Butternut squash soup

I thought Jon, the resident pumpkin lover, would scream travesty when I made soup out of butternut squash instead of its orange relative, but actually I think he liked this one better. I know I did. It's just enough sweet and just enough spicy. Of course you can make it sweeter by using more cream or spicier by using more ginger (and I've heard of people adding curry, too).

Butternut Squash Soup

Origin: Alton Brown
Yield: 4 servings
Cooking Time: 40 min
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:
  ● 6 cups (about 2 large squash) seeded 2-inch wide chunks butternut squash
  ● Melted butter, for brushing
  ● 1 tbsp. kosher salt, plus 1 teaspoon
  ● 1 tsp. freshly ground white pepper, plus 1/2 teaspoon
  ● 3 cups vegetable stock
  ● 4 tbsp. honey
  ● 1 tsp. minced ginger
  ● 4 oz. heavy cream
  ● 1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Brush the flesh of the squash with a little butter and season with 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper. On a sheet pan lay the squash flesh side up. Roast for about 30 to 35 minutes or until the flesh is nice and soft.

Scoop the flesh from the skin into a pot and add the stock, honey, and ginger. Bring to a simmer and puree using a stick blender. Stir in the heavy cream and return to a low simmer. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. I failed to actually measure the heavy cream and ginger but I'm pretty sure I added more of both, particularly of the ginger, than is called for. In any case, this soup was delicious.

Flemish Beef Stew

Mmmm, slow cooker meals on chilly days. I love coming home to a house that smells like dinner, and being able to rest a bit in the afternoon because I did the major dinner work early in the morning when I still had energy. This was our first try with this recipe and it was pretty good. Next time I think I'll add the carrots a little later so they'll keep their crunch.

Flemish Beef Stew

Origin: EatingWell.com
Yield: 8 servings
Cooking Time: 8 hr 0 min
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:
  ● 4 tsp. canola oil, divided
  ● 2 lb. bottom round, trimmed of fat and cut into 1-inch cubes
  ● 3/4 lb. sliced cremini or white button mushrooms
  ● 3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
  ● 2 cups brown ale or dark beer
  ● 4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
  ● 1 large onion, chopped
  ● 1 clove garlic, minced
  ● 1 1/2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
  ● 1 tsp. caraway seeds
  ● 3/4 tsp. salt
  ● 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
  ● 1 bay leaf

Directions:
Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add half the beef and brown on all sides, turning frequently, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a 6-quart slow cooker. Drain any fat from the pan. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil and brown the remaining beef. Transfer to the slow cooker.

Return the skillet to medium heat, add mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until they give off their liquid and it evaporates to a glaze, 5 to 7 minutes. Sprinkle flour over the mushrooms; cook undisturbed for 10 seconds, then stir and cook for 30 seconds more. Pour in ale (or beer); bring to a boil, whisking constantly to reduce foaming, until thickened and bubbling, about 3 minutes. Transfer the mushroom mixture to the slow cooker.

Add carrots, onion, garlic, mustard, caraway seeds, salt, pepper and bay leaf to the slow cooker. Stir to combine.

Put the lid on and cook on low until the beef is very tender, about 8 hours. Discard the bay leaf before serving.

Biscuit topped shepherd's pie

Fall isn't about just pumpkin, it's also about warm, comforting foods. I don't know if shepherd's pie by itself is a comfort food (maybe it depends on who you ask) but it's certainly warm, especially served this way, and the biscuit on top is pure comfort in my book. Warm and comfy. I got this recipe from Taste of Home's Healthy Cooking magazine so it's even on the lighter side of things. The only thing I changed is that I substitued raw ingredients where they called for reduced fat Bisquick Baking Mix.

Biscuit topped shepherd's pie

Yield: 6 Servings
Prep Time: 30 min.
Cooking Time: 10 min.

