Please come visit again.

I am taking a little break from my blog due to an early arrival of our daughter! I will hopefully be back to making more recipes soon. Did you know that pumpkin is rich in beta-carotene, which is a powerful antioxidant? Antioxidants are important in fighting free radicals and for boosting our immune systems. Be sure to eat some pumpkin, whether it's in a cookie, muffin or pie. Happy Halloween!

Acorn Squash Soup

I have to say, I absolutely love soup!  This recipe is now one of my favorites.

Acorn Squash Soup

1 organic acorn squash
2 tbsp organic, unsalted butter
1 medium size onion, chopped
4 organic carrots, chopped
2 organic celery, chopped
2 organic garlic cloves, chopped or crushed
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp sea salt
1 litre vegetable broth
3/4 cup organic cream

Cut squash in half and scoop out seeds.
Use a knife to poke random holes in the skin.
Bake at 375 F for 60 minutes.

Add butter to a large pot and saute onion, carrot, celery and garlic for about ten minutes, stirring often.
Add cinnamon, sea salt and broth.
Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes.

Once the squash is ready, remove it from the oven and let it cool.
Scoop squash out of its shell, mash and set aside.

Use a slotted spoon or strainer to separate vegetables from the soup.
Puree the vegetables with the squash and cream, using soup as needed to liquify (you will need to do this in batches, depending on the size of blender you are using).

Add the puree to soup and return to a boil.
Enjoy!

Spaghetti Squash Parmesan

Ok, I'm a little late with this recipe.  Sorry!  Last weekend was Thanksgiving, and I was busy celebrating with food and friends.  I did manage to make a simple squash recipe that went along with our Thanksgiving dinner.  Here it is...

Spaghetti Squash Parmesan

1 spaghetti squash
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic, crushed

Cut squash in half length-wise and scoop out seeds.
Use a knife to poke the skin with random holes.
Bake at 375 degrees F for 60 minutes or until soft.

Remove from the oven and let it cool.
Use a fork to shred it into strings.

Mix the oil, parmesan cheese and garlic together in a bowl.
Add the squash and stir.

Bake it in the oven at 400 F for another 20 minutes.
Enjoy!

Butternut Squash Risotto

I am happy to say that I enjoyed this risotto dish.  I recommend almost everything organic, however it is a personal choice.  The onion in this recipe is not organic for a reason.  Onions are within the 'clean 15 list', meaning that it is one of the foods with the least amount of pesticides.  With this recipe, nothing is within the 'dirty dozen list', so it's ok if it's not organic.  (Although organic is always better!)  I didn't use black pepper or parmesan cheese, and I don't think it needed it.  However, you may want the extra flavour.  Either way, I hope you like it!

Butternut Squash Risotto

1 medium size organic butternut squash
2 tbsp unsalted, organic butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium size onion, chopped
2 organic garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp oregano
1 1/4 cups arborio rice
1 litre organic vegetable broth
3/4 cup white wine
1/2 organic lemon, juiced
sea salt and black pepper to taste
parmesan cheese (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Cut squash in half and remove the seeds.  Brush the cut side with olive oil and place cut side down in a baking dish.  Bake for one hour, or until soft.  Let cool, scoop out flesh into a bowl and set aside.

Heat the butter, olive oil, garlic and onion in a large pot.  Cook on medium heat for 4 minutes and add oregano and rice.  Stir for two minutes and add one cup of vegetable broth.  Continue to stir until the broth is absorbed and then add the wine.  Continue to stir until the wine is absorbed and add another cup of broth.  Repeat until the litre of both is used up.

Mash the squash and add to rice mixture.  Add the juice from 1/2 lemon.  Stir and add salt and pepper.  Top serving with parmesan cheese and enjoy!

Squash

With over a dozen different varieties of squash, it's hard to pick one favorite.  That's why this month I am featuring a different squash every week.  Of course, squash was the obvious choice for my October food.  Most are high in carbohydrates, which contrary to popular belief, do not make you fat!  We need carbs for energy and squash are an excellent source.  The yellow and orange varieties (think pumpkin!) are an especially great source of beta carotene, which is converted to vitamin A in our bodies.  Speaking of pumpkin, don't throw away those seeds!  Pumpkin seeds are full of zinc, iron, calcium, vitamin E and essential fatty acids.  So be sure when you make those jack-o-lanterns to also wash and roast your seeds.  You can sprinkle them with a little sea salt for extra flavour.

My first recipe this month is going to be squash risotto.  Please be sure to check back tomorrow after I've posted the recipe.  I will also be featuring a mouth-watering pumpkin pie at the end of the month, just in time for Halloween!