post partum: clean eating

Another week gone by, another week with no dairy. Crying over here. I am really craving it for some odd reason. Like yogurt, I would kill to have a bowl. You always want what you can't have though... I am proud of myself though for eating super well this week. Although, I went to my 6week postpartum check up and the scale said ZERO lbs lost. Which sort of freaked me out. I am definitely not one who uses a scale on the regular, I gage my weight by how I feel and how my clothes fit (which at the moment is not well aka I am still wearing maternity leggings). Still though, I was a little bummed. Here are some shots of the meals and snacks that went down this week. If you want some more clean eating meal ideas check out my post last week.

Kale sautted in olive oil with garlic + ginger + soy sauce. Pomegranate seeds. Avocado. Wheatberries.

These rice cakes are GOOD. Tamari + seaweed rice cake. Avocado. Sea salt.

Sauteed veggies. Steak marinated in soy sauce. Rice. Which I jsut recently heard that brown rice actually isn't better for you. I need to find a good article with the facts.

Green smoothie. Kale. Pineapple. Mango. Banana. Udo's omega oil. Probitotic. Maca. Coconut water.

Whole grain toast. Avocado. Hard boiled egg. Sea salt. Hot sauce (tapatio to be exact).

Post partum: Clean eating

Eating clean. I love it. I feel good, I look better, and both of those things generally elevate my mood. Since Silas has started eating actual meals I have found I pay less attention to my own eating. My meals consist of eating scraps off his plate, stealing bites here and there. Not eating well rounded meals throughout the day does not make me feel my best (especially when I am breastfeeding 24/7). The first 5 months after having Silas I was really strict with my diet due to his MSPI (milk/soy protein intolerance). I went vegan for about 3 of those months and completely eliminated all packaged foods (so much hidden dairy!). I lost the baby weight extremely fast and my skin had never looked better. When he started eating solids was when I fell off the wagon. So, here we are after baby #2 with the same issue. Felix is most definitely suffering from MSPI and I am on day 5 of no dairy/soy. By day 3 I felt like a million bucks, no joke. Since I now have two little babe's to tend to, prepping meals during naps and at night are the way to go. For instance, the other night when they went to sleep I made a curry and that's been lunch the last 2 days. Below are a few clean eating ideas that can be made in advance and are so easy to throw together. I think the best way to go about it is creating dishes with components that can be made in advance, stored in the fridge, and go together in a few different combinations.

Avocado. Roasted sweet potato. Lentils. Homemade hummus. Cucumber.

Kale with a tahini dressing. Tomatoes.

Zucchini noodles. Hazelnut pesto (vegan). Snap peas.

Avocado. Cucumber. Homemade hummus. Black bean + Lentil patties. Crackers.

So the lentils I cooked in the beginning of the week went into the lentil patties along with black beans that I had made in my crockpot and froze in batches. Some things I always have on hand are avocados and sweet potatoes. I have been making homemade hummus in batches and it's not only cheaper than buying it, it is soooo good. The vegan pesto I also made and it's really delicious. I love eating meals where there are a variety of things on my plate, such as the lentil patties with hummus and the roasted sweet potatoes and lentils in the first picture. It's so easy to put things like this together!

Juice junkie pt. 3

My poor, little vitamix. Now, we do not own one of those fancy ones that heat stuff and make ice cream or whatever. Ours is old. Old and yet, still very much a coveted item in my kitchen. People get a little jelly when you tell them you have one! I feel cool. Sorta. Anyways, this vitamix has been put through the ringer. I made sunflower seed butter in that old thing. And it took forever and I will never do that again. It sort of made some weird noises and I could tell it wasn't happy with me so I put her in the corner and there she sat for what I believe was a much needed rest. Moving on. I have been lacking in the juice/smoothie making department as of late. Why? Because I'm lazy. "It's so easy though!", you say. I know. But I am lazy, like I said. This past week though I had an epiphany. It went a little something like, "Stop eating bread for breakfast or you'll gain __lbs during this pregnancy like the last." Hit me hard. So I decided some yummy juices and smoothies would be a better choice than say, sourdough with a bunch of avocado spread on it and siracha delicately displayed on top. Here's what I've been making...

