Recipes

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Cut butternut squash in half. Scoop out seeds. Coat the inner surface of each squash half with a thin layer of olive oil. Sprinkle salt and pepper on each half. 

Turn the squash facedown and roast in a 425F preheated oven until it is tender and completely cooked through, about 40-50 minutes. Set the squash aside until it's cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes. 

Meanwhile, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add 1/2 cup finely chopped shallot or red onion, about 1 large, and 3-4 cloves garlic, minced. Cook, stirring often, until the onion begins to turn golden. Remove thick stems from thyme, marjoram, and rosemary, and roughly chop 1 Tbsp of herbs. Add to the pan just until they begin to wilt and become fragrant, then  remove from heat. 

Scoop out squash from flesh and transfer to blender with the caramelized shallot/onion/herb mixture and 3 cups vegetable broth, 1 tsp maple syrup, 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg, and 1/2 tsp ground black pepper. This can be done in batches if everything doesn't fit in the blender because everything will return to the stock pot to cook further. 

Once blended, return soup to stockpot and add 1-2 more cups of vegetable broth to thin your soup if desired, and add 1-2 Tbsp butter or olive oil. Bring to a boil, then reduce, and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with toasted bread or grilled cheese sandwiches. 

White Chicken Chili with Mixed Peppers

Cook 1.5 cup dried white beans (either navy, cannellini, or great northern) for 1-2 hours, until fork tender. Or use 2 15 oz cans of reduced sodium white beans. Dice 2 bell peppers, 2 cubanelles, 2 poblanos, and 2 jalapenos. Dice 1 small yellow onion. Mince 3 cloves garlic.

Add 2 Tbsp cooking oil to a 6 quart stock pot over medium high heat. Add 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 1 lb, to the stock pot and cook until the breast had browned, then turn breast over and brown other side, then remove chicken from stockpot and set aside to cool. When chicken breast is cool enough to handle, shred with fingers. 

Add another 1 Tbsp cooking oil to the stock pot, then add all diced peppers and onion. Cook, stirring frequently until vegetables become fragrant, 3-5 minutes, then add minced garlic and cook another 2 minutes. Add 2 tsp cumin, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp ground black pepper. Add chicken breast back to stockpot along with cooked white beans, 4 cups chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until chili has thickened. 

Serve with toppings of your choice, such as fresh chopped cilantro, a squeeze of lime juice, sour cream, shredded cheese, and crushed tortilla chips.

Smoky Black Bean Beet Burgers

Cook 1/4 cup dry quinoa with 1/2 cup water to yield 3/4 cup cooked quinoa. Cook 1 cup black beans

Finely dice 1 large red onion, about 3/4 cup. Finely chop 1 cup mushrooms, either shitake, baby bella, or white button.

Heat 2 Tbsp cooking oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add finely diced onion and cook until onion has softened, about 5 minutes. Turn the heat up a bit and add the mushrooms and cook until they are slightly brown and fragrant, about 3 minutes. 

Remove from heat and combine onions and mushrooms with black beans, then mash. Work until the mixture becomes a paste. Once a paste has formed add 3/4 cup quinoa, 1 cup finely grated beets, 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp chili powder, 1/4 tsp smoked paprika. Add 1/2 cup crushed or ground raw walnuts. For even more flavor add a few shakes of worcestershire or A-1 sauce (optional). Form into 1/3 cup patties. 

Cook patties in a cast iron skillet.

Salad with Lemon-Thyme Vinaigrette

Rinse, then roughly chop 4 oz salad greens. Roughly chop 1/4 cup broccoli florets and julienne 1 2 cubennelle pepper. Toss vegetables together in a serving bowl. 

To make lemon-thyme vinaigrette combine 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, 1 scant Tbsp dijon mustard, 1 tsp fresh chopped thyme, and 1/2 tsp salt. Mix vinaigrette thoroughly, then dress salad and enjoy. 

Broccoli, Eggplant, and Peppers in Garlic Sauce

Roughly chop 1 bunch of of broccoli florets, 1 bell pepper, 2 medium eggplant, and 1/2 onion into bite-sized pieces. 

To make garlic sauce combine 1/4 cup rice vinegar, 1/4 cup honey or sugar, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 2 Tbsp sesame oil, 3 tsp corn starch or flour, 2 Tbsp water, and 8 minced cloves garlic. Whisk ingredients to combine

Cook veggies for 5 minutes add sauce. Cook an additions 3 minutes or until saue begins to thicken. Serve over a bed of rice.