Curried Butternut Squash Soup

For my gardening project this year, I was most excited about growing butternut squash.  Even after countless tramplings by the dogs, the resilient plant produced more squash than I knew what to do with.  I found this gem of a recipe last year before our white elephant xmas party, so this year, I'm whipping it up with my very own squash!  I also add honey and garlic to taste.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 (2 1/2-pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 2-inch cubes $
• 4 teaspoons canola oil, divided
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1 cup chopped onion $
• 3 cups no-salt-added chicken stock (such as Swanson)
• 4 teaspoons red curry paste
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice $
• 1 (13.5-ounce) can light coconut milk
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves
• 1/4 cup flaked unsweetened coconut, toasted $
• 2 small Thai red chiles, thinly sliced

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 450°.
2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place squash in a bowl, and drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt, and toss. Bake at 450° for 35 minutes or until golden and tender.
3. Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon oil in a large saucepan over medium heat; swirl to coat. Add onion; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add squash mixture, stock, and curry paste. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in lime juice and coconut milk. Let stand for 15 minutes.
4. Place half of squash mixture in a blender, and blend until smooth. Pour soup into a bowl. Repeat. Divide the soup evenly among 8 bowls, and top evenly with cilantro, coconut, and chile slices.

Charlotte Autry, Cooking Light
DECEMBER 2012

Slow Cooker Enchilada Stew

Now that there is a chill in the air, and fall is officially here, I can't wait to pull out the slow cooker for some tasty soups and stews!  This one is courtesy of frayedlacesracing.com.  Thanks, Laura!

Ingredients
Three chicken breast fillets (the thin cuts. Mine were flash frozen Purdue, bought from Costco, and I throw them in frozen)
Two cans Enchilada sauce (or make your own, see recipe below)
Two onions, chopped (or one if you don’t like a lot of onion. I do, and my breath is fantastic)
One can of black beans, drained
One bag frozen corn
One to two chopped red peppers, or one bag of frozen, chopped peppers
One bag of chopped broccoli

Directions
Layer the ingredients in the order written. Do not stir. This should fill your crockpot to the very brim. Still have room? Cram in more veggies! Set on low for 8 hours. Once done, shred the chicken and stir everything together. (I also recommend topping with gobs of Franks hot sauce)

Top with sour cream, or cheese, or cliantro, or tortilla chips. Or all four. Or don’t. It’s fantastic as is. Enjoy a tasty and incredibly healthy meal.

Enchilada sauce recipe
2 6oz. cans of tomato paste
2 cups chicken or veggie broth
2 T chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
Whisk everything together until mixed in your crockpot, then continue to layer ingredients as described above

Variations
Basically, this recipe is incredibly forgiving, as is most slow cooker “cooking”. Experiment with different veggies. In the past I’ve used spinach instead of broccoli, which gives it a creamier texture. The key, though, is to keep the broccoli or spinach on the top of everything so it doesn’t cook too much.

Ravenous Turkey Burgers

Stumbled upon this in a runners world magazine.  The fish sauce smells gross when prepping the burger, but it goes away as soon as it's cooked.  Don't be scared of it - it makes the burger super moist and flavorful!

**Courtesy of Runner's World

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground turkey, the fattier, the better (we used 96/4)
• 3/4 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
•  1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• A couple cranks fresh ground black pepper
• Oil for brushing patties and buns (we used grapeseed)
• 1/2 avocado, sliced
• 4 hamburger buns
• Handful of fresh sprouts
• Mayonnaise (or spicy mayonnaise—equal parts mayo and Sriracha sauce)

Directions

1. Use your hands to just combine turkey, rosemary, fish sauce, sugar, and pepper in a mixing bowl. Form into four patties, 1/2 inch thick.
2. Brush the insides of the buns with oil, then both sides of the patties.
3. Heat a grill pan to medium to medium-high heat. Cook each patty for about four minutes on each side. (You'll know to flip when the bottom half of the patty has turned from pink to light brown.) You can test doneness using a food thermometer in the center of each patty. They should be cooked to 165°F. (DON'T cut in half to check doneness—you'll lose the juices.)
4. Place buns on the pan, insides facing down. Remove when browned (takes about 30 seconds).
5. Layer mayonnaise on the buns, then top with burger, avocado, and sprouts. Serves 4.

