Kale and Roasted Vegetable Soup

Ingredients

* 3 medium carrots, peeled and quartered lenthwise
* 2 large tomatoes, quartered
* 1 large onion, cut into 8 wedges or 4 or 5 slices
* 1/2 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut lengthwise into 1/2 inch thick wedges
* 6 garlic cloves
* 1 Tbsp olive oil
* 6 cups or more of vegetable broth*
* 4 cups of finely chopped kale
* 3 large fresh thyme sprigs
* 1 bay leaf
* 1 15 oz can of Great Northern white beans, drained

If cooking gluten-free, use gluten-free broth.
Method

1 Preheat oven to 400°F (reduce heat by 25°F if using convection oven). Brush rimmed baking sheet with a thin coat of olive oil. Arrange carrots, squash, tomatoes, onion, and garlic on sheet. Drizzle with more olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Roast vegetables until they are brown and tender, stirring occassionally, about 45 minutes.

2 Cut squash and carrots into 1/2 inch pieces; set aside. Peel garlic cloves; place in food processor. Add tomatoes and onion; puree until almost smooth. Pour 1/2 cup broth onto the baking sheet; scrape up any browned bits. Transfer broth and vegetable puree to large pot. Add 5 1/2 cups broth, kale, thyme and bay leaf to pot. Bring to boil. Reduce heat. Simmer uncovered until kale is tender, about 30 minutes.

3 Add carrots, beans, and squash to soup. Simmer 8 minutes to blend flavors, adding more broth to thin soup if necessary. Season with salt and pepper. Discard thyme sprigs and bay leaf.

Can be made a day ahead. Serves six.

Sauté of chickpea, butternut squash and chard, served with mint yoghurt

Chickpeas
o 70g dried chickpeas
o 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
o 2 tbsp olive oil
o 1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
o 1 tsp caraway seeds
o ½ tsp castor sugar
o 1½ tsp ground cumin
o 100g Swiss chard leaves
o Juice of ½ a lemon
o 3 tbsp picked coriander leaves for garnish
o Salt and black pepper

Butternut squash
o 200g butternut squash
o 2 tbsp olive oil
o Salt and pepper

Yoghurt sauce
o 80g Greek yoghurt
o 1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
o Juice of 1 lemon
o 3 tbsp olive oil
o 1 tsp dried mint
o Salt and black pepper

Soak the chickpeas in enough cold water to cover them twice. Add the bicarbonate soda and leave for at least 12 hours.

Drain the chickpeas, put in a large saucepan and cover with plenty of fresh water. Bring to the boil and simmer for at least an hour and sometimes up to 90 minutes. The chickpeas should be totally tender but retain their shape. Occasionally you would need to skim the froth off the surface. When ready, drain the chickpeas into a colander and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 200°C.

Peel the butternut squash and cut into 2cm cubes. Put them in a baking tray, drizzle the olive oil on and season with salt and pepper, mix well to coat and roast for 25-30 minutes or until soft.

While cooking the butternut squash, prepare the chickpea sauce. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and add the onion, caraway seeds, sugar and cumin and fry for 10 minutes, while stirring, until golden brown.

Stir in the chopped chard, and then add the cooked butternut squash and the chickpeas with about 5 tablespoons water. Mix together and cook for another 5 minutes or until hardly any juices are left. Add the lemon juice, taste and adjust the seasoning.

Make the yoghurt sauce by whisking together all of the ingredients. Taste for salt and pepper.
To serve, spoon the warm chickpeas on a serving dish, spoon over a bit of the yoghurt sauce and garnish with coriander leaves.

Sweet Potato Shepherdess Pie

(serves 4)

2 t virgin oil
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
1 onion, peeled and sliced
2 sticks celery, washed and sliced
1 bay leaf
1 small butternut squash, peeled, halved and cut into small pieces
15 oz vegetable stock (made from 1 cube of stock)
15 oz can of red kidney beans, rinsed under water
410 g can black eyed peas, drained and rinsed
2 red or yellow peppers, washed and sliced
3 tomatoes, washed and sliced in half
2 medium zuchhini, sliced
1 broccoli head, finely chopped
3 medium carrots, sliced
2 T finely chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp arrowroot
4 sweet potatoes, steamed for 15 minutes and mashed

Heat a little water and olive oil, in a large saucepan. Add the garlic, onion, celery and bay leaf and simmer for approx 3 minutes. Add the squash and heat for 3 minutes, stirring. Pour in the stock and bring to boil over medium heat. Simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionly. Add the kidney beans, peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, broccoli, and carrots. Simmer for further 5 minutes until squash is tender. Stir in the parsely. Add a little arrowroot to thicken.
Transfer ito baking dish, mix the sweet potato mash with little of cooking water and dash of tamari sauce and add as topping and bake for 15 minutes at 40 oF. Just enough to set.

Butternut Squash Soup

( 4 servings)
1 medium butternut squash - cut into smallish pieces
1 medium onion - diced
4 cloves garlic - chopped
2 1/2 to 3 cups water
pepper to taste
herb seasoning (salt-free) to taste or some cumin or curry powder
cooking spray (or 2 tablespoon olive oil if desired)
soy milk or hemp milk if desired

Using cooking spray to coat, saute the onion in a pot or pan until it is soft. Add in the garlic and continue sautéing for a few more minutes. Add the water and squash at the same time and bring to a boil. Turn heat down and simmer for as long as it takes to soften the squash completely, usually less than 45 minutes .Take the contents of the pot and pour it all into a blender. Blend thoroughly, and add in spices to your liking.
This soup does NOT need salt, just a bit of pepper (and herb seasoning if you have it) for a kick. Milk adds a nice touch of creaminess and flavor or add some ground nuts/almonds.