Squash Vegetable Soup

Winter is a wonderful time to enjoy soups...actually I enjoy soup all year round.  This one is really hearty, filled with cauliflower and big chunks of flavourful squash.  I like the addition of tomato paste to the broth, I found it gave it an extra layer of flavour, and the spice of the chili flakes made it even more warming. I found this soup very filling, which made it perfect for my lunch.  If you were making it for dinner and just wanted a bit of extra heartiness I think some barley or brown rice would be a good addition.  Either way it's a fantastic soup!

Squash Vegetable Soup

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 celery stalk, sliced

1 carrot, sliced

1/2 tsp hot pepper flakes

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/4 tsp salt

2 tbsp tomato paste

2 cups vegetable broth

1 1/2 cups water

2 1/2 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash

1 small cauliflower, chopped into florets

2 bay leaves

handful chopped fresh parsley

salt and pepper

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook until tender.  Add the garlic, carrots, celery, hot pepper flakes, thyme, and salt.  Cook for a bout 5 minutes.  Add the tomato paste and mix well.   Stir in the water, broth, squash, cauliflower, and bay leaves.  Bring to a boil and then lower heat and simmer until the squash is tender, about 15-20 minutes.

Add 2 cups of the squash to a food processor or blender and puree until smooth.  Add the puree back to the soup and stir together well with the parsley, salt and pepper.  Enjoy!

Balsamic Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Squash

I love sweet potatoes and squash.  They are two of my favourite vegetables.  Both are so flavourful, and I love the bright colours they add to my plate.  But I find I always make them the same way, by baking them.  So when I came across a recipe for roasted sweet potatoes in a balsamic glaze I wanted to try it out.  Now I don't usually eat both of these vegetables together, but since I had half of a leftover squash in my fridge I figured I would add it to the recipe.  It turned out really well, and I liked how it brought the sweetness level down a bit.  I still usually just bake my squash, because peeling them really sucks, but when I want something a little more I make this recipe. 

Balsamic Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Squash

1/2 a Butternut Squash (or any other kind you want to use)

2 large Swet Potatoes

1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar

1 tbsp Brown Sugar

1/4 cup Butter

1 tsp Salt

Peel and cube the squash and sweet potatoes and place them in a large roasting pan.  Preheat the oven to 400F. 

In a small saucepan over medium heat bring the Balsamic vinegar and the brown sugar to a boil.  Reduce the mixture until it begins to thicken.  Add the butter and salt and stir until smooth.  

Pour the glaze over the vegetables in the pan and mix well.  Place in the oven and roast, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are cooked and beginning to brown along edges (about 40 minutes).  Enjoy!

Spaghetti Squash with Clam Sauce

This is another one of my childhood favourites.  I loved it when my mom would make this for dinner, and when she had her restaurant it was a popular menu item.  It's flavourful, healthy, and just simply delicious.  I don't make it very often, but every now and then a spaghetti squash catches my eye at the grocery store and I just crave this dish.  And my hubby doesn't eat it (he doesn't like spaghetti or squash, so the thought of a spaghetti squash doesn't whet his appetite) which means I can have it all to myself:)  And I ate it all in 2 days!  Unfortunately when I made it this time I had forgotten to buy fresh parsley, so it is lacking in the colour department.  Dried parsley just isn't the same.

Since there aren't many carbs in this "pasta" I figured I could double up on the garlic bread:)

Spaghetti Squash with Clams

1 whole spaghetti squash
2 tbsp butter
1 carrot, finely diced
2 small onions, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup vegetable or chicken broth
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 can of baby clams
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Pepper, to taste


Preheat oven to 375F.  Pierce spaghetti squash all over with a fork.  Bake (whole) in the oven for about 1 hour (or until cooked), turning over half way through.  Let cool slightly, then cut in half and scoop out seeds.  Use a fork to take out the cooked squash, it will turn into 'spaghetti' strands as you scoop it. 
Meanwhile, melt butter in a large pan over med-high heat.  Add carrots and onion, stir fry until partly cooked then add the garlic.  Cook for about 1 minute more before adding broth. Simmer until carrots are fully cooked.  Add in the parsley, squash, and clams.  Heat through and then serve with Parmesan cheese and cracked pepper.

