Pureed Perfection

So over the past day my food processor and immersion blender have seen quite a bit of love.  What can I say… I have a penchant for foods fit for a baby.  Just look at that delicioso soup!

This was Curried Squash & Red Lentil Soup from Gourmet magazine and I have to say it was pretty amazing… I only partially pureed this, leaving some nice chunks for texture.  Here’s the recipe along with my modifications:

Yield: Makes 4 to 6 (main course) servings

Active Time: 25 min

Total Time: 1 1/4 hr

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 1/2 – 2 lbs butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (I used a combo of hubbard squash, butternut squash and yams)

1 large onion, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1 celery rib, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I like it hot!)

2 tablespoons minced peeled ginger

2 tablespoons curry powder

1 cup red lentils

2 quarts water

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste

1. Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat, then cook squash, yams, onion, carrot, celery, garlic, ginger, and 1 teaspoon salt, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened and beginning to brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Stir in curry powder and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring frequently, 2 minutes.
3. Add lentils and water and simmer, covered, until lentils are tender, 25 to 40 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.  Puree about half of the mixture with a hand blender or separately in a food processor.

This made a huuge pot of soup, which I will be storing in my freezer because I hate having the same thing too many days in a row… boring!!  Next on the menu: Mashed Cauliflower!!!

I basically just used the recipe from CCV and it was lovely.  Thanks girlie!  It’s just boiled about 3 cups cauliflower (drained), a tsp of Better-Than-Bullion Organic Veggie Soup Base, 1 clove garlic (boiled along with the cauliflower), 1 tsp Dijon mustard and salt & pepper to taste.  Throw everything in the food processor and voila!  I added a touch of water to create a creamier texture, but it’s up to you how soupy you want things.

And now the Pièce de résistance… Pumpkin Pudding!!!  I made this vegan-style with silken tofu in place of cream and it was ridiculously good!  To be honest it was a touch sweeter than I hoped because I accidently bought pumpkin pie filling instead of plain canned pumpkin, but I opened it before realizing my mistake so I can’t just put it to waste…

It’s basically just a cup or so of soft, silken tofu and 1/3 cup of pumpkin purée.  Since it was already spiced and sweetened I didn’t add anything, but in the future I’ll definitely be using plain pumpkin and my own spices and a touch of honey or agave nectar.  Oh yeah, I also made this deliciousness… Vegan Sausage & Peppers!

I used a whole green bell pepper and one small red onion sliced into strips, minced 1 large clove of garlic and sautéed them for a bit.  Then I added a few dashes of pizza seasoning, herbs de Provence, red pepper flakes, a tablespoon of tomato paste and some water to create a sort of a sauce.  I threw in some diced Seitan Sauasage a well as some kidney beans for some extra protein… delish!

Well I’m off to go for a run in my new Vibram FiveFingers.  These get quite a bit of attention in Central Park, let me tell you… but more on that in a different post.  

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