Sweet Potato (or Acorn Squash) and Pear Soup

My friend Monique gave us some recipe books when she was cleaning out her closets last year, and one of the books that she gave us was Veggie Food, edited by Kay Scarlett. Because I love soups, I was excited to find that there is a whole section of veggie soups, lots of which are rich and creamy. There are several chilled soups, which I want to explore, but so far the favorite in our house has been the Sweet Potato and Pear soup, which I've adapted here, to use with sweet potatoes or acorn squash.

Sweet Potato (or Acorn Squash) and Pear Soup
1 Tbs butter
1 sweet white onion, medium-small to medium (larger if you like lots of onion flavor)
6-7 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed,
       or 2 medium acorn squashes, roasted and peeled. Might also use a large butter nut.
3-4 firm pears
4 C vegetable or chicken stock
1 C cream
Black Pepper to taste
A pinch of cinnamon and/or nutmeg if you're feeling adventurous

-Saute the onions in butter
-Add the cubed potato or squash, cook for 2-3 minutes
-Add the cubed pears
-Add the stock, bring to a boil then cook an additional 20 minutes, or until potato/squash are soft.
-Using a hand blender, or by transferring the soup by batches to a stand blender, puree the soup.
-Just before serving, add the cream.  (I actually only add about 3/4 C cream, but I think I prefer less cream in soup than the average person.)
-Salt and pepper to taste. (maybe a pinch of salt, but I like a generous amount of black pepper.)



Kirsten tells me that she prefers the soup with the squash, but I liked the potato iteration better. They were both really good. You could make this basic soup with lots of firm, winter vegetables: almost all of the winter squashes will work, potato, yams, etc. It is a rich, creamy soup that is great for cold days. We served it with a side of sauteed veggies and some hearty whole wheat bread to round it all out.

Super Simple Vegetarian Navajo Tacos

Navajo Tacos are essentially Indian Fry Bread with taco filling on top. Indian Fry Bread is essentially just fried bread dough, so you can use any fried dough for the scone. (This is not technically true, Fry Bread does have a particular flavor and feel, but regular bread dough will work. I recommend using Andrew's Honey Whole Wheat bread dough for this. When you make the bread, keep some extra dough on hand for such things.)

To make the fry bread, follow the scone recipe from a few days ago, except use a slightly larger amount of dough and stretch it out as far as you can.

To make the beans:

Drain and rinse a can of black beans.

In a sauce pan, mix the black beans with a third cup of any pureed or especially liquidy salsa (if you like a lot of sauce on your taco, add more). Add a dash of cumin, a clove or two of minced garlic, some chopped cilantro if you have any on hand, and a few dashes of Tabasco or red pepper flakes if you like heat. A bit of oregano and/or thyme can also add a nice flavor reminiscent of chili. Simmer everything together for a few minutes, until it is thoroughly heated through; the longer it simmers the longer the beans will have to soak in the flavor, but also the more likely that the salsa with evaporate, so if it gets dry add a bit more salsa.

Serve the beans on top of a scone, and top that with a dollop of sour cream and some grated cheese. Fresh tomatoes, chopped olives, or anything else you like in tacos will also be good. Serve with some dark leafy greens such as spinach or romaine for a more well-rounded color palate and varied textures.