Butternut Squash Soup

Over the last few months, I've dared to get dangerous in the food store.  I let Laela use one of those little kid carts in the produce section at Whole Foods.  She gets to fill it with whatever she wants, and then we go home and try to figure out what to do with it.

Last week, Laela grabbed a butternut squash, something, I'm almost embarrassed to admit, I've never made.  I think it's delicious, but I usually ate it out or at friend's houses.  I tried looking up a few recipes, but I seemed to be missing an ingredient, or three, so I decided to just wing it.  The result?  A soup so deliciously simple and flavor packed, that it almost defies reason.

Butternut Squash Soup
You'll need:

• 1 medium butternut squash
• 2 cups chicken broth (I used homemade that had been cooked with lemon, sage, garlic, and rosemary)
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 good shake of onion powder
• Salt and pepper
• 1Tb butter
• An immersion or regular blender.  (If you don't have an immersion blender, and have $20 to spare, go out and get one.  It will really make your cooking life easier- and less messy!!)

Instructions:

• Put a large saucepan on medium heat.  Add the chicken broth, garlic, butter, onion powder, salt and pepper to the pot.
• Peel off all of the skin of the squash.  The skin is a little difficult to peel, and the squash is an awkward size, so I used a knife to peel and cut off the ends.  Just be sure not to cut too deeply, or you'll take away the "meat" of the squash.
• Cut the squash into cubes.
• Steam your squash cubes using either a steamer, or a pot with a steamer insert.
• When the squash falls apart on your fork, it's ready to be added to the pot of hot broth.
• Cook for 5-10 minutes. 
• Blend together.  Taste to adjust seasoning. 
• Serve and enjoy!!

Laela LOVED this soup.  We toasted some whole wheat baguettes and dipped them in our yummy soup.

*This will store in the fridge for a week, the freezer for 3-6 months.
*Roasted red peppers are a fantastic garnish for this!

I know that it might sound crazy to let my child loose in the produce department, but I really think it's teaching her to be curious and open to healthy foods.  I have a little girl who cheers "Banana!  Banana!" in the checkout line, and that's something I'll take any day of the week over those kids flipping out over wanting candy.  Give it a go.  Let your kid have a food-venture with you!  You never know what you will come up with!

Pop in for Some Peppers Soup!

A while back, I had mentioned that I was going to start trying to work with what is already in my fridge, rather than run to the store every time I wanted to make dinner.  Part of the reason for this is to see what I can do at the end of the grocery week, and part of it is because I feel like sometimes trying new things with what's in the fridge can break me out of a food rut.

I've been in the mood for some hearty, soothing soups lately, so I decided to bust out some frozen mixed peppers that I had in the freezer and make a delicious pepper soup garnished with roasted potatoes.

Roasted Red, Green and Yellow Pepper Soup

Ingredients:

- Approx. 1 cup frozen mixed peppers (or one heaping handful)

- 2Tb Garlic (chopped)

- 1 small sweet onion, chopped.

- 3Tb butter

- 3Tb flour

- 2 cups chicken, vegetable, or beef stock (or 2 cups water with appropriate amount of boullion)

- 2 carrots, chopped.

- 2 celery stalks, chopped.

- 1 cup tomato sauce (you can use my super easy pasta sauce recipe if you want home made)

- Salt and Pepper to taste

- Dash of Nutmeg

- Dash of Cinnamon

- Olive Oil

Instructions:

• In a medium saucepan, boil stock.
• While the stock is boiling, put a large saucepan on high heat.  Whisk butter and flour until it forms a paste.
• Whisk in the stock, the pasta sauce, and add 1Tb garlic, the salt and pepper, nutmeg, and cinnamon.
• Lower the heat to medium heat.
• Heat a large skillet to medium high heat.
• Pour a few glugs of olive oil into the hot skillet.
• For 5- 8 minutes, fry up the carrots and celery until fork tender.
• When fully cooked, put the carrots and celery into the food processor or blender.  (KEEP THE SKILLET HOT!)
• Add the peppers, onions, and garlic to the hot skillet. 
• Once the peppers, onions and garlic start to smell really aromatic and great, and look like they're losing liquid (sweating), pour the mixture into a blender or food processor and puree with the carrots and celery.
• Whisk the puree into the cooking soup. 
• Lower the heat to medium low heat.
• Cook for at least twenty minutes.  This is one of those recipes that will taste great straightaway, but will also taste amazing the longer it cooks, or the next day as leftovers.

For the Garnish:

Ingredients:

- 3 or 4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes

- 2 Sprigs Rosemary

- 2 Sprigs Thyme

- Salt and Pepper to taste

- Onion Powder

- Garlic Powder

- Olive Oil

Instructions:

• Preheat your oven to 350- degrees.
• Wash and chop your potatoes.
• Put your potatoes in a 3 inch deep baking dish.
• Add all of the seasonings, and a drizzle of oil.
• Mix together with your hands or tongs.
• Bake for 20 minutes
• Top your soup with it and enjoy!

*This soup freezes well for 6 months in a regular freezer and 1 year for a deep freeze.  I put it in individual sized containers so that it defrosts quickly and is easy for Kyle to bring for lunch.

My family realy enjoyed this soup!  And to top it off, when Kyle and I talked about it, it cost less than $5 to make!  (and there was enough for him to bring to work for lunch and for me to feed the baby for 4 days!)  Maybe it's crazy to try to make everything in the fridge before I grocery shop next (besides for milk and eggs), but it is kind of fun to see that it is possible to make really good food with what we have, and to know that we're not wasting anything.  Isn't there enough waste in the world?  And enough people that don't have enough, that we should try to use what we've got before accumulating more?  Just a thought.

For the weekend, I'll be sharing a deliciously bad for you fried dinner that I made Kyle when he was a bit hungover.  Next stop...fried green beans and homemade chicken nuggets.