Curried Butternut Squash, Spinach, and Chickpea Soup

This soup was created with my motto "everything tastes better with curry" in mind.  I had about half of a container of Imagine Butternut Squash Soup left today from making Butternut Risotto for a client (yummm), half a bag of spinach, and half a can of chickpeas.  Since I knew spinach and chickpeas go together nicely, and I've used canned pumpkin in curry, I figured this soup idea wouldn't be much of a stretch. 

Oh, yeah, I also had about 6 Brussels Sprouts, which I halved and sauteed in olive oil first.  Then I tossed in the spinach and let it cook until wilted.  I sprinkled the veggies with about a teaspoon of curry powder, half a teaspoon of turmeric, and some sea salt and let it cook just a few seconds more until the lovely fragrance permeated the air.  I deglazed with about a tablespoon of Thai Kitchen organic coconut milk, about a cup of the butternut squash soup, and half a cup of water.  I let this simmer for a couple minutes, then served it topped with chopped green onion and a handful of fresh cilantro.  Supper couldn't be any easier or more satisfying on a cloudy and gray day like today. Even though it filled me up, two steaming bowls just weren't enough!

Lemon Basil Tofu with Zucchini and Shiitake Mushroom

Mmmm... leftovers never tasted so good.  Earlier this week I found a bag of Lemon Basil at my local health food store and decided to give it a shot.  I used it for a client's weekly meals to make a simple dressing with rice vinegar and olive oil which I tossed with zucchini ribbons.  The unexpected tang of lemon, which was reminiscent of lemon verbena, was a little sharp at first, but as the dressing sat and the flavors mingled, it really mellowed out nicely.

Today I used the lemon basil to perk up a simple stirfry with tofu, zucchini, and shiitake mushroom.  I started by sauteeing some red onion in a little coconut oil.  Then I added the half moons of zucchini and slices of shiitake.  I wasn't quite sure how I would season everything, though I knew I wanted an Asian flair because of the mushrooms, so I added a bit of tamari.

Then I looked in my fridge and found a jar of Shredded Mango Chutney, which I knew was slightly sweet and slightly spicy.  This was the perfect balance to the savory flavors I already had developing in the pan.  The slightly sour kick of the lemon basil really pulled it all together.  Again, lunch in less than 15 minutes.  Yum! 

This week's menu

I'm really enjoying the cooler weather lately; nonetheless, cold salads are still making an appearance on my weekly menu.  One of this week's entrees was introduced to me by a friend who claims not to be skilled in the kitchen, but I beg to differ.  It's got color, crunch, taste and texture, and most important it's so easy to make.  How can you beat that? 

I like to call it a Super Protein Salad since the main ingredients are shelled edamame (frozen and thawed) and black beans (canned, drained and rinsed).  To this you add a bunch of corn (I used fresh off the cob, but frozen is fine), red onion, carrots (which you can get shredded), and cherry tomatoes sliced in half.  The original calls for Trader Joe's tahini dressing to bind it all together, but I made my own version with tahini, tamari, lemon juice, agave syrup and a little kick of Dijon mustard.  Delish!

Here it is with a closeup of the Quinoa Tabouleh I served it with:

And the rest of the meals:

• Ratatouille with Stewed Butter Beans and Polenta
• Red Lentil Coconut Curry, Brown Basmati Rice and Stringbean Mallum