The Light and Shadows of February....

Soup's On!

 It's mid-Feb (-20F this morning!) and while greens are scarce, squash is still in abundance, and what a pleasure to work with! We are blessed to have a wonderful wood stove that you can cook on and bake in, so in an effort to use less propane I decided to slow roast these beauties for several hours under a low heat. The results were stunningly delicious! I am so excited to share this recipe with you, which in my usual cooking fashion I made up on the spot! *Don't worry it's been duplicated since!* 

Butternut Squash Bisque with coconut milk, curry and apples
*vegan/GF
Serves 4-6


1 medium (about 2 cups worth of flesh once cooked) butternut squash (or another sweet squash variety), halved and seeded  

2 Tbsp coconut oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced 
1 medium tangy apple (cortland is great), seeded and chopped WITH skin on

1 heaping Tbsp curry powder
1 heaping tsp cumin powder

1 can (full fat) coconut milk
1/2 cup water

1 vegetable Bouillon Cube WITH Sea Salt (my favorite brand is Rapunzel) 
2 tsp raw apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp white truffle oil 

Preheat oven to 375F. Place squash face down in a glass casserole dish that has high sides. Add about 1/2 inch of water to the bottom of dish and place in oven for about an hour or till soft. 
Once cooked, let cool enough till it is comfortable to handle. Once cooled, scrape out flesh and set aside.

Over med/low heat, in a cast iron soup pot (if you have it), melt the coconut oil. Add onions and sauté till translucent stirring occasionally-- about 5 mins. Stir in apples till coated with oil. Once coated, cover and let cook till soft, but not mushy-- about 6 mins. Once cooked, lower heat and add spices. Stirring frequently, coat the onions and apples and cook till spices are fragrant but NOT burning.

In a high-power blender (Vita-Mix or Blentec are best), place squash, apple/onion/spice mixture, coconut milk and water. Blend on high till velvety smooth (about 1 min in a Vitamix). If the mixture is too thick and not blending well add more water. 

Once blended, pour back into the soup pot that you sautéed the onions and apples in. Under a low head, add the bullion cube. Stir in till dissolved and the soup is heated through but NOT boiling. 

Once heated through, cut the heat and stir in the vinegar and truffle oil. 

Taste soup and adjust as desired. Does it need more brightness? If so, add a little more vinegar. Does it need more salt to bring out the other flavors? Does it need a little more truffle oil? Go for it, this is YOUR soup! :)

When you've got the balance just perfect, serve it up by all means and ENJOY!:)

Sharing the Love.....

We've been having fun getting ready for Valentine's Day! Olive really loves dressing up and dancing around the house with "magic wands" these days, hence the inspiration for this years Valentines. :)

For her teacher (and us!), we made these super easy and super yummy raw/vegan heart cookies. I always love making sweets that are sans refined sugar and other junk that are just as tasty and pretty. <3

Wishing you all a love-filled, tasty Valentine's Day!! xoxo, Mi&O

Raw Cherry Chocolate Hearts 

with Cardamom and orange 

*Adapted from oh, lady cakes! 

2 cups raw almonds

6 tbsp cacao powder, plus more for dusting

2 tsp cardamom powder

Small pinch Himalayan salt

8 medjool dates

1/2 cup dried cherries

2 tsp orange zest 

1 tbsp fresh orange juice

1 tbsp Butternut Mountain Farm Grade A Pure Maple Syrup (the best money can buy!)

1-2 tbsp filtered water

In a food processor fitted with the S blade, blend the almonds, cacao powder, cardamom powder and sea salt into a superfine meal. Add the dates and cherries; process for at least 60 seconds, until the fruit is incorporated. Add the juice, syrup and the water (1 tablespoon at a time) and blend just until a dough starts to form--slightly sticky. Next, pat it into a flat disc, wrap with plastic, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or until firm. If your dough is nice and firm, proceed to the next step.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. Line a flat surface with parchment paper and sprinkle with cacao powder. Roll the dough out until it's about 1/2" thick. Using a 1.5" heart cookie cutter, cut the dough and transfer the pieces to the prepared baking sheet.  Repeat process with scraps. Freeze for 30 minutes then transfer to an air tight container. When ready to serve, dust with cacao powder. Will keep in freezer for at least 2 months, but don't count on them lasting that long. :)

Yield: about 2 dozen hearts