Wholesome and Healthy for the Holidays

So Thanksgiving is over, but more holidays are right around the corner! And if you are like me, its not just Christmas dinner you have to worry about, there are many different dinners and parties through the month of December with friends and family. Perfect! That gives you an opportunity to try out delicious new recipes on your friends!

To me, there are a few factors that make a dish great, and I think my Roasted Butternut Squash soup fits pretty much all of them. Its affordable, fresh, minimal ingredients, healthy, and delicious!! Now I could go buy Butternut squash at the store, but if you look at the ingredients on the back, there are words I can’t even pronounce! That’s usually not a good sign. Lol. Not to mention store bought soups contain WAY more calories than MY soup. I don’t understand why people always think that soups are so difficult to make from scratch! And why people always think I’m such a culinary genius for making them!!?? (Even though I am.. lol, jk) They can really be easy if you find the right recipes.

All in all, this is a great soup for the wintertime. Whether for lunch, as an appetizer or dinner, this Butternut squash soup will have everyone coming back for seconds, so you may want to think about doubling this recipe! 

 

 

 

Roasted Butternut Squash soup

 

 

Ingredients

 

1 (2-3 lb) Butternut squash, seeded and chopped into 2 inch pieces

1 medium onion, large rough chop

6 cups vegetable or chicken stock (reduced sodium)

3 tbsp extra virgin Olive Oil

1/3 tsp Nutmeg

Salt and pepper

 

 

Directions

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

On a large sheet pan, arrange squash and onion evenly, drizzle olive oil over top along with a heavy pinch or salt and pepper, making sure everything has been seasoned.

Roast for about 40 minutes until the squashes edges turn golden brown. Remove and let cool slightly.

Pour squash mixture into a large pot over medium-high heat, add stock and bring to a boil. Reduce to heat to medium-low and allow to simmer for 10 minutes.

Take off heat, and using an emulation blender in the pot, blend ingredients until smooth. (You can use any sort or processor or blender you like) stir in Nutmeg, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

 

Holiday Indulgence

The Holidays are all about indulgence. Many delicious dishes come to mind including one of my favorite indulgent desserts, Pecan pie! In my family growing up we always cooked all the main course dishes and got store bought pies and cakes for dessert. It wasn’t until I really became interested cooking that I wanted to figure out how to bake, and what was so difficult about it? In my cooking I tend to not use exact measurements, but with baking you typically have to or else your finished product will not turn out the way you want it.

Unlike cake and other baked goods, pecan pie is one of my favorites because the measurements don’t have to be exact, and its pretty fool proof, just how I like it!  Buying a store bought crust for your pie cuts your prep time in half, and the filling is made over the stove, so it’s a lot like cooking.

There is something that is just so rewarding about baking your own desserts for the holidays, and this one is so delicious and fun to make with the family!

 

 

 

Chocolate pecan pie

 

Ingredients

 2 pie crusts, store bought already in baking dish.

 Filling:

5 tbsp unsalted butter

1 cup packed light brown sugar

3/4-cup light corn syrup 

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups chopped toasted pecans

1 to 2 tbsp bourbon 

2 tsp vanilla extract

3 eggs, lightly beaten

½ cup Dark chocolate chips

 

 

 

Directions

Set separate racks in the center and lower third of oven and preheat to 400 degrees. Put a piece of parchment paper or foil over the pie shell and fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake on a baking sheet on the center rack until the dough is set, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and lift sides of the parchment paper to remove the beans. Continue baking until the pie shell is lightly golden brown, about 10 more minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.

While the crust is baking make the filling: In medium saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, and stirring constantly, continue to boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the nuts, bourbon, and the vanilla. Set the mixture aside to cool slightly, about 5 minutes.  Whisk the beaten eggs into the filling until smooth. Put the pie shell on a sheet pan and pour the filling into the hot crust, sprinkle chocolate chips over top of filling.

Bake on the lower oven rack until the edges are set but the center is still slightly loose, about 40 to 45 minutes. (If the edges get very dark, cover them with aluminum foil half way during baking.) Cool on a rack. Serve slightly warm or room temperature.

Steaming 101

Fish recipes can often be tricky for some people. Unless you are familiar with how to cook different types of fish and what pairs well with them, it’s hard to find recipes that will always turn out delicious no matter what. An “En Papillote” fish dish lets you make a delicious French style dinner quick and easy. "En Papillote" simply means that the fish is wrapped in parchment paper before you cook it. This is an awesome way to cook fish and vegetables simultaneously and the fish comes out tender and delicious every time. The paper seals in all the flavor and aroma, which is why this cooking method is so popular. For an outdoor grilling day, you can also replace the parchment paper for foil.

I use this cooking method with fish ALL the time. It is one of my favorite ways of steaming which I learned in culinary school. Usually the foods that taste the best are also the easiest to make with minimal ingredients. So that makes this dish pretty cost efficient as well!

In addition to the fish, you can add pretty much any vegetables you like. You might like to add some diced tomatoes, sliced carrots, peppers, capers, lemon juice, or lime juice to the package, as well as the butter or oil and the seasonings. Halibut, tilapia, salmon, and red snapper are all suitable fish for cooking En Papillote because this cooking method works best with firm, meaty fish.

 

Halibut En Papillote

 

Ingredients:

 

2 tablespoons butter

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

4 (6 ounce) Halibut fillets

Salt and pepper to taste

1 lemon, thinly sliced

½ lb grape tomatoes, sliced in half

2 heads bok Choy, leaves removed

½ cup dry white wine

2 tablespoons olive oil

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut four large rectangles of parchment paper and fold in half; unfold. (about 25 inches)

Drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil in the center of one of the parchment paper folds, place fish filets over oil so not to stick when baking.  Dab a bit of butter over top of the fish and season with salt and pepper.  Place about 2 lemon slices over seasoned fish. Divide garlic tomatoes and Bok Choy evenly over fish.

Fold top half of parchment paper over fish and crimp to seal; place on two baking sheets. Once everything is in place, open paper a tiny bit and evenly distribute wine into all of the paper pouches, re-cover.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 12-16 minutes, switching baking sheets halfway through cooking time, until fish flakes easily when tested with fork. Serve immediately.