Curry Butternut Squash Soup

256. This soup is a rich delight. If you plan to make it, serve it as a small starter course or in a small tasting cup. It is much too rich as a main course.

Curry Butternut Squash Soup

1 butternut squash

2 yams or sweet potatoes

1 medium onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tablespoon butter or oil
2 c. vegetable broth
4 c. water
1 tsp. curry powder
Salt and pepper

1/2 cup heavy cream or soy milk

Cut squash and yam/sweet potato into chunks. In water, boil butternut squash and yam/sweet potato until tender. Drain and reserve liquid to add if soup is too thick. Place tender squash and yam/sweet potato into a blender and puree, adding reserved liquid as needed. Put back on stove and add remaining ingredients except cream/milk.

Simmer until heated through.

Before serving, place cream or soy milk in a 2 cup measuring cup. Add several scoops of hot soup to cream and "temper" the milk to bring it up to soup temperature. If you do not do this, the milk will curdle from the heat. Pour the tempered cream/milk into the soup.

Serve hot with a sprinkling of chives on top.

"Let my words, like vegetables, be tender and sweet, for tomorrow I may have to eat them."
- Author Unknown

Quinoa Vegetable Stir Fry

255. Tonight dinner was a Vegetarian's Delight!

I picked up Gluten Free, Organic TriColor Quinoa at Trader Joe's Market.

Then, sautéed in olive oil, 3/4 cups onions, 3 minced garlic gloves, 1 chopped green pepper, 2 shredded carrots, 2 cups cut broccoli, 1 cup sliced mushrooms and 2 cups spinach.

Prepared 2 cups quinoa in salted water. Then added 1 cup vegetable stock to the vegetables. Seasoned with salt, pepper, minced ginger, red pepper flakes and 1/4 cup soy sauce.

I plated the veggies over the quinoa. If you have never made quinoa, it is similar to preparing rice. Same concept only you need to rinse the quinoa with cool water and drain before covering with water and cooking.

(New yellow square plates from Pier 1 Imports for $3.00 each!!!)

Fresh, healthy and satisfying!

"A healthy attitude is contagious but don't wait to catch it from others. Be a carrier."

~Tom Stoppard

Sushi

254. Sushi, a "new" favorite!!! We've been discovering sushi and the amazing nuance from roll to roll.

Now, when sushi was first all the rage, I just couldn't bring myself to even conceive of eating raw fish. Ewwww! Till now...

My daughter encouraged me to, "Just try it Mom...it's not that bad." So we took the challenge. The restaurant of choice was Wild Ginger. A beautiful restaurant with great atmosphere and delicious food. The menu is filled with Asian cuisine.

We ordered a Pork Fried Rice, so we could at least keep our feet on the ground with staple Chinese food. And, a Volcano Roll with shrimp tempura, cucumber with spicy tuna and tobiko, a Kamikaze Roll with shrimp tempura, spicy tuna topped with tuna and eel, and the Scorpion King with soft shell crab, spicy tuna, cucumber, lettuce, avocado and eel sauce.

I have to say...I am in love! Delightful explosion of flavor in your mouth. And the Wasabi rush in your sinuses.

"In Mexico we have a word for Sushi: BAIT"

~Jose Simon