Vegetable Medley Soup - featuring acorn squash

Yesterday was vegetable pasta - Spaghetti Squash with an Acorn Squash Cream Sauce. But what did I do with the other half of that acorn squash? I know, I know, some of you lost sleep over this. So I will keep you waiting no longer.

I turned the other half into a Vegetable Medley Soup. A blend of a handful of veggies, diced tomatoes, homemade stock and some pureed acorn squash all came together to make a beautiful fall soup perfect for warming our bellies on these ever cooling days.

As usual, whenever I create as I go in the kitchen I rarely keep track of measurements because I eyeball it all the way. So this is a rough estimate. But it's soup so feel free to add and subtract based on your families likes and dislikes and what you have on hand. Trust me, it is hard to go wrong here!

I started by pureeing the other half of the roasted acorn squash. Mine was a little dry so I added in some Waste Not Vegetable Broth to get a nice smooth consistency.

Then I chopped up my veggies - 1/2 cup to 1 cup each of onion, celery, and carrots. Mushrooms are nice too if you have them.

These went into a pot that was already heating up with 1 to 2 Tbsp of olive oil. Saute these until they begin to soften. I still like a little crunch in my veggies {plus they soften as they continue to cook in the soup} so I don't go too long. Add in some seasoning - I did salt, pepper, basil, oregano, and garlic powder - and stir.

Last step is to add in a 30oz can of diced tomatoes {juice too}, your squash puree, and about 2 cups of broth. Vegetable broth is an obvious choice being that this is a veggie soup but I had some homemade chicken broth on hand I wanted to use up so I added that. Either works fine. Stir it up, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer for about 20 minutes. Dish up and enjoy!

I wanted to add that this was so delicious! I tried a bowl when it was ready and I had to practically fight my 2 year old off to make sure I got my share. My husband was impressed too and commented that the big chunks of mushroom really made it special. Thinking I may have to make another batch with some of the remaining acorn squash!

That is one big zucchini!!

The muffins(above)

The individually packaged portions(below)

Shredded zucchini(above)

Pureed zucchini (below)

The giant zucchini!!!

We are blessed enough to have both family and friends who grow their own gardens and love to share produce with us. But sometimes we get so much it seems overwhelming to try to use it all. Jeremy's grandpa always gives us the biggest zucchini's and for the longest time I had no idea what to do with them. So I thought I would share with you all what I did with this last zucchini.

Here's what you will need: a cutting board and knife, a food processor, spatula, measuring cups, ziploc sandwhich size bags, and a marker. What I do is cut the zucchini in half and put half of it in the food processor to be pureed. This is for my muffin recipe. I use the spatula to fill up the 1 cup measuring cup, then put it in a ziploc that has been marked with what it is and the date. Once that half of the zucchini is done, I put the other half into the food processor to grate or shred. This is for my zucchini bread recipe. This calls for 2 cup portions so that is what I put in each ziploc, again writing what it is and the date on the bag. When finished they all go in the freezer. Now I have individually bagged portions of zucchini that I just pull out and defrost when I am ready to bake with them! From the zucchini pictured I got enough to make 5 dozen muffins and 9 loaves of bread. Here are my recipes (kindly passed on from my mother-in-law) if you are interested:

Zucchini Muffins:

1 c sugar

1 c pureed zucchini

1 egg

1/4 c cooking oil

1 1/2 c flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 to 1 cup chocolate chips

Mix the first four ingredients together in a large bowl. Then combine all remaining ingredients except chocolate chips in a smaller bowl and mix. Add that to the wet ingredients and stir until combined. Add in chocolate chips. Divide evenly among greased 12 muffin pan. Set oven to 350 degrees and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove immediately with knife and let cool on a rack.

Zucchini Bread:

3 eggs

1 c vegetable oil

2 c sugar

2 tsp vanilla

3 c flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 to 1 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

3/4 tsp nutmeg

2 c grated zucchini

1 (8.5 oz) can crushed pineapple, drained

1 c nuts (optional)

Beat eggs in oil until thick and foaming. Add sugar and vanilla. Combine all dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Gently stir into the egg mixture until blended. Stir in zucchini, pineapple and nuts. Divide evenly between 2 grease and floured 9x5" loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.