Curried Squash, mushroom, and orange soup

I froze some butternut squash last winter. Seems like the cold winds are calling me to make soup today. This recipe is from Mollie Katzen's Moosewood Cookbook.

2 medium-sized acorn or butternut squash (about 4 pounds)
A little oil for the baking tray.
3 1/2 cups orange juice
2 tablespoons butter or oil
1 cup minced onion
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 tablespoons minced garlic
1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
Cayenne to taste
Fresh lemon juice to taste
Yogurt for the top

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Split the squash in half lengthwise, remove the seeds, and place face-down on a lightly oiled baking tray. Bake until very soft (30 to 40 minutes). Cool, then scoop out the insides. Measure out 3 cups of squash, place it in a food processor or blender with 1 1/2 cups of the orange juice, and purée until smooth. (You may need to do this in batches.) Transfer to a soup pot, and stir in the remaining orange juice.
2. Melt the butter or heat the oil in a skillet, and add the onion, ginger, salt, and spices. Sauté over medium heat until the onion is very soft (about 8 minutes). Add a few tablespoons of water, if necessary to prevent the spices from sticking.
3. Add the garlic and mushrooms, cover, and cook about 10 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
4. Add the sauté to the squash mixture, scraping the skillet well to salvage all the little tidbits of flavor. Add cayenne and lemon juice to taste.
5. Serve hot, topped with a little yogurt.

 **As I was about to add the spices, I realized that I didn't have enough cumin, so I used curry instead of the coriander and cumin. I put in the correct amount of mustard and a pinch of cinnamon. The spices were fine, but I found the orange juice overpowering. I only added 1 1/2 C of it and it was still too strong for me. I would recommend really mincing the ginger up very well. I doubled the ginger since I was feeling cold. The result was a warming soup. I won't make it again.

Acorn Squash with Tomatoes, Chard, and Pine Nuts

I don't remember where this recipe came from. I'll be substituting spinach for chard, using my canned tomatoes from this summer for the fresh (since I used up the last of my LPO tomatoes last night in the Persian cucumber salad.) I doubt I'll present it with the spinach on bottom since we've got teenager company tonight. I'll probably mix it together and serve it that way.

Serves 6 as side dish servings

2 T pine nuts
1 1/4 lbs acorn squash (1 medium)
1 large red onion
1 lb Swiss chard (about 1 1/2 bunches)* I'll use spinach
1 T olive oil* I'll use coconut oil
3 cloves garlic, miced
2 t dried oregano
1/4 dried red chili flakes
1/2 t salt
1 1/4 C vege stock
1/2 lb fresh pear tomatoes (3 medium), diced
2 T balsamic vinegar

Toast the pine nuts in a dry, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Stir or shake the pan frequently to prevent scorching. Nuts are done when they are lightly browned and emit a roasted aroma. Immediately remove from the pan, mince them, and set aside.

Cut the acorn squash in half and scoop out and discard the seeds. Slice off and discard the tough rind portion, and coarsely chop the squash. Coarsely chop the red onion. Carefully wash the chard and slice the stem portion. Do not dry the chard leaves; tear them into large pieces and set aside in a colander.

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomoed skillet with a tight-fitting lid over medium heat and saute the garlic, oregano, and chili flakes for 1 minute. Add the squash, onion, chard stems, and salt, and saute, stirring frequently, 5 minutes. Add the vegetable stock, cover, and cook 7 minutes. Remove the lid and stir in the tomatoes. Continue to cook uncovered, stirring frequently, 5-10 minutes, until squash is fork-tender.

Meanwhile, place the wet chard leaves in a saucepan over medium-low heat, cover, and cook 5 minutes, until they wilt Make a bed of the chard on a warmed platter. Add the venegar to the squash mixture and gently stir. Spoon the squash evenly over the chard and sprinkle with the pine nuts. Serve hot.

Each serving provides: 120 calories, 4 g protein, 5 g fat, 4 g fiber, 19 g carbohydrate, 378 mg sodium, 0 mg cholesterol.

**Not the best picture- sorry. I forgot till we were almost finished eating to take the photo. As you can see, it turned out quite soupy. But that was solved with the spoon bread. I shoved the raw spinach into the stew as it simmered. I also used a drained can of tomatoes already diced, for convenience. I doubled the recipe. It is a keeper.