Lentil Pumpkin Soup

Many of my soup recipes include leftovers and a few other ingredients. A recent variation of lentil soup included about a cup of canned pumpkin that remained after making a pumpkin cake. The pumpkin thickened the lentil soup and created a delicious flavored soup.

Another ingredient I use in this recipe is Penzeys Spices country French vinaigrette salad dressing herb mix, which contains sugar, ground brown mustard seed, salt, garlic, black and white pepper, lemon peel, onion, French tarragon, chives, thyme, and rosemary. If you do not have this particular seasoning, you can substitute with a pinch of as many of these ingredients as you have on hand. Penzeys Spices can be purchased from www.penzeys.com or locally from the company’s Arlington store.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 stocks celery, diced
¼ cup parsley, snipped
1½ cups lentils, cooked
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 teaspoon Penzeys Spices country French vinaigrette
2 cups water
5 cups chicken broth
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
Pinch of red pepper flakes

In a medium stock pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and celery and sauté until onions are slightly cooked. Season with Penzeys spice, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Rinse and drain lentils, add to pot, and toast lentils for a minute. Cover with 1 cup water and chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook lentils for 30 minutes. Add more water as lentils cook, to maintain a broth covering. Add carrots. Stir occasionally to prevent soup from sticking to bottom. Cook until carrots and lentils are tender. Stir in pumpkin and snipped parsley. Add more water or chicken broth if soup is too thick.

Shrimp-with-Ginger Soup

A very simple and quick soup to fix.

⅓ cup carrots, julienned
¼ cup ginger, julienned
½ pound shrimp, cooked
4 cups chicken broth
½ cup escarole, cut into strips ¼-inch thick
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon white pepper

Heat broth in a medium stock pot; add julienned ginger and carrot; simmer for 20 minutes. Add cooked shrimp. Season with salt and pepper and simmer for 10 minutes longer. Add escarole and simmer until just limp. Serves four.