Recipes by the Soup Goddess: Butternut Squash Soup with Brie

Who is the Soup Goddess? Read all about her here. And if you say her title aloud, please note that the emphasis is on the "ess."

Mmmmmm squash soup. Autumn is not complete without a few bowlfuls of it. This one is smooth and comforting, divinely creamy, and more savory than sweet. Make it for a squash-loving friend, and savor it over candlelight and conversation. Serve with crusty bread and salad for a light dinner, or as a starter for an upscale dinner party.

It may look like a lot of steps, but the beginning of the process is pretty hands off, and once the squash is roasted, the soup comes together before you know it.

Butternut Squash Soup with Brie

Ingredients:
2 c. apple cider (preferably from unsprayed apples, if you can find it)
1 butternut squash (around 2 lbs)
1-2 organic tart apples, cored and cut in half
1 sweet onion, chopped
2 cups homemade chicken stock
1 1/2 c. milk
1 c. half & half
1 red pepper, finely diced
2 large carrots, finely diced
2 T. butter
2 T. olive oil (or use all butter)
2 heaping T. flour (unbleached white or sprouted)
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 t. freshly grated nutmeg
6 oz. brie, rind removed, diced
sour cream, for garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Place 1 cup of apple cider in a 9x13 pan.
2. Wash the squash. Cut it in half (good luck!!) and scoop out seeds. Place cut side down in the pan. 
3. Cover the pan with foil (or use a casserole dish with a glass lid). Bake 40 minutes.
4. Place the apple halves in the pan with the squash and re-cover. Bake 20-25 minutes, until apples and squash are tender when pricked with a fork.
5. Uncover the pan and let cool until comfortable to the touch. (You can start the next step while you wait.) Remove the peels from the apples and squash. 
6. In a soup pot, melt the butter and olive oil. Saute carrot, onion, and pepper, adding the garlic toward the end. 
7. Add salt, pepper, and flour. Cook and stir for one minute. 
8. Add the squash, apples, and liquid from the pan, and 1 cup of chicken broth. Puree with an immersion blender.
9. Add the remaining apple cider, chicken broth, milk, half & half, and nutmeg. Mix well and cook, stirring, over medium heat 5-10 minutes until heated through. Taste and adjust seasoning.
10. Add the brie and stir to melt.
11. Ladle into bowls. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of fresh nutmeg.

This is part of: Make Your Own Monday, Monday Mania, Natural Living Monday, Fat Tuesday, Traditional Tuesday, Hearth & Soul 

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Just Another Pumpkin (or butternut) Spice Smoothie

The internet is abuzz with pumpkin recipes right now, so I was hesitant to add my own. Does the world really need one more pumpkin recipe? I suppose it couldn't hurt.

Did you know that you can substitute butternut squash in almost any pumpkin recipe? There are even rumors that canned pumpkin is actually butternut squash. So for this "Pumpkin Spice Smoothie," I used some butternut squash I had cooked the Safe and Brainless Way.

It tastes like fall in a cup. And it's chock full of nutrition! This smoothie keeps even this nursing mama going for hours, and is perfect for a snack any time of day or for a quick meal on the go.

Tip: For a more flavorful but still thickly frozen smoothie, freeze pumpkin or squash in ice cube trays. Use the frozen squash in your smoothie and omit the ice.

Pumpkin (or Butternut) Spice Smoothie

Ingredients:
3/4 c. cooked butternut squash (or pumpkin or other winter squash)
3/4 c. whole raw milk
1/4 c. full-fat organic yogurt
1 banana, peeled, broken into chunks, and frozen
5 ice cubes (from a standard ice-cube tray)
1 raw egg yolk
1 T. gelatin
1 T. coconut oil
2 t. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 t. vanilla extract
a pinch of unrefined sea salt

Directions:
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend on high until smooth. Pour into a glass and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Why the gelatin? Read this to find out - Gelatin: A Healthy Protein Powder


Have you seen my tips for how to make great smoothies? Check 'em out!

