Week 42 -- Creamy Butternut Soup

I'm still at my parents' house for just a few more weeks (my new kitchen is getting so close I can almost taste it!).  This week Mom and I decided together to make a butternut squash soup, but she started on it before I got to the kitchen, so it's a little rich and quite miso-heavy.  But it is a really nice, soothing soup for a fall evening.

We like to steam our squash in the microwave.  This is really easy.  Use a knife to carefully poke a few holes in the squash, then microwave it until it's soft.  Make sure you let it cool quite a while before cutting into it.  If I know I'm having squash with dinner, I get it steaming as soon as I get home and then let it cool for at least half an hour before I cut in.  Still, be careful of steam.

If you don't do microwaves, steam or cook the squash however you like.  Keep in mind that raw butternut squash, especially if it's freshly picked, has a substance in its skin that will make your hands dry out and peel.  Be careful and don't say I didn't warn you.  You can get around this by cooking it some before you try to peel it or by wearing kitchen gloves.

Creamy Butternut Soup

1/4 cup cashews
1 Tbsp coconut
1/2 large butternut squash cooked
1 tsp sage
1 tsp thyme
1 Tbsp miso
2 1/2 cups water

1. Steam the squash.  Let cool until safe to handle.

2. Blend the cashews and coconut with about 1/2 cup of water.

3. Scoop the squash out of its skin.  Add it to the blender with the seasonings and more water.

4. Blend until smooth.  

5. If the squash has cooled, you may want to gently reheat the soup.

Makes 2 large servings.

Week 7 -- Butternut Spice

This soup was a delicious experiment, and it turned out even tastier than I'd hoped.  It was wonderful on a winter evening, and the flavors are different than I usually use in soups.

It was a little time consuming to prep all the vegetables.  If you want to splurge, pre-cut squash would make this soup cook up much more quickly.  Also, the corn-free oranges I currently have are seedy with tough membranes, so it took a while to pull off just the good stuff.  If you have better oranges or you want to use a high-speed blender to pulverize them, that will save time, too.

I will say, though, that the time was well worth it.  This soup is so flavorful you won't miss salt at all.

The raisins sweeten this soup, but there is a special "magic" that happens when grapes and onions are eaten together.  The synergy between the antioxidants in these foods doubles their cancer-fighting power when eaten together.  (Combined, they can suppress breast cancer growth 70%.)  More about this magic is at Nutritionfacts.org in this video. 

My one regret is that I used cannellini beans because I was hoarding my chickpeas for roasting.  I would definitely recommend chickpeas (garbanzo beans) instead, but it was still amazing with the cannellinis.

I peeled and diced my butternut squash the night before.  To make it easier to peel and dice, I steamed it in the microwave for 5 minutes, then let it sit for a while.  It was still a chore, but didn't require as much force with a knife.

I love collard greens, but my local grocery store hasn't had them in a while.  I celebrated their return by buying two bunches.  This recipe used half a bunch and the rest are becoming chips.

To make collard ribbons, first slice out the center stem.  Stack the de-stemmed leaves (as in the other photo above), then roll them into a log and slice across (as seen here).  Then make one more cut right down the middle of the rounds so the ribbons aren't too long for soup.

Look at it all simmering in the pot!  It's beautiful!

This bowlful isn't as pretty as the picture in the pot because I packaged up my mason jars full first, then gave myself the stuff at the very bottom to eat tonight.  

Butternut Spice Soup

1 medium-large butternut squash, peeled and diced

1 large red onion, diced

2 oranges, peeled and membranes removed, diced

1/2 bunch collard greens, about 6 leaves, de-stemmed and sliced into ribbons

1/2 cup raisins

1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups (or 1 can) garbanzo beans (or other bean)

water

1. In a stockpot, saute the onion in a little water.

2. Add the squash, oranges, raisins, and collard ribbons.  Pour in enough water to cover the vegetables.  Let simmer until squash and collards are tender, about 15-20 minutes.

3.  Add the spices and beans.  Let beans heat up to soup temperature.

4. Enjoy!  Makes 6 servings.

Note:  I am severely allergic to cloves, but, if you are one of those lucky people who is not, feel free to add a little ground cloves. I think it would taste nice with this soup, if it wouldn't kill me.