Smoky Paprika Pumpkin Soup

Today has been the pits. Nothing in particular, just work stuff. It could possibly be that I'm just super irritable today, for reasons that I can not seem to deduce. On my lunch, I normally run for an hour...today...I laid on the ultrasound bed and watched a Bones on my iPhone. It was pretty pathetic but honestly, quite nice. Well anyways, my day was made exponentially better by the discovery of Season 5 Parks & Recreation being added to Netflix! Woot, woot! I had to share this wonderful news, in case some readers are Parks & Rec fans and they were uninformed. Of course, I realize most people just watch it on the actual TV, but I was late on to that boat so I am forced to watch it on Netflix. This is very exciting news for Todd and I. Almost as exciting as this pumpkin soup!

Why is this soup so exciting? Two reasons. For one, I'm not really too experienced with pumpkin. Okay, let's be real, before this recipe, I had never even cooked with it! I'm talking like a real, round, actual pumpkin. Not canned pumpkin. This soup was a pretty rad way to get into. I'm in love! So, clearly, this was very exciting for me.

And two, this soup is so, so lovely and absolutely delectable. It is completely velvety, creamy and melts in one rich, smoky, pumpkin packed bite in the mouth. It has made the list as one of my all-time favorite soups and is just perfect for the season! So if you've been on the fence about making a pumpkin soup (it's kinda weird, right?), start out with this recipe and you won't be disappointed! 

Smoky Paprika Pumpkin Soup

Inspired by Verses From My Kitchen

Serves 6

• 1 small pumpkin (about 2 lbs.) peeled and cubed
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 medium red onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, sliced
• 4 whole sprigs of thyme (or additional dried)
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 15 oz. can of full-fat coconut milk
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
• 1 Tbsp. smoked paprika
• 1/8 tsp. chipotle chili powder (to taste)
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• sprinkle of ground black pepper
• pepitas, for garnish (optional) 

Heat the oil in a large soup pot and saute the onions, garlic and thyme until fragrant, about 5 minutes. 

Meanwhile, peel the pumpkin and cut in half. I just used a potato peeler! Scoop out the seeds (roast or discard) and cube the pumpkin. 

Add in the cubed pumpkin and continue to saute for an additional 10 minutes, or until the pumpkin begins to just become softened. Then, add in the remaining ingredients and simmer over medium heat for about 15 minutes or until the pumpkin can be easily pierced with a fork. 

Transfer carefully to a blender and whiz on high until silky and smooth. Make sure to allow the blender to vent at the lid or else you could have a hot soup explosion, and that's never good. It's never happened to me, but I've heard stories.

Serve hot with additional thyme, paprika and pepitas, if you wish! 

Grumpy, and listening to The Heavy – How You Like Me Now

This is me...

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Veggie Miso Udon Soup

Confession time...I've been perusing the rescue shelter website again. I know, I know. Don't judge! I'm trying to talk Todd into getting an older, smaller dog. He's seven years old and his name is Oreo and he's been there since July 31st! So sad. Plus, Bailey needs a friend. Cross your fingers that he'll come home with us soon! I have a feeling that soon after this post goes up, I'll be in trouble...heh heh.  Anyways, besides stalking the rescue site, I've been craving some udon soup. Big time. There's this place in the mall in Anchorage (yes, we only have one mall...okay that's a lie, but it is the mall) called Souper Bowl and they have the most wonderful udon soup and sometimes, a few times a year, I get a crazy-cracked-out-craving for it! So, I decided it was finally time to try to recreate it. I think I did a damn good job, too.

This soup could not be easier, and it's "udon" healthy...udon...uber...get it? Oh nevermind. It's packed with steamed veggies, cubed silken tofu and a healthy dose of miso. Udon noodles are my favorite noodle. I don't really know what it is exactly about them  but I just love 'em! I could not wait to make this soup and once it was done, I couldn't stop eating it! It was an extra exciting day in addition to this soup, because Todd got me a surprise gift! See the bottom of the post to see what!