This is part of: Real Food Wednesday, Healthy2Day Wednesday, Whole Foods Wednesday, Frugal Ways, Sustainable Days, Simple Lives Thursday,  Keep It Real Thursday, Pennywise Platter Thursday, Full Plate Thursday, Farm Girl Friday, Foodie Friday, Fight Back Friday, Natural Living Monday, Thank Your Body Thursday

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Recipes by the Soup Goddess: Minestrone

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This is the second soup in this series, Recipes by the Soup Goddess. The Soup Goddess is my mom, and she's not really a goddess, but she is a pretty gifted woman. And one of her gifts is making soup.

When I think about this soup, I remember a time during the first year I was off of meal plan at college and cooking for myself. My mom came for a visit and brought with her a gallon sized freezer bag full of this soup, complete with a little baggie of grated Parmesan. I don't remember much of what I ate that year, but I had virtually no cooking experience and that soup was a bright spot in a dark culinary period.

This is a great soup to make in late summer or early fall, when vegetables like green beans and zucchini can still be found in your garden or at your farmer's market. 

Cook Squash the Safe and Brainless Way

One of the ways we're surviving this stressful time is by doing things as simply as possible. Sometimes those simplifications fall into the 80-20 rule: eat as healthfully as possible 80 percent of the time, and it's okay if the other 20 percent isn't perfect. Like going out for chinese food (boy did that make my husband happy. He's been craving egg rolls for the five years we've been married). Or eating a frozen pizza once in awhile. Or buying store bought bread instead of making it from scratch (though I do usually buy sourdough or sprouted bread...but not always).

Here is one example of a simple method that doesn't compromise health. Cooking and pureeing your own squash or pumpkin is a great way to use local produce and avoid the BPA in canned products, but it's one of those things I'd be tempted to let go in a season such as this one.  However, when your CSA keeps giving you squash, you've gotta do something with it! This is the easiest way to use your squash before it rots. And if you don't have the energy to use it right away, it's ok! Freeze it and use it when you feel inspired.

You really can't mess this method up.

Usually, to cook a whole squash, you grab the sharpest knife you own and pray that you won't lose a finger while attempting to cut it in half. Or maybe that's just me. But I've never quite felt at peace about risking my digits like that, and so I've discovered a much easier way to cook a squash. Bonus: you can forget about it and you won't ruin it or burn the house down.

Step One:
Rinse off your squash and place as many as you want inside your slow cooker. I did three in this picture, in my six quart slow cooker. If you're doing larger ones, maybe just one or two.

Step Two:

Put the lid on, and turn the slow cooker on low or high, depending how long you have. I honestly can't tell you how long it's going to take (I told you this was brainless), but they always cook faster than I think they will. Check it after an hour, and then every half hour or so. If you can't check that often, turn it on low. It's done when it pierces easily with a fork.

Step Three:

Remove the cooked squash from the slow cooker and let them cool until you won't burn yourself touching them.

Step Four:

Cut the squash in half using a knife (mmm, now wasn't that easy?). Scoop out the seeds with a spoon and discard. Scoop out the flesh using a spoon. (Notice that's not the same squash you saw in the above picture...something sketchy is going on here...)

Step Five:
If you want pureed squash, use an immersion blender (my new favorite tool!), a regular blender, or a food processor to puree. (My immersion blender came with this handy little cup - perfect for smoothies! I find it SO much easier to wash the cup and one piece of the immersion blender than to wash all the little pieces of my blender or food processor. Seriously. You need to invest in one.)

Step Six:
Spoon the puree into jars, label, and freeze until needed. A big butternut and a medium acorn yielded about four and a half cups of pureed squash. The stuff in the measuring cup went into our dinner that night. (Pumpkin Sausage Pasta from Simply in Season. Yum.)

No more cutting your finger off trying to cut open a squash. Hurray!

Hope you are enjoying this fall season and finding ways to simplify and enjoy each day. :)

This is a part of Real Food Wednesday.