Sweet Potato, Carrot, Apple, and Red Lentil Soup

On chilly days, soup makes for a great meal. Although some soups take time to make, it's very much worth it. This is one of my favorites and one I don't mind taking time to make. I know it's technically still summer but we recently had some chilly days and I was in the mood for something "fallish."  I've only made it twice but it's something I will make again many times this fall and winter. It's a meal you can freeze too if you don't use it all up when you make it.

This recipe has a few steps you can prepare in advance. I mixed the seasonings and cut the vegetables earlier in the day so that when I was ready to prepare the soup, everything was ready to go. I waited to cut up the apple, however, as I did not want it to brown. This is delicious served in bread bowls or with bread on the side and topped with plain yogurt, goat or feta cheese. Enjoy!

 

Love this soup. It's healthy AND tastes great!

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup butter

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped

3 large carrots, peeled and chopped

1 apple, peeled, cored and chopped

1 onion, chopped

1/2 cup red lentils

1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon paprika

4 cups vegetable broth

plain yogurt, feta cheese, goat cheese (optional garnishes)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Melt the butter in a large, heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Place the chopped sweet potatoes, carrots, apple, and onion in the pot. Stir and cook the apples and vegetables until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes.

2. Stir the lentils, ginger, ground black pepper, salt, cumin, chili powder, paprika, and vegetable broth into the pot with the apple and vegetable mixture. Bring the soup to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the lentils and vegetables are soft, about 30 minutes.

3. Working in batches, pour the soup into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel, and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree in batches until smooth and pour into a clean pot. Alternately, you can use a stick blender and puree the soup right in the cooking pot.

4. Return the pureed soup to the cooking pot. Bring back to a simmer over medium-high heat, about 10 minutes. Add water as needed to thin the soup to your preferred consistency. 

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Sweet-Potato-Carrot-Apple-and-Red-Lentil-Soup/Detail.aspx?prop24=etaf

Sun-dried Tomato Salmon Risotto

I love risotto but I've never made it before. Now that I'm more adventurous I figured I'd give it a go...and it was delicious! The original plan was to have it as a side to salmon but I chose to shred it and mix it together in hopes that maybe my little guys would eat it. It worked...a little anyway.  :-) 

Sun-Dried Tomato Risotto - recipe found on www.pioneerwoman.com. 

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 Tablespoons Butter
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1/2 whole Large Yellow Onion, Diced
• 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 2 cups Arborio Rice, Uncooked
• 8 whole Sun-dried Tomatoes Packed In Oil, Drained And Minced
• 1 cup Dry White Wine (optional)
• 7 cups Low Sodium Chicken or Vegetable Broth
•  Salt As Needed
•  Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 1 cup Parmesan, Freshly Grated
• 1/4 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
•  Fresh Basil (optional)

Preparation Instructions

Heat broth in a saucepan or in a microwave safe pitcher. Set aside.

Heat butter and olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.

Add dry rice. Stir to coat and cook for 3 minutes, stirring gently.

Pour in wine. Stir and cook over medium-low heat until most of the liquid is absorbed. Add in minced sundried tomatoes and stir.

Then begin adding broth, one cup at a time, stirring gently while the rice absorbs the liquid each time. Repeat this until the rice is done---it usually takes between 6 and 8 cups of broth. The rice should have a slight bite to it, but not be crunchy at all.

Remove from heat, then stir in Parmesan and heavy cream. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. 

Serve as a main dish with a salad, or as a side dish with steak, chicken, or fish. 

*For the salmon, I just brushed a little bit of olive oil, sprinkled a little salt and pepper over it and baked it at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. It's ready when it easily flakes.