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omnomnomSo, I went on a bit of a cooking binge this weekend. The result: acorn squash soup and Mexican hot chocolate cupcakes.
The soup is really easy -- a bit time consuming, but most of it is "wait for the vegetables to roast" or "simmer the vegetables," so if you've got a good book or something with which to multitask, it's good for that. Also it tastes like autumn in a bowl. My recipe ended up making about 8 main-course servings, but you could scale it up or down as desired. I'm pretty sure other winter squash or root vegetables would fit in wonderfully with these, if you've got them on hand.
Acorn squash (and various other root veggies) soup
Ingredients:
3 medium-sized acorn squash
4-6 carrots, scrubbed or peeled and cut into 2-3 inch chunks
2 parsnips, peeling and cut into 2-3 inch chunks
1 medium onion, chopped
1 fist-sized potato, cut into quarters
1 inch ginger, diced finely
3 cloves garlic, diced finely
32 oz vegetable broth (one of the big boxes of it) plus around 2 cups of water
spices to taste: salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, paprika, coriander, mustard seed, allspice
olive oil
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 F.
2. Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Place them on a baking sheet along with the carrots, parsnips, and potato. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper, then roast for 45-50 minutes, until just fork tender.
3. When the vegetables are done, allow to cool somewhat, then scoop the flesh of the squash out of the peel/shell. Chop the other vegetables into 1-2 inch pieces.
4. In the bottom of a large soup pot, heat 1-2 T of olive oil. When the oil is hot, saute the onion until translucent. When the onion has a minute or two left, add the garlic and ginger and saute as well.
5. Add the vegetables to the pot, then the vegetable broth. You'll then want to add enough water that the vegetables are entirely under liquid. (A couple of veggies breaking the surface isn't a bit deal.) Add the spices.
6. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 25-30 minutes.
7. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly, then puree. (I used a cuisinart and pureed 2-3 cups at a time, but an immersion blender would also work wonderfully if you've got one.)
8. Reheat and serve. Enjoy!
I also roasted a pablano pepper with the veggies and put a few pieces in the soup when I served it; if you like some spice in your food, I'd definitely recommend that.
The cupcakes are also easy, plus less time consuming. They're basically chocolate cupcakes with cayenne pepper and cinnamon added. I adapted the recipe (which makes 12) from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. If you like cupcakes at all, I cannot recommend that cookbook enough. If you're not vegan (and I'm not), don't be turned off by its dairy- and egg-free nature: they're better recipes than most of the traditional ones I've tried.
Mexican hot chocolate cupcakes
Ingredients
1 c non-dairy milk (I used almond, but any other variety should work as well)
1 t apple cider vinegar
3/4 c granulated sugar
1/3 c canola oil
1+1/2 t vanilla extract
1 c all purpose flour
1/3 c cocoa powder
3/4 t baking soda
1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1/8 to 1/2 t cayenne pepper (I used close to 1/2 and these were pretty darn spicy, which I like. If you're more averse to spiciness, you can certainly use less)
1+1/4 t cinnamon
powdered sugar and cinnamon for topping
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line the cupcake pan with liners.
2. In a medium-large bowl, whisk together the milk and vinegar until frothy. Set aside
3. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices.
4. Add the sugar, oil, and vanilla to the milk/vinegar mixture. Whisk until well-combined.
5. In two batches, add the dry ingredients to the wet ones. Mix with a wooden spoon until just combined (do not overmix!). Stir long enough to get the big lumps out, but some small ones aren't a big deal.
6. Distribute the batter in the cupcake pan. The cups should be filled about 3/4 of the way -- don't overfill them.
7. Bake for 18-20 minutes. (Don't open the oven door until at least 15 minutes, or your cupcakes will fall and be sad.) The cupcakes are done when a toothpick stuck in the middle of one of them comes out clean, or when the tops are firm-ish to the touch.
8. Let cool for 5-10 minutes in the pan, then remove the cupcakes from the pan and let them cool on a rack.
9. When the cupcakes are completely cool, sprinkle them with powdered sugar and cinnamon. You could also use and chocolate or vanilla frosting, or maybe whipped (rice) milk (though you'd want to wait just before serving if you choose that). Enjoy!
