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Hey all! Happy Friday! I have to admit that the weekends are even sweeter now that my husband is blessedly back at work. I miss him a lot during the week because we had so much time together during his sabbatical. I try to make sure that when he gets home on weeknights that we have a nice dinner to sit down to together as a family. Sometimes, because the kids have commitments, or he comes home late, its not always easy.

In the past, we would get takeout in that kind of situation, or we would throw leftovers into the microwave, for a listless rubbery substitute of a dinner. Since I have been cooking a more traditionally, I have a ton of things in the fridge that can be thrown together in a snap for good eats. There is always sourdough bread, home made chicken or beef stock, Cheeeese, braunschwieger, veggies, eggs, bacon, other left overs, yogurt, milk, etc. etc. and with a little creativity, you can come up with something nourishing, but also delicious and heart warming.

Yesterday, I visited Butter’s blog Hunger and Thirst and read about her Cream of Cruddy Old Vegetable Soup, where she transforms limp veggie drawer rejects into a delicious soup.  I looked into my veggie drawer and saw a few carrots and some sad turnips, but I really didn’t have the time to cook them for a soup. I was about to close the fridge when I spied a glass bowl filled with some pureed roasted root vegetables.

This was the left overs from a culinary mistake I had tried a few days back when I had to cut my experimenting in root vegetable latkes because my basement was flooding. I slapped the puree into a bowl and went to assist in the clean up. I had pretty much forgotten about them, and before seeing the recipe over at Butter’s blog, I probably would have just heated them up in a pan as a side for some future meal, but I had been inspired.  The alchemy of transformation was running through my veins….and so….Creamy Vegetable Soup was born.

I won’t lie, and I won’t be humble–it was amazing–it was stupendous–my kids scrapped their bowls and asked for more…but alas–there was no more…until next time I make roasted root vegetables, and I make a LOT more….

A Moderate Life-Creamy Roasted Root Vegetable Soup

Serves Four

Soup

4 Tablespoons  Butter
2 Cups Chicken Stock (I make home made and will put up and link the recipe later)
1 Cup Whole Milk
4 Cups  Roasted Root Vegetables
–You can use any previously cooked root vegetables, either steamed or roasted, but you should include some carrots and potatoes for sweetness and body.  You will also need to add some spices of your choice to replace those in the linked recipe.
1/4 Cup  Plain Yogurt or Cream
4 Tablespoons  Cream Cheese or Yogurt Cheese
1/2 Tablespoon Garlic Powder
Fresh Ground Pepper to taste
Sea Salt to taste

Add ins

Sourdough Croutons (yep, that recipe is coming!)
Crumbled Sheep’s Milk Feta Cheese
Crumbled Uncured Pastured Bacon
Wilted Wild Arugula (throw 2 cups of Arugula into a buttered cast iron frying pan, salt, pepper and garlic, stir and take out of the pan the minute it turns dark and limp.)

In a heavy bottomed sauce pan, melt the butter on medium heat.  Add the leftover vegetables and toss lightly to heat through.  Pour in the chicken stock and turn up the heat to medium high, stir and cover to bring to a simmer for about 5 minutes.

Using either a hand blender or a Vitamix, blend the veggies and chicken stock together until smooth. Stir in the cream cheese on medium heat whisking constantly until melted.  Add the milk and mix thoroughly until well distributed and heat on medium for about 5-10 minutes until steaming but not boiling. Add the garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Right before serving, stir in the yogurt/cream and mix until assimilated.

Spoon into bowls and then pick your own add ins or just enjoy its creamy goodness alone with freshly buttered sourdough.  Its silky, warm, a bit sweet, and bacony due to the bacon fat in the leftover roasted veggies, but its not overpowering. My kids loved it and asked me to make it again! You know I will with rave reviews like that from teens.

Enjoy the weekend folks! This article is a part of the Hearth and Soul Hop-volume 34,  Chaya’s new breakfast and lunch linky on Tuesdays called Let’s Do Brunch andFight Back Friday!

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