My rule: Keep it simple. It's tempting to throw about 100 things into a smoothie. I choose to not do that. Sometimes I add omega-3 + DHA oil into them, especially if Silas is going to have some. I no longer use maca since becoming pregnant, but I miss it's energy boosting effects and I recommend it for sure!

1) Kale. Chard. Lemon. Blueberries. Banana. Maca. Filtered H2O.

2) Kale. Lemon. Strawberries. Ginger. Coconut H2O.

3) Watermelon. Grapefruit. Ginger. Carrots.

Happy Juicing! xo

Red curry lentils

Wow. That is what I have to say about this dish. My mind was blown. So easy. So delicious. I made a slight change to the recipe which I noted. It can totally be made vegan, although I went the non-vegan route. This is a must make recipe. You will not regret it!

Ingredients

• 4 cups regular brown lentils (I used 2 cups green, 2 cups brown)
• 2 onions, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger (I grated mine)
• 4 tablespoons butter (optional)
• 5 tablespoons red curry paste
• 1 tablespoon garam masala
• 1½ teaspoon turmeric
• 2 teaspoon sugar (I used 2 tablespoons of an apple chutney; amazing!)
• a few good shakes of cayenne pepper
• 2 cans tomato puree (29 ounces each) ---> (I used only 30 oz and then water)
• 1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
• ½ cup coconut milk or cream
• cilantro for garnishing
• rice for serving

Directions

Rinse your lentils and put in crockpot. Dice onion, garlic and add to pot. Throw in spices and then add your tomato puree. Stir and then set it on high for 6hrs (I turned it off around 5). Throughout the cooking process, check back and add more water if needed. Around 4 hrs check for doneness. You don't want it to turn to mush! The lentils should still have texture, but definitely not crunchy or raw. Cook up some rice to serve with. I added a dollop of yogurt and cilantro on top and served with warm naan. Delicious and easy!

*original recipe can be found here. Changes have been noted

Father's Day DIY

If you're a last minute gift giver, or just want to kill some time on Father's Day then this little DIY is perfect. Homemade pomade! Once, Nick sent me to the store to grab some for him and I was blown away by how pricey this crap was. $20! No way. So we found a recipe and decided to make a jar for a fraction of the cost and none of the disgusting chemicals.

Ingredients

- quality beeswax (can be found at health food stores, online, or sometimes your local grocer)
- coconut oil
- a few drops of either avocado oil, jojoba oil, or olive oil
- essential oil if you like (although, beeswax smells amazing and we did without)

Directions

Grate your beeswax using a cheese grater. Set up a double boiler using a metal bowl. Load in your beeswax and let melt. Add it coconut oil. The ratio is 1:1. Our melted beeswax looked to be about 4 tablespoons so we added 4 tablespoons of coconut oil. Add a couple drops of your choice of "other" oil and a few drops of your essential oil. whisk together and then pour into a heat proof jar or tin. Do not use plastic as the mixture is really hot and could potentially melt it. Cool at room temp or in the fridge. Tada! Homemade pomade for your man (and you!).

What's for dinner?

This week I totally failed at my normal grocery list/meal planning. Honestly, I was just too tired. When things get crazy like this I tend to just head to the store and grab the basics and that way I don't have to think very hard about what I'm making, I have a bunch of possibilities. I try to stay away from doing this though because then it means I spend a lot of $$ and I tend to make multiple trips to the store to grab items. By planning out our dinners for the week it keeps the reigns a little tighter on my wallet. This week was a great week for leftovers though. I try to make dinners that are great (or even better!) the next day for lunch.

Poulet au citron et lavande. This is by far my most favorite chicken dish. Chicken thighs and drumsticks are so cheap so this is a great dish because it's easy on the wallet and absolutely delicious. It has honey, lavender, and lemon. The recipe is by the lovely Rachel Khoo, one of my favorite chefs. I really look up to her style in the kitchen.

Salade Nicoise. French theme this week? This was my take on the traditional Salade Nicoise. I cooked up a salmon filet and served it with a dill vinaigrette. All of these componets were made ahead of time and that makes dinner so much easier!

Hawaiian style pulled pork with coconut rice. We had leftovers from this for almost 3 days. The pork was made in the crockpot so all I had to do was make the rice and roast some veggies. So easy.

Falafel with a mint + dill yogurt sauce. I was not in the mood for cooking the other night so this came to mind. A healthy and light salad made easy with falafel mix that I get in the bulk bins at my grocery store.

