Roasted Butternut Squash & Coconut Curry Soup with Cinnamon Toasted Seeds

I had the uncommon pleasure of a lunchtime visit this week from an out-of-town childhood friend whom I don't get to see very often.

Since I knew that we were heading out for dinner later in the evening, and since we've never been ones to deprive ourselves on such occasions, I decided to keep lunch on the lighter side opting for a warming, full-flavoured seasonal soup.  (We also enjoyed a simple salad which, at my guest's request, I will be featuring on the blog sometime in the not-so-distant future).

I made this soup the day before our visit, and while the squash was roasting in the oven, I busied myself with other kitchen chores.  I like to set it up that way so that I don't feel like I'm waiting on the oven.  I especially like to roast vegetables in the morning while I'm in the kitchen preparing breakfasts and lunches for the boys before they head off to school.

You can easily double the quantity of this soup and freeze some for later use.  You can also, as always, modify the ingredients as you see fit.


Roasted Butternut Squash & Coconut Curry Soup with Cinnamon Toasted Seeds

• 1 large butternut squash, cut into large segments
• 2 large yellow onions, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 Tbsp curry powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 knob of ginger, fresh grated (about 2 heaping Tbsp)
• 1/2 ripe banana, mashed
• 2 cups coconut milk
• 2 cups vegetable (or chicken) stock

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Notes:

If after puréeing, you find the soup too thick, you can simply add additional stock or coconut milk to achieve desired consistency.

You can substitute 1 tsp of brown sugar for the banana if preferred, although the banana flavour is quite mild amidst the other flavours and lends a wonderful natural sweetness to the soup.

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Directions:

Heat oven to 375 F.

Remove seed section from the interior of the squash pieces and separate seeds from stringy pulp attached to them (rinsing pulp off seeds if necessary).

Discard stringy pulp and spread seeds out on a paper towel to dry somewhat.

Place squash pieces on a foil lined baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil.

Sprinkle squash pieces with a touch of cinnamon and place in the oven for approximately 1 hour or until squash pieces are tender and have begun to acquire a nice roasted colour (brown around the edges). 

 

Remove squash from the oven and allow it to cool before scraping flesh away from the skin and setting aside (you can use a spoon, knife and/or your hands to assist with this).

 

Meanwhile, sauté onion and garlic with some olive oil in a large pot on the stove set to low-medium heat for approximately 5 minutes or until onion is translucent.

 

Add curry powder and cumin to the pot, mixing to combine with the onion and garlic.

 

Add fresh ginger and mashed banana stirring to combine.  Add roasted squash flesh followed by vegetable (or chicken) stock and coconut milk and mix to combine.

 

Working in batches, place all ingredients in a blender and purée.

 

Return puréed soup to the pot, warming to desired temperature when ready to serve.

 

Meanwhile, place squash seeds in a small dry skillet set to low heat on the stove (the seeds should still have some moisture/wetness to them to allow the cinnamon to adhere to them - if they don't, you can simply splash a little water on them).  Sprinkle the seeds with cinnamon and allow them to toast in the skillet for a couple of minutes until they develop a nice rich colour.

 

When ready, serve soup in bowls topped with cinnamon toasted seeds and a swirl of Greek yogurt, as desired.

 

Place a little bit of Greek yogurt in a plastic bag and snip one of the corners
of the bag - squeeze the yogurt through the opening
to create whatever design you desire!

 

Oven-Baked Cinnamon Nutmeg Apple Chips

  

It's hard to imagine a more sensory loaded experience than Autumn.

 

(except maybe an all boys sleepover birthday party. Just speculating).

 

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Some of you may recall our trip to the apple orchard last year for our September birthday boy. 

 

A brilliant day in the outdoors with lots of gorgeous, crunchy apples just begging to be played with. Pies, purées, muffins and loaves, so many possibilities for transformation...

 

This year I wanted to try apple chips!

