Autumn Butternut Squash and Bacon Frittata

Halloween has come and past, and we recently went to the pumpkin patch and bought a variety of pumpkins and squashes. I am unsure which is my favorite between pumpkin and Butternut squash. Both, pumpkin and squash, are delicious, and reminds me of all the wonderful things, I love about fall. 

When I found this recipe, on the Whole Foods, FB page, I had to make it!  Of course, it has been adapted, and changed, to fit our diet. We added bacon, and exchanged almond milk in the place of milk. This dish would be a perfect Thanksgiving morning brunch treat, or the day after Thanksgiving breakfast! It is hearty, filling, and lite in calories!

A great Thanksgiving weekend treat! 

 

Nutrition:

This winter squash is actually a fruit not a vegetable, that has a rich sweet nutty taste. According to Livestrong.com , 1 cup of Butternut Squash has 60 calories, 16 g of carbohydrates and 3 g of fiber. It also supplies almost 300 percent of your daily value of vitamin A , 50 percent of vitamin C, 7 percent of calcium and 5 percent of iron.

Not bad for one cup of extremely filling and satisfying butternut squash.

Four cup of healthy Goodness.. 1200% of Vitamin A!

Ingredients

• 4 cups butternut squash cubes 
• 1/2 red onion, cut into thick slices 
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 
• 1 teaspoon sea salt, divided 
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided 
• 8 large eggs 
• 1/3 cup Almond milk no flavor
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
• Fresh thyme
• 1 cup grated Gruyère cheese (optional)
• 4 slices of Bacon
• Parsley to garnish

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. 
2. Slice Bacon and fry in a cast- iron skillet. Remove excess grease, and set aside. 
3. Add , dice onions, and squash in  a baking pan or in cast iron skillet,  toss with the oil, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper. 
4. Roast in oven until the vegetables are browned and softened, about 25 minutes, stirring once or twice during cooking. 
5. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, almond milk, spices and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper together. Pour into the baking dish or skillet and return it to the oven.
6.  Continue cooking until eggs are just about set, 6 to 7 minutes. 
7. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with cheese. Turn on the broiler; place the skillet under the broiler just until the cheese melts and the top of the frittata is browned, about 2 minutes. Cool for a few minutes, cut into wedges and serve.

Autumn Butternut Squash and Bacon Frittata, right out of the oven

Nom, Nom, Nom! Or Violet says Nommy, Nommy!

Chunky Tomato Soup

Portland grey skies never seem to leave us, until July. With cool temperatures, overcast clouds, some days I want to curl up and read a book next to a fireplace, enjoying coffees, teas, and warm bowls of soup for dinners. 

I love soups. They can be so versatile, flavorful, and simple to make. You can slow cook them, and allow the aroma's  fill your home. They are filling, and easy to use for leftovers!

Hold the Bread Please

• 1 Onion
• 3 Garlic Cloves
• Handful of Basil leaves
• 4 (14.2 ounce) cans of Diced Tomatoes 
• 16 slow roasted tomatoes
• Kosher Sea Salt
• Black pepper
• 2 sprigs of Rosemary
• 1/4 cup of Olive oil

Dice Onion, and garlic. Heat olive oil, onions, and garlic in a dutch oven over medium heat for ten minutes. Add tomatoes, salt, rosemary, basil, slow roasted tomatoes, salt and pepper. Turn down heat, and simmer for 20 minutes.

This soup is chunky and thick. If you like a thinner soup, feel free to add a cup of water.

Slow Roasted makes this soup amazing

Fresh Garden Herbs add intensity and flavors to the dish

Dice and simmer for ten minutes

Add bacon instead of bread, for a complete meal!

Broccoli Bacon Soup

It has been a while since my last post. We have been cooking, and taking photos, and chasing our kids! Mainly chasing kids! Which is why I love this recipe that I am about to share with you today! It is fast, and loaded full of vitamins. It took me under 35 minutes to prepare the whole dish.

Green Goodness!

Recently, I went over to a girlfriends house for a fun night of Bunco, and indulged in a delicious blueberry muffin. The recipe, was from the new cookbook My Father's Daughter, by Gwyneth Paltrow. Everyone knows that I have a deep love of cooking and cookbooks, I would consider it more of an obsession, to be honest.

Last week, I bought the book, and made an amazing broccoli  soup. Broccoli soup was more of an experiment to see if my daughters would eat the broccoli, with no complaints. It was a pleasant surprise when they devoured their bowls with no complaints. They loved this soup, so much they had two servings. I did modify it, it a little. Next time to add more life to the soup I will add diced tomato. We will be making more of it this week, and freezing it.

• 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil, Napa
• 2 teaspoons of Granulated Garlic, or you could use 3 fresh garlic cloves sliced
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 3 Medium Broccoli stalks, cut into small florets
• 32 ounces of Chicken Broth, or Vegetable stock
• 1 teaspoon of Celtic Salt
• 1 teaspoon of black pepper
• 5 slices of cooked bacon (omit for vegan option)
• 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese, or sprinkle of Parmesan cheese (optional, if dairy free)

This recipe is really simple. In a skillet add olive oil, and then toss in onion, broccoli, granulated garlic. Cook on medium high for ten minutes to fifteen minutes, until broccoli is green and tender but firm. In a dutch oven, add the broccoli mixture, broth, salt and pepper. Then use the skillet to fry up the bacon. While bacon is cooking simmer soup mixture on a medium high for ten minutes, and then add bacon and heat at a medium for ten more minutes.

Pour soup into a large bowl, and puree. I use my Cuisinart Smart Stick Hand Blender. 

Serve and enjoy!

Messy looking, but tasty

Two thumbs up from our picky eater!

Thumbs up from V

My family loved this recipe so much it was gone as quickly as it was made.