The Sustainable Spot

Well winter is officially back.  Here in Atlantic Beach we were pleasantly surprised with a week of sunny summer weather that topped 80 degrees during the afternoon and had me squeezing my pale post-holiday body into my bikinis of yore.  It was glorious and I am happy to report that I have restored my bronze glow.  But somewhere between last night and this morning the winds shifted.  And now we have dropped back down into the 40s.  Yikes.

I have decided to embrace the winter weather and finally make use of an amazing recipe that was highly recommended to me by a very dear friend.  And in doing a little research on some of my favorite sites, I have found a few more that will keep me warm and toasty this weekend while my sailor husband is out at sea.  And the best part is that all of these recipes not only call for delicious fresh natural ingredients but they happen to be vegan as well!  Never thought I would be so excited to crack open my crockpot!

Curried Sweet Potato Soup (use vegetable broth instead of chicken to make it vegan, courtesy of The Gracious Pantry)

Split Pea Soup (Protein packed and low cal courtesy of The Daily Green)

Ingredients

2 cups green split peas

6 cups vegetable stock

1 medium-sized yellow onion (diced)

2 yellow Yukon gold potatoes (diced)

2 garlic cloves (minced or pressed)

2 carrots (diced)

2 stalks celery (diced)

1 tsp. dried marjoram

1 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp. dried parsley

1/4 tsp. ground mustard

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. liquid smoke (optional)

Directions

Rinse green split peas.  Place all ingredients in soup pot and bring to simmer.  Loosely cover and cook on low to medium heat until peas are tender.  Check periodically to make sure water has not evaporated completely.  Takes about an hour.

Note: For creamier consistency, puree in a blender or processor.  Also a great recipe for a slow cooker/crockpot – add all ingredients and cook on low for 6-8 hours.  Liquid smoke (usually found near BBQ sauce in grocery aisle) is great taste replacement for ham, gives it smoky and salty flavor without the meat!

Butternut Squash Chestnut Soup (courtesy of New York City’s premiere vegan restaurant Candle 79 and The Daily Green)

Ingredients

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 large leek (trimmed and chopped)

1 stick cinnamon

1 nutmeg (halved)

1 stalk lemongrass (chopped)

2 cardamom pods

1 inch piece fresh ginger (chopped)

1 dried chipotle pepper

1 piece cheesecloth (small)

2 large butternut squash (large dice)

2 cups peeled chestnuts (fresh or frozen)

2 tablespoons fresh sage

2-3 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1 tsp. salt

Directions

Heat olive oil in large stockpot over medium heat.  Sauté leeks in pot until soft, roughly 10 minutes.  While leeks are cooking, wrap cinnamon, nutmeg, lemongrass, cardamom, ginger and chipotle pepper in cheesecloth and tie to secure.  Add butternut squash, chestnuts, sage and cheesecloth to pot and cover with water about an inch or two above squash.  Simmer and reduce to low heat.  Cover pot and simmer for 30-45 minutes until squash is tender.  Take soup off burner and take out cheesecloth.  Add maple syrup and salt.  Allow to cool and purree in blender to make creamy.  Reheat and add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve and enjoy!  (See recipe for additional balsamic glaze pear garnish!)