Fall Vegetable Soup with Butternut Squash

Thanks to one of my beautiful sister-in-laws, I am now blessed with the privilege of being subscribed to Vegetarian Times. I had been wanting to subscribe to Vegetarian Times as well as Vegnews for a while, but I just hadn't got around to it and I have to say, I am loving it! Well, I still don't have Vegnews (gift idea for me anyone!?) heh heh. Anyways, I was reading through the September issue when I saw, staring back at me with all the love in the world, the most delicious and hearty looking of soups. I knew, instantly, I had to make it. I almost just straight up walked out of work, okay that's a bit of an exaggeration, but seriously you guys...I was crazed. 

This is undoubtedly shameful, but usually when I see a recipe with butternut squash, which I absolutely adore, I am filled with sadness and yes, a little bit of disgust. Butternut squash and I have a love/hate relationship. You see, I am lacking what some would call..."muscles", particularly in the arm region and in addition to that I have very weak and what I deem as "sad" wrists. Yes, it's a thing and no I'm not a hypochondriac...but this isn't a story about my wrists.

What I am trying, albeit a bit winded (as are all of my stories, just ask my Dad), to say is that I just have the damnedest time trying to cut open those mofos.  However, I seem to remember the butternut squash not being a particularly difficult foe to peel, so I made a grand exception for this lovely soup. And oh let me tell you how happy I am that I did.

Plus, I had my little buddy to help me. Awwwww, isn't he adorable!? Do you love him? Yes. Of course you do.

This soup was just the best. I really have no other way to describe it except that it was simply "the best". Alright, I'll try. This Fall Vegetable Soup with Butternut Squash will make you yearn for your veggies all day and night. That's the best I can do. It's so good I can't even describe it. I highly recommend you make it. Very highly. It's easy, delicious and super nutritious. 

Fall Vegetable Soup with Butternut Squash

By Katie Henry - Produce On Parade

This hearty fall soup is loaded with veggies and butternut squash. It’s warm and comforting and just perfect for a cozy weeknight night in. A delicious way to get in your day’s worth of vegetables!

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 ½ cups celery, diced
• 1 bell pepper, diced (I used orange)
• ½ cup green onions, sliced
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
• 1 bay leaf
• 7 cups water
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• ¼ tsp. ground black pepper
• 2 large vine-ripened tomatoes, chopped
• 2 heaping cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed
• 1 15 oz. can of green beans, drained and rinsed (or 2 cups fresh)
• 1 15 oz. can of white beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup sweet corn (either fresh kernels or frozen)
• 1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
• 3 Tbsp. fresh mint, chopped finely
• 1-2 large handfuls of fresh spinach
• 1 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large soup pot or pressure cooker. Add the celery, bell pepper and green onions. Stir occasionally over medium heat, covered, for about 5 minutes; remove the lid and continue to cook for another 5 minutes.
2. Add in the garlic, salt, Italian seasoning, and the bay leaf and stir continuously for about 1 minute or until fragrant. Add in the water, vegetable broth, ground black pepper, and the tomatoes. Bring to a boil and then turn down to low and simmer for about 15 minutes or if using a pressure cooker for about 5 minutes.
3. Add in the squash and simmer for about 10 minutes, covered. Add in the green beans, white beans, and the corn and continue to cook over low for another couple of minutes. Remove from heat and add in the vinegar, mint, and spinach and stir well to combine. Allow the spinach to wilt.
4. Serve hot and topped with fresh thyme. I like lemon thyme the best.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 00:45
Total time: 00:50
Yield: 6 servings

Save Money!

I buy my nutritional yeast here. It’s only $9.55 per lb versus $13.99 per lb in the bulk bin (!) at our local grocery store!

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More Yummy Squash Recipes

Miso Soba Noodle Soup w/ Shiitake, Tofu, and Butternut Squash

Smoked Gouda and Butternut Pasta

Herbed Acorn Squash Bisque

Butternut Miso & Quinoa Soup

Ah, my new favorite song. Instant happiness I tell you! Listen to Paolo Nutini – Pencil Full Of Lead. Go listen!

Veggie Thai Noodle Salad

 Hello! Oh man do I have a super duper delicious Veggie Thai Noodle Salad recipe for you all today. Yum. Just look!

But first, exciting news. Today I was featured in Cooking Quinoa! If you missed my Sage Maple Chickpeas + Creamy Pumpkin Quinoa & Millet post you can take a look at my feature here at Cooking Quinoa. A big thanks to Wendy, for asking me if I wanted to be featured. Thanks, Wendy! 

Since I'm feeling exceptionally feisty today for no apparent reason, I thought I'd push my" vegan propaganda" on everyone with a quote. Because that is what vegans do. Hadn't you heard? 

Well said Leo, well said indeed. I know some of you will think that's a pretty grand statement, but I don't. And since this is my little corner of the internet that I share with my dear readers, I can do what I want. Sentient beings that experience life and emotions and in general do not want to be killed, especially for the pleasure of humans, I am sure...means something to me. And I think it should mean something to you too. 

