Liver Pudding Soup

December 23, 2023December 27, 2023 bgibson135

No, I don’t see where anyone has listed a liver pudding soup online. I had bought some liver pudding this afternoon, just because it looked good, and was in link form. I think it cost $3.99 plus.

I bought some Red Swiss Chard at Fresh Market for about $2.99 a bunch. For some reason this Chard looks good there, and seems to be very reasonably priced, although I think most of their other pricing on both vegetables & meats are a little high. It may be the dark green leaves with the bright red ribs that set it off to me.

I had bought Red Chard there previously, and had combined that with Borlotti (Cranberry) Beans and some seasoning meat, and that had turned out really good. Sort of a unique, earthy flavor not already in my repertoire. Uncooked the beans have burgundy streaks on a brownish gray bean, but once cooked they lose the streaking and just become a plain brownish bean (but flavorful). *I have written about the Borlotti beans elsewhere, and recall that it was on an episode of one of Jamie Oliver’s cooking shows (of which he has had many) that he brought these beans to my attention. Since then I have seen & bought them dried, but also seen them cooked & canned (15oz.) at Walmart. I think they are called Roman Beans in those cans, but I have seen them advertised as Cranberry Beans, and they are also Borlottis.

So, I wanted to use the liver pudding as the meat flavored base for this soup. I started with some bacon grease and sliced onions in a pot on the stove-top. I then added chicken stock to the pot, cut some of the Red Chard, first de-veining the leaves and then chopping the red ribs up into smaller cubes, while choosing to chiffonade the leaves into little ribbons. Now, I had a Roma tomato close at hand and diced just one of these. But, the really odd thing that I chose to add, and this was mainly because I had a medium Avocado which was about to “go to waste” as they often do in my house. *With my increased attention to the meals & foods that I am eating, and am scheduling to eat, I know when there is no room for extra food items. And even with this soup, I don’t actually have it scheduled in any of my upcoming meals yet. However, I have already tasted it a few times, and it has a good flavor.

Surprisingly, the avocado didn’t break down immediately, so there were good sized chunks of it floating with the dark green Chard and a few of the diced tomato still intact. The liver pudding has long since dissolved into a browning base for the soup. And, I just tried another few tastes, and “Yes, this is good soup!” The beans probably have another 30 minutes to an hour to cook thoroughly, but they are edible even now. The rest of the ingredients are cooked well.

NOTE [ 12/27/23 ]: I’m not going to eat a lot of this soup, but it was a test. Much more successful than the three bean test I did a few years back, where none of the 3 actually made a better soup. I had about a cup full of this soup for lunch. It wasn’t bad, and I had it with some sweet onion. The liver pudding isn’t distinctive enough to carry the meat flavoring portion of the soup. The Red Swiss Chard and Borlotti beans provide an “earthy” flavored base. I think the Borlotti beans do have a distinctive flavor, not necessarily a distinctive look after cooking. They go from brown with burgundy striations to just a plain brown cooked bean. Both times I have cooked the Borlotti beans and Red Swiss Chard, the result is a thick soup. This would be a good side dish, but would try to find something “lighter,” like a salad or steamed asparagus/cabbage.

[ NOTE ]: I had substituted this soup for baked beans in my eating plan, but at the last decided to substitute something else. This says to me, whether I want to be honest with myself or not, that I don’t really like the taste… or I would be eating it.

The Best Stewed Tomatoes…

December 15, 2023December 19, 2023 bgibson135

I found this recipe for “The Best Stewed Tomatoes Ever” online. I did make a few modifications, but this just proves that it doesn’t take much for tomatoes to taste good, really good!

I’ve used Roma Tomatoes both times, and did the simple boil (for 30 seconds-1 minute) and then a quick “ice” bath. I only do 5 or 6 tomatoes total. I would have done six tomatoes the last time, but one of them had already begun to rot, and I only bought them a couple of days ago.

It is amazing how the boil/ice bath works to make a tomato easily peeled.

I had part of a red sweet bell pepper that I large diced into the tomatoes, which I had cut up into smaller chunks. I also fine diced a regular onion and put that in the mix. I added some parsley flakes & salt, according to the recipe, but I also added some dried basil leaves (which I had grown last year, and then dried and put in a re-closeable sandwich baggie), and a little Splenda sweetener.

I bought a can of mushroom stems & pieces yesterday and then I went looking for a healthy “diabetic friendly” recipe. I had originally imagined stewing the mushrooms down to make a delicious mushroom gravy which led to thoughts of adding them to some Cream of Celery soup, but then I thought that the cream wouldn’t be as diabetic friendly as I would like. Not to add Half-n-Half to make this creamy, hmmm.

