Sara’s Butternut Squash and Vegetable Soup

I still had a bunch of butternut squash leftover from making the muffins.  I wanted to do something different with it, and I wanted to give into making something involving brown sugar and...no that's it....brown sugar, but I decided I should do something more healthy, nutritious and warm.  Well, it is suppose to be fall already...who cares if it is 100 degrees.   So I looked through several recipes and they didn't really have what I was looking for, so I made a compilation recipe and it works for me!!!  some recipes puree all the vegetables after being cooked, but I like seeing my veggies.  So, for my first squash soup I am pleased. 

Sara’s Butternut  Squash and Vegetable Soup

•  
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 small onion, chopped

• 2 stalk celery, chopped                                                                                   
• 2 medium carrot, chopped
• 2 medium potatoes, cubed
• 1 medium butternut squash - peeled, seeded, roasted and pureed
• 1 (32 fluid ounce) container chicken or vegetable stock
• ½ - ¾ cup of plain greek yogurt
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• Dash of curry powder

Melt 2 Tbsp of butter in a large saucepan, add onion and sauté until soft, add garlic, celery, carrots, potatoes and sauté until cooked, add spices.

When everything is cooked add pureed squash, yogurt and chicken stock, simmer for 20 minutes. 

(roasted sweet potatoes would also be nice in this soup)

To prepare butternut squash cut it in half, scoop out seeds.  Place face down on a baking sheet and bake it, , at 400F for 30 to 40 minutes (depending on the size). Let cool, the flesh scoops out easily with a spoon.

Kid Approved Butternut Squash Muffins with Citrus Glaze

I saw this recipe and had to try it, because I have been having such a blast cooking squash this fall that I just had to give a whirl.  I took them to my sister's house when I went to babysit and her three children and the children devoured them...and I mean devoured them.  I liked them also.  I made a few changes to Jamie Oliver's recipe...adding more squash spices and citrus juice, and I didn't have any nuts, so I didn't add any, which was fine for the children.  So give it a try,  sneak in the squash.

Jamie Oliver’s Butternut Squash Muffins with Citrus Glaze

2 cups of cooked and mashed butternut squash

¼ cup brown sugar

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

Dash of salt

2 ½ cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

Handful of walnuts

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Dash of ginger and cloves

¾ cup oil

Citrus Glaze

Zest of 1 clementine, orange or tangelo

Zest of  1 lemon

Juice of ½ lemon and ½ a Clementine (orange or tangelo)

½ teaspoon of vanilla

½ cup of greek yogurt

1 cup of powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

 Line your muffin tins with paper cups.

Whiz the squash in a food processor until finely chopped. Add the sugar, and eggs. Add a pinch of salt, the flour, baking powder, walnuts, cinnamon and  oil and whiz together until well beaten. You may need to pause the machine at some point to scrape the mix down the sides with a rubber spatula. Try not to overdo it with the mixing – you want to just combine everything and no more. Fill the paper cups with the muffin mixture. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Check to see whether they are cooked properly by sticking a wooden skewer or a knife right into one of the cakes – if it comes out clean, they’re done. If it’s a bit sticky, pop them back into the oven for a little longer. Remove from the oven and leave the cakes to cool on a wire rack.As soon as the muffins are in the oven, make your runny frosted topping. Place most of the clementine zest, all the lemon zest and the citrus juice in a bowl. Add the yogurt, powdered sugar, vanilla and mix well. Taste and have a think about it – adjust the amount of lemon juice or icing sugar to balance the sweet and sour. Put into the fridge until your cakes have cooled down, then spoon the topping onto the muffins.

Lemon Cream Cheese Bars...Stop me now!

Why do I feel that I must outdo myself?  Well, a friend of mine requested lemon bars for his birthday.  He then added, he would like them to have cream cheese.  I have the best lemon bar recipes ever, and so I had to decide how to add cream cheese and cross my fingers.  and drumroll please...........they were amazing!!!!  So, have some wicked awesome lemony tart sweet fun!!! Note:  if you prefer just a lemon bar, take out the cream cheese mix and you will be able to have my favorite lemon bar recipe, and I have tried quite a few, and this one is the clear winner. :)

Lemon Cream Cheese Bars

Cream together:

1 cup butter or margarine

½ cup powdered sugar

Add and mix well:

½ teaspoon salt

2 cups flour

Pat into a 9” x 13” greased baking pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. 

