Butternut Squash Soup with Coconut and Curry

Minoo shared 3 recipes in the South Arm Multicultural Community Kitchen in the week leading Chinese New Year.

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Minoo chosed a Thai theme for this kitchen. The first recipe is a Butternut Squash Soup with Coconut and Curry.

Ingredients

  • 1 x 4 pounds buttercup or butternut squash
  • 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes (large flakes)
  • 2 large leeks, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
  • 1/2 jalapeno chili, seeded and minced
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons oil
  • 1 tablespoon curry powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 x 13.5 ounce can coconut milk
  • juice from 1/2 lemon or lime
  • fresh cilantro leaves for garnishing

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Source: South Arm Community Kitchen

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Butternut Squash Cakes

In the South Arm Multicultural Community Kitchen, Minoo shared three recipes featuring squash and green tomatoes. The recipes were inspired by the squash and green tomatoes given by Richmond Sharing Farm from their abundant harvest.

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The above are the squash given by the Richmond Sharing Farm. From front row, left to right is kabocha, sugar pumpkin and acorn. The one on second row right most is butternut squash and the one on the left most is red kuri squash. Any one know what is the name of the squash in the middle of second row?

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We made Butternut Squash Cakes with the butternut squash. It is like latkes with the squash replacing the potatoes. They are crispy when freshly fried. These make a great lunch box item.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/4 cup diced onion
  • 2 cups grated butternut squash, packed
  • 1 teaspoon curry powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • about 4 tablespoons flour
  • olive oil for shallow fry
  • 1/4 cup sour cream for garnish (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds for garnishing (optional)

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Source: South Arm Community Kitchen

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Curried Butternut Squash Soup with Coconut Milk

Minoo prepared a Curried Butternut Squash Soup with Coconut Milk for the comfort food theme. The colour of the meals at today’s kitchen is simply a shade of yellowish orange, just like fall colour.

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The Curried Butternut Squash Soup with Coconut Milk is gingery and sweet. It can also served as a dessert soup if we leave out the salt.

Ingredients

  • 7 to 8 cups diced butternut squash (1 large 3 lbs squash)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 onions, finely diced
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon minced ginger root
  • 1 tablespoon curry powder or curry paste
  • 4 cups chicken broth or water
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 teaspoons sugar, optional
  • 1 x 14oz can unsweetened coconut milk
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice

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Source: adapted from Vegetarian classics

Serves 4

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Butternut Squash Gratin with Parmesan Sage Breadcrumbs

The second dish which Minoo prepared from the Vancouver Sun was Butternut Squash Gratin with Parmesan Sage Breadcrumbs. It”s in season now. Winter squash is a good source of fiber, vitamin C, manganese, magnesium and potassium. It is also an excellent source of Vitamin A and E.

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This casserole dish is tender, crisp, sweet and savoury. It is a great dish for potluck.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons (30ml) unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon (15ml) olive oil
  • 2 medium onions, about 1 pound (450g), chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 2 1/2 pounds (1.1 kg) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 1 teaspoon (5ml) sugar
  • 1 teaspoon (5ml) sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon (5ml) freshly ground black pepper, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon (2ml) freshly ground nutmeg
  • 3/4 cup (180ml) chicken or vegetable stock
  • 1 1/2 cups (375ml) panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 cup (250ml) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 tablespoons (30ml) chopped fresh sage leaves

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Source: adapted from Vancouver Sun

Makes 8 servings

P/S: the shallots are not supposed to be in the ingredients

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Butternut Squash Soup with Maple Walnuts

Minoo selected a hearty winter soup recipe for the South Arm Community Kitchen. Squash is great for soup and they are in season in the winter. It is always good to eat produce in season for their freshness and cheap price.

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his Butternut Squash Soup with Maple Walnuts is a recipe from Quebec. It is the maple syrup that distinguishes this soup from others.  You may serve this soup as an appetizer or a stand alone light lunch, You may substitute butternut squash with other winter squash like acorn squash, Kabocha squash, etc. You can also substitute the walnuts with other nuts like cashew or pecan.

Ingredients

Maple Walnuts for topping

  • 1 cup (250ml) walnut pieces
  • 2 tablespoons (30ml) maple syrup
  • a pinch of cayenne pepper
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
  • salt to taste

Soup

  • 2 teaspoons (10ml)  vegetable oil
  • 1 large yellow onion, diced
  • 2 pounds (1 kg) butternut squash, peeled and cubed (you can microwave it for 5 minutes to soften it for easier peeling)
  • 1 1/2 cups (350ml) apple cider
  • 2 cups (500ml) reduced sodium vegetable stock
  • 1 teaspoon dried sage
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • cayenne pepper to taste, optional
  • 1/3 cup (80ml) maple syrup, optional (we did not add this to the soup as the butternut squash is already sweet enough)

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Source: this recipe is adapted from www.alive.com

Serves 6.

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Spiced Squash and Corn Chili

The second dish prepared by the seniors at the South Arm Cooking Club for seniors is a vegetarian chili dish. This is a healthy and hearty dish for the cold winter.

