Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Recipe #3 - Homemade Butternut Squash Soup

Words cannot describe my love for butternut squash soup.  It's hearty, colorful, delicious and it's perfect in the autumn or in the winter.  It tastes great with toasted bread on the side...I'll include a healthy toasted bread recipe as well.  My Mom and I came up with this particular recipe.  Feel free to add in some orange juice as well if you like the sweeter taste, but we find that it tastes better without it...  :)

Makes 6-8 servings

You'll need:
1 large white onion
4 garlic cloves
Ginger powder, or freshly ground ginger
Extra virgin olive oil
4 pounds of butternut squash (cut into small chunks)
Chicken stock, about 6-8 cups (varying depending on desired consistency)
Salt and pepper to taste

Cut the butternut squash into small chunks and put into a bowl, set aside.  Now cut the onion, put a large pot on the cooktop (at medium heat) and drizzle the bottom with the extra virgin olive oil, add the onion.  Cook the onion with salt and pepper.  Grate or grind the garlic and add to the pot, stir.  Add ginger powder and/or the grated ginger.  Stir, and cook for another 10 or so minutes, until the onions get a little bit of brown coloring, this makes the soup taste more rustic.  Put in the butternut squash and stir, adding more salt, pepper, and ginger if you'd like.  Put the cover on the pot and lower the temperature a tad, allow to sit for 20 minutes, stirring it every 5 minutes.

Continue cooking like this until the butternut squash is softer.  When you can mash the squash with your spoon, it is time to add the chicken stock.  Allow the mixture to simmer again for another 20 or so minutes, stirring throughout.

After the soup has sat, transfer the soup to a food processor or a blender and blend until smooth.  Do as many batches as neccessary, but make sure you blend all of the soup as smooth as possible.  Transfer back to the pot, stir.  Dish into bowls, serve, and enjoy!

Healthy Toasted Bread

You'll need:
Garlic salt and garlic pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
Bread of your choice (I suggest healthy whole wheat loafs and rolls)

Have the oven on a high temperature, like 375.  Cut the bread/rolls into small pieces.  Brush on the olive oil and add the garlic salt and pepper.  Put in the oven and keep an eye on it -- it will be ready very quickly!

[Pictures coming soon!]

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Recipe #2 - Cottontail Berry Smoothie

When I'm hanging out with my family, especially on warmer days, I really like to make us smoothies!  I made this one when we were about to sit down to watch Rango (I enjoyed the movie).  My Dad coined the name "Cottontail" because of the white yogurt-bottom of this smoothie that makes it look extra cute.  Even though it's winter now, it's never out of season to have a smoothie! ;)

Makes 4 servings

You'll need:
Your favorite vanilla yogurt, about a cup
Your favorite berry yogurt , about 1/3 cup (place in the freezer at least an hour before making)
Frozen cherries, about two cups
Fresh blueberries, 1/2 cup
Fresh raspberries, 1/4 cup
2 strawberries

Get out four small glasses and put about a 1/2 an inch of vanilla yogurt at the bottom of each.  Put the rest of the yogurt into the blender.  Add the rest of the yogurt and blend.  Add ice if you want a different consistency.  Blend until smooth and pour into the "cottontailed" glasses.

Enjoy! :)

In order to make this smoothie as healthy as possible, I suggest reading the ingredients lists of the yogurts you choose and try to find one that has as little sugar added as possible!

[Pictures coming soon!]

Recipe #1 - Healthy Avocado Salad Sandwich

I made this yesterday when I was planning on making guacamole...but then got distracted by the turkey bacon in the fridge. So here's a recipe for a simple avocado, lettuce, onion, turkey bacon sandwich! It's delicious.

Makes 2 (possibly 3) servings/sandwiches

You'll need:
1 whole avocado
1/2 cup of chopped lettuce
1 tablespoon of finely chopped white onion

3 slices of turkey bacon (feel free to add more if you like bacon)
4 (or 6) slices of whole wheat bread
1 small tomato and/or ketchup
Mayonnaise
(lite is fine)
Salt and pepper to taste

Cut the avocado lengthwise in half, use a spoon (or your hands ;) ) to scoop out the meat of the avocado. Get out a chopping board and slice and dice the avocado as finely as you can.  Put the pieces in a bowl and put to the side.  Finely chop up lettuce until it yields a half a cup, add to the bowl.  Now finely chop one tablespoon of white onion; add to the bowl; add salt and pepper; and stir well.

Get out your three slices of turkey bacon and a couple of paper towel sheets.  Place the three strips of bacon separated in the paper towel and cover with another layer of paper towel, this will suck up excess fat when cooking and make your bacon nice and crunchy!  Put in the microwave for about 1:30 - 2:00, or when the bacon is dry and cooked.

Put the four slices (or six) of bread into the toaster and allow to toast to your liking.  Meanwhile, crush up the turkey bacon into little bits and mix in with the avocado and onion.  Stir until the bacon is evenly distributed.

If you're adding tomato, then cut up and crush the tomato finely.  If not, then get out your ketchup!

Take the toast, and on one slice, thinly spread mayo.  On the other side, spread either tomato or ketchup.  Add half of the avocado salad to the side with mayo and place the bread together.  Viola!  Have a small cup of ketchup on the side if you want to dunk your sandwich in it.

Enjoy with baked chips or any salty snack, and let me know how it tastes! :)

[Pictures coming soon!]