Red Lentil Soup with Sweet Potato, Kale & Herbs

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The Kitchen Beet - Winter Red Lentil soup

For the sake of all parents (and all people with taste buds), you should have this soup recipe. I’m particularly smitten with it because my children will eat it without fuss, and I happen to really enjoy family meals that involve us all sitting around the table, eating. (Such a novel idea!) It comes together easily, is pretty inexpensive to make, and if you do yourself the favor of chopping the leeks, sweet potatoes and kale beforehand, you’ll be impressed with how quickly you get it on the table. Here in Michigan we’re trying to maximize our time outside and enjoy the latest snowfall. I’d be hard-pressed to find something I relish in more than a hearty, veggie-filled bowl of soup after a couple of hours on the cross country trails.

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Mango Coconut Curry

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TKB - Curry brightened

I have that mid-January thing that always seems to sneak up on me…runny nose, sinus pressure, sneezy coughing fits. I’m not complaining, really, as winter is generally a season of slowing down for me anyways. I’ve really embraced these cold, white months in recent years. I’m grateful for all they offer – skiing, sledding, indoor soccer followed by brunch, leisurely girls’ nights with the best conversation, Hope and MSU basketball games and even a Griffins hockey game this past weekend. I also spend more time in the winter curling up with a good book, even more so when I’m sniffly. It likely won’t surprise you that, during my leisure reading time, you would often find me thumbing through cookbooks. Most recently I’ve been reading, learning and taking notes as I look through Zahav, What Katie Ate on the Weekend, Near and Far, The Kripalu Cookbook and the My New Roots Cookbook. I recently picked up Shauna Niequist’s Bread and Wine again, and I’m so glad I did. Her voice is like a hug from an old friend  – we’ve never met, but I’m certain I’m not the only one who feels that way. This lovely book alternates between essay and recipe; her true love for food shines in a way that lets me know she is my kind of person.

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Southwest Quinoa Chili

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The Kitchen Beet - Southwest Quinoa Chili

I’m holding consistent with my last post – it’s soup season! This makes a large batch, so it’s perfect for dinner now and freezing half for later. Or, if you’re cooking Thirty-Two Project style, ideal for feeding your family, and another family! Sometimes, I wish the current pace of my life lent to more leisurely cooking, instead of bordering on my near frenetic speed in the kitchen. I know this is a season. Audrey already plays more independently than she did a year ago, and soccer practice for Aidan means a wave good-bye, not parking myself in a lawn chair for an hour and a half to watch. But there’s not as much margin in my schedule as I’d personally like, and moving slowly throughout the kitchen is a luxury I’m not often afforded. This Quinoa Chili is not only a hearty, healthy meal, but ideal for those times when concentrated focus at the stove is minimal.

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Vichyssoise (AKA Easy Potato Soup)

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The Kitchen Beet - Potato Soup

If I didn’t love the name The Kitchen Beet so much, I could’ve easily titled it “The Kitchen Soup.” This happy little food blog started in late spring of this year, so you really haven’t had the chance to learn one of my truths: When all else fails, make soup. It’s so forgiving (I mean, you have to work to mess up soup). Generally speaking, it only requires a cutting board, knife, measuring cup or two, measuring spoons and a big pot. This makes for happy dishwashers. It’s an excellent way to use up a variety of veggies. You get the point. I love soup. There will be lots of soup. I hope you love soup, too.

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Weeknight Vegetable Red Curry with Brown Rice

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The Kitchen Beet - Weekday Vegetable Red Curry

You know those evenings where you’re flying around, because one kid has soccer practice and you’re trying to get a run in while pushing your other little person in the jogger. You manage to get the kids fed well, but your husband is coaching, and you’re going to work out anyways, so you don’t really eat a proper meal yourself until…ah. He’s home. Showers/baths are done. Stories have been read. Snuggles have been given. Kiddos are in bed. You’re tempted to order take-out, because you’re pretty darn tired at this point, and definitely hungry. But you don’t! You make this curry. It’s flexible, really easy to pull together and feeds you and your partner (or whoever you might be sharing with!) heartily. Unless you’re having multiple servings, one of you even gets lunch for the next day. Bonus!

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