Kale Squash Soup

Feel free to beef up the ingredients. Just about any fall vegetable would be good in this soup.

Squash, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
Onion, chopped
Some sort of grain – barley, rice, pasta, etc
Stock – enough to cover all ingredients and cook grains
Kale, destemmed and coarsely chopped Thyme
Sage

Toss squash with olive oil and salt. Roast in a hot oven until just tender. Cook onions in a stock pot until just translucent, add broth and grains. Boil until grains are cooked. Add remaining ingredients, season to taste, simmer for 15 -20 minutes. Serve! 

Kale and Coconut Salad

from Super Natural Every Day

1/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 tbs soy sauce
3.5 cups chopped kale
1.5 cup unsweetened large-flake coconut
2 cups farro, rice, or other grain

Heat oven to 350. Whisk together olive oil, sesame oil, and soy sauce. Put kale and coconut in a large bowl and mix with 2/3 of the olive oil mixture. Spread evenly across a baking sheet and bake for 15-18 min, until coconut is golden brown, stirring once or twice. Transfer kale mixture to a large bowl, toss with farro and remaining dressing, if desired. 

Miso Curry Delicata Squash

from Super Natural Everyday

1 delicata squash
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white miso
1 tbs red Thai curry paste
8 ounces tofu (cut in to small cubes)
4 medium new potatoes, unpeeled, cut into chunks
2 tbs lemon juice
1.5 cups chopped kale
1/3 cup toasted pepitas
2/3 cup chopped cilantro

Heat oven to 400. Cut squash in half lengthwise, clear out the seeds, and cut into 1/2 inch thick half-moons. In a medium bowl, whish together olive oil, miso, and curry paste. Combine tofu, potatoes, and squash in a large bowl with 1/3 cup of the miso-curry mixture. Use your hands to toss well then turn the vegetables out onto a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. Roast for 25-30 minutes, until everything is tender and browned. Toss once or twice along the way, keep a close watch. While the vegetables are roasting, whisk the lemon juice into the remaining miso-curry paste, then stir in the kale until coated. Toss the roasted vegetables gently with the kale, pepitas, and cilantro. Serve.

Roasted Vegetable Pasta

1 medium delicata squash, seeded & sliced 1/3-inch thick
3 shallots, peeled
2 tablespoons olive oil or melted clarified butter
fine grain sea salt
4 medium cloves garlic, peel on
12 kale leaves, washed & dried well, de-stemmed & cut into 3-inch strips
1 1/2 cups / 9 ounces uncooked orzo pasta, or other pasta
1/2 cup /  plain yogurt
For serving: slivered scallions, fresh oregano, toasted nuts or seeds

Preheat the oven to 400F / 205C with racks arranged in the top and bottom thirds. Line two baking sheets with parchment. You're going to roast the squash, shallots, and garlic on one sheet, and the kale on another.

Prep the delicata squash, and toss it in a large bowl with the shallots, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, and a big pinch of salt. Arrange in a single layer on one of the baking sheets, add the garlic and place on the bottom rack, for about 30 minutes. Spin once or twice along the way to get even roasting - let it all get deeply golden.

After the squash is in the oven, use the same bowl to toss the kale with another splash of olive, and pinch of salt. Arrange the leaves on the other baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes, or until you get a touch of browning, but the leaves are primarily still green. Set aside.

Get the pasta water boiling, salt well, and cook the orzo pasta. Drain and use quickly (warm) OR (if you won't be serving for a while) run under cold water, and toss with a tiny splash of olive oil.

For the dressing, extract the roasted garlic from its peel, and mash it with a bit of the yogurt and 1/4 teaspoon sea salt. Work in the rest of the yogurt, taste, and add more salt if needed.

When you're ready to serve, toss the orzo, and roasted vegetables with about half of the yogurt. Turn out onto a platter and sprinkle with scallions, oregano, and seeds/nuts. Serve the remaining yogurt to the side.

Serves 4-6.

Prep time: 10 min - Cook time: 30 min

Cranberry Bean, Kale and Pasta Soup

1/4 cup olive oil plus 2 1/2 tablespoons, divided
2 leeks, white part only, cleaned and sliced, about 2 cups
2 medium carrots, finely chopped, about 1 cup
1 onion, finely chopped, about 1 cup
3 cups dried cranberry beans or red kidney beans
Kosher salt
2 bunches lacinato kale, cleaned, stemmed and coarsely chopped, about 10 cups
3 cups dried orecchiette pasta (about 9 ounces)
1 tablespoon fresh minced sage
1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley
1 1/2 tablespoons smoked paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons Hungarian paprika
1/8 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish

1. In a 4-quart soup pot or cast iron casserole (with a lid that fits), heat 1/4 cup of olive oil and cook the leeks, carrots and onions over medium-low heat until just softened, 8 to 10 minutes.

2. Add the dried beans and 12 cups of water. Bring to a simmer over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and cover the pot with the lid, stirring occasionally. After about 45 minutes, add 1 tablespoon of kosher salt. Continue to cook, covered, and again stirring occasionally, just until the beans are soft, 45 minutes to 1 hour or more (this may vary according to the beans you use).

3. With a slotted spoon, remove 1 cup of the beans and, separately, 2 tablespoons of bean liquor and set both aside. Add the kale to the soup, stirring in a few cups at a time as the greens wilt. Cover, and continue to cook for 8 to 10 minutes more until the greens are tender, then remove from the heat.

4. Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a rolling boil and cook the pasta until al dente. Drain and reserve.

5. In a food processor, combine the reserved beans and bean liquor, sage, parsley, paprikas and lemon juice, the remaining 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil and a pinch of salt. Blend until smooth, then check for seasoning, adding more salt if desired, or bean liquor to aid in blending.

6. Just before serving, stir the cooked pasta into the soup. Ladle the soup into bowls and top each with about 2 tablespoons of spiced bean purée. Grate Parmesan over the top of each bowl to taste and serve immediately.