Tag: butternut squash

…as Apple Pie

my grandma made pie making look easy… her and my grandpa ran a restaurant in Three Hills, Alberta that was called ‘The Coffee Break’… I was still in Elementary school when they had it so my memories of it are a bit foggy, but the pies I witnessed her make have always stayed in my mind…  that a cinnamon buns…

these two items are apparently go well with coffee…

my grandma used lard… Martha Stewart uses butter…  I’ve used both and find the lard easier to work with but the butter taste is better in my mind…

pie takes patience to make…  and it is messy… if you can get over these two elements it is quite relaxing and enjoyable to make…

a friend of mine has this magical solution that gets rid of the nastiness on apples so I don’t have to peel them!  I read somewhere (by that I mean Facebook) that most of the nutrients in fruit and veggies are in the skins…  this is why I zest everything I can and don’t peel if I don’t have to… but the chemicals my farmer husband sprays on things are also in the skin so it is nice to at least pretend to myself that I am removing the harmful bits off!

bacon has made a re-appearance in the house for seeding and the family is very excited to see it again… there are only a few things I miss being a vegetarian…  bacon is one… chicken skin is the other…

I added bacon and cheddar cheese to the pie crust to give it a savoury taste

look at how beautiful it looks in the crust…  and look at the mess I am making!

I remember when I used to watch Martha Stewart and her constant words about pie were ‘keep everything cold’…  the more you can accomplish this the better your pie crust will be…

apples with sugar and cinnamon… oh and lemon zest… cuz I love zest

apple pie with cheddar/bacon crust

Ingredients:

Crust:

  • 8 slices bacon, cooked and shredded
  • 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
  • 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk (more if necessary)

Filling:

  • 7-8 granny smith apples, washed, cored and sliced into small chunks
  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice, with zest
  • 1/2 cup packing brown sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 2 tbsp granulated sugar
  • vanilla ice cream

Directions:

  • for the bacon, preheat oven to 375 degrees
  • line a baking sheet with tin foil and place bacon on it
  • bake for 15-18 minutes
  • transfer bacon to paper towel to cool, finely chop the bacon
  • in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and salt
  • add the butter and cut into the flour
  • add cheese and chopped bacon
  • pour in the buttermilk and combine into a ball
  • divide the dough into 2 portions and knead into a disk
  • wrap in plastic wrap and place in fridge for at least an hour
  • preheat oven to 400 degrees
  • for the filling, in a large bowl combine the apples, lemon juice and zest, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and cornstarch
  • roll out the bottom pie crust until it is 1/8 inch thick and 12 inches in diameter
  • transfer to a pie dish and trim the edges almost even with the edges of the pie dish
  • roll out the top crust
  • place the apple mixture in the shell, dot with butter and top with top crust
  • trim the edges again and crimp the border with a fork
  • brush the top of the pie with the egg and sprinkle generously with sugar
  • put the pie on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees
  • reduce the temperature to 350 and continue to bake for 35-40 minutes until the pie is bubbling
  • transfer to a rack to cool for around 4 hours
  • serve warm with vanilla ice cream

I used to be able to take the farmers vanilla ice cream to put on their pie when we would do the type of meal in the field where everyone gathers around my vehicle to eat it…  but alas they all had to eat their apple pie without ice cream… which is a sin…

I just never know, when I pack their suppers up in bags to take out, when they will get around to eating it so I can’t put a dollop of ice cream on a warm pie slice…

this winter I really got into spiralizing and my favourites are zucchini, sweet potato and butternut squash…  this sprialized butternut squash is the perfect addition to this salad…

butternut squash asian pear salad

Ingredients:

Salad:

  • 1 medium butternut squash, peeled, spiralized and trimmed
  • cooking spray
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 large asian pears, sliced thinly
  • 1 bag baby spinach
  • 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
  • 1/2 cup roughly chopped almonds or pecans
  • 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese

Dressing:

  • 2 tbsp maple syrup
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp sesame oil
  • 4 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tsp white sesame seeds
  • pepper

Directions:

  • preheat oven to 400 degrees
  • line a baking sheet with parchment paper
  • spread out the butternut squash noodles
  • coat lightly with cooking spray and season with salt and pepper
  • roast for 10-12 minutes
  • to make the salad, add the ingredients and top with the dressing
  • serve immediately as the pear will brown

lastly, because I had spent so much time making pies, it was a quick and easy burrito that I decided to go with for the main course…

the kids and I love eating at Mucho Burrito and this was my quick version of it…

I sauted some peppers, used ground beef (because that was what I had), white rice, shredded cheese and salsa…  I gave each guy two big burritos and the farmer, who can eat just about anything, could only get down one burrito and saved the other one for his lunch today…

happy seeding!!!   here’s hoping it is a time to try out some new fun recipes and perhaps get to make some pie!

butternut squash, chickpea and spinach coconut curry

 

one of the best things my parents did for me growing up was teaching me that there is one day out of every week that is different than the rest… Sundays in our home involved church, having Greatgrandma Price over for lunch (or a family from church) for Shake’n’Bake chicken, afternoon nap (we let the company leave before nap time), a family football game or sledding dependant on the season, family bike rides and then back to church for the evening service to wrap up the day…

out of all the mistakes they made parenting me (I’m assuming I’d be in the Olympics for something if they had done their job properly), they did Sabbath properly… they knew how to ‘unplug’ for a day every week…

fast forward to raising kids now…  and I’m struggling to find any sort of rhythm or sense of ‘work and rest’ in it all…

in a society where we can stay up all night watching Netflix it is difficult to train yourself to sleep… when we have ice in the rinks all year long it is difficult to take a break from hockey… when I can purchase Kiwi’s from Italy in December it is hard to connect to food properly…

this is why I love living on a farm… not that our farm would really be considered a ‘working farm’…  there are no cattle or animals other than dogs and cats… but I have always had a garden and our kids have definitely known how the weather and seasons affect life…

I remember when I met the farmer in college I had no clue people really did care about the weather…  getting to know his family and community I had never heard people discuss the weather more in my life…

meeting his grandmother and watching how she cooked throughout the seasons… how it changed based upon what she had growing in her garden or what she had in her root cellar…

it has me thinking that life needs seasons… for food, for activities, for friendships…  and life needs rhythm…  our weeks and months need to have a rhythm that is sustainable and life giving…

 

the days are dark right now, it is difficult to get out of bed and easy to want to curl up on the couch any chance you get…  it is time to cook warm vegetables and soups…

it is time to take care of yourself… to teach yourself that the harder you push the more need there is for times of rest as well…

my Christmas wish is to get back to rhythm… take care of those that you can this season… start by taking care of yourself… and then in your abundance you can give generously to others…

you only have one chance for today…  you can either be as busy and rushed as you want to be or you can choose to invest your time in the things you value and live life to it’s fullest… not in a lazy way but in a way that you push as hard as you can and then give yourself time to recharge so you are able to push again…

thanks mom and dad for trying to teach me this…  too bad you didn’t do enough to get me in the Olympics and I’m sure those regrets keep you awake at night… but you did teach me about Sabbath and rest… love you

butternut squash, chickpea and spinach coconut curry

Ingredients:

  • 4 tsp coconut oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1/2 tsp fine sea salt (Maldon)
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 tsp fresh grated ginger (1 tsp ground dry ginger)
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1/4 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste
  • 1/2 tsp mild curry powder
  • 1 medium butternut squash, peeled, cored and diced (around 3-4 cups)
  • 1 (14 oz) can chickpeas, strained and rinsed
  • 1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes, with juices
  • 1 (14 oz) can coconut milk
  • 1 (5 oz) pkg baby spinach
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • basmati brown rice
  • chopped fresh cilantro leaves
  • sweetened shredded or large flake coconut
  • lime wedges

Directions:

  • prep all the ingredients and have them ready to go
  • cook rice
  • in a large pot, heat up coconut oil and toss in onion
  • stir and season with salt
  • add garlic, ginger, turmeric, coriander, red pepper flakes, and curry powder
  • add the butternut squash, chickpeas, tomatoes with their juice and coconut milk
  • stir to combine, cover and simmer over med-high heat for 20-30 minutes
  • you can take a potato masher and mash 1/3 of the mixture to thicken the sauce up if you like at this point
  • stir in the spinach and cook until wilted
  • season with salt and black pepper
  • serve on rice and garnish with cilantro, coconut and squeeze lime wedges

burritos to the field

May is a big month…

aside from the small thing called ‘seeding’ going on, there is spring hockey and baseball to get the kids to…  there is a yard to take care of and a garden to plant…  my birthday and Mother’s Day all in the same busy month for the poor farmer to deal with… (and let me tell you I don’t let him cut any corners… this year I got a card and an InstaPot out of him)

also, for the second year I am running a half-marathon at the end of May…

in February when a friend suggested I talk to her running coach I was still not sure if I was even going to ever run another half-marathon again…

the only thing that got me through the last one was a saying I repeated over and over again as I was running… ‘go as fast as you can because you will never do this again’… 

but alas, here I am on Mother’s Day running 10 miles on my treadmill… (it was raining outside and ironically I watched the movie ‘Mother’s Day’ on Netflix)

the difference this year is that these selfies I take get sent to my running coach, Irene…  not the farmer (who am I kidding… I send them to both… and occasionally some friends to brighten their day)

I anxiously await every Sunday for Irene to email me my workout schedule…  I liken it to when I was younger waiting for the Sears Wish Book to show up in the mail…

she sends me three running plans and two workout plans…

what she gets in return is daily updates on how my training is going, along with the selfies and some occasional pictures of the road and my dogs…

we maybe didn’t set the ground rules firmly right off the get go as to how much of my personal life she wants to know about…

I tend to error on the side of ‘every last detail’…

a good amount of my training this year has been on my trusty old treadmill… which my dad bought for me when I got married…  so 18 years ago…

I assumed it was a hint that he had noticed I gained 20 lbs at college and perhaps needed a new hobby other than eating…

at first I thought I could never run for that long on a treadmill… and then I discovered the wonderful world of Netflix…

you barely know you are working out when you have Grace and Frankie on… or House of Cards or the Crown… most recently I really started to get into documentaries… specifically food documentaries…

the issue I was having was when I would passionately tell the farmer about the latest cause I was concerned about, I realized that I do not retain very much from these sweaty viewings and that they all seem to get jumbled in my head and leave me with a overwhelming sense of the world is awful and we as humans are morons...

the farmer advised me to go back to my ‘lighter’ shows and maybe limit the ‘world is ending documentaries’ to one a week…

this wild rice salad I thought was delicious but was worried might look a little too healthy for the farmers so I threw some homemade croutons on top…  well, my 13 year old son did… that is him packing up the salads… I was probably busy watching Netflix…

wild rice salad

Ingredients:

Salad:

  • 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1 cup wild rice
  • 6 radishes, diced
  • 3 cups loosely packed, finely chopped kale (without the stems)
  • 4 carrots, grated
  • 6 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup frozen peas (or edamame)
  • ground black pepper

Dressing:

  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp dijon mustard
  • 1/2 shallot, minced
  • 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Directions:

  • bring 4 cups salted water to boil
  • add rice, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30-35 minutes
  • allow the rice to cool
  • add remaining ingredients and dressing
  • for the dressing – in a small mason jar shake the ingredients for the dressing until well combined
  • let the salad marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes prior to serving

next on the cooking list for the day was burritos…  I had the brilliant idea to use butternut squash instead of meat… you can feel free to omit that step!

upon some reflection while eating the burrito I decided next time to cut the butternut squash a bit smaller… then you don’t get a big chunk of squash as you bite your burrito…

burritos are possibly one of my favourite food items…  you get your bean/squash mixture well simmered, your coconut lime rice (best rice recipe ever) and assembly line ready and away you go!

after years of making chicken wraps in the booth at the rink I have toyed with different ways to wrap a burrito… this is currently my go to…

tin foil halfway up and plastic wrap doing the rest of the work…

butternut squash burritos

Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped
  • 3 cups peeled, chopped butternut squash
  • 1 jalapeno, minced
  • 1 tbsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tbsp Bragg’s
  • 1 cup beer
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 cups pinto beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup
  • 10 large flour tortillas
  • options: coconut lime rice, salsa, lettuce, avocado, cilantro

Directions:

