Soulful Creations

  I associate the orange vegetables with fall/autumn, and please do not ask me why- but I know these veggies I have used here love the slightly chilly climates.  What is not to love about soups-easy to make healthy one pot wonders that are easy to digest! You can read more about the history of soups here , quite an interesting read, might I add. So here we go with this recipe Roasted butternut squash- roasted carrot soup Ingredients 1 cup chopped butternut squash (I used the chopped frozen ones) 2 cups carrots, sliced into 2 inch pieces (carrots shrink in the oven, so do not cut them into small pieces) 1 bunch scallion, chopped- keep the white and green parts separate 2 inch piece ginger 1/4 onion, chopped finely 2 tsp dill seeds 2 tsp fennel seeds 1-2 tsp of the versatile chilli-garlic paste juice from half a lemon salt and pepper to taste Method Mix the squash and carrots with 2-3 tbsp of olive oil, salt and pepper. Line them up on a baking sheet and bake in the oven ...

For quite a while, I have been interested in learning about different cultures especially their cuisines. I have decided something- there are about 195 countries in the world, most recipes in a given region seem to differ only slightly from their close counterparts, so this year I intend to cook (Vegetarian food, of course) dishes from different countries. Sort of compare and contrast in my mind the cuisines from different regions, you know. As a start- I present to you, a tandoor bread from Azerbaijan (akin to our naan) and tomato-yogurt soup from Afghanistan (akin to tomato kadhi) The recipe for Tendir Choreyi (tandoor bread) is modified from AZ cookbook Ingredients 1 package (1/4 oz / 7g) dry yeast 1 ½ cups (12 fl oz/375 ml) warm water 1 tsp salt 3 cups bread flour, plus extra for kneading 1 tbsp caraway seeds 1 egg yolk, for brushing 4 tsp nigella seeds Method Mix yeast with water until the yeast dissolves. Add the flour to a large bowl. Mix in salt and carawa...

This was purely coincidental- Harini (guest host) announcing this month's theme for the mingle and me making a soup the very same day, in  fact even before I read her or Meeta's blog that day! This soup stems from my feel-like-asian mood and no-beans-but-yay-to-pasta-please feeling. So I combined the two things that I craved for the day- Ingredients 3 cups Vegetable broth 1 medium onion, chopped 1 1/2 cups diced celery and carrots 1 head broccoli, separated as florets chopped spring onion and parsley, for garnish (I did use a lot of these, so am not sure if I can call them " garnish ") 1/2 cup soy sauce 1-2 tbsp chilli garlic sauce (depends on your taste) a handful of tiny-weeny seashell pasta a handful of frozen peas, thawed salt and pepper to taste a couple of bay leaves 1 tbsp minced ginger Butter/oil whichever you prefer Methdod Add butter to a stock pot, heat it and then add the bay leaves. After a few seconds, add onions, celery an...

...and an asparagus soup. Yeah, the recipe for the soup is from Ganga's blog and the melon dessert is my own and therefore only alright. In my defense- it was 90F with the oven on at 375F and no AC. I had it today folks..it was a good work-out, I must say (LOL). For the soup, I followed the recipe closely from her blog, except for a few differences I have pointed out below Ingredients one packet of frozen small green asparagus a gentle herb – chervil if you can get it. I can’t so I used some lemon verbena and a tip of lemongrass (I also used lemon verbena (from my own garden) . 1.5 Tblspn extra virgin olive oil 1 Tblspn arrowroot (did not add this) 1 cup milk salt and freshly ground pepper large pinch of nutmeg 3 Tblspns thick crème fraîche or thick cream For how to cook this soup, you can check Ganga's blog. I also added some roasted asparagus for garnish. This goes to Yasmeen who is hosting this month's Tried and tasted event featuring Ganga's blog. The event w...

This is a very simple yet super delicious dessert. I saw the recipe here and immediately found a calling, I made it the same day. I thought I would submit to No croutons required edition of Berry soups but somehow did not manage to post it! Ingredients 1/4 cup tapioca (sabu dana) 1 cup water 4 tbsp sugar (2 tbsp add along with tapioca and reserve 2 tbsp to be added with the milk) 2 cups diced fruit (I used berries and mangoes) 2 cups coconut milk 1 tsp rose water Garnish- mandarin orange sections (but for the photo, I forgot to add them!) Method: Boil the tapioca stirring constantly until the pearls are translucent (this takes a while and make sure it is translucent!) . Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Bring back to the boil. Remove from heat immediately. Let the tapioca cool. I also just warmed the coconut milk, added the sugar in to ensure that the sugar dissolved Prepare your fruit- slice strawberries but leave other berries whole, dice other fruit...

Potatoes, aren't these the best of the veggies? Who does not love these earthy starchy root vegetable. So here is a recipe that befits this very versatile veggie. And I am submitting this as an entry to " No Croutons Required " hosted by Holler I found this recipe here but I have changed a few things. My dish is called Tater Frenzy Ingredients 4 medium potatoes, scrubbed (not peeled); cut into 1" chunks 1 cup baby carrots, chopped 3/4 medium white onion, chopped 2 cloves of garlic, minced 2 cups plain soymilk 4tbs butter 1/2 tbsp sage 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar salt and pepper, to taste 1/2 cup spring onions Directions 1) In a large pot, boil the potatoes with 1 tsp of salt. 2) Add the chopped carrots after about 5 minutes. 3) In a small saucepan on the side, saute the onions until they are soft and slightly browned. Remove from heat, and set aside. 4) Add the garlic (I did not saute the garlic), sauteed onions, soy milk, butter, and sage. Using a hand-held whisk or...