51st Soup: [Classic] Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

I thought that I had one more soup to hit 50 reviews... but turns out that the last post made it to 50, so this one is a bonus. Butternut squash soup is probably my favorite-- dating back to the high school cafeteria at Hanover High School and a cup of their squash soup (in a styrofoam cup for $.95, I think... maybe it was $.85??). In any case, I wanted a grand finale sort of post so figured I'd aim for a butternut soup from one one of my favorite recipe blogs, Cookie and Kate. I do think that I ultimately prefer a slightly sweeter (more maple syrup) and creamier (half and half?), but for a healthy vegan option (I omitted the butter), this was pretty good. Roasting squash for butternut squash soup is a 'must' (I won't even consider a recipe these days that doesn't approach cooking the squash this way). The nutmeg was helpful in bringing out the flavors and I used my Vitamix for the super-creamy texture. I intentionally chose a basic recipe (vs. one with other major flavors), but I think that I prefer either the apple-rutabaga option posted earlier on the blog from the Inn at Little Washington OR the spiced butternut soup with the star anise (I think that recipe link is now broken but I'll try to go back and see if I can find it posted online somewhere else or a similar recipe). Regardless, if you are looking for a 'pure' butternut squash soup that's easily veganized this is a good option! 

Dill Pickle Soup

As I'm at the end of this challenge, I've sought out unique soup recipes to try. I came across the notion of pickle soup, looked at several recipes, and decided that I'd give this one a try. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I really liked it! I just used some 'petite' dills that I had sitting in the fridge, upped the dill, and otherwise followed the recipe closely. It was briney, dilly, and different! I'll likely make this one again. 

Southwestern Corn Chowder

I veganaized this Cookie & Kate recipe for no particular reason so I cannot tell if my blasé reaction to it is due to the lack of butter/creme *or* the fact that I am making a corn soup in February (and therefore with frozen kernels). I'm not sure, though I often find frozen corn to be nearly as sweet as summer cobs. I even tried to add some pizazz with add-ons/garnishes (made it during the Super Bowl so had assorted chips on hand that I tried to crumble up and toss on top, along with extra cilantro) to no avail. Either way, this one didn't impress me-- even with an extra splash of lime juice and churn of my pepper grinder. I'll certainly finish it off (unlike my last soup...) but not one to repeat. 

"Marry Me" Tuscan Vegetable Soup

UPDATE: This was just too much for me – too many flavors, too many textures. I ended up tossing about half the pot (which is very unusual for me). I think the gnocchi, in particular, just made it too... hearty (?) for my tastes. I suppose I won't be marrying this soup or anyone who cooks it for me anytime soon! ;) 

"Marry Me" style-recipes have been floating around blogs and social media for a bit now. I'm not sure that I love the premise (this recipe is so good that the person eating it will immediately want to marry the chef?!?), but as far as I can tell they have a common theme of creamy base, protein, and oftentimes sun-dried tomatoes? 

I decided I'd try out the trend with this Marry Me Tuscan Vegetable Soup . A few notes: 

• The recipe didn't specify smoked or sweet paprika, and I only had smoked on hand so I used that. That said, my suspicion was that sweet was the preferred choice, so I only used half (still 1 Tbl.!) of [smoked] paprika. It was plenty smoky/flavorful! I think that I'd use sweet if I had a re-do. Not bad smokey, but sweet paprika likely would 'go' with the soup better. 
• I made and used cashew cream (linked from recipe) which was harder to get creamy than I expected (though ultimately it worked with a bit more water in my Vitamix). I made the savory vs. sweet cashew cream (1 garlic clove instead of the maple syrup). 
• I used a full 16 oz. package of shelf-stable but not dried gnocchi. 
• I did add kale at the end. 

This is a very hearty soup between the gnocchi, chick peas, and cashews in the creamy broth – plus the veggies. It is also a different flavor combination than I'm used to (I rarely cook with leeks or sun-dried tomatoes these days). There's a lot going on with it! I *do* really like the use of cashew cream in the soup broth, so I may seek out other recipes that use this technique in the future.

Today is a snowy blustery day in Denver so this soup was a great fit. I'm not sure that I love it (let alone prepared to drop everything and marry whoever serves this to me...) but I'm glad that I tried it and expect that I'll appreciate eating off it for leftovers this week.