Honeynut Squash soup-slow cooker style

I will be totally honest. I have never heard of a honeynut squash before in my life. I get the bulk of my produce and groceries from an online company and when I saw this item in the produce choice, I had to try. It’s kind of the fun part of buying my produce online. I see things I often don’t see in my local grocery store. Like the cactus pears we had two weeks ago. Not my cup of tea but they were pretty. Maybe they should have been tossed in a smoothie.

Back to my honey nut squash. These are a cute little sibling to the butternut squash. They had a warm honey color and a much easier skin to cut through. Making getting them ready for soup a breeze. They taste similar to the butternut. Maybe a bit nuttier in flavor but the same when I tried a piece I cooked just for tasting.

I made the following recipe up on a chilly afternoon when I had stuff to do and just wanted to know a nice dinner was waiting for me. You could definitely do this on a stovetop in a pot and if you can’t find honey nut squash you could substitute one large butternut squash. 

Don’t worry about chopping up your veggies all pretty. You’re going to use an emulsion blender or a regular blender at the end to make it all smooth.

Fall Honeynut Squash Soup

Ingredients:

• 2-3 honeynut squash-peeled, seeded and diced
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 large red pepper chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic cut in half
• 2 small potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 can of diced green chilies
• 2-3 tsp of cumin
• 2-3 tsp of coriander
• 3 tsp of Mexican chili powder (use less or more to your liking)
• Red pepper flakes (to taste or leave out)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Water or vegetable broth (about 5- 6 cups)
• Chopped cilantro to garnish

What to do:

1. Place all your vegetables in a slow cooker with seasonings. 
2. Add enough water or vegetable broth to cover the veggies.
3. Put the lid on your slow cooker and set the timer for 6 hours.
4. After 6 hours use an emulsion blender to make a very smooth soup.
5. Taste and add seasonings to taste. 
6. Top with chopped cilantro and serve with a salad or a grilled cheese for a main meal.

Farmers Markets start to bloom

So this spring I thought I might get  my garden back and grow some of my own produce.  It’s been a bit of a while since I had a really nice garden going. What I didn’t plan on was that I have some very invasive mint growing in one garden bed and that the family of rabbits living under my shed that I find “oh so adorable ” would be eating things before I could get to them.   So the kale is gone along with a few other things. My radishes didn’t come in like I hoped and well I am having a good laugh. I will have a small crop of peas if all things work out right and my rainbow chard looks beautiful. Of course the raspberry bushes I have had for to many years to count and we cut back to nearly nothing , have come back with a vengeance.

What’s going very well is the pots on my little deck outside my kitchen. Herbs and tomatoes I have growing there, It’s my little zen spot so maybe it’s the energy along with the lack of wildlife having a snack.  I will be trying a trick one of the chefs in the kitchen I work in shared with me to keep the creatures at bay. If it works I’ll share.

Thankfully the farmers markets all start up locally this week. I am a farmers market junky. Which is good. I have a neighbor I ran into at the local farm/garden center who saw I was buying tomato plants and he laughed said he just picks up the produce when they sell them at the farm store. Easier that way. I laughed and put my plants in my car. After this spring start, I almost see his point.

Happily I had Saturday off this past weekend with great excitement I looked forward to going to the local farmer’s market. I decided to even go without a list and see how much good stuff I could find and then make a menu for the week around my haul.  I was surprised at what I found. My favorite farmer just had plants at the moment. But new to the market (to me anyhow) was a certified organic farmer with produce at really great prices. I think everyone was excited and there was a line which I happily waited in and picked up all that I could along with hubby holding items,  and was shocked when he said it was all under $20.

My husband and I also found a farmer with meats. Guess it is a turkey farm but they also have sheep and goats. You say goat meat to me and I get excited. I picked up mutton sausage and goat stew meat for some meals this week.