Ingredients:
  ● 1 lb. lean ground beef (90% lean)
  ● 1 medium onion, chopped
  ● 1 celery rib, finely chopped
  ● 1 package (16 ounces) frozen peas and carrots, thawed and drained
  ● 1 can (15 ounces) Italian tomato sauce
  ● 1/4 tsp. pepper
  ● 2 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
  ● 1/4 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed
  ● 1/2 cup fat-free milk
  ● 2 tbsp. butter, melted
For biscuits
  ● 1 cup flour
  ● 1/2 tsp. baking powder
  ● 1/8 tsp. salt
  ● 1/4 cup shortening

Directions:
In a large skillet, cook the beef, onion and celery over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add vegetables, tomato sauce, and pepper; cook and stir for 5-6 minutes or until heated through. Spoon into six 8-oz. ramekins (I used individual soup crocks)

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt, then use a pastry knife (or clean fingers) and cut in the shortening. Mix cheese and rosemary. Stir in milk and butter just until moistened. Spoon dough over meat mixture; place ramekins on a baking sheet. Bake at 425° for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Yield: 6 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving equals 311 calories, 12 g fat (5 g saturated fat), 59 mg cholesterol, 771 mg sodium, 31 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 22 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2 lean meat, 1-1/2 starch, 1 vegetable, 1 fat.

Pumpkin bagels

It's time for pumpkin again! I had been buying organic pie pumpkins at Whole Foods for around $2 per pound, then we found the oranic local pie pumpkins at our local farmers market for $2 per pumpkin. That's about $4 cheaper per squash. That means I'll be baking, squishing, condensing, and freezing pumpkin for the rest of the the season. Jon is looking forward to all the recipes we'll be rehashing and trying, and this week we started with pumpkin bagels, a first.

Pumpkin bagels
original recipe from Healthy Cooking Magazine

Yield: 9 bagels
Prep Time:  min. + standing
Cooking Time: 15 min.

Ingredients:
  ● 2/3 cup warm water (100-120 degrees)
  ● 1/2 tbsp active dry yeast
  ● 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
  ● 3 cups bread flour
  ● 1 tsp. salt
  ● 1-1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
  ● 3/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
  ● 1/2 tsp. ground allspice
  ● 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
  ● 1/2 cup pumpkin, room temperature
  ● 1 egg white, cut with ~2 tbsp water
  ● 1 tbsp. cornmeal

Directions:
Combine water and sugar. Let stand until foaming, about 8 minutes.

Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, salt, and spices. Mix well. Add yeast mixture and pumpkin and mix well, adding remaining flour until dough is of kneading consistency (or until dough forms a ball on dough hook and cleans sides of bowl). Knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Cover and place in a warm, draft free place and allow to rise for ~1 hour, or until it doubles in size.

Remove dough from bowl and shape into nine balls. Push thumb through centers to form a 1-in. hole. Stretch and shape dough to form an even ring. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.

Fill a pot two-thirds full with water; bring to a boil. Drop bagels, two at a time, into boiling water. Cook for 45 seconds; turn and cook 45 seconds longer. Remove with a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels.

Whisk egg white and 2 tbsps water; brush over bagels. Coat a baking sheet with oil and sprinkle with cornmeal. Bake at 400° for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool. Yield: 9 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1 bagel equals 180 calories, trace fat (trace saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 273 mg sodium, 40 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 6 g protein.

Pecan Pie Muffins

I probably shouldn't post this on a site titled "To Your Health" because, aside from the nuts, there's nothing healthy about these little treats. But a little sweetness in life has never hurt anyone, and these were worth the fun. These were so easy to make that Jon and I actually whipped up a batch at 10:30 last night after I found the recipe here, on allrecipes.com. The only thing I changed is that we made them with half whole wheat flour in a desperate attempt to make them a little healthier. They were incredibly good.

Pecan Pie Muffins

Yield: 8-12
Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cooking Time: 20 Minutes
Imported From: allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
  ● 1 cup Packed Light Brown Sugar
  ● ½ cups All-purpose/whole wheat Flour
  ● 1 cup Chopped Pecans
  ● ⅔ cups Softened Butter
  ● 2 whole Eggs Beaten

Directions:
Preheat oven 350 F.

In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, and pecans. Stir until well combined. In a separate bowl, whisk butter and eggs together until smooth. Stir into the dry ingredients just until combined. Spoon the batter into prepared muffin cups (greased, lined, or silicone). Cups should be about 2/3 full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes (ours actually took closer to 30 minutes). Cool on wire racks when done.

Do NOT forget to try one when it's still hot!