 

My first time making them and a happy experiment indeed.  You will not need a dehydrator for these apple chips.  Just your oven and a few spices if you wish (you can also leave them plain - equally delicious). 

 

I highly recommend the use of a mandoline for slicing.  You can do it by hand but unless you have the dexterity of a brain surgeon, it's a bit of a trick trying to get the slices paper thin. 

 

 

 

You can get a hand-held mandoline for about $20.  In my view, it's well worth it.  I use mine quite often and find it extraordinary helpful. Not only will it make your job easier, you will accomplish the task in a fraction of the time.  I created a tray full of apple slices in less than a minute!

 

 

Oven-Baked Cinnamon Nutmeg Apple Chips

• 2 or 3 gorgeous, juicy, crunchy apples of choice (I used McIntosh)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp fresh grated nutmeg, (if you've never tasted a fresh grated nutmeg seed - it's a must try...)
• 1/8 tsp allspice

 

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Directions:

 

Heat oven to 225 F.

 

Using a mandoline (preferred) or a sharp knife, slice washed apples as thin as possible.  Discard seeds if you like (I find them fairly innocuous).

 

Place sliced apples on a parchment covered baking sheet (or two baking sheets if needed), trying to separate them out as much as possible (if they overlap, they will not crisp up as well). 

 

Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine: cinnamon, brown sugar, nutmeg and allspice.  Sprinkle half of the spice mixture over apples and place the tray on the upper rack of  the oven for about 1 hour.  Remove tray from oven and carefully flip apples.  Sprinkle with remaining spice mixture or leave plain, as desired. Return tray to oven for another hour or until the apples look gently browned and are beginning to curl around the edges.

 

 

I flavoured one side of the apples with spices
and left the other side plain - the pictures show the plain side

 

Remove tray from oven and allow apple chips to cool slightly before enjoying.

 

We found most of the apples curled and crisped nicely.  But not all.  A few of them were on the chewier side but these too were tasty - like a healthier version of apple/fruit leather.

 

 



 

You might also enjoy last year's creation, maple-ginger pumpkin purée over apples:

  

 

maple-ginger pumpkin purée over apples

 

Sweet & Savoury Maple Pumpkin Bites with Fresh Sage and Macadamia

 

"I don't know what's in these that makes them so good mom,

but they're so good ..."

 

 

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There you have it.  That's all the evidence you'll ever need.

 

The funny thing is, I had made one of those quiet promises to myself that I wasn't going to post anything with pumpkin in it until October (kind of like my habit of listening to Christmas music in November - a bit annoying).  And here it is, prime apple month, and what am I doing?  Leapfrogging right over my draft apple post (which is lovely by the way), to bring you pumpkin.

 

But not just any pumpkin.  These may be the tastiest bites I've ever made... (so far).  I think it's the fresh sage that just kills it.  (Note to Mom: 'kills it' in this context means it makes it really good).

 

 

Sweet & Savoury Maple Pumpkin Bites with Fresh Sage and Macadamia

(Gluten Free)

• 1 + 1/3 cup almond flour
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg, fresh ground if possible (the taste is incomparable)
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 heaping Tbsp fresh sage, chopped
• 1 egg
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp vanilla essence
• 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
• 1/2 cup pumpkin purée, (pumpkin only not 'pumpkin pie' filling)
• 1/8 cup macadamia nuts, chopped into small pieces (I used dry roasted)
• Sea salt

 

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Makes about 24 bites.

 

Directions:

 

Heat oven to 350 F.

 

In a large bowl, assemble: almond flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, baking soda and fresh sage, mixing to combine.

 

In a separate smaller bowl, whisk together: egg, olive oil, vanilla and maple syrup.  Add pumpkin purée and whisk until well integrated with other ingredients.

 

Add wet ingredients to dry, mixing just until combined.  Place bowl with batter in the fridge to allow it to firm up slightly (about 30 minutes - or about 10 minutes in the freezer if you prefer).

