Butternut Squash and Almond Butter Soup

This is one of my favorite squash soup recipes. I usually use butternut squash, but pumpkin can easily be used as well. The tastes of the two squashes are quite different. Think of this recipe as the foundation for your squash soup, but then try different flavor options as noted at the end.

¼ cup water
1 onion
2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
4 cups peeled and chopped butternut squash
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon ground coriander
4 cups vegetable broth
½ cup almond butter
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp braggs liquid aminos
½ tsp crushed red pepper
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Pre-preparations include peeling and chopping the butternut squash, so it’s assumed that part is already completed. Place the water into a large pot. Add the onion and garlic and cook stirring frequently for about 2 minutes.

Add the squash, cumin and coriander. Cook stirring frequently for another 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the remaining ingredients except the cilantro and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes or until squash is tender, stirring occasionally to make sure ingredients are well combined.

Puree in a blender, Vitamix or food processor. Add any additional water so that it’s at a consistency that you like. Garnish with cilantro before serving.

A common practice with any soup is to make a double batch of it and freeze the left over portions for another day.

Options:

I like this soup recipe quite spicy, so frequently add cayenne pepper, fresh ground black pepper and a very special Habanero oil garlic sauce I have access to here locally. Ginger would also add a nice kick in the colder fall and winter months. Experiment with your flavors. Turmeric would be a great addition to this recipe as well.

If you like, add 2 Tbsp of ground chia seeds before blending for additional fiber, nutrients and Omega 3 fat’s.

Coconut Flour Bread

I like this coconut flour bread recipe because it’s high protein, high fiber and made with coconut oil. There are only 4 ingredients so it’s so simple even a guy can make it. Perfect with a little nut butter on it and eaten with one of my favorite green soups and a salad.

Coconut flour is gluten free, high in fiber and low in carbohydrates. 5 Tablespoons of coconut flour has 30 grams of carbohydrates to it’s 27 grams of fiber resulting in 3 net carbs. It’s slightly sweet too, so the bread is more of a heavy high protein compliment to a soup rather than for use with sandwich meats.

How To Make Coconut Flour Bread

This is so drop dead simple, even the worst cooks can make this at home. It uses 4 ingredients, 2 of which are from coconuts.

6 eggs
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 cup coconut flour

Ideally you’d want to use pasture eggs from your local farmer rather than supermarket eggs because of the improved nutritional profile pasture eggs have. Do what you have to do though.

Mix all ingredients together and pour into a small bread pan wiped down with a little coconut oil.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Empty the bread out onto a towel or plate and leave it to cool for a while. Lining the bread pan with a little coconut oil should make the job easier.

Because the bread is so dense, it doesn’t rise very high as you can see in the picture. When you prepare your bread pan with the oil, pay attention to the bottom portions of the pan.

Credits:
Coconut Flour Bread Photo by Edmonton Photographer Darlene Hildebrandt
Recipe idea: Nourishing Days

My 6 Egg Omelet Recipe

In a recent discussion on twitter about what’s considered a “normal consumption” of eggs per day, I got quite a few responses. From 2-3 eggs a day to 6 eggs a day including variations on whole eggs vs egg whites being best.

I shared my 6 egg omelet recipe through a tweet and then thought I should share the images I took a few months back while I made it one morning. These were originally uploaded to facebook and taken with my blackberry, so excuse the quality. I’ll replace them with higher quality images later.

How Many Eggs Is Normal?

So what’s considered the normal amount of eggs to consume in a day? Each of us should have our own definition of normal as @ink_slinger asked. And that’s just it isn’t it. We now know that eggs are good for us, that the “cholesterol confusion” around them has been solved and that eggs do not raise cholesterol and are not a cause for concern at all.

Eggs are finally getting the respect they deserve, yet some still fear consuming them.

Are they only for weight lifters, sports enthusiasts, people who exercise hard?

Or can egg consumption actually help people lose weight, make them feel better and improve their health?

again, depending on how you were brought up, how your eggs are produced (or where), egg consumption can have different impacts.

I remember reading a story about an interviewer asking a man who had lived to be 100 years old about his habit of consuming up to 40 eggs a day. He responded “I never thought twice about it”.

It’s just an egg. It’s the most bio adaptable source of protein for the human body and it’s what all other proteins are compared to when describing their quality.

Regardless of what your take is on this whole question, here is my 6 egg omelet recipe.

Fresh Greens Fried In Coconut Oil

I begin with slicing and dicing onion, red, yellow or …

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