  • in a skillet, cook onion in oil
  • add butternut squash, jalapeño, chili powder and smoked paprika
  • stir around for about a minute
  • add Bragg’s and beer and sprinkle in the garlic
  • cover and reduce heat
  • cook for around 20 minutes
  • fold in the beans, lime juice and syrup
  • simmer until liquid is absorbed and remove from the heat
  • assemble the burritos with the ingredients you prefer

coconut lime rice

Ingredients:

  • 2 tsp coconut oil
  • 2 cups brown rice (or rice of your choice)
  • 1 tbsp lime zest
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp lime juice

Directions:

  • heat oil
  • add rice and saute for around 2 minutes
  • add the lime zest and stir
  • add garlic, broth and salt
  • bring to a simmer, then reduce heat, cover and softly simmer for around 35 minutes
  • when rice is tender, remove from heat and fold in lime juice

last but not least the dessert…  this one is easy easy… and packed with things that can make me run faster!!!

springform pans are ingenious … and this cake really will only take you a few minutes to throw together…

I like to sample the first slice for quality control reasons…

almond flour cake

Ingredients:

  • unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 6 eggs
  • 1 cup maple syrup
  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tsp almond extract
  • 1 tbsp lemon zest
  • 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
  • 5 cups almond flour
  • 3/4 cup raw sliced almonds

Directions:

  • preheat oven to 350 degrees
  • grease 9” springform pan with butter
  • in a mixing bowl, mix eggs, maple syrup, oil, almond extract, lemon zest and salt
  • add the almond flour and stir
  • pour the batter into the springform pan
  • sprinkle the almond slices over it
  • bake for 40-45 minutes
  • cool the cake on a wire rack
  • cut into 12 pieces

seeding meal #7

the boys had to help me get the meal out yesterday… life was busy and I was not home during the crucial hours of 3:30 – 5:30 pm…  but I had laid out the ingredients and had instructed both boys on what their role would be in this process…

a few concerns I had…  Ethan got his phone out an recorded me word-for-word like a reporter… unbeknownst to me… and I rambled… and paused…  pretty sure he is just going to use that audio for something to embarrass me with at a later point…

Brandon, my 14 year old, grabbed two Cutco knives and started singing ‘everybody was Kung Fu fighting’…  (might I add that I believe there should be more parenting books written to guide one through the murky waters of adolescent boys?)

Ethan, upon seeing that chicken was on the menu, countered with his own little jingle that only had one word ‘salmonella… salm, salm-onella’ (more of a rap really)

seeing that they had dinner prep firmly under control, I headed out to pick up my daughter and couldn’t wait to get home to see the progress they had made…

I had made this Naan bread earlier and it was ready to go…  this might have been a bit complicated for the boys, even though they did keep reminding me that they are learning all this ‘cooking stuff’ at school…

homemade greek yogurt Naan bread

– 2 tbsp sugar

– 1/2 cup warm water

– 1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

– 4 cups all purpose flour

– 4 cups whole wheat pastry flour

– 1 tsp kosher salt

– 3 tsp baking powder

– 2 tsp baking soda

– 1 1/2 cups warm whole milk

– 2 cups greek yogurt, room temperature

– melted butter, for brushing

– fresh cilantro, chopped and for garnishing

– sea salt flakes for seasoning

Directions:

– dissolve sugar in the water and add the yeast in a large measuring bowl

– let sit for 10 minuts

– in a mixing bowl, add flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder

– add the warm milk and yogurt to the yeast mixture and mix on low speed with paddle attachment

– add the dry ingredients and mix with paddle attachment on medium speed until combined

– turn out onto counter and form into a ball

– place in a greased bowl and cover with tea towel for 1 hour to rise

– when ready, divide into two and then divide those two sections each into 8

– roll each of these into balls and keep covered with a warm, damp tea towel

– roll the ball into an oval shape about 6 inches long and 1/4 inch thick

– brush the dough with butter and place in a frying pan on med/high heat and cover with a lid for 1 minute or until you see bubbles begin to form

– flip and cook for 1-2 minutes more until looks toasted

– brush with a bit more butter and sprinkle with sea salt flakes and cilantro to serve

