There is always someone to help, someone who needs help and much to be grateful for if you are reading this.

I wish I could share this soup, because it has a soothing effect. It’s creamy, and flavorful in a way that creates a good soup memory. Perhaps you know someone who needs a bowl. Make it, put it in a big jar and deliver it to a friend. It woucl mean a lot.

True Food Kitchen Butternut Squash Soup (copycat)

 I’ve made butternut squash soup here before made with roasted apples, and that’s quite delicious, but this this version, inspired by True Food Kitchen has become my new favorite. The chef, at the time, gave me the recipe for the soup. I lost it, so I went back and ordered the soup again, taking in every bite, and memorizing the flavor.

Here’s the thing with the True Food Kitchen Butternut Squash Soup. It’s more about the texture that makes this soup so special and I remembered that the recipe used coconut milk. This is what gives the soup its special creaminess that makes this one of my all time favorite soups that comes out of my vitamix on a frequent basis. 

What do you need to make this butternut squash soup?

You need a beautiful, roasted butternut squash, a  can of coconut milk, freshly ground ginger,  turmeric and some heat. I use   piment d’espelette.   You could use a dash of cayenne pepper, but I find that can be harsh if not used properly, so go gently. 

 If I still find the soup a little too thick I’ll add a small amount of water or broth if available. Salt and pepper are a must, and if you like to garnish soup, as I do,  add some fried sage and toasted almonds. You could also add in some arils from a pomegranate! Arils are great in a spicy soup, balancing out the heat and adding a fun texture.

What Coconut Milk do I use for True Food Butternut Squash Soup?

I use the organic coconut milk from Trader Joe’s. It works beautifully. Coconut cream will be too rich. I have a friend who adds a banana to his butternut squash soup instead of coconut milk. He says it comes out very creamy and you don’t taste the banana. If anyone does that, please let me know how that goes.

How do you make a roasted butternut squash?

This is the best part. Roast it whole. It will shrivel and shrink up. Let it cool a bit, cut it lengthwise, take out any seeds, and scoop that beautiful flesh into a super blender, like a Vitamix. 

More Butternut Squash Recipes from Spinach Tiger

More Healthy Soups from Spinach Tiger

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True Food Kitchen Butternut Squash Recipe

Butternut Squash Soup made with Coconut Milk

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Keyword butternut squash, soup, true food kitchen

Prep Time 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 large butternut squash
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon ground turmeric
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon piment d'espelette or cayenne
• 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger or to taste
• 1/2 cup water or broth if needed
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon sea salt

Garnish

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 12 sage leaves
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds toasted

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 F.
• Roast butternut squash, whole until softened (about 30-40 minutes), depending on size.
• Once the butternut squash skin blisters and is softened, remove and cool until you can slice in half.
• Scoop the seeds out and discard. Scoop out flesh into a bowl.
• Season squash salt, pepper. Add turmeric one teaspoon at a time (for personal taste), piment d'espelette or dash of cayenne (or heat of your choice).
• Place squash, fresh ginger, half of coconut milk, blend until thoroughly completely pureed. Add more coconut milk until incorporated and you get the creamy texture you desire. I use the whole can, but you may not want to.
• Move the soup into a pot to heat on low. You may choose to add in a little broth if you need to thin soup down.

Make Sage Leaves, Browned Butter

• In small frying pan, brown two tablespoons of butter. Add sage leaves should be browned not burned.
• Roast almonds for 3 to 4 minutes in 400 degree F. oven.
• Season again with salt and pepper as needed.
• Add garnish upon serving.

Notes

  I use Piment d’espelette often in soups like these. You can use cayenne, but do so gently.

The post Copycat True Food Kitchen Butternut Squash Soup appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Before the winter sets in, I’m going to enjoy every bit of food associated with Autumn like this roasted butternut squash soup made a touch sweet with maple syrup and a whole lot savory with pecans and sage leaves fried in browned butter. (Can use oil for dairy free).

This would be the perfect accompaniment to my Autumn Salad, but it was inspired most from my Autumn Cocktail.

The sage leaves crumble up in your mouth and taste amazing along with the crunch of the pecans. There is a bit of apple in there for sweetness, and a touch of heat, a dash of cinnamon, a pinch of ground cloves, and a dollop of yogurt to smooth it out.

Butternut squash soup is all over the internet made in all kind of ways. This is my version, an EASY version, because this roasted butternut squash soup recipe does not make you peel and cut the squash which is a task I prefer to skip when there is an easier way.

How to Roast Butternut Squash

You simply put the whole squash into the oven and watch it roast, shrink, shrivel and get so good, the skin almost peels off.

Add Caramelized Apple, Carrot, Onion

What could be easier? Along with the squash, throw in an apple and watch it caramelize along with a few organic carrots, and an onion.

This all gets spiced and pureèd for the most natural and delicious butternut squash soup you will eat without a ton of sugar and cream.

