Q: I have a fabulous go-to butternut squash soup recipe that is really simple: onions, spices, stock, and squash softened in a deep pot and pureed with a hand blender. However, as summertime looms, it's tough to find good squash at the grocery store. What spring/summer vegetables would you suggest using in this type of simple soup?

Miso soup made from scratch will always be the best, but when I'm traveling, I have no shame about sipping the instant stuff. It's a tasty, energy-boosting alternative to all the fatty and sugary foods you usually find on the road, plus it's super light to pack! 

When Cambria asked Faith and myself for some help coming up with a main course for her Spring Vegetarian Dinner Party for Six, at first we couldn't decide. Faith thought it should be creamy and green. Cambria wanted a vegetarian dish that wasn't just another platter of pasta. I advocated for something satisfying and hearty, but still light enough for a spring meal. The final vote was unanimous: a pureed soup of peppery spring watercress served with warm goat cheese dumplings. Done and done. This recipe is a winner.

Q: I'm making pozole this weekend and want to use dried corn (not canned). I'm confused because many sites describe treating the corn with lye (nixtamalization), while other sites imply that some dried corn has already been treated. I purchased the dry corn shown here: maiz morado para pozole (purple corn for pozole).

A simple puréed soup is something I turn to often, usually relying on a creamy tomato, but lately I've been relying instead on a lightly-spiced cauliflower soup. Cauliflowers are easy to come by and quite inexpensive at the markets (in Seattle anyway), so as you sit and wait for true spring produce (peas, favas, asparagus!), this is a good recipe to tide you over. 

You may be thinking that a recipe for a thick, hearty soup is a bit odd considering that yesterday was the first day of spring. But this Spanish bean soup is not just any soup. Rather, it is a soup sent straight from the soup gods (if the soup gods took the form of my future mother-in-law).

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One of the challenges of entertaining these days are the many food allergies, issues, sensitivities and aversions guests can bring with them to the table. It's impossible to please everyone, but this soup goes a long way towards universal satisfaction and joy. Made with ground cashews instead of cream and kicked up with an array of savory herbs and spices, it is the perfect thing to serve when you have mixed company. But don't make it just because it's vegan-friendly and easy. Make it because it's absolutely, amazingly delicious.

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My husband made this soup for me last night, and it was amazingly delicious — incredibly flavorful and filling, with just the right amount of spiciness. I could hardly wait for a second bowl. More

I don't much go for the trappings of Valentine's Day, but I do appreciate the excuse to cook something brilliantly, undeniably pink. Most often that means playing with beets, and this year I'm roasting them up to make a velvety, magenta-colored soup. More

Rich and creamy lobster bisque is a perennial Valentine's Day favorite, but it's a dish that can be daunting to the uninitiated and daunting to the wallet. After tinkering with a traditional (and expensive) recipe last week, I knew there must be an easier (and cheaper!) way. Turns out, there is.

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