It’s a good day to wake up to a strata! With snow in the forecast today and Thanksgiving next week (wait…isn’t that a bit backwards?) it’s a perfect time to dig into something warm, yummy and….green! Actually I’ve made stratas for my family to enjoy …
We are only a couple of weeks from Thanksgiving and I’m continuing my seasonal obsession with acorn squash. Acorn squash makes a beautiful presentation for your Thanksgiving table. Who wouldn’t want a filling, stuffing or dressing served in an edible container? What’s great is that …
There’s a new favorite on my fall shopping list: Butternut squash. I find it has more flavor and is sweeter than acorn squash or pumpkin. And what is with the pumpkin craze? I’m always amazed at all the options at the grocery stores this time of year. Spoiler alert: You really aren’t yearning for the pumpkin – just those favorite spices. Cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves give everything that warm, familiar taste. And, don’t forget the sugar too… I have a strong childhood memory of begging my mother for a spoonful of pumpkin from the can – big mistake!
So I digress…
Butternut squash soup is super easy to make. I made a two-ingredient version last year that was absolutely flavorful. Roasting the squash will give you a stronger and intense flavor then merely cooking it on the stove. You can make the soup sweeter or savory based on your palate. One of the first soups I had tried was the Panera version but realized after I had made it myself, there’s was too sweet. They use other ingredients that make it sweeter and richer and of course adds more calories. There is no sugar in this recipe or cream. It’s all natural goodness makes it an easy substitute for pasta sauce. Thin it out with a little water or broth and toss with pasta and some fried sage and Parmesan cheese – yummy!
Tip: Serve in mini-carved pumpkins for a beautiful addition to your Thanksgiving table!
Recipe – Serves 4-6
1 lb of butternut squash, diced into 1-inch cubes
1 granny smith apple, peeled and diced into 1-inch cubes
1 small onion, cut into wedges
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2-3 cups of vegetable broth or stock
Water, salt and pepper
Optional Toppings: Dave’s Seed Bread (toasted and cubed), pumpkin seeds, Gruyere cheese, croutons
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spread squash, apple and onion to a nonstick baking pan. Coat evenly with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 25-30 minutes until soft. Remove from oven and carefully add to high speed blender with 1 cup of broth to start. Make sure you do not overfill the blender and be careful to let a little steam out. Blend until all ingredients are combined. Add more stock as needed to desired consistency. Add salt and pepper if needed.
Pour immediately into soup bowls and top with desired toppings.
Soup Additions: 1 cup of pumpkin or plant milk will add more savory flavors along with a sprinkle of cheese.
Soup to Sauce: Thinned out squash soup makes a fantastic, healthy sauce for your pasta!
Fall at its best: This soup makes a statement on a holiday table.
I must confess that even though I’m “The Rooted Foodie,” vegetable soup was not a popular choice for me growing up. I don’t know…something about the vegetables, how they were cooked…and then there’s that thin beef broth. It just didn’t ring my bell. Since I …
Nothing says football season like a big batch of cauliflower “wings” right? Well, they may not take the place of chicken wings but they still are really tasty and filling! If you’ve been following my blog, in a previous post I had featured a recipe …
It’s Labor Day weekend and though it feels like 100 degrees, I’m in the mood for the flavors of fall chili. So what’s a girl to do? She makes a black bean burger with all of the fixins! And it has that same taste with chili powder, cumin, chipotles and, surprise!…sweet potato.
Veggie burgers can be made with just about any vegetable, bean or grain. You just have to find the right combination so you don’t have a mushy burger or one that is too dry.
Most burgers are made with a dry component or grain (think brown rice or quinoa) along with some type of bean. I really like the combination of sweet potato with black beans. The stickiness of the sweet potato helps as a binder. Since I didn’t have quinoa or rice on hand, I decided to do a combination of bread crumbs and ground oats. You need a good amount of grains since beans and sweet potato are both very moist ingredients.
Tip: It’s good to let the mixture sit for awhile on the counter top or in the fridge for an hour or two. I noticed after cooking my burgers and putting the leftovers in the fridge, they were much more dense on the inside and not as soft.
Recipe: Makes 5 to 6 burgers
1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 medium sweet potato, baked and cooled
1 tablespoon of chipotle sauce
1 teaspoon of cumin
1/2 teaspoon of chili powder
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/4 cup of salsa (Optional)
1/2 cup of panko bread crumbs**See Notes
1/2 cup of oats**See Notes
Put drained and rinsed beans in a medium sized bowl. Remove skin from sweet potato and add to beans along with the next five ingredients and mix well.
In a food processor pulse oats until they are lightly mixed. Add to the bean mixture along with the panko. Mix well. If the mixture is too sticky, add more dry ingredients.
Chill mixture in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
Shape into 5-6 patties. Spray a little olive oil into a frying pan and cook on medium heat about 5 minutes on each side until browned.
Top with cheese, avacado, jalapeños and your favorite condiment.
**You can use 1 cup of brown rice or quinoa in place of the oats and bread crumbs. Start with a half cup and add more as needed to get a “patty” consistency.
Below: Bean burgers become the base for these yummy healthy nachos with light cheese and corn salsa.
It’s that time of year when your basil plants start to give you the sign that summer will soon be fading. And depending on the weather, you may have had some challenges (too much sun, or in my case, too much rain). Here are some …
As I’ve gotten older I’ve really come to enjoy the simplicity of beans – just about any kind but particularly cannelini, garbanzos and black beans. They have become a staple in my pantry and are a go to for a number of dishes. They aren’t …
I remember a road side stand that would pop up each summer near my home in Richmond, Virginia that had the most unbelievable peaches from South Carolina. It would be late July or August before they would appear but they were worth the wait. They would just drip when you bit into them. So much so that you needed to stand over a sink to eat ’em. They were outstanding in warm weather desserts such as cobbler and pie. And they were just as good on their own.
Peach salsa is the best of summer garden ingredients and is one of those salsas that can be used in a variety of ways. I prefer a two to one ratio – more peaches and less tomato and onion so that the peaches aren’t overwhelmed. A hint of poblano pepper is a nice change from a jalapeño and provides a little less heat. Be careful though – poblanos are known to be fickle. I’ve heard there can be a hot one that sneaks in from time to time. And then they can be more like a bell pepper – that’s what I encountered when I tasted mine from a local grower.
This salsa is so fresh with added cilantro – a few sprigs of mint are great too if you are growing some in your garden. This comes together quickly for a nice light appetizer or as a side or topping to your grilled fish or chicken.
Recipe – Makes about 1 – 1/2 cups of salsa
2 medium peaches, diced
8-10 grape tomatoes, diced
2 tablespoons of diced onion
1/4 of a poblano pepper, diced (no seeds)
1/4 cup of cilantro
3 or 4 mint leaves (optional)
Juice from a half of a lime
1/4 teaspoon of salt
Dice peaches and tomatoes so they are a similar size. Add to medium size bowl. Add onion, pepper, cilantro and mint and combine. Add lime juice and salt and mix well. Taste salsa and add more lime juice or salt as needed.
Happy Summer! Nothing says July cookouts like your favorite grilled foods and fresh salads. I’m not someone who eats a lot of potatoes, but there’s something about potato salad I crave during the summer. And there are so many variations but usually there are two …