We have a wonderful Used Book Store in town.  It’s in an old home, so imagine each section in it’s own little room, most complete with quiet reading areas.  On the day I discovered this Roasted Garlic Bread Soup recipe, Shelby and I went in opposite directions.  If I recall she was looking for books on the Dalai Lama and I was in cookbook heaven.

I was flipping through an old cookbook, one printed back before every recipe came with full sized color pictures.  There were a few pages with the corners turned down, which is why I stayed with it.  One of those pages had a recipe for Roasted Garlic Bread Soup.  I’m certain I did a double take.  Roasted garlic bread soup.  I read that right.

Here’s How to Oven Roast Garlic.

I recall the simple recipe called for heads of roasted garlic, a loaf of crusty bread, chicken broth, cream, shallot, thyme, salt & pepper.  Without a picture, I wasn’t exactly sure what the finished result would look like.

I chose to top our soup with sautéed mushrooms and shaved parmesan cheese.  The finished result was a garlic lovers dream.  I’ve categorized this recipe under Appetizers as well as Soups.  While we loved the richness, we thought it was a bit heavy to eat a large bowl full.  Much better in cup sized servings, where every silken bite is savored.

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Roasted Garlic Bread Soup

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings 6 -8

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 1 loaf of crusty bread we used Tuscan Roasted Garlic Bread, about 5-6 cups cubed
• 2 heads of garlic
• 2 Tbl. olive oil divided
• 8 ounces fresh mushrooms sliced
• 2 Tbl. butter
• 1 shallot minced
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 3 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup cream
• salt & pepper to taste
• parmesan cheese

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Roast heads of garlic (see How To link in post).
• Large cube bread and spread on baking sheet. Toast in oven for 10-15 minutes, until slightly crispy. Reserve 1 cup of toasted cubes for serving.
• While garlic roasts, melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat, sauté mushrooms until browned nicely on both sides. Do not overcrowd pan. Work in batches if necessary. Reserve.
• In a soup pot, sauté shallot in 1 Tbl. olive oil until tender, add in thyme sprigs, chicken broth; bring to a simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes. Reduce to low; remove thyme, stir in cream, roasted garlic and toasted bread (less reserved one cup).
• Fold to combine, then puree lightly. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
• To serve, sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese, sautéed mushrooms & reserved toasted bread cubes.

The post Roasted Garlic Bread Soup appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Pumpkin Acorn Squash Soup {with Cumin Toasted Pumpkin Seeds}.

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Pumpkin Acorn Squash Soup {with Cumin Toasted Pumpkin Seeds}

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 6

Calories 115kcal

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 1 small sugar pumpkin
• 1 small acorn squash
• 1 small sweet potato
• 1 small head garlic
• 1 1/2 tsp. olive oil
• 1 med. onion diced
• 2 Tbl. butter
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• Pinch of nutmeg & cayenne pepper

For cumin roasted pumpkin seeds…

• seeds from the pumpkin about 1 cup
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• sea salt

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Cut pumpkin and acorn squash in half, remove seeds (reserve pumpkin seeds); then rub insides with olive oil. Pierce sweet potato with fork several times. Cut top off head of garlic and drizzle with olive oil and wrap in foil. Place veggies and garlic on shallow rimmed baking sheet and roast for 45 – 50 minutes or until fork tender.
• Meanwhile, sauté onion in a heavy bottom pot or Dutch oven until tender.
• Once done, remove roasted veggies from oven and allow to cool slightly. Using a fork or knife, scrape out the roasted flesh of the pumpkin, acorn squash, and sweet potato; add to the Dutch oven. Squeeze garlic head to remove roasted garlic; add to pot. Add broth, salt, pepper, nutmeg and cayenne pepper.
• Bring to boil then reduce & simmer for 10-15 minutes. Puree in batches in blender until smooth. Adjust seasoning to taste. Serve in individual bowls topped with toasted pumpkin seeds.