Happy cooking! xo

What's for dinner?

I get a kick out of creating healthy and delicious meals for my family. Those who know me know that one of my favorite things to do is to cook. It really is such a calming place for me; the kitchen. I am a slight control freak in that department so I prefer to go it alone. The last month or so has been pretty hectic at our house and so I've made it my mission to really establish a dinner routine to make things feel a little more at ease around here. It's nice to wind down, sip a glass of wine, and prepare a meal for me and my husband. Here is a look at what I've been cooking lately...

Coconut rice, roasted veggies, yogurt/tumeric marinated chicken, cilantro + green onion

Brown rice, curried avocado, roasted veggies, yogurt/siracha marinated chicken, cilantro + green onion

Spaghetti squash "lasagna" with bolognese and bechemel.

Vegetarian chili with quinoa, avocado, cheddar cheese, greek yogurt, cilantro + green onion.


Some people may look at this and say, "that's not healthy eating." But, to me it is. Balance is key if you want to stay on track. The majority of my ingredients are organic (local if possible) and everything I make is homemade. No processed food in my house. I find that keeping my -pantry- as small as possible makes this easy. I have to make everything from scratch if I want it, which is fine by me. This past weeks meals were a little heavier on the dairy than I like, but I'll mentally note that and possibly avoid dairy completely the following week. This is how I like to eat; fresh, balanced, organic. Looking forward to doing a posts (and more posts in general) about how I prep, shop, and some mainstays that are always on hand.

Hopefully this gives you a few meal ideas!
xo

Juice junkie pt. 2

Continuing to take breaks form this -space- for the moment due to some crazy changes happening in our household. Not much time to sit in front of my computer! Anyways, the reason why we are here today is to discuss my obsession over smoothies/juicing which I have discussed before. Silas freaks out if I go into the kitchen (it's blocked off by a baby gate) so my time to eat during the day is minimal. Now, let's not get crazy here and replace food with juice/smoothies, but it makes it easier to get through the day if I have a couple of these vitamin packed drinks rather than snack on chips or what have you. I love, love our vitamix and it really is my favorite household appliance. I can pound one of these out in about 15 seconds with that gorgeous piece of machinery. Worth every penny.

Now, lets talk about the ingredients. I really put little thought into what I'm about to make. And I mean, little. I tend to just toss in whatever we have going on in the freezer and fridge. One thing I love to experiment with thought is color. I absolutely love creating a juice that looks beautiful. It really makes it more fun to drink. Vibrant pink (beets, raspberries), bright green (kale, cilantro), orange (mango mixed with tangerines). I usually start with a base of coconut water because it contains a good amount of potassium and electrolytes, but if I don't do that than it is always filtered water. Next I go with something on the sour/tart side. Citrus (grapefruit is my fav!) is a good go to for that. Next up is a little something sweet- mango, banana, pineapple. Those are my go to choices and sometimes I end up adding all three. If I feel like going green it's always kale. Raw kale, stem on. Ginger is also my must have. So you can see how easy and fun it is to create your own mix. I have a couple of "go to" combinations, but I also love to experiment. This week I bought a small watermelon and added it to everything. It tasted amazing. Definitely got my wheels turning for some new summer inspired juices that are thirst quenching, but still so good for you.

Most recently I've been adding some super foods to my drinks. I've always been a big hemp seed person  - delicious, nutty, and lots of protein, and Chia seeds have been big in my house too. After doing some research though I knew I wanted to a little more. Maca and camu powder were my choices and a bit more affordable than the others that I wanted (Goji berries! Why do you cost so much?! Also, Bee Pollen!!). Obviously it's best to do your own research on what is right for you, but there are so many ways to get nutrition packed into your daily juices.

Here are a few of my recent favorites:

Carrot. Grapefruit. Ginger

2 cups of carrot juice
1 ruby red grapefruit peeled
1 1/2 piece of ginger

*Blend until smooth and chill.

Watermelon. Pineapple. Mango. Banana

2 cups of watermelon
1/2 cup of pineapple
1/2 cup of mango
1/2 banana

*I use mostly frozen fruit. Blend until smooth.

