Butternut Squash/ Pumpkin Apple Soup

Dishes made with fruits always fascinate me. Even salad. Must be the Asian Chinese gene in me. I've been wanting to make some vege+fruit soups ever since I saw the carrot orange soup on the menu of some sandwich place at Central World. And I came across a Butternut Squash Apple Soup on one of my favorite food sites. It took me a couple of week to finally gave the recipe a try. Not that it's hard. But it calls for CELERY.

There are a few foods that I disliked and grew to okay with because of their nutritious values such as olive and bitter gourd. Celery is one that I'm yet to overcome. It just tastes so much like bitter water. In order to convince myself for the Butternut Squash Apple Soup recipe, I researched on my Food Encyclopedia. I got to admit it's pretty cool. It is high in Vitamin C content and has been used in Chinese medicine to lower blood pressure (my grandmom would have approved). Among others, the coumarins in celery not only fight against free radicals but also targets and eliminates potentially harmful cells such as cancer cells. In addition, the acetylenics compound has been shown to stop growth of tumourous cells. Sounds good to me.
By the way, can anyone tell me why do they always sell garnishes such as chives, coriander, spring onions in bulk? Although they are cheap but how can I possibly finish all of them before they wilt? The celery I bought today came in one huge stalk (as pictured). All I need for this recipe is a rib or two. It's putting my creativity to test.
Did you know celery is supposed to go well with peanut butter? How bizarre. I should ask my Origami Yogini friend to try - she has no idea what to do with peanut butter. Japanese never cease to fascinate me....
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Butternut Squash/ Pumpkin Apple Soup

I didn't use butternut squash. I used the extra golden pumpkin I bought for the Roasted Pumpkin with Arugula Salad. Besides, I have made many pumpkin soups and it's time to make a difference. This soup is very easy to prepare. The addition of tart green apple is meant to balance the sweetness of the butternut squash. It works just as good for pumpkin. You want the 3 portion of butternut squash to 1 portion of green apple. Make sure you taste and season before serving or it can be rather bland.

Ingredients:
(serve 4)
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
1 butternut squash, peeled, seed removed, cubed
1 tart green apple, peeled, core removed, chopped
3 Cups of vegetable broth (miso for me)
pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and pepper

• Sautee onion with celery and carrot. Add in butternut squash, apple and broth. Let simmer until the butternut squash is soft. Transfer to a blender and puree till smooth. Taste and adjust with cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
  

Real Mayonnaise, are you with me?

People either roll their eyes or shake their head with an involuntary "sigh" when I mention "mayonnaise". I wonder why? If you think about it, mayonnaise is merely a thick condiment made primarily from vegetable oil and egg yolk. Of course they are not healthy if taken in excess, but then, what is? According to a research published by The New England of Medicine, women who ate the most Vitamin E-rich foods showed the lowest risk for heart diseases. And if you spend a minute or two reading the food label, most mayonnaise are made of heart-healthy oil. Mine is made of soybean oil. You may also find some mayonnaise made with omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to reduce sudden death from heart attacks. Don't even think about using reduced fat or low fat mayonnaise. For one, if you are concerned with the calorie content, simply remove or reduce refined sugar and white flour in your diet. Besides, both reduced-fat and fat-free mayonnaise can break down when heated and leave an unpleasant texture. We don't want that to happen here, do we?

Smothered Cabbage Wedges

I replaced white cabbage with the extra red cabbage left from the other night. Red cabbage has a sweeter flavor than the plain white cabbage. It is also a good source of iron, vitamin C and calcium, as well as being packed with other vitamins and minerals. In general the nutrients are best enjoyed either raw or lightly cooked. However, things just got to be scarified sometimes - I'm going for the savory of baked mayonnaise cheese here....
Also, I chose to use the Thai-style sweet chili sauce because that was the only organic chili sauce I could find that doesn't cost a bomb. Most importantly, I can pronounce all the ingredients on its label.

Ingredients:
(2 serving)
1/2 medium cabbage, wedged and de-cored
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 Cup green pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon onion, chopped
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 tablespoon chili sauce
salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook cabbage wedges in salted boiling water for 10 minutes. Drain and place in a baking dish.
2. Sautee onion and green pepper until tender. Fold in flour and stir for 1 minute. Gradually pour in milk. Keep stirring until it thickens and becomes bubbly.
3. Adjust with salt and pepper. Pour the milk mixture over cabbage wedges. Bake at 180C for 20 minutes.
   
4. In a bowl, combine mayonnaise, cheese and chili sauce. Spoon the mayonnaise dressing over the cabbage and bake 5 more minutes or until the cheese melt.

I'm pairing this dish with a Pumpkin Apple Soup.