For the grand finale, I topped the soup off with browned butter fried sage leaves and toasted pecans. Those two ingredients are what make this soup quite special there should be a little crispy leaf and pecan in every bite!

How to Blend Butternut Squash Soup

You can take everything and put it into the super blender, the Vitamix, or use a stick blender or regular blender.

When it comes to soups, I personally love my Vitamix and, while it’s not the cheapest blender you can buy, it’s the most cost effective over a life time, and you can not get the same results with an ordinary blender. This is the blender you only have to buy once, and is worth every penny.

Butternut squash soup comes in many versions, but I love this one the best. You can always add in some yogurt, coconut milk or heavy cream if you want it super rich. Or do something crazy and add a banana which always makes it creamier.

Can I make this soup vegan?

Yes. Fry the sage in your favorite oil.

Add in Maple Flavor or Maple Syrup

You can add maple syrup, sugar free maple syrup or maple extract for that yummy maple hit.

You can change the apple to pear, but I do hope you try the fried sage leaves and toasted pecans. Sage and pecans together is an amazing combination which gives me all kinds of ideas for future recipes.

More Butternut Squash Recipes from Spinach Tiger

Festive Salad Butternut Squash

Butternut Squash Stacks with Crispy Quinoa Pancake

Autumn Risotto with Butternut Squash

Butternut Squash with Brussels Sprouts

More Creamy Soups From Spinach Tiger

Fruity Nutty Carrot Soup

Golden Cauliflower Soup

Spring Pea Tarragon Soup

Fresh Roasted Pumpkin Soup

Broccoli Basil Soup

Vitamix Soups Made in Minutes from Spinach Tiger

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Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Browned Butter Sage Leaves, Toasted Pecans

Brown Buttered sage and toasted pecans top this creamy butternut squash soup.

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Keyword butternut squash, soup

Prep Time 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 whole butternut squash
• 1 medium sized apples cored, peeled
• 2 organic carrots
• 1/2 onion or 1 shallot
• 2 1/2 cups water may not use all of it
• 1 dash cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 pinch ground cloves
• 1 pinch freshly ground nutmeg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon sriracha can use dash cayenne
• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup can replace with extract
• 1 cup water
• 12 sage leaves
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 9 pecans toasted
• freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 F.
• Roast butternut squash, apple, carrots, onion, in baking dish until each is softened. Check at 20 minutes for onion, and ten minutes after that.
• Remove the apple, carrot and onion and set aside.
• Once the butternut squash skin blisters and is softened, remove and cool until you can slice in half.
• Scoop the seeds out and discard. Scoop out flesh into a bowl.
• Season squash with cinnamon, ground cloves, turmeric, salt, pepper.
• Place squash, carrots, apple, maple syrup, water into Vitamix and blend until thoroughly completely pureed. Add water in 1/2 cup at a time, and continue until you have the consistency you want.
• Move the soup into a pot to heat on low.

Make Sage Leaves, Browned Butter

• In small frying pan, brown two tablespoons of butter. Add both the sage leaves and pecans. Sage leaves should be browned not burned.
• Roast Pecans for 3 to 4 minutes in 400 degree oven
• Season again with salt and pepper as needed.
• Chop Pecans. Add to each bowl with a sage leaf.
• Finish with a pinch of nutmeg.

The post Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Browned Butter Sage Leaves, Pecans appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

You can absolutely trust my culinary view and opinion, as I only collaborate with brands and products I love, and I’m happy to share these products with you. I made this salad last year for Spectrum Foods and am republishing because it’s so beautiful for the holidays.

I have made this colorful, vibrant Festive Kale Salad most recently for a dinner party. Everyone loved it, but I especially received compliments on the vinaigrette made with Spectrum® Rosemary Olive Oil, honey and apple cider vinegar.

Spectrum® has been producing high quality olive oils for thirty years and has recently come up with a culinary line of infused olive oils such as rosemary, cayenne, garlic and chili sesame and more.  These can be used for dressings, sauces, a light sauté and as finishing oils.

I’ve enjoyed many Spectrum® products while developing recipes, as they make oils for various cooking needs, including more than 30 varieties of seed, nut and plant oils, including coconut oil, apple cider vinegar (which I used here), and avocado oil. I also use the Spectrum® olive oil baking spray.

The extra virgin olive oils come from Spain and Tunisia, each estate grown and produced in small batches, using no chemicals and expeller pressed to ensure the highest quality.

I hope you know by now that Spinach Tiger strives to bring you the freshest food using ingredients that are better for you and this is why I stand by the Spectrum® brand. I use organic ingredients as much as possible, so naturally want to use an organic olive oil.

I can feel confident that this gorgeous salad is getting adorned with an olive oil I can trust.

Festive Kale Salad with Honey Rosemary Vinaigrette Screams Merry, Happy, Joyful Food

There is so much beauty in this festive kale salad which is packed with various textures, sweet, salty and holiday flavors. It is the one salad you can take to a gathering to wow the guests or make a splash at your next dinner party.