Mix together and pour over hot crust:

 

1 package cream cheese

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup plain greek yogurt (or sour cream)

1/4 cup lemon juice

Then mix and add to the top of the cream cheese layer

4 eggs, beaten slightly

2 cups sugar

½ tsp baking powder

¼ cup flour

¼ cup lemon juice (and maybe a splash or two or three or four more)

Rind of one lemon, grated (and then maybe one or two more rinds, if you like it tart and sassy)

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.  When done, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Streusel Pancakes

Yes, I will eat almost anything with the words cinnamon streusel in it, maybe even brussel sprouts, but probably not.  I saw these pancakes pop up on http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/ and said, yes, please!  I decided to have a couple friends over for breakfast and try this out on them.  I made the mix as stated, but I also had some dry mix made from my whole wheat and oat pancakes that I made awhile ago, so I dumped it in for extra healthiness.  It was satisfyingly delicious.  My friend Anne brought turkey bacon and I made a simple fruit salad and we were all happy.  So give it a shot, it will make you smile!

Pumpkin Cinnamon Streusel Pancakes

Yield: Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the cinnamon streusel:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks
To make the pancakes:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup milk
1/2 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 large egg
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
I added a tablespoon or two of molasses.  J

Directions:

1. First, make the cinnamon streusel. In a medium bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter. Mix together with your hands or a fork, until you have a crumbly mixture. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flours, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, egg, pumpkin, canola oil, and vanilla extract. Add wet ingredients to the flour mixture and whisk until combined.
4. Heat a griddle or pan to medium low. Coat with cooking spray. Drop 1/3 cup of batter onto heated skillet. Add 2 tablespoons of the cinnamon streusel. Cook on the first side until bubbles begin to form, about 2-3 minutes. Carefully flip pancake over and cover very generously with cinnamon streusel. Cook for another 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Continue this process to make the rest of the pancakes.

Roasted Garlic Soup with French Bread and Broiled Cheese Topping

Holy Moley...oh my....sweet mother of Venus...amazing explosion on the taste buds of wicked awesomeness....I saw this on Smitten Kitchen, and fell in love, and since we had 50 pounds of roma tomatoes that were canned, I saved some to make this soup.  I also made french bread to go on top and then sharp cheddar cheese...oh, my...did I mention holy moley?  The roasted tomatoes were AMAZING I ate a couple of them before I even put them in the soup, and I also roasted the garlic, oh, the smell, the taste!!  along with the freshly baked bread...my house was heaven on earth.  I loved the roasted tomatoes so much, I diced some others, and roasted them, and added more roasted garlic and balsamic vinaigrette so I could make roasted tomato bruschetta.  Oh my...I love my life.  xoxo!

 
Roasted Tomato and Garlic Soup
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Serves 4-6
Soup
3 pounds plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic,roasted
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves or 1/4 teaspoon dried
1/4 teaspoon (or more to taste) dried crushed red pepper
4 fresh basil leaves
1 cup fat free half and half
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
Lid
4 1-inch slices from a large loaf of rye bread, whole wheat sourdough or bread of your choice (or 16 1-inch slices from a baguette), toasted until hard and lightly buttered on one side
1 tablespoon grated raw onion
1 cup coarsely grated cheddar (or more to taste)
Make soup: Preheat oven to 400°F. Wrap garlic cloves in a tight foil packet. Place tomatoes, cut side up, on large baking sheet. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper (I used 1 full teaspoon of Kosher salt). Drizzle tomatoes with olive oil. Add foil packet of garlic to tray. Roast until tomatoes are brown and tender (garlic will be very tender), about 1 hour. Cool slightly.
Unwrap garlic packet and squeeze four cloves in to blender with tomatoes, tomato juices left in pan and basil leaves and pulse machine on and off until tomatoes are a chunky puree. Transfer tomatoes to medium pot and add thyme, crushed red pepper and stock and bring to a boil Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 25 minutes. Remove from heat and adjust seasonings to taste.

Create cheddar lid: Preheat oven to 350. Arrange four ovenproof soup bowls, crocks or large mugs on a large, foil-lined baking sheet. Stir grated onion into the warm soup. (I love this last-minute suggestion of onion.) Float toast slice(s) in each bowl, buttered side up and divide grated cheese generously over top. (If you’re using a wide bowl, you might find that you want more cheese to create a thick, broiled lid.) Bake soups on tray for 15 to 20 minutes, until cheese on top is bubbling and brown at the edges. If you’d like it even more bronzed on top, preheat your broiler and finish soups for a minute or two under it. Serve immediately.