– place in a 9×13 tea towel lined dish and cover with a tea towel until you have completed cooking all of them

steph curried chicken and vegetable pan roast

Ingredients:

  • 2 lbs butternut squash, cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 1 1/2 lbs Brussels sprouts, halved
  • 2 large red onions, cut into thin wedges
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 cup plain greek yogurt
  • 2 tbsp minced fresh ginger
  • 4 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tbsp mild curry powder
  • 4 lbs skinless, boneless chicken thighs

Directions:

  • preheat oven to 450
  • in a large bowl, toss brussels sprouts, onion and squash
  • turn out onto a parchment lined baking sheet (or two baking sheets if necessary) and season with salt and pepper
  • combine yogurt, ginger, garlic and curry powder
  • add chicken and coat
  • in a 9×13 pan, pour chicken into
  • place chicken in oven and roast for 20-25 minutes or until cooked through
  • place vegetable in oven and roast for 15 minutes or until soft
  • serve over white rice and with a slice of Naan bread

all that hard work at school paid off with these finally chopped vegetables!  maybe there is still hope for this 14 year old after all…

the kids also believe that any dish containing curry is simply my ode to Steph Curry… I overheard Ethan talking to Sienna as we were packing up the suppers and she said, ‘ya, it’s Steph Curry chicken night I think’…

now to the sheet cake that the farmer claimed was his favourite dessert through all of seeding thus far…  in the defence of other desserts made, he is sleep deprived and if you asked him to name a single other dessert he has had, I believe he would not be able to…

chocolate coconut macaroon sheet cake

Ingredients:

Cake:

  • unsalted butter, room temperature, for pan
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for pan
  • 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk
  • 3/4 cup warm, strong coffee
  • 3 tbsp canola oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Macaroon Topping:

  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 2 cups icing sugar
  • 6 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 3 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 2/3 cup warm, strong coffee
  • 1 tsp vanillla
  • whipping cream
  • strawberries

Directions:

  • preheat oven to 350
  • butter a 9×13 pan, line 2 sides and bottom with parchment paper, butter again and dust with cocoa powder
  • whisk in a large bowl, cocoa powder, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt
  • in a mixer, add eggs and buttermilk and mix on medium speed till combined
  • add buttermilk, coffee and vanilla
  • add dry ingredients and combine until well incorporated
  • pour into the baking dish
  • bake for 35 minutes or until wooden toothpick comes out clean
  • set pan on a wire rack to cool
  • in a saucepan, add butter and melt
  • mix together the icing sugar, cocoa powder and coconut
  • add to the melted butter and add vanilla
  • stir until well combined and take off heat
  • when cake has slightly cooled, pour the coconut mixture over it and smooth out evenly
  • when it comes time to cut the cake, lift out gently with the parchment paper and transfer to a cutting board
  • cut 12 for large pieces or 16 for regular pieces
  • serve with whipped cream and strawberries if you so choose

outdoor skating rinks 

where it all began… on a frozen pond or lake… kids getting kicked out of the house because their parents were losing their minds in the winter…

and it continues on in many homes in Canada around Christmas time the tradition of everyone skating and playing shinny together…

this is the only time of year that my kids have ever been on an outdoor skating rink… it was Sienna’s first time…  as well as mine…

thank you to the fine residents of Hamptons area of Calgary for having such a lovely outdoor skating rink…

the boys say it sounds different to skate outside… the way their blades hit the ice and the noise it makes is different… crisper… sharper…

fresh air that they are breathing is colder and more invigorating than what they experience in rinks…

and then they all toss their sticks into the middle of the ice…  one by one sticks are pulled out and teams are chosen… rules are you have to hit a post to score… and then this is when you find out what someone is really made of…

a few types of shinny players out there…

the farmer…  who is at a ‘city outdoor rink’ because his wife’s family are city people…  and he has never seen adults (other than his lovely aforementioned wife) who can’t skate…  it is like nothing he has seen before… everyone half-walking, half-stumbling around almost in perfect unison…  slap-shots followed by wipe-outs… and he decides he is not going to go 110%…  he tells himself this has nothing to do with laziness and more to do with compassion for those around him…  we all justify actions in our lives… and the lasagne lunch he’d just attacked like it was his last meal didn’t affect his desire to curl up in a ball and sleep at all… or the fact that he has had his front four teeth replaced a few times and is now uninsured for two of them…

