Leek and Potato Soup

Hopefully I haven't become too predictable with the onset of cold weather, but I'm always craving a satisfying bowl of soup that warms me up from head to toe. After going for a run in Central Park yesterday (I know, what's happening to me?!), I already knew I wanted to make soup for dinner. I tend to gravitate towards soups that are, at their core, veggies and broth that I can blend up into a thick soup with my immersion blender. I found this recipe for leek and potato soup that I knew would hit the spot!

Sticking with my resolution to use new ingredients, this was the first time I've cooked with leeks! The leek and potato mixture made our apartment smell amazing as they were cooking down. I still need to figure out what I can to do with the leek tops since I have a lot left over that I don't want to waste. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

While the veggies and broth were simmering, Matt caramelized the mushrooms (another resolution to cook together more often!). We both forgot how much they cook down so we only had enough for our two bowls of soup. Luckily I forgot to buy more butter for another recipe so I was able to pick up some more at the grocery store so we don't miss having these with our bowlfuls today!

We blended the soup smooth, not leaving it chunky as this recipes suggests - whichever you prefer will still produce a delicious soup! We added a generous amount of salt and pepper to really bring out the flavor from the veggies.

Each bite of this soup was the perfect mixture of flavors and textures. The soup itself was creamy, with hints of citrus from the lemon juice. The mushrooms were perfectly caramelized and gave the soup some chewiness and a great earthy flavor. The creme fraiche cooled the soup down a bit, and the green onions (I already had some in the fridge so I used them instead of chives) offered a little crunch and just the right amount of raw onion flavor without overpowering the dish. I would make this soup again in a heartbeat!

Roasted Sweet Potato and Cauliflower Soup

It has been quite the winter wonderland in New York since the end of last week. Winter storm Hercules (seriously, who comes up with these names?) came into New York full force on Thursday, dumping at least six inches of snow all over the city. Of course, I was happy as can be because I love the snow! Unfortunately, it started melting this weekend and the slushy snow has come. If only I had proper waterproof winter boots and I'd be able to deal with it better. Oh well, my love for snow outweighs the gross slushiness :)

Due to the cold weather, I thought, what better way to enjoy it than with a comforting bowl of soup? I already had a head of cauliflower in my fridge so I decided to try out this recipe for roasted sweet potato and cauliflower soup. 

I roasted the veggies for about 40 minutes since my oven only likes to go up to 350 degrees before setting off the fire alarm (gotta love NY apartments). I would recommend baking them until they are fork tender so that blending is easier, depending on the quality of your blender. I used an immersion blender and then transferred everything to my food processor since it was still fairly chunky.

I added about three cups of chicken broth to start, once I blended the soup. I used my immersion blender again as I added more broth, ending up using about 5 cups. The soup had a slightly thick consistency, not silky smooth as the original blog suggested, but I was happy with the results.

I also added more spices than the recipe suggested, as I felt the flavor was a bit on the bland side. I didn't realize at first that I had paprika so I added a few pinches of cayenne pepper instead. Once I found my paprika, I added about a 1/4 teaspoon along with a few pinches of ground ginger. I also added a generous amount of salt as the original teaspoon was not enough, in my opinion.

This soup provides a really great foundation and allows you to doctor it up with whichever spices you like. I feel like there are other directions you could go in, such as adding curry powder, turmeric and ground ginger. The flavors really meld together after a day or two as well so you'll get even more of the flavor from the spices you've added in. I hope you enjoy the soup and let me know what twist you put on it!

Spiced Butternut Squash Soup

I really don't think I'm ready for the effects of daylight savings ending and the onset of late fall into winter. Do these sound fun to you? 

• Heading to work in the morning in mid 30 degree weather
• Leaving work at 5pm when it's already really dark out
• No longer being able to comfortably wear flats (although I'll continue to do that as long as I can stand it)

I don't think so! Despite my whining, I'm always looking on the bright side and that means I can look forward to making really comforting soups to warm myself and the hubby up! I bought a butternut squash at the farmers market this weekend so I knew I wanted to make butternut squash soup.

There are so many butternut squash soup recipes out there that I didn't know where to begin! Luckily, I remembered a recipe I found in the Meatless cookbook that I recently checked out from the library that sounded delicious - spiced butternut squash soup. I was able to find the same recipe online since it's a Martha Stewart recipe, which made me very happy since I really didn't want to type it all out.

That's going to be my soup very soon!

This soup has a lot of very satisfying, warm spices - turmeric, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom. I didn't have any ground cardamom so I added some extra cloves and put in a bit of ground coriander. The combination of these spices smelled unbelievably good when I mixed them in with onions, garlic and ginger so I knew the flavors would be delicious once everything cooked down.

The soup turned out beautifully after puréeing everything together with my immersion blender. It was a great consistency, the perfect thickness. The spices are definitely assertive and pack a punch in every bite, which I really like. There's a little tartness from the apple and the subtle sweetness from the squash and carrot.

This is just the first of many cold weather soups to come! I love the feeling of warmth coming over my body with each spoonful. What's better than that? Let me know your favorite fall soup recipes so I can build up my soup reservoir!

My Favorite Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

Well, I think it's time to share another one of my all-time favorite recipes, especially since the fall weather is kicking into high gear. I actually had to bust out a legit coat today because the high was only in the low 60s! This weather just swooped in out of nowhere, especially since we had to use our air conditioner this past weekend because it got up to 80 and was way too humid for October weather.

In honor of fall weather and craving warm, delicious comfort food, I share with you my favorite recipe for creamy tomato basil soup. This is yet another recipe, like my turkey chili, that I, at one point in time, found online or in a magazine so I have no idea where the original source came from to give them credit. Sorry whoever provided this recipe to the world - I hope you know how much I enjoy it!

Some of my favorite recipes are very simple and pretty quick to make, just like this soup. The minimal number of ingredients in this recipe, which most are pretty common to find in the kitchen already, really allows each component to shine. I couldn't imagine omitting any of the ingredients as they all play an important part as the flavors meld together.

Mixing up my bowls for this photo shoot

I don't know anyone who doesn't love the smell of onion and garlic cooking in a pan. The release of smells that fill the kitchen (apartment too when you're living in NYC) are mouthwatering and definitely lead to the anticipation of the dish to come. This dish starts off in exactly that way and the final product is definitely worth the wait!

When you take your first spoonful, there are so many flavors and textures going on in your mouth! The bite from the onion that has cooked down most of the way, but still has a little crunch to it. The anise flavor from the pieces of basil. The chunks of diced tomato that pop in your mouth. And, most importantly, the creaminess of the soup as a whole from the heavy cream. This soup just wouldn't be the same without the cream - it really makes this dish and brings everything together. What better way to enjoy a generous bowlful of this soup than with a grilled cheese? I highly recommend it - you won't be disappointed!

My Favorite Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cans of tomato sauce (14 oz. each)
• 1 can of Italian style diced tomatoes (14 oz.)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Drizzle the olive oil, covering the bottom of the pot, over medium heat. Sauté the onions and garlic in the olive oil, until tender. Stir constantly to prevent scorching. Add basil to the sautéed onions and garlic. Allow to cook for at least 5 minutes.

Add the 2 cans of tomato sauce and the can of diced tomatoes to the pot. Decrease heat to medium-low and cover the pot to allow the flavors to blend for at least 15 minutes. 

Add the heavy cream to the soup mixture and stir well. Raise the heat to medium and stir constantly until soup begin to boil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Lower heat to a simmer for at least 10 minutes before serving.