The soup is really easy -- a bit time consuming, but most of it is "wait for the vegetables to roast" or "simmer the vegetables," so if you've got a good book or something with which to multitask, it's good for that. Also it tastes like autumn in a bowl. My recipe ended up making about 8 main-course servings, but you could scale it up or down as desired. I'm pretty sure other winter squash or root vegetables would fit in wonderfully with these, if you've got them on hand.
Acorn squash (and various other root veggies) soup
Ingredients:
3 medium-sized acorn squash
4-6 carrots, scrubbed or peeled and cut into 2-3 inch chunks
2 parsnips, peeling and cut into 2-3 inch chunks
1 medium onion, chopped
1 fist-sized potato, cut into quarters
1 inch ginger, diced finely
3 cloves garlic, diced finely
32 oz vegetable broth (one of the big boxes of it) plus around 2 cups of water
spices to taste: salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, paprika, coriander, mustard seed, allspice
olive oil
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 F.
2. Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Place them on a baking sheet along with the carrots, parsnips, and potato. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper, then roast for 45-50 minutes, until just fork tender.
3. When the vegetables are done, allow to cool somewhat, then scoop the flesh of the squash out of the peel/shell. Chop the other vegetables into 1-2 inch pieces.
4. In the bottom of a large soup pot, heat 1-2 T of olive oil. When the oil is hot, saute the onion until translucent. When the onion has a minute or two left, add the garlic and ginger and saute as well.
5. Add the vegetables to the pot, then the vegetable broth. You'll then want to add enough water that the vegetables are entirely under liquid. (A couple of veggies breaking the surface isn't a bit deal.) Add the spices.
6. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 25-30 minutes.
7. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly, then puree. (I used a cuisinart and pureed 2-3 cups at a time, but an immersion blender would also work wonderfully if you've got one.)
8. Reheat and serve. Enjoy!
I also roasted a pablano pepper with the veggies and put a few pieces in the soup when I served it; if you like some spice in your food, I'd definitely recommend that.
The cupcakes are also easy, plus less time consuming. They're basically chocolate cupcakes with cayenne pepper and cinnamon added. I adapted the recipe (which makes 12) from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. If you like cupcakes at all, I cannot recommend that cookbook enough. If you're not vegan (and I'm not), don't be turned off by its dairy- and egg-free nature: they're better recipes than most of the traditional ones I've tried.
Mexican hot chocolate cupcakes
Ingredients
1 c non-dairy milk (I used almond, but any other variety should work as well)
1 t apple cider vinegar
3/4 c granulated sugar
1/3 c canola oil
1+1/2 t vanilla extract
1 c all purpose flour
1/3 c cocoa powder
3/4 t baking soda
1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1/8 to 1/2 t cayenne pepper (I used close to 1/2 and these were pretty darn spicy, which I like. If you're more averse to spiciness, you can certainly use less)
1+1/4 t cinnamon
powdered sugar and cinnamon for topping
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line the cupcake pan with liners.
2. In a medium-large bowl, whisk together the milk and vinegar until frothy. Set aside
3. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices.
4. Add the sugar, oil, and vanilla to the milk/vinegar mixture. Whisk until well-combined.
5. In two batches, add the dry ingredients to the wet ones. Mix with a wooden spoon until just combined (do not overmix!). Stir long enough to get the big lumps out, but some small ones aren't a big deal.
6. Distribute the batter in the cupcake pan. The cups should be filled about 3/4 of the way -- don't overfill them.
7. Bake for 18-20 minutes. (Don't open the oven door until at least 15 minutes, or your cupcakes will fall and be sad.) The cupcakes are done when a toothpick stuck in the middle of one of them comes out clean, or when the tops are firm-ish to the touch.
8. Let cool for 5-10 minutes in the pan, then remove the cupcakes from the pan and let them cool on a rack.
9. When the cupcakes are completely cool, sprinkle them with powdered sugar and cinnamon. You could also use and chocolate or vanilla frosting, or maybe whipped (rice) milk (though you'd want to wait just before serving if you choose that). Enjoy!