I had some leeks, so I chopped up one small one, and some onion, and some sweet bell pepper. I think I added a diced carrot, some dried tarragon and just a little Splenda sweetener. I ended up eating this concoction as my dinner, along with some of the steamed cabbage I had cooked for lunch.

*Beef Polska Kielbasa, waffle polenta cakes and steamed cabbage make a good, comfort food meal. I have recently started flavoring my steamed cabbage first with just a little Splenda sweetener. Then I may add a little margarine while it is steaming. Some S&P and some Celery Seeds. Once the cabbage is done, I put them on the plate, and flavor one portion with some bacon fat and another portion with Toasted Sesame Oil.

This worked. I had calf liver, with sauteed onions, some of the best stewed tomatoes (.5 cup is just enough), roasted cauliflower seasoned with smoked paprika & margarine, and a slice of the Tuscan Boule Loaf bread from Publix. I would do this combination again because it all worked together very well.

One surprise was that the sauteed onions complimented the roasted cauliflower.

Andouille, Shrimp & Lentil Chowder

March 25, 2023March 25, 2023 bgibson135

I bought a long link of Spicy Andouille Sausage at Sprouts today. For some reason, I started thinking of making a seafood chowder using lentils and not potatoes. I didn’t use tomatoes or half-n-half.

Andouille Sausage
Onion
Olive Oil
Bacon Fat
Carrots
Poblano Pepper
Jalapeno Pepper
Chipotle Pepper
Lentils (red, black, brown)
Shrimp
Thyme (Mediterranean)
Celery
Celery Seed
Garlic Powder
Onion Flake
S&P
Chicken Stock
Margarine
Cumin Seed

I’ve made Andouille & Lentil soup before. Kielbasa doesn’t work as well because it isn’t spicy. And adding hot peppers accents the Andouille. I thawed the shrimp in the microwave and added the juice and the shrimp once they were thawed. I would imagine that you could leave out the shrimp and this would still be a good soup… and yes, I have made this type of soup before.

French Onion Soup

November 7, 2022November 7, 2022 bgibson135

I wasn’t serious about making French Onion Soup this time. I’m not absolutely sure, but I may have only made this once before. The soup turned out delicious that time, but as with many other things, I fail to repeat the process on a regular basis. I think the Internet did not exist the first time I made this, so I am not sure how I got a working recipe, but I did.

I may have made my beef broth from scratch the first time. This time, I’m just using a cheap beef broth from Walmart. I noted that when I deglazed the pan above, the fond on the bottom came off in flakes, and those not that flavorful.

I bought some Baby Swiss cheese slices for this, and then just a while ago read that Gruyere and Parmesan are the preferred cheeses of choice for this soup. It was Gary Golden that made this soup, years ago, when we were both attending Seminary in Louisville, KY.

I plan to toast the bread I have, multigrain mountain white wheat bread, with some of the Swiss in my oven and just put it on top of the heated soup. There are several elements that are working against this soup being as good as I remembered. *In writing this, I just recalled that I probably made this for the second time several years ago after having some at Marquis’ Bistro Restaurant & Lounge which is part of the Double Tree by Hilton hotel next to I95 & a Cracker Barrel Restaurant in Fayetteville, NC. I don’t recall why I was at this hotel. I didn’t stay there. There may have been a work conference there, and then I decided to eat at the Bistro. The French Onion Soup was on their menu, I tried it, and was reminded of how much I had liked this the first time I tried it. More than likely, I tried making this at home again, but I recall no details.

I put Swiss cheese on the mountain bread, and also grated a small amount of Parmesan cheese and toasted a couple of slices. I ladelled out some soup in a regular soup bowl and then placed the toasted bread on top. Surprisingly this soup turned out well. But, the beef broth could have been much better, and that is what I would focus on, if and when I make French Onion Soup again… at home.

The melted cheese on the toasted bread worked very well. Eating the bread with the soup was a highlight.

Bringing It Home.

August 12, 2022August 15, 2022 bgibson135

Thai Basil Chicken from Maguro’s in Southern Pines…

I have taken a few things with me when I am going to Maguro’s to have lunch, and I have since after my first visit only eaten “Thai Basil Chicken”.

