Roasted Pumpkin Peanut Curry Soup

I love pumpkins, peanuts, and curry, and, I think they combine perfectly for a hearty, healthy, flavorful soup.  I enjoy making a pumpkin peanut curry soup at least once each fall.  There is something about it that brings me back to a small cafe in Siem Reap, Cambodia, where I specifically recall tasting a pumpkin-peanut curry soup for the first time.  After the first spoonful I remember thinking I had stumbled upon a flavor gold-mine.  So, if you’re skeptical, give it a try.  Let me know what you think.
But, first things first- my recipe:
Ingredients:
  • one pie pumpkin
  • 1 cup unsalted peanuts
  • peanut oil
  • 2 yellow onions
  • 2-3 cups water
  • 2 TB soy sauce
  • 3-4 TB maple syrup
  • 1-2 TB Vietnamese Sweet Lemongrass Curry (a Savory Spice Shop blend)

Start by roasting a pie pumpkin.  I like to cut them in half and drizzle them with something good, like peanut oil for this recipe.  Put the pumpkin cut-side-down in a baking dish with the peeled and quartered onions and a little water.  Roast this at 400 for 30 minutes or so until you can pierce it easily with a fork or knife.
I roasted a cup of peanuts, so it might be a good idea to spread them on a baking tray and roast them for 5-10 minutes while the oven is heating up.  As long as you’re paying attention, this way of roasting peanuts will work just fine.  However, if you’re even the least bit scatter-brained in the kitchen, you just might forget about the peanuts and they’ll burn (I’m guilty of this!).  So, you decide if you’d prefer to roast the peanuts separately at 250 until golden brown.
Then, into the Vita-Mix go the peanuts to make fresh peanut butter.  I know what some people are thinking: “But wait.  Why can’t I just use peanut butter?”  That’s fine too.  I always like to do things the long way, and ever since buying my Vita-Mix, I don’t purchase nut butters since I easily make them at home.  So, the next step is to make peanut butter.
Then, add the cooked pumpkin flesh to the vita-mix with a couple cups of water, soy sauce, maple syrup, and blend, starting on low and slowly moving up to high, until it is a smooth puree.  Add a little more water if it is too thick.

Transfer the soup to a stock pot and cook until heated through.  Add the Vietnamese Sweet Lemongrass Curry from nowhere other than Savory Spice Shop.  Mix well.

I had some cooked kale ready to go, so I gave it a coarse chop and added it to my bowl.  De-li-cious.

Chocolate en Fuego

I asked my friend Evan Faber, the illustrious Beverage Director at Boulder’s now-famous SALT the Bistro (and master-mind behind The Cocktail Element), for a must-try holiday cocktail recipe.  Evan gave me a recipe for one of his favorites, and, I must say- he has good taste.  This is definitely a seasonal beverage that I’ll be enjoying throughout the winter, not just over the holidays.
Ingredients:
  • 1.5 oz Reposado Tequila
  • .5 oz Peppermint Schnapps or Rumple Minze
  • a cup of rich hot chocolate
  • dash of cayenne

When I first read this recipe I was a little unsure of the tequila-peppermint combination.  It didn’t sound like it intuitively went together, and, though I didn’t doubt Evan per se, I didn’t exactly rush out to buy Rumple Minze right away.  But, I should have!  I could have been enjoying this now for a couple weeks!

I used some Savory Spice Shop hot chocolate, which is a rich, smooth, and chocolately hot chocolate.  I’ll need to stock up on cocoa because “Chocolate en Fuego” is officially my new favorite winter-time drink… after Maple Scotch, of course!

Cheers!

Whole Foods, Pearl Street, Boulder

Brace yourself, Boulder. We’re about to have the best Whole Foods in the nation right here in Boulder. America’s “foodiest”small town is going to have an enormous new Whole Foods, and I had the pleasure of touring part of the new building just days before opening.
It’s only appropriate that Whole Foods name the new food stations after Boulder and Colorado places, landmarks, products, etc. For starters, the new juice bar, called 5430, celebrates our elevation above sea level. We’ll be able to enjoy freshly made juices, kombucha, and Allegro coffee at the coffee bar right around the corner from 5430.
The new addition is something like 26,000 square feet larger than the original cozy (or uncomfortably cramped) Pearl Street store. In other words, it is huge! And, with all that size comes more seating areas both inside and outside, more space to move around, and lots of new foodie features, like prepared foods, made-to-order foods, and other specialty items.

