Roasted Squash Soup

It's fall and that means the fall harvest fruits and veggies are here!  My CSA box brought some gorgeous apples and butternut squash.  What better to make than a fall squash soup?!     I really like this soup with a serrano chili added to steep and impart flavor.  You can puree it into the soup if you prefer a little spicier.  It can be omitted altogether if you wish.  I don't usually add the heavy cream since my guy has dairy issues.  Good thing we really do prefer it dairy free.  I like options, hope you do too!

ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP 

1 medium butternut squash (approx. 3 lbs.), peeled, seeded and cut into chunks 

1 granny smith apple, quartered and cored, skin on 

1medium onion, preferably sweet, peeled and quartered 

1 shallot, peeled and quartered 

1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil 

salt & pepper to taste 

4 c chicken stock 

1 Tbs maple syrup 

1 tsp cider vinegar 

¼ tsp ground nutmeg 

* ¼ c heavy cream, optional 

**½ Serrano chili, seeded with ribs removed 

Preheat oven to 450°F. 

In mixing bowl, toss squash, apple, onion and shallot with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Arrange 

mixture in single layer in roasting pan.  Roast until vegetables are golden brown, soft and 

carmelizing, approx. 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Remove apple skins.  Put vegetables into a stock pot or large saucepan.  Deglaze the roasting 

pan on the stove top with ½ cup of chicken stock.  Scrape up the fond (bits and pieces on 

bottom of roasting pan) and pour into the stock pot with the veggies.  Add remaining chicken 

stock to pot.  Using a blender stick, puree the veggies and stock to a fine smooth puree.  Add 

syrup, vinegar, and nutmeg.  Bring to a simmer over low heat. Add water or additional stock if 

necessary to adjust consistency.   

Serve, garnishing with small dollop of crème fraiche and baked apple chips. 

*Optional:  Finish with heavy cream.  Do not bring to a boil after adding cream. 

**If you like a little kick in your soup, add ½ a Serrano chili, seeded with ribs removed and 

allow to steep and impart flavor as you bring the soup to a simmer.  Remove the chili before 

serving.   

Eat happy!

Carolyne

Bring on Breakfast Granola!

It's true - I loved Fruit Loops, Apple Jacks and Count Chocula as a kid.  French toast, pancakes, biscuits...  loved them all!  But by high school, I just couldn't eat breakfast anymore.  I felt blah, headachy, like I had a cement weight in my tummy all day.  Of course we didn't know why, and my poor mom would be so perplexed.  Not even her homemade pancakes could persuade me to eat before going off to school. 


Granola has long been one of my favorites, and something that I dearly missed when diagnosed with Celiacs.  It became a mission - to create and tweak a granola recipe that I could again love.  Finding certified Gluten Free Oats has been the biggest hurdle, and there is some debate whether or not it is possible for oats to be truly GF.  Bob's Red Mill has the product.  And I have the recipe.  So after all these years, I find myself a breakfast eater!  I hope that you enjoy ~

GRANOLA

1 c. orange juice

½ c. cranberry juice

2 tsp cococut oil

1 Tbs cinnamon

pinch ginger & nutmeg

zest of 1 lemon

½ c honey

1 tsp GF vanilla

pinch salt

3 ½ c gluten free rolled oats

¾ c. gluten free steel cut oats

¼ c whole ground flax seed meal

½ c almond slivers

½ c raw sunflower seeds

¾ c dried wild blueberries

¾ c dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 325° F.

Combine juices, spices, zest and oil in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil and reduce by half.  Allow to cool; add honey, vanilla and salt.

Mix oats and seeds together.  Pour juice mixture over oats and toss. 

Prepare 2 cookie sheets with silpats or spray lightly with oil.  Spread mixture onto cookie sheets in thin, even layers.  Bake approx. 25 minutes, stirring once or twice, until golden and crunchy.  Cool, then stir in dried fruit. 

Makes approx. 7 cups. Store in airtight container.