Roasted Carrot & Sweet Potato Soup with Turmeric & Curry

It has been an uncharacteristically warm November in San Francisco. Sunny, 60’s… I’m not complaining, but it won’t hold me back from making soup. In these weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, I try to sneak in my veggie-full meals while I can. If Thanksgiving was one meal on one day, that’d be one thing. But let’s face it, you’re facing a Thanksgiving pot-luck at work, Friendsgiving (I can’t wait for ours!), Thanksgiving day + leftovers. It’s a marathon, people. Condition accordingly.

This happens to be one of the most budget-friendly soups, too. The two main ingredients together might cost you $2. And do you see that color?? Lots of vitamin c bang for that buck. Recipe sourced from Love & Lemons.

Roasted Carrot & Sweet Potato Soup with Turmeric & Curry

6-8 big carrot sticks, diced
1 large sweet potato, or 2 small, diced
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion or leak, diced
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons turmeric, ground
2 teaspoons madras curry powder
2 teaspoons fresh minced ginger
4 cups veggie stock plus 2 cups water
a pinch of cayenne pepper
1-2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
salt and pepper

Greek yogurt
Shaved Parmesan

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Peel and roughly chop the carrots and sweet potatoes and place on a baking sheet.  Toss everything with a drizzle of olive oil, and a good amount of salt and pepper. Roast for about 25 minutes, or until everything is golden brown.

Meanwhile, in a large pot, heat a bit of oil over low heat, add the chopped onion and garlic. Add a pinch of salt and cook until translucent. Add the turmeric, curry, and grated ginger and heat just until fragrant (30 seconds). Add the water and stock, and bring to a gentle boil, cover, and reduce to a low simmer.

Add all of the roasted veggies to the pot. Leave the pot uncovered and turn the heat off. Allow it to cool for a bit and then puree in a high speed blender.

Taste and adjust, I added a bit more salt, pepper, and a few pinches of cayenne and apple cider vinegar. Sprinkle with parmesan, top with yogurt and serve with bread.

Scribe Pick-up Party ~ Fall Edition

My first week of work was a whirlwind. There was no “syllabus day” to speak of, just hit the ground running. The good news: I love it. Scribe’s Q3 pick-up party was the perfect way to unwind.

The event featured the “Mast Brothers” chocolate makers who provided a goodie box of freshly grilled bread topped with melty chocolate spread, a slice of persimmon, a piece of dark chocolate bark sprinkled with almonds and craisins, and black truffle chocolate truffles (truffle truffles!). The chocolate box was paired with a tasting of their 2012 Cabernet.

Quin, who recently became a member herself, and I enjoyed our chocolate and wine from a couple of Adirondack chairs at the edge of the vineyard. If I were to die and go to heaven, it wouldn’t look too much different than that.

Gorgeous views + delicious wine + indulgent chocolates + beautiful people + well behaved dogs and children. Somebody pinch me.

DIFFA’s Dining by Design

Tonight I was able to attend Design Industries Foundation Fighting Aids (DIFFA)’s Dining by Design, featuring dining table exhibits created by design industries (furniture manufacturers, interior design firms, commercial design, construction, etc.). The tables were completely outside the box. I especially liked the one my company created with a commercial design firm and construction company:

However, the other tables were pretty amazing…

The appetizer stations were provided by local restaurants, and almost as beautiful as the table exhibits.

I washed it all down with a banana, strawberry and nutella crepe from the French café’s station. Now I’m tucking myself into bed after a big second day of work.

Pumpkin Soup with Apple, Balsamic & Parmesan

I deeply appreciate how much Trader Joe’s embraces pumpkin. They sneak it into everything. A long time favorite of mine is the pumpkin soup.

There are endless possibilities for this pumpkin soup: stir into oatmeal, mix into pasta or quinoa, eat by itself with chunks of blue cheese on top. My most recent combination made for a fall-tastic lunch. Stir in a pinch of nutmeg, cayenne and curry powder, add chopped apple, balsamic and Parmesan then microwave for 2-3 minutes. Serve with some chopped veggies and pumpkin and cranberry pita chips (another TJ specialty).

A big bowl of this pumpkin soup goes really well with a college football game, a cozy sweater, a steaming cup of apple cider – or any of your favorite fall activities.

Pumpkin Soup with Apple, Balsamic & Parmesan
(1 serving)

1 cup TJ’s pumpkin soup
pinch cayenne, nutmeg, curry powder, tumeric
1/2 Honey Crisp apple, diced
1 tablespoon Parmesan, shaved
drizzle balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper

Pour soup into a shallow bowl and microwave for 2 minutes. Stir in spices and top with remaining ingredients. Microwave 1 more minute, until hot.