Best Chicken Ever!

Once I discovered this method for cooking chicken, I haven't done it another way.  It truly is perfect every time.  I mix up a bunch of the seasoning at a time so that I always have it handy to sprinkle on the chicken.  One of my favorite meals is one of these chicken breasts, a sweet potato, and some type of green veggie.  Perfect balance!

**Courtesy of The Recipe Crayon Box

Ingredients

• 2-4 boneless chicken breasts with or without rib meat
• 1/2 t. salt 
• 1/2 t. pepper 
• 1/2 t. garlic powder 
• 1/2 t. onion powder 
• 1/2 t. paprika 
• 2-3 T. olive oil

Directions

Mix salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika in a small bowl (I use my old 1/4 cup). Coat the chicken breasts in the seasoning, rubbing in to coat. Pour olive oil in the bottom of a Dutch oven, and heat to med-high. When nice and hot, add chicken to the pan (in batches if necessary). Cook 2-3 min per side. If any chicken has been removed, add it back to the Dutch oven. Place uncovered Dutch oven in a 350 degree F oven for 25 minutes or until juices run clear. Let sit on a plate 5-10 minutes before cutting, shredding, or eating.

Sweet Potato Soup

Another filling and comforting soup perfect for an easy meal after a long fall/winter training session.

**Courtesy of Lunch Box Bunch

Ingredients

1 cup mashed sweet potato (from a baked sweet potato - all sticky and sweet)
1/2 cup+ No-Chicken Broth (or substitute vegetable broth) -- add more to thin out to desired consistency
1/2 cup almond milk (unsweetened)
Salt to taste Add to taste (whatever amount you want):
* orange or satsuma zest (a pinch)
* chipotle powder (1/2 tsp) Garnish:
1/4 cup diced avocado
2-3 tortilla chips, crushed dash of seasoned chili salt Optional: nutritional yeast, canned white beans (blended in), cinnamon, black pepper, cayenne, lime juice (lime wedge served on side), greek yogurt, parsley or chopped spinach served over top.

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Bake your sweet potato until tender.
3. Remove potato skin, add to blender along with the broth and non-dairy milk. Blend on low until smooth. Taste a drop to see that it is slightly bland at this point. Add the salt and spices to taste. I added the zest last and folded it into the poured soup.
4. Serve with garnish or avocado and crushed chips over top. Nutrition (per recipe):
Calories: 259kcal, Fat: 3g, Carbs: 47g, Protein: 12g
Fiber: 7g, Vita A: 776%, Vita C: 65%, Iron: 13%, Calcium:23% also rich in potassium, manganese and B vitamins.

Curried Butternut Squash Soup

Last winter, the BF and I hosted a White Elephant Party.  We had lots of health conscious guests, and wanted to have a healthy soup to offer.  This was a huge hit and the recipe was requested time and time again!  Next time, though, I'll probably cut down on the amount of red curry paste - it was good, but a little less heat would be tastier

**Courtesy of My Recipes

Ingredients

• 1 (2 1/2-pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 2-inch cubes
• 4 teaspoons canola oil, divided $
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1 cup chopped onion $
• 3 cups no-salt-added chicken stock (such as Swanson)
• 4 teaspoons red curry paste
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice $
• 1 (13.5-ounce) can light coconut milk
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves
• 1/4 cup flaked unsweetened coconut, toasted
• 2 small Thai red chiles, thinly sliced

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 450°.
2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place squash in a bowl, and drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt, and toss. Bake at 450° for 35 minutes or until golden and tender.
3. Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon oil in a large saucepan over medium heat; swirl to coat. Add onion; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add squash mixture, stock, and curry paste. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in lime juice and coconut milk. Let stand for 15 minutes.
4. Place half of squash mixture in a blender, and blend until smooth. Pour soup into a bowl. Repeat. Divide the soup evenly among 8 bowls, and top evenly with cilantro, coconut, and chile slices.

Plum and Almond Galette

When the plums are overflowing at the farmers market tables, you know it's time to whip this puppy up!  Looks rustic and difficult, but it's super easy to make!

