Butternut Squash Soup a showstopper

Butternut Squash Soup isn’t typical fall fare for us, but when we picked up some butternuts from our farm-stand stop, I immediately thought of a recipe I’d seen in a magazine. Once stirred up this fall soup was a showstopper for sure.

The peeled and cut squash, along with carrots, onion, and some other additions, cooked in a Dutch oven for about 20 minutes and then were processed in a blender until they were smooth. The one teaspoon of orange zest added to the mixture, plus the one tablespoon honey, sweetened it up.

“Don’t we have any more of this?” queried Hubby, as he warmed the last soup mug full of Butternut Squash Soup and downed it. Made me very glad I found this little gem of a recipe.

Butternut Squash Soup

2 carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 sweet onion, chopped

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 (3-pound) butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

6 cups chicken broth

1 teaspoon orange zest

1 cup heavy cream (I used whole milk)

3 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon orange blossom honey (I used regular honey)

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt (I used salt substitute)

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

1/2 teaspoon hot sauce

garnish: smoked paprika, olive oil

Sauté carrots and onion in hot olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until mixture is lightly browned. Add squash, broth, and orange zest; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and simmer 20 to 25 minutes or until squash is tender. Stir in cream and next 5 ingredients. Cool slightly (about 10 minutes). Use blender to process mixture until it is smooth. Garnish as desired (I sprinkled on the paprika). Serve warm. (Source: Southern Living September 2012)

These “Better Nachos” were the absolute best!

So-o-o-o good! They were called “Better Nachos”—the “better” part of the title relating, I suppose, to the make-your-own chips, the fat-free refried beans, and the from-scratch taco seasoning.

But truthfully, I don’t know when I’ve dined on better nachos, even in some of my fave top-drawer Tex-Mex establishments. I even have a little bit of the bean layer left and keep using it as a dip with veggies, even though the chips are long gone.

The taco-seasoning mix itself (made from ingredients listed in the Better Nachos recipe) is a keeper. This recipe calls for 1 1/2 tablespoons of the mix; I have the rest preserved in a sealed bag for another time.

The end topping of the fresh mini tomatoes and lettuce, which I obtained from a roadside farm stand, added a healthy touch.

Better Nachos

6 corn tortillas

1 (15-ounce) can refried beans, fat-free

1 (4-ounce) can green chilies

1 1/2 tablespoons taco seasoning, made from the following:

     1 teaspoon dried onion

     1 teaspoon chili powder

     1/2 teaspoon cumin

     1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

     1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

     1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

     1/4 teaspoon oregano

3/4 cup reduced-fat Mexican blend cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. On each tortilla spray a small amount of vegetable oil cooking spray. Cut each tortilla into 8 wedges (like a pizza). Place wedges on a cookie sheet in a single layer. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Make the taco seasoning from the dried onion, chili and garlic powders, red pepper, cornstarch, and oregano. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of this mixture (keep the remainder of the seasoning in a sealed bag) to the refried beans and green chilies. Stir well. Spread a layer of bean mixture on each chip; sprinkle with cheese. Place chips on a baking sheet and in the oven to broil until cheese is melted. Top with lettuce, tomato, and salsa if desired. Makes 4 servings of 12 chips each. (Source: Chickasaw Nation Nutrition Services)

Pumpkin makes its way into a new “bottomless” pie recipe

Pumpkin rules and reigns this time of year. Over the years, what haven’t I made with pumpkin? My pumpkin recipe files are full indeed, but not long ago I did stumble on a new one.

To me, any recipe for a “bottomless” dessert (i.e., not requiring a crust) receives a shout-out. This Bottomless Pie, baked with fresh pumpkin and pecans, was simple and pulled together in a heartbeat (with all the heart-healthy substitutes, it was good for the heart as well.) 

Since Hubby adores pumpkin pie for breakfast, you can bet this food item went quickly since it became a breakfast, lunch, and dinner accompaniment. The pumpkin-pie-spice-flavored whipped topping was an extra little delight. 

Bottomless Pie

cooking spray

1 cup pumpkin, fresh purée or canned

1/2 cup bakery mix, low fat

1/2 cup sugar substitute

1 cup evaporated milk, fat free

1 tablespoon margarine

1 3/4 teaspoon pumpkin-pie spice, divided

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg (or 1/2 cup egg substitute)

2 egg whites (or egg white substitute)

1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

1 1/2 cup whipped topping (lite or sugar-free)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Use cooking spray to spray a 9-inch pie plate. In a medium bowl stir until blended the pumpkin, bakery mix, sugar substitute, milk, margarine, 1 1/2 teaspoon of pumpkin-pie spice, vanilla, and eggs. Add pecans; pour into pie plate. Bake on bottom third of the oven for 35-40 minutes or until knife inserted in the center emerges clean. Cool completely, about 1 hour. In a small bowl mix whipped topping and 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin-pie spice. Garnish. Makes 8 servings. (Source: Chickasaw Nation Nutrition Services)

Lemon Poppy Seed-Zucchini Bread

Farm-stand find: fresh zucchini. Now for some creative way to use it. I remembered that Southern Living had featured a most enticing recipe for Lemon-Poppy Seed Zucchini Bread. It was proposed as a food gift, since the mini loaves as suggested make such nice last-minute gifts: take-alongs for a hostess present or tuck-ins with a casserole for a recuperating friend.

