Harvest Butternut Squash Soup

This recipe is such a great base for honestly every squash, vegetable, or raccoon (Ellen) soup you can think of. Delicious! I have used it with pumpkin, acorn and butternut squash, and beets and it always taste great, or so I've been told. It even took third place in a chili cook off because it was so tasty. I definitely taste it as I go and I've been known to add A LOT more spices than what it originally calls for depending on my mood. Also I add fresh garlic to everything. That should just be a given. The recipe calls for pure maple syrup and although that sounds amazing I've used everything else other than that, i.e. honey, agave, brown sugar, and whatever else I have lying around. When I use a pumpkin I like to toast the seeds and garnish the soup with them as well. Here goes...

1 Butternut Squash, peeled, medium diced
1/4 C. Olive Oil
Pinch of salt & pepper
1 medium yellow onion diced
1 T. Butter
3 C. Chicken Stock
1/2 C. Heavy Whipping Cream
Pinch Nutmeg
Pinch Cloves
1 T. Curry
1/4 C. Pure Maple Syrup

In a French bowl toss butternut squash with olive oil and salt and pepper. Place squash on sheet tray and roast in the oven at 350 degrees for 10-15 min or until browned. While squash is roasting, place onion in a sauce pot with butter and sweat until translucent. Add chicken stock to sauce pot and roasted squash. Boil until squash is tender. Place in a blender and puree until smooth. Return to sauce pot, season and finish with cream. Top with roasted pepitas. Serve. (This is so easy if you have an electric hand blender. I just pour the squash in the pan and blend it right there. I have blended the squash in a blender but it is messier and takes longer. )

creamy corn soup

Martha Stewart + 4 ingredient recipe = the impossible, right? Seriously, I didn't know such a thing existed. I'm trying it tonight. Unfortunately, I'll be using frozen corn...

Creamy Corn Soup

Capture the sweetness of fresh corn in this four-ingredient soup. Freeze portions for up to six months, and then heat them straight from the freezer.

Everyday Food, Volume 14 July/August 2004

• Prep Time20 minutes
• Total Time25 minutes
• YieldServes 8

Ingredients

16 ears yellow corn

• 4 tablespoons butter (cut into small pieces)
• 1 tablespoon coarse salt
• Tortilla chips (optional)
• Lime wedges (optional)
• Scallions sliced (optional)

Directions

1. Remove husks and silks from corn. Holding ears in a large bowl, slice off kernels (to yield about 10 cups). When slicing corn from cobs, work in a deep bowl to catch the kernels and any juices. In two batches, puree kernels and accumulated juices with a total of 2 cups water until chunky.

2. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, cook pureed corn, butter, 4 cups water, and salt until butter is melted and soup is heated through, 5 minutes.

3. Serve hot, garnished with tortilla chips, lime wedges, and sliced scallions, as desired. Or let cool, then freeze in individual servings; reheat over medium-low (or in microwave).

   Photo and recipe via.

   
   

   For a fancier corn soup, this one looks delightful: via Bon Appetite.

Quinoa & Chickpeas

We had dinner at my brother and sister in-law's house last weekend and, as always, the food was not only delicious but healthy. They are a vegetarian family that cooks with almost all fresh vegetables and fruit, as well as a variety of whole grains, all of the time. And they do it really, really well. We had a fresh salad with beets and endive from Martha Stewart with my sister in-law's own quinoa creation:

Quinoa & Chickpeas

serves 3

One cup of quinoa and two cups water in pot.

Cook for about 15 minutes bringing to a simmer and then turning down the heat.

Add one can of chickpeas (drained) and one can of drained diced tomatoes (diced) with minced garlic OR cooked fresh tomatoes with minced garlic (1 clove) in a saucepan and drain a lot of juice before mixing with quinoa and chickpeas.

Add about half to three-fourths teaspoon of cumin or to taste and then salt and pepper to taste.

Add a sprinkling of coriander.

Add a little grated parmesan.

Dollop of sour cream on the side (optional, but I highly recommend it).

Thanks, Abigail! I can't wait to make this a weekly staple!

Grapenut Bread

This is a dense and hearty quick bread that comes together quick in a mixer. Makes great toast, especially with this honey butter.

I adapted this recipe from several I found online

Grapenut Bread

1 1/2 C grape nuts
3 C Lowfat Milk + 3 T vinegar to sour (or lemon juice)

Place the grapenuts and the milk in the bowl of the mixer and let them soak for 15 minutes or so.

With the mixer on, add the following:

2 eggs
1 C sugar
6 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3/4 C flaxseed meal (ground flax)
1/4 C bran or wheatgerm
5 C flour

Spoon the batter into greased bread pans. This will make two good sized loaves or one larger loaf and two or three mini loaves. You can wet your hands to pat it down in the pan. Let the bread rest for a few minutes while the oven preheats. Some recipes have you wait as long as an hour but I didn't want to do that.

Bake for 45-50 minutes, making sure larger loaves are truly cooked in the center. This is a dense bread that does not brown, but will sink as it cools if it's not fully baked. - If you don't have on hand or don't want to use the flax and bran, just substitute in one more cup of flour, for a total of 6 C flour. I calcluated the recipe as is at about 250 cals per serving and about 5 grams of fiber. It's also pretty lowfat since it uses no oil.

For the honey butter:

1 stick of butter, softened
1/4 C honey
1/4 C marshmallow cream

Blend together with a hand mixer.