Pumpkin Soup

I have lots of pie pumpkins remaining from Halloween so we gave this recipe a try...another fav from 101cookbooks. I really liked it although it needed more broth than I anticipated to thin it out and I also really spiced it up with the red curry.

Thai-spiced Pumpkin Soup Recipe
Keep in mind that different Thai curry pastes have differing strengths. Start with a teaspoon to start and then build from there until the soup has a level of spiciness and flavor that works for your palete.

2 acorn squash, pumpkins, or other smallish winter squash
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1 14-ounce can coconut milk

1 teaspoon (or more) red Thai curry pastewater

2 teaspoons fine grain sea salt (or to taste)
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and place the oven racks in the middle.
Carefully cut each squash/pumpkin into halves (or quarters). Slather each piece of squash with butter, sprinkle generously with salt, place on a baking sheet skin sides down, and place in the oven. Roast for about an hour or until the squash is tender throughout.
When the pumpkin/squash are cool enough to handle scoop it into a large pot over medium high heat. Add the coconut milk and curry paste and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat and puree with a hand blender, you should have a very thick base at this point. Now add water a cup at a time pureeing between additions until the soup is the consistency you prefer - a light vegetable stock would work here as well. Bring up to a simmer again and add the salt (and more curry paste if you like, I used just shy of 6 teaspoons but the curry paste I use is not over-the-top spicy).
Serves six.

Fall ~ the intersection of Zucchini Season and Apples

Okay...just a short intermission from my Dallas trip and a dose of something relatively healthy! I found this recipe on one of my favs...101 Cookbooks. You do have to follow the recipe closely particulary as it relates to the goat cheese component.

Apple-Zucchini Crostini

5-7 slices whole grain bread, very thinly sliced

3 ounces goat cheese or chevre, crumbled

tiny splash of milk or cream

splash of extra virgin olive oil

two big pinches of salt

1/4 cup apple, cut into 1/4 inch dice (place in a bit of lemon water if not using immediately)

3/4 cup zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch dice

1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice, freshly squeezeda

bit of freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the bread into bite-sized pieces (or use a cookie cutter), brush with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with a tiny bit of salt. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake until golden, roughly 14 minutes, flipping once along the way. Remove and let cool.
In the meantime, whisk the goat cheese in a small bowl with just enough milk to make it fluffy, light, and easily dollop-able. Spoon into a piping bag, or alternately a small plastic bag with just a bit of the corner cut off) and set aside in a cool place.
To make the zucchini-apple component, heat a splash of olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Stir in the salt and the apples. Saute for about 15 seconds and then stir in the zucchini. Cook for another 15-20 seconds - things should really be sizzling. But keep in mind, you only want to heat and soften things up a touch, not turn everything to mush by overcooking. Quickly remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and a tiny drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Toss and taste, add a bit more salt if needed. Transfer the zucchini mixture to a large plate to cool a bit.
To assemble take one piece of the toasted bread and spoon a small amount of the zucchini mixture on top of it. Squeeze a little bit of the goat cheese on top of that and a few flecks of black pepper. Repeat and arrange on your favorite serving platter.
Makes about 3 dozen bite-sized crostini.

Marvelous Mel's Artichoke Meltdown -- the real version and the skinny version

Thanks Mel...I have also included a skinny version that I have tried from 101 Cookbooks...it's good but not as good as the Mayo version.

The Real Version...

Ingredients

Two cans artichoke hearts in water

1 cup mayo

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1 tbsp chopped garlic

salt and pepper to taste

Dump everything in food processor or blender - mix till it looks like dip :-)Not very long

Dump everything in oven friendly bowl. Warm in 375 degree oven until hot and just bubbling. Serve with crackers. Yum! Also, one of my friends who loves this did a squeeze of fresh lemon into the food processor and said it was a nice touch.

Enjoy . .

The Skinny Version.....

2 (14-ounce) cans water-packed artichokes, well drained

4 ounces organic silken tofu

3 large cloves garlic

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

2/3 cup plain (or Greek) yogurt

1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt, or more to taste

pinch of cayenne pepper
more Parmesan to sprinkle on top
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. In a blender or food processor puree the artichokes, tofu, and garlic. In a separate medium bowl whisk together the parmesan cheese, yogurt, salt, and cayenne. Stir in the artichoke puree and pour mixture into a medium-sized baking dish (or multiple smaller dishes). Sprinkle the top with more Parmesan. Bake uncovered until heated through and the cheese on the top starts to brown, about 45 minutes.
Makes 2-3 cups of artichoke dip.

Currried Apple Couscous

Curried Apple Couscous Recipe
I was hanging out with amazing friend Marya this weekend and since she is vegetarian, I had some fun experimenting with a few meatless recipes. This couscous was really good. I found it on one of my favorite sites, 101 cookbooks.

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 medium apple, cored and chopped
3 green onions, washed, trimmed, and thinly sliced
1 cup whole wheat couscous (or regular)1 3/4 cup water
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup pine nuts or cashews, toasted
Small handful of mint, chopped

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat add 3 tablespoons of the butter, the curry powder, and a couple generous pinches of salt, and cook for a minute or until the spices are fragrant. Stir in the chopped apples and cook for about 3 minutes, enough time for the apples to soften up a bit and absorb some of the curry. Scoop the apples from the pan and set aside in a separate bowl.
In the same pan, again over medium-high heat, add the remaining tablespoon of butter. Stir in the green onions, let them soften up a bit and then add the water (or Better than Boullion -- for added flavor) and salt. Bring to a boil, stir in the couscous, cover and remove from heat. Steam for 5 to 10 minutes and then use a fork to fluff up the couscous. Stir in the apples, pine nuts, and chopped mint. Season with more salt and curry powder to taste