Butternut Squash And Orange Cream Food

ORANGE-MAPLE BUTTERNUT SQUASH MASH

Steps:

• Cut the bulbous bottom of the squash off from the long top. Split the bottom in half through the root end and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Cut the long part in half lengthwise. Peel or cut off the rind, then cut the flesh into 1-inch pieces.
• Add the squash to a 4-quart pot, add enough water to cover, bring to a boil, and cook, covered, over high heat, about 18 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon salt and cover. Lower the heat to medium and cook until the squash is tender when pierced with a fork, 10 to 12 minutes more. (There should be no resistance, but the squash should not fall apart. Be attentive: It can overcook very quickly and absorb too much water, making your mash soupy.)
• Meanwhile, toast the coriander in a small dry skillet over medium-high heat, stirring often, until aromatic, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl.
• Strain the squash in a colander. Return it to the pot, add the butter and mash with a potato masher until smooth. Add the zest, 1 tablespoon of the maple syrup, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the toasted coriander and salt to taste and stir to combine. When serving, drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon syrup over the top and dust with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon coriander.

ORANGE AND MAPLE ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Toss the squash with the oil and a generous pinch each of salt and pepper in a large bowl. Tile the squash slices in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, overlapping the pieces. Stir the maple syrup, orange zest and juice together in a small bowl and pour over the squash.
• Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake until the squash is tender and the top begins to brown, 30 to 40 minutes more. Scatter the parsley over the top.

MY SPICED BUTTERNUT SQUASH, SWEET POTATO, CARROT AND ORANGE SOUP

Steps:

• If you are using a fresh butternut squash, cut it in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Peel it and cut it into 1-inch chunks.
• Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until it softens, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger root and cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes.
• While the onions are cooking, peel and dice the sweet potato and carrots.
• Add the cut vegetables and broth; bring to a boil. Lower heat and cook at a gentle boil until the squash is fork-tender, about 20 minutes (but this depends on the size of your squash cubes).
• Puree the soup in several stages in a blender. For safety's sake, since the soup is hot, do not fill the jar more than about 1/4 full each time, and blend on a low speed, covering the lid with an oven mitt. The soup should be completely smooth and a little thicker than heavy cream.
• Rinse your soup pot to remove any small chunks of food and strain it if you like (I do not strain).
• Heat the soup through again and season to taste with cinnamon, nutmeg, black pepper and salt.
• Add some almond milk, a little at a time, to give soup a creamier consistency. (Instead of almond milk or Almond Breeze, you could probably use soy or rice milk or half and half).
• Just before serving, add about 2-3 teaspoons fresh orange juice (or to taste) to each bowl, if desired; stir to blend into soup.
• This soup tastes fine when it has been reheated. The soup will thicken as it chills, so you may want to add extra spice right at the start, if you know you will be re-heating some later. You will need extra Almond Breeze to thin it out after it has been refrigerated. I have kept it in the fridge for as long as 4 days and it was fine.
• You can sub pumpkin pie spice for the ground spices listed.
• Because the veggies make the broth very flavorful, you can also use half chicken broth and half water (2 cups of each) with good results.