Saturday, October 14, 2017

Mary's Butternut Squash and Pear Soup

My friend Mary is an absolute boss in the kitchen. When it comes to food, her lesbian domestic goddess-ness is a 10. Her skills certainly preceded mine.

Her recipe for Butternut Squash and Pear Soup is the perfect fall soup for lunch, dinner, you name it. To be honest, I make it year-round; it's ahh-mazing. It freezes really well and I've never met a sandwich with which it did not get along (pictured is the BS&PS with a loaded grilled cheese).

So here it is!

- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)

- 2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 pound butter nut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1 inch cubes.  
(Sometimes you can find precut butternuts at the store.  Ask your local grocer!)
- 2 medium, ripe pears, peeled, seeded and sliced (Use your favorite pear!)


- 1 Tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced (I chop mine)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon


- 1 Cup milk


1. Heat olive oil in large pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook until tender (about 3 minutes)

2. Stir in broth, squash, pears, rosemary, ginger, and all spices. Heat to boiling, reduce heat. Cover and simmer 10-15 minutes or until squash is fork tender.

3. Puree soup in blender or food processor (it might take a couple of batches. This part is kind of a pain, but it's worth it). Return to pot, stir in milk and reheat. Don't let it boil!

4. Yummo!

Saturday, February 25, 2017

Victorious Vegetarian Chili


Because I won a neighborhood chili cookoff, I can now call my chili victorious.


Here's the recipe:

Canned Beans and Corn
1 14-16 oz. can of sweet corn (drained)
1 14-16 oz. can of black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 14-16 oz. can of red beans (drained and rinsed)
1 8-10 oz. can of baked beans (add entire can including sauce)
2 14-16 oz. cans of chili-ready diced tomatoes (add entire can, including sauce)

Produce
1 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped green onion/scallions

Frozen
1.5-2 cups frozen spinach (or about 1/2 to 3/4 of a 12 oz. bag)
1 12 oz. bag Morningstar Farms Grillers Crumblers

Sauce/Stock
1 32 oz. container of vegetarian stock (add stock depending on how watery you like your chili)
1/4 cup of Yoshida's Original Gormet Marinade and Cooking Sauce

Spices
1 tbs. chili powder*
1 tbs. cumin*
1 tbs. cayanne pepper*

*This much spice gives it quite a kick, so if you don't like it so spicy, reducing it to half might be a good bet.

Add all of the ingredients together into a large slow cooker/CrockPot. Cook 6 hours on low or 3 hours on high.

When serving, I like freshly shredded mild cheddar cheese and sour cream, but the possibilities are endless!

Enjoy!