Today, I heard that "...it is an unwritten rule of veganism that you must be prepared to answer silly hypothetical questions..." and I have to completely agree with that statement. "Okay, so what if...it was the apocalypse and you had to hunt and eat animals or you'd starve to death? What then? What would you do then?" Gahhh! It's enough to slap a person upside the head, but hypothetically I'm not into violence...so...

Anyway back to this salad, it's seriously yummilicious you guys. I honestly got spell-check corrected for that word, haha. But really, this Veggie Thai Noodle Salad is brimming with fresh and crunchy veggies, fresh and aromatic herbs, and soft rice noodles that are laden with a Thai style dressing, and topped with crushed peanuts.

Veggie Thai Noodle Salad

Inspired by Bird and Cleaver

Serves 6

• -- For The Salad--
• 1 red bell pepper, julienned
• 1 small daikon (165 grams), julienned
• 1 cucumber, rough peeled and julienned
• 2 large carrots, julienned
• 14 oz. dry stir-fry style rice noodles
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chiffonade
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 cup peanuts, crushed (mix in or garnish)
• sesame seeds, for garnish
• --For The Dressing--
• 1 lime, juiced (about 1/4 cup)
• 1/4 cup sugar or erythritol
• 3 1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp. water
• 1 tsp. fresh ginger, minced very finely
• 1 tsp. fresh lemon grass, minced very finely
• 1 garlic clove, minced very finely
• 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp. fresh chili paste

First, julienne all those veggies. I have a rockin' julienne peeler that I adore so I used that, but you could just cut them into thin matchsticks or even peel them if you desire. My special peeler can be a bit time consuming, but I feel it's worth it. Then add them to a very large bowl. 

Now, combine all the dressing ingredients and whisk together very well.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, remove from heat and add all the noodles. Submerge them completely and soak, stirring once or twice, for about 10 minutes or according to package. Then, drain and rinse under cold water. Set aside until ready to use.

While the water comes to a boil, slice up the herbs and crush the peanuts, if they need crushing. 

Add the noodles, herbs, and peanuts to the veggies and toss very well to mix.

Then, drizzle on the dressing and toss again coat. Serve chilled and garnish with sesame seeds.

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This salad is best if left to chill for an hour, but it's not a requirement. 

And of course my little guy is always around when I'm cooking.

[yumprint-recipe id='9'] 

Vegan Greek Pasta Salad

Have you ever thought about something so abstractly that it becomes super weird?  It's strange how we eat things. Like, okay...think about it for a minute. We, as humans, take items and consume them. We put them in our mouths and chew them up and then they are gone! Well...for the most part...wierd, huh? I swear I'm not a lunatic, people. Oh god, I better just stop. 

I have exciting news to share. Todd and I are going to see Dave Chappelle! Yea, that's right, he's coming all the way up to The Last Frontier. I know you're surprised. So was I. I cannot wait. I have literally seen every single episode of Dave Chappelle. My brother got the entire boxed set as a gift from his girlfriend wife and of course I had to watch it all. Have any of you seen him live? Also, Wayne Brady is coming here! OMG! I just found that out so I don't yet have tickets.

Alright this is mostly a food blog. So back to the food. Well, my dish today isn't the most Fallish of dishes but who cares, it's delicious. All the profound flavors of "Greek", but vegan! Also, this Vegan Greek Pasta Salad is made with yogurt and only 1 Tbsp. of vegan mayonnaise, so the calories aren't through the roof.  Which is always good. Leaves more room for brownies, you know? You know. Just be sure you don't get a sweetened plain non-dairy yogurt like I did. Whoops! Hello, plain to me means plain...as in...not sweetened. Oh well, it was still yummy.

Vegan Greek Pasta Salad

Adapted from Running to The Kitchen

Serves 6

• 9  oz. dry pasta (I like the big elbow macaroni) 
• 1 cucumber, rough peeled and diced small
• 1/2 medium red onion, minced
• 2 medium vine-ripened tomatoes, chopped
• 1/3 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and minced
• 2 green onions, sliced thinly
• 1/2 tsp. dried dill
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1/2-1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 6 oz. plain non-dairy yogurt (I used almond yogurt)
• 1 Tbsp. vegan mayonnaise 

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Once boiling, add the pasta and cook until al dente or according to the package. You may even want to undercook the pasta a little bit, especially if the salad will be stored for a few hours. As the leftovers sit they will absorb the liquids, softening the pasta. 

Meanwhile, add all the remaining ingredients into a large bowl and mix well. 

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When the pasta is done cooking, drain and rinse it with cool water until the pasta is cold. Then mix it in with the rest of the ingredients. 

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This salad is best allowed to rest in the fridge so the flavors can mingle, but that didn't stop me! 

For fun, what am I listening to? Motion City Soundtrack – The Future Freaks Me Out

[yumprint-recipe id='8']Good, now I can go eat some brownies.