There are a lot of components to this salad, such as apples, figs, oranges, and pomegranates, because these come to mind during the holidays and are readily available. This can be the “fruit you have on hand salad” but don’t leave out the butternut squash, which we’ve made the star of the show. You can switch apples for pears or use both. You can also add in dried cranberries for pomegranates.

Roasting Butternut Squash for the Festive Kale Salad

Butternut Squash often perplexes cooks, because it’s difficult to cut into. I suggest microwaving for two to three minutes to slightly soften, and peel with a potato peeler. Once peeled, slicing into discs is fairly easy. The smaller end will have the most seeds, but you should be able to get a good amount of discs without seeds. Roast these for twenty minutes, brushing lightly with oil. Once cooled, you can use a cookie cutter to cut them into stars.

Honey Rosemary Vinaigrette with Spectrum® Organic Rosemary Olive Oil

Just as Spectrum® tests their oils with their own internal quality team to meet high standards for any and all type of cooking, I tested this dressing at least three times to get the right oil with the right vinegar to make sure your salad will taste its best.

We all agreed that for this Festive Kale salad, the Organic Rosemary Olive Oil won hands down for bringing a winter holiday flavor profile, and it pairs perfectly with Spectrum’s apple cider vinegar.  The rosemary flavor is well balanced and does not overpower the greens, yet delivers a nice herbal lift.

I will be making a second recipe, a Spicy Italian Soup with Sausage using Spectrum^® Extra Virgin Cayenne Olive Oil. You will want to come back for that one. Do please follow me on Instagram as many of my process pictures end on stories.

Much love during the upcoming happiest time of the year.

This Honey Rosemary Vinaigrette would be a great choice for any of these additional kale salads from Spinach Tiger.

Tuscan Kale Salad

Autumn Potluck Kale Salad

Chopped Kale Salad with Toasted Almonds

More Butternut Squash Recipes

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Butternut Squash with Brussels Sprouts

Butternut Squash Risotto

Butternut Squash Stacks with Crispy Quinoa Pancake

Butternut Squash Cocktail

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Festive Kale Salad with Butternut Squash, Honey Rosemary Vinaigrette

Festive Kale sale with Butternut Squash, Figs, Prosciutto, Pomegranate, Nut with a Rosemary Olive Oil Vinaigrette.

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 bunches lacinato kale see notes
• 1 to 2 cups or handfuls arugula
• 1/2 navel orange peeled
• 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
• 4 figs cut in halves or quarters
• 6 slices proscuitto sliced thinly, torn into pieces
• 1 medium sized butternut squash
• 1/4 cup walnuts
• 1 to 2 gala apples or mix of apple and pear
• Honey Rosemary Vinaigrette
• 3 to 6 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 6 tablespoons Spectrum® Rosemary Olive Oil

Instructions

• Microwave butternut squash for 2 to 3 minutes to slightly soften.
• Peel butternut squash with a potato peeler. Cut into 1/2 inch discs crosswise and remove seeds.
• Brush lightly with olive oil and roast at 400 degrees F. for 20 to 30 minutes until softened.Turn over at 15 minutes.
• Roast walnuts for 4 to 5 minutes at 400 degrees F.
• Cool Squash. Then cut into stars with cookie cutter. There will be some left over you can use for another recipe or add into the salad.
• Roast
• Peel orange, cut into bite sized pieces, making sure to remove pith.
• Slice apple and or pears with skin on, thinly or if you prefer, you can dice.
• Remove arils from pomegranate.
• Chop kale into small bite sized pieces, less an inch.
• Toss kale with vinaigrette, just enough to wet leaves.
• You can add more later if needed. (recipe below). Let kale sit in vinaigrette for 20 minutes if you have time.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Add arugula to the kale.
• Arrange on large platter or large bowl.
• Add, oranges, sliced apples. Toss until combined. You may leave some sliced fruit on side if serving at party. You can choose to keep figs and prosciutto on side of platter, instead of in the salad.
• When ready to serve, add prosciutto and figs.
• Top with walnuts, pomegranate seeds.
• Top with butternut squash.
• Season again with sea salt and black pepper.
• Taste to see if you need to add more vinaigrette.
• Instructions for Vinaigrette
• Mix vinegar with honey until well incorporated. I do this in a jar.
• Add olive oll. Mix well.
• Taste for acid. You may need to add more vinegar if not acidic enough or more olive oil. This will depend on your own taste. We like kale salad with a lot of acid. Add salt and pepper before you add more vinegar, as that affects flavor.

Notes

Lacinato kale also known as dinosaur kale or Tuscan kale is the long leaves with thick ribs. Remove the ribs before chopping. You can use a curly kale, but I always prefer this kale as a better option for salads.

The post Festive Kale Salad, Butternut Squash, Honey Rosemary Vinaigrette appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

This Autumn Salad of kale and warm honey mustard vinaigrette with sweet potatoes, dried cranberries and toasted pumpkin seeds is the perfect salad for parties and potlucks. 

