunday morning and I eat my salad jars for lunch and this week I’m eating this Pumpkin Lentil soup for most of my dinners. I added Nadine’s chard to it and YUM!!
What are some of your favorite autumnal soups?
I love getting new ideas! After all, I’m committed to trying at least two new recipes every month. Keeps my eating from getting boring, since I almost never eat out.
Thanks for reading today and keep eating well!
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38 degrees this morning in CNY and yesterday’s high was barely 50. Definitely soup season, if there is one. I love your idea of tossing in the chard! Prevents food waste and gets extra dark, leafy greens into the meal without feeing like “medicine.” Remind me to share a tomato-pecan recipe with you. It has rich, smoky chipotles (but you control the heat). Keep on runnin’!
Those are serious autumnal temps in Upstate New York Christine!! Soup season is for sure upon you! And yes, putting the chard in the Pumpkin Lentil soup was a big win!!! Always good to not waste food and sneak in some extra healthy dark leafy greens!! FOR SURE I’m going to ask you about that tomato-pecan recipe! YUM!! and you better believe it, I’m going to run all winter long!
Fall has arrived here in eastern NC too. High yesterday was 92, low this morning was 55! I am not a big soup fan, probably cuz I ate so much Campbell’s as a child. I do make a mean cream of peanut soup however, based on a centuries old recipe I got from a visit to colonial Williamsburg. I love pumpkin, whether in my almond flour pancakes, or just like a pudding with some cinnamon and stevia. My wife’s cousins raise them commercially, so I got some seeds from them years ago to plant in my garden. I have Princess (white skin, light flesh) and Buckskin (buff colored skin, deep orange flesh). My record was 42 pumpkins last year. Rain was scarce at times this summer, so I won’t be getting as many, but still plenty to make puree for the freezer and share with neighbors.
Cabe,
WOW!!! I’m impressed that you grow pumpkins (and a variety of them!!) in your garden and make your own puree!! That is totally cool. 42 pumpkins last year is a fantastic number. Scarce rain is in and of itself scary. Sorry one result of that is fewer pumpkins this year. Cream of peanut soup!!! I’m going to look for an online recipe! Sounds tasty!! Love all your ideas about how to eat pumpkin. Gonna give that a try!!