My only memory of butternut squash wasn’t such a good one.  I was invited to a neighbor’s house for dinner when I was 5 years old and the lady of the house served hamburgers without a bun and a scoop of cottage cheese along with a side of blended up butternut squash.  Later that night, I threw up. To this day I am not sure if it was the bland food or the cold family dynamic of that household but I avoided butternut squash for the rest of my life – until this past year.  It’s funny how a food memory gets embedded in your brain. I had to find a way to create a new relationship with my squash!  In Los Angeles, one of my favorite coffee shops and teahouse served an amazing carrot soup. I had an idea of the ingredients and made this bangin’ soup happen! Now I’m so psyched to share it with you all – I PROMISE you’re gonna LOVE it. The flavors are perfectly complimentary: sweet and mild heat mixed with yum!

Whatcha’ Need:

1 Butternut squash peeled and cut into medium sized pieces

3 medium carrots – cut into medium pieces the smaller the faster they cook.

1 medium apple peeled and cored

1 small onion cut into medium half moon slices

1 small piece of ginger – chopped or more depending how much heat you like!

1 tsp. of grated tumeric – I use fresh but you can use powdered if that’s all that is available to you.

3 cloves of garlic chopped large

1 tbsp. Tamari/Shoyu

1 large tbsp. of sweet white miso

5 c. water

1 c. left over brown rice

Preparation:

1. Put everything except the miso into the pot. Cover with lid.
2. Cook on medium low for about 20 minutes, long enough for everything to cook down.  If it looks dry, add more water. I usually pull out some of the liquid broth to dilute my miso. Make sure to turn the heat down before adding the diluted miso.
3. After everything is blended, whip out your electric wand and blend this baby – if you don’t have a wand use your blender.

Tom Yum Yum Yum Soup

Aside from being one of the most popular soups in Thailand, Tom Yum Soup has some serious health benefits due its potent combination of herbs and spices. In fact, this Thai soup is currently under scientific study, and it appears to have immune-boosting power as a natural remedy for cold and flu viruses. Lemon grass can be used to make a tea that aids in nausea as well as reducing the length of colds and flues.  The cilantro of the soup is a digestive aid. Kaffir lime leaves and the limejuice is used as a shampoo; the leaves taste so yummy that they are used to freshen one’s breath in Thailand as well as cleaning folks’ teeth!  Coconut milk is the mother of all immune systems builders; its got good fat fo’ ya! My friend Jack Peele taught me how to hook this soup up and dang SHORTY I love it! I had never eaten the ingredients before but now that we’ve been introduced I’ve learned to weave them into my diet in other recipes.

In my version of the soup, I’ve included coconut milk (officially “Tom Khaa”) which adds both richness and flavor while keeping the soup super healthy. ENJOY!

Whatcha’ Need:

3 – 4 c. veggie soup stock (this a makes enough soup to serve 2 people – double the recipe for 4 or more)

1 stalk of lemon grass, lower 1/3 minced grass – using your food processor.

3 kaffir lime leaves (available fresh or frozen at Asian food store – or order them on line).

1 small package Tofu cut into cubes and steamed before placing in soup.(you can use chicken or shrimp if your down with it)

2 tbsp. fish sauce (order on line, if not found in your market)

1-2 small red chilies, minced or ½ tsp. dried crushed chili to taste – if you don’t eat spicy you can skip this)

3 cloves of garlic, minced

Optional: a handful of cherry tomatoes

Generous handful of shitake mushrooms, sliced thinly

1 green and or red bell pepper, sliced

½ can coconut milk (don’t use the lite stuff it’s too weak )

1/3 c. fresh coriander roughly chopped – Coriander is Cilantro! Use fresh Cilantro the dried stuff doesn’t work in this recipe.

Optional: additional red chilies or Nam Prik Pao Chili Sauce (1-2 tsp.)

Optional: 1 tsp. brown rice syrup and a squeeze of lime.

Preparation:

1. For instructions on how to buy, prepare, and cook with lemongrass, see: All About Lemongrass.
2. Pour stock into a deep cooking pot and turn heat to medium-high.
3. Add processed lemongrass to the pot, including the parts of the lemongrass stalk you didn’t slice. Boil for 5 minutes, or until fragrant.
4. Add garlic, chili, lime leaves, and mushrooms to broth. Continue cooking for another 5 minutes.
5. Add Tofu or Shrimp, bell pepper, and cherry tomatoes (if using). Cook 5-6 minutes, or until shrimp is pink and plump.
6. Turn down the heat to low and add 1/2 can coconut milk plus fish sauce. Test-test the soup for spice and salt, adding more chili and/or fish sauce (instead of salt) as desired. If too sour for your taste, add 1 tsp. brown sugar; if too salty, add a squeeze of lime juice. Add more coconut milk if you want your soup richer/creamier, or if it’s too spicy for your taste.
7. Serve in bowls with fresh coriander sprinkled over. Enjoy!! (See below for more variations on this recipe.)

Variations:

• For a vegetarian version, see my Easy Vegetarian Tom Yum Soup Recipe
• For a more traditional/authentic Tom Yum Soup (without coconut milk), see: Traditional Tom Yum Soup
• If you prefer chicken over seafood, substitute chicken breast for shrimp (cut the chicken into bite-size pieces).
• Rice noodles can also be added for a delicious noodle-soup version of Tom Yum.

Whatcha’ Need:

4 tsp. of sweet white miso – it must be organic and aged for live cultures to benefit the body.

2 tsp. of dried wakame

1 tsp. of shoyu or tamari sauce

½ a medium onion slice in half moons

½ a medium carrot sliced in matchsticks

2 dried and then hydrated shitake mushrooms or you can use fresh too!

Daikon radish – a handful sliced in matchsticks.

5 c. of spring water

1 sliced up scallion (green onion) for garnish

Preparation:

1. Soak the Wakame and Shiitake mushrooms in 1 cup of spring water (be sure to rinse off your Shiitake mushrooms first). Slice the mushrooms once they have rehydrate, but first remove and get rid of the hard stems, leaving the caps to be sliced in to thin strips.
2. Add the remaining 4 cups of water to the pot along with the water you used to hydrate the seaweed and the mushrooms (this water is important ’cause it’s got all the mineral from the seaweed in it). Bring it to a boil and then reduce the heat and let simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Remove about a 1/4 cup of the broth and add the Miso to it, pureeing the Miso into the water by using a spoon (I use my soup ladle). Once it’s blended and dissolved I add it all back into the soup allowing it to SIMMER not boil, for less then 5 more minutes. Serve and garnish with scallions!