Butternut Squash Soup with Chipotle Sour Cream

I’ve been on a butternut squash kick lately.  Les and my daughter loved the Winter Vegetable Stew with Moroccan Spices, and I made some butternut squash soup with the leftover squash. Then I bought another butternut squash from the store a few weeks ago.  I had intentions of making something new with it, but as sometimes happens, I didn’t get around to using the squash that week.  It sat forgotten and ignored on my counter waiting for me to use it.

I hate to throw out food, so I was glad when my boss told me about some butternut squash soup with chipotle peppers she’d had.  I was inspired!  I could use my sad and lonely squash, and I had everything else I needed in the pantry.  I could make dinner without going to the store.  I love when I don’t have to go to the store!

I made the butternut squash soup last Saturday night for dinner, and I don’t recommend the following technique (at least the part my husband helped with), but it's how I tested the soup.  I started the soup a little late Saturday afternoon, and after the step where I boiled the vegetables until they were tender, I took the soup off the heat, and and set it aside.  My son and I rushed off to mass where he was was altar serving that evening.  Les came home from work while we were at church, and I guess he was hungry, because when we got home he confessed he’d had a bowl of the soup that was on the stove.  Really!?!  The soup wasn’t finished.  It was really chunky, and it wasn't seasoned correctly.  Les said he liked the soup the way it was.  I completed the soup with his portion missing from the pot.  The soup was delicious despite the change.

Butternut Squash Soup with Chipotle Sour Cream is silky smooth with rich flavor from the chicken broth and chipotle peppers.  I made the soup as written with chicken broth (it’s what I had on hand), but I think it would be delicious with vegetable broth too.  Les said he liked his extra chunky soup, but I know he liked the smooth, and properly seasoned soup better.

Butternut Squash Soup with Chipotle Sour Cream

Adapted from foodnetwork.com

Printable Recipe

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 medium butternut squash, washed, halved lengthwise and seeded

Kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 medium onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 medium carrots, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

6 cups chicken broth, divided

2 teaspoons minced chipotle peppers in adobo

Chipotle Sour Cream

1 teaspoon minced chipotle peppers in adobo

1/2 cup sour cream

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400°F.  Arrange the squash cut side up on a baking sheet.  Brush the cut side of the squash with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast squash until browned and very tender, about 45 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let cool.

In a Dutch oven over medium heat add the remaining olive oil, onion, celery and carrot.  Season the mixture with a pinch of salt.  Cook the vegetables until they start to soften, about 10 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Using a spoon, scoop the flesh of the butternut squash away from the skin, and add it to the softened vegetables.  Add 4 cups of the chicken broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer until the vegetables are very tender, about 30 minutes.

Take the soup off the heat and blend it with an immersion blender until it is completely blended and smooth.  Add the remaining chicken broth to achieve the desired consistency.  Mix in 2 teaspoons of the chipotle pepper and adjust the seasoning by adding salt and pepper to taste.

In a small bowl, mix together 1 teaspoon of chipotle pepper and the sour cream.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve the soup with a dollop of chipotle sour cream on top.

Salmon with Mustard-Dill Glaze

I have another recipe to share from my Christmas entertaining.  If you’re like me, and made a New Year’s resolution to eat healthier this year, this recipe will go farther to help you with your goal than the cookie, fudge and appetizer recipes I shared during the holidays. I can’t blame the Salmon with Mustard-Dill Glaze we had on Christmas Eve for the scale trauma I had on January 1^st.  (No, I enjoyed way too many helpings of cookies, fudge and appetizers over the holidays, and am now paying the price on the scale.) 

Margot, Jeff and their kids joined us again on Christmas Eve (we’ve been celebrating Christmas Eve together for 15 years.  What a great tradition!)  Margot is my hero!  She has been fighting colon cancer for five years, and she watches what she eats carefully.  I like to make something she feels good about eating, so Salmon with Mustard-Dill Glaze was one of the dishes I served for Christmas Eve.  I only started cooking fish a couple of year ago, and I never would have dreamed of serving it to guests until recently, but while I was enjoying my Christmas Eve dinner, I was thinking Salmon with Mustard-Dill Glaze was perfect to serve to friends on Christmas Eve.