 

 

 

Old Reliable" French Bread (for Kitchen Aid Mixers)

Units: US | Metric

• 2 packages active dry yeast
• 2 1/2 cups water (105F to 115 F)
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon melted margarine or 1 tablespoon butter
• 7 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons cornmeal
• 1 egg white
• 1 tablespoon cold water

Directions:

Dissolve yeast in warm water in warmed mixer bowl.

Add salt, butter, and flour.

Attach bowl& dough hook to mixer, turn to Speed 2 and mix about 1 minute or until well blended.

Knead on Speed 2 about 2 minutes longer.

Dough will be sticky.

Put dough in large greased bowl, turning to coat.

Cover and let rise in warm place, free from draft, about 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.

Punch dough down and divide in half.

Roll each half into 12" x 15" rectangle.

Roll dough tightly, from longest side, tapering ends, if needed/wanted.

Put loaves on greased baking sheets that have been dusted with cornmeal.

Cover and let rise in warm place, free from draft, about 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.

With sharp knife, make 4 diagonal cuts on top of each loaf.

Bake at 450F for 25 minutes, then remove from oven.

Beat egg white and water together and brush each loaf with this mix.

Return to the oven and bake 5 minutes longer.

Immediately remove from baking sheets and cool on wire racks.

Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/old-reliable-french-bread-for-kitchen-aid-mixers-52289#ixzz1YjbKkzNW

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chimichangas.

When I first saw this recipe I was suspicious.  Whenever a recipe says "vegan"  I start to think, "not a chance in he%$"  Why?  It is a whole psycho-social reactionary thing...but, I can handle vegetarian, but mostly I want healthy and tasty.  I keep trying to find ways to use beans and vegetables in  nourishing and delicious ways, and this is it baby.  Now, I will mention, that I did find a way to make it non vegan, and after a few fixes, ended up making it more chimichanga style.  Yum!

Black Beans and Sweet Potato Chimi's
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp oil
1/2 onion
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
handful of spinach
1 clove of garlic
1 roasted, and chopped green chili or 1 4 oz can of green chilies
2 cups of cooked black beans, or 1 can rinsed and drained (I used black beans with jalapenos to up the spice)
2 chopped medium tomatoes (or 1 can of diced tomatoes)
1/2 cup sweet corn
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
salt and pepper
12 flour tortillas (I used Mission's new blue corn and flax...they were good!)

 salsa


optional toppings:
plain greek yogurt, avocado slices, cheese...anything else that makes you happy.

Saute onion until translucent, add garlic and sweet potatoes.  Saute until soft, add spinach, green chilis, black beans, tomatoes and spices.  Simmer together and adjust seasoning to taste. 

Spray bottom of 9x13 pan with  non stick spray, add a 1/2 cup of salsa to the bottom of the pan.  Place filling in the middle of a tortilla, roll and place seam to the side, place on top of salsa.  Continue with the rest of tortilla and fillings and add to pan.  Place dots of butter to the top of the tortilla's add another quarter cup of salsa.  

Cook at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Flip over and add more butter to the top of the tortillas and add a handful of cheese , if you are non vegaing and desire cheese.  ook until brown and crispy, another 5 minutes or so. 

Add other toppings and eat!  Fantastic!!  I really enjoyed it. 

Easy Tasty Chicken Tenders with Prickly Pear Honey Mustard dressing

• Honey Mustard Dressing
• 1/2 cup light mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoon prepared mustard (I used my brothers homemade prickly pear)
• 2 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

mix together and refrigerate.

• 1 lb chicken tenders
• 2 tablespoons light mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs (I had plain, so I added a dash of oregano, basil, nutmeg, sweet mesquite, Cajun and garlic salt)
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat Oven to 425°F.
2. Mix chicken tenders and mayonnaise in a bowl to lightly coat chicken with mayonnaise.
3. Mix bread crumbs and cheese in a gallon-size zippie bag.
4. Prepare baking sheet with cooking spray.
5. Put 1-2 chicken tenders in the zippie bag with the bread crumbs and shake to coat.
6. Place chicken tenders in a single layer on prepared baking sheet.
7. Continue until all tenders are coated and on the baking sheet.
8. Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes. Gently flip each one, so as not to remove the breading, and bake an additional 8 minutes.

Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/baked-chicken-tenders-194400#ixzz1XZUhXO4Q