Butternut & Potato Soup

Due to Tropical Storm Ida taking up residence over Richmond, the temperature has dropped significantly and left me craving warm soup. This recipe is also a good way to use some of the butternut squash that is everywhere currently. Unfortunately, it’s not a very pretty recipe so the picture doesn’t look very good, but try it anyway!

Butternut-Potato Soup

Ingredients:

5 yukon gold potatoes
1 butternut squash
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, diced
½ cup vegetable broth
1 tsp sage
1 tsp black pepper
1 cup plain lite soymilk

Apparatus:

Knife
Plate
Microwave
Pot
Wooden spoon
Masher

Process:

1)Scrub potatoes and remove eyes. Scar potatoes with knife, place on plate and put in microwave for 10 minutes until soft.
2)Carefully remove skin from squash and dice into small cubes.
3)Place oil, onion, garlic, and spices into pot and sauté until onions are translucent.
4)Add squash and sauté for approximately 2 more minutes.
5)In the meantime, remove potatoes from microwave and dice coarsely. (CAREFUL! They will still be hot!)
6)Add potatoes, vegetable broth, and soy milk to pot. Stir, then cover with plate and let simmer on medium heat for 20 minutes.
7)Using potato masher, mash. (If the soup is watery for your liking, add a bit of flour. If you want the soup even creamier, add more soymilk.)
8)Serve into bowls. Enjoy!

Swiss Chard Rice Pilaf

A friend recently offered me her share in a co-op for a week, and I wound up with more leafy greens then I knew what to do with. Here is my first attempt at a Swiss chard recipe ( I’ve included a picture of the greens raw for easy identification)-I hope you enjoy!



Swiss Chard Rice Pilaf:


Ingredients:

1 pound Swiss chard
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ cup pearl onions (frozen)
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp fennel
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp sage
¼ cup chopped mushrooms
1 ½ cups uncooked brown rice
½ cup chopped parsley
2 ½ cups water
1 tsp black pepper

Apparatus:

Knife (serrated if available, trust me it makes it much easier)
Deep pot
Wooden Spoon

Process:

1)Rinse Swiss chard thoroughly under running water. Grab 1 stalk of Swiss chard in non-dominant hand, and with other hand, wrap hand firmly around stalk and pull quickly to effectively remove all leaves from stalk. (Minor side note: Yes you will feel slightly ridiculous during this process. You could opt to simply use a knife to remove leaves from stem. I found that this method is easier and faster.) Repeat process until all leaves are removed from stems and discard stems.
2)Chop leaves into small pieces
3)Place oil in pot and add onions, mushrooms, garlic, fennel, sage, and coriander. Saute until onions are soft and garlic is fragrant.
4)Add rice, and stir briefly to coat.
5)Add Swiss chard, parsley, and water. Stir, then cover, and leave for 20 minutes or until rice has absorbed all water.
6)Add black pepper, give a final stir, and serve!

*This works well with parmesan cheese added as a garnish as well!*




Swiss Chard-prior to being de-stemmed and chopped: So many pretty colors!!