I loved the idea of combining zucchini, poppy seeds, and lemon zest for a taste treat. Other than a few minutes to shred the zucchini, which I did in a blender, this mixture pulled together quickly. The mini loaves, baked in 5-inch-by-3-inch pans, were just darling. Hubby and I had trouble having any left over for gift-giving, however. They were easy to slice and tote as snacks for one of our road trips. Freezing some extras and thawing later were easy as well. Cute, cute, cute and a yummy change from traditional zucchini bread!

Lemon-Poppy Seed Zucchini Bread

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 1/3 cups sugar (or sugar substitute)

3 large eggs (or 3/4 cup egg substitute)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt (or salt substitute)

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup sour cream (I used fat-free)

1 cup shredded zucchini

1 tablespoon lemon zest

2 teaspoons poppy seeds

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. With a heavy-duty electric stand mixer beat butter at medium speed until butter is creamy. Gradually add sugar; beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time; beat just until blended after each addition. Stir together flour, salt, and baking soda. Add to butter mixture alternately with sour cream. Begin and end with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until mixture is blended after each addition. Stir in zucchini and next 2 ingredients. Spoon batter into 3 greased and floured 5-inch-by-3-inch loaf pans (about 1 1/3 cups batter per pan). Bake at 325 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes or until a wood pick inserted into center emerges clean. Cook in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks and cool completely, about 30 minutes. Makes 3 (5-inch-by-3-inch) loaves. (Source: Southern Living August 2012)

Cinnamon Stewed Apples—will do these more often!

Want to get your fall groove on? This simple dish will do it for you.

Six apples (the recipe calls for Granny Smith, but I used whatever kind was in our most recent farmer’s market pickup) peeled and chopped with some spices, apple juice, and brown sugar simmered on the stove for 45 minutes. That’s all! The result smelled beautiful, looked great, and was a perfect side dish for whatever else I was serving. It accompanies pork, ham, chicken—or even chicken salad. Sounds like an odd combination, that latter item, but chicken salad is what was for dinner over the weekend. The stewed apples were just terrific with it. My bet is that they’d taste as good straight from the fridge as they do warmed on the stove.

Hubby’s query was, “Why don’t we do these more often?” Good question. The recipe can double easily and will keep in the refrigerator about a week. The sauce may appear thin when you remove the dish from the stovetop, but on standing it thickens nicely.

An apple a day (or a serving of these spicy stewed apples) keeps the what’s-for-dinner doldrums away. At least that’s my take on the old apple saw.

Cinnamon Stewed Apples

6 cups chopped peeled Granny Smith apples (about 2 pounds)

1/2 cup packed brown sugar (can use brown-sugar substitute)

1/4 cup apple juice

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients in a large, heavy saucepan. Cover and cook over medium-low heat 45 minutes or until apple is tender. Stir occasionally. Let stand 5 minutes. Makes about 2 cups. (Source: www.myrecipes.com)

Good and Good for You in this nontraditional guacamole recipe

We walked into a food demo just as the goodies were being dished up for the audience. What luck! The demo item for the day was Good for You Guacamole, made with crumbled feta cheese instead of some of the traditional guacamole trappings such as mayo and sour cream.

The recipe also featured diced-up tomatoes and a tablespoon of lemon juice. I eagerly downed my sample and knew I had to seize this recipe and try it soon.

The next night for dinner I planned chicken fajitas and used this healthy guacamole as a topping for the chicken strips inside a tortilla. Hubby kept saying he couldn’t believe how much he liked this version of guacamole. I was certainly glad we had  wandered into the food demo the day before!

Good for You Guacamole

3 avocados, roughly chopped and mashed (1 1/2 cup mashed)

1/4 cup onion, diced

1 cup tomatoes, diced

1/2 cup feta, crumbled

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt (or salt substitute)

Mash avocados in a medium bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Refrigerate and serve with chips (or however you desire). Makes 12 (1/4-cup) servings. (Source: Chickasaw Nation Nutrition Services)

Spinach-Apple-Bacon Salad—a have-to-prepare

Beautiful, healthy, colorful salad—as basic as you can get, but we enjoyed the flavorful simplicity. Hints of fall weather, of course, make the apple everyone’s best friend in whatever menu item you might choose. So these lovely, crunchy apples were a natural ingredient for this dish.

The recipe arrived in my Kroger grocery circular. Spinach-Apple-Bacon Salad—It was a have-to-prepare. The honey/Dijon mustard dressing was delightful to toss around it.

Give it a try! It worked for us!

Spinach-Apple-Bacon Salad

1/4 cup water

3 tablespoons red-wine vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons honey

4 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 Royal Gala or Granny Smith apple, cut lengthwise into 16 slices

8 cups baby spinach

sliced red onion

sliced button mushrooms

2 slices center-cut bacon, cooked until crispy (I used turkey bacon.)

In a small bowl combine first 6 ingredients (water through pepper). Stir with a whisk to make the dressing. Place the apple slices in a large bowl. Spoon 2 tablespoons dressing over apples; toss to coat. Add spinach, mushrooms, onions, and remaining dressing. Toss to coat. Crumble the bacon and sprinkle over the top of the salad. Refrigerate any leftovers. Makes 4 servings.