from kcrw's good food
Sweet potato, corn and jalapeño bisque
1 Tbsp peanut oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 Tbsp minced garlic
6 medium sweet potatoes (about 5 pounds), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
8 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1 to 2 fresh jalapeno peppers, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
1/4 cup molasses
1 Tbsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp black pepper
Pinch of ground cinnamon
Finely chopped green onions (green part only) for garnish
Heat the oil for about 1 minute in a 6-quart sauce-pan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and saute until soft, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes and stock, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are soft, about 10 minutes.
Remove from the heat, and use an immersion blender to puree the mixture in the pot, or puree the soup in batches in a food processor and return the mixture to the pan. Add the jalapenos, corn, and molasses, stirring well. Season with the salt, cayenne and black pepper, and add the cinnamon. Bring the soup to a simmer and serve immediately, garnished with green onions.
Winter squash soup with dried figs and toasted pine nuts
2 Tbsp pine nuts
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped coarsely
1 to 2 medium carrots, coarsely chopped
1 cup coarsely chopped fennel or celery
1/3 cup dry white wine
4 cups coarsely chopped, peeled winter squash such as butternut, acorn, hubbard, turban or pumpkin
4 to 6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup coconut or cashew milk
Maple syrup
4 to 5 dried figs, cut into thin rounds
Put the pine nuts in a small, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Cook, shaking the skillet often for 5 minutes, or until lightly browned and toasted.
In an 8-quart soup pot, over medium heat, warm the olive oil and add the onion, carrots and fennel. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft and caramel in color. Add the wine and squash and cover with the broth. Simmer, uncovered, for about 30 minutes, or until the squash is very soft.
Puree the soup in the pot with a hand-held immersion blender, or puree in a food processor (working in batches) and return it to the pot. Add the thyme, coriander and cinnamon and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the coconut or cashew milk, taste for sweetness, and add maple syrup to taste. Heat the soup and thin with extra broth if necessary.
To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkly with the dried figs and pine nuts.
from the los angeles times
Creamy butternut squash soup with ginger
Total time: 1 hour and 10 minutes
Servings: 6
1 (2 1/2 -pound) butternut squash
2 Tbsps. butter
1 onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
3 cloves garlic, sliced
2 Tbsps. minced fresh ginger root
6 cups water
2 tsps. salt, more to taste
Apple cider vinegar
Crème fraîche or sour cream
Toasted slivered almonds
1. Peel the squash, using a sharp vegetable peeler. Cut it in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Cut in 1-inch chunks.
2. Heat the butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until it softens, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger root and cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the diced squash, water and salt and bring to a simmer. Cook at a low simmer until the squash is tender enough to smash with a spoon, about 30 minutes.
3. Puree the soup, either using an immersion blender or grinding it in several stages in a regular blender. The soup should be completely smooth and a little thicker than heavy cream. Ladle the soup through a strainer into a clean soup pot, discarding any bits of squash or ginger left behind.
4. Heat the soup through once more and season to taste, adding salt first and then the vinegar. Add the vinegar one-half tsp. at a time; it will take a little more than 1 Tbsp.
5. To serve, stir the crème fraîche to loosen the texture. Ladle the soup into wide bowls and spoon 1 to 2 Tbsps. of crème fraîche in a decorative pattern onto each. Scatter a few toasted slivered almonds over the soup and serve immediately.
Each serving: 163 calories; 3 grams protein; 22 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams fiber; 9 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 20 mg. cholesterol; 795 mg. sodium.
from the chicago tribune
Roasted winter squash soup
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes
Makes: 8 servings
This recipe produces a rich soup; to cut more than 100 calories plus about 7 grams of saturated fat per serving, omit the whipping cream.
3 pounds winter squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1-inch cubes
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups chicken stock or canned low sodium chicken broth
1 cup whipping cream or half-and-half
2 tablespoons honey
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the squash and 4 tablespoons of the butter in a large bowl; toss to coat. Add the salt, pepper and nutmeg; stir to coat. Transfer squash with slotted spoon to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper; arrange squash in single layer. Roast until soft, about 40 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, cook the onion in the remaining 2 tablespoons of the melted butter in a small skillet until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic; cook, stirring, 30 seconds.
3. Transfer the onion and garlic to a blender; add the squash and chicken stock. Puree; pour soup into a large saucepan. Heat over medium heat to a simmer, about 10 minutes. (For a silkier texture, the soup may be passed through a chinois.) Stir in the cream and honey; season to taste.
Each serving: 273 calories, 65% of calories from fat, 21 g fat, 13 g saturated fat, 64 mg cholesterol, 19 g carbohydrates, 6 g protein, 363 mg sodium, 2 g fiber
Apricot salsa
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 7 minutes
Makes: About 1 cup
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, sliced
2 shallots, sliced
1/2 jalapeno, stemmed, seeded if desired, sliced
1/2 cup each: roughly chopped dried apricots, freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup each: freshly squeezed lime juice, chopped cilantro
1/4 teaspoon salt freshly ground pepper
1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic, shallots and jalapeno; cook, stirring often, about 4 minutes. Add apricots, orange and lime juices and cilantro; simmer 3 minutes.
2. Transfer mixture to a blender or food processor; blend until almost smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Per tablespoon: 25 calories, 29% of calories from fat, 1 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 4 g carbohydrates, 0 g protein, 40 mg sodium, 0 g fiber.
from newsday
Apricot-lime glazed salmon
Makes: 4 servings
It is worth searing the salmon before roasting it to get a crisp golden crust beneath the sweet-hot glaze. Roasting the salmon in a skillet, instead of transferring it to a roasting pan, will minimize cleanup.
1/3 cup apricot fruit spread
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons chopped scallions
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon canola oil
4 (6-ounce) pieces salmon fillet
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Wrap foil around the handle of the skillet if it is not ovenproof.
2. Combine the fruit spread, lime juice, scallions and red pepper flakes in a bowl, stirring until the jelly is dissolved. (You can microwave it for a few seconds to make it easier to stir).
3. Sprinkle salt over the fish.
4. Heat the oil over medium high in a skillet large enough to hold the fish in a single layer without crowding. Cook the fish cook 3 minutes on each side, or until golden.
5. Remove from the heat and brush the fish with most of the glaze. Place in the oven for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the salmon just turns opaque. Pour the remaining glaze over it and serve immediately.
Per serving: 400 calories, 34 g protein, 15 g carbohydrates, 0 g fiber, 2 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 100 mg cholesterol, 396 mg sodium.
Serving Suggestions: Toss thin wedges of red potatoes with olive oil, cumin, thyme, salt and pepper. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast in the 425-degree oven until browned on the undersides. Turn and roast until fork-tender.