I generally will barbeque or poach salmon, so I’m glad I found a baked salmon recipe we like.  The mustard and dill glaze tastes great on the salmon, and when you add the sour cream sauce, the salmon is delicious. But, what I like best about Salmon with Mustard-Dill Glaze is it’s easy enough to serve on a weeknight, but it’s fancy enough to serve to guests.

Salmon with Mustard Dill Glaze

Adapted from Holiday magazine

Printable Recipe

3 Lemons, 2 thinly sliced, 1 cut into wedges to serve with salmon

½ cup spicy brown mustard

¼ cup mayonnaise (I used canola mayonnaise)

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

½ cup chopped fresh dill

2-3 pounds boneless side of salmon

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

¾ cup light sour cream

Preheat the oven to 450°F.  Spray a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray, and then place the lemon slices diagonally across the baking sheet.   Place the salmon, skin side down on the lemons, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

In a medium bowl, mix together the mustard, mayonnaise, sugar vinegar and dill.  Stir until the sugar dissolves.  Set aside half the mustard mixture.  Brush the remaining mustard mixture on top of the salmon.  Bake the salmon until it is just opaque through, 13 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix together the mustard mixture set aside earlier, and the sour cream. 

Place the salmon on a large platter with the lemon wedges, and serve it with the sour cream sauce.

Spiced Tomato and Red Lentil Soup

I’m sitting enjoying the quiet evening knowing my vacation is over, and I will be returning to work tomorrow.  I always feel a little bittersweet about going back to work after my Christmas vacation.  On one hand, I like my job and the people I work with, so I’m looking forward to getting back to my routine.  On the other hand, I’m sad that my winter rest is over.  I never quite attain the same relaxed pace any other time of year.  After Christmas, my life slows down, and I am more “in the moment” than I am for the rest of the year (no matter if I’m on vacation or not).  I’m not sure exactly why.  And, this year I was able to maintain a balance of rest, exercise, and entertainment that was nothing short of blissful. 

I spent yesterday cleaning up Christmas decorations.  I know I should leave them up until Epiphany, but I do like to start the year with a clean house, and Les was home to help me get the Christmas bins in the attic.  I’ve put everything away and vacuumed the needles (Can anyone tell me why my fake Christmas tree has needles to vacuum??), and was reminiscing about my vacation.  I was able to get in a couple of hikes, we went to a couple of movies, watched countless movies at home, and I was able to try out some new recipes, during my vacation. I made Spiced Tomato and Red Lentil Soup for dinner a couple of days after Christmas, and my whole family liked this soup (even my son).  Les is always very complementary of my cooking, but after he ate two bowls of the soup he said, “I really, really like this soup.”  High praise! 

I will be adding this healthy soup to my menu rotation since my whole family likes it, and more importantly, will eat it.  The original recipe gives the option of using Madras curry powder or garam masala.  Since my daughter doesn’t like curry, I chose to use the garam masala (I love the flavor of garam masala, so I probably would have chosen it anyway).  The recipe also calls for vegetable broth, but I had chicken broth on hand, so that's what I used.  Spice Tomato and Red Lentil Soup is hearty and filling.   The red lentils have a different, lighter flavor to me than green lentils, and I like them better.  I served the soup with grilled cheese sandwiches, but you could serve it with salad or a nice loaf of whole grain bread to complete the meal. 

I hope you have a Happy New Year!

Spiced Tomato and Red Lentil Soup

Adapted from Fine Cooking’s One Pot Meals

Printable Recipe

3 tablespoons oil

2 medium yellow onions, chopped

Kosher Salt

2 teaspoons garam masala

2 quarts low-salt vegetable or chicken broth (I used chicken broth)

2 14½ ounce can petite-diced tomatoes

1 pound (2½ cups) dried red lentils, picked over, rinsed and drained

2 medium celery ribs, diced

1 medium carrot, peeled and diced

2 medium cloves of garlic, chopped

¼ teaspoon cayenne

Heat the oil in a 6-quart or larger Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add the onions and a pinch of salt and cook until the onions are soft and just beginning to brown, stirring occasional.  Add the garam masala and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Add the broth, tomatoes, lentils, celery, carrot, garlic, cayenne 1teaspoon kosher salt and 2 cups of water.  Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently, so the lentils don’t stick.  Skim any foam.  Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, 35 to 40 minutes or until the lentils and vegetables are all tender. Check soup for seasoning, and add more salt if needed.

Serve with a dollop of yogurt or sour cream and chopped cilantro to garnish.