Roasted Butternut Squash Leek Apple Chowder

I found a good creamy curried butternut squash soup recipe the other day. But if you put curry powder in a soup, it kinda becomes all the same flavor and I love curry, but sometimes I want just hearty squashy chowder. This is a winner. Just in time for Thanksgiving.

Ingredients: 
2 lb butternut squash
3 apples
2 leeks
1 onion
2 carrots
3 small colorful potatoes
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
1 Tbs maple syrup
1/2 cup apple cider
1 Tbs apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp rosemary
1 bay leaf
a few garlic cloves

Roast vegetables: Chop leeks roughly and wash well with water. Drain. Core apples and chop roughly. Quarter an onion. Keep 1/4 of the butternut squash on side. Halve the rest of butternut squash. Scoop seeds out. Rub little bit of olive oil on the cut side. Place cut side down on a baking sheet. Combine the rest of chopped vegetables in a big baking sheet/pan, drizzle 2 Tbsp olive oil and maple syrup. Roast in an oven at 350 ºF for 30 minutes or until everything becomes tender. Let them cool.

Cook garnish vegetables: Peel the remaining butternut squash. Dice butternut squash, carrots, and colorful potatoes at 3/4″. Boil 4 cups water. Put all of diced vegetables, salt, bay leaf, crashed garlic cloves, rosemary, and black pepper in the boiling water. Cook 5 minutes or until everything becomes tender. Remove garlic cloves and bay leaf. Separate vegetables from the cooking water. Reserve the liquid.

Assemble chowder: Put some of the roasted vegetables and water from the cooking vegetables in a blender. Blend until smooth. Repeat until all roasted vegetables are purred.  Mix the purred vegetables, cooked vegetables, remaining cooking water if there was any, apple cider and apple cider vinegar. Season with salt and black pepper, if you desire. I didn’t have to put anything else in it.

GF Butternut Squash Bread

Butternut Squash Bread

I thought this recipe was already on my site because this is a staple in my fall kitchen. But it was not. It’s easy to make, healthy and very good. This is a versatile recipe. You can replace butternut squash with any other pumpkin or squash, grated zucchini, or grated carrots.

Ingredients (Makes 1 loaf):
2 cups cooked butternut squash
2.5 cups GF flour mix
2 Tbsp ground flax seeds (soak in 4 Tbsp soy/almond milk or water)
1/2-1 cup orange juice, almond milk or soy milk
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup sunflower oil
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
1/2 tsp ground clove
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/4 cup crashed walnuts or pecans
1/4 cup raisins
extra oil and flour to prepare the loaf pan

*See my GF flour mix page if you would like to mix your own.

1. Cook butternut squash. I either bake it in oven or steam it in a pressure cooker. If you are baking, cut the stem off at the top. Halve the butternut squash. Rub a little olive oil on the halved surface. Place them cut side down on a baking sheet. Bake at 350~375 ºF for 15-30 minutes until it becomes soft. If you can stub it with a folk easily, it’s done. If you are steaming in a pressure cooker, steam it for 4 minutes. Let it cool enough to handle. Scoop out the meat with a spoon.
2. Soak ground flax seed in nut milk or water.
3. In a big bowl, put everything except orange juice and flour, and mix well. Put half the flour mix in the bowl, mix. Add 1/2 cup orange juice, and mix. Add the rest of flour, and mix. If the batter seems too dry, add the 1/2 cup orange juice. Add raisins and walnuts and miix.
4. Rub oil inside of a baking loaf. Dust it off with flour.
5. Pour the batter in the baking loaf. Bake at 350 ºF for 40-50 minutes or until done. To see if it’s done, press the top of the loaf with a finger lightly, if it gives in easily, bake some more.

Roasted Butternut Squash with Kale

Roasted Butternut Squash and Kale

I accidentally took this recipe down. So here it is once again fabulous roasted butternut squash recipe. For a vegan Thanksgiving, this is a must dish.

Ingredients:
1 medium butternut squash (about 2 pounds after peeled)
3 cups chopped kale (packed)
2-3 cloves garlic 
a handful of parsley 
1/4 cup raw almonds
1/4 cup raw walnuts or pecans
1 Tbsp nutritious yeast
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2~3 Tbsp olive oil

1. Peel butternut squash. Halve it. Seed it. Chop it in inch cubes. Mince garlic. Mince parsley.
2. Preheat the oven at 375 ºF.
3. Put butternut squash, garlic, and parsley in a deep large enough pan or baking sheet. Sprinkle olive oil over, and toss with your hands. Cover loosely with foil.
4. Roast for 30 minutes until butternut squash is almost done. Test with a folk.
5. In a small bowl, mix roughly chopped nuts, nutritious yeast, and salt and pepper. Chop kale.
6. Uncover the butternut squash. Pour chopped kale and nuts mixture over. Mix well with a spatula.
7. Roast at 350 ºF for another 10 minutes or so until kale is welted.

 

Roasted Vegetable Dinner: Cauliflower, Butternut Squash, Bell Pepper, and Kale

Rosted Vegetable Dinner

Another roasted vegetable dinner for fall. I usually pan fry cauliflower, but for night since I had so many other things can go in oven, I decided to roast them in oven. Bell peppers were fired roasted at stove top. Add kale avocado salad, and home made multi-grain bread, there is a dinner.

Ingredients: 1 head cauliflower for 2 people, 1 butternut squash for 4 people, 1 bell pepper for each person, 1 bunch kale, 1 avocado and 1 lemon  for 4 people salad, handful of pine nuts for pepper salad, olive oil, sea salt and black pepper

1. Popcorn Cauliflower: Wash and divide them into small florets. Toss with olive oil and sea salt. Use about 1 tsp salt for 1 head of cauliflower. Spread them on a baking sheet avoiding to overwrap. Roasted at 375ºF for about 10-20 minutes until they become partially golden. Flip them after 10 minutes.
2. Butternut Squash: Half length wise. Scoop out seeds. You can wash the seeds and dry roast as well. Splash olive oil on the cut side and rub it with finger. Sprinkle salt. Place on a baking sheet face down. Roasted at 375ºF for about 30 minutes. Test with a bamboo stick. When it’s done, scoop out meat. Mash little bit. Season with salt and pepper if you like.
3. Bell Peppers: Place them over medium heat on a stove top directly. Rotate them every few minutes to char all over. It will take about 10 minutes all together. When it’s charred all over, put it in a small bowl or pan and cover. Let it steam. when they are cool enough to touch, peel with fingers. Do not rinse with water. The wonderful charred flavor will disappear. Toss with a splash of balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper and toasted pine nuts.

January 21st Menu

Everything Shake

Breakfast: Coffee, Everything Shake (Soy Milk, Carrots, Cucumber, Spinach, Apple, Pineapple, Strawberries)—it was okay, not a hit.

Lunch: Feast! (Roasted Butternut Squash and Kale, Wild Mushrooms, Beans, and Kale Soup, Avocado/Tomato/Green Pepper Salad, Spelt Toasts)

Snack Dinner: Mmmaple Pecan Bar, Fuji Apple, Cranberry Walnut Toast, Red Grapes

Feast!

Snack Dinner

 

 

Sunday’s Menu 12/1

Green Goddess

Breakfast: Coffee, Green Goddess Shake

Late Lunch: Roasted Butternut Squash and Kale with Nutty Sprinkles, Kale-Quinoa Salad, Toast, Apple Sauce—awesome late fall meal.

Snack: Donuts at Donut Plant—again!

Roasted Butternut Squash and Kale

Apple Sauce