BUTTERNUT SQUASH TURMERIC SOUP

Every year about this time, I start to think about making good hearty butternut squash dishes. I formulate recipes and flavor combinations in my head while driving, daydreaming, even while cooking other things.

Last week, I bought the first butternut of the season, and I peeled and cubed it, mixed them with diced red onion, tossed themixture in melted coconut oil, and seasoned them with our 'house' seasoning, a mix of garlic powder, onion powder and a bit of seasoned salt.  I roasted them at around 400 degrees on some stoneware lined with parchment. That yielded some of the most delicious sweet/savory butternut squash you can imagine! I then used that mixture to top some flatbreads, along with thinly slice apples, crumbled blue cheese, some shredded colby-jack, and a sprinkling of coconut 'bacon'. They were delicious too!

I was on a roll! I had some of the squash and onion mixture left in the fridge for a few days, so I pulled that out one evening and mad a couple of beautiful quiches, this time mixed with kale, some of the blue cheese, some Italian shredded cheese, minced garlic, and the eggs and so forth! WINNER!! Another great dish, and a wonderful use for the leftovers.

On my next trip to the store, I noticed they had organically grown butternut squash, so since I was making interesting and tasty squash dishes, I decided to buy another one. They were on sale! 99 cents!! When I got  home, it was like a bad joke. There on the counter was a butternut squash with a big curved neck, that, if stretched out straight, would have been two feet long! As it turns out, our friend dropped it by.

Since I hate seeing food go to waste, I set to work on Saturday morning to get this big squash broken down into more manageable units! Divide and conquer!! I first cut the squash into 4-inch lengths, give or take, and then peeled each one. I then cut each length, first lengthwise into approximately 1/2 inch square strips, then chopped into cubes. I ended up with a huge bowl of cubes! I measured out about 6 cups of the cubes and tossed those into my slow cooker, and began building my soup. I had seen a recipe on Facebook for a turmeric and ginger infused soup that called for sweet potatoes. I thought the squash might be a great substitution for the sweet potatoes. I was right!! I also modified the recipe to add some more layers of flavor with onions, garlic, vegetable bouillon, and more.

So, here it is, folks. I recorded everything I put in (I THINK!) and I want to share it with everyone. It's a nice healthy hearty soup for a chilly fall or even very cold winter day! I hope you enjoy it! Our oldest son and his wife are coming for dinner this evening, so this, and some artisanal bread from the farmer's market are what's for dinner!

BUTTERNUT SQUASH TURMERIC SOUP

Ingredients

6 medium carrots, sliced ½-in.
6 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 onion, minced (I used ½ sweet onion, and ½ red onion)
4 cups filtered water
1 can chickpeas
2 tbsp garlic, minced
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled with a spoon and diced
1 Tbsp. ground turmeric
1 tsp. pink salt
2 pinches nutmeg
1 tsp. smoky paprika
2 heaping tbsp. organic Better than Bouillon  Vegetable Base (Costco) (You could substitute with less water and some chicken stock)

Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker.

Cook on high for four hours, or on low for 6 hours.

Serve with your favorite savory garnish: Chives; crumbled goat cheese, shredded cheddar, chopped sage.

CHEESY QUINOA WITH SPINACH

This was just one of those experiments that was perfect (to me) the very first time! We love quinoa, and who doesn't love cheese? So, add to that great spices, some nice fresh spinach, and a little milk, and you have a great casserole for dinner, or any meal, for that matter! This would work equally well for a nice brunch or lunch! I hope you enjoy it!

INGREDIENTS

1 cup quinoa, (uncooked) (4 cups cooked)

½ large sweet onion, diced

1 small bag baby spinach, chopped into 1 inch pieces

2 tbsp. minced garlic

½ cup pine nuts

2 eggs

1 cup milk (I use unsweetened almond milk)

2 tsp. seasoned salt

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (I use aged white sharp cheddar!)

INSTRUCTIONS

Cook quinoa according to directions.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Meanwhile, dice and caramelize onions. Toss in the chopped spinach, the garlic, and the pine nuts. Cook on medium and stir until the spinach is wilted, and the pine nuts are starting to toast. Remove from heat.

