Holiday Leftovers: Pumpkin Edition

After four days of eating my body weight's worth of mashed potatoes and dessert and washing it all down with my body weight's worth of beer, I realized I still have a leftover can of pumpkin sitting in my cabinet.

Being a firm supporter of pumpkin everything all the time, I was completely okay with this discovery and ready to embrace some puree.

Despite the enthusiasm I was not completely ready for another Thanksgiving-esque meal so I wanted to avoid the typical creamy, sweet, cinnamon soup that is usually associated with pumpkin - a bowl full of spice was the perfect way.

Here, the pumpkin is really used as a way to build up the soup base by creating a thick broth that has a natural creaminess without actually using cream.  Including the chorizo brings a lot of much needed spice and flavor into the picture - if you're vegetarian try opting for a vegetarian sausage alternative or substituting chickpeas and adding some red pepper and smoked sea salt to make up for the flavor.  On the other hand, if you are not down to hang with some spice, try substituting a sweet fennel sausage that will still give you a good flavor base without the heat.  And don't forget to add some heaping handfuls of greens to balance out the bowl before enjoying!

Pumpkin Soup with Chorizo and Spinach

Ingredients

• 3 T olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 chorizo sausages*
• 2 t herbs of choice, like sage or basil
• 3 t spices of choice, like turmeric, smoked paprika, and cinnamon
• Salt, black pepper, red pepper
• 1 can squash or pumpkin
• 2 cans of water
• 2 large handfuls of spinach

Combine:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat until it shimmers.  Add the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring in between to keep the onion from burning.  Push the onions to the edges of the pot then add in the chorizo.  Let the chorizo brown then give the pot a good stir.  Cook for 5 more minutes until the chorizo is evenly browned and onions are translucent yellow.
2. Add the spices and herbs to the pot and cook for one minute, stirring often until the onions and chorizo are well coated.  Stir in the can of pumpkin and two cans of water, turn the heat up to high until the pot boils.
3. Continue to boil for 5 minutes then simmer for 30, stirring periodically so the ingredients don't stick to the bottom of the pan.  Stir in a few large handfuls of spinach and cook until wilted.
4. Enjoy!

*If you use freshly made sausages, break open the casing and use just the meat for the recipe.  If you use pre-cooked sausages, slice them up before browning.

Shroom bowls

In the last few days multiple people have asked me about what good things I've been cooking lately, but instead of wowing the crowd with a description of something delicious I've only been able to respond with a feeling of deep sadness because lately, life has been quite a trip.

I'll save you all the sob story but after wading through a swamp of school work and crawling out from under the ever growing pile of work work only to be sucked into the media swirl of the election all while turning a whole year older, there hasn't been much time (read: energy) to spend in the kitchen.

But instead of spending time longingly dreaming about all of the recipes I wished I had made time to make lately, I dug deep and thought about all the meals I had been making lately - because it's never the complete truth when I say I haven't been up to anything.

So here I share with you the non-cooking list.

If you're also up to your eyes in to-do lists or just have some Post-Trump Depression, take notes and cook what you can:

1.  The best way to non-cook is to make one item that you can use multiple ways.  I'll roast sweet potatoes, fennel, or beets at the beginning of the week then use them to fancify meals throughout the week.  Of course tossing some into a salad is a given, but try roasted fennel on toast with persimmon or lox, or place roasted potatoes on a plate, top with an egg, and microwave for 1-3 minutes to enjoy in the morning.

2.  Easy soups.  You might think all soup is easy to make but that's a lie.  Some soup recipes are a lot of work because they have tons of ingredients with different cook times or require multiple prep methods (puree, roast, etc.) that really just turn out to be a nuisance... the list of traits goes on but I think you know what I mean: grab ingredients for simple lentil soups, chili, or anything made in a slow-cooker so you can enjoy your day and your dinner too!

3.  Lastly, we have the lazy salad in disguise as seen here.

For those of you who don't already know, I like to think of sautes as lazy salads in disguise.

If I took all these ingredients and ate them cold, I would be sad.  By taking all these ingredients and giving them a little saute I not only save myself the effort it takes to make a dijon vinaigrette, but also get to trick my brain into thinking it's eating some sort of masterpiece.

The taste buds ain't mad, so catch the recipe below to get non-cooking!

Mushroom Bowls

Ingredients:

• 3/4 c brown rice
• 1 T mustard seeds
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 T red wine vinegar
• 2 c mushrooms, chopped (I used cremini)
• 1 t red pepper
• 1-2 t thyme or rosemary
• 4 c kale, chopped
• Salt, pepper, and olive oil as needed
• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Garnish: Gruyere, grated

Combine:

1. Cook the brown rice according to directions.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat until the oil shimmers.  Then add in the mustard seeds and cook for 1 minute.
3. Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes, then add the garlic and saute for another 2.
4. Add in 1 tablespoon of the vinegar to deglaze the pan, then push the onions to the edges and add the mushrooms.  Continue to cook these until the juices come out and they are starting to brown.  Add in the rest of the vinegar and give the pan a good stir.  Toss in the chickpeas, kale, and rice until well mixed.
5. Top with gruyere and enjoy!