Best Butternut Squash Soup

My friend's mom made this soup and it was so good I had to make it again and again!

Best Butternut Squash Soup


1 Butternut squash
1 medium Granny Smith apple
1 cooking onion
3-4 cups low sodium vegetable broth (I don't remember how much!)
Coconut Creamer (It's not canned coconut milk used in Thai cooking, but a dairy creamer substitute)
Rosemary (chopped fresh or dried)
White wine (I used between 1/2 cup and 1 cup...)
1 piece of plain bread
Olive oil

1. Pre-heat oven to 400˚
2. Cut the ends of the butternut squash and cut in half length wise, peel and core the apple
3. Place the squash cut side down on a baking sheet and bake for 20-30 min, until the flesh can be scooped out (This is a quick recipe if this is done in advance, squash should be baked and flesh scooped out before steps 5+)
4. Microwave the apple cut side down for 1 minute and
5. Roughly chop onion
6. Heat olive in a large pot on medium-medium high
7. Add onion and a good pinch of salt and soften until translucent
8. Chop the apple and add to pot cook ~1 min
9. Add rosemary to the pot
10. Add the squash and stir for a minute, breaking up large chunks
11. Add white wine and let it cook down a bit, scrap the bottom of the pot w/ a wooden spoon (I used bagged wine!)

12. Add enough vegetable broth to cover the ingredients in the pot
13. Turn heat up to high and bring soup to a boil, stir, then turn it down to simmer
14. Place the piece of plain (white/italian) bread on top of the contents of the pot and let soup simmer for 20 min (I think I had it covered, or mostly covered)
15. Take soup off heat and puree with an emersion blender
16. Add in 1-2 Tbs of the coconut creamer until it is a bright yellow-orange and season to taste

The 2 times I've made this soup I wasn't patient enough to let the squash bake... I ended up baking it for barely 20 min and then cutting the skin off and cubing it (and burning my hands a lot). 

Tempeh Reuben Panini

It's been 6 months since I've posted a recipe... so this is a good one! This can easily be made vegan by substituting vegan mayo for the regular mayo. OR, it can be made more delicious w/ some cheese!

Tempeh Reuben Panini


1 packet Soy Tempeh
6 slices of bread (Rye for a classic reuben but I used Arnie's Jogga Bread)
Sauerkraut (as much as you want to pile on)
Cooking oil spray

"Thousand Island" spread:
2 Tbs Ketchup
1-2 Tbs Dill relish
4 Tbs Mayo (I used the olive oil based variety)
a dash Fresh lemon juice
1 tsp Chipotle sauce

Tempeh Marinade:
1-2 Tbs Olive oil
1-2 Tbs Soy sauce
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbs Hoisin sauce
a sprinkling of ground steak seasoning

1. Mix the Tempeh Marinade in a casserole dish
2. Using a mandolin slice the tempeh patty into 3 pieces, I think I set mine to the second largest slice setting
3. Place tempeh in the casserole dish dipping each side in the marinade and refrigerate for 30 min-1 hour

4. Drain some sauerkraut so it isn't too moist, I put some in a strainer and pressed it, then let it sit for the rest of the sandwich preparation
5. Preheat oven to 375˚
6. Place tempeh slices on a baking sheet pouring a bit of the marinade over each
7. Bake for 12-15 min, flip (pour the rest of the marinade over each) and bake for an additional 8-10 min
8. Mix the "Thousand Island" spread

9. Spread each slice of toast w/ the "Thousand Island"
10. Each sandwich gets 1 slice of tempeh (1/3 of the patty), with 1/2 a slice on each side
11. Put as much sauerkraut as you like in the middle (we like a lot!!!)
12. Lightly spray each side of bread w/ cooking oil spray
13. Grill in a sandwich or panini press (if you want to add cheese, put it on the bread before the tempeh and it will hold the sandwich together)


Unfortunately I don't have a picture of the final product at the moment because I didn't realize this recipe would be so delicious until after we ate it... but I have a leftover slice of tempeh and once I make another reuben I'll add that picture.

However, the sandwich was truly SO good that my mom ate her sandwich even though she dropped the entire thing on the floor (and we have cats!).

Sweet 'n' Spicy Tofu Salad

This recipe is lacking photos but it's pretty simple! Enjoy!

