Tonight's meal is vegetarian as well as extremely healthy for you.
For the salad, I used the same herb dressing I made on May 19th in the "Spaghetti and meatball" post.
Apple-Almond SaladToss the salad dressing with romaine lettuce, toasted almonds, crumbled blue cheese, and sliced Granny Smith apples.
Butternut Squash Soup with Onions and Apples
Soup Base:
- 1 rib of celery, chopped ("rib" is one piece/stick, and "stalk" for the entire thing/bunch)
- 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 4 cups butternut squash, peeled and seeded
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
- 1 quart vegetable stock or water, more may be needed
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
- 1/2 onion, large dice
- 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and cored
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 2 tablespoons non-fat yogurt (or Greek yogurt)
- 6 sprigs fresh dill, washed
The easiest way to cut squash is to peel the skin off with a vegetable peeler. Then cut the squash in half. The bottom half is filled with seeds. Cut the two halves again and scoop out the seeds and discard (the seeds are similar to pumpkin seed and can be toasted). The chop into pieces.
While the soup base is cooking, sauté at medium-high heat 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil and diced onions. Cut the apple into a large dice and when the onions are golden, add to the pan, sautéing 2 to 3 minutes. Add the curry powder and cook 1 minute. Remove from the heat, add the dill and set aside.
Place all of the soup base -- cooked veggies (except the curried onions and apple mix) and liquid -- from your pot in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth and silky. More chicken stock may be needed to adjust consistency to your liking. You may also use an immersion blender so that no transfer between pots is necessary. Be patient with the immersion blender, it takes a bit longer to blend together. (I used my new immersion blender that Josh gave me for graduation!) Return the pureed soup base to the soup pot and add the curried onion and apple. Simmer for 2 minutes. Season to taste and adjust consistency. Serve hot or, on warm days, chilled. Garnish with a dollop of yogurt and a sprig of fresh dill, chives, or herbs of your choice.
This meal was extremely filling and healthy. The soup is only 95 calories! Serves 6!