Smokey Tomato and White Bean Soup

Dan    Appetizers & Co., Recipes, Vegan/Vegetarian     autumn, Dan Clapson, gluten-free, lapsang souchong, recipes, soup, tomato soup, vegetarian

What you’ll need…

1 yellow onion (finely chopped)

2 cloves garlic

1 TBSP red curry paste

5 cups diced tomatoes

2 1/2 cups chicken stock (use veggie stock to stay vegan)

1 can white beans (drained)

1 1/2 cup zucchini squash (1/2″ cubed)

1 TBSP lapsang sougchung tea (finely ground)

2 TSP lemon juice

1 TSP white wine vinegar

salt and pepper

olive oil

sour cream (for garnish, optional)

Where the hell did all of this snow come from? The first few snowy days of the year are crappy to drive in, painstaking to walk in and, last but not least, mildly depressing. It’s that reminder that warm weather and sunshine is gone for the next five months. Yes, here in Calgary we do get a decent amount of Chinooks, but it’s going to be quite awhile before I dust off my shorts to wear again.

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Acorn Squash Guacamole

Dan    Appetizers & Co., Recipes, Vegan/Vegetarian     autumn, Dan Clapson, gluten-free, guacamole, Mexican-inspired, recipes, squash, vegan, vegetarian

What you’ll need…

1 acorn squash (halved, seeds removed, approximately 2 1/2 cups)

1 jalapeño pepper (seeds removed, finely chopped)

1 roma tomato (approximately 2/3 cup, diced)

2 tomatillos (approximately 1/2 cup, diced)

2 cloves garlic (minced)

1/2 red onion (finely diced)

1 TBSP lemon zest

1 TBSP lemon juice

2 TSP white wine vinegar

1 TSP chili powder

olive oil

salt and pepper

tortilla chips

sour cream (optional)

I learned something this week. Sometimes you can bastardize things and they still taste delicious. I’m sure Mexican cuisine purists would cry foul at this twist on guacamole, but I can guarantee its tastiness nonetheless. So, stop making that boring squash soup (although, it does always hit the spot on a fall day) and think outside of the box a bit.

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Summer Squash and Beer Bisque

Dan    Appetizers & Co., Recipes, Vegan/Vegetarian     autumn, beer, Dan Clapson, recipes, soups, Steam Whistle Pilsner, vegetarian, zucchini

What you’ll need…

1 yellow onion (finely chopped)

2 garlic cloves (minced)

1 cup Steam Whistle Pilsner

3 cups zucchini squash (1″ cubed)

1 cup rutabaga (peeled, 1” cubed)

2 1/2 cups chicken broth (or vegetable to stay vegan)

1 TBSP grainy dijon mustard

2 TSP soy sauce

½ cup fresh basil (chiffonaded)

1 lemon (zested and juiced)

salt and pepper

olive oil

sour cream (garnish, optional)

When I think ‘back to school’, I think ‘zucchini’ and ‘beer’. Zucchini squash because there are approximately fourteen million of them available at any grocery store or neighbour’s backyard at this time of year. Beer because, well, university life is usually synonymous with beer.

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Coconut Lime Parsnip Bisque with Cilantro Drizzle

Dan    Recipes, Soups, Vegan/Vegetarian     Asian-inspired, autumn, coconut, parsnips, recipes, root vegetables, soups, vegan, vegetarian

What you’ll need…

Soup:

2 yellow onions (chopped)

3 cloves garlic

2 TSP white sugar

1/4 cup pineapple juice

5 parsnips (peeled, 1″ chopped, approximately 3 cups)

1 13.5oz can coconut milk

1 lemon grass stalk (segmented)

1 3″ ginger root (halved)

2 cups chicken stock (or veggie to keep vegan)

1 TBSP white wine vinegar

1 lime (zest and juice)

salt and pepper

olive oil

Drizzle:

1 bunch cilantro (loosely chopped)

1 lemon (zest and juice)

1/2 cup olive oil

salt and pepper

As far as root vegetables go, parsnips are overlooked, underused and, let’s not beat around the bush here, forgotten. Well…similar Occupy Calgary protesters, I decided to let parsnips occupy my kitchen this week. However, instead of pitching tents, making signs and refusing to leave Olympic Plaza, err….my house…They decided to jump into a soup pot! Now, that was an easy fix!

Jokes aside, this soup puts parsnips in the much-deserved limelight. Next time you’re at the grocery store, I want you to look carrots in the eye and say: ‘Sorry carrots, I’m with parsnips now.’ Love hurts.

Place the chopped onions and garlic into a medium-sized pot. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle in the sugar, stir and let cook on medium-high heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Now, pour in the pineapple juice and let the mixture continue to cook until the liquid has reduced by half, about another 5 minutes. Toss in (recklessly) the parsnips, stir and let cook for (you guessed it!) another five minutes.

Next, add the chicken stock, coconut milk, lemon grass, ginger, vinegar and lime to the pot. Reduce to medium heat and let simmer for 25 minutes. Be sure to leave the lemon grass and ginger in large chunks, as you will need to pull them out prior to pureeing the soup!

In the simmering interim, we can quickly make the ‘drizzle’ (doesn’t that sound so fancy?). Place ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. This is more for looks and also a bit of tang for the soup, but add some salt and pepper to taste, just to round things out. Pour the vibrant green liquid into a small bowl and set aside for now.

