Pumpkin and Butternut Squash Soup

Pretending that it's Fall even though it never feels that way on Saba.  I was going to make a purely pumpkin soup, but they didn't have the fresh pumpkin in the grocery stores that they usually have.  However, they did actually have butternut squash, which is a rarity.  So I got that and a can of pumpkin and made do.  The results were pretty great and I didn't miss the fresh pumpkin at all.  Try serving it with croutons (I made some homemade ones) and maybe a little goat cheese.

What you need:

1 medium/large butternut squash

Olive oil spray

Salt and pepper

1 medium/large onion, chopped

1 leek, white part only, chopped

2 small/medium apples, cored and chopped, peeling optional (it all gets blended in the end, and the peel is healthy, and less work!)

5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin

4 cups chicken broth

4 cups Silk coconut milk (not the regular canned kind.. that would make this really high fat and creamy- though probably delicious, so I go for it if you aren't concerned about the fat) OR try regular skim/ 1% milk or maybe almond milk

Start with roasting the squash:

Heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Slice squash in half lengthwise, scoop out seeds, spray with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and place cut-side down on a baking sheet.  Roast for 40 minutes to an hour, or until it is cooked thoroughly (easily pierced by a fork).  Remove from oven and let cool until you can remove its skin.

For the rest of the soup:

Spray a large pot with olive oil.  Heat over medium and add the onion, leek, apple, and garlic.  Sprinkle in a little salt to get things going.  Cook until softened and just slightly browned.  Add in the roasted squash and can of pumpkin.  Stir and let brown just SLIGHTLY.  Add in the chicken broth and let simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.  Turn heat off, add in the milk and puree with an immersion blender until smooth.  Season with additional salt and pepper if needed.  Annnnnnd, that's it!  Pretty simple to make and super tasty!  Enjoy!

Roasted Romaine Hearts

My newest obsession:

It's healthy, delicious, super quick and easy.  Way better than eating regular lettuce- trust me.  For now (like the last four times I've made it, all in the past week), I like to spread my favorite low-fat dip (which I just posted) on it.  I will soon be trying some new variations- maybe sprinkling a little parmesan before broiling, or a little goat cheese after.  And maybe doing a bleu cheese and low-fat homemade ranch dressing, or a homemade caesar.  I think it could be used to amp up any regular salad, so try experimenting topping it with your usual favorite salad toppings.  Or eat it plain.  That's tasty too.


What you need (for one large or two smaller servings):

1 Romaine lettuce heart
Olive oil spray
Salt and pepper

Heat oven to broil on high.  Lightly spray a baking sheet with olive oil.  Slice Romaine heart down the center lengthwise.  Open it up and place on the baking sheet.  Spray with olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper.  Broil for 5-8 minutes, depending on how hot your broiler gets.  The lettuce should be browned in spots but not burnt.  Dress as you wish and enjoy!

Awesome Apple Bars

This recipe started with my mom's friend, and they've been a family favorite for years now.  I've made a couple slight changes to them (mostly because I have a serious compulsion to not follow any recipe I try).  They are a real crowd-pleaser and sturdy enough to pack up and bring places, such as the sides of sports fields to feed hungry post-game players.  Or serve them hot with a little whipped cream or ice cream.

What you need:

Crust Ingredients:

1 cup chilled butter, cut into 1/2 slices

2 cups flour

1/2 cup powdered sugar

pinch of salt

Filling Ingredients:

3 cups peeled and chopped apple (I used 5 small/medium ones)

1 3/4 cups flour

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1-2 teaspoons EACH butterscotch liqueur or creme de cacao (or just use vanilla if that's what you have)

Glaze Ingredients:

2 cups powdered sugar

2-3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2-4 tablespoons milk 

Start by making the crust:

Measure the flour, powdered sugar, and salt into a mixing bowl.  Cut the butter in using a pastry blender until it is evenly distributed and the mixture is crumbly with chunks no bigger than small peas.  Or, if you don't have a pastry blender, use forks or even your hands.  Chill the mixture for 10 minutes in the freezer (and maybe work cutting up those apples while you are doing this).  Heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Press crust into two 8x8/ 9x9 pans or one 13x9 pan.  Bake for 15 minutes or until VERY lightly browned.

To make the filling:

Mix all of the filling ingredients together.  Plop evenly on top of the warm crusts.  Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Bake for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown and apples are cooked through.  If it is getting too brown at any point, cover with aluminum foil for the remaining baking time.  

Glaze:

Mix together glaze ingredients, adding enough milk to make a thick, but completely mixed, glaze.  Pour on top of hot apple bars. 

Let cool for at least 20 minutes before cutting into if you want to have presentable looking bars.  Or just dive in and get 'em while they're hot.  They may slop over a bit, but they'll still be delicious.  I made 32 small-ish bars out of this.  Enjoy!

Favorite Low-fat Dip

In my opinion, this goes great with everything.  My favorite use of it is with roasted veggie chips, but regular chips also work, or roasted romaine lettuce, or on top of chicken, or by the spoonful...  It's delicious and really pretty healthy.  I make slightly different versions of it all of the time, but what I'm listing below is pretty typical.  Feel feel to try your own experiments by adding a little mustard, a splash or lemon juice, chopped artichokes, olives, or some different veggies sauteed with the bacon.