Russ and Deborah took me there to celebrate my birthday and Russ had the Thai Basil Chicken. I had something else, which was “okay” but looking at Russ’ meal from across the table, I thought it looked especially tasty. At some point, Russ asked if there were hot peppers in the dish. I recall that both Deborah and I looked and I think we found what appeared to be a sliced Jalapeno. Now, I would guess that hot is not what Russ wanted.

I’m sure that Russ and Deborah had “cut out a swath of time” for me for my birthday celebration, but after lunch as we are standing in the Maguro’s parking lot talking, I realized that I had an upset stomach. My way of saying that I felt I needed to go to the bathroom. I told them I was going home and left my celebration early.

But, the next day I drove up to Southern Pines again to have lunch at Maguro’s, and to order the “Thai Basil Chicken” for myself. Making back to back trips to Southern Pines from Fayetteville would be highly unusual for me, but at this time, our gas prices had not started to rise drastically.

The Thai Basil Chicken was delicious! During the Pandemic, I would normally drive to Southern Pines on Thursdays and order the lunch special, which for sometime was still only $7 with water to drink.

The few things I took included:

— Hot Mustard which I would dip my egg roll (more like an egg roll instead of a spring roll) in and their sweet sauce. This mustard will take your breath away if you eat too much, and too much might just be a very little.

— Toasted Sesame Oil which I add to the fried rice. I had found that the flavor of the Toasted Sesame Oil was what “meant” fried rice to me. This does make the rice flavor better.

Many times I have eaten the entire meal at the restaurant, but a few times, I have brought a “doggy” box home with me. And, what I found is that adding extra peppers and onion to the left overs works well. I had some hot peppers including Habaneros, a poblano and some onion which I cooked up on the stove top. I added the peppers & onion to the left overs and microwaved for a couple of minutes. This worked excellently!

Andouille Lentil Soup

I knew that I wanted to make some lentil soup before I left for lunch in Southern Pines. I was going to look for some Andouille sausage at Fresh Market in Southern Pines. Not all sausages are the same, and I have had bland Andouille. But, I have also used Polska Kielbasa which was a failure. Not spicy.

I went into the Fresh Market and sauntered through apples, carrots, nuts and olives before making it to the meat counter in the back. You can only get to the meat counter from two directions, and I realized after walking along the counter that there was a “proper” direction, and there was a large sign for “the next customer”. I had not asked a butcher for assistance, and after finding the head of the line took my place behind an elderly couple that had just been called up to the counter by a butcher. I saw sausages and one of those was labelled ‘Andouille’. Another butcher, a black man, came to the counter and asked if I needed assistance. I asked him if the Andouille was spicy. He said he had not tried it personally and did not know. I asked if a pound of the Andouille was about two links. I ended up getting 3 links for a pound. The white butcher didn’t know if the Andouille was spicy, but knew that Andouille should be.

I had a 3 quart pot, and put a couple of links of the Andouille in the bottom and cut the casings from end to end. I tried to scrape the meat from the casings. I then added some red & brown lentils, some chopped onion and some chicken broth, S&P, and garlic powder. At some point I added some Poblano, and hot peppers, including a Habanero.

I was finishing off my Maguro’s Thai Basil Chicken as I was cooking the Andouille Lentil soup. But, I was tasting the soup broth, and it was obvious that it was spicy hot. The Andouille was ground chunkily (which is how it should be) and had good flavor, although I honestly cannot say if this Andouille was spicy because of the overpowering heat from the hot peppers I had added. But, this was really good soup, especially because it was spicy hot, and had good meat flavor!

So, I am sitting on the toilet the next morning, and it comes to me that my stomach feels like someone had punched it. It is slightly sore, and I smile thinking that the cause of it was all the spicy, hot peppers I had eaten the day before.

After lunch, I drove over to Ken Chappell’s fruit stand near Candor. This is a regular practice during peach season. Peaches & apples are the main produce, but they also have okra, tomatoes, cantaloupe & watermelons in season.

I bought a watermelon ($7 maybe $5), three small tomatoes, some Gala apples (small & hard) and a small bag of peaches (Flame Prince). I drove back to the Fresh Market.

I drove over to the Mitchell’s after I had bought the Andouille. No one was home, no cars in front, and no one answered the door bell. I left a few apples & peaches on the table under the patio.

I drove back to Fayetteville. I left the watermelon in the car, but brought the rest of my purchases & the left-over Thai Basil Chicken inside.

