Seasonal soup: beans, greens and winter squash

I'm not much of a soup maker. Sure I like to eat it, but I hate the humongous quantities you end up with. Having leftovers once or twice is great, but more than that and I cannot stomach it. Luckily, this soup made just enough for four meals-- two for each of us in the house.

The other great thing about soup is that just as soup-weather hits, the best soup-making ingredients come into season. Fresh pinto beans came in my weekly farm share so I wouldn't normally have them, but the other ingredients are fairly common. The sweet, buttery delicata (winter) squash and dark, nutty Tuscan kale hold up well under multiple reheatings, and their flavors really shine through. Of course, feel free to experiment-- you can't really go wrong with soup.

Pinto, kale and delicata soup

vegan, gluten-free

serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 C pinto (or your favorite) beans
  
  or 1 C uncooked pintos, soaked overnight and cooked in twice as much water for about two hours, until fork-tender
• olive oil
• 1 medium delicata (or other sweet winter squash)
• 1 onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, diced or run through a press
• 1 C vegi ham, diced (tempeh bacon would work too)
• 4 C chopped kale (lacinato/Tuscan/black is my favorite, any heat-resistant green will work)
• 14 oz chopped tomatoes and their juice (that's a small can or half a large one)
• 4 C vegetable broth
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tsp celery salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp chipotle powder (or cayenne) *optional
• 1 tsp salt (to taste)

Directions

• Prepare beans if they're not already cooked.
• Roast delicata your favorite way, or...
  
  Cut squash in half. Clean out seeds with a spoon. Cut halves lengthwise into four pieces each, then slice 1/2" chunks from each slice. Pour 1-2 tbsp olive oil on a baking sheet and toss squash on it til the sheet and squash are both coated. Roast at 375 for 15 minutes, flip, and roast for another 10-15 minutes, til both sides are golden brown.
• In a big stock pot, heat 1-2 tbsp olive oil on medium. Saute onions 5-10 minutes. I like mine browned and well done.
• Add garlic and vegi-ham, stir for 2 minutes. Add kale, saute til darker green, but not wilted, about 5 minutes.
• Add tomatoes, broth, spices and beans. Simmer for 10-20 minutes, until everything is cooked through and flavors taste melded. Add delicata about halfway through. Serve hot!