Kale. Maca. Pineapple. Mango. Banana. Coconut H2O

4 stalks of kale, stem on
1 tsp of maca powder
1/2 of pineapple
1/4 mango
1/2 banana
Coconut H2O

*Blend until smooth adding coconut H2O until you get a consistency you want.

Vegan + Gluten free chocolate cake for the win

 Hi! I'm back. Sorry for the intermission (not like I'm thinking a lot of people really care), BUT the past week has been pretty damn rough. My child is teething and it is not going well for us at the Bushong house. 103 temp 3 nights in a row was the cherry on top. Anyways, chocolate cake. I love it. I love chocolate. So, gimme! I also love the thought of allowing my child to indulge in a cupcake, a slice of pie, those yummy gooey brownies every once in a while because he's a kid, and childhood should be full of delicious things. But, lets get real here...I am not about to load him up with sugar and dairy. Two reasons: Sugar for a 1 year old; no. And dairy makes Silas cranky in the most unpleasant way (bless my husband who is usually the one to handle those diapers). I've been racking my brain trying to figure out what I can make my handsome little babe for his first birthday. Ta-da! My lovely cousin post a vegan chocolate cake recipe on her blog. Perfect. All I had was gluten free flour in my house so I subbed out the regular stuff for it and there you have it, a vegan + gluten free chocolate cake. It taste amazing. And yes, it has sugar. You can't win every battle. Enjoy! xo

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups flour (I subbed out same amount of gluten-free all purpose flour)
• 1/4 tsp + 1/8 tsp of xantham gum (only if you are using gluten-free flour. Otherwise, omit this ingredient)
• 3 Tbsp. cocoa (unsweetened)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp.  salt
• 1 tsp. white vinegar (I used apple cider)
• 1 tsp.  pure vanilla extract
• 5 Tbsp. vegetable oil (I used coconut oil; melted.)
• 1 Cup water 

Directions

Heat oven to 350. Grease your baking pan or cake pan. Mix all ingredients together (you're supposed to mix it all in the dish you bake it in, I went ahead and used a separate bowl). Poor batter into pan and smooth the top. Bake for about 25 minutes. Check a few minutes prior to that time and use a tooth pick to check for doneness (?). Do not over bake! When done, cool on a rack completely before frosting.

Chocolate frosting:

I came up with this on a whim because cake absolutely needs frosting! In a bowl whip together 1 cup of organic (non-gmo!) shortening, 1 smashed ripe banana, 1 tsp vanilla extract, coco powder (however much you like, I like it super chocolatey), and agave (although, I would have preferred to use powdered sugar). Whip until light and fluffy. Taste to make sure it is sweet enough, you should be using unsweetened coco powder.

*original recipe can be found here and my cousins blog can be found here.

Elderberry syrup

I got pummeled with sickness while in Michigan a couple weeks ago. Let me tell yah, having the flu and taking care of/nursing a baby is pretty much the worst. After the flu I was lucky enough to then come down with one of the worst colds I've ever had. It all sucked. Not to mention that as a nursing mother there is not really much you can take. And then I discovered elderberry syrup. While in Michigan a friend who works at a badass health store mentioned that he took it. And it jogged my memory to when I came across this post from a blog I read. And THEN after declaring my sickness on facebook, a girlfriend mentioned that she made elderberry syrup. Obviously, all signs pointed to me taking/making elderberry syrup. And I did. I called two grocery stores and they did not carry these little dried berries. Next, I tried out a herb shop in my neighborhood and not only did they have every single herb known to man (which I will be back to check out), but they had my berries! So here yah go, a recipe to make your very own elixir. The shit in the store is expensive so I highly recommend making your own. My berries cost $2.25/oz. My raw, organic honey ran me $7.99. Everything else I had in my pantry. Cheers! xo

Ingredients:

2/3 cup dried elderberries

3 1/2  cups filtered water

2 T dried (or fresh) ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp clove

1 cup honey (raw, organic, local ----> this is all a must)

Directions:

Bring your elderberries, water, and spices to a boil and then simmer for about 30-40 mins until the liquid is reduced. Turn off and let cool completely. When the liquid is completely cooled add in your honey.

It's recommended to take about 1/2 tsp daily. I would up it to about 1 tsp if you were actively sick. Also, do not give to babies younger than one year as it contains honey.

late night cookie baking

Making them into hearts was a frantic last minute decision this morning when I realized it was Valentine's Day. oops!