Sweet 'n' Spicy Tofu Salad

Fresh Herb Salad Organic Mixed Greens (or Romaine lettuce)

fresh cilantro

1 red or green bell pepper

1 avocado

mandarin orange slices (optional)

slivered almonds 

1 package Nasoya cubed tofu

2 Tbs low sodium soy sauce

1 tsp grated ginger

2 Tbs sweet chili sauce

Dressing (it took me a while to get the proportions right, this will make extra dressing)

5 Tbs olive oil

5 Tbs sesame oil

5 Tbs rice wine vinegar

1 Tbs honey

1 Tbs curry powder

1. Drain tofu and soak up excess moisture with paper towels. 

2. Clean pepper, mushrooms, cilantro and lettuce (if using Romaine). Chop pepper and slice mushrooms. 

3. Mix ginger and soy sauce and marinate tofu for 30 min. 

4. Heat a pan over medium-high heat and spray w/ nonstick cooking spray. Cook tofu in pan until browned and a bit crispy. 

5. Make dressing: Drizzle the oil into the vinegar, whisking constantly. Add honey and whisk. Add curry powder and whisk.

6. Toss the sweet chili sauce to coat the tofu. 

7. Assemble salad: lettuce, peppers, mushrooms, avocado, cilantro, slivered almonds, (mandarin orange slices) and top with tofu. Drizzle with dressing . 

It's hen hao!

Spicy Kale Chips

This is a great snack with almost 0 calories and fat!

Spicy Kale Chips

1 bunch of Kale

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp garlic powder

sea salt

nonstick cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 300˚.

2. De-stem kale, rip into chip-size pieces, wash and dry. (I used a salad spinner and patted dry any wet spots leftover.)

3. Line a baking sheet w/ foil, and on it place the kale in a single layer.... I had to use 2 baking sheets. (The kale can be touching and even overlap a little, as it shrinks when baked.)

4. Spray kale with a light coating of nonstick cooking spray.

5. Sprinkle with sea salt, cayenne and garlic.

6. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until kale is crisp and dark green. (I wasn't paying attention and my kale got a little overdone. Be sure to check on it and pull it out of the oven while it is still dark green and hasn't gotten too brown.)

ENJOY 

Cold Sesame Noodle and Tofu Salad

I made this weeks ago so I don't remember the details of the recipe but it was so delicious!

Cold Sesame Noodle and Tofu Salad

1 handful of noodles for 2-3 servings (I guess the fewer the noodles the healthier the recipe so it's up to you)

1 red bell pepper

2-3 scallions

1 head of bok choy, greens chopped (I used ~10 mini bok choy, which are lighter and leafier) 

1 carton Nasoya Superfirm Cubed tofu

1 Tbsp sesame oil

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil or canola oil

4 Tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce

1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 Tbsp Hoisin sauce

Non-stick oil spray

1. Drain the tofu and soak up excess moisture w/ paper towels. Let dry.

2. Boil noodles until tender, drain, rinse, add to sauce and cool in fridge. (Sauce is step 3)

3. (While pasta cooks:) Make sauce by combining Sesame oil, extra virgin olive oil, 3 Tbs soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and hoisin sauce. Add cooked & rinsed noodles and refrigerate. 

4. Coat dried tofu in 1 Tbsp soy sauce (let it soak in a little). 

5. Heat a pan over medium-medium high heat. Add non-stick oil spray and tofu. Sauté until golden brown. 

6. While cooking tofu chop bok choy and scallion greens, add to chilling noodles. 

7. Take out golden brown tofu, add more cooking spray and saute red pepper until tender. 

8. Add red pepper to cold noodle salad and serve. 

9. Top w/ sautéed tofu. 

I hope that's everything!

Gazpacho Verde

Gazpacho is a cold, tomato-based, Spanish soup, originating in Andalucia... however different variations are made throughout Spain. My Gazpacho Verde (Green Gazpacho) gets its color from spinach. This is a really refreshing recipe and is great if you need to clean out your fridge!

Gazpacho Verde

2 1/2 - 3 cups tomatoes (I used Gourmet Medley colorful cherry tomatoes)

1 yellow bell pepper (seeded, stemmed and chopped into sq. inch pieces)

4 ribs of celery (chopped into 1 inch pieces)

1 scallion (chopped)

1/2 cup water

1 1/2 - 2 cups spinach

Fresh cilantro or 2 frozen cilantro cubes (from Trader Joe's)

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

1. Add tomatoes, yellow bell pepper, celery, scallion, cilantro cubes and water to blender. Blend until smooth. 

2. Add in spinach and olive oil and blend until smooth. 

3. Taste! Add salt, pepper and lemon juice as needed. (I used just a pinch of salt and pepper and ~ 1 Tbs of lemon juice). 

4. Serve! (Garnish with a little salt and olive oil... also great with garlic bread).

Homemade Chinese Take-Out

On the menu: Hot and Sour Soup, Crispy Tofu and Mini Sesame Bok Choy.

Preface: My soup final product didn't have the classic texture/viscosity that I had expected, so I modified the recipe... this should work better, and if not, it still tastes great. Also, I didn't add egg to this batch, but next time I warm up a serving, I'll add some egg and update this post.

