Creamy Rosemary Sweet Potato Soup

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Hello and Happy Vegan Tuesday! :) Oh boy, what a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend! I’m still so full, as I literally spent the entire weekend cooking/baking and eating! We had such delicious food over the weekend. Saturday, we hosted Thanksgiving dinner for Jesse’s family. We did a potluck to make things easier for everyone. I made Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Cranberries and Apples. I also made vegetarian meatballs with a white wine rosemary gravy. It was my first time making gravy and I think it turned out quite well (if I do say so myself!) For dessert, I made a frozen pecan pumpkin cheesecake – which I hope to share with you all this week. Sunday, we had dinner at my parents’ place and again…way too much delicious food. Mom made the usual favourite Thanksgiving items including mashed potatoes, cabbage rolls, and perogies. This year, she also made a vegetarian stuffing with fresh pears. I will have to grab the recipe from her to share before American Thanksgiving. For dessert, Mom made pumpkin pie and pecan tarts. Mmm! The pecan tarts were incredible :) My sister brought a terrific salad to dinner with seasoned pumpkin seeds, pomegranate seeds and pears. It was a huge hit and I hope to post that recipe sometime soon as well.

And now…I’m trying to escape the food coma I’ve been in for nearly 48 hours. *hah* I have a feeling we’ll be eating lighter meals for the remainder of the week to offset all of the overindulging we did this weekend. 

One of my favourite light meals to make is a simple soup. One of the yummiest soups we enjoy is this flavourful, healthy sweet potato rosemary soup. And since the recipe is also vegan , I thought it would be perfect to share for this week’s edition of Vegan Tuesdays. I love sweet potatoes. And I love the flavour of rosemary. They work so well together in this soup. The touch of pure maple syrup is really nice and heightens that natural sweetness of the sweet potato. It’s the perfect, light soup for fall – hearty, but not too heavy. 

Have a wonderful day! I’ll be back on Thursday with another new recipe. I have a bunch that I cannot wait to share with you :) 
Ingredients
  • 3 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 lbs (about 2-3) of sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 2 (6-inch) sprigs of fresh rosemary
  • 4 to 6 cups of vegetable broth
  • 3 tablespoons of pure maple syrup
  • 1/2 cup of cream (for the vegetarian version) or soy creamer

Note: You can use canned coconut milk in this recipe, but be sure not to use more than a small splash. You want the focus to be on the sweet potato and rosemary flavours.

Method

1. In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft (about 4 minutes). Add the garlic and sauté another minute or so. 

2. Add the sweet potatoes, rosemary sprigs and vegetable broth. Season with salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the sweet potatoes are very tender (about 20 to 25 minutes). Turn off the heat and remove the rosemary.

3. Using an immersion blender, blend the mixture until smooth and thick. Add cream or creamer if using and maple syrup. Mix well. Season with salt and pepper again if needed. Keep the soup warm over low heat until ready to serve.

Note: Soup can also be pureed by ladling, in batches, into a food processor or blender and blended until smooth.

Yield: approximately 4 bowls or 6 cups of soup

Source: adapted from Weeknights with Giada

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Apples + Cranberries

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Hello and happy Thanksgiving weekend to my fellow Canadians! xo Hope you are all having wonderful celebrations with family and friends. Last night, we had a Thanksgiving dinner at our condo with Jesse’s family. And, as tradition goes, we made too much food and ate way too much. But it was perfect. It was nice to spend time all together and catch up. Tonight, we are attending Thanksgiving dinner at my parents’ house. My mom is in charge of making turkey and the pumpkin pie. Mmmm! Pumpkin pie :) I will be bringing vegetarian meatballs and some side dishes including these roasted sweet potatoes. My sister just informed me that she is making a special salad for the vegetarians in the family. I’m excited to see what she brings!

My favourite side dish to make for Thanksgiving is roasted sweet potatoes with all sorts of yummy additions. The sweet potatoes are tossed with ground cinnamon, brown sugar and nutmeg then roasted with fresh apples and dried cranberries. Right before the sweet potatoes are finished roasting, I add buttery some pecans for texture and added protein. And well, I love pecans. The best part of this dish is that you can put it in the oven and allow it to roast while prepping all of your other Thanksgiving dishes. 

This is the perfect special side dish for the holidays. It’s always a huge hit. My family always comments that it tastes more like dessert than a vegetable side dish. :) Dessert for dinner? I’m sold!

Do you have a tried-and-true recipe that you make everything Thanksgiving? I always make these roasted sweet potatoes and fresh, homemade cranberry sauce. Yum! :)
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons of canola oil or olive oil
  • 1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch cubes
  • 2 medium apples, peeled an cubed
  • 1/2 cup of dried cranberries
  • 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
  • 2 tablespoons of firmly packed brown sugar
  • 1 cup of pecans
  • salt to taste

Note: you can substitute butternut or acorn squash if you don’t have sweet potatoes on hand.

Method

1. Preheat oven to 425’F. Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and a pinch of salt in a small bowl.

2. Place the sweet potato, apple and cranberries in a 1 and 1/2 quart baking dish. Drizzle with canola oil or olive oil. Sprinkle the sugar/cinnamon mixture over top and mix well to coat.

3. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the cover and add the pecans. Mix well and bake an additional 15 minutes (or until the sweet potato is tender).

Yield: about 6 side dish portions

Source: adapted from Canadian Living Magazine

Apple + Leek Parmesan Tart

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In my countdown to Canadian Thanksgiving, I wanted to quickly share a really delicious savoury fall-inspired tart that is extremely easy to put together. And even though it’s a quick recipe, it looks labour intensive and will definitely impress your family and friends. Beyond that, it tastes amazing! This tart can be served in small pieces as an appetizer for your Thanksgiving meal, or as a vegetarian main dish. It’s sweet, savoury, rich, creamy and deliciously crispy! An all-around winner :)

For my Canadian friends, what are you planning on serving at your Thanksgiving Day dinners this upcoming weekend? I’ll be back tomorrow with another delicious idea for your Thanksgiving Day meal.

Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 2 leeks, well rinsed, halved and sliced
  • 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • 1/2 cup of white wine
  • 3 sweet-tart apples, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
  • 2 teaspoons of chopped fresh thyme
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 1 pinch of pepper
  • 1/4 cup of whipping cream (35%)
  • 1 package (450g) of frozen rolled puff pastry, thawed
  • 1 tablespoon of milk
  • 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard
  • 3 ounces of shredded Parmesan cheese or Guyère cheese

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400’F.

2. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Sautée the leeks and garlic until softened (about 3 minutes).

3. Add white wine and cook over medium-high heat until almost no liquid remains (about 2 minutes). Stir in the diced apples, thyme, salt and pepper. Cook until the apples are softened slightly (about 3 minutes). Remove apple/leek mixture from heat and stir in the cream.

4. Meanwhile, unroll the puff pastry. On a floured surface, roll out 1 square to a 14 x 10-inch rectangle. Place on parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Brush 1 teaspoon of milk in 3/4 inch border around the pastry. Fold in the brushed corners and sides.

5. Spread half of the mustard on the unfolded base of the pastry. Top the pastry with half the leek/apple mixture (just to cover the dough) and then with the Parmesan or Guyère cheese. Do the same with the second roll of puff pastry.

6. Bake each tart until pastry is crisp and golden brown (about 25 minutes).  Let cool. Cut each tart into 8 pieces.

Source: Canadian Living Magazine – October 2012