Autumn Butternut Squash, Cannellini Bean & Goat Cheese Bruschetta

We finally have our electricity and gas back on and are able to drive in and out of our canyon. Life for many in Boulder is far from normal as so many people lost their homes or will not be able to return to them for months but there is much progress and the downtown area is beginning to return to its familiar hum.

Taking a hike with my husband and pup, I am reminded how awesome nature is in its ability to recover and rejuvenate itself. From the deluge of rain that destroyed so much, green grass sprouts and the landscape that was ripe fodder for a fire is now revived. The leaves are turning those beautiful hues of russet, squirrels are gathering for the winter and I am in awe of the cycle of life and nature that rarely misses a beat.

Photo from Pinterest

With the mornings and evenings suddenly quite crisp, I’m beginning to think about pulling out my cozy sweaters and boots and stoking up the fireplaces. I also find myself thinking about entertaining and connecting with friends for a glass of juicy red wine and some seasonal appetizers.

Here is a quick and easy twist to a summer favorite using butternut squash instead of tomatoes to give it an fall flavor and heartiness.

Autumn Butternut Squash, Cannellini Bean & Goat Cheese Bruschetta

INGREDIENTS

1 Baguette (I like to use a seeded baguette)
2 cups butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into a small dice
1 scallion, green part sliced thin
3/4 cups canned cannellini beans, drained well
1 small clove garlic, minced fine
4 tablespoons olive oil, plus a few extra tablespoons for brushing the baguettes
2 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar
4 ounces crumbled goat cheese
A few sprigs fresh thyme
Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Pre-heat broiler.
Toss the squash with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with a bit of salt and pepper. Spread across a foil lined sheet pan.

Place the pan under broiler and cook the squash for 5-8 minutes, watching closely and tossing occasionally. When the squash is lightly browned and tender, remove from the oven and cool to room temperature.

In a medium bowl, toss together the beans, the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons vinegar, scallions and the garlic. Add in the butternut squash, season with salt and pepper and give it one last toss.

Slice baguette into rounds, brush one side of the bread slices with a bit of olive oil and place in a toaster oven or under a broiler for a minute or two, until bread begins to brown. Remove from the oven or toaster.

Place a spoonful of the squash mixture on the toasted rounds, sprinkle with some crumbled goat cheese and garnish with a few thyme leaves.

Enjoy!

When The Rain Doesn’t Stop

The silence was eerie after four days of pounding rain. I realized that my ears had become accustom to the sound of the raindrops hitting the roof of our house. What began as a strong concern for people of Boulder and the surrounding areas, after three days of nonstop rain, turned into terror within a couple of hours. Clouds parked themselves over our city and let loose a torrential down-pouring of epic proportions. Flood sirens began to scream out and a warning flashed on the television screen to alert us that Boulder was in a state of emergency. I rushed into the living room on my way upstairs to tell my husband and realized that water was coming through our walls and windows. Moments later, as the two of us stood in the living room assessing the situation, the power went out and we could see that all of Boulder was dark.

Photo by Instagram@photogjake.

We were able to get snippets of information on our cell phones through Facebook and saw that the Boulder Office of Emergency Management was telling people in the canyons to run to higher ground immediately. I thought of these people in the pitch dark, maybe some with children or the elderly, trying to climb the mountainsides to get out of the way of the twenty-foot wall of water that was roaring down the canyon. I couldn’t stop crying.

We barely slept but did doze off for a couple of hours and woke to the morning light and the sound of rain still coming down. It rained all day and again all night. An occasional alert would come from Boulder Office of Emergency Management instructing people in different areas to rush to higher ground. We were safe in our home but reading the messages warning of a thirty-foot surge of water carrying cars and debris was horrifying and unimaginable.

The following morning we woke to the sound of silence. No rain. We ventured outside and talked to neighbors who were gathering to swap stories of damage to homes and to exchange information about what someone may have heard regarding our lack of gas and electricity.

A volunteer fireman drove by and informed us that there was no way out of our neighborhood. Roads had been washed away or covered by mud and rock slides. We commiserated and agreed that we were all fortunate to have survived the storm with little more than the inconvenience of being without electricity and gas. We are okay for now, we have food and candles – we are fine.