 

Remove bowl from fridge/freezer and roll pumpkin batter in the palm of your hands (it will still be quite soft) into bite-sized shapes using just less than 1 tablespoon per bite.  If the batter is still too wet to work with, simply return it to the fridge.

 

Place bites on a parchment lined baking sheet with some room separating them.

 

 

 

 

Top each bite with a touch of sea salt and a few macadamia pieces before placing them in the oven for 10-12 minutes.  For testing, the bites should still be soft to the touch but have a nice golden colour on the bottom.  Allow them to cool for a couple minutes before enjoying.

 

 

Slow-Roasted Cherry Tomatoes and Garlic with Herbed Ricotta & Balsamic

 

There's never been a better time to stroll down to your local market or nearby supplier to scoop up some of these gorgeous, seasonal tomatoes.

 

From the vast array of colourful heirloom varieties - the thoroughbreds of tomatoes - to these brilliant red, lycopene rich, local cherry tomatoes - they are fragrant, fresh and bursting with flavour.

 

It won't be long before commercially produced tomatoes are shipped across the continent to find their way into our grocery stores, a mere shadow of their former selves; nutrient weakened, anemic looking and tasting somewhat like cardboard. 

 

Take advantage of these bountiful beauties while you still can!

 

 

Slow-Roasted Cherry Tomatoes and Garlic with Herbed Ricotta & Balsamic

• 1 basket cherry tomatoes, cut in half or quartered (you can use any tomato of choice)
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled and slivered
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• Sea salt & black pepper
• 6 or so slices of dark rye bread (or bread/cracker/food of choice - see note below), sliced into smaller segments as desired
• 1 cup or so ricotta cheese
• Handful of fresh chopped herbs of choice, I used up the remaining lemon-thyme from my little herb box
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

 

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Note:

 

I used a dark rye bread for this recipe but you could use any whole grain of choice or, if you prefer not to use grains, consider serving the ricotta/tomato inside boiled egg white halves (with the ricotta filling/tomato topping taking the place of the removed yolks).

 

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I ended up slicing each of these portions in three
to create smaller hors d'oeuvres bites

 

Heat oven to 300 F.

 

Spread a piece of parchment paper out onto a large baking tray.

 

Place tomatoes and garlic on tray.

 

 

 

 

 

Drizzle tomatoes and garlic with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper (yum!).

 

Place tray in oven for approximately 1 hour (tossing the tomatoes/garlic around at least once if you can during that time) until tomatoes have softened and garlic takes on a chewy roasted texture.

 

 

Don't miss out on the tray scrapings ~ delish!

 

Remove tray from oven and allow tomatoes to cool somewhat while you prepare ricotta mixture.

 

In a small bowl, mix together ricotta cheese, herbs of choice and lemon zest until combined.

 

Spread ricotta mixture onto bread/crackers of choice and top with tomatoes and garlic and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. 

 

 

Raw Vegan Energy Bars with Walnut, Chia, Cherry & Pepita for Ida

 

The other night my husband and I were relaxing on the couch catching a bit of the late evening news before heading to bed. 

I was drifting in and out of consciousness, as I am want to do in front of the tv, and just before fully transitioning to the other side, I caught of glimpse of Ida.  And I'm so glad I did.

Who is Ida you ask? 

Ida is Ida Herbert.  A 96-year-old woman (remarkable in its own right) from Orillia, Ontario.  But it's what Ida was doing that was really stunning... 

It turns out that Ida, at the ripe young age of 96, also happens to be - now hold for it - a yoga instructor. Yup, that's right folks. This incredible woman is still teaching yoga at the age of 96! 

Her journey began in the 1940s - long before yoga came into vogue in the Western World - and it's still going.

