Spicy Butternut Squash Soup
This recipe has just the right amount of heat - all the warm and cozy feelings of fall in your bowl.
Now that the weather is getting cooler, I have been keeping warm by making soups at home. And to suit the season, I decided the first soup of the fall season should be a butternut squash.
I was never really a fan of soup - I only ate it when I was sick. But a little while ago, the Mister and I went out to dinner and I decided to try the restaurant's butternut squash soup. I was hooked!
It's a flavourful, rich and hearty soup without any cream or dairy.
This recipe has just the right amount of heat- All the warm and cozy feelings of fall in your bowl.
Makes:6 servings
Preptime:
Cook time:
- preheat your oven to 400 degrees
- In a baking sheet or roasting pan, add your butternut squash, potato, oil, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 40 minutes or until soft.
- In a large pot, on medium heat, add oil, onions, garlic, carrots and celery. stir frequently until vegetables are softened. Add salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder and cayenne.
- Bring to a boil and lower heat to medium. Simmer until the sauce reaches desired consistency.
- Add broth to the pot and roasted vegetables. With a hand blender, blend until everything is smooth. (Alternatively, place ingredients in a blender and puree.)
- Dish out the soup into 6 bowls and garnish with black pepper and cayenne.
Chicken with Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
Chicken teriyaki is definitely one of my go-to take out foods! After all, it is probably one of the most healthiest choices you can get at your local food court. But this recipe for homemade teriyaki sauce is a million times better - and so much better for you too! And of course, you can use this sauce for both meat and vegetarian dishes!
Chicken teriyaki is definitely one of my go-to take out foods! After all, it is probably one of the most healthiest choices you can get at your local food court.
Of course, I tried making this at home with some of the bottled teriyaki sauces in my local grocery store, but it never seems to taste like the restaurant version.
And then I learned to make it at home.
Let me tell you, it is so much better than what we are used to from our average takeout restaurants. It's lighted, has so much more flavour and you can put as little, or in my case, as much as you want.
The mirin in this recipe is what makes all the difference! Mirin is a sweet Japanese rice wine (with less alcohol). I have played with different proportions of mirin and soy sauce and found that equal amounts of both work best. If you prefer a sweeter teriyaki sauce, add as much brown sugar as you like but be careful with it on the stove as too much brown sugar may burn.
I personally like the sauce to thicken up not not too sticky as I can easily eat just the teriyaki sauce with rice any time of day!
I served my teriyaki with chicken, but you can easily change the recipe to beef, salmon, shrimp, or, of course, veggies.
Makes: 2 servings
Preptime:
Cook time:
- In a skillet, saute chicken strips in the hot oil onmedium-high heat until browned and cooked through. Set aside
- In the same skillet, saute the broccoli florets, careful not to overcook.
- In a separate saucepan, combine soy sauce, mirin and sugar to taste over medium-high heat, stirring often.
- Bring to a boil and lower heat to medium. Simmer until the sauce reaches desired consistency.
- On a plate or bowl of rice, add the chicken, broccoli and pour over the teriyaki sauce. Serve and devour.
