Creamy Green Pea-Cauliflower-Broccoli Soup with a Sumac Tahini Swirl

Let’s talk about how soup is the perfect food. It can be light and fresh, hearty and deep, chunky or smooth. You can eat it with a spoon, or somtime a fork if warranted, or just drink it from a mug. It’s usually a one pot meal, a small pot for one, a big pot for many. Make a pot of soup and eat some now and save some for later. It freezes amazingly well. Got a few extra sad carrots and wilted greens? Toss them into a pot with whatever you have on hand, maybe those veggies scraps and you got yourself a meal. Want something more filling, just add in some grains. Feeling sick, warm soup will make it all better. Feeling fresh and springy, well soup is there for you too. Seriously soup, you can do anything. If I could, I would marry you. ♥️

This soup is one of this velvety smooth, light but rich, delicious beyond delicious soups. A fresh spring time soup. Not to hearty or heavily spiced. Super rich and creamy and flavorful. Bright ass green which makes it amazing in itself, but then with a nice tangy sumac tahini swirl on top, well it is just about the most perfect soup. I made to share, which I did, (and everyone licked their bowls clean) but then hoarded the little bit left over and ate it cold for a late afternoon snack. That is another thing about soup, you can eat is cold and it is still amazing.

Tasty and delicious, and nutritious. This soup does it all.

To the soup!

The stuff. Peas, chopped broccoli, and chopped cauliflower which are all frozen and slightly thawed. You can totally use fresh here too, but I just so happen to have it frozen so you might as well save the fresh stuff for fresh eating. Also have a big yellow onion, a few cloves garlic, some tahini, a lemon, sumac, and salt and pepper. You need water which I did not picture here.

A pot, some water and a roughly chopped onion and the garlic start off this soup. Bring the pot to a boil, then turn to medium and let the onion and garlic cook until very tender. I have been making a lot of soups starting with this step lately. Boiling the onion and garlic until tender and fragrant really make for a super flavorful and clean soup base. Or soup in itself.

Now add in the broccoli and cauliflower to the pot and cook until tender.

Mid soup cooking time is a good time to make the sumac tahini sauce for the swirl. Basics here, just mix the tahini, the sumac, a pinch of salt and pepper, the juice of the lemon and a tablespoon of warm water together until smooth.

Last but not least, the peas. Add them in and they just need a few minutes to cook through.

And then it all gets blended to become this green creamy goodness.

Ladle into bowls, grab the sumac tahini sauce and swirl it on in. A tablespoon or so is good. And don’t forget a little more pepper and another pinch of sumac for good measure.

Just appreciate for a moment. That is one good looking bowl of soup. And it taste even better then it looks.

-C

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Creamy Green Pea-Cauliflower-Broccoli Soup with a Sumac Tahini Swirl

Makes about 4 serving

• 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen peas

• 1 1/2 cup chopped fresh or frozen cauliflower

• 1 1/2 cup chopped fresh or frozen broccoli

• 1 large onion

• 3-4 cloves garlic

• 4-5 cups water

• Salt and pepper

• 1 teaspoon sumac

• 2 tablespoons tahini

• 2-4 tablespoons warm water

Start by removing the papery skin from the onion and chop into a few big chunks. Remove the skin from garlic too. Place into pot with 4 cups water. Turn heat on high and bring to a boil then turn heat to medium and let onion are garlic cook until tender which should take about 15-20 minutes

Once the onion is cooked, add in the broccoli and cauliflower. Turn heat back to high and bring to a boil again then turn back down to medium heat. Keep cooking until tender (another 15 minutes or so) then add in the peas. Keep on heat until peas are cooked through then remove the pot from heat and either transfer to a blender or use a immusrian blender to blend the soup until smooth. Add a little more water if needed to get to the right consistency to blend right. Or if you want a thinner soup.

For the tahini sumac swirl just mix the tahini and sumac together along with the juice of the lemon, two tablespoon warm water and a pinch of salt. Mix together until smooth. If the mixture is to thick, add another tablespoon of water.

To serve. Ladle or pour soup into bowls and drizzle and swirl the tahini sumac on top. Sprinkle with pepper and a pinch more sumac and you are good to go.

Butternut Mac N' Cheeze

Had some littles over for dinner halloween dinner the other night  and I made them some mac n' cheese.

