Butternut Squash Jalapeno Soup

That's kind of a strange color for butternut squash soup, huh?

Well that's because it's got jalapeno and sage added to it.

I may have overdone the jalapeno a bit, thus the extra green color, but the flavor is really nice.

I didn't used to like soups like this. My favorite soups feature meat (usually ham or bacon) and it was kind of a hard sell for me to embrace this fully vegan soup. The turning point for me was that roasting the squash was so easy. It's the kind of thing you can throw in a pan in five minutes, with any number of herbs and spices, and then just put in the oven and forget about it for an hour or so. Once it's cooked and cooled all you have to do it scrape the meat out of the skin of the squash and puree all the good bits from the bottom of the roasting pan.

For this version, I roasted the jalapenos right alongside the squash. The only issue with that is that they don't get as crunchy as they do when I pan fry them, so there wasn't anything to use as garnish in the end. To thicken the soup, I used almonds and almond milk, but if you have any kind of problem with nuts, just leave them out, it's plenty thick on it's own.

Best of all, this is completely vegan and gluten free. For those of you who are trying hard to get back on the right track post-New Year's celebrations, give this soup a try.

Butternut Squash Soup with Jalapeno and Sage

serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 large Butternut squash, cut in half lengthwise, seeds removed
• 2 Jalapeno peppers, cut into rings (remove the seeds if you want to avoid too much spice)
• 1 Shallot, diced
• 1 small Red Onion, diced
• 4 sprigs Sage, shredded
• 2 cloves Garlic, peeled but not chopped
• 4 Tbsps Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 10 Almonds (optional)
• 1/8 cup Almond Milk (optional)

Method:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees
• Position the squash cut side up in a roasting pan large enough to fit both halves of the butternut squash without them touching.
• Place the sage and garlic in the cavity of the squash.
• Add some of the olive oil and salt and pepper.
• Flip over the squash. You may need to move the garlic and herbs a bit to get them to fit back into the cavity no that the squash is skin side up.
• Place the jalapenos, onions and shallots in between the two halves of the squash.
• Drizzle remainder of olive oil over the top of all the ingredients.
• Roast everything for 40 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of the squash, until a knife easily goes through the meat.
• Once the squash is cool, scrape out the meat.
• Take everything left in the roasting pan and the meat of the squash and place them in a food processor. Add the almonds and almond milk (optional).
• Pulse until the texture you desire is reached.

Enjoy!

Featured: The Fruit Guys

Hello There.

I just found out that my post for No-Cook Cranberry Relish was featured on The Fruit Guys' website.

What a nice way to end the year. They are deliver great fresh fruit to our office sometimes and it's always a pleasure when the delivery comes in.

Look into fresh fruit and veggie box deliveries in your area, it's totally worth it. You never know what you'll get in the box. The mystery contents can lead to some great off-the-cuff meals.

Hope you are enjoying this 363rd day of the year.

Broccoli with Salt

I don't usually talk about one ingredient like this. But, Joe (my dad) made me some really good broccoli and I needed to share this with you.

I've always simply steamed broccoli in a steamer basket. Joe boils his with some salt in the water. There are some people who like their broccoli crisp, even when cooked. I prefer mine a little soft, still green and not mushy.

Here's what you need to do:

Cut your broccoli up into florets, discarding the tough bottom stems.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Add broccoli and cook for about 8 minutes, or until your fork goes through the stems.

Enjoy!

Pesto, Hold the Cheese

I love pesto.

Each time I make pesto, it's a new adventure. In days past (read: the days when cheese and dairy were a part of my regular life), I loaded my version up with tons of best-quality Parmagiano-Reggiano cheese.

My friend, Miss A, gets a regular delivery from a local farm with lots of lovely veggies and fruit. This past week, she announced that there were 6 bunches of fresh basil on offer, for just $1 a bunch. I jumped on that deal right away since pesto and summer go hand in hand in my book.

I stored the basil in the fridge for a day in a large bowl filled with water. The scent was evocative of Gran Fran's kitchen. She used a regular blender to make pesto. I remember her stationed at our counter, wearing a kerchief on her head, an apron around her neck. She would bang and shake the blender as it did it's thing, to ensure that all the ingredients would mix properly. It also created a great amount of noise, which Gran Fran is capable of with or without electrical appliances.

My dad bought her a food processor as a gift once, but it was promptly returned. Why? Her claim was that a food processor would cut one's hand off, and lead to all manner of calamity for the cook. Have I mentioned that a world-class cook such as Gran Fran, refused (and continues to this day) to use real knives while cooking. She will go as far as a dull paring knife, but otherwise, depends on butter knives and sometimes an old serrated steak knife. Her fear of sharp implements has not, however, kept her from cooking up a storm.

My modern-day pesto consists of walnuts, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon and, of course, basil. I don't miss the cheese, and hope you won't either. Oh, and I used a food processor for the very first time for this recipe. It took me all of ten minutes to whip up three huge batches of pesto. And, I'd like to report back, I survived my food processor time with not a scratch upon me.

Pesto: Vegan-Style

Ingredients:

• 2 to 3 bunches of basil, leaves separated from stems, stems discarded
• 4 cloves garlic, skin removed
• 1/2 cups walnuts (pine nuts or almonds work well here, too)
• Juice of 1/2 Lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt (sea salt is real nice!)
• 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup Olive Oil
• Black Pepper to taste

Method:

• Set up your food processor with the largest bowl you have and the metal chopping blade (looks like a fan blade).
• Put basil, garlic, walnuts, lemon juice and salt in the bowl. You may need to do batches, depending on how large the bowl is
• Process the mixture for 30 seconds, until the basil starts to get chopped into really small bits.
• Through the feeder tube, start adding the olive oil, slowly, until the mixture reaches the consistency you prefer. To be honest, you may need a bit more than I recommend, based on how thick or thin you want the mixture to be.
• Once you are satisfied with the consistency, remove pesto from the work bowl into a container that has an airtight lid.
• Add pepper.
• Before sealing the container, add a layer of olive oil to help preserve the green color of the pesto.

This recipe freezes well, for future pesto enjoyment.