Warm Winter Squash Soup Recipe

I have to admit I got this image from Google, but trust me, your soup will turn out just as lovely!

This soup will be featured at tomorrow's Girls on the Run 5K Race at Venetucci Farm and was also a smashing success at Food Day on the UCCS campus. The creamy texture & appearance is the result of potatoes (not dairy), which makes it a great soup option for vegetarians and vegans. Don't worry, however if you're not vegetarian, everyone will enjoy this easy-to-make soup!

Warm Winter Squash Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 shallots (I used local red onion)

1 pound winter squash (kobucha, butternut, acorn, etc.)

1 medium boiling potato

1 bay leaf

3 cups vegetable stock

sea salt

several fresh or dried sage leaves, minced

fresh ground pepper

Directions:

1. Prepare the ingredients. Thinly slice the shallots. Peel the squash; scoop out the seeds and chop into 1-inch pieces. Peel the potato and cut into 1-inch pieces.
2. In a soup pot, over low heat, warm the olive oil. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are translucent (5-10 minutes).
3. Add the squash, potato, bay leaf, sage, a few pinches of salt, and vegetable stock. Increase the heat to medium high and bring to a steady simmer. Cook about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the squash is very tender.
4. Remove the bay leaf and let the soup cool slightly. Purée the soup using an immersion blender (or remove from the pot and use a blender). Let the soup cool a bit more; it will thicken a bit and become more creamy. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste. 

Serves 4.

Recipe adapted from www.acouplecooks.com

I have to admit I got this image from Google, but trust me, your soup will turn out just as lovely!

This soup will be featured at tomorrow's Girls on the Run 5K Race at Venetucci Farm and was also a smashing success at Food Day on the UCCS campus. The creamy texture & appearance is the result of potatoes (not dairy), which makes it a great soup option for vegetarians and vegans. Don't worry, however if you're not vegetarian, everyone will enjoy this easy-to-make soup!

Warm Winter Squash Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 shallots (I used local red onion)

1 pound winter squash (kobucha, butternut, acorn, etc.)

1 medium boiling potato

1 bay leaf

3 cups vegetable stock

sea salt

several fresh or dried sage leaves, minced

fresh ground pepper

Directions:

1. Prepare the ingredients. Thinly slice the shallots. Peel the squash; scoop out the seeds and chop into 1-inch pieces. Peel the potato and cut into 1-inch pieces.
2. In a soup pot, over low heat, warm the olive oil. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are translucent (5-10 minutes).
3. Add the squash, potato, bay leaf, sage, a few pinches of salt, and vegetable stock. Increase the heat to medium high and bring to a steady simmer. Cook about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the squash is very tender.
4. Remove the bay leaf and let the soup cool slightly. Purée the soup using an immersion blender (or remove from the pot and use a blender). Let the soup cool a bit more; it will thicken a bit and become more creamy. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste. 

Serves 4.

Recipe adapted from www.acouplecooks.com

Food Day

October 24, 2012 marked National Food Day, a celebration and a movement for healthy, sustainable, affordable, fair food. The Flying Carrot is the perfect example of a local effort to support this movement. To educate about the goals of Food Day, my fellow graduate students and I started a club ("The Local Food Club") at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs and brought the Flying Carrot to campus. 

Upon hearing the words "free food," many students were drawn to our booth. With a captive audience enjoying butternut squash soup (made using local squash, potatoes, and sage), whole grain bread, and hot apple cider (also locally sourced), we were able to educate about the importance of eating locally and seasonally. We used this event as a platform for promoting the Local Food Shift, which seeks to shift our food economy along the Front Range to locally-produced food and to make caring about your food a responsibility. 

"We're not protesting. We're not demonstrating. We're not occupying. Instead we are learning to truly inhabit our foodshed, to be food citizens and food producers, not merely consumers."

Several students expressed an interest in signing the Food Shift pledge to commit 10% of their food budget to buying local food. As it stands now, in most communities, less than 3% of food consumption is locally grown and locally produced.

To further interact, we asked students to join a "photo petition" expressing their reason for eating or supporting real food. Check out their responses!

Count 'em up, 41 reasons to eat REAL!

For more info about Food Day and how to get involved, click here.
To learn more about the Local Food Shift and to take the pledge,click here.

Beet and Mixed Berry Smoothie Recipe

The blender bike was kept busy this summer whipping up this delicious smoothie recipe. We so enjoyed all the red "smoothie mustaches" thanks to the secret ingredient (okay, not so secret if you know the name of the smoothie)... beets! You can only imagine how many exclamations of surprise we got when it was revealed that our smoothie featured beets as a main ingredient. Beets have been the subject of much research lately as their nitrate content has been shown to improve sports performance through enhanced oxygen delivery via the nitric oxide pathways. I recommend roasting the beets to bring out their sweet flavor. This smoothie can be consumed as a snack or as recovery from sport (for maximum benefit, consume within the first 30 minutes after exercise lasting 60 minutes or more). 

