Pumpkin Basil Soup Seduction

How many of you keep canned pumpkin on hand? I do, and apparently some of my friends think that’s funny.  I’ll tell you a little story of how pumpkin became a staple in my pantry…

Canned pumpkin is great for making “Seductive Soup”! What, you ask?!  Everyone knows it’s great for pumpkin muffins, scones, pancakes and pie of course.  I even put canned pumpkin in homemade mac&cheese and other tasty pasta dishes.  But back to the seduction … When I was in college, my mom made this fabulous Pumpkin Basil Soup that she served the first time I brought a boy home for the weekend.  He (“the boy”) loved the soup and started to fall in love with me, so my mom and I joked about it being the soup. Well, that relationship didn’t last, but the pumpkin soup was put to the test again with a couple more boyfriends over the next few years, including the one who became my husband.  So, as funny or strange as it may seem, keeping pumpkin on hand can come in handy when you’re trying to impress a prospective love interest. Haha!  Love and seduction aside, this soup is great as a Halloween or Thanksgiving dinner starter, or simply enjoy any time in fall and winter.  A final note — if you kept the pumpkin seeds after jack-o-lantern making, toast them (see how to below) and use to top the soup before serving. Deeee-lish!!!

Pumpkin Basil Soup

by Susan Greeley, MS, RD

1 large onion, peeled & chopped finely
1/4 cup butter
1/2 lb. fresh tomatoes (or canned whole), seeded and coarsely chopped
3-4 large carrots, peeled and chopped
4 cups low sodium chicken broth (vegetable broth for vegetarian version)1 16 oz. can pumpkin
1/4 cup fresh chopped basil
salt & pepper
pinch sugar
3 Tb. heavy cream (optional)
Grated Swiss cheese or salted/toasted pumpkin seeds for garnish

In a large soup pot, saute onion in butter about 4-5 minutes. Add tomatoes and simmer gently about 5 more minutes.
In another saucepan, simmer the carrots in 2 1/2 cups of chicken broth until soft.  Pour soft carrots & broth into a blender or food processor. Add the canned pumpkin and 1/4 tsp salt and blend until smooth.  Add the remaining chicken broth as necessary.
Add the pumpkin mixture to the tomatoes & onions. Season with pepper, pinch of sugar and a little salt if needed. Stir in the chopped basil. Fold in heavy cream (if desired) and heat but do not boil the soup. Pour into a soup tureen or individual bowls and top with cheese and toasted pumpkin seeds.

Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

Rub a little canola oil on your hands and then rub 1 cup pumpkin seeds in your hands to coat lightly. Place them on a cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Season with salt and curry powder to taste. Toss & bake another 5 minutes or until crisp and golden brown. Enjoy!

BFFs — Me & my Beets?!

Beets — love ‘em or hate ‘em? I grew up loathing this “earthy” vegetable.  I thought they tasted horrific, and that juice!! YUCK!  My mother used to routinely open a can of them and pour them onto salads.  I found it inconsiderate that she never remembered they “ruined” any salad they touched.  As the mother of eight, how could she have possibly kept a mental note of each child’s preferences and actually honored them?  Fast forward a few years, and in my house I simply cook for myself!  Hmmm, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, does it?!  (For the record, I have one out of three boys who has actually chewed and swallowed at least one bite of each recipe that follows…)  Well, I am sure my dear mama is rolling over in her grave to hear me actually declare my new-found love of both beets and beet greens.  It’s true.  And I have since forgiven her for adulterating my salads with the nasty canned version of what I dare call a really tasty food!  Colorful too!  I had fun coming up with something other than salad as a partner for my new BFF of the veggie world. It was my goal to “get to know them” — all parts of them.  I started first with the greens, believe it or not. They are simply way too beautiful to discard. It turns out they are even more nutrient-rich than the root, which is what we commonly eat.  Beet greens are a great source of calcium as well as magnesium, potassium, iron and quite a few B vitamins.  The roots are rich in potassium, and all together beets are really potent cancer & heart disease-preventive.

