Butternut Squash Bisque & Glazed Brussels Sprouts
These two dishes are a perfect addition to your Thanksgiving table, or a simple heart-warming meal on a cold winter’s day.
Butternut Squash Bisque
Ingredients:
1 large butternut squash (or any other variety will do- I personally like to use two delicatas, which have tremendous flavor)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion
2 carrots, diced
2 cups broth (I prefer to use my own homemade chicken broth, but vegetable broth works as well)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg (This is the essential element of this meal)
1/2 cup milk or cream
** Remember! These ingredients are just a guideline for your culinary imagination.
Add as much or as little as you’d like and discover exactly what makes the flavor taste amazing to you. **
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cut the squash in half, remove seeds, and place face-down in a baking dish with about 1/4 inch of water at the bottom.
Cook the squash for ~45 minutes - 1 hour, until it is slightly brown on the top and you can easily slide a knife into the flesh.
Once cool to touch, scoop out the squash with a spoon and compost the skin.
In a medium-size pot, add olive over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Saute until the onions are tender.
Add squash and cook for 5 more minutes.
Add broth and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer until the carrots are tender (8-10 mins).
Use a blender (I prefer an immersion blender) to puree the mixture until smooth.
Return to a pot on the stove and heat on medium. Add the milk or cream.
Continue to heat until bisque has reached an agreeable eating temperature.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
For garnish, drizzle 1-2 tbsp of cream and/or a dash of nutmeg to your dish.
Enjoy!
Glazed Brussels Sprouts
I will admit that I, at 24 years old, had never eaten Brussels sprouts in my whole life until I tried this recipe. And now I can’t get enough of them! I thought that a recipe so good should not be kept a secret.
Ingredients:
1 pound Brussels sprouts, sliced in half or quartered if large
3.5 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup soy sauce
3 tbsp REAL maple syrup
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp tahini (I didn’t have this, so I used sunflower butter)
2 tsp sriracha hot sauce (I am a wuss for hot flavor, so I left this out)
Directions:
Make the sauce first. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add the garlic and cook, stirring until fragrant (~ 2 mins).
Add the soy sauce, maple syrup, vinegar, tahini, and sriracha. Cook until the mixture is thick and smooth.
Pour mixture into a jar or bowl and set aside.
Using the same skillet, heat 1.5 tbsp oil over medium heat. Add Brussels sprouts and cook until golden brown and slightly crisp on all sides (~ 8 mins)
Stir in half of the sauce and continue to cook for another 2-3 mins, stirring often. Add in more sauce if need be. You want a nice coating of glaze. Don’t let your Brussels sprouts swim in the sauce!
Serve warm or at room temp with optional sauce on the side.
Store any extra sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.