The preparation of all three recipes can be simultaneous... Each recipe is listed in its entirety, see notes in the soup recipe to aid in timing. The bok choy, Chinese garlic chives and Fried Tofu Puffs were purchased from Pacific Rim Foods (Kalamazoo, MI).

Mini Sesame Bok Choy

Mini bok choy 

Toasted Sesame Oil

Low-sodium soy sauce

1. Wash mini bok choy well. (I soaked them in cold water and then separated the bok choy leaves under a stream of water cold water).

2. Place bok choy in steaming basket.

3. Steam for 5 minutes.

4. Toss with a light dressing of toasted sesame oil and soy sauce. 

Crispy Tofu

Fried Tofu Puff (12 per package, I made 3)
2 tsp Hoisin sauce
2 tsp Sweet chili sauce

1. Preheat oven to 350˚.
2. Mix Hoisin and sweet chili sauce.

3. Dip Tofu Puff into sauce mixture and place on a baking sheet lined with foil sprayed with oil.

4. Bake 3 minutes.

Hot and Sour Soup

6 oz white button mushrooms

1/2 cup Chinese garlic chives

1 package Nasoya silken tofu

2 Tbs rice wine vinegar

2 Tbs low-sodium soy sauce

1 Tbs Sriracha 

4 cups vegetable broth

1 cup cold water

1 Tbs corn starch

**Soak mini bok choy**

**Preheat oven to 350˚**

1. Slice mushrooms thinly and chop Chinese garlic chives into ~1cm long pieces.

2. In a pot over medium-high heat, add in: broth, Sriracha, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, Chinese garlic chives and mushrooms.

3. Bring contents of pot to a simmer. 

**Finish washing mini bok choy and place in steamer**

4. Cut silken tofu horizontally through the side and lengthwise. (You'll end up with with 4 thin, long rectangles). Cut again into strips 1 cm wide.

5. Add tofu to soup.

**Place steaming basket w/ bok choy over pot**

6. Simmer soup for about 8-10 minutes. 

**Remove steaming basket**

7. Mix cold water and corn starch, add to soup and stir. Return to simmer, turn off burner. 

**Place prepared Fried Tofu Puffs in oven, bake for 3 minutes**

**Dress mini bok choy**

8. Serve soup.

Garnish tofu and soup with scallion. 

Hummus "Pizza"

This is a quick and healthy recipe courtesy of Chris Snider and the Snider family kitchen!

Hummus Pizza

Whole wheat pita bread

Hummus (original or garlic)

Mixed fresh vegetables (carrots, broccoli, mushrooms, or anything else desired)

Dried parsley 

1. Toast the pita lightly (in a toaster oven or oven) 350˚ for 3-5 minutes. 

2. Chop the vegetables into pizza-topping-size pieces.

3. Spread a layer of hummus over the whole pita.

4. Top with chopped vegetables and a sprinkle of dried parsley. 

5. Cut and serve.

"Steam-fried" Eggplant

This is my mom's method for an easy, zero-calorie cooking method for eggplant... which when sautéed, can absorb a lot of oil. Also, with eggplants, I've noticed that the large ones have more seeds... so I pick the small/baby eggplants that come individually packaged (when they're on sale).

"Steam-Fried" Eggplant

1 small/baby eggplant

cooking spray

sauce of your choice (I used low-sodium soy sauce, sweet chili sauce and a drizzle of toasted sesame oil)

1. Heat a large pan (that has a lid) over high heat. 

2. Cut eggplant into 1 cm thick disks. 

3. Spray with cooking spray on one side of the eggplant slices. 

4. Place eggplant "sprayed" side down into the pan, cook until dark brown/blackened.

5. Flip eggplant, turn off the burner and cover the pan with the lid.

6. Let the covered eggplant steam for 3-5 minutes. 

7. Serve and add your choice of sauce.

White Asparagus Soup

This recipe doesn't make a huge pot of soup, but that's one of the things I like about it! It's light and delicious, and you won't have to spend the next two weeks trying to finish the leftovers.

White Asparagus Soup

1 lb white asparagus

2 shallots

1/2 cup dry cooking sherry

1 cup water

1 cup low sodium vegetable broth

1 Tbs yogurt butter (butter substitute)

1 Tbs Original Philly Cooking Cream

dried sage

salt

pepper

olive oil

1. Drizzle a little olive oil into the pan, over med-high heat.

2. Drop in chopped shallot, sauté. Sprinkle a pinch of salt and cook until translucent.

3. Cut off the woody stems of the white asparagus. Chop remaining asparagus into 2 inch pieces and toss in with the shallots.

