Shot of Squash Soup

August 27th, 2008 by Elizabeth

August brings us into squash season, which I look forward to every year!  Squash soup is very easy and is delightful to enjoy with fresh, homemade bread.

Materials:

2 carrots

1 red onion

1/2 bunch celery

2 butternut squash

4 cups vegetable stock (or chicken stock to add a little more flavor)

1/2 pound butter

olive oil

salt/pepper to taste

  • Ok, so cut all your veggies into 1/8″ by 1/8″ cubes (or there abouts) and set aside.
  • Heat up a stockpot (deep pan big enough to hold ~8 cups of soup) on high to the pan pretty hot.
  • Drop in all of the butter and let melt in pan.
  • Drop all the veggies into the pan with butter.  Stir all the veggies into the butter so everything is coated.  You’ll want to add some oil to the mixture as well, as the butter burns easily if the pot gets too hot.
  • Now, reduce the temperature to med-low and cover the pot.  Stir mixture every ten minutes or so for about an hour.  The veggies will slowly soften and mush up as you stir everything together.
  • Once all the veggies are softened, mash them with a heavy spoon or a ‘masher’.
  • Add the 4 cups of stock and 2 cups of water.  Keep temperature on med-low and stir mash with liquid until fully integrated.
  • Let soup simmer on low for another 30 minutes or so, then add salt/pepper to taste.
  • When serving, add a dollop of sour cream to create visual interest and add to the overall squash soup experience!

I really love the warmth and comfort this Squash Soup provides.  It is light, but hardy…not too thick, just right for an appetizer or sandwich compliment.

I hope you enjoy your homemade soup…it’ll feel way better serving this soup to your family than one that came out of a can.  You can make this ahead of time and it’ll keep for about a week or you can freeze it for at least 2 months.

Let me know what you think…and remember, fall is full of yummy veggies so get out and try some of them!


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Classic dish with a twist

January 15th, 2008 by Elizabeth

Twisted Shrimp Alfredo

Twisted Shrimp Alfredo

This dish is a spin off one of my ultimate favorites: shrimp alfredo! I just love shrimp dishes and anything with alfredo sauce is good in my book. Unfortunately, alfredo dishes can be very high in fat and calories (not good for someone trying to lose weight for a wedding). So, I decided to do some research and create my own low fat alfredo sauce. Shrimp is fairly healthy, so we’re good there! :)

So for the alfredo sauce, you need the following ingredients:

  • 1/4 c. fat-free cream cheese
  • 1 & 1/4 c. fat-free milk
  • 1 tbsp. flour (all-purpose or wheat)
  • 2 tbsp. butter/margarine
  • 1/2 c. low-fat mozzarella cheese
  • Salt & Pepper to taste

Mixed the cream cheese, 1/4 c. of milk & the flour all together with a whisk until fully blended. Then, add the remaining cup of milk to the mixture and stir together. Heat butter in a large, non-stick saucepan until it melts. Add the cheese-milk-flour mixture to the pan and heat on medium heat for about 4 minutes (until it begins to thicken). Lastly, stir in the mozzarella cheese and season to taste. Now you’ve got a healthier version of a classic sauce!

For the remainder of the dish you will need:

  • 1 package frozen peas
  • 1 package frozen broccoli florets
  • 1 package of fettuccine noodles (I chose Spinach Fettuccine)
  • 1 lb. of medium shrimp, fresh (not pre-cooked or previously frozen)

To the sauce, I added the packages of frozen peas and frozen broccoli florets. I began the boiling process for the noodles (I choose Spinach Fettuccine noodles for their great texture and extra flavor). Keep stirring the sauce as it slowly cooks the veggies. While the water heats up, take the time to peel your shrimp, removing tails as well. Once the water starts to boil, place noodles into the water and bring back to a boil. Add the shrimp to the sauce and stir to ensure all shrimp are covered in sauce. The noodles take about 11-13 minutes and by then the shrimp will be fully cooked!

Drain the noodles (do not rinse) and get your plates out! This recipe serves about 4 and has all the necessary components: protein, carbs, & veggies! Please enjoy…you’ll feel great about eating a healthier version of this dish, while enjoying all the flavor you’d expect!

Cibo Felice!


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