roasted vegetable chowder!

OMG this turned out SOOOOOO well I *must* share!!

Was perusing more vegan/GF blogs and found this recipe and decided on it (next week - Curry Butternut Squash Soup!) I guess it's the change in temperature or the changing season or something but I have found myself craving delicious creamy soups (and root vegetables OMG give me carrots and parsnips and sweet potatoes mmhm) and of course everything pre-made has either gluten or dairy or soy in it (seriously - start reading labels like *really* reading labels & it's just...scary.)
PLUS homemade *always* tastes better SO here is my afternoon adventure!

Note: This soup *was* pretty time consuming because you do have to roast the vegetables (and I found the suggested 45 minutes to *not* be enough - I roasted them for about 1 hour 15 minutes at 375degrees) but it is TOTALLY worth it and it makes probably 6-8 large hearty servings! (and this is like - stick to your rib kind of hearty soup!)

I would *also* suggest this soup for anyone with kids/man-children who don't like vegetables. It's all ground up so they won't *know* what's in it. It's a really pretty orange colour & not too strongly flavoured.
Just say it's "carrot/potato soup" (which is partially true anyhow). *hehe*
(And no this isn't for Stef *lol* he actually really likes vegetables!)

Roasted Vegetable Chowder!
From this website http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2008/10/roasted-vegetable-chowder.html (my revisions/suggestions noted below)

INGREDIENTS
1 sweet onion, diced
5 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 medium gold potatoes,scrubbed, diced
1 large sweet potato, peeled, diced
2 large carrots, scrubbed, chopped
2 parsnips, peeled, chopped
2 cups chopped cauliflower pieces
5-6 plum tomatoes, halved, seeded
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
2 teaspoons dried thyme
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
1 quart of organic vegetable broth
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup plain hemp or coconut milk

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Combine the onion, garlic cloves, gold and sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips, cauliflower and tomatoes in a roasting pan and toss with the olive oil, fennel and thyme. Season with sea salt and fresh pepper, to taste.
3. Add about a cup of the broth and a half cup of wine to the pan and roast the vegetables for about 45 to 50 minutes, until they are tender. Stir at least once during roasting.
4. When the veggies are roasted, pour the rest of the broth into a soup pot and bring to a high simmer.
5. Add the roasted vegetables (including any liquid and all the bits and pieces from the pan). Cover the soup pot and simmer gently for about 10 to 15 minutes.
6. Using an immersion blender puree the soup
7. Add the hemp or coconut milk, stir and taste for seasoning adjustments, and warm through gently. Add more liquid if your soup is thicker than you prefer; if it is too thin, cook a little longer to reduce the liquid.

Serve with Skillet Cornbread, or crispy Brown Rice Tortilla Chips or gluten-free Pumpkin Corn Muffins.

Changes to recipe I made:

• I used new potatoes (4 small - peeled & diced), 3 organic carrots of large-ish size, 3 parsnips, a whole red onion and about 4 shallots. And 5 GIANORMOUS cloves of garlic from Stef's Mom's garden. Probably doubled the garlic overall but it *totally* is not overpowering. So there's definitely room to play with this recipe. I'll probably add some zucchini next time around. And maybe some mushrooms? *mmhm*
• I only put in 2/3 cup of coconut milk. It is already pretty rich. Try adding a bit at a time. I didn't think it needed the extra 1/3 cup. Then I got to drink some coconut milk & lick the can...gaaaaaaah! So good. Love that stuff even without rum!
• As noted above, I roasted the veggies (uncovered) for 1 hour 15 minutes. Boiled them in stock for 20 minutes then immersion blendered them. Seriously - my immersion blender gets me so hot. I love that thing. *Vrrrrooooooom!*

Next time:

• Seriously - only salt/pepper/fennel/thyme. It might be tempting to add a shit-tonne more flavour but these just...amplify that warm delicious rooty flavour. Try it as-is the first time. Trust me. The simplicity is awesome!
• Served with sausage. I think this would be FABULOUS with a spicy organic GF sausage of some kind. I'd just cook it in the oven or something & slice it up/add it in after cooking. That way when veggie friends come to visit you can offer them the soup. And then make it meaty for the me or the man/etc.  
• With the skillet cornbread, pretty much in heaven. So good.

Awesome recipe. Simple. A bit time-consuming but totally worth it. I have a ton in the fridge/freezer. (and some leek/potato soup still too!)

Note: Skillet Cornbread
From: http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2007/12/skillet-cornbread-with-green-chiles.html
I also made this tonight (in a springform pan not a skillet - which worked really well!) I will post a note about the recipe once I really like it! It tastes fabulous but really falls apart. Like, a lot. So will make a few additions and post it probably next weekend!