It's #vegansquashnight on the Instagrams! My pal Miranda (@irresistiblyvegan) and I are hosting an online hangout, where you post today's squash-filled meal, hashtag #vegansquashnight, and tag the both of us (@irresistiblyvegan and @ohhhcaitlin) so we can see just what you made.
I really wanted to make something with roasted vegetables and kale. It's been snowing here in Winnipeg (but not sticking around, so far) and my circulation is, as always, total dogshit. Soup, it is. Onto the recipe, 'cos this snow is a massive bummer.
Serves 8
Ingredients I
2 butternut squash, cubed
1 small bag baby carrots (or 2 cups), chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 head of garlic
Olive oil for drizzling
Salt and pepper to taste
Ingredients II
1 - 14oz can of diced tomatoes
10 cups of water or vegetable broth
1 bay leaf
Ingredients III
1 - 14oz can of white kidney beans, thoroughly rinsed
1 bunch kale, chopped into bite size pieces
Method
Place your chopped batch of Ingredients I on a baking sheet, and drizzle with olive oil and seasonings. Bake at 425F for 40 minutes, stirring about half way through.
Remove garlic from bulb. For more on roasting your own garlic, head here.
Toward the tail end of roasting, put all of Ingredients II -except the bay leaf- in a large pot, and blend with your handheld immersion blender. Then, bring to a boil. Don't season this just yet - your roasted vegetables will add all sorts of flavour once added to your broth. Right, now add your bay leaf.
Fun side note - it took me a few years of cooking to realize I can blend things on the stove in my cutoffs without getting burn marks permanent stories if I'd just blend things before turning on the stove.
Add your roasted vegetables to your new broth. Then, add in all of Ingredients III. Continue to boil for ten minutes, then let simmer for at least 15 minutes (or until your kale and beans are soft enough for you)
Now that your soup is done, give'r a taste a see if you'd need to add any seasonings! By now, the flavours have started blending nicely together. It's just up and up from here.