Quinoa Soup

This Quinoa soup is very fast and simple to make and very delicious for a cold winter day! There is no meat but it is very hearty. Chicken could easily be added, though.  

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup Quinoa, rinsed

4 cups Broth (vegetable or chicken)

2 Carrots

2 Celery Stalks

1 cup Kale

1/2 cup diced Onion

2 cloves Garlic

2 tsp Salt

3 TBS Olive Oil

1 small Butternut or Acorn Squash

Directions

Peel squash. Dice into cubes and roast with olive oil at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, saute onion, celery, carrot, and garlic in a large soup pot. Cook until slightly soft.

Add broth and bring to a simmer. Add rinsed quinoa seeds and continue to simmer. 

Add fresh kale and butternut squash at the end before you serve. Add salt to taste.

 All photos by Mary Banducci Photography. Recipe by Alisa's Garden

Juice

Continuing our week of refreshing recipes.

 Some delicious juicing recipes over at Sweet Roots today! Photos by Mary Banducci Photography!

Grapefruit & Sea Salt Scrub

Our week of refreshing recipes continues over at Sweet Roots!

Mary created this recipe for a detoxifying body scrub. Aren't the photos gorgeous!?

You can read Mary's information about this scrub and find the recipe HERE!

Photos by Mary Banducci Photography

Mini Pies with Dana & Mary

Towards the end of summer I hosted a little baking day at my house. La Lune Events has contributed a few posts to Spokane Bride Blog and we needed some content. I love to make these mini pies for events and Dana & Mary came over to help!

You can read the full post over here at SBB and find the recipe!

These would be perfect for Christmas, bridal showers, baby showers, or anytime! 

All photos by Mary Banducci Photography

Butternut & Mushroom Tartine

tar·tine

  [tahr-teen; Fr. tar-teen]

noun 

a fancy French open-faced sandwich topped with spreadable ingredients.

While I was in San Francisco last month we ate lunch at a french bakery called La Boulange. It was extraordinary! I had their special for the day....a butternut and mushroom tartine. A tartine is a french open faced sandwich or a "fancy" french sandwich like the dictionary says. It's really quite simple actually. I knew I had to make it when I got home with a few of my own twists.

Mary Banducci photographed and helped me cook during a very unusual photo session day. Don't ask me why I decided to cook, photograph, watch four kids under the age of 2 , and have my friends over for pedis all at the same time. Despite the chaos, this magical lunch prevailed! 

Ingredients

1 butternut squash

4 tbs fresh sage

2 cups fresh chanterelle or brown button mushrooms

1/2 cup olive oil

2 tsp dried thyme

3 cloves fresh garlic

whole nutmeg

pinch of salt

loaf of french bread

Directions

Heat oven to 400*

Slice your butternut in half, de-seed it, and then peel the skin with a vegetable peeler or knife. Dice the flesh into small half inch cubes. Place in roasting pan.

Lightly rinse or brush mushrooms and slice into quarters. Place in roasting pan.

Mince fresh garlic and add to roasting pan.

Sprinkle squash mushroom mixture with salt, freshly grated nutmeg, and dried thyme. Sprinkle with olive oil. Toss the mixture with your hands to coat. 

Roast in oven for 15-20 minutes. You want the squash to still be firm not mushy. 

Chiffande the thyme leaves and begin to heat olive oil in a saute pan.

Remove from oven and cool slightly while you toast slices of french bread.

Sprinkle the fresh sage into the oil and flash fry it for about 30 seconds. Remove with slotted spoon or fork.

Top your bread with the squash and mushroom mixture. Garnish with friend sage. 

Bon Appetit!

All images by Mary Banducci Photography