Friday, January 11, 2013

Vegan squash bisque with pita chips

I got a new immersion blender for Christmas and I was SO EXCITED to use it. I just really wanted the first time to be special, so I waited for the right moment. I've been looking at squash bisque recipes for some time, and have been craving it for a while so, I thought this would be a perfect inauguration. I opted for vegan since I've just been trying to cut down on meat and dairy and found a couple recipes that seemed amazing. I also added home made pita chips at the last minute since I also like something crunch with my soups.

Ingredients:

Olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 butternut squash
One tetra box of veggie broth (I think it's 14oz.?)

Spices (which I never measure, but I know I used less cinnamon and nutmeg than the others because I didn't want it to be overly sweet): red pepper flake, s&p, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, nutmeg.

Powdered soy milk (I mixed 1/8 of a cup of powder with about 3/4 cup of water)

I quarter the butternut squash, covered the cut parts with olive oil and s&p and roasted, cut side up in a 425 degree oven for about 30-40 minutes until fork tender

During that time, I sautéed the onions, carrots, celery, and red pepper flake in olive oil until soft (about 10 minutes). Then I added garlic, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, nutmeg, and s&p and turned the heat to low.

During this time, I wondered what felt so odd about cooking tonight, and I realized I hadn't poured myself a glass of wine yet. So I remedied that by opening a bottle of 2 buck Chuck.
When the squash was done, I scooped it out and added it to the pot with the sautéed veggies and spices, leaving the skin behind. Then I added the veggie broth and brought to a simmer.

After simmering for a few minutes, I used my immersion blender to purée the mixture. Then I added the soy milk.

I decided it needed some crunch, so I cut up some pita bread into triangles, sprayed with olive oil spray and coated with garlic salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, and oregano and put in toaster oven until crispy.

I served the bisque sprinkled with paprika and chopped fresh parsley.