Herbed Acorn Squash Bisque

This soup is pure love. Love of squash. Love of Fall. Love of whatever you like.

I tend to favor acorn squash for smooth soups over butternut squash for a couple of reasons. One; butternuts always tries to kill me when I'm trying to crack them open and two; acorn squash has a more developed flavor when roasted compared to butternut. Did I mention that the little green guys are a lot easier to work with?

Poor little acorn squashes all forlorn and neglected in favor of trendy butternut or snazzy spaghetti squash. Not 'round these parts. This soup delicately showcases acorn squash in all it's glowing glory. Todd and I ate the entire pot in one night, that is how amazing this soup is. I plan to make it for thanksgiving too, which is a coveted recipe spot!

“I hold that the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is to protection by man from the cruelty of man.”

— Mahatma Gandhi

A perfectly creamy, fall soup that’s incredibly delicious. It’s quite easy to prepare and mostly hands-off. I prefer my soups probably thicker than most, but this can be thinned easily with a bit of additional water.

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Herbed Acorn Squash Bisque

by Katie @ Produce On Parade October-6-2014

A perfectly creamy, fall soup that’s incredibly delicious. It’s quite easy to prepare and mostly hands-off. A delight for Thanksgiving!

Ingredients

• 2 acorn squashes (about 3-4 lbs. total)
• 1 Tbsp. vegan butter
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• dash of kosher salt
• dash of ground black pepper
• 1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, minced
• 1 Tbsp. fresh sage, minced
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• ½ cup full-fat coconut milk
• 1 dried bay leaf
• dash of freshly ground nutmeg

Instructions

Microwave both whole squashes on high for about 10 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then slice in half lengthwise. Preheat oven to 450 F and coat a baking sheet with a nonstick cooking spray. Scoop out the seeds from the squashes and discard. Place the four squash halves face-side down on the sheet and cover loosely with aluminium foil. Bake at 450 for about 20 minutes, until very tender.Meanwhile, heat the butter in a large soup pot over medium low. Add the diced onion and sauté until fragrant, about 5-8 minutes. Sprinkle with a dash of kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste. Add the fresh herbs and sauté for a few additional minutes. Now, add in the remaining ingredients and bring to a low boil. Carefully scoop out the flesh from the cooked squash and allow to lightly boil for about 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and transfer the soup to a blender. Blend on high, allowing steam to escape the lid, until smooth. Add additional water as needed to thicken to desired consistency. Serve hot.

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 45 mins Total time: 50 mins Yield: 3

Dutch Word of The Day

Soup --> Soep  (pronounced the same actually)

Good Deed of The Day

Doctors from Government General Hospital announced at a scientific conference in Vancouver, Canada that they have recently uncovered, "when meat or fish is cooked directly over fire, it gets covered with cancer-causing carcinogens, making it more dangerous than even smoking or consumption of alcohol, surgical gastroenterologist Dr S M Chandramohan said". Yikes! Just one more reason to steer clear of meat, yo. Read more here. Que "The More You Know" chime...

Roasted Maple Tempeh + Rosemary Quinoa

Tempeh is pretty cool. I never ate it growing up. However, for a time I did work here (see photos at end of the post)...saweetest job there ever was, let me tell you. Anyway, the owner was a rambunctious, old vegetarian guy from Boston and on the menu we had a few tempeh sandwiches. This was my only exposure to tempeh for the greater part of my life. I think I did taste it while cooking there and I don't think I liked it very much. Even being vegan for almost a whole year now, I am only just recently starting to really to enjoy it. Well, this is my favorite way to have it now, maple roasted! The unique tempeh flavor is still detectable and compliments it's scrumptious caramelized maple crust. Together with herbed rosemary quinoa, dried cranberries and toasted walnuts, this is a new favorite in my book! 

If I had happened to have stumbled upon this dish before Thanksgiving, it would have definitely made an appearance. A sneaksy and delicious way to get non-vegan folk to eat tempeh!? Muah-ha-ha! Perfect. I guess I'll have to wait until next year though. 

I have to say, though this dish does seem to have a certain affinity for a Thanksgiving theme, what with the dried cranberries and maple and rosemary...however, I assure you that it's delicious any time of the year. Tempeh is an excellent source of vegan protein as well as probiotics and it can be found pretty much anywhere! Triple win!

Roasted Maple Tempeh + Rosemary Quinoa

Serves 4

• Quinoa:
• 1 cup dry quinoa (I used red)
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary (chopped) or 1 tsp. dried
• 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. maple syrup
• 1/2 Tbsp. walnut oil (or olive)
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 tsp. dried parsley
• 1 tsp. dried sage
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• Tempeh:
• 2 8 oz. packs of plain tempeh (16 oz. total), cubed
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. maple syrup
• 1/4 tsp. dried sage
• 2 Tbsp. chopped walnuts

First, rinse and drain the dry quinoa. Place in a medium saucepan with the vegetable broth. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cover and reduce to a simmer. Allow to simmer for about 15-20 minutes, or until all the broth is gone and the quinoa is fluffy. Check on it after about 10 minutes and give it a stir, if left too long the quinoa can stick to the bottom of the pan. Once done, fluff with a fork.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the remaining quinoa ingredients and mix well. Once the quinoa is done, add it to the bowl mixture and stir to combine. 

