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I am finally actually-back from my Thanksgiving vacation with this sweet, smoky and spicy roasted acorn squash soup! Please bear with me as I get caught up on replying to comments, etc… I had every intention of staying more on top of things, but the prospect of an extended technology break just became too good to pass up.

I spent Thanksgiving in the Bay Area (California) it was absolutely wonderful. There are almost too many food highlights to mention. I drove up to Berkeley to Republic of V because I heard they had Miyoko’s Kitchen vegan cheeses there, and picked up two flavors to try. They were about $10 each. The double cream sundried tomato was so-so; the flavor of nutritional yeast was very strong and I wasn’t willing to serve it to omnivores. The double cream garlic herb was better. As I watched many meat- and dairy-eaters DEVOUR the stuff, I was kind of sad because I wanted to eat more, but mostly I was happy that they were enjoying it! It tastes like a fancy dairy cream cheese spread, and I don’t say that lightly. Overall, I haven’t decided yet if those cheezes are worth the hype/price.

At Thanksgiving itself there were tons of other delicious vegan options, including an amazing Thai peanut scallion dip (I managed to snag an approximate recipe). Best of all was relaxing, enjoying some California sunshine, and taking a much-needed breather from work. Normally when I go on “vacation” I still check my work email every day and deal with imminent concerns, but for this trip I unplugged completely, and I have no regrets.

Some other great eats were in Oakland at Great Wall Chinese Restaurant, which is a vegetarian/pescetarian, but very-vegan establishment with a huge menu and incredibly low prices. I was excited to see a diverse spread of locals dining in there. Finally, mouthwatering authentic Indian street food at Vik’s Chaat in Berkeley. Eating there is a unique experience as the space is kind of a cafeteria/market hybrid. Highly recommended!

Another funny thing was that we ate this roasted acorn squash soup for an early lunch the day that we left for California. And then when we got there around dinnertime, we had another roasted acorn squash soup for dinner. It was pretty delicious as well! A lot of squash for one day, though…

Before leaving Baltimore, I had whipped up a few final meals with our very last CSA shipment of the year. It was mostly squash, onions, the tiniest head of cauliflower you ever saw, and some very woody spinach. This roasted acorn squash soup is very simple and also very light. There’s not much in there aside from the squash and a few seasonings, but considering how flavorful, sweet, and silky acorn squash is, you really don’t need a lot. I tried out a new method of stuffing aromatics inside the squash while roasting it, and I was very pleased with the result. I was also happy to use up the last couple of red chilis from my backyard garden. It snowed in Baltimore while we were gone, and when I got back, my hot pepper plants were as dead as can be. So we harvested at the right time!

Okay, that was long! But this recipe is short. Hope you enjoy and that you had a happy holiday too 🙂