Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

2 Tbs butter

1 small red onion
2 butternut squash or 4#
2 cups stock
1 Tbs olive oil
Salt/ pepper
Sour Cream for garnish.



Halve and clean the butternut squash, reserving seeds. 
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 
Place halved squash on a baking sheet, flesh side up, and brush with melted butter. 
Salt/ pepper modestly.
Bake until very tender, about 1 hour. Let cool slightly.
While squash is roasting, melt butter in a small skillet over medium. Add onion, reduce heat, and cook until onions are tender, about 10 minutes. 
Transfer to a stock pot and let sit. 
Toss clean seeds in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, season and transfer to sheet pan when squash comes out. Bake for 20 minutes at 375 degrees.
When squash is cool, scoop out the squash flesh and add it to the pan along with 2 cups of your favorite chicken stock. 
Simmer for 10 minutes or so. 
Working carefully with an immersion blender, puree soup until you can no longer see pieces of squash or onion. 
Simmer 5 more minutes. 
Serve and garnish with sour cream and toasted squash seeds.
Enjoy!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 C cooked/shredded chicken
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 stalks celery, sliced or chopped
1 12 oz jar enchilada sauce
1 can Rotel peppers/ tomatoes 
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn, drained and rinsed
2 cup chicken stock
1 cup water
1 bay leaf
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
Chips and sour cream for garnish

Sautée onion, garlic, and celery in heated, heavy pot coated with olive oil. Once the garlic/ onion start to get really fragrant, add the remaining ingredients except chicken, and simmer for one hour. Add cooked chicken and stir in well. 
Serve with tortilla chips and a dollop of sour cream.
Eat well my friends. 

Kale Slaw

Ingredients:
1-2# kale, stems removed
1/2 red onion, sliced thin
2 small carrots, shredded
2 stalks celery, chopped
juice from 1/2 orange
juice from 1/2 lemon
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs real mayonnaise

Salt/pepper

Slice kale into ribbons, add sliced onion, carrot, and juices. Stir well and let the acids work the kale.
Add remaining ingredients and turn over several times to mix well. Let sit in cold storage, for at least an hour, before serving. 
Bon Appétit

Smoked Meat-loaf

Ingredients:
1-1/2 # lean ground meat
1/2 C V-8 juice
3/4 C Old-fashioned Quaker oats (dry)
1 Large egg (beaten)
2 Tbs Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 onion (chopped finely)
2-3 Celery stalks (chopped finely)
1/2 Tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper


Directions:
Prepare smoker to 225-250 degrees.
In large bowl, combine all ingredients, mixing lightly but thoroughly.
Mold into two or three loaves.
Place on smoker rack and cover. Smoke 45 minutes to 1-1/2 hrs to medium doneness, about 155-162*.  Let stand on cutting board, 5-10  minutes; drain off any juices before slicing.

Potato Smashies

Ingredients:
3# small red potatoes
Olive oil
Salt/pepper
Herbs
Butter (cut into little pieces)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. 
Place whole potatoes in a broil-pan. 
Pour 1 cup water into pan and cover tightly with foil.
Bake for 33 1/2 minutes.
Cool potatoes for 8-10 minutes. 
Spray olive oil all over the outsides. 
If you don't have a Misto, you can just use your hands and rub olive oil all over them.
Smash potatoes with bottom of a small, heavy glass.
Spray over the tops with olive oil getting into the nooks and crannies. 
Season with cuts-up bits of butter, herbs, salt, and pepper. 
Bake 40 more minutes or until crispy and brown. 

Bon Appétit

Egg-less Pancakes with Smoked Pork and pure Ohio Maple Syrup

Ingredients:
1 C flour (or 1/2 and 1/2 whole wheat flour)
Dash salt
Dash cinnamon
2 big Tbs baking powder
2 Tbs melted real butter
1/2 Tbs real vanilla extract
Lastly, 1 C milk 

Directions:
Mix your dry ingredients in a bowl, add butter, vanilla, and finally add milk. Stir well but remember it's pancake batter so a few small lumps is OK.

Dollop onto medium-hot iron skillet or griddle. When bubbles appear edge to edge, flip your pancakes and cook another 45 sex to 1 minute.

When done, layer a heaping spoon of smoked pork between each pancake and serve with worm pure Ohio maple syrup.

Bon Appétit

Roasted Cauliflower with Garlic Buffalo Sauce

Ingredients:

1-2 heads of fresh cauliflower cut into bites

2-3 tbs olive oil
Salt/ pepper
2 tbs garlic powder

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 450*
Line a sheet-pan with foil if desired and spray
Toss cauli-bites into the olive oil and scatter on pan
Season with salt/pepper/garlic powder
Roast for 20-25 minutes, until edges start to brown
Remove from oven and toss in your favorite sauce.
I used my mock BW3 Garlic Sauce
Find it here Bill's Mock BW3 Spicy Garlic Sauce
Place it back into hot oven for 5-10 minutes more. 
Serve with celery sticks and Bleu cheese or Ranch dressing over a big mixed-greens salad.