When Fall Happens, Squash Soup
I often find myself wondering just when the novelty of things fade. It seems like it happens all at once. One day, just like that, I stop noticing. I wake up and am suddenly used to the way things are, totally oblivious to how unfamiliar and strangely wonderful they used to be.
The trees, the houses, the people, the park benches and street vendors, the wafts of heavy smells-sour and sweet, it all seemed so special once. And now it just is.
Then fall happens. All it takes is one brisk day and a walk in the park and I'm a wide-eyed child absorbing life in all its colors and shapes, smells, tastes and sounds.
It's such a therapeutic thing to do, walk in the park on a cool fall day. The air says: "Welcome to the world again."
Bright yellow leaves illuminated on the pavement.
Dried up foliage ready to go back into the earth. I feel myself getting older. I feel Time, taking my hand, pulling me from my snug world of memories. I lie on my back and reminiscences swirl around semi-naked branches. Thoughts and leaves dancing.
And then, Time gently pulls me up to my feet again. I crave mulled apple cider and butternut squash soup.
olive oil
1/2 large white onion
3 Tbs fresh chopped ginger
3 cloves garlic
2 Tbs harissa2 Tbs ghee
2 medium butternut squash, sliced in half
1 large apple, cubed
1 large carrot, chopped
4 cups vegetable stock
bay leaf
4 leaves fresh sage
Labne, Greek yogurt & parsley to finish
Salt and pepper to taste
Juice of one lemon
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Season squash with salt, pepper and olive oil and roast until soft, set aside to cool.
In a medium sauce pan, saute onion, garlic and ginger in olive oil, add harissa and apple, saute until apples are soft and garlic just begins to brown. Add stock and bay leaf, simmer on low for about 10 minutes.
Process the flesh of cooled squash in a food processor, 1/2 squash at a time. Remove bay leaf from stock. Ladle stock mixture into each batch until all of it is incorporated, pouring each batch of processed soup into a large bowl. Season with salt, pepper and lemon.
In a frying pan heat ghee, add sage and fry until ghee begins to brown. Strain ghee into soup and stir.
Serve with a dollop of labne or whole milk greek yogurt.
OMG! I love this blog. Thanks for all the helpful tips. I have a sensitive stomach too and these recipes sound yummy AND healthy. Question: is an apple and peanut butter a heathy snack? thanks again! Would love to hear more about quick heathy snacks.
ReplyDeleteFarmony: Thanks for reading my blog, I'm so glad you found it helpful! I'm also glad you asked about peanut butter because November just so happens to be Peanut Butter Lovers Month! http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/1589247. Who knew?!
ReplyDeleteSo is an apple and peanut butter a healthy snack? Well, that all depends on your peanut butter. Peanut butter is tricky because, while ground peanuts are full of protein and healthy fats, a lot of manufacturers add all sorts of other stuff like hydrogenated oils (to prevent separation), sugar or corn syrup, or extra salt. So if the oil separates in your peanut butter and there's no added sweeteners or tons of salt, it's probably a good snack.
But there's one more peanut butter issue worth mentioning: According to Marion Nestle, the nationally recognized nutrition and food politics expert, who is a really smart lady and was one of my professors, there are safety concerns associated with peanut butter and it has a lot to do with our current food system.
Not very long ago there was a huge peanut butter recall because one plant in Georgia that was contaminated with salmonella, shipped peanut butter and peanut butter paste (for processed foods and pet food) all over the country under hundreds of brand names. So basically, the safety of peanut butter depends on good manufacturing processes which are, surprisingly voluntary. This is a big topic that you can read more about on Marion Nestles blog Foodpolitics.com. In the mean time, read labels and stay away from big brand peanut butters if you can.