 I always get the urge to bake late at night. I have no idea why...we'll be sitting on the couch and all of a sudden the urge to make 300 molasses cookies consumes me. So, last night I did just that. Late night baking is calming to me. Hubby is doing his own thing, baby is asleep.

There is nothing I hate more than a fluffy, flavorless cookie. Seriously. I like chewy, crispy, dense, and flavor explosion. But guess what? Every time I make cookies they turn out fluffy. And I literally cannot figure out why. My googling of cookies always starts out "chewy, crispy_____" and they never turn out like that. These ones though...they are good. Like, really good. Dense and so much flavor. THe original recipe can be found here. I altered it because I am lazy and sometimes I don't have things on hand so you've got to improvise. Enjoy! xo

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons of baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon ( I went heavy on cinnamon)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice (I did not use allspice..because I never have it)
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cloves (I used a full tsp to make up for the lack of allspice)
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened (I used 2 full sticks...oops.)
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus 1/3 cup for rolling cookies
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup unsulphered molasses
• about 1 cup of crystalized ginger (this is an ingredient not listed in the original recipe)

Directions:

Pre-heat your oven to 375. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Mix dry ingredients in one bowl and throw all of your wet ingredients in another. I know the original recipe says to fluff up the sugar and butter first, but when you are baking at night there is time for no such thing. Plus, as stated up above, I don't like the word "fluff" in my cookies. So I literally throw everything in a use my hand mixer. Chop up your ginger and throw it in with the dry ingredients and mix around. I do think because the ginger is really sticky. Coating it with your dry ingredients helps it not all clump together. Mix in the dry with the wet. Form into balls and roll in sugar. Bake for about 11 mins, or just until the tops begin to crack. do not over cook these! Cool on a wire rack. Enjoy! xo

This stuff is your golden ticket.

Throw it in a bowl. Mix it up. Easy as that.

The most amazing cupcake ever

Yeah, I said it. These cupcakes are amazing. And easy. And sure, they aren't super pretty when you don't bake them in a liner, but whatev. My quest for a delicious vanilla cupcake came one day when I was super, super pregnant and craving that fluffy, frosted goodness. I love the texture that box mixes yield, but I am not a fan of the 18 item ingredient list. So, I set off on a googling adventure and to my amazement found these perfect vanilla cupcakes. I have made a few tweaks to the original recipe (which are noted) due to the fact that I hate having specific, for that recipe only, items in my pantry. I improvised and they still came out fantastic.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups cake flour (I use all purpose and then up the baking powder meansurement)

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder (2 teaspoons if using all-purpose flour)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup oil (vegetable, canola or extra light olive oil)

1/2 cup buttermilk (or, 1/2 cup milk with 1tsp of acid, like white vinegar or lemon juice. Let sit aside for 5 mins prior to using)

The original recipe says that you will get 15. I never get that, nor do I ever get the 12th damn one filled!

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350. Either line your cupcake tin with liners or what I did was oil with a brush and then dust with flour. I suggest using liners though. Pour in batter about 2/3 of the way. Bake for 12-14 mins. Take out and let cool for a few mins and then transfer to a baking rack. Cool completely before frosting.

Frosting: Chocolatey almondy

Frosting is easy to make and I do not complicate it here. Mix 1 stick of butter (1/2 cup) with about 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar and 3/4 cup of cocoa powder. Add in about 1 tsp vanilla and 1/2 tsp of almond extract. Mx with an electric mixer. Add milk to achieve that fluffy frosting consistency.

If you try these I would love to know what you think! Happy baking, xo.

Let's get crazy and make some veggie tacos

I am not a vegan. Or a vegetarian. But back when I first started breastfeeding we came to the realization that Silas had a serious intolerance to dairy and soy which he was getting through my breast milk. So for awhile there I went vegan. And I loved it. My skin looked amazing, I lost all of the baby weight instantly, and I felt so so good. I am getting ready to hop back on that vegan train. Here is an extremely easy lunch/dinner idea that can be whipped up in no time. Change out the ingredients to correlate with the season if you so desire.