Whole Foods is bringing us something new- a Greens, Beans, and Grains station that will be super healthy, maybe deceptively healthy, thanks to a classically french-trained chef-turned low fat, low salt, low sugar, gourmet chef. Whole Foods will be continuing to embrace their “Health Starts Here” campaign and the Greens, Beans, and Grains will be the station to visit for healthy meals on the go. Other Whole Foods throughout the nation will hopefully have a Greens, Beans, and Grains bar soon.

And then, there’s sushi and wok-stir-fried Asian foods…

The Bear Mountain BBQ, which is said to rival even the best southern BBQ available.

A Taqueria which will have lots of different street tacos for $1.99 as well as a nice selection of Mexican foods.

The Lefthand Sandwich Company

A huge new bakery which will feature naan, pita, and flatbreads as well as every other type of baked goods imaginable.

This is really cool- it is the flat top oven that will bake naan, pita, and flatbread in approximately 2 minutes.

There’s going to be an impressive charcuterie station and Whole Foods will be featuring some in-house-roasted meats as well as some of the highest quality salumi you can get in the US.

I’ll probably be hanging out at the Cheese counter where we’ll be able to purchase cut-to-order cheeses. The cheese counter is right next to the fresh dried pasta bar. Yum!

Saturday, December 18 is the day to come out and see this with your own eyes. Hopefully you’ll get to taste a lot, too. The entire store renovation won’t be completed until next spring, but what is about to be unveiled is a foodie’s dream come true.

JJ’s Sweets

I’m not a big candy person, but JJ’s Sweets just might be my new favorite candy company. I have great things to say about the four sweets I tried and, as I write this, feel a longing for a Cocomel.
What is a Cocomel? It’s a coconut milk caramel and it is fantastic. Fantastic! I tired the original, java, fleur de sel, and vanilla cocomel and enjoyed them all. I actually scarfed them down, to be completely honest.
Cocomels are not only lip-smackingly delicious caramels, they are vegan and gluten free. They’re locally made in Boulder, CO, so that’s a plus, too.
JJ’s Sweets doesn’t only make the soon-to-be-famous Cocomel- they also make “unique hard candies” and I have a new favorite sweet: Fennel and Anise Seed Brittle. I’d never had such a flavor combination in a candy, and I’m looking forward to having it again. The fennel and anise go together so well, and it isn’t too sweet, but sweet enough to satisfy an after-dinner sweet tooth.
The Tangerine Dream hard candy was the best tasting tangerine candy, period. I don’t know much at all about making hard candies, but these were perfectly hard, and my taste buds approved while the candies slowly dissolved. No artificial junk added. That’s the kind of candy we should eat when we indulge in candy.
And the last treat that I reluctantly shared was the Fleur de Sel Chocolate Covered Cocomel. I’ll take a dozen, please.
JJ’s Sweets can be found at the Boulder Farmers Market, as well as local holiday markets. But, don’t worry non-Boulder-locals because they ship! So, order some online for a unique holiday gift this year. That’s my plan.

Comida: A Mobile Mexican Feast

If you live or work in Boulder and have not yet eaten from the COMIDA food truck, I think it would be a good time to check out their website and make an effort to track the pink truck down for a deliciously fun food experience.
Lucky for me, COMIDA makes stops at Asher Brewing Co, which happens to be across the street from my home. I can just walk over and indulge in their chicken quesadilla (center) or fish tacos (right). The real meat-eater at home ordered a number of meaty tacos and was completely satisfied. Licked the foil clean…
But, one reason I especially like COMIDA, besides a super friendly staff that jams out to music while they work, is they have a number of vegetarian offerings that are more elevated than a simple salad. Go COMIDA Go! Can’t wait for some food tonight.

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A Bolder Table is a place where I bookmark my favorite recipes for later along with some occasional musings. It's my personal digital recipe compilation... Let's say it's my cookbook. Thanks for stopping by! -Megan
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