Add the milk and seasoned salt to the two eggs in a large bowl, and whisk to mix thoroughly.

When the quinoa is completely cooked, put it into the egg and milk mixture, along with the spinach and onion mixture, and mix well. Add half the cheddar cheese to the mixture while it’s warm, and mix well. Pour this mixture into a casserole dish. Pack down a bit, and cover completely with the remaining cheese.

Bake at 400 degrees for approximately 30-35 minutes, or until the cheese is melted, and starting to brown slightly.

COCONUT SCONES

I bought some beautiful and extremely flavorful strawberries today at the grocery store. I prepared them with a little sugar and put thin in the fridge to macerate a bit. I really wanted some good strawberry shortcake, but I didn't have a lot of things in the house to make a shortcake from scratch. I hate using cake mixes. So, I started looking for recipes. I liked the thought of making scones, so I set off on that journey!

I found several recipes, and then modified them all together, adding several things that I wanted to help flavor and texturize the scones. 

My experiment was tremendously successful!!  (At least I thought so!!}

 

COCONUT SCONES

Servings: 8 scones

Ingredients

For Dough

• 1 ½ cups almond flour plus ¾ cup AP flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• ½ cup organic coconut flakes
• 5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 large egg
• ¾ cup coconut cream (skimmed off the top of a can of very cold coconut milk)

For Topping

• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon organic granulated sugar…or more.

Instructions

1.    Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. I used a round stoneware baking pan.

2.    Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, sugar, and coconut in the bowl of food processor fitted with metal blade. Pulse several times to combine.

3.    Add the cold butter and pulse quickly until mixture resembles course meal with pea-size clumps of butter within.

4.    Beat egg and coconut cream until smooth in a small bowl, pour into flour mixture, and pulse just until mixture comes together in clumps. The dough should be a bit sticky.

5.    Dust a work surface lightly with flour, then dump scone dough onto surface. Knead very gently a few times until dough comes together into a ball. (Sprinkle more flour, little by little, if dough is too sticky to work with.) Press dough into a flat circle about 3/4-inch high, then use a sharp knife to cut into 8 triangles. Transfer wedges to prepared baking sheet. Brush lightly with beaten egg and sprinkle with demerara sugar. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until tops are lightly golden and firm to the touch. 

ORANGE-SCENTED QUINOA

I saw a cooking show today on TV where the host made an orange-scented rice, which sounded good, although she made it with chicken stock. It did, however, trigger the thought process that led me to make this quinoa for dinner tonight.

We have begun eating more and more quinoa, because we love the flavor, and because it's so very healthy. I buy organic quinoa, usually at Trader Joe's, and most often it's the mixed color variety.

Here's the recipe, as closely as I can remember:

ORANGE-SCENTED QUINOA

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa, rinsed well
2 cups water
1 tablespoon organic vegetable boullion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon black pepper
the zest of a small orange

Rinse and drain the quinoa. Place in a saucepan with the water and all the other ingredients. Stir well, and heat to boiling. Reduce head to simmer, cover pan, and cook until all the water is dissolved...about 15-20 minutes. Watch carefully and stir intermittently to prevent sticking.

BLACK BEAN BURRITOS

Ingredients:

1/2 large onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, or a roasted red pepper, diced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 cans black beans
2 tbsp chili powder
1/8 tsp (more or less) cayenne pepper
1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
Juice of 1/2 lime
4 oz Neufchatel cream cheese

avocado or guacamole
cooked brown rice
shredded sharp cheddar or fiesta blend cheese
greens, such as lettuce, kale, spinach
tortillas

Saute onions and peppers in a skillet with the olive oil for about five minutes. Add the black beans, garlic, chili powder, cayenne pepper, cilantro and lime juice. Cook until liquid is greatly reduced. Add the cream cheese, allow to melt, and mix thoroughly.

Build your burritos:

Spread avocado or guacamole on a flour tortilla. Add some of the bean mixture, some rice, and some of the shredded cheese, then a handful of greens. Fold the tortilla and heat slightly in the microwave or in a skillet on all sides. Serve warm.