Easy Fall Spiced Roasted Squash Soup

This year I did a CSA box with MSU North Farm, which means every week you get a large box of amazing produce delivered for your consumption. It's been an amazing experience! Not only are you getting the freshest, local food, but you also get things you might not normally buy, which is a fun challenge for someone who loves to cook (me! That's me, I love to cook!). One of my recent boxes included some squashes and this recipe was so simple and delicious, I thought it'd be a great one to share with you.

Easy Fall Spiced Roasted Squash Soup

Ingredients:

2 medium acorn squashes, halved (I did one acorn squash and one carnival squash, so feel free to mix and match)

Coconut Oil, warmed to liquid form

Maple Syrup

Sea Salt

2 cups vegetable broth

1 cup coconut milk

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, or to taste

1-2 teaspoons maple syrup

Sea salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the squash, cut side up,    on a baking sheet and then drizzle with the coconut oil, maple syrup, and sea salt. Cook until flesh is soft, about 45 minutes.

2. Once squash is done and cool enough to handle, take a spoon and scrape out the flesh into a blender. Add the broth, coconut milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, and maple syrup. Blend until smooth, add salt and pepper, and adjust seasoning for your taste.

3. Serve warm topped with Spicy Pumpkin Seeds, recipe below.

Spicy Pumpkin Seeds

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Hulled pumpkin seeds

Cayenne Pepper, to taste

Sea salt, to taste

Coconut oil

Directions:

1. In frying pan place ingredients with just enough coconut oil to coat the seeds.
2. Heat over medium/high heat until they seeds start to puff up, brown, and making popping noises. Make sure you stir them frequently to avoid burning on one side.
3. Serve.

Vegan Radish Slaw

I once ran a kitchen in Washington state on a farm. Often our farmer would bring in a surplus of whatever crop needed harvesting. Those of us in the kitchen had a fun opportunity to get creative and find a variety of ways to make one ingredient. This is a recipe I came up with when he brought in a ton of radishes. It makes a delicious, crisp, and light side dish. Radish season is here and it's time to play in the kitchen. Enjoy!

Dressing (makes 2 cups):

1 cup cashews, soaked 20-30 minutes

3/4 cup water

Juice of one lemon (or to taste)

1 large clove of garlic

1/2 cup fresh dill

1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Blend ingredients in a blender until smooth.

Radish Slaw (serves 4-6 people):

3 bunches radishes, cleaned and greens removed

~1/2 cup dressing

Directions:

Chop radishes into a small/medium dice. Sprinkle lightly with salt and stir in dressing until thoroughly coated. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, stir, and serve.

***I personally prefer dairy-free, but you can also make this recipe with a cup of plain yogurt instead of the cashews and water.

Antibiotic Soup, a.k.a. Magic Potion

Antibiotic Soup, a.k.a. Magic Potion

Coughing? Sore throat? Congested? Caught a little bug, did ya?! I recently got quite a bug myself and had to pull out all the stops to get better. This recipe is one of my secret weapons. A good time for this is right when you start to feel something coming on, during a sickness, or when you're around others that aren't well.

Antibiotic Soup Yields: 1 cup

Ingredients: 1 tablespoon miso Garlic, as much as you can stand, I usually use 2-3 cloves Ginger, as much as you can stand, I usually use 1-2 inches 1/2 lemon, juiced Cayenne, as much as you can stand, I usually use 1/4 teaspoon 1 cup boiling water

Directions: In a bowl mix together miso and hot water until miso is dissolved. Then add the rest of the ingredients and serve.

This recipe has helped me through many illnesses and I hope you find it healing as well. The ingredients are all very powerful immune boosters and bug fighters. Also, the simplicity of it allows your digestion to take a break, saving more energy to fight illness. I often make a larger batch and keep eating it until I feel better.

If you need a little extra help, here are some other remedies I use:

• For sore throats: 1-2 tablespoons of raw apple cider vinegar, honey, and lemon juice added to hot tea. Throat Coat tea by Traditional Medicinals is amazing for sore throats!
• For respiratory ailments: Put a few drops of eucalyptus oil in your hands and cover your nose and mouth. Take deep breaths allowing the healing affects to reach deep in your lungs. *** Make sure your eyes are closed, it can cause quite the sting. Also, expect to cough, it's natural! :)
• For sinus congestion: Neti pot, twice a day.
• Vitamins: When I'm sick, I take Vitamin C and Zinc (make sure it's chelated, makes it easier to digest and absorb).

Everything-but-the-Kitchen-Sink Granola

I love making granola, because it's a great way for me to make use of lots of things lying around in my pantry. It's also a great way to use your almond meal if you make your own almond milk. Plus, it's a great hearty, healthy snack for road trips. So, with my journey to New Mexico just days away, it was time to make some granola. Here's the recipe: Everything-but-the-Kitchen-Sink Granola

Yields: a little more than 2 quarts

Ingredients:

1 cup coconut oil

1 cup maple syrup (use less if you want it less sweet)

1 tbsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla extract

6 cups oats

2 cups miscellaneous nuts and seeds (I used slivered almonds, walnut halves, soaked chia, almond meal, sesame seeds, and cashew pieces)

1 cup raisins

1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a small sauce pan over med-low heat melt the coconut oil and stir in maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and vanilla extract.
3. In a large bowl combine oats, mixed nuts and seeds, and raisins. Stir in granola sauce until evenly coated.
4. Spread the granola onto baking sheets about 3/4" high. Bake until lightly browned. About 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. The edges will brown faster, so watch them so they don't burn.
5. Remove granola from the oven and let cool. Once cool, add your chocolate chips. Patience is important here, I can't tell you how many times I've been impatient and added the chocolate chips to early leading to giant chunks of melted chocolate. Serve with yogurt, or milk, or eat plain. Enjoy!