I Hate Squash

Why then, did I just make Butternut Squash Soup, you ask?

I made it because someone gave me a squash from their garden and because I'm tired of the stuff I've been eating. And, in my best spokesmodel voice, because they're chock full o' nutrients that are good for me!

After a while, you just get sick of the same old, same old. Or at least I do.

Remember a few posts back where I mentioned that I threw some kale into a stirfry? Same principle.

I peruse the produce department now like a treasure hunter. I'm looking for something new or different or even strange. I buy the standard carrots and cauliflower and red peppers. Some lettuce and onions. A lemon, probably.

But then I try to find whatever is in season that looks good.

Early on when I was eating mostly vegetables, I just craved different textures or flavors. Just wanted to put something in my mouth that felt different. For instance, I started buying cherry tomatoes this summer ... and I don't like raw tomatoes. But they gave me a different kind of crunch in a salad.

I've learned that I can stretch stirfry dishes with Nappa cabbage. (It's my "eat a lot without doing damage" theory.) I can pump up the nutrition of anything with kale or spinach. Banana peppers are very different from poblanos. Spaghetti squash doesn't taste like squash. I like the English cucumbers better than the ordinary kind. I like to mix mushroom varieties. Cilantro is good in anything. (Though I know some people vehemently disagree.)

However, sometimes my eyes are bigger than my stomach and my courage, to turn a phrase. I have bought, and thrown away, vegetables I couldn't figure out what to do with. Just last week, I tossed out an eggplant and some fennel because I couldn't get to them with a good idea before they went bad.

That's a stupid and wasteful thing, mind you. But sometimes the week just doesn't work out and I don't get to them in time.

I've also learned to do the same thing with spices. I love lemon pepper, cumin and Mrs. Dash. But I also spend some time with the spice mixes that are now available. McCormick has some low or no salt versions ... the Mediterranean one with a light blue label, I think ... works on everything from veg to eggs to meat.

Maybe lots of people already eat this way. I just didn't before.

I want to make one thing perfectly clear, however. There is still NO WAY I'm eating a banana. Yuk-O.

Butternut Squash Soup
Adapted from 3 or 4 recipes on AllRecipes.com

1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into cubes. (This is a pain in the @ss, BTW. Sharpen your knives beforehand.)
1 medium sweet yellow onion, rough chop
2 stalks celery, rough chop
2 small cans/boxes chicken stock (I used the low sodium kind.)
2-3 stalks fresh oregano
4-5 stalks fresh thyme
2 fresh bay leaves
1-2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp to 1 Tbsp curry powder
Red pepper flakes, to your liking
Salt & pepper
Olive oil
1/3 bar of light cream cheese

In a big soup pot, drizzle a little olive oil and sweat onions and celery with salt and pepper. When they start to soften up, toss in the squash. Stir it up and let them cook for a few minutes. Add nutmeg, cumin, red pepper flakes, fresh herbs (peel them off stalks and toss them in) and enough chicken stock to just cover it all. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer, and let it go until the squash is fork tender.

Separate the squash from liquid. Remove the bay leaves. Put squash/veg in blender or food processor. (If the mixture is hot, keep a hand on the lid when you mix!) Puree it so that there's a little texture, but not chunks. Add back the liquid as needed. I think I used about half, but this is your call. If you want it thinner, add more. If you want it thicker, don't add as much.
Melt in cream cheese and adjust salt/pepper/curry powder/red pepper flake to your taste. Let simmer on stove for a while.
WARNING: This is sort of bright gold and looks a lot like baby food. I'm not so sure I dig that part. But Jim said "You can make this again," which doesn't always happen.