Not sure how soon afterwards that I went to bed, but I awoke about 8:45 pm. I started wandering through the apartment. I see that I left the left over Thai Basil Chicken in the little white plastic box, on the table, not the refrigerator. And also on the table was the package of Andouille Sausage, unrefrigerated. I got the bag of peppers out of the refrigerator, grabbed an onion, and started chopping dividing it out by eye, some in the Andouille Lentil soup pot, and some in a small fry pan (for the left overs).

Just before I got home, I stopped at the Food Lion. I bought a bag of carrots (for the lentil soup), a few Gala apples (for fried apples), a sweet bell pepper, roasted cashews, and supposedly “Sweet Bites” tomatoes. I was surprised to see the Sweet Bites, because they haven’t been available for over a year (maybe longer). But see my concern, because although the “Sweet Bites” package has returned, the small tomatoes inside are not the same variety (or flavor) as previously sold under this name by Sunset Company.

ADDENDUM [ 08/12/22 ]: Boy! I just had another helping of the Andouille Lentil soup I made last night, and there is just one more helping left in the fridge. This soup turned out to be really good, and addictive. It is so spicy hot, and the Andouille sausage has enough distinctive flavor (although I still can’t judge whether it is spicy, hot, or not), and the Poblano peppers offer their distinctive, earthy flavor and the carrots provide a cooling effect. I like lentil soup and have made several versions of it in the past. But, they are not always winners. I remember adding Texas Pete hot sauce to it in the past. I think that I had forgotten which type of sausage to use, and Polska Kielbasa doesn’t work here. *So, I would add this version of Andouille Lentil soup to my three other favorites, Curried Apple, Tarragon Leek, or Avocado Chipotle soup.

I currently think that they would be ordered in this order, as to my favorite:

Curried Apple (hot or cold)
Andouille Lentil (hot liquid, and spicy hot)
Tarragon Leek (hot or cold)
Avocado Chipotle (hot)

White Bean & Chicken Chili

May 24, 2022August 10, 2025 bgibson135

The basic ingredients came to about $7.50. I added a clove of garlic ( large chop ), dried basil, S&P, a little Splenda, some Agave Nectar and a little lime juice. *Just a little Splenda and Agave give this chili a slightly sweet taste, and the chipotle peppers, chipotle powder, red pepper flakes, and cayenne give it a good heat. I would add some chopped jalapenos (red or green) for extra flavor and I did add some chopped yellow bell pepper.

I’ve tried something like this before, but it did not turn out well. This did satisfy! It was a little sweet, with some heat (about 3 chipotle peppers) and large chunks of Vidalia onion.

I tried this a second time, but instead of using canned white chunk chicken, I bought a whole baked chicken (original flavor) and shredded some of the white meat and added it to the chili mixture. This worked great!

I had some Mission Corn Chips left, and they went well with this chili. I see that avocado, cilantro, sour cream and Mexican cheese are suggested toppings for this. *The second time, I added a bunch of cilantro to the chili during cooking. I ate an avocado with the chili, and this was good.

I was in the Compare Grocery the other day and saw some red jalapenos (marked that way on the price card). I only got about 4 of these and took them to the checkout along with the other items I was purchasing. The girl rang up these as “Thai Red Chilis”. I think the price was about a dollar more per pound than the sign had said for the red jalapenos, so I said to her that these weren’t Thai Red Chilis but Red Jalapenos. She stopped and showed the clerk at the next register, and whatever was said, she still rang them up as Thai Red Chilis. It could be that both clerks were referencing the wrong code number, or maybe the grocer had labelled this item incorrectly in the system. But, I told her I didn’t want to purchase them and she set them aside.

Seems that the Red Cayenne Peppers are slightly different in curvature and a little bend at the end of the pepper, but Thai Red and Red Jalapenos are distinctly different.

NOTE [05/30/22]: The oven-roasted chicken was a great idea for this, but at about $7.35 for the whole baked chicken, this is a great deal. I had a couple of drum sticks, and a bunch of white breast meat that could be shredded for the chili, and/or for a sandwich, etc. I was sort of surprised at how cheap the whole baked chicken was this time. I think the price had gone up (several months ago) and was over $8.

NOTE [ 12/16/23 ]: The can of Bush’s White Chili Beans now costs about $1.98 at Walmart, previously $1.76. I did go to Compare Foods again and bought some green Jalapenos, Poblanos and some red peppers (not sure if they were red Jalapenos or some other variety. I had a small can of diced Green Chilis. I don’t see if I added some chopped onion before, but, I did this time. I used sweet onion but that is just because I have an overstocked abundance of the sweet onions. Added some cayenne pepper, some whole Cumin seeds, some dry Cilantro & dry Parsley. Did add the bit of Splenda & Agave Nectar.

