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butternut squash soup

Monday Funday

by Eating Bird Food on December 14, 2009

Typically Mondays aren’t too exciting, but today ended up being great!

I went to the gym before work and since I was running a little short on time I decided to bring a packet of Kashi Truly Vanilla Oats to the office for breakfast. I used to buy Kashi Instant oats all the time so this morning’s breakfast was quite the blast from the past.

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Only that wasn’t the only blasting going on- the oats decided to explode in the office microwave leaving me with a big mess to clean up and only half the packet of oats. This scenario reminded me why I love stovetop oats so much, not only are they better tasting, more voluminous, and less processed, but they never explode on me.

So, although the day started out kind of crazy things got better….

First, it was Marketing Team Monday- which means that the marketing department goes out to lunch. We have a new Marketing Director joining our team in February so she came over and we all walked to Amici, a local Italian restaurant that I’ve blogged about before.

Both times I have eaten at this restaurant I have been with work for lunch and both times I’ve enjoyed my meal immensely so I probably need to try it out for dinner sometime.

I hadn’t even looked over the menu completely but when the server mentioned that the soup of the day was butternut squash soup I knew exactly what I was getting.

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say b-nut and I’m sold!

I also ordered a house salad for good measure.

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Twas a nice little lunch outing with the marketing crew!

After work I headed directly to Whole Foods for the Holiday Cooking Demo. It was great because I was able to sit with Stephanie and her mom for the class. We had a blast watching Jesse, the chef, prepare and explain all the dishes. And, of course, tasting them was fun too! The only part that stinks is that we weren’t able to take photos of the food (food bloggers worst nightmare!)- it was such a shame because the dishes were definitely worth sharing.

Here’s what was on the menu:

Potato Cake served with apple sauce

A.K.A potato latkes

Zuni

A traditional Japanese New Year’s Soup similar to miso soup but with brown rice mochi and daikon.

Goat cheese and asparagus roll

Herbed goat cheese, roasted asparagus, and roasted red pepper were all rolled inside a piece of lavash bread. It was simple to prepare but looked quite gourmet all wrapped up. And, the color presentation (red, green and white) would make it a festive appetizer for a holiday party!

Black eyed peas with tomatoes and greens

This one had the red, green, and white color scheme going on as well, and it was my favorite!! Right after the demo I did a little shopping and ended up buying all the ingredients to make this recipe so you’ll be “seeing” it again very soon.

Eggnog Bread Pudding

Panettone bread pudding with eggnog and a dollop of brown sugar whipped cream. A reduced calorie and fat-free dessert. :)

It was a fun way to spend my Monday evening- I was able to pick up some unique recipe ideas and eat some delicious food- all for FREE. I’ll definitely be signing up for another demo in the near future!! I’m not sure how other Whole Foods work however I’m assuming they might have similar cooking demos. If you live nearby a WF, I’d recommend checking out the monthly calendar. One word of advice- sign up early, because as I found out, the classes fill up quickly!

-Brittany

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I Haven’t Turned Orange YET

by Eating Bird Food on October 18, 2009

I think orange must be my favorite color- at least when it comes to fruit and veggies. This weekend I’ve been enjoying many of my favorites (butternut squash, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin) in a variety of ways, but no worries because my skin hasn’t turned orange yet.

On Saturday morning I decided against making my typical breakfast of oats and went with a sweet and savory sandwich with 1 egg white, 1 veggie sausage patty, and 1 slice of Nature’s Pride whole wheat bread smeared with pumpkin butter.

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I had planned to use jam on the bread at first, because I’ve done that in the past and like it, but I thought why not use pumpkin butter today. It was a rash but great decision and the sweet and savory combination was awesome. TJ’s pumpkin butter is so versatile! Speaking of pumpkin butter, I was catching up on my blog reading and realized that the amazing Heather from HEAB had posted a recipe for Kabocha Squash Butter! It looks delicious and pumpkin or butternut squash could easily be substituted for the kabocha. This would be perfect for anyone that’s jonesing to try some pumpkin butter and doesn’t have a store nearby that sells it.

Breakfast fueled me well for my Saturday morning spin class and I was pretty hungry for lunch when I returned home. I was craving the butternut squash soup that I purchased for lunch on Friday so I decided to recreate my own.

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Butternut Squash Blended Soup (based on a recipe for Butternut Squash Apple Soup from the VITAMIX cookbook)

3 cups butternut squash, peeled, seeded & cubed
1/4 small onion
1/2 clove garlic
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp thyme
1/8 tsp salt10.5 oz vegetable broth
Directions:
Steam squash in steamer or microwave. Saute onion and garlic in a lightly oil pan until onion is clear and tender. Set Aside. Place starch, thyme, salt, and vegetable broth in the Vita-Mix container and secure the lid. Select VARIABLE 1. Turn on machine and quickly increase speed to VARIABLE 10; then to HIGH. Blend for 5 to 6 minutes or until mixture starts to thicken. Remove the lid plug and carefully add squash and onion mixture. Replace the lid plug. Run for 30 seconds. Serve immediately.
I whipped up everything in the vitamix and out came steamy, hot soup. It still amazes me that a blender can create hot soup. Very convenient. :)

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After a not so eventful afternoon, Isaac invited a couple friends over and we all decided to make a visit to Balliceaux, a new farm to table restaurant and bar here in Richmond. The first time we went to Balliceaux for dinner we knew we needed to come back for drinks based on the unique cocktail menu.

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Isaac and I both ordered the Tom Yum Yum.

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It was completely different than any cocktail I have ever tasted. The combined ingredients (Cirrum Richmond vodka, Crusen Coconut run, fresh ginger, local hot chili, lemongrass syrup, and fresh lemon) made a tasty Thai inspired drink. It was amazing how much it reminded me of a coconut based Thai soup. As you all know I love Thai cuisine (hello, fresh spring rolls!) so this was the perfect cocktail for me.

Isaac also happened to order some sweet potato fries and like everything else on the menu they were delicious- definitely too good to pass up.

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I think I have a small restaurant crush on Balliceaux. I was impressed by the unique decor and the raw lasagne on my first visit and now the drinks and sweet potato fries have officially won me over. It’s definitely my favorite (nice) restaurant in Richmond!

Today Isaac and I are working to winterize our apartment (because it’s 58 degrees in here right now). Later I have exciting plans to meet up with another food blogger and then lots of grocery shopping to do. It should be fun!

I hope everyone is staying warm and having a lovely weekend.

- Brittany

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Let the Weekend Begin

October 17, 2009

Whew. The work week is over and it’s time for some relaxing. Am I right? So let’s start with the special treat from my last post. No one guessed it but the fall dessert I had the privilege of taste testing was Frosted Pumpkin Puffs. My friend’s mom makes these cookies and I’ve heard nothing [...]

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