Roasted Butternut Squash and Pear Soup

I've been road testing some new recipes keeping the holidays in mind. I've made this soup a couple of times now and my family gives it a big thumbs up. I fortified this soup with pureed quinoa. I began doing this over the summer when I was trying to encourage my dad to eat. He wouldn't eat any meat, he'd decided that he would choke on the meat so I had to find a protein alternative. I take 3 cups of cooked quinoa, place it in a blender with about a cup of liquid(water or stock) and puree it until smooth. Then I add it to the soup as it cooks. I discovered that the quinoa acted as thickener as well. It worked so well, I've begun to add it to most of my soups especially the veggie variety.

Serves 6-8

2 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced
(If you don't want to hassle with that, buy 3 large containers of diced butternut squash. I find mine in the refrigerated produce section)
1 large onion, cut in half and peeled
4 pears peeled,core removed and halved
2 large shallots, halved and peeled
6 cups chicken stock
1tsp dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup heavy cream
olive oil
toasted pecans and crumbled gorganzola cheese for garnish

Preheat the oven to 425. Place the squash pieces in a large bowl, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread out on a baking sheet that is lined with foil or a silpat. Place the pear halves, onions and shallots in the bowl. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place on a second baking sheet that has been lined with foil or a silpat. Bake for 35-45 minutes until all are tender and browned. Meanwhile cook quinoa according to the package. Place cooked quinoa into a blender with the water and puree until smooth. Put all the roasted items into a 5 quart stock pot. Pour the stock over all, dried thyyme, heavy cream and add the pureed quinoa. Adjust the seasoning if desired. Cook until heated through, stirring often. Pour into serving bowls, garnish with pecans and gorgonzola if desired. ServeS

Beef Stew with a French Flare

I love French food. Whenever my husband and I have a chance to go out for a nice dinner, we always head for the French Gourmet in Pacific Beach. This recipe feeds my French addiction with a minimum of fuss. It's perfect for a fall dinner and can be prepped ahead, placed in the fridge until your ready to start your slow cookers engines.

3lbs stew meat or beef pot roast cut into cubes and trimmed of fat
1 large onion, minced
6 large carrots, peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks
4 cloves garlic, minced
2tsp dried thyme
1 cup red wine(I used a Merlot)
1 Knorr container of concentrated beef stock

1 1/2 cups beef stock
1/2 cup flour
2 tbsp olive oil
6 slices of bacon, cut into pieces
1 tsp salt(use this in bits on the meat and onions while cooking)
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 cup fresh Italian Parsley, minced
1 bag egg noodles
3 tsp smart balance

Heat the 1 tbsp of oil in a large skillet. Cook the bacon and add it to slow cooker. Pour off all but 1 tbsp of oil from the pan. Return to heat and saute the onions and garlic in remaining drippings. Sprinkle a bit more salt and pepper over all. Add the dried thyme. Cook for about 3-5 minutes. Add this to the slow cooker. Return the skillet to the heat, add the remaining oil. Sprinkle some of the salt and pepper over the stew meat. Place it in a large zip-lock bag with the flour. Zip the bag closed and shake to coat. Remove the meat from the flour and save the flour in the bag. Place the meat in the hot oil and brown on all sides. Just before removing the meat from the pan, pour the remaining flour over the meat and mix in the pan. Let it cook for a few minutes. If the flour sticks to the bottom of the pan, pour some of the remaining beef stock over all. Stir and it will start to look like a gravy. Remove from heat and pour the contents into the slow cooker. Add the wine, beef stock, concentrated beef stock and carrots to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. Cook the noodles according to the package directions. Drain and return to the hot cooking pot. Add the smart balance and the minced parsley. Toss to coat. Serve the stew over the noodles.