Roasted Vegetable Soup (Paleo, Gluten-free, Vegetarian) and Pompeian Olive Oil

I know what you're thinking, but there is no pumpkin in this soup.

Parsnips, turnips, and sweet potatoes, yes, but no pumpkin.  See?  I'm branching out into other fall flavors.

This soup is sweet, creamy, and comforting.  Roasting the vegetables with thyme and olive oil gives them great flavor (as does a generous splash of wine).  In my opinion, though, serving the soup with a dollop of tangy creme fraiche and drops of rich olive oil is what really makes it so fabulous.

This recipe is inspired by a bottle of Pompeian extra virgin olive oil that I was given and asked to review.  I often cook with olive oil, but I had not given a lot of thought to what makes a particular olive oil special.  So, since this is a product review, I tasted some of Pompeian's olive oil plain, and also tasted some of the other brand of olive oil that I've been using for the past few months.  Both of the oils were very flavorful and robust, but I preferred the taste of the Pompeian.  It had a smoother flavor than the other oil, which tasted a little more jarring to me.  Since I liked the taste of Pompeian plain, I knew I would love it in the context of a delicious soup.  Click here if you'd like to learn more about Pompeian and get a coupon for $1 off.  Also, you can click here to like Pompeian on Facebook, and click here to take a survey and be entered to win $200!

Here, olive oil is used for roasting the vegetables, sauteing the onion to make the base, and for finishing the soup.  I love this olive oil as a finish because you can really taste the earthy goodness of it, which is a great counterpoint to the sweet roasted veggies.  I hope you love this soup as much as I do!

P.S.  Pompeian extra virgin olive oil is monitored for quality by the US Department of Agriculture, and quality-certified by the North American Olive Oil Association.  Did you know there's a lot of fraudulent olive oil being imported and sold in our country?  Sometimes olive oil labeled as "extra-virgin" has lower-quality olive oils mixed in, or even other oils altogether (like canola).  Tom Mueller has written a whole book about it called Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil. You can also read a blog post about it here.

Pumpkin Cake with Molasses Cream (Paleo, Gluten-free)

It is only September 21st, and I may already be tired of pumpkin.

I mean, "tired" is a little extreme--I probably just need one week off, and then I'll be ready to get back on the pumpkin train.

The reason is that I had to make this pumpkin cake four or five times.  The first time, I tried to make a vegan version using flax eggs.  I baked the cake for a long, long time, but it still did not set completely.  It had a fabulous flavor, but it was like a pudding-cake.  After cutting off a few slices, the rest of the loaf couldn't even hold itself together, and slumped into the delicious pumpkin version of an old, dilapidated house.

The next time I made it, it ended up staying in the oven for over three hours (not on purpose).  You can see it here (and I'd be thrilled if you followed me on Instagram!).  The third time, I substituted molasses for the honey, and the cake was so dark that it looked burnt even though it wasn't.  I wanted a nice orange color, at least on the inside of the cake, so I tried a fourth time.  I loved the molasses flavor, so I used it in the glaze, along with some creme fraiche (my new favorite thing).  Finally, I got a cake I loved!  It's still very moist, but it hasn't fallen apart yet.  The molasses cream and pecans really take it over the top.  If you're not a nut person, you could try adding a similar amount of chocolate chunks.  I added them to the first batch and it was fabulous.

So, hopefully you're not tired of pumpkin!  I promise to feature a different main ingredient in my next recipe.