Veggie Tacos

ingredients:
Brussels sprouts
bell pepper
green onion
black beans (1/2 can)
sweet potato
avocado
cilantro
Pepita's
radishes
corn tortilla's

Directions:
I like to saute all of my veggies separate and then mix them together. So keep a big bowl to the side and when you're done with one just throw it in. Dice up the sweet potato, cut the bell pepper in thin strips, slice the brussels sprouts into fourths (1/2 and then 1/2 again), drain and rinse the black beans. Saute your potato, sprouts, and bell pepper with a little bit of cumin and some sea salt. Toss in your big bowl with 1/2 can of your cleaned black beans and some green onion. pile onto your corn tortilla. add sliced avocado, cilantro, Pepita's, and some radish slices. Serve with a slice of lime, or don't. It's really up to you.

Seriously. That is how easy it is. They are easy and delicious...and that's all you can really ask for in life I'd say. So, get crazy and make some veggie tacos. Happy eating! xo

Bread bakin'

I love to cook. I hate to bake. Baking does not work out well for me. I follow recipes to a T and instead of chewy soft cookies I end up with fluffy flavorless cookies. I have slowly been building up my baking repertoire though with things that are simple and offer a little forgiveness. The fire has been burning in me to bake some bread, so this last week I've tried out a few recipes and this was definitely the winner. Super crunchy outside and soft on the inside, perfect for lots of butter and some strawberry jam. Damn delicious. You can find the original recipe here.

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 packet of rapid rise yeast (if using regular yeast, proof in 1/4 of warm water + 1tsp sugar. Let sit for 10 mins until doubled in volume. Honestly, rapid rise will work the best though.)
1 tablespoon salt (use kosher salt or something similar in "coarseness". If you use regular table salt at this measurement it will be way too salty. Trust me.)
1 1/2 cups water

Directions:

Mix flour, yeast and salt together and whisk. Add in water and stir. It will be VERY, VERY, sticky. Scrape the side of the bowl as well as you can and cover with plastic wrap (not airtight). Leave on your counter for 12-18 hrs. There is NO need, well...to knead. That is what makes this so easy. You simply let it sit (I did mine overnight). After time is up, heat your oven to 450 degrees. When the oven is at temp. put your dutch oven (or something oven safe with a lid) into the oven for 30 mins so that the pot is nice and hot. Flour a surface liberally and plop out your dough. Flour your hands and shape into a round ball. Now, take out your dutch oven all the while being very careful as it is scorching. Carefully put your dough in the dutch oven (no need for oil) and slide that sucker back in. Bake for 30 mins with the lid on and another 15 mins with the lid off. Voila. Fresh baked bread.

It's extremely sticky so don't be scared to flour the hell out of your counter.

Imagine my surprise when I popped the lid off and saw this pretty thing.

Happy Baking! xo

Butternut squash/carrot ginger soup

This one is a winner if I do say so myself. It's so simple and easy to make too! Since it has only a few ingredients, be sure to pick the best! Organic. No BS added in. 

Ingredients:

1 butternut squash

3 large carrots

1 red chili

2 cloves of garlic

Fresh ginger root

1 small yellow onion

1 can of coconut milk

32 oz of vegetable broth

Cilantro for garnish

Spices:

curry powder

saffron (optional; it's expensive)

ground ginger

Saffron. This stuff is pretty pricey. A girlfriend of mine brought me some home from a spice market overseas!

Pot o' Soup.

Directions:

Peel and de-seed your squash. Cut into chunks. Cut carrots into similar size (no need to peel them). Put on a baking sheet and drizzle with oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake at 375 until tender. Meanwhile, in a heavy stockpot, saute onion, 2 cloves of garlic, the red chili (I leave the seeds in), and about 1tablespoon of fresh ginger. When the onion is translucent, sprinkle in about 1 teaspoon of saffron, 1 1/2 teaspoons of curry powder, and about 1 teaspoon of ground ginger. These are all approximate and you can really add/subtract to your liking. Saute for a few more minutes to cook the curry powder a bit. Add in your coconut milk and vegetable broth. By now your squash and carrots should be cooked through, carefully add them to the broth and let simmer for about 15-20 mins. Turn off and let cool. This is very important. This soup is a puree so if you put it in your blender hot, you will likely get burned (trust me!). I used my vitamix so that it would be extra silky, but use whatever device you see fit. Blend your chilled soup and then add it back to the pot. Heat it through. Taste for salt. Serve with a little cilantro on top and enjoy!