Try This- Butternut Squash, Sour Cream, and Apple Cider Soup

Summer gets all the glory for sure, but who doesn’t love a cozy Fall or Winter night snuggled up with a hot meal made with fresh seasonal produce? Mother Nature has us covered as always, and this recipe that celebrates the bounty of a Fall harvest will have you begging for seconds. Butternut squash is cropping up at local farmers’ markets and farm shares everywhere, and I for one couldn’t be happier. Last week, I was ODing on this delicious roasted pumpkin salad with feta and spinach, and this week I’m totally obsessed with this super easy butternut squash soup.

We all know that good things happen when you pair sage and butternut squash, but straight up magic comes from pairing butternut squash with sour cream and cider. Say whaaaaaat?!! I’m not joking. I first spotted this recipe on Food52 and I’m kicking myself for not making it and sharing it with you sooner! This soup comes together in less than half an hour, tastes amazing, and you can pour the leftovers onto anything from focaccia to your favorite pasta. This is totally going to be your new Fall favorite. You must try this!!!

Butternut Squash + Sour Cream + Apple Cider Soup

Ingredients

Serves: 4

  • shallot, sliced
  • clove garlic, peeled and minced
  • cups peeled, seeded, and cubed butternut squash
  • 1/2 cup vegetarian broth, homemade or canned low-sodium
  • 3/4 cup apple cider
  • 1/4 cup light sour cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
  • 1/2 unpeeled Honeycrisp or Granny Smith apple, cored and finely diced
  • Cracked black pepper

Directions

  1. Heat a medium-size saucepan over low heat. Add the shallot, garlic, and 1/4 cup water. Cook until the shallot and garlic are softened, being careful not to let them burn, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the squash and the vegetarian broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until the squash is soft, about 20 minutes.
  2. Carefully pour the mixture into a blender. Holding the top down with a towel, blend until smooth. Sidebar: instead of all of the fuss of transferring your mixture to a blender, you can use a hand blender right in your saucepan. I got this hand blender as a gift (Thanks, Valerie!!!) and I seriously can’t live without it. It’s upped my smoothie and soup game to expert level.
  3. Add the cider, sour cream, and salt. Continue blending (or hand blending) until well combined. The soup can be made ahead up to this point. If you want to save some for later, now’s the time. You can store it in mason jars and refrigerate/freeze for later. When ready to eat, place in a clean saucepan over low heat until heated through. Season with additional salt if needed.
  4. Ladle the soup into 4 bowls. Garnish with the diced red apple and cracked black pepper. Serve immediately.

Pumpkin Seed Rosewater Face Mask

We all know how incredibly detoxifying a good clay mask can be. They pull out toxins, reduce oil, help get out blackheads, and even minimize the appearance of pores. With so many types of clay to choose from, I’ve even taken up the art of multi-masking to reap the variety of benefits in one application. The only drawback of clay-based face masks is that they can be incredibly drying. Not so bueno for cold weather skin care.

Autumn is in the air, and with it comes that familiar wind chill that sucks the moisture right out of our faces. Don’t despair. Imagine a clay mask that is as hydrating as it is detoxifying. This pumpkin seed rosewater face mask delivers just that. It has all the detox power of your favorite clay mask, but will leave your skin feeling moisturized. Honey is a natural humectant, while pumpkin seeds are chock full of skin friendly vitamins and minerals like zinc, Vitamin E, and Vitamin C.

Pumpkin Seed Rosewater Face Mask

Ingredients

  • 1/4 c pumpkin seeds
  • 1/3 cup rosewater
  • 1 tablespoon clay
  • 1 tablespoon honey

Directions

  • Combine the pumpkin seeds and rosewater in a lidded container and place in the fridge to soak overnight.
  • The next morning, add the soaked pumpkin seeds and rosewater to a high speed blender along with the honey. Blend until smooth.
  • Transfer to a non-metal dish and stir in the clay using a non-metal utensil.
  • To use, simply smooth the mask over your face in a generous layer, avoiding your eye area.
  • Allow the mask to dry (this mask takes a little bit longer to dry out than others- about 30 minutes)
  • Wash off with warm water and enjoy your new glow!

***this mask must be stored in the fridge and will last over a week there in an airtight container.

Source: Catching Seeds

5 Last Minute Vegetarian Recipes for Your Thanksgiving Menu

I love you all. I really do, but I have suffered through many a Thanksgiving hosted by well-meaning, non-vegetarian friends where the feast pickings were slim. If you’ve been following me for a while, you know that my crusade against leaving your vegetarian guests hungry at Thanksgiving rages on. Last year I gave you some tips on how to not starve your vegetarian guests on Thanksgiving. Hopefully you heeded my advice, and had an amazing vegetarian friendly holiday. This year, I want to share some of my favorite last minute Thanksgiving recipes that are not only easy to prepare, but also super delicious!

Vegetarian Vegetable Stew

via The Curvy Carrot

Simple Pumpkin Soup

via Minimalist Baker

Mushroom Pot Pie

via Savory Simple

Sweet Potato Gnocchi With Balsamic Sage Brown Butter

via Salt and Wind

Mushroom & Stout Pot Pies with Sweet Potato crust

via First Mess
Homemade Pumpkin Honey Butter

Try This— Homemade Pumpkin Honey Butter

Of all things to impulse buy, 10 cans of pumpkin puree was probably the most ridiculous. Not my proudest moment. Still, it feels a lot like Fall around here, so I might as well embrace this whole pumpkin thing. In search of some not-so-pumpkiny pumpkin recipes, I came across this cool looking Pumpkin Honey Butter recipe.

Try This---Homemade Pumpkin Honey ButterI definitely love bread, and rolls, and biscuits, and waffles, and—well, you get the idea, but what’s bread without butter? So I made this Pumpkin Honey Butter last night and it’s absolutely delicious, if I do say so myself! It’s super easy to make and I’m not kidding when I tell you that I actually reached for this heavenly spread instead of cookie butter for my morning waffle today. That’s really an incredible thing right there, since I haven’t even admitted I have a cookie butter problem yet! You must try this!
Homemade Pumpkin Honey Butter

Homemade Pumpkin Honey Butter

Ingredients

  • 2 sticks of butter
  • 1tbsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/3c pumpkin puree
  • 4tbsp honey
  • 1tsp vanilla extract
  • 1tsp ground cinnamon

Directions

  • In a standing mixer (or in a blender), mix the butter until its soft and thin
  • Add the rest of the ingredients and whisk them together with the butter until fluffy
  • Enjoy!

Source: Baking with Blondie