Squash and Gnocchi 'Mac' and Cheese

I got the idea to make this dish after trying this recipe for Gnocchi Mac and Cheese.  It was super good, and easy to make, but I like to add vegetables to everything I can and I thought squash would be a great additive to this dish.  I also added a bit of spice in the form of paprika and cayenne and I used a smoky Gouda cheese.  It turned out so well!  The squash blended in so nicely and added some colour to the dish.  Unfortunately the lighting in my house is terrible for taking food pictures, so this pic doesn't do it justice.  But trust me, in real life...yum.

Squash and Gnocchi Mac and Cheese

1/2 a large Butternut Squash, peeled and cubed

1 tbsp olive oil (or other cooking oil)

1 pound of fresh Gnocchi

2 tbsp butter

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tbsp flour

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup Smoked Gouda cheese, shredded

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp paprika

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400F.  Put the squash into a 9x9 pan and coat with olive oil and salt and pepper.  (I like a lot of pepper, but season to your tastes.)  Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes, until tender but not fully cooked.

Cook Gnocchi according to package directions, drain, and set aside.  Melt butter over medium heat, add in garlic and cook for 30-60 seconds.  Whisk in flour until it bubbles.  Add milk and whisk constantly for about 3 minutes or until it begins to thicken.  Stir in the Gouda cheese until melted.  Season with cayenne, paprika, salt, and pepper.  

Mix the Gnocchi in with squash and then pour the cheese sauce over top.  Top with the Parmesan cheese.  Bake for another 20 minutes, until top is golden and cheese is bubbly.  Let sit for a few minutes before serving.  Enjoy!

Spicy Vegan Squash Chili

I'm not usually a fan of vegetarian/vegan chili because they always seem to be full of mushrooms and really liquidy.  I like my chili to be thick and hearty.  I find that the by using squash in this chili it makes up for the lack of meat.  I used 2 cups of acorn squash and 2 cups of buttercup squash. The acorn broke down more while cooking, so it helped thicken the sauce, while the buttercup stayed nice and firm, leaving delicious chunks of squash to eat.  And this chili certainly is spicy!  I added a large dollop of sour cream to mine to cool it down, but then it was no longer vegan, so if you are trying to leave out the dairy perhaps try using a soy sour cream product.  My hubby kept saying how great this smelled while I was cooking it, but when I told him it was Squash Chili he wouldn't try it.  That's OK though, I didn't really want to share.

Squash Chili (Originally from Chatelaine Magazine, don't remember what issue)

28 ounce can diced tomatoes

398 ml can tomato sauce

1 tbsp chili powder (I make my own, recipe here)

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp cayenne

1/2 tsp allspice

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups squash, cut into bite sized pieces

2 yellow (or orange, red, green...) peppers, chopped

19 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup frozen corn kernels (I soaked them in water for a bit to re-plump them)

1 cup chopped cilantro

Sour Cream (optional)

In a large saucepan stir together tomatoes, tomato sauce, spices, and garlic.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Add in the squash, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until squash is tender, about 30-40 minutes.

Stir in peppers, beans and corn.  Simmer, stirring often, until peppers are soft, about 15 minutes more.  Stir in cilantro.  Serve with a spoonful of sour cream on top, if desired.

Squash and Fish Soup...who knew it would be so good?