Preheat the oven to 350 F and chop the tempeh into small, bite-size cubes. 

In a large bowl, combine the remaining tempeh ingredients and then add the tempeh cubes and stir well to coat. 

Scatter the cubes on a baking sheet and bake at 350 F for about 20 minutes or until the maple syrup has caramelized atop the tempeh. Be sure to check that the walnuts don't get too toasty! 

Once the tempeh is done, combine with the finished quinoa and stir well.

Snuggle up and serve hot! 

Wiggling to Pharrell Williams – Happy (from Despicable Me 2)

[yumprint-recipe id='59']I was a waitress and cook at the Hatcher Pass Lodge for a few years when I came back from college in Montana. It was a great job. I had the opportunity to work in an Alaska State Park, with absolutely breathtaking views. I remember the serene drive up to the mountains, and baking fresh cookies and muffins all alone, long before any customers or other employees got there, while listening to NPR. I think it's really where I discovered my love for cooking! 

Inspired by Nutrition Stripped

Rosemary Balsamic Beet Layered Phyllo Tart

Salutations! First, I just have to tell you how much I adore BlogLovin'. If you lost a subscriber today or yesterday, it may have been me. Never fear though! I added all the blogs I follow to BlogLovin'! I'm still following, it's just that now I don't get 60 emails in my inbox everyday. It's fantastic! I am in no way affiliated with BlogLovin', I just really, really like it! If you are a follower of a few or more blogs yourself, go check it out. It's definitely made my e-mail and blog following so much simpler. You can add any blog you want! Okay, back to the recipe.

Last night, when I told Todd what I was making for dinner he told me, "I'm not much of a beet man." Not yet. That may have all changed after I made this Rosemary Balsamic Beet Layered Phyllo Tart, though! This really is a beautiful little tart. I love that it can be a fancy appetizer or a light, snazzy entree. It's easy, fairly quick and it's dressed to impress!

This post is dedicated to Dwight from The Office. 

Crispy, light and buttery phyllo dough is topped with a creamy rosemary cashew cheese then adorned with layered tangy and sweet maple-balsamic roasted beets. Perfect for holiday company!

Rosemary Balsamic Beet Layered Phyllo Tart

Adapted from Keepin' It Kind

Serves 4-8

• --Cheese--
• 1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked 15 minutes
• 1/4 cup fresh water
• 2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
• 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary
• 1/2 Tbsp. Worcheshire sauce
• large pinch of salt
• --Tart--
• 4 small beets, washed and sliced thinly
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. real maple syrup
• pinch of salt
• dash of pepper
• 6 phyllo sheets
• slathering of softened vegan butter

First, if your phyllo dough is in the freezer, you'll want to thaw it out according to the package. 

To make the cheese, first place the cashews in a bowl and cover with an ample amount of boiling water. Allow to soak for at least 15 minutes, while preparing the rest of the tart. Then, drain and rinse well. When the cashews are done soaking, add all ingredients to a food processor and process for about 3 minutes, scraping occasionally, until it's smooth like ricotta. 

Preheat the oven to 350. With a mandolin, slice the beets very thinly. Or, if you have better knife skills than me, feel free to go at it with a knife. Place all the beet slices in a 9x9 or larger baking dish. Add in the balsamic vinegar, syrup, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat and roast at 350 F for 15 minutes. Stir and flip the beets halfway through.

Once the beets are done, remove from the oven and set aside. Be sure to reserve the beet liquid. Leave the oven on.

Coat a tart or pie dish with a nonstick cooking spray. Carefully place one sheet of phyllo dough into the dish and press in. Brush the top with vegan butter. Continue with remaining sheets, layering them, alternatively along the edge. Be sure not to let the sheets dry out excessively while assembling the tart or else they will just break when folded. You'll want to work fairly quickly. Phyllo dough is pretty persnickety. 

Next, spread the cashew cheese evenly along the bottom of the dish, on top of the last phyllo sheet.  

Then, layer on the beets to fill the bottom. Fold or tuck in the excess edges of the phyllo dough. Brush butter along the top of the dough as well as the beets. Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes. 

While the tart is baking, pour the beet liquid into a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Then, whisking, turn down to low and allow to simmer until it's reduced by about half. Whisk occasionally.

Once the tart is done baking, remove from the oven and pour the balsamic beet liquid over the tart.

Serve the tart slices warm and with love!

Fancy pants and oh so beetylicious!

Beet-utiful, no? Okay, I'll stop...

This post is dedicated to Dwight from The Office. He gives my blog the,

Musical support for this post comes from, Capital Cities – Farrah Fawcett Hair - feat. Andre 3000

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