The Vore eats Squash!

The Vore always says he HATES squash. I love it. I found some beautiful Patty Pan squash at the local farmers market that I wanted to use for lunch last week. I started looking around my favorite blogs and sites for inspiration when I found Sunny Summer Squash soup at Fat Free Vegan Kitchen. So a big thanks to Susan V the Vore now likes squash too!!!! WOOT, WOOT (as my little sister would say). I took a little creative liberty with the soup, I added a cup of soy milk to make is more bisque like; I was also out of fresh chilies so I used crushed red pepper flakes. I also used the optional ingredients. The tahini adds a mild nutty flavor and really helps attain the creaminess of good bisque. I LOVE the Fat Free Vegan Kitchen. I just need to get that out of the way. The following recipe is taken from her blog with a few changes I added. (http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2008/08/sunny-summer-squash-soup.html)

*Picture curtesy of Susan V, http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/

Sunny Summer Squash Soup 1 large onion, chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced 2t crushed red pepper flakes, (use less if you'd like, but we like it spicy) 2 ribs celery, strings removed and chopped 2 medium (12-14 ounces) gold potatoes, peeled and cut into small dice 1 1/2 pounds small yellow squash, chopped (or young zucchini) 1 pinch white pepper 4 cups vegetable broth 1 teaspoon oregano 1C Plain light soy milk 1/2 teaspoon turmeric (optional, for color) 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional) 1 tablespoon tahini (optional) salt and white pepper, to taste (optional) Serve with: Roasted Red Pepper Bruschetta on toasted French Bread (recipe follows) Heat a large non-stick or enamel-coated pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, reduce the heat to medium, and cook, covered but stirring every minute or so, until it begins to brown, about 5 minutes (add a little water if it tends to stick). Add the garlic and crushed red pepper and cook for another minute. Add all remaining ingredients except the optional ones. Cover and cook until the potatoes are completely tender (they will mash if lightly pressed with a spoon), about 25-40 minutes. Remove half of the soup and put it into a blender* and puree at high speed until completely smooth. (Be careful--hot liquids can erupt from your blender; I always remove the center cup from the lid and cover the opening with a kitchen towel.) Once it's blended, pour the soup into another pot. Add the remaining soup to the blender, along with any optional ingredients you choose to use, and blend well. Add to the other half of the soup, the soy milk, and simmer for about 5 minutes. Ladle into bowls, garnish with slices of red bell pepper, and serve. Susan V recommends garnishing your soup with roasted red pepper slivers; I prefer to use the bruschetta. I always want something crunchy with my soup so I don't feel like I'm drinking my dinner! :) However you decide to garnish, the flavor of roasted red peppers add a nice smoky sweetness that amazing with the soup. Roasted Red Pepper Bruschetta 1 jar roasted red peppers* 1 large tomato 3 cloves garlic Heat oven to 350. Put tomato and garlic on a cookie sheet, drizzle with any good oil (I like canola oil). Bake for 30 min, or until garlic is med gold. Allow to cool to a temp your comfortable handling. Cut the roasted red pepper and the tomato into larger chunks. You should be able to smush the garlic out of the casings, add this to the tomatoes and peppers. Smear onto the waiting toasted bread. *If you'd like to roast your own pepper, use 4 or 5 and roast at 500 for about 5 min per side. You'll want the skin to char. When all sides are near charred put in a waiting Ziploc bag and allow to cool. When the peppers a still warm but cool enough to handle remove the skin. They are now ready for what ever you'd like to use them for. Susan Thanks again for letting me post your recipe! You rock!