Campbell’s Soup: Revisited

If most 20 something’s are like me, they own a lot of random artwork that is simply on the walls to be on the walls. You inherited it along the way, you saw something you didn’t hate at Target, it was left by a previous tenant. Decent art isn’t cheap, and it isn’t exactly functional. But how depressing are blank walls? We need it, so we settle.

But at some point, the art in one’s home should speak to the personality of the inhabitants. The classic Warhol Campbell’s Soup can jumped out at me. Taking an image from Pinterest to a poster on you wall is a few clicks away.

• Download the image onto your computer (at least 100KB)
• Upload image to Kinko’s website
• Determine poster size, locate nearest location and pay
• Pick up the next day!

But why not make it my own? I added some flare.

I love soup. I make it all the time. It deserves recognition on my walls. Voilà!

Frame + glitter = Target.

And so begins the process of making my walls make sense.

…Changing with the Leaves…

This has been a big week in my world. I accepted a new job, turned around and quit my current job, and jumped on a plane pointed for DC.

We spent the weekend in a lake house on Deep Creek Lake in Maryland, surrounded by a rainbow of leaves. It was a great reset button, preparing me for the transition into a new routine. I’m thrilled about the new position. I’ll be staying in furniture (which I’ve become obsessed with over the last year and a half) but I’ll be working more with clients, designers and bringing in new business, with less focus on the back-end details.

While on the topic of transitions, I’ve hit the 3 year mark of China’s Plate (!!!) I love this little blog, but I want it to encompass more of my interests. Aside from food, I’ve taken an interest in interior design and décor – partially influenced by my work in furniture. In preparation for a move into my own apartment, I want to start working on home design projects, and blogging has always been a motivator for me to actually DO the things I PLAN.

Therefore, this is my warning that soon - in addition to food - I will write about different aspects of planning for and decorating a home (realistically, a small SF apartment) that I’ve been dreaming about since I first moved out of my parents house and into the dorms. My home environment until this point has been transitional, mismatched, rundown and temporary. That is just the nature of the game when you live with roommates (most of whom, I’ve loved and enjoyed living with!) But the time has come to start building a real home.

…As if I wasn’t obsessed with Pinterest enough.

Kale, Goat Cheese, Apple & Sausage Stuffed Delicata Squash / Olive Oil & Sea Salt Brownie Cookies

We made it to Friday, team. Great work out there. Do you ever wonder if you might not make it? It’s kind of a silly fear, but every Friday there is a unanimous feeling of relief. This makes Friday evening the perfect time for a “treat yourself” meal (read: healthy and filling dinner, glass of wine and decadent dessert).  

My homie, Quin and I discussed the menu during our lunch break, while walking through Nordstroms in the zoo that is Westfield Mall. Look who found me and needed a home in the purse section:

Plus, a 25% off Tory sale doesn’t happen every day.

But I digress. Dinner had to be fall themed, as we are both obsessed with all things fall. For dessert, the chocolaty goodness of Something Swanky’s brownie cookies topped with TJ’s pumpkin ice cream (To. Die.)  For wine, Merlot.

Cheers to making it to the other side!

Kale, Goat Cheese, Apple & Sausage Stuffed Delicata Squash

2 delicata squash, halved and seeded
olive oil
salt and pepper
½ cup quinoa
1 spicy Italian sausage, removed from casing, crumbled and cooked
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
½ teaspoon dried sage
pinch cayenne
pinch nutmeg
1 Honey Crisp apple, diced
1 cup kale, chopped
2 tablespoons white wine
2 ounces goat cheese
red pepper flakes
¼ cup panko crumbs
2 tablespoons parmesan

To prepare squash, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place halved and seeded squash on a baking sheet and drizzle with a touch of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in a preheated oven for 25 minutes.

In a small sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add turkey sausage and onion, cooking until sausage is cooked through and onions are soft about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Stir sage, nutmeg, cayenne, salt and pepper into the sausage mixture. Add chopped kale, apple, and white wine. Give a good stir and then cover pan with a lid for 3-5 minutes, stirring a few times, until kale is starting to wilt and most of the moisture has evaporated. Remove filling from the stove and let cool 10 minutes.

Lastly, stir in goat cheese until mixed through and add salt and pepper to taste. Divide mixture among 4 halves and top with panko crumbs and parmesan cheese. Bake for 20 minutes until squash is cooked through.

Recipe inspired from Mountain Mama Cooks.