Gluten Free Sweet Potato, Squash and Curry Soup

Ok, so I tried this one last week, completely made it up. I found the inspiration at my favorite Portland tea shop Tea Chai Te on NW 23rd. This is a must try, it is the perfect comfort food for fall and it utilizes some of the best fall veggies.

What you need:
. 1 medium sized acorn squash
. 1 sweet potato
. 24 oz of vegetable stock (or chicken stock)
. 2 tbsp Curry powder
. 1 tsp salt
. 1 tsp pepper
. 1 tsp cayenne pepper
. Nutmeg to taste- goes on at the end.
. Organic mozzarella cheese (optional)
. Organic corn chips

What to do:
First, cut up the sweet potato, and squash into smaller pieces, skin them and bake them at 400 degrees F for about 35 minutes. While the veggies are cooking, pour vegetable stock into a large pot and bring to a boil with spices, then let simmer. When the vegetables are soft to the poke of a fork, put them in a blender, along with the vegetable stock infused with spices. Blend until creamed nicely, will yield a "bisque-like" texture. Put blended mixture back in the pot to boil for 5 minutes. Then sprinkle with nutmeg, mozzarella cheese and serve with corn chips on the side! Enjoy :)

Gluten-Free, Vegan, and Dairy-Free Chili

This chili is to DIE for. It's a hardy meal that is sure to deliver, and is packed full of flavor. This recipe takes roughly 30 minutes to make, and there is some prep time, but overall it's great for a cold day, or when you need a filling, protein chalked meal.

2 cups red Navy beans
1 whole sweet onion (retain 1/4 cup for topping)
1 red, green or yellow bell pepper
1/2 cup brown rice
1/2 tbsp fine sea salt
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp pepper
1 pinch cheyenne pepper
1 tsp chili pepper paste
1 12 oz can diced tomatoes (drain juice)
1 12 oz can garbanzo beans
Vegan sour cream
Vegan cheese

First, start out by soaking the navy beans in 8 cups of water for 8 hours. If you want to prevent the bad gas, this is the way to do it! Next, drain the beans, put them in a large stew pot with 1 inch of water over them and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, dice the onion and sauté with the salt in a large skillet with coconut oil and the salt for 5 minutes or until soft. then add cumin, oregano, black pepper, cheyenne pepper, and chili paste. Let cook for another 3-4 minutes. Then add onion mixture into the bean pot, along with the garbanzo beans, tomatoes, rice and bell pepper. Cook for 30 minutes, or until beans and rice are tender. Serve into bowls topped with the retained onion, vegan cheese shredded and a dollop of vegan sour cream. Serve warm and enjoy!

To come next: Gluten free monkey bread.