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Mexican Butternut Squash Soup
I love to make soup with baked squash. This one is pretty spicy (by my palate), but still flavorful and not too spicy. (I’ve definitely overdone it in the past!) If you want to ease it up, just back off on the cayenne, chipotle, and chili powder. Remember- you can always add more heat, but you can’t take it away!
To make this recipe No Sugar No Grains (NSNG), omit the corn. I had a bag in my freezer that I needed to get eating, so I decided to use the entire 12 oz package. As you can see from the pictures, the soup is quite “corny” with that much in there. Adjust the amount of corn to your taste.
To get started, you need to bake a butternut squash. Wash the squash and prepare a cookie sheet with a piece of parchment paper. To safely divide the squash lengthwise, I find that it’s best to use the “Psycho Shower Scene” knife grip and stab technique…
Use your largest knife. Carefully make multiple stabbing cuts (slow and precise…unlike the shower scene!) with the point of the knife until you can “connect” the cuts and ease the 2 halves apart. Scoop out the seeds and place the cut sides face down on the parchment paper. Bake for 45 minutes at 400 degrees.
Demonstrating the “Psycho Shower Scene” knife grip and stab technique.
(To learn about my 269 tattoo check out the link below this picture.)
Baked butternut squash. (One half flipped over to show what it looks like after baking.)
INGREDIENTS
1 butternut squash, baked
4 C water (or liquid vegetable broth)
Coconut oil (to coat the soup pot)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped in discs
1 cauliflower, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
Dash garlic powder
Dash cayenne
Dash celery salt
1/8 t black pepper
1/8 t ground chipotle (very spicy)
1 t cumin
1 t chili powder
1 t basil
2 t dried chives
2 t Vegebase vegan broth powder (if not using liquid broth)
1 C water, as needed
15 oz can black beans, rinsed (double the amount if you want)
Optional- frozen organic corn, to taste
Measure all your spices in a small bowl.
ASSEMBLY
1. Blend the baked squash meat with 4 cups of water or liquid vegetable broth. Set aside.
2. Coat a large soup pot with coconut oil. Saute the vegetables with the spices for several minutes on medium heat.
3. Add the squash puree to the soup pot. Add another cup of water as needed. Simmer covered for about 45 minutes, or until the cauliflower is soft. In the last 15 minutes of cooking, add the beans and corn.
Makes about 7 1/2 pints, depending on the size of your squash and the amount of corn used.
Have some soup for dinner and freeze the rest in wide mouth freezer jars.
ENJOY!
Bird-Friendly White Bean Burger (GF) with barbecue sauce.
Well, this is #3 in my bean burger series. When I discover a formula that works, I go with it!
Burger #1 had a Mexican flavor. Burger #2 had an Italian quality.
Now, burger #3 has seasonings that most people associate with poultry (i.e. dead chickens and dead turkeys.)
In December 2008, I was newly vegan but the rest of my family was still eating animals. My niece was 4 years old. While preparing dinner for Christmas, my sister made a comment about the “bird” in the oven. A few hours later, my little niece sat down to eat and said,
“But mommy, I don’t want to eat a bird.”
I’ll never forget that. Fortunately, that was the last turkey that my niece had to eat. My family no longer cooks birds. We have Vegan Holiday Meals.
Here is a savory burger that you can enjoy without causing chickens and turkeys to die.
I’d like to stop seeing the chicken trucks regularly, when I drive to work.
Bird-Friendly White Bean Burgers (GF)
WET INGREDIENTS
2 C (or 1- 15 oz can) white beans (Cannellini (white kidney) or Great Northern beans)
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/3 C chopped onion
1/3 C chopped celery
2 T tahini
1 T tamari (GF)
DRY INGREDIENTS
1/2 C oat flour (GF)
1/4 C ground sunflower seeds
1 T nutritional yeast
1 t EACH: dried parsley, thyme & sage
1/2 t paprika
1/4 t EACH: ground *rosemary, celery salt & black pepper
dash garlic powder
(*I grind dried rosemary to a fine powder using a coffee grinder)
ASSEMBLY
Use a small food processor to puree the wet ingredients.
In a large bowl, combine the wet puree with the dry ingredients.
Divide the burger “dough” into 4 balls or 4 portions. You can do this right in the bowl using a spoon, or you can pour a drop of olive oil on your hands to handle the balls manually.
The burger dough will be very sticky and soft- don’t panic! Create 4 patties (see the other burger recipes for pictures of this phase). If you want to keep your hands clean, just spoon the dough balls right onto parchment paper and flatten them there.
Refrigerate the patties on parchment for at least 30-60 minutes before cooking. The time will allow the excess moisture to soak into the oats, which will bind the burgers. Trust me!
Cook the patties on medium heat in a saute pan using the oil of your choice (I use coconut oil). It should take about 10 minutes per side. Shake the pan periodically to make sure they aren’t sticking.
Try these with some barbecue sauce or mushroom gravy.
Thank YOU for caring about birds of all kinds.
Kauai Chicken – May 8, 2011
Freeheel Vegan 