Recipe of the Day: Squash

Squash Soup with Sage and Orzo

2 medium butternut squash (about 3 lbs)
1 large onion, diced
4 cups vegetable stock
1 tbs vegan butter
2 tbs olive oil
2 tsp ground coriander, divided
1 tsp white pepper
2 tbs fresh sage, chopped, plus additional for garnish
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups orzo, cooked

Directions

Preheat oven to 425°. Peel and halve both squash, scooping out the centers. Coarsely chop three halves of squash and set aside for the soup. Dice the remaining half, into large pieces for roasting (approximately 3/4” squares). Toss the cut pieces with 2 tbs olive oil, 1 tsp coriander, and a generous seasoning of salt and pepper. Roast the squash on two baking sheets for 30 minutes, flipping the pieces, and rotating the pan halfway through. When squash is done roasting, set aside for serving on top of the soup.

In a large dutch oven, heat 1 tbs vegan butter over medium heat. Cook the onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the coarsely chopped squash, vegetable stock, 1 tsp coriander, sage, white pepper and generous shakes of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Remove soup from heat and either using a stick blender or working in small batches in a convention blender, puree until smooth. Depending on the size of your squash, your puree may be very thick. If this is the case, thin soup with water, adding one tablespoon at a time until the desired consistency is reached.

To serve, place 1/2 cup of cooked orzo in bowl and top with roasted squash. Pour the squash soup around the orzo and garnish with fresh sage and freshly cracked pepper.

Source: Squash Soup with Sage and Orzo | Free People Blog http://blog.freepeople.com/2013/09/squash-soup-sage-orzo/#ixzz2ffnrc9fx

Food: Banana Egg Pancakes

As if pancakes weren't already the easiest dish to make, they just got easier! All you need is bananas and eggs!

1. Take 3 bananas and mash them with a fork
2. Beat 2 eggs until fully mixed
3. Combine both bananas and eggs together and mix
4. Add 1 tbsp of cinamon or nutmeg for added flavor
5. Cook with Coconut Oil! (or olive oil, any oil of your choice)

All done!

Health: Pineapple Brakfast Sandwich

Ingredients: 

• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh pineapple
• 4 tablespoons Neufchatel or part-skim ricotta cheese
• 2 slices whole grain bread, toasted
• 4 large strawberries, sliced
• 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
• 
  
• Method: 

  In a small bowl, combine pineapple and Neufchatel and then spread evenly on bread. Top with strawberries and walnuts and serve.
  Nutritional Info: 

  PER SERVING:220 calories (120 from fat), 13g total fat, 5g saturated fat, 20mg cholesterol, 230mg sodium, 21g carbohydrate (4g dietary fiber, 8g sugar), 8g protein

  Find more recipes from the source

Cocunut Curry Sauce Receipe from Girls Gone Strong

• Raw organic coconut butter
• Canned coconut milk (or organic chicken broth)
• Steamed broccoli florets (I prefer small pieces)
• Shredded carrots
• Red or vidalia onion
• Baby bella mushrooms
• Garlic salt or fresh garlic and sea salt
• Curry powder
• Dash of cinnamon, if desired
• Crushed red pepper or minced fresh jalapeno
• Shrimp (cooked or uncooked) or chicken-or really any protein source for that matter

• Depending on your protein choice, you may need to cook separately and set aside. I suggest cooking to almost done, and then simmering in the sauce.
• Caramelize the onions: Slice very thinly and add to a lightly greased pan set on high. After stirring for one minute, reduce heat to low and cook for 15 minutes while you prepare the rest of the food.
• In a separate pan, brown the mushrooms. Don’t crowd them or they won’t brown! Instead they will get soggy.
• Set aside mushrooms, onions, meat and add a Tablespoon of coconut butter to a sauce pan on medium-high heat.
• Add a 1/4 cup coconut milk (or a 1/2 cup broth), as well as garlic salt, pinch of curry and red peppers. Stir, and bring to a low boil, the reduce heat to low-medium. Add the rest of the ingredients, and stir to coat. If you want your sauce thinner, add more liquid. If you want it thicker, keep the heat higher to thicken.