Funny, was just reading above and the same thing happened again at Compare Foods. The girl at the register rang up a red pepper, but it was a couple of dollars more than what the sign had said. I had already taken a picture of the red peppers & listed price and I ended up getting these cheaper, maybe even a dollar cheaper than had been advertised on the signage.

I was fixing some Chipotle, Chicken & Avocado Soup for lunch and had thawed about three raw chicken strips. I fried the chicken in some bacon fat, and then shredded it all using about a third of it in the lunch soup. The rest I put in the small pot that I had used for the soup, with the white chili beans and other ingredients (dicing the various raw chili peppers). I’ve got the chili in the pot, on the stove-top, and cooking on low heat.

Even though I didn’t use a roasted chicken from Publix, the whole roasted chicken for about $8 from Publix is a great deal. The two drumsticks are each a good meal, and the breast meat from each side is another couple of meals, and what is left over is enough for 3 more portions… maybe for a chicken salad (with sweet bell peppers, onion, mayo and some diced celery), or a chicken salad with Romaine lettuce, Kalamata olives, Pepperoncini peppers & a dressing of olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, sweetener and dried Italian herbs. This is reminiscent of a Greek Salad, with which I currently have become enamored.

Chicken – Rapini Soup

July 13, 2021September 16, 2023 bgibson135

I came up with this soup, “on the fly” because I had purchased some rapini (broccoli rabe) at Sprouts. I think it was under $3 for a good sized bunch of buds, leaves & stems which I recognized as a good deal! The main grocer (I take him to be so.) at Sprouts, keeps a well stocked vegetable & fruit section. Often there are very good prices, but you would think that Sprouts might be “high end” and they are on some things.

Broccoli Rabe (Rapini) at Sprouts in Fayetteville, NC.

The first time I made this, I used a odd sized can of Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup and the finished product had such a distinctive flavor (due to the rapini, which I had steamed first separately) that I wanted to make it again. The second time, I realized that I would have to supply the canned soup ingredients. I used chicken stock, chunked chicken breast, margarine, and pasta shells. I cooked this all in one pot, and did not pre-steam (cook) the rapini. Not sure on how to get the pasta shells to be done, without overcooking the rapini. The rapini did not bleach out though.

Chicken Breast (chunks – canned)
Rapini (Broccoli Rabe)
Onion
Pasta Shells (Medium)
Mushroom Pieces
Hot Pepper Flakes
Marjoram
Garlic Powder
Chicken Stock
Olive oil
Margarine (butter)
Salt & Pepper

One pot process:

I chopped the onion and put it in the pot first, with some margarine and olive oil and began to brown the onion slightly. I then added the dry pasta shells which became shiney with the oil & melted margarine coating. I poured in some chicken stock to cover the dry pasta, and later added some water. I let the pasta cook for a while to get it near being done, but then added the rapini, mushrooms and chunk chicken. The red pepper flakes, marjoram, salt & pepper are added throughout. I only added three garlic cloves slightly crushed, and some garlic powder.

NOTE [ 09/16/23 ]: I had some mild peppers (bought at State Farmer’s Market – Raleigh) left and a few chicken strips. I also had just bought (yesterday at Pate’s) some good looking okra. This soup has chicken, lentils, carrots, peppers, okra, onions and a few small tomatoes cut up. Although I read online that you shouldn’t (or its not done) include okra and Gumbo File powder to your soups. Supposed to choose one or the other. I think Gumbo File powder is supposed to be used as a thickener. *This is made from Sassafras. I remember a long time ago that my mom and I were walking on the old farm, way in the back along a sandy road. I think there was a Sassafras plant growing in the middle of this path. We managed to cut out a little of the Sassafras root and took it back home and made hot tea out of it. With sugar, and some creamer, the Sassafras tea was good.

***As I recall, I didn’t like the flavor of the Chicken Rappini soup. It looked good, but I wouldn’t make it again. But, the latest soup above had good flavor, with just minor heat. The okra added to it’s earthy flavor.