My brain began to create dishes as we hit the local ice cream truck with it’s amazing and odd flavors. Yes, we were eating ice cream before 11am. It’s how I adult.  My hubby and I found a shady spot next to a local resturaunt that was on “Chopped” that was cooking up breakfast goodies  from items they purchased at the stands  at the farmers market (Rainbow Gardens if your curious is the place) and I realized I needed some bread from the local bakery to round things out.  A loaf of honey flax seed bread went into our bag and we were off. By the time we drove the 10 mins drive home I was read to write out my menu and run to the local grocery store to complete my shopping.

I’ll be sharing the recipes that are simple, from what I am making with my farmer market finds.  First up was the mutton and beautiful purple and dark green kale.

 

Mutton Sausage & Kale One Pot Saute.

• 1 pound of mutton sausage , casings removed
• 1 large bunch of kale, stems removed and chopped
• 1 onion , chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 cup of red quinoa
• 2 cups of water
• olive oil
• sea salt and pepper to taste
• sage
• red pepper flakes (for serving)
• lemon wedges ( for serving)

1. In a large skillet head olive oil. Add onion and saute till soft. Add garlic and cook for 1 min or until you can smell it.
2. Add the mutton sausage and break up in the pan. Cook until no longer pink.
3. Add quinoa to the pan. Stir and and then add water. Give a good stir. Place lid on pan and lower heat. Cook for 25-30 mins on low until water had dissolved and quinoa is cooked.
4. Add chopped kale to the pan and fold in until the kale is wilted. Season with salt and pepper and sage to liking.
5. Serve with red pepper flakes and lemon wedges and a crusty bread. Enjoy!

 

Next up how I used that alien looking root vegetable, Kohlrabi. It’s got a lot of great uses.

If your cooking with farmers market finds I’d love to hear from you. Or if your nervous about how to use something you saw or bought let me know. I’d love to help.

 

 

 

 

You can follow me on Instagram (shellyscookery) to find out what I am up to between posts and what’s cooking in the kitchen or check out the local food adventures I am up to.

 

The simple things; Citrus Avocado & Salmon salad.

• I love fresh simple easy meals.  I love complicated meals too. You know the kind that take a day of cooking on a lazy Sunday afternoon. But as the days get longer and warmer cooking simple fresh meals seems almost more rewarding than an afternoon of slow cooking.

Recently one of my meals looked like this. A simple crab salad served on a crissont with baked organic sweet potato chips and a glass of rose grapefruit  wine. Nothing fancy or hard to make but I think honestly it was just the atmosphere that night. Peaceful, slow,  and relaxed. I could have been easy to toss things on paper plates and eat standing in the kitchen that night. But I made sure to take time to make things pretty. Just like I would enjoy if I had gone out to eat on a Friday night. 

 

 

A few nights later my husband and I shared in getting dinner cooked up. We had gone out and picked out the salmon together and had a nice visit with our fish monger. Enjoyed a day together and then working on our own projects and then came together to cook and enjoy the evening.  While the meal was light, I felt more full as I tucked into my salad and enjoyed the conversation with my husband and two sons. It’s nice to reconnect like this. My tummy was full but so was my heart and soul.

That’s what mealtime should be about. A time to sit, relax , reconnect and catch your breath. Feed your body but also your soul. For some that’s beautiful plates, candles, . It might be having family gathered around the table. Stop and think what a really good meal means to you. From the food and drink to the atmosphere.

So here’s the simple salad my husband I cooked up. You can have dinner on the table in less than 30 mins.

Citrus Avocado & Salmon Salad

• Baby spinach
• Avocado
• Grapefruit
• Lime
• Lemon
• Green Onions
• Salmon fillet
• salt and pepper to taste
• olive oil
• balsamic vinegar (optional)

1. Wash the baby spinach.  Chop the green onion. Take the skin off the grapefruit and segment it into a bowl.  Cut lemon and lime into wedges.
2. Slice the avocado into slices and then squeeze lime wedges over the avocado to keep from browning and give it extra flavor.
3. Season salmon with a little salt and pepper and cook on either cedar plank that has been soaked or cooked on a well oiled grill untill done.
4. To plate up the dish place baby spinach on a plate, then grapefruit, avocado and top with piece of the salmon fillet. Sprinkle on green onion.  Dress the salad with juice from the lemon wedges. Or you can use a little balsamic vinegar and olive oil.