I have brought this salad to parties at least ten times, and it’s always the first to go and the star of the table. I’ve seen cupcakes, cookies and other foods have to go back home, but never this salad. No matter how large of a bowl I bring, there is never enough.

You can mix the kale with other greens if you choose to, as I did in this version with arugula.

This is a perfect potluck salad because you  can have everything ready within twenty minutes in the morning, and then put it all together with the dressing about three to four  hours in advance. The marination massages the kale, and brings it to a place that is very different than what most people think.

People will appreciate seeing a green sitting on the table that is gorgeous, appetizing and satisfying. It might make them feel better about the dips and chips and sweets they are also eating, and for those who are into that paleo craze, they will stop and thank you.

This is that perfect salad for this time of year, whether it’s a tail gating party, Halloween, or Thanksgiving, because you dress the salad at least two hours in advance. At Christmas, you can just add in some pomegranate seeds. I’ve learned that while people love the cookies and treats at a Holiday party, they are so grateful to see a good salad.

I used sweet potatoes, but you can use butternut squash.

I used toasted pumpkin seeds, but you can use toasted pecans, almonds or walnuts.

Add in some chopped up crispy pancetta or bacon.  Add in citrus for some brightness if you have it on hand.

Make a Warm Vinaigrette with Maple Syrup

I used a warm honey mustard vinaigrette that can be made with maple syrup. Either works incredibly well. If you don’t have time to dress the salad ahead, warm the dressing. It will relax the kale. Also add the pumpkin seeds  and sweet potatoes when they are hot. Kale can handle this.

The KEY to this salad is to taste it before serving, make sure it’s seasoned with enough salt and pepper. 

If  there is salad left over,  just refrigerate and sauté the left overs in a pan. It takes on a slightly different melted down texture, but still remains somewhat structured and it’s very good. The only thing I would not add to this salad is cheese, which I think would drown the nice flavors the sweet potato brings.

The dressing is sweetened by either honey or maple syrup to offset the heavy dose of vinegar and the punch of mustard, but it is so good. It’s going to taste a bit vinegary when you taste it, but will settle down as the kale takes hold of it.

This particular kale salad is similar to the one I made here, but I gave it an Autumn twist.

Tell me, do you take salads to parties? Are you ready for the Fall flavors?

If you really love kale salads, you might want to try this Tuscan Kale Salad  with a lemony dressing.

More Kale Recipes from Spinach Tiger

• Tuscan Kale Salad with Almonds
• Kale Smoothie
• Melted Kale
• Kale Risotto
• Kale Stir Fry with Ground Beef, Pancetta, Peas
• Salmon with Crispy Kale
• How to Freeze Kale for Smoothies
• Kale Apple Salad with Maple Dressing

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Autumn Salad: Sweet Potatoes, Kale, Pumpkin Seeds, Cranberries, Warm Maple Vinaigrette

A perfect Autumn Salad that is good for any party or Fall gathering. Sweet potatoes, pumpkin seeds, cranberries, pears and apples give color, taste and texture.

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 bunches lacinato kale the long skinny kind aka Tuscan kale
• roasted sweet pototoes
• 1 small apple or pear
• 2 tablespoons toasted pumpkin seeds or nuts of your choice
• 2 tablespoons dried cranberries
• Warmed Maple Vinaigrette

For Roasted Sweet Potatoes

• 2 sweet potatoes peeled, cubed or one large butternut squash, peeled and cubed
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• dash cinnamon
• dash nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon tumeric optional
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Warm Maple Vinaigrette

• 6 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 clove garlic finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 12 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

• Wash and dry kale.
• Remove ribs from kale. I used a sharp knife to cut out the ribs.
• Cut kale into bite size pieces.
• Slice apple and pear into thin slices, leaving skin on, or cube, whichever you prefer.
• Add in just enough dressing to salad to wet the leaves. Save some of the dressing to add in warm right before serving. At that point, I’ll warm up the dressing in the microwave.
• Add warmed roasted sweet potatoes, cranberries and pumpkin seeds, saving some of each for top of bowl. Gently toss so as to not break up sweet potatoes.
• Season with salt the pepper.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes.

• Mix olive oil with cayenne, cinnamon, maple syrup, nutmeg.
• Toss potatoes in this oil, using just enough to wet potatoes.
• Roast for 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees, until potatoes are soft, but still firm.
• You can toast the pumpkin seeds at this time. They only take 5 minutes.

Warmed Cider Vinaigrette

• Put all the ingredients in blender and blend until thoroughly emulsified. If using a Vitamix put the garlic clove in whole. If using a blender, dice the garlic first.
• You will want to dress the kale at least an hour in advance. This breaks down the kale.

