Sudden snow storm? Rich, creamy soup will warm you up

Freak snow storm killing your late-April high?
Well this week's weather is bumming me out, especially after a successful, snow-free weekend of tailgating. So I found a rich, creamy and nommolishish soup that will warm you up — plus the bright orange squash makes it the color of sun, so if you're feeling symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder, stare at this bowl long enough and you'll be cured.

Or move to Florida.

This is another recipe I modified slightly from my Whole Foods app, which I look through obsessively. Now that I'm trying to work more veggie-based meals into my diet, it is an easy tool that provides countless recipes. The original recipe called for 2 tsp of grated ginger, which you can add along with the curry paste and brown sugar if you have it. I didn't have any, so I just skipped it.
Definitely make sure you add the cilantro and lime to finish off this dish — the butternut squash is so creamy and rich, when it's combined with the coconut milk, it needs fresh, acidic kick to thin out the body of the soup. The shrimp also adds a salty pop to the dish.

What you're going to need:
2 tbsp canola oil
1 small white or yellow onion
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp red curry paste
1 tsp brown sugar
1 medium butternut squash, peel and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 cups chicken/veggie broth
1 can of coconut milk
1 lb raw shrimp, deveined and peeled
Fresh cilantro, chopped for garnish
Serve with lime wedges on the side to squeeze on

Start by heating a soup pot on the stove over medium heat, adding 2 tbsp of canola oil. Add in chopped onions and minced garlic. Sauté for five minutes, or until the onions become translucent. Add in the curry paste and the brown sugar, cooking the mixture for another minute.
Peel and chop the butternut squash and add it to the pot along with the can of coconut milk and vegetable or chicken broth, depending on how vegetarian you want to make this dish.
A note: don't be freaked out if you open up your coconut milk and it looks like it's solidified. I know I did, cursing myself for finding a bad can. Thank the cooking gods for Google — I found out all it needs is a good stir. How did people successfully cook before the Internet?
Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce it to a simmer and let it go to town for about 25 minutes.
Here's another decision that's up too you: the original recipe called to leave it chunky. In my head I pictured this soup velvety and smooth, so I blended mine up to smooth consistency and added it back to the pot for the last step.
Add in the peeled and deveined shrimp, simmering them in the smooth soup mixture for 3 or 4 minutes. Other than world war and impoverished children, overcooking seafood is THE WORST thing EVER. So don't do it, just until the shrimp a slightly pink and start to curl slightly.
Ladle your soup into a bowl and garnish with some chopped cilantro and give it a squirt of lime juice. I tried garnishing my first bowl with a little bit of cream, but it was just too much richness, so stick with the fresh, green things.

Quinoa-stuffed acorn squash, it's not just for Thanksgiving

Despite being born in my generation, I wouldn't consider myself especially tech savvy. It's challenging for me to tackle the DRV remote, the software on my computer hasn't been updated in at least three years and up until six month ago, an iPhone was a expensive, far away dream.
I ended up taking the smart phone plunge with the help of a big-girl paycheck and the need to know where I was going when driving around the rural outskirts of Northeastern Pennsylvania. Downloading apps became one of my new favorite pass times and one of my favorites BY FAR was the Whole Foods Recipe app. It's a fantastic resource where I can search recipes by ingredients, special dietary needs and courses, all while saving my favorites so I can pull them up anytime.
I've been finding lots of fantastic and different dishes to make and the quinoa-stuffed acorn squash is an adaptation from the Whole Foods App archives.

I'm a huge fan of any kind of squash, particularly acorn — it's naturally sweet and filling, can be paired with savory flavors and reminds me of Thanksgiving, arguably the best holiday ever created. When else can you eat like a glutton and pass out after watching football all day and still be considered a functional member of society?
Quinoa is an awesome addition to any meal plan because the grain is packed full of protein and is extremely versatile. It doesn't have a whole lot of flavor in and of itself, but absorbs whatever it's cooked with, in this case chicken/veggie stock and orange juice. In this case, it's used like a stuffing, so I used whatever veggies I had in the fridge to add in along with dried fruit, which made for the perfect mix of sweet and salty.
Although this recipe does take a good amount of time, most of it includes roasting the squash and simmering the quinoa, which allows plenty of freedom to leave the kitchen and come back only occasionally to check the food.

