Sweet Autumn Squash Soup

I have been playing around with a lot of fall soups lately, and this one turned out the best.  It has some great fall spices and a little bit of sweet, tangy kick.  

Ingredients:

1 yellow onion peeled and diced

1 butternut squash peeled and diced

1-2 sweet potatoes peeled and diced 

1-2 Granny Smith apples (depending on how sweet you want it) peeled and diced

1 tablespoon curry powder

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3 cups vegetable broth

salt to taste

1. Saute the onion in olive oil or water (10 min)

2. Add diced squash, sweet potato, apple, spices, broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20+ minutes

3. Puree in blender and season with just a sprinkle of sea salt 

Let me know what you think and if you made any yummy improvements!

Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce Over Veggie Spaghetti

Last night I drew a blank on dinner, so I gathered the few veggies I had and conducted an experiment. Usually my food experiments turn out pretty bad  But for some reason, this one turned out AWESOME!  I must write this down before I forget.  

Ingredients: 

1 butternut squash, cooked or baked  (I boiled mine so I didn't have to use the oven) 

3-4 quartered tomatoes (roasted is optimal)

1 roasted red pepper (optional.  Again, I didn't want to use my oven)

4 cloves garlic (minced) 

1 onion (diced)

1 cup vegetable broth

2 tbs olive oil

handful of fresh herbs (I used garden basil and oregano) 

sea salt to taste 

For the pasta I used barilla veggie spaghetti.  Zucchini "Zoodles" would be even better.  

1. Sauté onion in olive oil.  Once golden, add garlic.  

2.  Add squash, tomatoes, (red pepper), vegetable broth, and herbs to pan. Simmer for 5-10 minutes until veggies are soft (You can add more broth if you like thinner sauce).   

4. Blend until smooth.  

5. Pour over cooked pasta. 

6. Sprinkle with sea salt and some more herbs.  The salt really brings out the sweetness of the sauce.  

Enjoy! 

Butternut Spinach Lasagna

This is an awesome Meatless Monday dish!  And I honestly like it way better than meaty lasagna.  True, it's not completely "plant-based," but it's a great little cheat.  I actually doubled the recipe so we could have loooots of leftovers.  Thanks, Julia! (juliasalbum.com)

Ingredients:

Butternut Squash Filling:

• 2 cups butternut squash puree (about half of squash)
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup milk (or more, if needed)
• 1/4 + 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Spinach Filling:
• 1 cup cooked spinach (8 oz uncooked)
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• pepper, to taste
Other Ingredients:
• 10 oz lasagna noodles, cooked (for gluten free, use Tinkyada brown rice lasagna noodles)
• 1 and 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese (or more)
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (on top)
• Italian seasoning
• Paprika
• Basil

Instructions: 

1. For Squash Filling: Prepare the butternut squash puree.  Half the squash, drizzle with olive oil, and bake face-down for thirty minutes at 400 F.  Turn upright to cool

2. For Spinach Filling: While the squash is baking, sauté your garlic in a pain with olive oil then add a bag of spinach and a little water.  Cook on medium heat.  You need two cups of cooked spinach.  Afterward, mix in ricotta and spices.  

3. Puree the cooked squash in a food processor or blender.  Add the ricotta cheese, milk, and spices.  Blend it up real well and set aside.  You really only need half for the recipe, so save the other half for soup...or give it to your baby!

4. Get your ravioli noodles cooking.  Don't forget to add a little olive oil so they don't stick together. 

5. Layer as such (from the bottom): squash, noodles, spinach and mozzarella, noodles, squash, noodles, spinach and mozzarella, noodles, and (top) squash, spices & cheese! 

7. Cover with foil and bake at 375 F for thirty minutes covered then ten minutes uncovered.  Serve with warm bread.  Enjoy!  

Recipe from http://juliasalbum.com/2014/11/butternut-squash-and-spinach-lasagna/