I was so inspired by Ida's story that I decided to dedicate these energy bars to her along with a little thank you - I'm calling it an ode to Ida (although it is not really meant to be sung):

Ode to Ida:

Ida, you are a force of life worthy of our calm consideration.  You remind us all of what it truly means to be healthy and whole - to see our minds and bodies not as separate entities at war with one another by rather intimately connected, each working for the other's mutual benefit.  You've certainly mastered the idea of long-term commitment - not so easy in the face of a society consumed by collective impatience, quick fixes and unreasonable demands. And possibly most encouraging for all of us is how you model health and wellness in the form of strength, flexibility, vitality and resilience in stunning contrast to our society's ubiquitous and ultimately doomed attachment to the term "skinny" to define health.

In short Ida, thank you.  I think you are magnificent!

(and, if I can track down your address, I will mail a box of these bars directly to you!  I think you will love them...)

Raw Vegan Energy Bars with Walnut, Chia, Cherry & Pepita for Ida

• 1 cup raw walnuts or any other nut of choice
• 1/2 cup dried cherries (substitute pitted dates, figs or prunes)
• 1/3 cup just nuts peanut or almond butter
• 2 heaping Tbsp chia seeds
• 1 Tbsp honey or pure maple syrup
• 1/4 cup raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
• 1/4 cup unsweetened, desiccated coconut

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Notes:

You can easily double the quantity of this recipe and play around with different ingredient choices as desired. 

Once your ingredients are in place (mise en place) it will take you about 6 minutes to assemble these glorious bars.  Truly one of the best tasting and satisfying health bars our family has ever had.  I'm not sure I'll ever buy another granola bar again!

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Makes about 8 bars or 16 squares 

Place walnuts in blender or food processor and blend for about 20 seconds or until nuts are fairly well ground.  Add cherries, peanut/almond butter, chia seeds and honey/maple syrup blending until the entire mixture is well combined.  The mixture should be sticky - if it's too dry, add a little bit more nut butter or vanilla essence or coconut oil to create moisture.  

Meanwhile, place a piece of wax or parchment paper into a loaf pan (the pan should be in the range of  8" x 4") such that it hangs over the sides.

Remove mixture from blender and press it into the base of the loaf pan using the back of a spoon or other implement to flatten and smooth it down.

Sprinkle the surface of the mixture with pepitas and coconut, pressing down gently with your fingers so that they adhere to the surface.



Fold both sides of the hanging wax or parchment paper inward, one at a time, over the mixture and gently press down one last time with your hand on top of the paper resting over the mixture.

Place the pan in the fridge and allow the mixture to solidify somewhat into a singular slab for about 1 hour.  If you wish to accelerate the process, you can pop the pan in the freezer for 20 minutes or so, but don't forget to remove it and return it to the fridge.

When you're ready to slice the bars, simply remove the pan from the fridge and gently elevate the slab by pulling up on the ends of the wax/parchment. 

Slice the slab into bar shapes or squares as desired.  Store any remaining portions (good luck with that!) in the fridge.





Vanilla Blueberry Almond Smoothie Cups ~ Ready to Go Morning Goodness

 

I am completely smitten with the look of these little lavender-hued frozen smoothie cups and even more in love with their ease and convenience.

 

All ingredients assembled and goodness sealed into muffin sized cups, they sit in the freezer ready to go.  All you have to do is pop two units in the blender, add a little extra liquid when you're ready to enjoy and presto: instant smoothie. 

 

No cutting, chopping or measuring required.  No running out to the grocery store (unfit for public viewing) to buy missing ingredients.  

 

A great way to simplify your morning rush hour or enjoy as a snack any time of day.  I leave the blender out on the counter and when my sons return home from school they have an easy, accessible and healthy snack that they can pull together in a minute.  The boys also enjoy the smoothie cups before soccer and hockey practise - something light and nourishing - and I tend to use them after working out - an ideal way to rehydrate and take in easily digestible nutrients.

 

This recipe is completely adaptable to taste preferences, dietary requirements and seasonal availability of produce.  There's no end to the combinations you can play around with and the fun you can have!