I know I've said it before, but I love soup!  And I love squash.  However, when I found this recipe in The Hamilton Spectator I wasn't really sure how great it would be.  I knew that I would like it, but wasn't prepared for the feeling of love that overcame me when I took my first bite.  It was so flavourful, with some spiciness and a hint of sweetness.  And it doesn't really have a lot of ingredients in it, mostly spices.  Actually, the whole reason I ended up making it ahead of the like 100 other soups I want to make, is that I actually had all the ingredients on hand.  I love it when that happens!  Especially when my hubby is out of town and I would have had to walk or bus to the grocery store.  Which sucks.  (And yes, I realize I should get my license.)  I love the beautiful colour of the soup too, it's perfect for fall, and with the rice and fish in it, it's actually pretty filling.  

Although the recipe calls for haddock or cod, I used Tilapia that I had in my freezer.  I prefer using frozen fish for soups because if you just thaw the fillets halfway by running cold water over them they are a lot easier to chop up than fresh fillets.  And it's convenient to have some frozen fish in your freezer.  The squash that I used for the soup was an acorn squash, it was a little over 2 cups worth once I had it peeled and chopped.  I realize that the recipe calls it a chowder, but when I think of a chowder I think of it as being cream/milk based, and this is not, so...I call it soup.

Chilean Fish Chowder

2 tbsp olive oil

2 medium onions, chopped

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 cup long-grain white rice

2 lbs squash or pumpkin, peeled and diced

4 cups fish, vegetable, or chicken broth

2 bay leaves

1 lb (450g) skinless haddock or cod fillets, cut into chunks

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

In a large pot heat oil over med-high heat.  Add onions and cook for 5 minutes.  Add spices and pepper flakes, cook, stirring for 1  minute.  Add rice and squash.  Stir in broth and bay leaves, scraping any burnt bits from bottom of pot.  Cover and let simmer, stirring often, for 20 minutes.  Add fish, and cook covered for 10 minutes (or until fish is opaque).  Sprinkle with parsley.  Enjoy!

And since I have the nutritional information, I'll add it too:

Per 1 serving (1/4 of recipe)...

290 calories

6 g. fat

21 g. protein

42 g. carbohydrates

3 g. fibre

*Update: I just made this again but since I had half a cauliflower in my fridge, I chopped it up and added it too.  It tasted just as delicious, but it was even healthier since it had more veggies in it.  Vegetables make me happy:)

Risotto Delicioso

Anything that contains wine and cheese just has to be good, and this Squash Risotto is no exception!  I love risotto, and usually just make a delicious lemon and herb one, but since it's fall I thought a Butternut Squash Risotto would taste fantastic.  And it did!  The first time I tried making this it turned out too mushy, so I have made some changes and it worked much better this time.  Now, I'm not gonna lie, risotto is a pain to make.  It's easy, but it involves a lot of stirring.  My arm was cramping up by the end!  But it's soooo worth it!  The important thing to remember when making risotto is to be patient.  When I made risotto for the first time I was so hungry that I started adding more and more liquid at a time, and then it ended up being mushy.  Just add a 1/2 cup at a time and wait for it to absorb before adding more. (I heat my stock by microwaving it in a 4-cup pyrex measuring bowl, then it's easy to see how much to add a time.)  And once it's close to being done, test the rice before adding more liquid, because you might add more than you need and end up with...that's right, mushy risotto.  But don't worry, it will still taste delicious even if it is too soft!

Butternut Squash Risotto

-2 tbsp butter
-1 medium onion, diced
-2 1/2 cups squash, cubed into bite sized pieces (1/2" pieces)
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-3 to 3 1/2 cups vegetable broth, simmering
-1 1/4 cups Arborio rice
-1/2 cup white wine
-1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Melt butter in a medium sized pot over medium heat, add onion and cook for 2 minutes.  Add squash and cook for another minute.  Stir in garlic and a 1/2 cup of the broth.  Lower heat, cover, and simmer for 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add rice and stir for 2 minutes.  Add wine, and stir constantly until almost absorbed, about 2-3 minutes.  Add 1/2 cup of the stock, stirring constantly, until absorbed.  Continue adding stock, 1/2 cup at a time, until the rice is tender - about 20 minutes. 
Remove from heat and stir in Parmesan cheese and pepper, if desired.