Butternut Squash Soup and Arugula Pizza

Laying around like a lazy slug the past couple days with a concussion has left me nothing to do except dream about food. All of these seasonal fall flavors have really got my mind going on a fast track toward foodie heaven. Today, with a little help from Mr. Vicodin, I got up off the couch and made some soup...and a pizza. Soup + grilled cheese, soup + pizza...both wonderful combinations on a windy fall day. With only things I had around the apartment, I whipped up a butternut squash+sweet potato soup and a manchego pizza with arugula. (I keep the weirdest things in my house....) Here are the recipes for both, enjoy this little morsel of fall.

Butternut Squash Soup

-1 medium butternut squash, cubed
-2 sweet potatoes, cubed
-6 cloves garlic
-1 medium onion, cubed
-1 gluten free vegetable boullion cube
-4 c water (more or less, depending on how you like the consistency of your soup)
-1-2 tbsp olive oil
-1 tbsp paprika
-1 tbsp cumin
-2 tbsp ancho chili powder
-1 tbsp red pepper flakes, or more to taste
-1/4 c sesame tahini
-1/4 c lemon juice
-sea salt
-freshly ground pepper

Directions

-Preheat oven to 400F
-Place butternut squash, sweet potatoes, garlic, and onion on a baking sheet, and toss with olive oil, sea salt, and pepper
-Roast 30-40 min, or until tender with a fork
-Place in stock pot with boullion cube, water, spices, and lemon juice. Heat until boiling.
-Pour into food processor and blend until smooth. Add more water at this point, if necessary.
-Add tahini and blend again.

This soup is creamy, smoky, a little spicy, and a little sweet. Adjust spices as you feel necessary...I like things more on the medium heat side. Try adding chopped walnuts to the soup when serving, gives it a good crunch and an extra dose of omega-3's!

Butternut squash and sweet potatoes are high in vitamin A, which is important for healthy eye sight. Tahini is high in protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals. This soup is nutrient dense...a great way to stay healthy as the weather changes.

Pizza

-Gluten free pizza crust (I like Udi's)
-Manchego cheese
-Mozzarella cheese
-Kalamata olives
-Arugula

-2 tbsp lemon juice
-1 tbsp olive oil
-Freshly ground pepper
-Sea salt

Directions

-So easy... Add cheese and olives to crust (as much or as little as you want) and bake at the suggested time of your crust.
-Make vinaigrette using olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper
-Add arugula and vinaigrette to pizza once its out of the oven, and enjoy!

Arugula is a nutrition powerhouse. As a member of the cruciferous family, it is packed with vitamins A & K, as well as folic acid, zinc, potassium, calcium and iron. Adding a light vinaigrette to it on the pizza will help to make those nutrients more bioavailable (easier to absorb) for you.