Once the soup has simmered for the appropriate length of time, remove the chunks of ginger and the lemon grass stalks. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until it has a velvety smooth texture. Barring the immersion blender, pour the soup into a blender or food processor to get the job done. Return the smooth soup to the pot, have a taste, salt and pepper it as needed, then let it sit on low heat until you’re ready to serve.

When it’s time to dish it out, ladle out the soup and top with some of the cilantro drizzle. I feel as though some simple seared scalloped would go well with this soup, so maybe give that a whirl if you’re feeling ambitious.

Serves 4-5

Total cook time…45 min

Acorn Squash And Pink Peppercorn Vinaigrette

Dan    Appetizers & Co., Recipes, Vegan/Vegetarian     acorn squash, autumn, recipes, salad, squash, vegan, vegetarian

What you’ll need…

Dressing:

1/2 acorn squash (gutted, reserve seeds)

3 cloves garlic

2 TSP pink peppercorns

1 orange (zest and juice)

1/2 cup of orange juice

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1 1/4 cups olive oil

salt and pepper

Salad:

Whatever you’d like, really, but here’s what I used…

remaining 1/2 acorn squash (chopped 1″ pieces, skin on)

1 package spring mix

2 tomatoes (sliced)

1/2 red onion (thinly sliced)

1 small zucchini (halved, 1/2″ sliced, approximately 1 1/2 )

remaining 1/2 acorn squash (chopped 1″ pieces)

1 cup garlic and fine herb boursin cheese (gently crumbled)

There are so many things to do with some many different types of squash and very enough time. True. Story. Since I think most of us are knee deep in squash soups right now, figuratively of course (what an odd sensation that would be if literal), I thought it might be need to try throwing a squash into a salad dressing. Blending the roasted squash in with the usual suspects of vinaigrette ingredients, with some sweetness of the maple and orange, resulted in an interesting autumn-appropriate salad. I tested out this concoction just this past week at my Thanksgiving dinner and although I was too busy drinking wine and socializing, I’m going to just assume that everyone enjoyed it!

As mentioned above, save the squash seeds, then roast them until crispy. Toss with some salt and pepper and sprinkle on top of or salad. Or, do what I did, and just eat all of the seeds by the handful and do not share with anyone.

Roasting a squash of any type is ridiculously simple. Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees. Place the half squash on a prepared baking sheet, brush with some olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and let roast, flesh side up, for about 35-40 minutes, or until fork tender. Remove from heat and let cool.

Once cool, spoon out flesh into a blender, followed by the next six dressing ingredients. Puree until smooth. Next, while pulsing, gradually pour in the olive oil. Once everything is combined, have a quick taste, and season with some salt and pepper if needed. Store in an air-tight container and refrigerate. Can be stored for up to one week.

**Note: I did notice that after a few days, the maple flavour of the vinaigrette became more and more prominent. If you’re making this in advance, add a bit more oil and vinegar to avoid this. Unless you really like maple, then just sit with it!

When you’re ready to serve, combine the salad ingredients in a large serving bowl. Sprinkle the crumbled boursin cheese (and squash seeds if you didn’t eat them all!) on top, finish with some freshly ground black pepper and you’re good to go!

Yields 4 cups salad dressing

Total cook time…55 minutes (including roasting)

Masala Chickpea & Eggplant Soup

Dan    Appetizers & Co., Recipes, Vegan/Vegetarian     autumn, curry, delicious, Indian-inspired, quick and easy, recipes, soup, vegan, vegetarian

What you’ll need…

2 yellow onions (chopped)

3 clove garlic (minced)

1 eggplant (1/2″ cubed)

2 13.5oz cans chick peas (drained, reserve liquid of one can)

1 TSP masala tandoori powder

1 TSP garam masala powder

1 TSP yellow curry powder

1 can diced tomatoes

4 cups chicken broth (or veggie to keep vegan)

1 TBSP red wine vinegar

1 TBSP lemon juice

salt and pepper

olive oil

I start refining my hearty soup skills a month or two before autumn is about to rear it’s ugly head. Well, I don’t actually mean ugly, I really do like fall, the changing of the leaves, being able to wear knits again, pumpkin bowling, all of those things are great. It’s just that I’m always sad to watch the warm weather slip away, and with it, my tan. But, I digress…this soup embodies fall. It is meant to warm you up on a chilly evening. This soup can be served pureed or left chunky. I prefer somewhere in the middle, pureeing half, leaving it a bit chunky! I love eggplant and cook with it often. For any eggplant haters out there, this soup will help convert you, I promise. I wouldn’t lie to you would I? #teameggplant

Start things off by tossing the onion and garlic in a medium-sized pot. Drizzle with some olive oil, and cook down on medium-high heat until the onions become translucent, about 5 minutes. Add in the eggplant, chickpeas, as well as the masala tandoori, garam masala, and curry powder. Stir mixture until the spices have evenly coated the vegetables. Stirring occasionally, continue to let cook for 8-10 minutes, until the eggplant pieces start to soften.

Now, place all remaining ingredients into the pot, including the reserved chickpea liquid. Once the pot comes to a boil, reduce to low heat and let simmer on the stove for at least 30 minutes. Season generously with salt and pepper, puree if you wish, but, above all else, enjoy!

Best served with warm bread…naan if you’ve got it and maybe a dollop of sour cream if you’re feeling extra crazy!

Serves 5-6

Total cook time…45 min

This week, this recipe is featured on the site There & Here as part of their guest blug series to compare different parts of the world! Check it out here! You’ll love it!