For cumin roasted pumpkin seeds…

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse pumpkin seeds to remove any pumpkin membrane. Dry between paper towels. Toss pumpkin seeds with olive oil, cumin and sprinkle of sea salt. Spread in a single layer on a shallow baking sheet. Roast for 8-10 minutes, stir then continue roasting 8-10 minutes. Keep an eye on them as they can go from perfectly golden brown to burned in a hurry. Allow to cool slightly before eating.

Notes

3 WW Pts+ per serving.

The post Pumpkin Acorn Squash Soup {with Cumin Toasted Pumpkin Seeds} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Shelby’s Yummus Hummus {Roasted Garlic & Herb}

If my kid had a signature recipe it would have to be her Yummus Hummus.  She started making it several years ago as she discovered a new passion for ‘real’ food.  This recipe was something she could make completely from scratch.  She actually took great pride in soaking the garbanzo beans overnight and getting up in the morning to make a batch before heading off to work.  I remember always hoping she would leave a little behind for mom.

I recently decided to give homemade hummus a go.  Let’s just say my first attempt did not compare to what I remember swiping from the food processor bowl as Shelby went out the door in the mornings.  So I did what any good mother would do.  I called my kid and begged her to come by and teach me how to make ‘her’ Yummus Hummus.

Because I wanted to incorporate roasted garlic, I prepared that ahead of time.  I had plenty of garbanzo beans left over from my attempt the day before.  Who knew an entire bag of garbanzo beans makes enough hummus to feed…oh 30 or so people.  I still have so much to learn.

I did learn that the key flavor ingredients are the garlic (roasted or not) and fresh lemon juice.  The key to creaminess is olive oil.  It seems I was being a bit stingy with the olive oil on my first attempt.  It got much better after Shelby arrived.

I chose to add a tablespoon of minced fresh herbs to our Yummus Hummus.  I also saved a few cloves of roasted garlic for the top, along with a drizzle of Paprika Oil.  It was a wonderful combination and far better than any store bought variety.

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Shelby’s Yummus Hummus {Roasted Garlic & Herb}

Course Appetizer

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 4 -6

Author Shelby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups presoaked and cooked garbanzo beans or canned
• 5-6 roasted garlic cloves or 3 raw garlic cloves
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 Tbl. fresh herbs minced (like lemony thyme, sage, rosemary)
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne
• 1/4 tsp. freshly cracked pepper
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• pita bread to serve

Instructions

• In the bowl of a food processor combine beans, garlic, lemon juice, herbs and seasonings. Pulse several times, scrapping down the sides, then with the processor running slowly drizzle in olive oil. Continue processing until smooth and creamy. Adjust seasonings to taste.
• Serve with pita bread wedges or chips.

The post Shelby’s Yummus Hummus {Roasted Garlic & Herb} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

One of my favorite soups is Roasted Garlic & Butternut Squash Soup.  Just the sound of it warms me and on a blustery day like today a nice big bowl full is in order.  This lightened up version is naturally very low in fat and high in fiber, making it a perfect go-to Weight Watcher recipe.

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Roasted Garlic & Butternut Squash Soup

Course Soup

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 6 Garlic cloves
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1 med. Butternut Squash diced
• 1 med. Sweet Potato diced
• 1 med. Onion diced
• 2 Tbl. butter
• 4 Cups Fat Free Chicken or Vegetable Broth
• 1 tsp. Paprika
• ½ tsp. Pepper
• ¼ tsp. Salt
• Pinch of nutmeg & cayenne pepper
• dollop of Fat Free Greek Yogurt or Sour Cream

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Wrap garlic drizzled with 1 tsp. olive oil in foil and bake for 20-25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, peel and dice butternut squash, sweet potato, and onion. Saute in 2 Tbl. butter until fork tender, 10 – 15 minutes. Add chicken broth, paprika, pepper, salt, pinch of nutmeg & cayenne pepper. Add roasted garlic.
• Bring to boil then reduce & simmer for 15 minutes. Then puree in batches in blender until smooth.
• Top with sour cream (we used FF Greek Yogurt) & cracked pepper.

Notes

This delicious and healthy soup is only 3 WW Pts+ per 1 cup serving.

The post Roasted Garlic & Butternut Squash Soup {Weight Watchers} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.