Cold weather & warm foods

Why is that when the weather gets cooler we want to cook more?  At least I do.  When it gets chilly, I want homemade soups & stews and this season, I've been getting adventurous in my cooking.  Below are a couple of fabulous hearty dishes the boys and I have cooked up recently.   I hope you enjoy them!

Vegetarian Tuscan Kale and White Bean Soup
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipe/vegetarian-tuscan-kale-and-white-bean-soup

Ingredients: 

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup diced yellow onion
• 4 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1 (32-ounce) box low-sodium vegetable broth
• 4 cups packed chopped kale
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can Italian-style diced tomatoes
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can sliced carrots, drained, or two large carrots, peeled and sliced

Method: 

In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes longer. Add broth, kale and tomatoes (and fresh carrots, if using) and cover. Cook 5 minutes or until kale is tender. Add beans and canned carrots and heat thoroughly. Serve hot.

Butternut Squash & Chickpea Coconut Curry (Crock Pot Recipe)

http://tasty-yummies.com/2011/10/12/butternut-squash-chickpea-coconut-curry-crock-pot-recipe/

2 1/2 cups diced butternut squash
1 1/2 cups dried organic chick peas
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can organic coconut milk (you can use light here, I didn’t)
1 bunch of fresh spinach, rinsed and roughly chopped (you could also use kale here)
1 1/2 cups freshly shelled peas (you can use frozen here, if you wish)
1-2 large tomatoes, diced
3 cups vegetable broth or water
3 tablespoons yellow curry powder (you can use your own blend of spices here, I just happen to have a premixed curry powder from a local indian grocery store that I love)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
handful of fresh cilantro, roughly chopped (save some for serving)

Rinse and sort through the dry chickpeas. Cut the skin off the squash, remove seeds and cut into 1 inch square cubes. Add all of the ingredients to your slow cooker besides the peas and spinach. Cook on high for 6 hours. About 20-30 minutes before serving add in the fresh peas and spinach, and give it a stir. If your sauce seems to be a bit too thin or watery when it is done cooking, you could make a quick mix of cornstarch and hot water and pour a tablespoon or two of the mixture into the crock pot, allow it to simmer a bit longer. This will thicken it right up. Serve over brown basmati or jasmine rice topped with fresh cilantro, mint or basil and maybe even some shredded coconut.