Salmon Cakes

I make these all the time, it's kind of a lengthy process, but well worth it!  Try these yummy Salmon Cakes for dinner tonight!  xoxo Chelsea

Ingredients

1/2 pound fresh salmon

Good olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

3/4 cup small-diced red onion (1 small onion)

1 1/2 cups small-diced celery (4 stalks)

1/2 cup small-diced red bell pepper (1 small pepper)

1/2 cup small-diced yellow bell pepper (1 small pepper)

1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 tablespoon capers, drained

1/4 teaspoon hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco)

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons crab boil seasoning (recommended: Old Bay)

3 slices stale bread, crusts removed

1/2 cup good mayonnaise

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Place the salmon on a sheet pan, skin side down. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, until just cooked. Remove from the oven and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Allow to rest for 10 minutes and refrigerate until cold.
Meanwhile, place 2 tablespoons of the butter, 2 tablespoons olive oil, the onion, celery, red and yellow bell peppers, parsley, capers, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, crab boil seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a large saute pan over medium-low heat and cook until the vegetables are soft, approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
Break the bread slices in pieces and process the bread in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. You should have about 1 cup of bread crumbs. Place the bread crumbs on a sheet pan and toast in the oven for 5 minutes until lightly browned, tossing occasionally.
Flake the chilled salmon into a large bowl. Add the bread crumbs, mayonnaise, mustard, and eggs. Add the vegetable mixture and mix well. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Shape into 10 (2 1/2 to 3-ounce) cakes.
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. In batches, add the salmon cakes and fry for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until browned. Drain on paper towels; keep them warm in a preheated 250 degree F oven and serve hot.

(courtesy foodnetwork.com)

Spinach Chicken Artichoke Casserole

Ingredients:

• 4 cups of al dente whole grain pasta of your choice (try elbows, orrecchiette and other more-dimensional pasta, or use a gluten-free variety)
• 2 large chicken breasts, baked and gently shredded (pull into pieces with a fork)
• 3 cups chopped fresh spinach
• 5 crimini mushrooms, washed and chopped
• Half a medium spanish onion, chopped
• 3 cloves fresh garlic, chopped
• 1 Tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
• Some extra virgin olive oil (for cooking)
• 6-8 ounces artichoke hearts (canned is fine), chopped
• 16 ounces low-fat sour cream
• 2 Tablespoons Italian herbs
• 2 1/2 teaspoons sea salt (plus a little extra for cooking)
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup mozzarella, shredded
• 1/3 cup parmesan, grated

Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 375° F.
2. Cook pasta according to the package directions, but take 1-2 minutes off of the cooking time so the pasta is al dente (since you’ll be baking this dish, you want to undercook the pasta slightly; be careful not to overcook).  Add a splash of oil while cooking the pasta to prevent sticking and a little sea salt for flavor.
3. While the pasta is cooking, add the chopped mushroom, garlic, onion and basil to a skillet with about a Tablespoon or two of oil and a few sprinkles of sea salt.  Saute over low heat with a little oil to soften and lightly brown, stirring every couple of minutes (the aroma will be very enticing) for 10-15 minutes.
4. Also while the pasta is cooking, bring a medium pot of water to a boil.  Add spinach, cover and let boil for 1-2 minutes.  When the spinach is wilted, drain it well and fluff with a fork
5. When the pasta is al dente, rinse it 2-3 times with cold water to stop the cooking process.
6. Place the pasta in a large bowl and add the shredded chicken.  Toss to combine.
7. Add the drained spinach, the mushroom saute and the chopped artichoke to the large bowl.  Stir gently to combine; if the spinach sticks together, use a fork again to gently fluff and separate it.
8. In a small bowl, thoroughly combine the sour cream, herbs and salt.
9. Add the sour cream mixture to the large bowl and gently stir so sour cream is evenly distributed.
10. Add the cheddar, mozzarella and parmesan to the large bowl and stir again to combine well.
11. Spoon mixture into large glass casserole dish (tilt bowl sideways for ease) and spread evenly across dish.
12. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
13. Next, remove the foil and bake for an additional 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
14. Enjoy!

Notes:  When I came up with this recipe, I didn’t measure any of the ingredients but mixed things together and it came out wonderfully.  So, don’t worry about having exactly 3 cups of chopped spinach or exactly 5 mushrooms – use what you have and it will still taste great.  Also, I used gluten-free brown rice elbows as my pasta, and they were awesome in this dish.

Lastly, a word of caution: my boyfriend and I ate much more than half of this large casserole in one sitting, so if you’re hungry and having more than 4 people at your dinner table, plan accordingly. : )

Find more great recipes from the source!

Cake Batter Cookie

Do these not look like the most tempting cookies of all time!? Betsy Life has some of the best homemade recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and of course, desserts. I stumbled upon this quick recipe guide for these bite size pieces of heaven. Follow this simple recipe, and click here to see more of Betsy's recipes from her blog :)

"1-16oz can Sprinkles cupcake mix
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup color sprinkles **I actually dumped in the rest of the container of sprinkles I had. I don’t think it was quite 1/2 cup. Another pantry victory! "