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The Spiced Squash and Corn Chili has a little kick in it and it utilizes butternut squash which is in season. The addition of walnuts adds a little crunch to the chili.

Butternut squash is a good source of fiber, vitamin A, C and E, manganese, magnesium and potassium.

Ingredients

  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 onions, finely chopped
  • 1 small butternut squash, about 4 cups
  • 2 can diced tomatoes
  • 1 can tomato sauce
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder or according to taste
  • 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper or according to taste
  • 1 tablespoon coriander and ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon and allspice
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tablespoon chili flakes or according to taste
  • 2 tablespoons smoked paprika or according to taste
  • 3 bell peppers, mix colors, chopped
  • 1 can corn nibblets
  • 2 cans black beans
  • 1 cup walnuts (optional)

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Source: unknown

Serves 8 to 12

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Stocks 101: Butternut and Coconut Cream Soup with Veggie Stocks

This is the second workshop organized by the Richmond Food Security Society on Basic Food Skills. This workshop is all about stocks.

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I must say that documenting such workshop is the hardest. All I got was the few words on the board. I had to take photos and notes at the same time. Unfortunately, I do not know short hand and have not pickup the texting language. I’m trying my best to share what I learnt.

We learned from Ian, that there are three kinds of stocks, brown stocks, white stocks and veggie stocks. Brown stocks is usually made with veal and chicken bones and it takes a long time to make, something like 12 hours to simmer. So, we are not going to do this. It is usually made in restaurant with shift work.

White stocks is made with chicken bones and veggies like celery, onions, leeks, carrots and herbs.

Veggies stocks is also made with veggies like celery, onions, leeks, carrots and herbs. The ratio of celery, carrot, leek and onion is 1:1:1:2. Leeks can be substituted with onions as it’s expensive.

Herbs which are common for making stocks includes pepper corns, bay leaf and parsley.

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It is recommended to use a tall pot to make stocks. Tall and slender pot is recommended to prevent too much evaporation during simmering as the stocks is to be simmered uncovered.

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Ingredients

To make veggie stocks, Ian used:

  • two carrots, roughly chopped
  • 1 stick of celery, roughly chopped
  • some frozen chopped parsley (leftovers from the previous workshop)
  • 1/2 teaspoon whole peppercorn
  • 1 bay leaf (if possible, get some from someone with a Bay Laurel tree, an evergreen tree which has more intense flavour than those store bought one)
  • a small bunch of thymes

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  • a stock of lemon grass (to tie to the Thai flavour as Ian will be making a Butternut and Coconut Cream Soup with the veggie stocks). Cut the lemon grass 6 inches from the root, remove the outer husk, trim root off and rough chop.

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  • 1 medium onion, roughly chopped (without the skin as the skin makes the stocks bitter)
  • 1 leek roughly chopped (use only the white part as the greens will yield a dark stocks, make sure you wash the leek thoroughly as it often has dirts in between the leaves)
  • 1-inch chunk of ginger
  • cold water just enough to cover all the veggies

Instructions

  • Bring the water to just bubbling, lower heat and let simmer, uncovered for 30 to 40 minutes.

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After simmering for 30 to 40 minutes, you’ll get a flavourful clear veggie broth. Strain the stocks.

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Butternut Squash Apple Soup

This Butternut Squash Apple Soup is another great recipe in using winter produce. Cold weather calls for a hot bowl of soup.  This creamy soup is flavourful and heart warming.

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This soup can be prepared in 40 minutes or less.  The trick to a great butternut squash soup is the simple addition of one tart green apple to balance the sweetness of the squash.

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One of the better way to prepare the butternut squash is to roast it.  Simply cut the squash half lengthwise, lightly brush with vegetable oil and place cut side down on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes in a 350F preheated oven until it is softened.  Roasting brings out the sweetness of the squash as the sugar content is caramelized.

Butternut squash is a good source of fiber, vitamin C and A, magnesium, manganese and potassium.   This recipe serves 4 to 6.

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Roasted Butternut Squash, Red Grapes and Sage

The second recipe for the South Arm Cooking Club for Seniors is Roasted Butternut Squash, Red Grapes and Sage.  This recipe is adapted from Bon Appetit and it serves 4 to 6.

This side dish is versatile in the sense that you can use it in different ways like as a topper for spinach salad or stuff it inside a whole wheat pita with a bit of blue cheese for an unusual and delicious snack.

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This Roasted Butternut Squash, Red Grapes and Sage is easy to make fall recipe.

The grapes are a surprise to this recipe which I think you will like.

The hardest part of this recipe is cutting up the squash.  Charlene shared some tips on how to prepare butternut squash in a later kitchen.  If you’re making soup, simply cut the squash in half, lengthwise and bake in a 400F degrees oven until the flesh is soft enough to scoop out, about 45 minutes.  If you need to peel the squash, submerge the squash in a big pot of boiling water for 2 minutes.  This will soften the skin, making it easier for removal using a vegetable peeler.

Ingredients

  • 1 x 2 1/4 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1 1/2 cups seedless red grapes (about 8 ounces)
  • 1 medium onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh sage leaves (or 1 tablespoon dry sage, crumbled)
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter, melted
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts or walnuts (optional)

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