Solid Gold Squash Soup

Solid Gold Squash Soup Thaw frozen squash in the microwave oven while cooking the onion and spices for this all-but-instant creamy soup.

Ingredients

* 1-1/2 teaspoons cooking oil
* 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
* 1 to 2 teaspoons curry powder
* 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
* 2 12-ounce packages frozen cooked winter squash, thawed
* 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
* 1 cup apple juice or apple cider
* 1/8 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup plain fat-free yogurt or fat-free dairy sour cream
* Finely chopped pistachio nuts (optional)


Directions

1. In a medium saucepan heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, curry powder, and ground ginger. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add squash, chicken broth, apple juice, and salt. Heat through. Ladle into soup bowls. Top each serving with a swirl of yogurt or sour cream. If desired, sprinkle with pistachio nuts. Makes 4 servings.

Hash Brown Strata A strata the Low-Cholesterol Cooking

Regulate your cholesterol level without giving up on good taste.
Hash Brown Strata A strata (Italian for "layered") is an egg-and-bread casserole. In this recipe, frozen hash browns substitute for the bread.

Ingredients

* Nonstick cooking spray
* 2 cups frozen loose-pack diced hash brown potatoes with onion and peppers
* 1 cup cut broccoli florets
* 1/3 cup finely chopped turkey bacon or turkey ham (about 2 ounces)
* 1/3 cup evaporated fat-free milk
* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 2 8-ounce cartons refrigerated or frozen egg product, thawed
* 1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese (2 ounces)
* 1 tablespoon snipped fresh basil or 1/2 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
* 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
* Fresh basil sprigs (optional)


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat a 2-quart square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange hash brown potatoes and broccoli in bottom of baking dish; top with turkey bacon or ham. Set aside.

2. Stir milk gradually into flour in a medium bowl. Stir in egg product, half of the cheese, the snipped or dried basil, and black pepper. Pour egg mixture over vegetables.

3. Bake in preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Let stand for 5 minutes. If desired, garnish with fresh basil sprigs. Makes 6 main-dish servings.

Make-ahead Tip: Assemble as above, but do not bake. Cover and refrigerate for 4 to 24 hours. Before serving, remove cover and bake as directed above.

Old recipe: Spicy Tomato Soup

Spicy Tomato Soup

1 Bermuda Onion, sliced very thin then chopped finely
4 Cloves Garlic, minced

Sauté the above in 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil, then add:

(2) 14 ounce cans Tomato Sauce
(2) 14 ounce cans Water
2 Tablespoons Pesto
3 Teaspoons ground Cumin
1 Teaspoon Celtic Sea Salt
1 Tablespoon Frank's Red Hot Sauce

Combine the tomatoes and spices together with the onion and garlic. Bring the mixture to a boil, and then add the water. Stir this together so that the soup is not boiling (so it won’t break the glass in your blender) then blend it on high in your blender (optional, but we felt like it would be more liquidy that way for our fast.) Serve hot. Makes about 7 cups of soup. Yum! (I think. . .who can tell at this point. Anything may taste good.)

We had an 8 oz. mug of it and it seemed to satisfy us. Another day of our fast done, 17 more to go.

Prep and cooking time about 15 minutes. Heck, we couldn't wait any longer than that anyway!

Cumin is an antibacterial herb good for the liver and digestion, increases libido, and good for migraines associated with digestive causes. Garlic and onions are both antibacterial and antiviral.

Pesto, a mixture of basil, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil and parmesan cheese, is a wonderful flavoring agent for soups and spaghetti sauce. Basil is good for the heart, acts as an anti-inflammatory and is high in magnesium and vitamin K. My pesto also contains lots of parsley (an awesome herb.) You can find pesto in the refrigerator section in most grocery stores by the fresh vegetables.

Celtic Sea Salt (http://www.celticseasalt.com) has countless medicinal uses. It is a moist grey salt harvested from somewhere in France and is not processed at super high temperatures like regular sea salt. Therefore, the body can take in the sodium, chloride and other natural minerals from the sea and use those minerals to our body’s best advantage. Research shows Celtic Sea Salt can help correct excess acidity, restore good digestion, relieve allergies and skin disease, prevent some types of cancer, boost cellular energy and give heightened resistance to infections and bacterial disease.

Tomatoes are jam-packed with lycopenes which are powerful antioxidants abundant in red tomatoes and processed tomato products, may help prevent prostate cancer and some other forms of cancer, heart disease, and other serious diseases. I teach my clients that taking in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals from natural food sources are far better than taking them in pill form.

Bon Appétit!