Here's the recipe:

1/2 cup quinoa
1/2 cup orange juice
1 cup chicken stock (or veggie stock)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 acorn squash
1 tbsp butter (or olive oil)
1 small onion
1 small green bell pepper (or whatever color you want, it will make the dish pretty)
1/2 cup dried cranberries (or whatever dried fruit you prefer)
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/4 cup sliced almonds

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Toast the quinoa in a dry pot for a few minutes then add orange juice, chicken stock, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Cover the mixture and simmer it for about 25 minutes.
While the quinoa is simmering, cut the acorn squash in half and place cut-side down on a baking sheet filled with about 1/2 inch of water. Bake it for about 40 minutes, or until the squash is tender.
While the squash is cooking, add the butter to a pan and sauté the onion and green pepper. You can also add in carrots and celery, I just used whatever I had in the fridge that day. Cook until tender, or about eight minutes. Add the veggies, dried fruit and maple syrup to the quinoa.
Simmer the quinoa for about 10 more minutes until the mixture holds together like sticky rice. Remove the pan from the heat and add in slivered almonds for a nice crunchy texture.
Remove the squash from the oven, dumping out the tray water. Add half of the mixture to each squash, place bake in the oven and bake for about 10 minutes.
Remove and enjoy :)

Rebirth of the blog, ready to nom: Veggie gumbo with brown rice

After more than a year of dormancy, I've decided to resurrect the blog.
This past year has brought a lot of changes to my life — some good, some not so good. But through it all, my love of writing and documenting the world around me has stuck.
I'm taking that love of writing and combining it with another passion: food. Even looking back on my travel posts, most of what I wrote about was food. It's the best way to experience the soul and the history of a culture. In my free time, I've been doing a lot more cooking and am looking for an outlet to share those escapades with others. When I discover a good recipe or dish I find all I want to do is give someone else a taste.
I've always been a foodie, adventurous and willing to give anything a try. And there's one food movement I find fascinating.
I recently watched the documentary Forks Over Knives, a film following two doctors through their research surrounding the benefits of a whole-food, plant-based diet.

Some of the material from the film, coupled with my mostly sedentary desk job and stubbornly unbudging waist line, really got me thinking about using food as my medicine. No, I don't have any crippling diseases, nor am I fighting morbid obesity.
But let's be blunt, college was not kind to my ass. Or my hips. And I'm rocking a mini-keg rather than a stomach six-pack.
So I'm looking to shift my foodie focus on more fruits, veggies and whole-foods while exploring my culinary soul. Now I'm not ruling out the occasional savory steak or creamy cheesecake (I am only human), but I'm looking to expand my food world beyond fried euphoria.
So join me fellow foodies. The best way to get to know someone is over a delicious meal — let's get to know each other :)

My first published endeavor: veggie gumbo with brown rice, a hearty and spicy dish that proves you don't need meat to feel full and satisfied after eating it. I love anything cajun and spicy, so I was a little more liberal with the heat, giving the gumbo a little extra kick.
I chopped the veggies is larger, meatier pieces so the dish would have a heavier feel to it. Pepper might be one of my favorite vegetables, so I used three kinds, which also adds a fantastic color to the gumbo — I'm always eating with my eyes first.

Vegetarian, Gluten-free, Dairy free

2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt
Pepper
1 red pepper, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 orange pepper, chopped
2 small tomatoes, diced
1/2 small yellow squash, chopped
1 15 oz. can chick peas
1 10 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 tbsp cajun seasoning
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 1/2 cups of instant brown rice

Pour head olive oil in a large pot over medium heat, then add in garlic and sauté for a minute, add in peppers, seasoning generously with salt and black pepper. Continue to cook for about five minutes.
Add in squash, tomatoes, chick peas, diced tomatoes, tomato paste and cajun seasoning. Fill the diced tomato can with water with water and add to pot twice, about 20 oz of water.
Stir and bring to a boil. Add in brown rice, cover and lower to a simmer for about 15 minutes.
Romove lid and stir. Simmer uncovered until rice is tender and fully cooked.

Consider your own recipe alterations. Feel free to use any kind of bean you like, I've seen kidney and black beans instead of chick peas. Also, if you want to go non-veggie, add chicken sausage instead of yellow squash.

Happy nomming!