Raw Butternut Squash Soup

This is a variation of the Carrot-Ginger soup in Vegan Fusion's The Complete Idiot's Guide to Eating Raw.  I had a butternut squash that I've been wanting to make into soup for a couple weeks now.  It's the last one from our garden last year.  I peeled it, chopped it, and pureed it in the blender with some filtered water to make a thick juice.  It came out very tasty and my blender on the soup setting blends it fast enough to come out steaming and warm.  It can be eaten warm or cold. It's got great flavor and fits into my green smoothie 'clean up'.

Raw Butternut Squash Soup

4 cups butternut squash puree, pure the squash with filtered water to almost a juice, a cup or more
1/4 cup cashews
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 small avocado, mashed
2 TB ginger, minced
2 tsp. Shoyu
Juice from one lemon, I used a Meyer lemon, very nice!
1/2 tsp. curry powder
1/4 tsp. dry dill
Pinch cayenne
Pinch sea salt
Pinch freshly ground black pepper

Place 1 cup butternut squash 'juice', nuts, and avocado in a blender, and blend on high speed for 20 seconds or until mixture is smooth.

Add ginger, shoyu, lemon juice, curry powder, dill, cayenne, salt, and pepper and blend on low to medium speed for 15 to 20 seconds.  Slowly adding remaining squash 'juice' through the top while blending on low.  I used the soup setting on my Blendtec which blends it for a minute and a half at high speed.  The soup warms up, but it doesn't cook. 

I used fresh beet pure, fresh beet julienne strips, a little cilantro, and chopped scallions for a garnish.

Braised Butternut Squash

I showed you what I did with the bottom portion of the butternut squash.

I sliced the top portion in 1/2 inch rounds and braised them in about two cups apple cider, rosemary, vegan margarine (New Balance, flaxseed oil), the rest of the strawberry maple syrup I made this morning, about 1/4 cup, sea salt, fresh ground black pepper, and a hit of golden balsamic vinegar.

Melt about 2 TB of the margarine with some rosemary, add the butternut rounds, a little salt, and the apple cider, bring to a boil and simmer until the liquid reduces to a glaze, about 20 minutes. Add the salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar.

Winter Squash & Beans

The Beans:

1½ cups dried beans, soaked overnight and drained
3-4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 TB Thyme
1 TB Sage
1 TB Rosemary
     (The herbs are approximate, I don't measure herbs or count garlic cloves)

I cooked the beans in the herbs and water until they were tender, about 40 minutes.  While the beans were cooking I cut a couple acorn squash and a butternut squash and cleaned out the seeds. I brushed them with olive oil and sea salt & pepper and roasted them skins down on 350° until they were tender but not too soft.

Great combination and they will make a great lunch this week!

Mango & Carrot Soup

This couldn't be easier, just a few ingredients, carrots, an onion, a mango, and some coconut milk. The recipe calls for water and a bullion cube, but I used low sodium vegetable broth.

Mango & Carrot Soup

   from:  Vegalicious Recipes

Ingredients:

* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 1 ripe mango peeled and chopped
* 1 lb. carrots (about 3-4 medium), peeled and chopped
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 teaspoon mild curry powder
* 3 cups water
* 1 vegetable bouillon cube (I used low sodium vegetable broth)
* 6-8 tablespoons coconut milk (non-sweetened)
* lemon juice
* parsley or coriander as garnish, chopped

Directions:

1. Peel and chop the onion.
2. Peel and chop the carrots.
3. Heat the oil in a large soup pot.
4. Add the onions and saute until soft and glassy.
5. Add the carrots and saute the carrots for a few minutes, but don’t let the onion brown.
6. Add the water, the bouillon cube, the curry and bring the soup to a boil.
7. Cook the soup until the carrots have softened.
8. Cut and peel the mango.
9. Put 3/4 of the mango in the soup to cook, holding out a about 1/4 to use as chunks and garnish.
10. When the carrots are soft, puree the soup. I used an immersion blender.
11. Add the coconut milk and a splash of lemon juice.
12. Puree once more to mix well.
13. Season to taste with salt and pepper and possibly additional curry as desired.
14. Serve the soup garnished with a few pieces of chopped mango and either chopped coriander or parsley.

I served it with a winter squash bowl of red beans

Whole Spelt Berries with Grilled Butternut Squash

I wanted to make something with wheat berries this weekend and I had a nice butternut squash on the kitchen table that I thought would be nice to use.  This is what I came up with. 

Spelt Berries with Grilled Butternut Squash, Pineapple, & Water Chestnuts

I soaked about a cup and a half of whole spelt berries overnight.  I then sauteed a chopped onion in olive oil, sea salt, ground pepper, and ginger until tender. I added the berries and let them brown a little bit. Then I added three cups water and simmered until tender, about 45 minutes.  While that was cooking I chopped and grilled a butternut squash until it was browned and tender in about a tablespoon of coconut oil. I added that to the undrained spelt berries, with some chopped green onions, chopped fresh pineapple, a small can of sliced water chestnuts I had in the cupboard, and a handful of Italian parsley. I made it when I got up this morning and it made a very good warm late breakfast.  My husband said the fresh pineapple would appeal to anyone with a sweet tooth.

Creamy Butternut Squash with Curry Soup

My husband picked up a couple medium butternut squash today.  I saw a pot of soup right away.  Such a warm creamy meal for a rainy day at home.  At first I thought I put a little too much ground pepper in the soup, but it gave it nice flavor.  It was just the right amount of spicy heat. It's Pretty simple.

Creamy Butternut Squash with Curry Soup

1 medium peeled and seeded a butternut squash and cut it into 2 x 2 chunks. 
3 carrots peeled and cut into large slices, about 2 inches long.
1 large onion, rough chopped,
about 4 cloves of garlic chopped,
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper.
4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
2 cups filtered water
2-3 tsp curry, or to taste

I placed all of this in a large pot and brought to a boil.  Then, I lowered the heat and simmered until the vegetables were tender, about 15-20 minutes.  I scooped the vegetables out and placed them in the blender with 1 can of coconut milk.  Blended that all until smooth and then put it back in the pot with the broth. I stirred that all together until incorporated and then added about 2-3 teaspoons curry. I put some diced red bell pepper in the bottom of the bowl for some added flavor and crunch.

I made some hot water corn bread to go with it.  This is a recipe out of the 10th Anniversary issue of VegNews Magazine.  (One of my favorite sources for vegan ideas and recipes.)

Hot Water Cornbread

1 cup cornmeal
11/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon flaxseed meal
1 cup boiling water
1 tablespoon coconut oil
2 tablespoons agave
2 teaspoons olive oil

In a large bowl, mix together cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and flaxseed meal. To the dry mixture, add the boiling water.  Stir, without overmixing, and add coconut oil and agave. Heat a skillet or large wok, add a thin layer of olive oil to the skillet and spoon batter into the skillet. Cook for 2-3 minutes until brown.  Remove to paper towel to soak up any excess oil, and serve warm.

Thanksgiving Sides - Natural & Raw

I've put butternut squash in salads, but not raw. I'll have to try this. There are a couple in my kitchen just waiting to find a home.


Vegetables for Thanksgiving, Served Natural and Raw