**Courtesy of Quiet Like Horses

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups + 3 tbsp all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
• 1/2 cup very cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1/4 cup + 3 tbsp + 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1-2 tbsp turbinado sugar for dusting 
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 2-4 tbsp ice water
• 1/4 cup whole, skin-on almonds, toasted
• 5 to 6 firm plums, halved, pitted, and sliced 1/4 inch thick (if using small ripe plums, as I did, simply slicing the "cheeks" off (2 slices per side) yields much neater results)
• zest of half a lemon
• 1 egg, lightly beaten and strained through a fine mesh sieve

Directions

In a food processor, combine 1 1/4 cups flour, butter, 1/2 tsp sugar, and salt. Pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add ice water, 1 tbsp at a time. Pulse until dough is crumbly, but holds together when squeezed. Do not overmix. (Note: If you don't have a food processor, combining the dough ingredients in a large bowl and using a pastry cutter also works nicely). Remove dough from food processor and shape into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Meanwhile, wipe bowl of food processor clean and add almonds, 3 tbsp sugar, and 2 tbsp of flour. Pulse until ground to a coarse meal. (To process the almonds, I used our small coffee grinder and then mixed it with the sugar and flour in a small bowl).

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, toss the plums with 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tbsp flour and zest of half a lemon. Taste and add more sugar for desired sweetness and set aside. On a lightly floured surface sprinkled with turbinado sugar, roll out dough to a 13-14 inch round, about an 1/8-1/4 of inch thick. (Try as I might, I couldn't roll my dough out past ten inches or so. But it's supposed to be rustic, so I just went with it). Transfer to a parchment-lined cookie sheet (preferably without sides) and spread almond mixture over dough, leaving a two-inch border. Spread and arrange plums on top of almond mixture. Fold and pleat edge of dough over fruit. Refrigerate for 20 minutes. Brush crust with egg wash and sprinkle galette with 1-2 tablespoons of turbinado sugar. Bake until crust is golden and underside is cooked through, about 50 minutes. Allow to cool before slicing.

Green Monster Spinach Smoothie

I love me some spinach...and I love me some smoothies!  This is the perfect combination for a filling and super quick brekkie.  The peanut butter puts it over the top for me!

**Courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats
Serves 1

Ingredients:

1 frozen sliced banana
1 Tablespoon peanut butter
1/2 cup 0% Vanilla Chobani Greek yogurt
1 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze (or other kind of milk)
4 cups baby spinach (or more, or less)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Nutritional stats:

350 calories, 10g fiber, 21g protein

Healthy Sweet Potato Skins

 

*Courtesy of Pinch of Yum.

Prep time:  20 mins

Cook time:  60 mins

Total time:  1 hour 20 mins

Serves: 2-3

Ingredients

• 2 medium or large sweet potatoes
• 1½ tablespoons butter
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 bag fresh baby spinach
• ¼ cup light sour cream
• 2 ounces light cream cheese
• 1 cup chickpeas
• ¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Bake sweet potatoes at 350 for 45-60 minutes, or until fork tender.
2. Cut sweet potatoes in half and let cool for 5-10 minutes. While sweet potatoes are cooling, saute the shallots with the butter over medium heat until translucent. Add fresh spinach and heat for 2-3 minutes, until spinach has cooked down. Set aside.
3. Scrape the sweet potato out of the peel, leaving a thin layer inside with the peel so that it can stand up on its own. Mash the sweet potato with the cream cheese and sour cream. Stir in chickpeas, spinach, and salt and pepper.
4. Coat potato skins with a drizzle of oil and bake for about 5 minutes to get a crispier outside. Remove from oven and fill each skin with the sweet potato mixture and top with shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake again for 10-15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and filling is heated through.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Garlic Aioli

This recipe is a perfect party app, or an excellent side dish!

*Courtesy of life/style 365

 

Ingredients

• 20 brussels sprouts cut into wedges (I used the 1 lb bag from Trader Joe’s)
• canola oil
•  salt & pepper
•  6 Tbsp mayonnaise
•  1/4 tsp minced garlic
•  1 tsp lemon juice
•  1 Tbsp finely chopped flat leaf parsley

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place brussels sprouts on a baking sheet and drizzle with oil. Crack some fresh salt & pepper to taste and mix around the brussels sprouts on the pan to ensure they all get nicely coated in the oil. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown on at least one side. While the brussels sprouts are roasting, mix together mayonnaise, garlic, parsley and lemon juice. Serve in a ramekin alongside the finished brussels sprouts.