The post Prepare Ahead Kale Salad: Sweet Potatoes, Maple Vinaigrette appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Keenwhat? That’s how I felt the first time I was introduced to quinoa (pronounced keenwah). It took me a while to know how to pronounce it and even longer to be willing to try it in my own kitchen. I’ve seen it on various salad bars and sitting next to couscous, rice and pasta, it never looked very good. But, it must be good. I am hearing about it over and over and, perhaps, in my own kitchen, we can get properly acquainted.

When I originally wrote this post back in 2009, I wanted to try a lot of new things in the kitchen. I really wanted to make tarts and thought that would be so hard. Now six years later, I’m making them in my sleep. I had recently started using cast iron and now I have cast iron pans and put them up there with air conditioning in the South. I wanted to get comfortable with alternative flours, and this was before I heard about Einkorn. Quinoa was new to me, and in reflection, I made a pretty good dish for not knowing anything about it. I’ve made several quinoa dishes here and here, but this one with red quinoa is the biggest favorite.

Quinoa is packed with goodness. First the texture: crunchy, chewy, satisfying. Second the taste: nutty and earthy, adaptable to sweet or savory. Third, the nutrition: a complete protein, meaning quinoa includes all nine essential amino acids, especially high in lysine, essential for growth and tissue repair. And, a bonus for Mr. Spinach Tiger, it is helpful with migraine headaches.

And, lastly: the fascinating history of a food that has been . Thought to be sacred by the Incas who have eating this for over 5000 years, quinoa has been referred to as chisaya mama or mother of all grains. But, quinoa is not a grain and is related to the spinach, chard, and beets family. Who knew? But, it cooks like a grain, and can easily replace rice or barley in a savory dish, or be served as hot breakfast cereal.

Typical of my creative chaos in the kitchen, I didn’t measure or seek out any  directions. I didn’t know you should soak quinoa for 15 to 30 minutes to loosen the soapy saponin which gives quinoa a bitter taste. I did give it a good rinse and that seemed to work.

It’s very cold outside and I’m holding onto joy of wintry vegetables that are comforting. A few days ago I bought the smallest butternut squash, with plans for a nice soup for lunch. But now I’m envisioning it roasted, and layered with red caramelized onion atop a crunchy, savory quinoa pancake. A recipe was forming in my head.

Chop, chop, slice, slice, I took my baby butternut squash and sliced it across, leaving skin on and taking out seeds. And, I was on my way. The pancake exceeded my expectations, and, the taste and combination of textures was delicious. It’s the kind of crunchy, crispy salty, mouthful of flavor and interest that will make me want to eat this again and again.

The Quinoa pancake is made with pecorino cheese, and fresh thyme.

Assemble by alternating onion and squash on top of quinoa pancake.

How do you eat your quinoa? What new food or cooking method do you want to tackle this year?

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Butternut Squash Stacks on Crispy Quinoa Pancake

A great way to eat quinoa, roasted and topped with butternut squash.

Ingredients

• Recipe for Butternut Squash Quinoa Pancake
• 1 cup quinoa yields 3 cups cooked
• 1 small butternut squash
• 1 medium red onion
• 1 t fresh thyme or 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• 3 tablespoon grated pecorino romano
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Sea salt pepper

Instructions

• Pre-heat oven to 450
• Preheat baking stone
• Soak quinoa in water 15 minutes, rinse well
• Slice butternut squash in half inch pieces with skin on, discarding seeds. Slice red onion. Chop herb
• Quinoa should be ready to cook. Put in pot with 2 cups water, salt, bring to boil, lower heat, cover, simmer for 15-18 minutes. This will yield 3 servings or 3 pancakes.
• Arrange butternut squash and onion on roasting sheet. Roast squash and onion, not overlapping . You can put them on same or different sheet. Brush LIGHTLY with olive oil and roast 6 minutes per side. Onion should be caramelized. (I roasted my squash on a baking stone).
• Once quinoa is cooked, fluff, mix in pecorino, herbs, and season to taste. Flatten into three discs on parchment paper placed on baking stone or cast iron griddle. Place in lower part of oven, bake for 8-10 minutes, turning once browned. It easily falls apart, so I put a dish over it and used two pot holders with a covered dish to flip.

The post Butternut Squash Stacks on Crispy Quinoa Pancake, Gluten Free appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

I’m on an Autumn Roll. If I was a magazine, I would probably be preparing for Valentine’s Day, but I’m a blog, and I’m in real time making boozy, spicy, Autumn Risotto with Butternut Squash.

You may remember Autumn Salad, and the inspiration for this dish, Autumn Cocktail. Well, one good idea just flows into the next and when I had butternut-infused vodka left over, I thought about risotto.

I’m not sure what Marcella Hazan might say if she could see me throwing in mustard seeds, green chilies, red chilies, and tumeric, along with the customary onion and butter. Just to make it more interesting, I added in the butternut squash-infused vodka, which sweetened the dish a little and layered nicely with the butternut squash.

I kept the dish hot and spicy, but added in toasted pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries to add that Autumn touch.

This is not the typical butternut squash risotto with parmesan cheese.

