Portland, Oregon: Though not totally extinguished, those forest fires are still blazing in Oregon. Rain and snow will eventually put them out. Eventually. After quite a bit of rain last week, the sky cleared and we have enjoyed several days of warm weather again.
The leaves are turning - and the forest behind our house is really showing off:
The prettiest leaves every fall belong to the massive poison oak climbing a fir tree.It. Will. Not. Die.
Tonight's dinner was very easy, as I roasted the veggies and whirled the soup together yesterday. This gave me one day off from cooking. Preparing every morsel is getting to be a grind, yet when I cheat (buying crunchy taco shells or tater tots or soy cheese) the meals are not very good. Best to stick with real food.
One of the oldest recipes on this blog, Roasted Carrot & Ginger Soup is real food, and another really easy recipe - and one that can be made a day or two ahead. The soup may also be frozen. First a pound of carrots, one potato, half an onion and two cloves of garlic are roasted for 40-45 minutes - tossed in olive oil, salt and pepper:
Before
AfterThe whole mess is put through the food processor with two cups of veggie stock and a bit of fresh grated ginger. That's it. Heat and serve. It is ridiculously low in calories and ridiculously high in flavor. (I had to halve the carrots lengthwise this time due to the fact they were as fat as bananas.)
The potato remains unpeeled, giving a little color and texture to the soup. It is a very pretty dish and very nice for fall and perfect for guests watching their waistlines and vegetarians/vegans. This soup would be a great starter for Thanksgiving - orangey, but no pumpkin. The finished recipe makes only enough soup for 2 or 3 people as a main course, though it can certainly be doubled (or thinned with stock) to serve more.
Tonight the carrot-ginger soup was garnished with a drizzle of olive oil and a scattering of toasted pumpkin seeds. We had no left overs.
Don't forget fresh greens! (And reds!)NOTE TO READERS: This website will not be updated for a few days due to the Yom Kippur holiday.
Until my next update, I remain, your soupy correspondent.