So I hope you trust me on the these recipes. They are a bit shocking color-wise (particularly my Beet-Loaf) but that’s part of the fun.  My favorite thing to do with beets is make my “Can’t Beet This Pasta”, but if you make it with just the greens and want to use the rest in something different than a delicious salad with goat cheese, roasted beets and pecans (always a crowd-pleasing combo) … go for my meatloaf with a twist. (Mom made a lot of meatloaf when I was growing up, and I have to admit — I still love it!)  This version may be a good Halloween meal once you see the outcome! Here’s to my mama, who loved all food.  Enjoy!

Can’t Beet This Pasta!

by Susan Greeley, MS, RD

3-4 whole beets with greens

10 ounces penne or bowties (Barilla plus or whole grain pasta)

4 Tb. Olive oil

2-3 cloves garlic, peeled.

salt to taste

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

1. Put water in a large pot and heat over med-high heat.
2. Cut the stems & leaves off the beets. Rinse and chop stems into 1-inch chunks. Cut leaves.
3. Peel the beets and cut into large chunks.  Add just the stems and leaves to water, lightly salt and bring to a boil.
4. Add the beets and simmer about 5-8 minutes.
5. Bring to a boil again, and add the penne or bowties. Boil for 8 minutes. Drain all in a colander.
6. Transfer hot beets, greens & pasta to a large serving bowl. Crush the garlic over them. Add 1-2 Tb. Olive oil, stir and salt to taste.
7. Toss with Parmesan cheese and remaining 2 Tb. olive oil if desired. Salt & pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Beet/Meatloaf

by Susan Greeley, MS, RD

Don’t be frightened by the color on this. It’s actually quite delicious, particularly if served with homemade mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli and a big arugula salad.

1/2 – 2 lbs. Grass-fed ground beef
1 large beet, peeled and chopped into very small chunks
2 eggs
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
Worcestershire sauce

Preheat oven to 400. In a large bowl combine all beef, eggs, ginger, garlic powder, salt & pepper until all evenly mixed.  Place in a glass loaf pan. Sprinkle top with Worcestershire sauce.   Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes.  Remove foil and bake another 20-30 minutes as desired. (Check to make sure it’s cooked in center.)  Remove from oven, let stand a few minutes before serving.
Other options include adding some chopped fresh parsley and onion.

Awesome Autumn Salad

Summer is fading, but the shades of autumn certainly aren’t! Vibrant fall foliage and wonderful, colorful, flavorful garden goodies are still to be enjoyed.  At the same time, fall seems to trigger my craving for roasted nuts, which can be roasted indoors or out.  For this salad, I used hazelnuts, but almonds, pecans or walnuts would never do you wrong.  In addition, I used raw beets, but why not go wild and roast the corn, beets and carrots too?!  Happy Autumn!

Awesome Autumn Salad (serves 4)  by Susan Greeley, MS, RD

2 heads leaf lettuce (red and green), washed and torn into small pieces

1 large fresh beet, peeled and cut in small pieces

1 carrot, peeled & grated

1 avocado, peeled & cut in small chunks

1/3 cup frozen corn, rinsed to thaw and drained

1/2 cup jicama cut in small pieces (optional)

1/4 cup fresh chives, chopped finely

1/4 cup roasted hazelnuts

Place the hazelnuts on a foil-lined baking tray. Roast in oven at 400 degrees for about 8 minutes, or until browned and skins begin to peel off. Remove and place in a kitchen towel to rub off the skins.  Roast extra ones to use in other salads or for fish and pasta dishes.

Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss well with Lime Dijon Dill Dressing.

Lime Dijon Dill Dressing:

In a blender combine 1/3 cup olive oil, juice of 2 limes, 1-2 garlic cloves, 2 tsp Dijon mustard, pinch sugar, 2-3 Tb fresh chopped dill, dash of salt & pepper.

Blend for 20 seconds, until slightly creamy. Drizzle over salad, toss well and enjoy!

