East African Groundnut Soup

From Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant

I've made this soup about three or four times now, and I'm always happy with the result. It is really easy and cheap to make, with the most expensive ingredients being the peppers. This last time I made it, I used a new natural peanut butter I haven't bought before which was terrifically sticky. I filled a bowl full of soup for my boyfriend who took it to eat in the other room. All of a sudden I heard a "ahhhhhh!" coming from the room, and called in to ask what was wrong. He answered that he just got a huge clump of peanut butter in his mouth. "Oh my god, I'm sorry!" I called back, but after a pause he responded by saying, "No, it was delicious." Probably others wouldn't be so supportive of an unsuspected peanut butter clump, so my advice to you is to stir the peanut butter (one of the last ingredients) in carefully and thoroughly.

Serves 6-8 Time: about 1 hour

3 cups chopped onion
3 celery stalks diced (one cup)
1 tablespoons canola oil (or other veg. oil)
2 green bell peppers
1 red bell pepper
1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons garam masala or other curry powder
1 cup raw brown rice
3 cups canned chopped/diced canned tomatoes in juice (28 ounce can)
6 cups water
1/2 cup peanut butter
1-2 tablespoons sugar (if desired)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
chopped fresh cilantro
chopped scallions

In a soup pot, saute onions and celery in the oil for about ten minutes on medium high heat, until the onions are soft and translucent. Add the bell peppers and saute for 5 more minutes. Stir in the cayenne and garam masala; add the rice, tomatoes, water and salt and stir well. Cover and bring to a boil; then reduce the heat and simmer for about forty minutes, until the rice is tender.
Whisk in the peanut butter, sugar & lime juice. Top each serving with chopped cilantro and scallions, if you like

Thai Butternut Squash Soup

From Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Serves 4

My darling husband doesn't like tofu. He will eat just about anything that I put in front of him (a real treat for a new cook) but when the meal has tofu in it he suddenly looks rather pained. But I can happily report that the tofu in this recipe is so deliciously marinated that even he proclaimed: "This one is a keeper!"
SOUP
1 cup coconut milk
0.5 tsp Thai red curry paste
4 tsp sugar
0.5 tsp salt
2 cups vegetable broth
1 Keiffer lime leaf (optional)
2 12-ounce packages of frozen cooked winter squash
1 lime
2 cups fresh baby spinach
chopped fresh cilantro

PAN- FRIED TOFU
0.5 cake firm tofu (about 8 ounces)
1 tbsp soy sauce
0.5 tsp Thai red curry paste
1 tsp vegetable oil

In a soup pot, whisk together the coconut milk, curry paste, sugar, salt, and broth. Add the lime leaf and frozen squash, cover, and bring to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, until the squash is thawed, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the Pan-Fried Tofu. Cut the tofu into small cubes and put them in a bowl. Toss with the soy sauce and the curry paste. Heat the oil in a small skillet on medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the tofu and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Set aside.

Lightly grate the lime peel and juice the lime. Add 1 teaspoon of the zest and 2 tablespoons of the juice to the simmering soup. Stir in the spinach and tofu and cook just until the spinach wilts. Add more sugar and salt to taste. Serve the soup garnished with cilantro if you like.

*Packaged frozen winter squash is perfect for this recipe, but if it's not available, look for pre-cut butternut squash in the produce section of your market, or peel and seed your own squash. You'll need 4 cups chopped. Puree the soup in a blender before adding the spinach and tofu.