The fruit, fruit juice, and honey help to replenish glycogen stores in muscle and provide antioxidants to reduce muscle pain and inflammation. The yogurt provides proteins for building and repairing muscle tissue. Smoothies are also a great way to help restore lost fluids. 

Time to get blending!

Mixed Berry and Beet Smoothie

½ cup orange juice

1 cup mixed frozen berries

½ cup diced beet, raw or roasted

½ cup plain Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon honey

2 or 3 ice cubes

Combine ingredients and blend until smooth. Enjoy!

Recovery Tip: To recover fast, consume fluid. To optimally rehydrate you need about 1.5x more than what you lost during training. For example, if you lose 2 lbs you need to consume 3 lbs of fluid. Each pound of fluid equals 16 ounces, thus, you need to drink 48 ounces over ~3-4 hours. Drink sport drink or water with a salty snack to aid rehydration and replace lost electrolytes. 

Pumpkin Bread Recipe as featured at the Waldo Waldo 5K

Yesterday, the Flying Carrot went to the Waldo Waldo 5K at America the Beautiful Park. Expecting the cool, crisp weather that is typical of this time of year, we featured warm pumpkin bread and homemade hot chocolate with whipped cream. The weather surprised us all and we were met with a balmy 75 degree day. Needless to say those poor melting Waldos (in sweaters and beanies) were not very enticed by the hot chocolate but the pumpkin bread was a big hit. And for those who find hot chocolate pleasing no matter the weather, many discovered the heavenly flavor of fresh whipped cream (made in the blender bike). I will share photos of the event soon, but for now here's the recipe for the pumpkin bread. I've also included a link for the hot chocolate recipe.

Pumpkin Bread

15 ounces pumpkin purée

4 eggs

½ cup vegetable oil

½ cup applesauce

⅔ cup water

1½ cups sugar

2½ cups whole wheat flour

1 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1½ teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

Instructions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2 loaf pans.

2.  In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin purée, eggs, oil, water, and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger.

3.  Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.

4.  Bake for about 50 minutes. 

Recipe by Shelly Guzman, RD

Tips:

• If you follow or have dietary restrictions, you can easily substitute ingredients and experiment with this recipe. For example, use all whole wheat flour or try a combination of different flours. Omit oil and use all applesauce (this will produce a more cake like consistency) or use half applesauce and half Greek yogurt. Reduce sugar to suit your taste (applesauce and pumpkin are naturally sweet). The possibilities are unlimited!
• For a crunchy addition that packs a nutritional punch, sprinkle the top of the bread with pepitas (pumpkin seeds)after baking or mix chopped walnuts/pecans into the batter before baking.
• To save money on spices, buy them in the bulk section. This way you get only what you need and the spices will be much fresher than that cinnamon you've had sitting on the shelf for 3 years. 
• You can buy canned pumpkin or even better make your own purée using local pumpkins (we got ours from Venetucci Farm). Use pie pumpkins or other sweet variety of winter squash. Remember to save the seeds and roast for a tasty snack. 

If you'd like a copy of the hot chocolate recipe, click here. Instructions for how to make your own whipped cream can be found here. 

The wonderful thing about making your own Fall treats is that you control the ingredients, which means your version will be more healthful and heartfelt than similar sweets you buy at the store. 

What IF...Festival

On Saturday, September 15, the Flying Carrot had the great privilege of being part of the extraordinary What IF...Festival in downtown Colorado Springs! We had no idea what a large event this would be and were so excited at the opportunity to educate so many people. At this event, we really focused on VEGGIES! We made our famous berry-beet recovery smoothies on the human-powered blender bike to demonstrate how to creatively use an oft unpopular veggie. Additionally, to highlight the season's produce, we prepared a simple cucumber tomato salad, fresh carrots, refreshing watermelon, and whole wheat zucchini bread for tasting. Needless to say, with such tasty produce from Venetucci Farm and Harlan Wolfe Ranch, we ran out of everything! Many kids (and adults) were surprised to find they liked beets and zucchini.

Gosh, I just love a little beet smoothie mustache!!

To get creative juices flowing, we debuted a new art project at this event. In addition to the healthy plate project, we allowed budding artists to express their love of fruits and veggies through painting. A large canvas and colorful acrylic paints made for an attractive display, which became more and more beautiful as festival attendants painted their favorite fruit or vegetable. They were also asked to think about and express how their favorite piece of produce tasted and/or how it made them feel. Knowing what you eat and why you eat it is so important to healthy eating. Challenge yourself to really focus on the flavors, smells, sounds, textures, and sight of the food you eat. What does it taste like? Why do you like it? Do you know where it comes from? How was it grown? Become a mindful eater (rather than a mindless) eater. This is the most enjoyable way to eat and fosters healthy eating habits!