Family Pie — for my Mom & Dad

If you saw the movie Waitress and loved it, I hope to inspire you further — enough to create your own wonderful pie. The first time I watched the film was about 2-1/2 years ago over New Year’s, while at my mom’s house. At the time, I was pregnant with my third baby (maybe that’s why I bonded with Keri Russell’s pregnant character?) and Mom was recuperating from a recurrence of breast cancer that included chemo and a double mastectomy. So together with my mom, the ultimate food-lover, and several of my siblings, I watched that hilarious, heart-warming story. It was the beginning of “pie humor” in our family. As the credits rolled, my mom exclaimed, “We are having that ‘I hate my husband pie’ for dinner tomorrow!”  Sure enough, the next night we indulged in my mom’s decadent but oh-so-delicious traditional quiche Lorraine, the IHMH pie (with lots of brie). Oh, little mommy! It was divine. With her passing just three months ago, I am left missing her and her food enthusiasm. I am also the one left to carry on her food legacy, what can I say?! The truth is, we have a long “pie history” in our family. My dad simply loved pie. It was his favorite dessert, and he always complimented his bride’s pie-making. Until he got married, his mother, Maisy, had been the best pie maker in his world. Can you say LARD?!  In any case, my dad would go out of his way for a slice of homemade pie. Peach, blueberry, strawberry-rhubarb, apple, pumpkin, banana cream, coconut cream, lemon chiffon — my mom made them all. (Pecan was not his favorite, for the record.)  During every trip to Miami University — a long drive across rural Ohio that he made through 4 daughters’ college years — we always stopped at the “Leaf Restaurant” to get a slice of blueberry pie. He always liked it, but it never was “as good as your mother’s.”  I loved those trips with Dad — and miss him and them dearly. That’s the gist of what pie meant to my Dad.  Now my mom loved her pies too, but I think she liked making them just as much as eating them. She simply loved all food, except oysters — but that’s another story… During this summer season, with swiss chard and beets filling my CSA farm box, I cannot help but think of Mom. She loved these two veggies in particular. Having spent the majority of her childhood in the Kentucky countryside, she was a big fan of all greens. Her best swiss chard recipe is in my cookbook (so I’m holding out on that one).

A note about crusts: As a very busy mom to 3 boys, I don’t have time to make them!  Occasionally, I make a trip to Whole Foods and stock up on frozen whole wheat pie crusts. I love them! They are perfect for the recipes that follow. If you want to make your own, I am a pure butter believer. My grandmother used lard, my mom used Crisco till I banned it, and I use butter. With whole wheat pastry flour and sweet cream butter, you’re good to go. In honor of both my beautiful parents, who would have celebrated their 54th wedding anniversary last week, I made 2 Sue-Sue Baby (my dad’s name for me) pies for them:

Kentucky Girl Swiss Chard & Beet Quiche

5-6 cups fresh swiss chard (1 large bunch)
1-2 fresh beets with greens (1 large or 2 small)
1 clove garlic, peeled & finely chopped
1 shallot, peeled & finely chopped
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3-4 eggs
1 cup 2% milk
salt & pepper, dash of nutmeg

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Chop greens off of beets and cut into smaller strips. Peel the beets and chop into small chunks. Cut stems off of swiss chard leaves.  Place all greens, stems and beet chunks in a large pot of water to cover. Bring to a simmer (low boil) and cook for about 5 minutes.  Place in strainer. Beat eggs and milk together. Add pinch of salt and pepper. Pour chard & beets into pre-made pie crust.  Sprinkle on chopped garlic and shallots and Parmesan cheese. Pour egg mixture over the filling.  Sprinkle with a dash of nutmeg and grind a bit of black pepper on top.

Bake for 35 minutes or until firm and browned on top. Enjoy!

For the Love of Bart Best-Ever Blueberry Pie

5 cups fresh blueberries, rinsed & picked over
1/2 cup sugar
4 Tb. corn starch
1/2 tsp. lemon extract
zest of 1 lemon
2 pre-made whole wheat pie crusts

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and let stand for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile preheat oven to 425 degrees. Pour blueberry mixture into crust, then place second crust on top. Pinch around sides to seal. Make at least 4-6 small slits in top crust to vent. Rub cold water around edge of crust. Bake for 30 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees. Place pie on a tray and bake another 35 minutes or until browned and bubbling over.

Let cool completely before serving with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Hope you enjoy them as much as I did!  They both would make my parents proud.

Follow the Food & Nutrition Lover on Twitter

‘Tis the season to Twitter…  What does a dietitian/nutritionist/food & healthy living expert/cook/ writer/mother of three twitter about?

Find out here:

http://twitter.com/SusanCGreeley