Butternut Squash Soup with Chickpea Croutons

Emily and I got the squash pack from Bountiful Baskets a couple of months ago. Besides the spaghetti squash and acorn squash, we ended up with 7 butternut squash. This past week, we finally finished them off using this recipe. The original recipe came from My New Roots, but we adapted it to our tastes. I think the chickpeas really provide a good balance for the soup, so don't leave them out.

Ingredients

1 large butternut squash
1 large yellow onion
4 large cloves garlic
2 tsp. coconut oil or olive oil, plus olive oil for garnish
salt and cracked black pepper (to taste)
4 cups vegetable broth
2 tsp. ground turmeric powder
1-2 tsp dried rosemary and thyme (optional)
Chickpea croutons (Recipe below)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut the butternut squash into even chunks and place on a baking sheet. Peel and cut onions into quarters, add to baking sheet. Peel whole cloves of garlic and add to baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and toss well to coat. Place in oven and roast until the squash is tender.

In a large blender pour 4 cups hot vegetable broth, turmeric, rosemary and thyme. Remove butternut squash from skin and add the roasted vegetables to the blender. Blend on high until completely smooth (let blender run for a minute or so). If the soup is too thick, add more broth to thin to desired consistency. Season to taste. Serve with croutons.

Croutons
3 cups or 2 cans cooked chickpeas – drained and well-rinsed
3 Tbsp. coconut oil or olive oil
1 tsp. coarse sea salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. smoked paprika or ground chipotle pepper
1 tsp. chili powder

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place the chickpeas in a medium bowl and toss with oil and spices until coated. Spread the chickpeas on a large rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper and put in oven until they turn golden and crisp up, stirring occasionally. It takes about 25-35 minutes. They will crisp a little more outside of the oven, so you may want to take them out before they are completely crisped.

Daniel's Chili

We had this at Emily's parent's house when we went up a couple months ago. I think it might be one of my favorite meals eat. It takes a little prep work, but it makes a lot, and you feel really good about what you are eating. Plus, it fills you up really well. I've heard it's good with a baked potato or rice, but I think it is delicious on its own. Try it!

1 onion, chopped
3 zucchini, grated

Terrible picture. Delicious food.  

3 carrots grated
3 cloves of garlic, minced
8 oz mushrooms, chopped
3 bell peppers (assorted colors)
2 Tbs better than bouillon
2 32 oz cans stewed tomatoes
1 16 oz can diced tomatoes
2 c kidney beans
2 c black beans
2 c garbanzo beans
2 c corn
1-2 small can green chili peppers
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp oregano
2 tbs cocoa powder
1/4 c chili powder

Combine onions, garlic, mushrooms, zucchini, carrots, bell peppers and chili peppers and 2 c water. Bring to a boil and cook until soft.
Meanwhile, combine tomatoes, bouillon, and spices in blender. Blend smooth. Pour over vegetables. Add diced tomatoes. Cook on medium another 20 minutes. Add beans and corn and heat through. Serve.

Spaghetti Squash and Asparagus with Coconut Sauce

We made this for lunches this week. I started with a few recipes but, it evolved to this. The sauce was so good! I think next time I make it, I'll try it on pasta.


Sauce
Zest of a lime
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 clove garlic, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon coconut 
1/4 teaspoon powdered ginger
1/2 teaspoon rice vinegar
dash of cayenne pepper (optional)
1/4 cup coconut milk

Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Process until combined.  
On 350, bake a spaghetti squash for 45 min to an hour, until done. Meanwhile, steam about a cup of asparagus. Scrape out the inside of spaghetti squash and separate strains into a bowl. Add asparagus and 3-4 TBS of pine nuts. Pour sauce over and stir to combine. Add salt and pepper as desired. May serve with rice.

Stuffed Acorn Squash

This was pretty simple to make, but I was surprised at how good it turned out to be. It has pretty simple flavors, but it tastes like the flavors of fall. My squash was pretty big, so each half is big enough for a full meal for me, though I think it would make a good side dish as well.

2 acorn squash
1 1/2 cups wild rice
Juice of 2 oranges and zest
1/3 cup dried apricots or cranberries
1/3 cup chopped almonds
1 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste

Cut squash in halves and clean out insides. Salt and pepper if desired. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, cook rice with 3 cups of water, about 20 minutes until water is gone and rice is tender. Combine rice, dried fruit, almonds, ginger and cinnamon. Add zest of both oranges, and juice of 1 1/2 of the oranges. Add salt and pepper and stir to combine. Once squash is out of the oven, squeeze remaining half of orange over squash. Fill the cavity of the squash with rice mixture. Return squash to the oven and bake for 25 minutes. Take out of oven and serve.