Kinda, cause it wasn't really cheese. Let me explain. 

These particular littles are tough. Getting them to eat things that are not pizza, hot dogs, or some other crap is not always easy.(although they will always eat carrots) So whenever they come over, I try to feed them a healthier version of something that I know that they like,  like tofu dogs or homemade whole wheat pizzas. So this night, I though I would give my vegan mac and cheese and try.  I mean,what kid doesn't like it? But what kind is the question. If you ask them, its got to be boxed Kraft mac and cheese. I knew when I was making it that there was a great chance that I might have to make peanut butter banana sandwiches as well, but whatever These little littles need to stop being such picky crappy eaters and yeah. Even if that means I make them eat what why don't like or that on the ride home I tell them that any pizza that is not home made will probably end up killing them) So I try, and sometimes it works. 

So I made it, no cheese in sight and served it up. The verdict.... The mr, he loved it. My sister (she came too) she was into it as well. One little ate almost an entire bowl, and the other, well he spit it out, but he is more a hot dog guy then a mac and cheese guy so his opinion doesn't count. So to conclude, yes, this is a fantasic mac and cheese that just happened to be cheese less,  full of veggies, and damn tasty!

And serving suggestion DON"T LET THE LITTLE KNOW IT"S NOT REAL CHEESE!!! They don't need to know

To the mac!

The stuff. A small butternut squash, a potato, an onion, and a carrot. Also needed is nutritional yeast (the cheeze), garlic powder, olive oil, salt and pepper, and some water. And pasta.. don't forget the pasta. 

Start with the onion and carrot in a big pot with some oil. Stick that on the stove and turn on the heat, and when that's going, chop up the butternut sqauh and the potato and toss that into the pot too. Let the stuff cook for just a few minutes.

Pour in water (enough o submerge all the veggies)  and add in the garlic powder and some salt and pepper. Bring the water to a boil then turn heat down to medium and stick a lid on the pot.

Now is a good time to boil up your pasta situation (cook it the way the package says too)

When it's done, strain it. And if it happens that it is done a little before the sauce, it's cool, just drizzle it with a little oil so that the noodles don't all stick together and set aside.

Back to the sauce. Once the pot of veggies is all tender and falling apart, take it off the stove.

And blend the crap out of it with your blending method of choice (a hand o a regular blender)

Oh, and mix in the nutrioanl yeast (can add it in at the blending stage… I just forgot too) and season with any more salt and pepper if needed.

Grap the cooked noodles, dump them into the sauce and give a good mix.

golden deliciousness!

Scoop into food eating vessels,(handled coffee mugs are great for the littles.. and cute) Maybe sprinkle on some chopped green stuff(my people enjoyed the addition of chopped up kale) and serve right away!

Now you can eat all the mac n cheeze. 

Happy Thursday!

-C

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Butternut Mac N' Cheeze

Serve 6 or so people

• 1 lb macaroni noodles (any kind you like. vegan, gluten free, whole wheat) 
• half a small butternut squash (about 2 1/2 ish cups chopped)
• 1 medium white potato
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 1 large carrot
• 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• olive oil
• water

Chop up the onion and the carrot and stick into a large heavy bottom pot with a splash or two of olive oil and stick on the stove on medium heat. While that's  going on, chop up the butternut and potato into reasonable small chunks and toss that into the pot with the other stuff. Add in the garlic powder, season well with salt and pepper, and add enough water to full submerge the contents of the pot. Bring the water to a boil then reduce heat to medium and stick a cover on the pot.

While the veggies are boiling, boil the pasta up, slightly al denta (follow what the pasta people on the package tells you to do)

Once all the veggies in the pot are super tender, even falling apart (about 20 minutes) remove pot from heat and using your blending method of choice (hand or normal blender)  blend everything together until smooth and creamy and then add in the nutritional yeast. Taste and if you think it needs it, add more salt and  pepper. If you find that the sauce seems to thick, add in a splash or two of water.. to thin, stick back on stove and cook long to reduce. 

So you got you cooked pasta and you sauce. Mix it all together. And wa la… Mac N' Cheeze

serve right away and eat it all. But any left overs can be refrigerated. Tastes great  the next day warmed in a skillet with a little oil.