Butternut Squash, Kabocha Squash, Apple Soup

The weather is getting a little bit chilly, time for some soup.  I was given quite a few honey crisp apples and needed to do something with them.  Squash soup has been sounding good.  I made a squash soup last year and figured I would just add apples.  Turned out pretty good.  

24 oz cut butternut squash (bought the bags with cut up squash)

1 three-lb-ish Kabocha squash

3 honey crisp apples cut up (various size pieces)

2 large shallots, chopped fairly finely, or as finely as your eyes can handle without tearing to where you can’t see anything. 

1 32 fl oz organic free range carton chicken broth (Trader Joe’s)

1-13.5 oz can organic coconut milk (Trader Joe’s)

nutmeg to taste

I do not have the strength to cut squash, so I rinsed the squash and put it on a toaster oven tray lined with tin foil (the tray lined with tin foil, not the squash).  Baked it at 400 for 20 minutes until soft enough to cut, clean out seeds, cut into quarters and stick in the crockpot. 

While the Kabocha squash is cooking, I put the butternut squash, the apples, chicken broth in a crockpot.  Takes me awhile to get things organized and chopped and cleaned so by now the kabocha squash is done enough for me to cut.  I cut the top 1/3-ish of the squash off.  Scooped out the seeds.  Chop the top and the bottom portions into a few pieces.  I stick skin of squash and all in the crockpot.  Cook on low for 8 hours (after 8 hours my crockpot goes to “warm” mode).  The crockpot was on “warm” mode for probably 1 ½ hours before I shut it off.  I scooped out the kabocha squash, removed the skin (so much easier to remove the skin after it cooks) and put the “meat” of the squash back in the crockpot.  I used an emersion blender to blend it all together.  I then added the coconut milk and some nutmeg, blended again. 

Lemon and Caper Chicken with Roasted Vegetables

Diced Butternut squash

1 yellow zucchini

1 green zucchini

2 TBSP olive oil

¼ onion cut bit size

diced garlic

salt

pepper

can add other spices as well.

bake in oven at 375 covered in foil for about 25-35 minutes or until done.

3 Chicken tenders (enough for 2 people)

sauté in pan with tsp olive oil and TBSP of butter

sauté until brown.  Take out and cut up.  In the pan they cooked in.  put in about 3 TBSP Sherry, 2 TBSP capers, small squeeze of lemon (or lime) and add ¾ cup mushrooms sliced.  Until mushrooms are cooked.  ¾ C low fat sour cream.  Stir until mixed.  Add chicken.  Plate.  Yummm!  Serve with wine. J

I didn’t cook this evening, just got to enjoy a great meal.  My contribution was chopping the onions.   This was really good.  Not heavy, very flavorful. 

Hamburger and Cilantro Lime Rice Soup

1 lb hamburger

garlic salt, course ground with parsely

minced onion

garlic powder

tumeric

10 oz Rotel diced tomatoes with chiles

1 13.4 oz simply balanced box of Kidney beans

~2 cups water or more

1 package cooked Cilantro Lime Rice (I use Archer Farms)

Brown hamburger, add salt, garlic salt, minced onion, garlic powder, tumeric.  Add tomatoes, kidney beans, water.  Bring to boil and simmer.  Add rice, simmer a little longer.  Turns out thick.  Can thin it out if you want.

Serve with hint of lime Tostitos in it.

Hamburger and Brown Rice Soup

1 lb hamburger

salt

garlic salt, course ground with parsely

minced onion

garlic powder

tumeric

10 oz Rotel diced tomatoes with lime juice and cilantro

1 13.4 oz simply balanced box of Kidney beans

~2 cups water

~2 cups brown rice

Brown hamburger, add salt, garlic salt, minced onion, garlic powder, tumeric.  Add tomatoes, kidney beans, water.  Bring to boil and simmer.  Add rice, simmer a little longer.

Baked Beet Soup

Baked Beet Soup

Peel 4 medium beets and cut into 1/2-inch pieces.

Toss in baggy with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, tumeric, onion powder, garlic salt to taste.  Pour on a baking sheet. Roast at 450 degrees F, stirring once or twice, until tender, 35 minutes.

Meanwhile:

Saute ½ cup chopped onion, 1 clove garlic minced, and ½ cup celery thinly sliced. 

½ cup diced carrots

add 2 cups vegetable broth

simmer while chopping cabbage.

Add 1 cup cabbage chopped

Add roasted beets.

1 can (1 ½ cup) Simple Truth Organic Tri-bean blend, drained

Simmer until cabbage is starting to get soft.

Salmon Kale Baked Salad

 1 filet salmon, I use frozen

1 frozen lemon cube (ice cube tray)

¼ - ½ tsp Turmeric

¼ cup julienned carrots

2 large kale leaves, stems removed, chopped

Tessemae’s All Natural Green Goddess Dressing/Marinade/Dip

Baking dish deep enough to hold greens like a bread pan

Salad greens of choice

Cover a baking dish with foil and add salmon.  Sprinkle with Turmeric and add the lemon cube.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Add carrots then top with the kale, then drizzle with dressing.  Bake another 10 minutes.  The kale will be light and crunch on the top, which is really good over the salad.  Put over salad greens of choice warm or cold.

Quinoa Salad

Quinoa Salad

½ cup uncooked quinoa

2 TBSP chopped fresh chives

½ cup fresh Italian parsley

Drizzle of Angelina Mandarin Orange Crushed Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or other citrus olive oil)

sea salt to taste

1 cup green beans

1 cup asparagus

another drizzle of olive oil

Cook the quinoa and set aside to cool.  Once cooled, stir in the chives, Italian parsley, olive oil and a little bit of salt.  Chill in the refrigerator.  Steam or bake the asparagus and green beans (I baked them with some of the citrus oil).  Chop in pieces before cooking, after cooked some of it is hard to chop.  Add sea salt and pepper to taste.  Serve warm or cold. 

Since asparagus can be very expensive during off-season, other greens can be added.  I’ve made this with sugar snap peas and it was very good.