Veggie Miso Udon Soup 

Inspired by Souper Bowl and No Whey No Cow

Serves 6-8

• --For The Broth--
• 1o cups water
• 3 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 3 Tbsp. erythritol (or sugar)
• 2 Tbsp. ginger paste (or finely minced ginger)
• 1 Tbsp. onion powder
• 1 Tbsp. garlic powder
• 4 green onions, sliced thinly
• 1 sheet of Nori seaweed, chopped
• 1/2 cup miso paste (I prefer red)
• --Goodies--
• 1 head of broccoli florets, chopped
• 2 large carrots, sliced
• 2 8 oz. packages of udon noodles (sauce packet tossed, eww)
• 1 12 oz. package silken tofu, cubed
• 2 large handfuls of fresh spinach

First, steam the chopped broccoli and carrots so they are just tender. Once done, set aside for use later. 

In a large soup pot, bring the water along with all the broth ingredients, excluding the miso paste, to a boil. Once boiling, turn to a simmer and once it stops boiling, add in the miso paste. Whisk well to incorporate. 

Now, add in the udon noodles and allow to cook for about 5 minutes, or until they have separated. Add in the cubed tofu and stir gently to combine. 

Serve in a giant normal-person, reasonable-sized soup bowl and add in the spinach, steamed broccoli, and carrots. Allow a few minutes for the spinach to wilt and then eat up!

Holy closeup! Helllllo spinach.

How did I get those macro photos? With a macro lens of course! Todd bought me one and Lightroom, as well! Hurray! We He has a 20mm wide angle as well as a 50mm 1.4.

Oh, it's Oreo! Look at him, he really needs some love! He must have put this on the blog...what a clever little guy.

On repeat, Wild Child – Someone Else

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Cheesy Pumpkin Sage Penne with Sausage

I questioned whether I should really post this recipe or not. For one, I've seen like a bazillion pumpkin pasta recipes in just the last three days alone. However, I'll have you know that I made this like a week ago, okay!? And second, I adapted it from...Rachael Ray. Disgust. Apparently my distaste for Rachael knows no bounds. That, and I couldn't get any good photos. Yes, the odds were definitely against me on this one, but this pasta was much too delicious not to share! It'd be a crime, and rather selfish. Plus, I wanted to share photos from our first ski of the Winter with you! There's currently no snow around here, so we had to go seek it out in the mountains. 

And we were not disappointed. Alaskan beauty at it's finest! Winter is the best time of the year. You can see those photos below the recipe, but first, it's pumpkin time! 

I said, "It's pumpkin time!" This pasta is creamy, cheesy and packed with pumpkiny goodness. The sage lends depth and the sausage...well, you have to have some vegan sausage right? Yes.

Cheesy Pumpkin Sage Penne with Sausage

Inspired by Food Network

Serves 4-6

• 18 oz. penne pasta, dry
• 2 Field Roast Smoked Apple and Sage Grain Sausages, sliced
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil 
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves,  minced
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 15 oz. can pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk
• 1/2 cup vegan mozzarella, shredded 
• pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
• pinch of nutmeg, freshly ground
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1 tsp. cornstarch
• 1 Tbsp. nutritional yeast  
• 3 Tbsp. fresh sage leaves, minced

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta until al dente. Drain and set aside until ready to use. 

Bring a medium frying pan to heat with a bit of nonstick cooking spray and brown the sausage slices, for about 5 minutes. Set aside when done until ready to use.

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Bring a medium frying pan to heat with a bit of nonstick cooking spray and brown the sausage slices, for about 5 minutes. Set aside when done until ready to use.Meanwhile, heat the oil in a small saucepan. Add the onions and garlic and saute for a few minutes, until the onions begin to turn translucent and the garlic becomes fragrant. 

Add the remaining ingredients to the onion and garlic, excluding the sage and sausage. Whisk well to combine and allow to simmer over medium-low heat for about 5-10 minutes, or until the sauce begins to thicken. Add additional cornstarch as is needed. 

Once thickened, add to the pasta and toss to coat, along with the sausage slices.

Serve hot, with additional sage and cheese to top it off!

Now onto those Alaskan Winter photos I promised! 

I'm listening to Wild Child – Crazy Bird

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