Curried Butternut Squash Soup

Description:
Another DELICIOUS soup recipe from my CSA!

Ingredients:
1 butternut squash
2 cups vegetable broth
Splash of olive oil
3 cloves minced garlic
1⁄2 onion, sliced thin
1 teaspoon curry powder (more if you like spicy)
Salt and ground black pepper

Directions:
1 Cut butternut squash in half lengthwise and roast on greased pan at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes or until tender.

2 When squash is done, saute garlic and onion with olive oil in large pot. Scrape out guts and seeds of squash and scrape the flesh (discarding the peel) into the pot. Add broth and seasonings and bring to a simmer (about 10 minutes).

3 Puree the whole thing (an immersion blender is helpful; be careful if pouring hot soup into a stand-up blender!) until smooth. Eat (slowly, and with conviction).

(As a lime creme garnish, you could whisk together 1⁄2 cup reduced-fat sour cream, 1⁄4 teaspoon lime zest, and 1 tablespoon lime juice and dollop on top of soup.)

HEARTY (veggie) SAUSAGE, WHITE BEAN & ESCAROLE SOUP

Description:
I got this recipe from the farmer that is growing the food for the new CSA I'm trying out. It's absolutely delicious. The escarole was straight from the farm and so wonderful I can't wait to have more tomorrow. Lyla like it too. Adrian scrunched up his little face because he was mad I didn't make him miso ramen noodles.

Ingredients:
2 (veggie)sausages
olive oil
1 onion
sage
salt
pepper
1 head of escarole
2 cans rinsed white beans
red wine vinegar

Directions:
Brown two sausage (I used four of the veggie field roast smoked apple sausage) with onions and sage in medium pot with olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. When onions have turned soft, add chopped escarole and 6 cups of water to pot. Simmer for a few minutes and then add two cans rinsed & dried white beans. Simmer for another fifteen minutes or so, until escarole is soft and darker green. Finish off by stirring in a splash of red wine vinegar to brighten the flavors. Serve by itself or with toasted baguette.

I was a little concerned about the flavor so I added some veggie bouillon (I'm not sure it was necessary)

Black Bean Quesadilla's

Description:
This is a recipe from my friend Maddalena. I don't want to lose in my email, so I'm storing it here. Thanks Maddalena!!! It's the most simple but truly delicious recipe I make on a regular basis. I've been making it for a several months and haven't tired of it yet. I usually have with a side salad or maybe a side of kale chips.

It's on my mind because I'm making it tonight.

Ingredients:
2 cans of black beans
1/2-3/4 large onion (Vidalia or similar)- cut up in pieces
Chunky Salsa (mild for the kids) (I always use the chipotle style)
Cilantro- maybe a handful cut up in small pieces, no stems
Olive Oil
Cheddar/jack cheese or a mix of both- shredded (I use daiya cheddar)
Salt
White Flour tortillas

Directions:
Put onion pieces in a pan with probably about 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Let the onion cook 5 minutes in the oil on low. Add the cans of black beans (keep the liquid that is in the can,just a little bit). Add approx 4-6 tablespoons of the salsa. And a sprinkle of salt (if your salsa is super salty you may not need it, it depends on the salsa). Sprinkle in the cilantro. Let the whole thing cook uncovered on low until you have your desired consistency (kind of thick). Cook it for 15 minutes uncovered on low, and 15-20 minutes covered on low. The longer you cook it the better, it enhances the flavor. Make sure you end up with something thick and not soupy (it will look soupy when you start cooking it).

In a frying pan, place the flour tortilla in the pan (no oil needed) and put a couple spoonfuls of black beans across the middle of the tortilla and sprinkle on jack/cheddar cheese over the black beans. Close the tortilla in half and let the cheese melt, and turn to the other side with a spatula, so that both sides of tortilla are a little crisp.

Then serve! It's great dipped in guacamole.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Pillows

Description:
This is from the website called PPK.com (post punk kitchen). For those of you in NYC, eaten warm they give Levain bakery a run for their money.

These cookies when eaten warm just a few minutes out of the oven are amazing. The recipe calls for black cocoa powder but I just used regular cocoa powder to substitute for all of the cocoa powder and they were awesome.

Ingredients:
Chocolate dough:

1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
3 tablespoons non-dairy milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened dutch processed cocoa powder
2 tablespoons black unsweetened cocoa or more dutch processed unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Filling:

3/4 cup natural salted peanut butter, crunchy or creamy style
2/3 cup confectioner’s sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons soy creamer or non-dairy milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl combine oil, sugar, maple syrup, non-dairy milk and vanilla extract and mix until smooth. Sift in flour, cocoa powder, black cocoa if using, baking soda and salt. Mix to form a moist dough.

Make the filling. In another mixing bowl beat together peanut butter, confectioner’s sugar, 2 tablespoons of soy creamer and vanilla extract to form a moist but firm dough. If peanut butter dough is too dry (as different natural peanut butters have different moisture content), stir in remaining tablespoon of non-dairy milk. If dough is too wet knead in a little extra powdered sugar.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line bakings sheet with parchment paper.

Shape the cookies. Create the centers of the cookies by rolling the peanut butter dough into 24 balls. Scoop a generous tablespoon of chocolate dough, flatten into a disc and place a peanut butter ball in the center. Fold the sides of the chocolate dough up and around the peanut butter center and roll the chocolate ball into an smooth ball between your palms. Place on a sheet of waxed paper and repeat with remaining doughs. If desired gently flatten cookies a little, but this is not necessary.

Place dough balls on lined baking sheets about 2 inches apart and bake for 10 minutes. Remove sheet from oven and let cookies for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack to complete cooling. Store cookies in tightly covered container. If desired warm cookies in a microwave for 10 to 12 seconds before serving.

Bistro Brocolli Chowder

Description:
This is a delicious recipes I made from the cookbook Appetite for Reduction (by Isa Chandra Moskowitz). It is full of "125 Fast & Filling Low-Fat Vegan Recipes". The best thing about this cookbook is that it gives you all the nutritional information with every single recipe! I love to see how much protein and iron are in each recipe!

Ingredients:
1 tsp or less olive oil
1 medium-size onion, diced small
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
Several pinches of freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch chunks. (no need to peel)
1/2 pound parsnips, peeled and cut into slightly less than 1/2-inch chunks
5 cups chopped broccoli, the stalks chopped into thin slices, tops into small florets
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup unsweetened almond milk (I used Soy Milk because I couldn't find unsweetened almond milk)

Directions:
Preheat a 4-quart pot over medium heat. Saute onion in the olive oil for 5 to 7 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic, rosemary, pepper, and salt, and cook for a minute or more. Pour in the vegetable broth and add the potatoes and parsnips. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat and let simmer for 10 minutes. Add the broccoli and simmer for another 20 minutes.
Add the almond milk and heat through. Use an immersion blender to blend about half the soup, keeping it chunky. If you don't have an immersion blender (get one!), then transfer and puree, then add back to the soup. If you're using a blender, be careful not to let the steam build up while you blend.
Taste for salt and seasoning, and serve.

Dark Chocolate and Oat Clusters

Description:
These are super easy and super yummy!! I got the recipe from my Health magazine. Peanut butter and chocolate combined can't be beat. The kids loved them too

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons peanut butter
2 tablespoons 1% low-fat milk (I used original almond milk)
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

Directions:
1. Heat peanut butter, milk, and chocolate chips in a saucepan over low heat 3 minutes or until chips melt.

2. Stir in oats. Remove from heat.

3. With a spoon, small ice cream scoop, or melon baller, drop 8 ball-shaped portions on a wax paper−lined baking sheet. Let set in fridge 10 minutes.