Cake, Batter, and Bowl

Spiced Pumpkin Soup with Turkey Bacon

Soups, Travel

We had a blast in Chicago this weekend, but now I’m exhausted and it’s only the beginning of the week! There wasn’t a moment of downtime between Emily’s wedding downtown, navigating our way through the suburbs to visit our friends with babies, and squeezing in meals with both our brothers (Rick Bayless’ XOCO was excellent by the way, and I’m still dreaming of the pork belly soup and Aztec hot chocolate!). We had so much fun seeing everyone. Here’s a picture with the gorgeous bride!

And two of my best friends from college, Susie and Emily!

One of the non-wedding highlights of the trip was that I got to meet Meghan of You’re Gonna Bake it After All! Meghan and I bonded right away because we started our blogs around the same time and both went to graduate school in Chicago. In fact, we both got our PhDs in cancer biology, believe it or not – what a small world! She is just as gorgeous, smart, warm, and down to earth as she comes across in her blog, and it really felt like we had been friends for a long time as we chatted over brunch at Yolk.

When I ordered the Tuscan Frittata, she just smiled knowingly and commented that she thought I may get that one because it was topped with goat cheese. Yep, she knows me well! So today’s spiced pumpkin soup recipe is for Meghan, who is a big soup and turkey bacon fan!

Spiced Pumpkin Soup with Turkey Bacon
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 slices turkey bacon, chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon garam marsala
3 cups chicken stock
1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

Directions:
Heat olive oil in a large stockpot over medium high heat and add bacon to the pan; cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until crispy. Drain on paper towels.

Add onions and carrots to the same stockpot and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes or until soft. Add garlic, curry powder, turmeric, and garam marsala, and sauté one additional minute or until fragrant. Add chicken stock, pumpkin, 3/4 of the cooked turkey bacon, and salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and let simmer for 20 minutes. Use an immersion blender and puree to desired smoothness. Mix in white wine vinegar. Scoop into bowls and garnish with remaining turkey bacon. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition: 220 calories, 11.3g fat, 4.0g fiber, 10.6g protein per serving
Cost: $1.15 per serving

Chicken Florentine Soup

Wow – I was hoping we were done with the snow for this year, but Mother Nature had other plans for the Northeast. I actually don’t mind the snow too much, because I don’t have to worry about driving on the slick roads. I have a pair of cute snow boots (thanks Mom!)...

Sesame Chicken with Soba Noodles

I spent the last week at a science conference in Colorado – check out the gorgeous views! While most people ski during the afternoon breaks at Keystone meetings, I decided against pushing my luck with my poor knee that has been acting up again when I jog. I did get to...

Triple Tomato Chicken Panini

My parents visited us last weekend! We started things off perfectly by enjoying some delicious pizza at Emma’s Thursday night. Then on Friday, I snuck out of work a bit early to check out the Chihuly exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts with them - amazing! I think my...

Indian Spiced Cauliflower, Potato, and Pea Soup

My mom is very cute. She recently ordered my brother a few pairs of new jeans from Banana and told me she also wanted to get me a present to keep things “even.” My brother is currently following his dream of becoming a music producer and is devoting all his extra time...

Roasted Yellow Pepper and Leek Soup

The first thing I always do when I’m planning a vacation is figure out where to eat. In fact, I would say our days tend be structured by what activities are around the restaurants we want to visit! I had more difficultly than usual planning our NYC trip because my mom...

Caribbean Sweet Potato and Plantain Soup

Well hello, I hope you all had a lovely Christmas celebration! We unplugged for the week and met my parents and brother in Palm Beach, Florida. A relaxing break with warm weather was just what we needed to recharge and it was so nice to spend time with my family. We...

Fall Breakfast Hash with Cheesy Scrambled Eggs

Apolinaras and I recently traveled to Portland, Oregon, for my dear friend Britt’s wedding. Britt, Annika, and I were inseparable during college and whenever we’re together, it’s like nothing has changed - we had soooo much fun!  Britt and her new hubby Ben were just...

Asparagus Arugula Salad with Ricotta and Goat Cheese

Time for our anniversary trip recap! Apolinaras and I got married over Memorial Day weekend in 2004 and we always try to take a little vacation over the holiday weekend to celebrate. This year we went to Portland, Maine, which is a super fun foodie destination right...