4. Deglaze the pan with the cooking sherry and cook down until it reduces.

5. Turn up the heat to high and add in broth and water. 

6. Bring soup up to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and let simmer for 15-20 minutes with lid askew.

7. Take soup off the heat and purée with a blender or an immersion blender

8. Add in butter substitute and Original Philly Cooking Cream. Purée. 

9. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper. 

Tofu Salad Sandwich

A tofu based (vegan or vegetarian) version of egg salad! Try serving with sweet potato fries!

Tofu Salad Sandwich

1 package Extra Firm Cubed Tofu

1/2 cup light mayo or Nasoya Original Nayonaise

2 Tbs rice vinegar

1 Tbs honey

1 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 cup shredded carrot (a generous 1/2 cup)

1/4 cup thinly sliced scallion (rinsed in cold water)

1/8 cup chopped flat leaf parsley

salt and pepper to taste

toasted bread

shredded mozzarella cheese 

1. Drain tofu and press with paper towel.

2. Using a fork, break up the tofu in a bowl.

3. Mix in mayonaise, salt, pepper, curry powder, paprika, rice vinegar, honey, carrot and scallion.

4. Fold in parsley lightly so it doesn't bruise. 

5. Spread tofu salad on a pre-toasted piece of bread and sprinkle a little mozzarella cheese on top. 

6. Toast in oven for 5 min on 350˚ or in the toaster oven. Serve open faced.

Sweet Potato Fries

1 sweet potato

Lawry's Seasoning Salt

dried age

cooking spray oil

1. Preheat oven to 450˚

2. Peel sweet potato and cut into fry shapes. (Cut in half vertically, and cut each half into 2 pieces of equal width. Slice into fry shapes.)

3. Spray fries with cooking oil spray and toss until coated on all sides. 

4. Sprinkle with Lawry's and dried sage, toss.

5. Bake for 20 minutes (or until toasty brown), turning half-way through cooking. 

Groovy Minestrone

I put too many pasta shells in my batch of minestrone so I updated the recipe and copied the recommended amount from a similar online recipe. Anyway, it will be great reheated in a little extra broth. 

Groovy Minestrone

*The recipe may look like a lot of ingredients and work but everything comes together very quickly and it is definitely worth the effort*  

2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

1/4 sweet onion

1 leek

2 carrots

2 celery stalks

1 zucchini 

1 sweet potato

3 (compact) cups fresh baby spinach

1 cup frozen peas

1 can northern white beans (drained)

1 can diced fire-roasted tomatoes (slightly drained)

1 Tbs tomato paste

1 tsp garlic

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp dried parsley

1/2 tsp italian seasoning

1/2 tsp dried sage

1 pinch chili flakes

2 (fresh) bay leaves

1 cup dry sherry

4 cups low sodium vegetable broth

1/2 cup small pasta shells

fresh Italian parsley for garnish

parmesan for garnish

Vegetable prep

Dice: onion, leek, carrots, celery, peeled sweet potato, zucchini... all veggies should be about the same size as the canned diced tomatoes and northern beans.

Soup

1. Heat a large pot/dutch oven over medium high heat.

2. Add olive oil.

3. Add leak and onion and cook until translucent then add a pinch of salt.

4. Add carrot, celery, dried herbs (except chili flakes), bay leaves and cook about 5 minutes until softened.

5. Add sweet potato, garlic, tomato paste and chili flakes and cook 2-3 minutes, until tomato paste is fragrant.

6. Deglaze the pot w/ dry sherry and scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden cooking spoon.

7. Add canned northern beans and fire roasted tomatoes along with the zucchini.

8. When mixture is simmering add vegetable broth and turn heat up to high.

9. When soup is boiling, add in pasta, peas and spinach.

10. Reduce heat to medium/medium-low and simmer until pasta is cooked (about 15 minutes), cover pot with lid slightly askew. Add salt to taste.

11. Serve topped with chopped fresh Italian parsley and parmesan cheese.

Cooling Fruit Smoothie

I didn't use any water making the smoothie and it was a bit too orangey, so I think this estimate of a juice/water combo will taste even better...

Cooling Fruit Smoothie

frozen mango

frozen blueberries 

3-4 Tbs fresh mint

1/4 cup Light 'n' Fit vanilla yogurt

1/4 cup vanilla Silk almond milk

1 1/2 cups (light) orange juice

1 cup water

1. Fill blender up to 16 oz notch w/ frozen mango

2. Add frozen blueberries to just under 24 oz notch

3. Add in the rest of the ingredients (mint, yogurt, almond milk, OJ and water)

4. Start on 'Pulse' setting to check if there is enough liquid, if smoothie is blending well switch to 'High' setting and blend until smooth

*Pour leftover smoothie into an ice-cube tray and freeze, add smoothie-cubes and water to blender to re-blend*