Curry Coconut Butternut Squash Soup

Photo: the café sucré farine

This recipe is based on The Café Sucré Farine's Thai Butternut Coconut Curry Soup.  I had to modify ingredients to get my family to eat it.  It turned out delicious!

Ingredients:

·      1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted

·      1 large butternut squash, peeled and chopped in 2" pieces

·      2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

·      1 large onion, chopped

·      2 stalks celery, peeled, chopped (I recommend peeling to avoid strands in final product)

·      4 cloves garlic, chopped

·      1" piece fresh ginger, peeled, coarsely chopped

·      1 teaspoon crushed coriander seed

·      2 teaspoons sea salt

·      1 tablespoon mild curry powder

·      2 quarts home made bone broth or organic, gluten free stock

·      1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped in 2" pieces

·      1 can coconut milk, we use Natural Value Organic Coconut Milk

Directions:

1.     Coat butternut squash with coconut oil and  roast  in a baking dish at 400˚F for about 30 minutes or until soft.  Set aside.

2.   Add extra virgin olive oil to a large stock pot. Heat on medium high until hot.

2.     Add onions and celery and sauté until translucent.

3.     Add garlic, ginger, coriander, salt, and curry powder and cook for two minutes.

4.     Add broth and sweet potato. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.

5.     Cook for 45 minutes or until all veggies are very tender.

6.     Add coconut milk and cook for another two minutes.

7.     Puree with a stick blender, food processor or regular blender until smooth and silky. 

Traditional Cranberry Sauce

My husband is becoming less and less frilly with his food.  So, this year we're not adding pears, apples, nuts, chipotles, or anything (almost) to our cranberry sauce.

Photo: Can You Stay For Dinner?

Ingredients:

3 cups of fresh cranberries
juice of one orange
zest of one orange
1 teaspoon of cinnamon

Directions:

• Combine all ingredients in a saucepan on medium heat.  
• Cook for about 30 min or until consistency is jam-like. 

Serves 5-8

Double or triple your recipe as needed. Fresh cranberry sauce should be used within a week.

Recipes to gobble it up:

Baked Sweet Potato with Citrus topped with cranberry sauce
As a topping for Coconut Waffles
Add to Apple Cider Vinaigrette and serve with Kale Cranberry Salad
Spread onto warm Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Birthday Cake

Photo: Carly Johnson

We're celebrating Hero's 7th birthday with a Hello Kitty party. This is my first attempt at a Paleo birthday cake. I have to get over the fact that it's just not going to look as pretty as a fondant cake and in return it is going to be way more healthy and actually delicious.   The kids were coming back for seconds!

Birthday Cake or Cupcakes adapted from Wannabe Chef:

makes one 8" round or 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons coconut flour
• 4 eggs
• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350˚F
2. Grease and coconut flour your pan or line your cupcake pan
3. Combine all of the ingredients together in a large bowl and mix with a handheld mixer until it forms an even batter
4. Pour into prepared pans
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the tops are firm to the touch
6. Remove from the oven. Let the cakes cool completely before frosting them

Coconut Frosting adapted from Paleo Spirit:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup grass-fed butter, softened
• 1/2 cup organic, cold-pressed coconut oil (hardened, not liquid)
• 3/4 cup full fat coconut milk
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions: 

1. Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer* and beat on low for about 30 seconds
2. Scrape down sides of bowl and continue beating on high until the frosting is fluffy and thickened**

*If you don't have a stand mixer, use a vitamix blender - you'll need something strong to break down the coconut oil.  Blend until smooth and creamy.

**The frosting will “break” when you first start mixing it. Just keep going and it will eventually come back together and be light and fluffy like whipped cream.

Coconut Banana Soup

This is a great, easy, and fast after school snack!  I blended together coconut milk, some cinnamon and a frozen banana.  I then poured it into ramekins and added frozen berries (blueberries for Cooper and raspberries for Carly).

I called it soup because it wasn't quite thick enough to be a smoothie or a shake or ice cream.

Carly asked why I didn't blend in the berries.  I thought the frozen berries would add texture.  I had in my mind from a Bulletproof Executive post that I would make frozen blueberries in coconut milk.  I just couldn't see my kids "eating" coconut milk with only berries added.  So I created something new.

Both kids loved it and agreed I can keep it on my list of after school snacks!  I'm always looking for new ideas for after school snacks.  If you have some paleo suggestions, I'd love to hear them.

UPDATE: I added frozen strawberries to the coconut milk, frozen bananas, and cinnamon and I skipped the berries on top.  Tastes like ice cream.  Cooper even had a friend over and he loved it!