Boozy, spicy, Autumn Risotto with Butternut squash is a great side dish, especially on the holiday table.

More Spinach Tiger Recipes

Risotto 101 – Everything You Need to Know about Risott and Three Mistakes to Avoid

My Most Recent Autumn Dishes

Autumn Potluck Kale Salad

Autumn Cocktail

Autumn Brunch

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Boozy Spicy Autumn Risotto with Butternut Squash

Autumn Butternut Squash Risotto fused with Fall flavors, Indian spices.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small butternut squash cubed
• 1 medium onion diced
• 1/4 cup butternut infused-squash vodka optional, can use white wine or no alcohol
• large dash nutmeg
• 1 green chili sliced
• 1 red chili broken in half
• 2 teaspoons turmeric
• 2 1/2 cups arborio rice
• 5 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon white pepper
• tablespoon of dried cranberries
• toasted pumpkin seeds for garnish

Instructions

• Saute butternut squash in olive oil.
• Add in onion and 1 tablespoon butter. Add in green chili sliced and red chili.
• Once onion is translucent, add arborio rice and stir until moistened.
• Immediately add in 1/2 cup broth. Once that evaporates add in another 1/2 cup broth. Move rice to side of pan. Add remaining tablespoon butter and vodka. Stir and stir through rice. Once evaporated, add in another 1/2 cup broth and dried cranberries.
• Add in salt, white pepper.
• Continue to add 1/2 cup broth at a time until five cups are used.
• Season again with salt, pepper and dash nutmeg and garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds.

The post Spicy Autumn Risotto with Butternut Squash appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

An Autumn Cocktail made with butternut squash-infused vodka is just the thing to help us gleefully put the summer sandals away, get out our warm sweaters and turn on our ovens to roast butternut squash. The squash is not for soup which warms the tummy; it’s for vodka which warms the spirit.

While this might sound a little bit out of the ordinary, I have two sets of party guests to tell you that the Winter Squash Cocktail from the Savory Cocktails cookbook is such a charmer for all types of drinkers, and will become our Fall tradition, and our Thanksgiving signature cocktail.

When asked to review a copy of Savory Cocktails, I jumped on it, not because I needed a free cookbook, but because, the author, Greg Henry, is my friend and a fellow food blogger. I’ve eaten his food and his cocktails.

The book, Savory Cocktails, follows his success with his first book, Savory Pies, but I think this is so much more him.

While I know he’s good at what he does, he’s even better at what he writes. He’s whimsical, sophisticated, understands that it’s 2013, but has a great respect for retro food, vintage cocktails and where his good taste comes from. He’s also a food and beverage geek, passionately researching ingredients, recipes and culinary history. He not only knows how a cocktail should taste, he knows how it should look, which is presented through his exquisite photography.

Savory Cocktails is right in step with the cocktail movement of the last few years which has resurrected many old time cocktails and has found new uses for  various bitters in combination with fresh ingredients and artisan salts. Greg will walk you through the basics of bar tools and proper glassware, and then will stroll you through cocktails by his chosen savory categories. Take your pick.

SAVORY COCKTAILS:   Sour. Spicy. Herbal. Umami. Bitter. Smoky. Rich. Strong.

He pays attention to what people are drinking, but he also nudges us all along in the book by introducing us to some very unique cocktails, and the Winter Squash was one such drink.

I needed something fun for a party and this was a much bigger hit than I had expected.  While Greg doesn’t include a sweet category, this particular cocktail has some sweetness from simple syrup, but not so much that the vodka and spices can’t be enjoyed for what they are.

The vodka is infused with roasted squash for five days, and then mixed with lemon, lime, simple syrup.  and the Autumn spices we love….cinnamon and nutmeg. Even the non-cocktail lovers loved this drink, and several people asked for the recipe.  I used Putinka vodka, which is a very decent Russian vodka at a good price. Go ahead and infuse the whole bottle. Maybe two bottles. Halloween and Thanksgiving are perfect opportunities to treat your guests to a special cocktail.

Greg used a sage leaf as a garnish.  It’s a nice touch for an Autumn Cocktail made with butternut squash-infused vodka.

The next cocktail I want to try is the Beetle Juice, which uses beet-infused vodka or gin, and the Smoke Jumper, if I find some lampsang souchgong tea, which will be mixed with some Chartreuse that I already have on hand. The tea is a black tea (smoked) as it dries over a burning pinewood. That recipe tells you just how interesting the cocktails are.

So tell me, do you like to serve cocktails during the Fall holidays and have you ever infused your own vodka?

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Autumn Cocktail with Roasted Butternut Squash and Book Review for Savory Cocktails by Greg Henry

Roasted butternut squash-infused vodka creates the Winter Squash Cocktail adapted from Savory Cocktails by Greg Henry, where it was adapted from Phoebe Wilson of the Dogwood Cocktail Cabin.

