Recipe: Savory Pumpkin & Roasted Veggie Bisque Soup

Just whipped this recipe up while experimenting in the kitchen this past week, and it's proven to be quite the hit! This soup is savory, creamy, with a hint of sweetness and a slight kick.

You will need:
Olive Oil
4 Cups Pureed Pumpkin
6 Cups Coconut Milk
Large Handful of Dandelion Greens, washed. (If you are not the foraging type, substitute with your favorite green)
1/8 cup chopped cilantro
1 Red Pepper
2 Cups Mushrooms
1 Large Onion
6 Cloves Garlic
1/2 Teaspoon Nutmeg

Spices to taste (Very Important! This is what makes the soup delicious!)
Spicy Curry
Garam Masala
Sea Salt
Ground Pepper

1. In large pot, bring coconut milk, pureed pumpkin, and dandelion greens to a boil. Once boiled, bring to a simmer.
2. Chop onion & red pepper and mince garlic cloves. Heat over medium heat in skillet with 2 Tbsp Olive Oil.
3. Once onion and peppers are soft and beginning to brown, add mushrooms. When mushrooms are brown and vegetables are roasted (slightly browned), add to soup pot
4. Let soup simmer. Add cilantro. Now comes the tricky part. I very rarely measure my spices. As individual taste may vary, so will preference of spices. Continually add dashes of each spice (Except the nutmeg). Taste periodically and continue to add dashes of spices until soup develops desired levels of savory and spicy.
5. Continue to stir the soup periodically. After soup has simmered at least 15 minutes, add nutmeg. Stir and simmer 5 more minutes. Turn off heat, stir and serve!
6. Garnish with fresh red pepper, dandelion blossoms, fresh cilantro, or whatever you like! This is a very eastern inspired soup. If you or your party guests desire adventure for their palate, this soup is for you!

Foraging Recipe: Lilac Jam!

April showers bring May flowers. Some of the most beautiful of May's flowers include lilacs. Surely you know the fragrant flower clusters by name, sight, and scent..but did you know they make a kick-ass Jam? Lilacs are the very essence of spring. Here is a recipe that will allow you to bottle up the taste of spring for months to come. 

The ingredients you'll need:
 2 cups, loosely packed lilac blossoms, without green parts & stems
Juice of 1 fresh lemon
3/4 cup water
2 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup water (a second time)
1 pkg. Sure-Jel pectin

Directions: Put 3/4 cup water and the lilac blossoms in a blender and blend well. Add the lemon juice and notice how the lilac paste turns a richer purple as soon as the lemon juice hits the dull purple paste. Add the sugar and blend again to dissolve. Next, stir the package of pectin into the second 3/4 cup water in a sauce pan and bring it to a boil, continuing to boil hard for 1 minute. Pour the hot pectin into the blender with the lilac paste. Blend again and pour into jars or small storage containers. Let cool, then cover with lids and store in the freezer. The jam will turn a deeper purple as it sets up. You can dip out the jam whenever you want some.

And, it tastes like spring, too! This will keep in the freezer for about 1 year! :)