Curried Apple Soup

September 23, 2009December 9, 2025 bgibson135

granny_smith_apples — Granny Smith Apples

Apparently, “Trillium a Bistro” is no more in Asheville, NC. It has been several years since I made one of my Spring jaunts to visit Asheville stopping at Trillium, visiting the Grove Arcade to purchase a special balsamic vinegar, and then on to the Farmer’s Market for assorted cheeses, fingerling potatoes and a hand or two of ramps.

swansons_chicken_stock — Swanson’s Chicken Broth

I probably visited Trillium early in it’s history, when Leisa Payne was still developing her creative chef juices there, before leaving. Okay, okay, I don’t know her at all. I may have caught a glimpse of

dodge&trillium-location — Dodge RAM 1500 & Old Trillium Location

her sticking her head out from the probably small kitchen, talking to the wait staff. But, without her knowing it, she provided my table with a recurring joy. Curried Apple Soup.

I remember the soup, with chicken, as having a deep redness. Something which I have never approached. I have developed a bright orange color, and the flavor satisfies my memory, but I’m not sure I have ever come near to how Leisa prepared this soup.

The soup is delicious both hot or cold. Adding a dollop of sour cream is a nice touch. *Thinking just now, a sprig of some type of fresh mint might top it off nicely.

Here is how I remember the recipe that I have used repeatedly. I normally do not add chicken.

— A couple of Granny Smith apples cored, peeled, and a large dice.

— A couple of carrots diced.

— A stalk of celery diced.

— Half a medium onion diced.

— Small can of peeled diced tomatoes.

— Curry paste (Patak’s to taste, about a table spoon. )

— A sprinkle of Mace (too much will make the soup bitter)

— A small amount of ground Cloves (not too much)

— Some flour mixed with water and the curry paste to thicken the soup

— A couple of cans of chicken stock (use vegetable stock for vegetarian version, add extra water if ingredients are too dry)

— Several teaspoons of sugar or brown sugar (sweeten to taste)

In a 2 quart sauce pan, add a little oil when you start to saute the apples, onion, celery and carrots. After they start to become aromatic, add the curry paste/water/flour mixture and stir in. Before it gets too dry and starts to burn, add the chicken stock and then the tomatoes, sugar and other spices. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to a light simmer and cover for about 20 minutes until the apples & carrots have softened.

pataks_curry_paste — Patak’s Hot Curry Paste

Now, here is why it doesn’t matter how well you dice and chop in the beginning (as long as all the bits are tender at the end): Pull out your stick blender (you should have one of these) and pull the pot off the fire and start blending the soup in the pot. Be careful so that the hot liquid does not slurp or splash over the edge and burn you, or make a mess. But, just keep blending until there are no chunks in the soup (carrots may hold on to the very end) and it is a beautiful smooth orange color.

I’ll admit to having a sweet tooth, so I may add way too much sugar. I may also add way too much curry. But, the end result is a soup… hot or cold that gives a bite, but the burn quickly goes away. This is not like a pepper hot which lingers on the tongue.

ADDENDUM [01/06/22]: I’ve always remembered this soup as being a darker red color and have never been able to have it turn out that way. I was just looking at some images of curried soups and noted a few with a dark red color. One of them had Smoked Paprika as an ingredient. Now, I don’t remember a Paprika flavor to the soup, but it might have had it, and I do know that some Chorizo & Garbanzo Bean Soup that I have made did have a dark, almost ruby red color due to the large amount of Smoked Paprika that I added to the recipe. It may be worth a try to add either Paprika or Smoked Paprika to this soup.

The above is not the Curried Apple Soup, but the color that I want the finished soup to look like.

NOTE [10/02/22]: I was going another way with a recipe today… I saw a pumpkin & lentil recipe online. I thought I had a can of pumpkin, but either did not have it, or could not find it. I did see a can of yams (sweet potatoes). These were largely chopped, but well cooked.

I added onion and then the yams. I added smoked paprika, turmeric, curry powder & paste, S&P. I added red lentils. I added some ground coriander, and ginger, mace & cloves. I added a couple of small tomatoes and a stalk of celery chopped. I then realized I was going more toward the Curried Apple Soup, and chopped up Granny Smith apple. I let this all cook down for about 20 minutes. I added some Equal sweetener, and a little Agave Nectar.

I then pulled out my stick blender attachment and blended this all down. It looked like the Curried Apple soup, but perhaps just a little thicker. Tastes much like the Curried Apple soup, and the smoked paprika nor the lentils overpower or ruin this Curried Apple & Yam Soup.

NOTE [10/04/22}: I think it was yesterday, that I was sitting in my easy chair and happened to look over at the shelving where I put my special flavorings and condiments section, and my eye fell on a can of “Pumpkin Puree – 365”. *The 365 brand is from Whole Foods. I think I would normally have this in my kitchen cubbard with the other canned veggies, probably right next to the can of yams that I used for the soup.