Course Cocktail

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

Simple Syrup

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water

Butternut Squash-Infused Vodka

• 1 small butternut squash about 1 pound
• 1 750 ml bottle vodka

Autumn Cocktail

• 1/2 cup squash-infused vodka
• 2 tablespoons/ 1 fl. ounce simple syrup
• 1 tablespoon / 1/2 fl. ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon / 1/2 fl. ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 big pinch ground cinnamon
• 1 big pinch freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 sage leaf as garnish

Instructions

Simple Syrup

• Bring sugar and water to boil together in saucepan, stirring occasionally.
• Reduce heat to low until a syrup is reached, about 4 minutes.
• Allow to cool for 30 minutes.
• Store in a airtight container in refrigerator, up to 30 days.

Butternut Squash-Infused Vodka

• Roast squash at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes, until the skin blisters.
• Allow to cool. Peel skin off, remove seeds, cut into chunks.
• Place in a mason jar or glass container with a bottle of vodka.
• Set in a cool place for five days.
• Remove the squash from the vodka. Strain with mesh strainer into a clean jar.

Autumn Cocktail

• In a cocktail shaker combine vodka, simple syrup, ice cubes, lemon juice, lime juice, cinnamon and nutmeg. Shake vigorously until well chilled.
• Strain into cocktail or martini glass.
• Garnish with more cinnamon if desired and a sage leaf.
• The original recipe calls for cinnamon and nutmeg to be used as a garnish only, but I liked mixing it all together. This makes one serving, but the entire recipe will make 8 or more.

Disclosure: An advance copy of Savory Cocktails was sent to me for review from the publisher.

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Yesterday a friend asked me for something different as a Thanksgiving side dish.  I tend to cling to traditional recipes with one hand, while twisting them and turning them a bit modern with another. The Thanksgiving table has to have turkey, pumpkin, brussels sprouts, potatoes, corn pudding, gravy, green beans and stuffing, but not often in the usual heavy way, although let’s face it, it’s a feast no matter what.

This month the Five Star Foodie Challenge was squash, and  I submitted a pumpkin pie with a the surprise ingredient, using cream cheese instead of eggs, and reinventing the pumpkin pie into a pumpkin tart. In this side dish, the secret ingredient is still a secret, unless you want to peruse the recipe to find out. You may be quite surprised and you might even squiggle up your nose, but trust me, it makes sense in the end and you won’t know it’s there. It will do its little magic in exciting the dish but not be imposing at the end.

The Process is easy, although the butternut squash is quite daunting if you ever tried to take your knife through one. This is why I always peel it first, then assess the easiest way to cut into it with my sharpest knife. Once it’s cut in half, and seeds are scraped, simply cut into cubes, drizzle the holy marriage of olive oil and sea salt and then roast.

There is much latitude with this recipe. One day I used torn bread pieces, toasted and added in panzanella style. On another day, I added in some purple potatoes and salad greens (as pictured at the top) for a very colorful dish. You could even replace the butternut squash with cubed sweet potatoes for yet another take on this. But, do use Brussels sprouts, and do use that secret ingredient.

More Thanksgiving Recipes from Spinach Tiger

More Brussels Sprouts Recipes from Spinach Tiger

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Thanksgiving Side: Butternut Squash with Brussels Sprouts and a Secret Ingredient

A medley of Butternut Squash, Brussells sprouts,

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 40 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 1 butternut squash
• olive oil
• 10 Brussels sprouts
• 3 slices Italian bread
• 3 anchovies
• Fresh sage leaves for adding in dish and garnishing.

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375.
• Peel butternut squash. Slice in half, scoop out seeds.
• Cut into large cubes, toss with olive oil and roast for 20-30 minutes (until soft).
• Cut stale Italian Bread in cubes (or tear in bite size pieces). Toast in oven.
• Clean Brussels Sprouts. Slice thinly to shred.
• Heat olive oil in pan. Fry sage leaves until crisp. Remove. Set Aside for garnish. Melt anchovies in hot oil. Add Brussels Sprouts. Saute until softened, approximately 5 minutes. Add in a pinch of freshly chopped sage.Add in squash, bread pieces, and season with black pepper and salt as needed. Keep in mind anchovies are salty. Garnish with sage leaves.

The post Butternut Squash with Brussels Sprouts and a Secret Ingredient appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

I love one dish meals as long as they don’t fall into the casserole category. A casserole forces you to eat pureed food where the components have become one. One-dish suppers like this allow me to see and appreciate each component and even eat one bite of one thing. You still get distinct and separate tastes and texture.

We take bread for granted, but try to imagine what it took to bake bread from scratch out in the country with no gadgets. That bread is not going to get thrown out. Every bit will be used for something. In my house growing up, bread had a special meaning, and I’m sure part of it was practical tradition and part of it spiritual. I often heard things like “never throw bread away.” I was told this would be like throwing away God’s body. Never put bread upside down on the table, and never put bread directly on table without a bread plate. It was respect for the bread that represented Christ. So if bread was left over, it went into bread salad, meatballs, over pasta, or bread crumbs, and the overflow went to the birds. Never ever ever could bread be thrown in the garbage.