What you need:

1 packet Lipton Vegetable Dip/Soup Mix

2 cups lowfat or fat free plain yogurt

4 ounces fat free cream cheese 

1/4 cup light mayonnaise

Olive oil spray 

3-4 slices turkey bacon, chopped into small bits

1 leek, sliced thinly (I've also substituted a little onion for this, and have also added in celery and/or mushroom at the point I add the leek)

3/4 cup frozen spinach

1/3 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes 

Black pepper

Garlic Powder

Season-all 

Mix together the dip/soup mix, yogurt, cream cheese, and mayonnaise.  Spray a saucepan with a little olive oil, heat to medium, and saute the turkey bacon until it just begins to brown.  Add the leeks (and other veggies if you are doing so) and saute until slightly softened and browned.  Add in a little season-all (seasoned salt) and the spinach.  Stir around until the spinach thaws.  Let cool for a few minutes and then add this to the yogurt/cream cheese/mayo mix.  Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes.  Season to taste with the pepper and garlic powder.  Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.  Enjoy!

Mushroom, Onion, and Leek Soup

This was so good.  I can't wait to eat the leftovers tomorrow for lunch when it will probably be even better.  It was my first time making mushroom soup and my ingredients are a little random, because I just went with what I had and what I felt like throwing in.  But it turned out great, so now YOU should go out and buy these random ingredients so that you can make it too.  I did use a little real butter because there is something about mushrooms sauted in butter that can't be faked, but otherwise this is pretty darn healthy.  I served it alongside some broiled pumpkin butter-topped salmon and bagel chips (I was going to make homemade croutons for it, but ended up running out of time).  Anyway, the soup was awesome.

What you need:

2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, chopped
8 ounce container button mushrooms, sliced
1 portabella mushroom, sliced
1 leek, sliced into thin rings
1 head fresh garlic, cloves peeled and roughly chopped
2 1/2 cups beef broth
1 packet Onion and Mushroom Soup/Dip mix (I used Lipton Recipe Secrets)
1-2 teaspoons black pepper
3/4 cup 1 % milk
1/4 cup fat free cream cheese
1/4 cup red wine (I used a merlot)
Dried parsley
Shredded Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes (optional)


Start by sauteing the onions, mushrooms, and garlic in the butter over low heat.  After a couple minutes, add the leek.  Cook for another few minutes, or until everything is softened and JUST beginning to brown.  Add the beef broth, packet of soup mix, and the black pepper.  Simmer for 20 minutes.  Turn off heat, add the milk and the fat free cream cheese, and use an immersion blender to puree everything.  Stir in a little dried parsley and the red wine.  Season with extra garlic powder and black pepper if you like (I did this, but I like things garlicky and peppery).  Garnish with a bit of parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes.  Enjoy!

Macaroni and Cheese with Bacon, Cauliflower, and Four Cheeses

Macaroni and Cheese, or any pasta dish for that matter, is not really my thing.  But Rob wanted some, so I was happy to come up with something that I thought he'd like.  I used bleu cheese, swiss cheese, and a mix (which I think is cheddar and mozzarella).  I'd recommend using a variety because it will give you a nice depth of flavor, but use whatever types of cheese you want.  And trust me, you can't taste the cauliflower at all, so it's a good way to sneak in a bit of nutrition.  

What you need:

1 bag frozen cauliflower
Olive oil spray
Season-all (or just salt and pepper)
Garlic Powder
Salt and pepper
8 ounce box of macaroni, cooked al dente
1 medium onion
7 slices of bacon
1.5 cups milk
3 eggs
3-4 ounces EACH bleu cheese, swiss cheese, and mixed cheese blend (or whatever combination you like, just make it add up to around 11 ounces)
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1/2 cup Panko crumbs


Start by roasting the cauliflower:  I did mine in the toaster oven, but a regular oven will also work.  Or, if you want to save time/effort, skip this and just use the thawed cauliflower as it is.  If roasting, spread on a lightly greased baking sheet, sprinkle with Season-all (or salt and pepper), and bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit until lightly browned.  I didn't let mine thaw first, so it took a bit longer, but if it is already thawed, this should take 15-20 minutes.  Let cool and chop finely

Next, fry the bacon in a large frying pan over low heat.  Place the cooked bacon on a paper towel and dump all but a very thin coating of the bacon grease out of the frying pan.  Use this leftover fat to fry up the onion.  Once the onion is translucent and slightly browned, add the bacon back in (crumbling it as you go), and then add the cauliflower to the pan.  Add a half cup of the milk and use this extra moisture to scrape up the browned stuff from the bottom of the pan.  Turn off the heat.

Whisk the eggs and the other cup of milk together in a large bowl.  Add about 3/4 of each cheese to the eggs and milk.  Add the bacon mixture, hot sauce, and cooked macaroni.  Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  Pour it all in a 9 x 9 baking pan and then top with the panko and the rest of the cheese.  Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes, or until bubbly and lightly browned.  Enjoy!

Fabulous Mini Crab Cakes

These were AMAZING.  I think they are one of the best things I have ever made.  I decided to go a little wild and actually fry them up instead of trying to be healthy by broiling- it was worth it.  I served these alongside a pan of melted brie with roasted red pepper and pecans for the ultimate snacky splurge meal.  

What you need:

10-11 ounces crab meat

1 egg

1/4 cup light mayonnaise

1-2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce

1-2 teaspoons mustard

salt and pepper

1/4 cup finely chopped green onion

1 1/2 cups panko crumbs, divided

Vegetable oil, for frying

Mix everything but the panko crumbs and oil together.  Add in 1 cup of the panko crumbs.  Form into 1 1/2 inch diameter discs that are about 1/2-3/4 thick.  Dip in remaining panko crumbs.  Heat oil until just sizzling (I did mine over low, but my burner is HOT, so medium might be appropriate for most).  Fry until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side.  Place on a paper towel lined plate to drain excess oil.  Serve with sauce (below).

For the Sauce: 

Mix the following together:

1/4 cup fat free cream cheese

2-3 tablespoons light mayonnaise

1 tablespoon garlic powder

2-3 tablespoons EACH finely chopped red bell pepper and onion

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon hot sauce