Bisque of butternut squash with apple cider
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Cooling time: 1 hour
Yield: 8 servings
Adapted from a recipe by Erwin Dreschler of erwin cafe.
Ingredients
1 Tbsp. butter
3 Granny Smith apples, cored, diced
1 each, peeled, chopped: large butternut squash, carrot
1 each, chopped: celery rib, onion
3 cans (15 ounces each) chicken broth
1 cup apple cider
1 1/2 Tbsps. light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. each: ground nutmeg, ground cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
Freshly ground pepper*
Sour cream, apple slices, optional
1. Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat; add the apples, squash, carrot, celery and onion. Cook, stirring, until softened, about 20 minutes. Add broth; cook until squash is soft, about 30 minutes. Stir in the cider, brown sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon; cool 1 hour.
2. Puree soup in batches in a blender or food processor. Pour soup back into the Dutch oven; season with salt and pepper to taste. (If needed, thin soup with a little more cider.) Heat until hot. Pour into bowls; garnish with sour cream and apple slices.
Nutrition information per serving: 138 calories, 16% of calories from fat, 3 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 4 mg cholesterol, 26 g carbohydrates, 5 g protein, 859 mg sodium, 4 g fiber.
Shrimp kebabs Italiano
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 6 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
3 Tbsps. extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp. each: brown sugar, dried basil, dried oregano
1/2 tsp. each: salt, freshly ground black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder
1/8 tsp. ground red pepper
16 tail-on shrimp
8 each: cherry tomatoes, zucchini wedges
Lemon wedges
1. Heat a grill to medium-high heat. Combine the oil, brown sugar, basil, oregano, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and red pepper in a shallow bowl.
2. Skewer the shrimp onto four skewers, alternating with tomatoes and zucchini. Brush the oil-herb mixture onto the shrimp and vegetables. Grill until shrimp are pink on bottom side, about 3 minutes. Turn skewers; grill until shrimp is pink on other side, about 3 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.
Nutrition information per serving: 137 calories, 69% of calories from fat, 11 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 36 mg cholesterol, 5 g carbohydrates, 6 g protein, 336 mg sodium, 1 g fiber.
from the los angeles times
Grilled romaine with fava beans and pecorino
Total time: About 45 minutes
Servings: 4
Note: From Times test kitchen director Donna Deane
Ingredients
1 pound fresh fava beans, shelled
2 Tbsps. cubed pecorino Romano ( 1/4 -inch cubes)
4 1/2 Tbsps. best-quality olive oil, divided
2 tsps. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. chopped parsley
1/8 tsp. salt
Cracked black pepper
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 small head (about 1/2 pound) romaine lettuce, quartered lengthwise
1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, then add the fava beans and cook 30 seconds to 1 minute. Drain and rinse under cold running water. Break the outer skin of the bean and squeeze the bean out of its skin.
2. In a small bowl, toss the beans with the cubes of pecorino Romano. Stir in 3 Tbsps. olive oil, lemon juice, chopped parsley, salt and cracked black pepper (about 4 grinds). Set aside and allow the beans to marinate while you grill the romaine.
3. In a cup or small bowl, combine the remaining 1 1/2 Tbsps. olive oil and the minced garlic. Brush the quartered romaine with the garlic olive oil and place on an oiled grill over medium-high heat until the lettuce is lightly charred on all sides but still crisp in the center, about 4 to 5 minutes.
4. Place a grilled romaine quarter on each of four serving plates. Spoon an equal amount of the fava bean and pecorino mixture over the top of each and season with a few more grinds of black pepper.
Each serving: 271 calories; 12 grams protein; 22 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 18 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 7 mg. cholesterol; 226 mg. sodium.
from planetgreen.discovery.com
Organic carrot cake
Serves 12
Ingredients
Cake
1 1/2 cups organic sugar
4 organic eggs
1 cup organic canola or safflower oil
2 1/2 cups organic unbleached flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
4 cups grated organic carrots
1 cup organic applesauce
1 cup chopped organic walnuts or pecans
Frosting
3 packages (8 ounces each) organic cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) organic butter, softened
1 package (16 ounce) organic confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups chopped organic pecans (optional)
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Prepare two 9-inch round cake pans by lightly brushing with melted butter or oil and dusting all sides with flour. Shake out excess flour and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat sugar and eggs together until fluffy. Stir in the oil. Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. Stir the sifted ingredients into the egg mixture. Fold in the carrots, applesauce and nuts. Pour into prepared pans and bake 35-40 minutes, until done in the center. Invert on a cooling rack and cool completely before frosting. To make the frosting, cream together first 4 ingredients and blend until smooth. Frost in between layers. Assemble cake and frost sides and top. Decorate sides with chopped pecans, if desired.