The Process
I used left over tuscan bread from Provence, a local bakery that makes the perfect bread for this. You want bread that has big open holes, is chewy, but not dense.

The bread is cut into squares or torn and toasted in oven. One small butternut squash, cut in a large dice, with sauteed onion, brings the autumn/winter flavor, while a blood orange olive oil and rose vinegar bring acid and brightness. The surprise is the grilled shrimp, grilled right in the same pan that cooked the squash. And, as an extra nice surprise,I had left over corn, which added another flavor and texture.

The recipe I am providing is more of a guideline or inspiration and has nothing to do with the long and more involved recipe for the Zuni Cafe bread salad. I’m thinking that in the summer you could do the same thing, but change from butternut squash to tomato, from thyme to basil and add in some capers. The idea is to use the ingredients you have, and figure out the harmony.

Recipe for Bread Salad with Shrimp
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
small butternut squash (enough for 2 cups of diced squash)
1 medium onion, finely diced
4 thick slices stale tuscan or peasant bread cut into large squares (or torn)
extra virgin olive oil (I used a flavored blood orange olive oil)
rose wine vinegar
1 pound wild shrimp, peeled, deveined, rinsed, patted dry
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
1/2 cup corn
3-5 sprigs fresh thyme
4 cups fresh arugula
sea salt, freshly ground pepper

Put butter in pan, add onion, until softened. Add squash. Cook until softened, nearly caramelized.
Add corn. Toast bread. Toss bread with butternut squash mixture. Put contents in bowl. In same pan, add small amount of olive oil. Add oil and vinegar to slightly soften bread and to taste. Cook shrimp, just until pink. Toss with olive oil, vinegar (to taste), salt pepper, shrimp, fresh thyme.

The post Panzanella with Shrimp and Butternut Squash appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

But there can be no match for swaying into fall than apples, pushed up with cayenne peppers, sweetened with maple syrup and built up with some butter nut squash.

The inspiration comes from the Royal Foodie Joust, a food contest hosted by the Left-Over Queen, a food competition that I won back in February. The way it works is that last month’s winner of the overall competition selects three ingredients for the following month.

August’s winner, Natasha of Five Star Foodie chose, apples, maple syrup and cayenne pepper.
Natasha, I want to say thank you for the best ingredients for September. I couldn’t wait to run out and buy apples and start thinking about recipes.

I landed at soup, because last year I made a delicious pear soup but never blogged about it. I thought It will work with apples, and if you take notice, I like heat in my soup in more ways than one, so I embraced the cayenne.

I put some thought into this to make sure when you tasted this soup, you would have a thick creamy texture, and the first taste would be apples, followed by maple, followed by some heat. I didn’t want the squash to interfere with these flavors, so I roasted the apples and used the skins. I used Jonathan apples which have a good bit of acid, after a long conversation with the apple lady at the farmer’s market. I was very pleased with the apple flavor, but you could certainly use other apples. The other good news to this soup is that it is completely vegan, using only water as the broth. I originally planned on adding in some cream and then didn’t need to. It was perfect, savory and just a touch of sweet.

I topped it off with apple chips, and herbs, but you could top it with some maple infused yogurt. I sprinkled cayenne pepper on top of each serving, gingerly. This brings a medium-to full heat, and can be optional. I also used some fresh cayenne peppers to start the soup.

The result is a savory apple-flavored soup that is satisfying and comforting, yet a bit unique.

Eight Jonathan apples cut in half, placed in cast iron pan, roasted at 375 for about 30-40 minutes.

Butter Nut Squash roasted at 375 for about 40 minutes. I only used half of the squash, and soaked it with maple syrup.

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Spicy Maple Roasted Apple Soup

Spicy apple soup flavored with maple, a great way to warm up the Fall.

Ingredients

• 8 medium apples seeded, cut in half
• 1 small butternut squash enough to yield two cups
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 large shallot diced
• 1 cayenne pepper diced
• 4 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 4 cups water
• 4 sprigs thyme
• 2 sprigs of rosemary chopped finely
• salt pepper to taste

Instructions

• Roast apples and butternut squash for 30-40 minutes until they slip out of their skins.
• When you remove from oven, pour 2 tablespoons maple syrup into the flesh of apples and squash.
• While apples and squash are cooling, saute shallots in butter until softened,
• If using fresh cayenne pepper, add now.
• Add remaining maple syrup.
• Add 4 cups of water and herbs.
• Add flesh of butternut squash by using a large spoon to scoop out. Add flesh and skins of apples.
• Bring to a simmer. Add cayenne pepper, salt.
• Blend with stick blender.
• You may choose to add in 1/2 cup of cream or additional water,
• depending on how thin or thick you prefer your soup.
• Serve hot, topped with some apple chips, a pinch of fresh herbs. 
Optionally, add a dollop of maple infused yogurt.

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