Apple Butternut Squash Soup - Marcella

Recently we got dinner at the salad bar at Ellwood Thompson's (1/2 off after 8:30 p.m.) and decided to try some of the vegan mashed sweet potato. It was disappointingly gross, having been drenched in margarine and sugar - so unnecessary. You can cube a butternut squash up and roast it on a baking tray in the oven (at around 350 degrees) with absolutely nothing on it and it's plenty sweet and buttery.

I resorted to that quick side dish, instead of the soup I was planning on making, on a Saturday evening because our weekly guild (Maul Rats) raid on The Trial of the Crusader was about to start and I just didn't have time to be messing around with soup. Thank goodness I made that difficult choice - an über caster dps belt dropped. Enough with the gibberish; the point I'm trying to make here is that butternut squash is both delicious on it's own and in the soup posted below.

Apple Butternut Squash Soup
Ridiculously fast and easy

• 1 butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, cubed
• 1 apple, diced
• 1 tsp olive oil
  
• 1 tsp ginger paste or 1 Tbsp minced ginger
• approx. 3 cups water - add or reduce as necessary
• 1 tsp veg broth powder or 1 cube bouillon
• teeny bit of salt if none is in the broth powder
• pepper to taste
  
• fresh rosemary (optional)

1. In a stockpot, heat olive oil. Add everything but the rosemary and simmer until squash is pierced easily with a knife, about 20-30 minutes.
   
2. Blend with an immersion blender, or in batches in a regular blender. Add rosemary and simmer another 5 minutes.
3. That's it!
   

Simple White Bean and Chard Soup - Marcella

Soup always sounds good when it's cold out. I've decided to do a lot of soup and salad nights, since it's a lot easier to make that particular combo nutritious and filling and bread-less. I have no patience for bread these days.

I made this one up a couple of nights ago, in the midst of dealing with some virus that was making me terribly queasy. I wanted a nice simple and comforting soup, and here it is:

Simple White Bean and Chard Soup

• 1 can canellini (white kidney) or Great Northern beans - don't drain
  
• 1 can no salt added diced tomatoes - don't drain
  
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp olive oil
  
• 1 cube vegetable bouillon, or 1 tsp veg broth powder
• approx. 3 cups water
• 1 bay leaf
• basil, dried or fresh and pepper to taste
• 1/2 lb swiss chard
  

1. In a medium soup pot, saute up the onion and garlic in the olive oil.
2. Add cans of tomatoes and beans. Ordinarily I'd say to drain them, but the salt isn't too bad for a whole pot of soup and makes additional table salt unnecessary
3. Add bouillion, water, bay leaf, basil, and pepper and cover and simmer on low for about 30 minutes.
4. Add chard, cover and simmer on low for another 10-15 minutes. Done.
   

Another Reason to Eat Your Produce - Derek

An interesting article was recently brought to my attention by my good friend and client, Jeff Kroll of Crossroads Coffee . Having worked with me for several months, Jeff knows the benefits of a whole foods, plant based diet. For those of you who are still researching (keep it up) here is a link to add to my list of sources on why this way of eating is the most beneficial for your health:

A Solution For Diabetes: A Plant-Based Diet

In his book Eat To Live, Dr. Fuhrman has an entire chapter devoted to how he has cured diabetes with nothing but food, and if that isn't enough for you perhaps this article will add a little more weight to the claim.

If anyone else has an article they'd like to share please email me and I'll be happy to post on it. The more sources we have, the more reasons you all will have for making changes to your lifestyles and those of your loved ones, and the healthier we will all be for it. So keep up your reading, and keep eating your veggies!