Feeding the Runner: Roasted Eggplant Soup

In the bible of running, Once a Runner, Quentin Cassidy lives by the mantra, "If the furnace is hot enough, anything will burn." As much fun as that philosophy may be, it's not the approach most runners take these days. With that in mind, I'm going to start doing the occasional post on healthy recipes for runners (and other people too). Bon appetit! 

Monday was Columbus Day, a holiday for many of us on the East Coast. Having the day off was the perfect excuse for a nice 13 miler but it was also a good excuse for a visit to the Union Square Greenmarket.

My greenmarket haul, ready to go.

For those who don't live in NYC, the Union Square Greenmarket is the largest farmers' market in the city but unfortunately it only goes until 6pm during the week so I don't get to go very often.(Yes, they also have it on Saturdays, but somehow I never seem to make it then either).

Since the cool weather has finally hit I knew I was in the mood for soup but figured I would let the produce inspire me. That strategy worked great! After scouring the market I decided on eggplants, tomatoes, and onions--all of the necessary ingredients for Roasted Eggplant Soup. Eggplants are nearing the end of their season so I figured I'd better do something with them before they're gone.

This soup is surprisingly easy--you simply roast all the ingredients, simmer them together on the stove, purée, and then eat.

I made a couple modifications to the recipe, first by making it vegan (no, I'm not vegan, but I use almond milk on my cereal and in my coffee so that's what I had on hand). Second, although I was sure I had some thyme it my spice cabinet, turns out I was wrong, so I substituted cumin and curry powder instead. You know what? It turned out super tasty.

Post-roast.

See my version of the recipe after the jump.



Roasted Eggplant Soup
(adapted from Epicurious)
Note: The original recipe says this serves 4, but for hungry runners it's more like 3.

3 medium tomatoes, halved
1 1/2 lbs of eggplant (I used three small ones), halved lengthwise
1 medium onion, halved
1 head of garlic (I really like garlic but you could do less--for specific instructions on roasting garlic, check out this link)
Olive oil for drizzling
1 tsp. cumin
1 tbsp. curry powder (feel free to use more)
4 cups of vegetable broth
1/4 almond milk

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place tomatoes, eggplant, onion and garlic on large baking sheet. Drizzle the olive oil on the veggies. Roast the vegetables until they're tender and brown in spots--for me this took about 55 minutes. 

Remove the veggies from the oven. Scoop the eggplant from its skin into heavy large saucepan (careful not to burn yourself!). Add the remaining roasted veggies, curry, and cumin to the same saucepan. Add the stock and bring it to a boil then reduce the heat to simmer. Cook until the onion is very tender, about 45 minutes. 

Now let it cool slightly before pureeing it in batches in the blender. Return the soup to the saucepan and stir in your almond milk. Season with salt and pepper and enjoy!