Desperate for a cup of coffee, my husband ground coffee beans by bashing them with a rolling-pin and then brewing them cowboy coffee style in a pot of water over our old Weber grill which still had some propane in it. The following day we used my grandmother’s molcajete and pestle to grind the beans. We’ve been able to use the grill not only to brew coffee but also to make…

…chilaquiles…

….with tortillas supervised by our pup, China…

…lentil soup…

…and I even made homemade English muffins with eggs for us this morning.

Anyone who knows me well understands that one of the most comforting and relaxing activities for me is cooking. This week was no different. Challenged with what we have on hand and few resources, we have been having some fun finding creative ways to pull our meals together and turn lemons into lemonade, so to speak.

For Ric and me, this has been an amazing experience where comforting each other and working together through a tough and frightening situation expresses once more in dramatic terms how solid we are as couple.

Boulder is a close-knit community now traumatized by this disaster, if not by what we went through individually, then by loss of homes and life that we are witnessing of friends, family, our collective Boulder family and the surrounding areas. As bad as things have been, there is always that silver lining of community coming together and our neighborhood has been no different. People are sharing food and checking in on others to make sure that they are safe and not in need.

One last comment, it may be that it is only during the call to action of emergency responders that we truly know how incredible and brave these human beings are. There are no words to express the depth of gratitude my husband and I feel towards these men and women who we have seen on the ground and in the air in our neighborhood where we lost three people to the flood waters. We see the helicopters flying into the mountains and canyons where they are airlifting the stranded and injured, we see the volunteer firemen and women who stood for hours in the rain directing traffic, going through the streets informing us of the changing situation and the contractors who are working nonstop to clear roads so help can get to those who need it and we know of the many who risked their lives to save others in the midst of the worst of this flood. These are the heroes we are bowing to in sincere appreciation and thanks.

Note about how this was posted: since we are without electricity, we have been charging our cell phones and computers in our car, which we had the good fortune of filling up just before the flooding began. We are able to get cell reception by driving to the edge of the mountain where we park to make our calls and that is how I was able to post this blog post.

San Antonio Tortilla Soup

A number of people have asked me for this delicious tortilla soup recipe that I posted on a previous blog a few years ago.

This hearty and rich soup can be made a number of ways. If the cream and cheese are left out, this is a wonderful low-fat vegan soup, roasted or poached chicken can be added for an amazing *chicken tortilla soup, or my favorite, with the cream and cheese added keeping it vegetarian but not vegan. All of the variations are delectable!

San Antonio Tortilla Soup

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup onion, diced
1/2 cup bell pepper, diced (this time I used 1/4 cup roasted poblano pepper and 1/4 cup fresh green bell pepper)
1 stalk of celery, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 tablespoon fresh garlic, minced fine
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon red chili powder
1/2 tablespoon fresh oregano
1/2 teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika (sweet, not hot)
1/8 teaspoon cayenne (adjust to your taste)
1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes (fire roasted are best)
5 cups vegetable or chicken broth (I make a vegetable stock with water and a one or two Rapunzel herb bullion cubes)
6 corn tortillas torn in 1 inch pieces
3/4 cup heavy cream (optional)
1/2 to 1 cup Colby Jack, Monterey Jack or Velveeta cheese (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
Handful of fresh cilantro, chopped coarse

DIRECTIONS
Sauté onion, pepper, celery and carrot in the olive oil until tender. Add the garlic and all of the spices except for the cayenne pepper and cook for a minute or two to release the flavors. Add tomatoes and broth and bring to boil. Toss in the corn tortillas, turn the heat down and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
Just before serving, add cream and cheese and warm the soup thoroughly until cheese is melted and incorporated. Stir in the cilantro and half of the cayenne pepper, taste for desired spiciness and add more if you prefer more heat.

Garnish with tortilla strips or chips, sour cream, fresh cilantro and even some diced avocado.

* For Chicken Tortilla Soup – 10 minutes before serving, add 2 cups roasted or poached chicken that has been shredded or cubed and use chicken stock instead of vegetable stock.

Makes 6-8 servings.