Green Swamp SoupKid, Earth and Time Friendly Recipes

These corn waffles are inspired by my visit to Memphis for my cousin Ginny’s wedding in October. We went to a local BBQ joint called Corky’s where they served jalapeno hush puppies. These were the most delicious hush puppies I’d ever had in my life! I decided immediately that a healthier version could be created, and thus, we have these non-fried corn waffles. You will need a Belgian waffle maker in order to make the waffles, but you can just as easily make this recipe into corn muffins.

Ingredients:

2 packages corn muffin mix
1 jalapeno, minced without seeds
1/4 onion, minced
2 eggs
2 tbsp. vegetable shortening, melted
1 1/2 cups milk

Directions:

1. Preheat waffle iron or oven if making muffins.

2. Stir all ingredients together.

3. Pour mix into middle of waffle iron about 1 1/2 inches in diameter.

4. Lower iron and cook for about two minutes.

5. Serve hot with real maple syrup, butter, salsa or cilantro!

Just in time for Thanksgiving — this yummy, flavorful soup makes a uniquely healthy appetizer, or a post-Thanksgiving-leftover-dinner main dish. And, it’s insanely simple to make, so it won’t take much time at all to whip up. I served this soup with Jalapeno corn waffles topped with spicy toasted squash seeds, but it’s also nice with just a little plain sour cream or yogurt.

The following recipe for this soup is slightly modified from this recipe by Annie B. Bond.

Ingredients:
2 acorn squash, cut in half
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon curry powder
2 Granny Smith or other tart apples, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
2/3 cup sherry (optional)
5 vegetable stock
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Fresh-ground black pepper to taste
Pinch cayenne (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Lay the squash halves cut side down on baking sheets, and roast them for 45 minutes or until the flesh is soft. When the squash has cooled a little, scoop out the seeds and discard them. Then, with a large spoon, scoop out the flesh of the squash into a bowl.

2. Heat the butter or oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onion softens. Add the garlic, ginger, and curry powder, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the apples and the sherry, and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the apples soften.

3. Puree the squash flesh with the water or stock in batches in a blender or food processor. Transfer the squash puree to a large saucepan, then puree the apple-sherry mixture, and add this to the pureed squash.

4. Heat the soup, and season it with the salt, pepper, and, if you like, cayenne. Ladle the hot soup into bowls, and serve.