  

 

Vanilla Blueberry Almond Smoothie Cups ~ Ready to Go Morning Goodness

(recipe adapted from Alive Magazine)

• 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
• 1 + 1/2 cups hemp, brown rice, almond or other milk beverage of choice
• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1/3 cup raw almonds
• 2 tsp natural vanilla essence
• 2 Tbsp blackstrap molasses, pure maple syrup or honey
• 10 or so mint leaves



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Makes 12 - 16 muffin cups

 

Directions:

 

Place all ingredients in a blender and press go.

 

 

 

Don't you just want to dive right in?

 

 

Divide smoothie liquid among 12 (or more) muffin cups.

 

For unmoulding, you will find it much easier to use silicone muffin liners.  Otherwise, you will likely have to run hot water along the back of the muffin tray, risking melting your creations. 

  

 

I got my muffin liners at Canadian Tire
you should be able to find them at most hardware stores
(at a fraction of the price of kitchen stores) 

 

Place muffin tray in the freezer for approximately 4 hours.  Unmould smoothie cups, removing the silicone liners, and storing the cups in a freezer bag or other airtight container and returning them to the freezer.

 

When you're ready to make a smoothie, simply pop two frozen cups in the blender and add about 3/4 cup of milk, coconut water or other liquid of choice.   Blend until desired consistency is achieved. 

 

Depending on the power of your blender, you may find it easier to chop the cups up a bit before blending.

 

 

 

 

 

Sizzling Skillet-Seared Cajun Inspired Chicken with Shiitake, Braised Tomato and Onion

I have two words for this dish:

simple.

delicious.

nutritious.

(you're right.  That makes three!).

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While I'm consciously avoiding terms such as: summer's end - (egad, I'm so not ready for that admission), I do recognize that most of us are settling back into our September routines which often means transition and trauma (ok, maybe I'm the only one who is traumatized. I shouldn't make assumptions).  How about transition and hecticness (franticness?).

The beauty of this dish is that it all happens in one pot. 

It offers bold, rich flavours amidst its sizzling juices but also happens to be wonderfully healthy too.  Check this out:

Protein rich chicken, anti-inflammatory shiitake mushrooms, antioxidant rich lycopene from cooked tomato and disease-fighting phytochemical abundant onion.

Not a bad deal for a 15 minute meal.

Here's how to make it happen:

Sizzling Skillet-Seared Cajun Inspired Chicken with Shiitake, Braised Tomato & Onion

• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 large skinless, boneless, chicken breasts
• 4 plump ripe tomatoes, cut into chunks
• 1 cup or so shiitake mushrooms, coarsely chopped
• 2 yellow onions, peeled and diced

For the Cajun Seasoning:

• 1 Tbsp dried oregano
• 1 Tbsp smoked paprika
• 2 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste - it's hot!
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp sea salt

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Note:

Cajun spice mixtures are widely available in grocery stores however they are often saturated with sodium. For a time saver, you can use part store prepared variety (cutting it with a mixture of home spices) or opt for a sodium reduced store bought variety.

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Serves 4

Warm butter in a large skillet (I like to use cast iron) on the stovetop over medium-high heat.

Using a sharp knife, carefully cut into the thickest part of the chicken breast (but not completely through the chicken) to create a butterfly effect when opened up that will allow chicken to cook faster and more evenly.

Combine Cajun seasoning in a small bowl.  Sprinkle both sides of chicken liberally with the seasoning. 

Add chicken to hot pan and cook, uncovered, until chicken is cooked through, about 4 minutes per side, flipping chicken at least once.  The chicken will take on a gorgeous dark golden colour from the seasoning.

Transfer chicken to a large plate and cover loosely with foil.

Warm the same pan, adding a little olive oil. Toss in the onion and shiitake and stir-fry, scraping up any leftover brown bits from the chicken, until vegetables are just beginning to soften. Add tomatoes, warming until they start to break down and accumulate surrounding juices.  Cut chicken breasts in half and serve with vegetables overtop.