then comes the Asian guy wearing a Datsyuk jersey… he loves hockey and is here every moment he is not watching hockey…  he knows he is out of control and accepts it… and when he toe drags the farmer for the second time he is in his glory… oblivious to the fact that the farmer was still digesting 4 pieces of lasagne that he ate with 4 fake teeth…

then there is Uncle who played hockey until grade 7 and has a bone to pick… unfinished business… and this is the perfect opportunity for him to finish his career well… trash talking and ‘mixing it up’… so ahead of the play there was no need to pass…

your gaze wanders over to Grandpa…  whose helmet and skates are still right out of the early 60’s and you are hoping this isn’t a trip to the emergency room when it is all done…

scoring his eighth goal is the over-competitive 13 year old that is not racking up the points in his regular hockey season and is taking this opportunity to for-go the pleasantries and pocket a few…

one young couple that is newly in love decided to come for a skate and have taken about 7 selfies while on their second lap of the rink… narrowly dodging Datsyuk toe dragging someone… oh wait.. that was me and the farmer… 

the eleven year old hits the cross-bar with a shot that sends the puck flying out of the playing area into a snow bank… everyone stares at each other and it is silently decided upon that the guy still rocking ‘Movember’ with the Forsberg Nordiques jersey on is going to walk across the cement in his skates to retrieve the puck out of the snowbank…

there are at least two guys with beards skating around with the freedom and ease that warm facial hair brings to someone on a cold day…

one girl that is better than most of the boys and still can’t get a pass from anyone…

the Nordiques jersey guy came back after his trek on the cement and proceeded to crash into the boards and then take out a kid…  but that did not slow him down…  he was able to bounce back after every stumble with more resolve to skate harder…

one of the best parts of any outdoor adventure… whether it be skating, tobogganing, cross-country skiing, snow shoeing… is getting back to a house where someone has taken the time to make soup…  preferably with some sort of bread to dip in it…

and this is what we came back to… wonderful squash and peanut soup made by my lovely sister-in-law and the kids all received hot chocolate as well…

this is what makes Christmas so good…

butternut squash and peanut soup

  • Servings: one large pot
  • Print

Ingredients:

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large yellow onion, diced
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 6 tbsp minced ginger (or 2 tsp ground ginger)
  • 4 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tbsp ground cumin
  • 2 tbsp ground coriander
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 large butternut squash, peeled and cut into chunks
  • 1 14 oz (398 mL) can pineapple chunks and juice
  • 6 cups vegetable broth
  • 3 ripe tomatoes, chopped (or 1 14 oz (398 mL) can tomatoes, diced)
  • 1/3 cup smooth peanut butter
  • 1 bunch cilantro, chopped (or 2 tsp dried cilantro)
  • juice of 2 limes

Directions:

  • in a soup pan, heat oil on medium-high heat and add onions and salt and sauté for a few minutes
  • next, add ginger, garlic and spices
  • lower the heat and sauté until golden
  • add red bell pepper and butternut squash
  • pour in pineapple juice
  • add vegetable broth and cook until squash is tender
  • add pineapples, tomatoes, peanut butter and simmer for 30 minutes
  • add cilantro and lime juice and serve

roasted butternut squash soup and curry condiments

I was grocery shopping tonight…  making use of my time while my sons were at hockey practices… and realized every fall season you always walk past a big display of squashes…  and it makes you happy… and it makes you wish that grocery stores would have little signs with a link you could go to online to find a recipe on what to do with the squash once you get it home… other than decorate your house with it…

luckily… I have just about every cookbook that Ina Garten has written and she is my link… page 70-71 of ‘back to basics’ will tell you exactly what to do with a butternut squash… and I can guarantee every recipe in her book you can cook… and tastes good…

this particular Ina Garten recipe is called ‘roasted butternut squash soup and curry condiments’…  and it is perfect and the best thing to eat when it is damp and cold and the sun has not shone in six days…

it is simple and can easily be made in a jiffy… if a jiffy is all the amount of time that you have to make soup…

oh… and her soup looks prettier than mine… just go to her website and check it out… she is my hero…