Kale, Edamame, and Quinoa Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

Wow - It's been ages since I've posted on here and it is high time I dusted it off and added some fresh recipes.  Most of my cooking lately has been geared towards fueling a healthy and hungry triathlete.  Pintrest has been by go-to source of recipes.  I'm only going to add the stand outs and recipes worthy of repeating!

** Courtesy of: ambitiouskitchen.com

Salad Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked quinoa, cooled (cook according to package directions)
• 1 1/2 cup edamame beans, cooked and cooled
• 3 cups finely chopped Tuscan kale, ribs removed
• 1 cup sliced grape tomatoes
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1 mango, pitted and diced
• 1 avocado, pitted and either sliced or diced
• 2 tablespoon toasted almonds, pumpkin seeds, or cranberries, if desired

For lemon vinaigrette:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 large basil leaf, chopped
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• fresh ground pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. To make dressing: place olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, sugar, basil, and salt in blender or food processor. Blend/process for 10-15 seconds; set aside.
2. In medium bowl toss quinoa, kale, and edamame together; add lemon vinaigrette and toss so that the salad is fully coated. Place in refrigerator for 20-30 minutes to let flavors soak in.
3. Before serving, toss salad again and add tomatoes, onion, mango, and avocado. Garnish with toasted almonds or pumpkin seeds if desired.

This is one of my favorite lunches.  I'll use one bag of kale for the week, bring enough extras to keep in the fridge, and whip up a salad a few times a week.  Definitely filling, with lots of healthy goodness sprinkled in!

Enjoy!

Rosemary Recipes

Our new neighbor was nice enough to drop by with a huge branch of fresh rosemary, so I needed to find recipes to make use of it!!!  We shall see if either of these are keepers on Friday!!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/crispy-rosemary-chicken-and-fries/detail.aspx

http://www.food.com/recipe/fast-and-easy-garlic-rosemary-marinade-for-steak-or-chicken-222155

Recipes to remember

Here are a few links to recipes that I found (usually on Cooking Light) that were a hit and worth remembering

• Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/chipotle-chicken-taco-salad-10000001215905/
• Chicken and Bacon Rollups: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/chicken-bacon-roll-ups-10000001634741/

Cranberry-Apple Pie

This is my signature dish for the holidays. 

Ingredients
2 cups cranberries
3/4 cups apple juice
1/4 cups corn starch
1 cup sugar
1 pound apples (granny smith)
2 pie crusts (either the pie crust from the Double Crust Apple Pie or trader joe's pie crusts)

Preparation

1. In a medium sauce pan, combine cranberries and apple juice; bring to a boil over high heat.
2. Reduce heat to low and simmer 3 minutes or until skins on cranberries begin to pop.
3. Mix cornstarch with sugar, then stir in cranberries, cook about 2 minutes until mixture bubbles and thickens.  Remove from heat and mix with apples.
4. Heat oven to 375*.  Line 9-inch pie dish with 1/2 of pastry, trimming to about 1" beyond edge of pie dish.  Spoon filling into crust.
5. Roll remaining pastry into 10" circle.  Cut top pastry into 1" strips.  Cris-cross strips to make lattice top, then flute edges.  Brush pastry with water and sprinkle with remaining sugar.
6. Bake 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.

Chocolate Crinkles

One of our Christmas cookie recipes.  The recipe makes a ton and is super decadent, so it's definitely a once a year treat.

Ingredients
1/2 cup shortening
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs
2 1 ounce squares unsweetened chocolate, melted
2cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Powdered sugar

Preparation

1. Cream shortening, granulated sugar, and vanilla thoroughly.
2. Beat eggs, then chocolate.
3. Sift together dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, blending well after each addition.
4. Stir in walnuts.
5. Chill 2-3 hours.
6. Form 1 inch balls, then roll in powdered sugar.
7. Place on greased cookie sheet 2-3 inches apart.
8. Bake in oven at 350* for 15 minutes.
9. Cool slightly before removing from pan.
10.