winter squash Archives | Fake Food Free

The Simplest Butternut Squash Soup

November 14, 2018

This is the absolute simplest way to make butternut squash soup if you want a version that is full of slow-roasted flavor and more savory than sweet.

I thought I was tired of butternut squash soups. Maybe you are, too. I’ve had quite a few winter squash soups on the blog. But I needed something really simple for lunch. I felt a little bad that the season for the soup had just begun and I’d already hit my limit. I thought I should give it another try.

The catch was that I didn’t want to do any chopping or dicing. I also didn’t want to pour one out of a tetra pak and heat it up. And it couldn’t be too sweet. I think that is sort of the turn-off with squash soups. When other ingredients like apple, onion, and dairy are added, they tend to end up super sweet. It has its place, but I wasn’t in the mood for it.

So I came up with this version. No frills. It uses slow-roasted squash (see the easy instructions below), and it is creamy, savory and a touch spicy versus sweet. It’s the soup to add as a starter course for a holiday day dinner because it’s so hands off and easy to make.

Double Ginger Winter Squash Muffins

October 1, 2018

Happy October! My favorite month of the year has arrived once again.

I’m slowly beginning to build my collection of winter squash. I have a long way to go to reach the standards of previous years, but there is still plenty of time.

I decided to break into the season with a batch of muffins. Not just your ordinary winter squash muffins, but double ginger winter squash muffins.

Extra ginger makes all the difference, in my opinion.

Curry Peanut Heirloom Winter Squash Soup

September 5, 2018

Fall starts on September 1 for me. I’m not at all concerned about what a calendar developed years ago tells me. I’m not waiting several more weeks to embrace the season.

I know you are saying – I’m not ready, I love summer, it’s still hot. Believe me, it’s not lost on me. It’s 99 here.

Fall is a state of mind. And if you are a fall baby, like I am, you are enjoying fall in your head weeks before everyone else catches up.

Another factor is that all the delicious fall things have started to show up around here. Namely, winter squash.

Brown Butter Bourbon Butternut Squash Soup

October 5, 2017

I know what you might be thinking. Another butternut squash soup recipe? Aren’t there enough of those?

Honestly, I was thinking the same then when I started making this.

I love winter squash soup this time of year, but I’ll be the first to admit that I get bored of the flavor. I stepped it up by adding scotch bonnet pepper a long while back, but I wasn’t in the mood for that. I also didn’t want it to become sweet. Savory butternut squash soups are the best, in my opinion.

I finally settled on brown butter.

Acorn Squash Risotto and Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

October 31, 2016

It’s the end of October which means my meals have become fully committed to all things fall. Currently, that means Brussels sprouts and winter squash. I’ve even gone so far as to plant a few Brussels sprouts in the garden in hopes that I can keep the trend going throughout the winter.

We went to a pumpkin farm last weekend and the walk up to the outdoor checkout was lined with $1 and $2 heirloom acorn squash, butternut squash and pie pumpkins. It was my version of the king size packs of M&Ms on sale as you wait to check out at the supermarket. The wagon was full of orange and green speckled culinary squash by the time it was my turn to pay. No self control.

This is one of the recipes I put together recently that incorporates both of my fall favorites. I hadn’t made risotto in forever and I love it with winter squash mixed in. I often incorporate cheddar into it, but this time I skipped that. Instead, I paired it with shredded brussels sprouts and crispy bites of bacon.

Fall Salad with Butternut Squash and Apple Cider Vinaigrette

October 11, 2016

I totally cheated.

I was walking through the supermarket and it was about 11:15. Lunchtime was quickly creeping up on me, but I knew that I’d have to dive back into recipe work for clients the second I got back home.

I needed something quick to make, but I couldn’t get my mind off the piles of winter squash all around me in the produce section.

I wanted roasted squash. On a salad. With other fall-like things.

So I went over to that little section with all the pre-cut veggies. And there it was. Little cubes of butternut squash ready to pop in the oven.

Acorn Squash Lentils with Pumpkin Seeds and Cilantro

October 26, 2015

One might look at these photos and say — who sits down to only a bowl of lentils?

The answer to that question would be me. I have lentils as a meal so often that I’ve run out of new ideas for preparing them.

That pretty well sums up how this recipe came about. The solution to my problem called a curry powder rut.

Roasted Butternut Squash with Pear and Red Walnuts

October 7, 2015

This butternut squash dish is not sweet. I repeat, this dish is not sweet.

If you are like me, no matter how many versions of winter squash you’ve made or been exposed to, your brain still thinks of nutmeg, cinnamon and maybe even maple, when you envision the rich, orange, tender squash.

Okay, I’ll admit that this does contain cinnamon. But cinnamon is one of those interesting spices that can swing sweet or savory. It this case, it’s savory.

The secret to this recipe is some heat. You don’t have to burn your mouth off, but use at least a medium spicy chili powder. I could even see a chipotle chili powder working. When you use these deeply flavored spices you get a beautiful balance of slightly sweet squash, with earthy pear, a bit of heat and crunchy walnuts.

Roasted Golden Acorn Squash and Coconut Soup Recipe

December 5, 2013

It happens every year. I buy way too much winter squash and about the time that everyone is switching over to gingerbread and eggnog, I’m still enjoying my pumpkin. There are worse problems to have, but this week I’ve been trying to use it up.

Right now I’m down to two pie pumpkins, two mini pumpkins, one butternut squash, one delicata squash and a golden acorn squash. I started with three golden acorn squashes, but two of them became this delicious soup.

It’s simple to make and full of creamy, coconut flavor. It’s one of those recipes that gets you ready for winter as you struggle to let go of a beautiful fall.

The recipe uses two squash. To prepare them, half them and remove the seeds. Rub them lightly with olive oil and place them cut-side down on a baking sheet. Pierce the skin in a few places with a fork. Bake at 425 F for about 30 minutes or until tender. Let cool and scrape out the flesh to use in the soup.

Roasted Golden Acorn Squash and Coconut Soup

2015-08-26 09:15:47

Makes: 4 servings

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Ingredients

1 tablespoon virgin coconut oil
½ large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 golden acorn squash, roasted and flesh removed, about 4 to 5 cups
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 ½ cups vegetable stock
1 (13.5 oz) can coconut milk
Garnish options: shredded coconut, chopped pistachios, chopped cashews

Instructions

Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic. Cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
Add the squash, salt, cloves and red pepper. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes more.
Stir in the vegetable stock. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup, or transfer the soup to a blender and puree until smooth, and return to the pot.
Once the soup is pureed, stir in the coconut milk and cook until heated through, 2 to 3 more minutes. Top with shredded coconut or nuts before serving, if desired.

By Lori Rice

Fake Food Free https://www.fakefoodfree.com/

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winter squash

The Simplest Butternut Squash Soup

Double Ginger Winter Squash Muffins

Curry Peanut Heirloom Winter Squash Soup

Brown Butter Bourbon Butternut Squash Soup

Acorn Squash Risotto and Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

Fall Salad with Butternut Squash and Apple Cider Vinaigrette

Acorn Squash Lentils with Pumpkin Seeds and Cilantro

Roasted Butternut Squash with Pear and Red Walnuts

Roasted Golden Acorn Squash and Coconut Soup Recipe

Thanks so much for reading!

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