This 20-minute Butternut Squash Soup is a simple, easy and delicious side dish for a holiday dinner party or a quick healthy lunch to enjoy during fall cold weather. It’s vegan, paleo, Whole30, gluten-free, dairy-free and low-carb.

20-minute Butternut Squash Soup

SERVINGS:  4 BOWLS  PREP TIME: 10 MINUTES COOK TIME: 15 MINUTES

Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup white onion – chopped
3 garlic cloves – minced
2 pounds butternut squash peeled – seeds removed and cubed
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth – use less if you prefer a thicker soup
1 1/2 cups almond milk
Pistachios and fresh parsley – chopped

Instructions

• In a large stock pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat.

•Add in the onion, stir to coat with olive oil and cook for about 2-4 minutes. Then, add in garlic and cook until the garlic becomes fragrant.

• Add in the butternut squash, salt, pepper, turmeric, paprika and onion powder. Sauté for about 5-7 minutes. Stir occasionally. 

• Add in vegetable broth and almond milk, stir to combine.

• Bring to a boil and then to a simmer for another 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and using an immersion blender, puree the soup ingredients until combined and smooth. Taste to adjust seasoning. 

• Serve into bowls and top with pistachios and parsley. 

This recipe is adapted from Primavera.

The post Thanksgiving Side: 20-minute Butternut Squash Soup Recipe appeared first on garten.

How to Freeze Bananas for Smoothies

Freezing bananas might sound easy, but you’d be surprise how many people are freezing them incorrectly. Freezing bananas correctly will make the smoothie making process much easier and quicker!

1. Peel the bananas.
   • If you do not peel the bananas, you will need to chip off or slice off the banana peel. Trust me, it will not be an easy task!
2. Slice them into 1-2 inch chunks.
   • Slicing them into smaller chunks will make blending the frozen chunks much easier.
3. Place them on a baking sheet or large container lined with parchment or wax paper.
   • Using a parchment/wax paper will prevent the bananas from freezing and sticking onto the baking sheet.
4. Freeze for 1-2 hours.
   • Once the bananas are mostly frozen, it will keep the chunks from freezing together into a large clump. Leaving them in the freezer for too long may also result in freezer burn.
5. Remove the bananas from the baking sheet or container and store in a freezer bags.
   • Transferring the bananas into freezer bags will keep the air out and keep the freezer burn away!

Green Smoothie Bowl Recipe (Serves 2)

The base used for smoothie bowls should be thicker than regular smoothies, so using frozen bananas as the main ingredient is a must! All of the additional ingredients in the recipe are just to make the smoothie more nutritious, tastier and easier to blend. Toppings are also important to give smoothie bowls some texture.

Ingredients

• 2 Medium Bananas, Frozen
• ½ cup Mangos, Frozen
• ½ cup Pineapples, Frozen
• 2 cups Spinach, Raw
• 1 tablespoons Flaxseeds, Milled
• 1 cup Soy milk, Unsweetened

Directions

1. Add all ingredients into a high speed blender and blend until smooth (about 2 minutes).
   • Advice: Use the tamper to push ingredients down to help the blending process. Add a few tablespoons of water if mixture is too thick or not blending well.
2. Pour the smoothie mixture evenly into 2 bowls.
3. Add toppings of your choice.

Topping Options:

• 1 tbsp Chia Seeds (Highlights: Omega 3s, protein and fiber)
• 1 tbsp Hemp Seeds (Highlights: Omega 3s, protein and fiber)
• ½ Fresh Mixed Berries (Highlights: Antioxidants and fiber)
• 1 oz Chopped Cashews (Highlights: Protein and minerals (copper, zinc, magnesium, etc.))
• 1 oz Granola (Highlights: Fiber and iron)

Smoothie bowls are fun, versatile and can be a great way to use overripe and/or frozen fruits. The ingredients can be changed based on your preferences or what you have on hand. You can replace the mangos, pineapples, spinach and soymilk with any fruits (must be frozen), greens and nut milk of your choice.

 The nutrition information to the left is based on the ingredients for the smoothie case and excludes additional toppings.

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My favorite make-ahead breakfast recipe is overnight oats, especially in the summer. Oats are an amazing option for breakfast. Oats are not only naturally vegan and gluten-free, but they also provide both soluble and insoluble of fiber, protein and some healthy fats. You can also enhance the flavor and nutrition of oatmeal by adding additional add-ins, such as chia seeds, flaxseeds, nut butters, nut kinds of milk, nuts, spices, sweeteners, etc.

Oatmeal is also super versatile – you can eat it every day, and still have a completely different and tasty breakfast every single morning. One of my go-to oatmeal variations is a creamy almond butter banana oats. If you love almond butter and bananas, you’ll surely fall in love with this super easy recipe for overnight oats!

Almond Butter Banana Overnight Oats (Serves 1)

Ingredients

• ½ cup Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
• ½ cup Unsweetened Soy Milk
• ½ cup Water
• 1 tbsp Chia Seeds
• 1 tsp Maple Syrup
• 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 pinch Sea Salt
• ½ Medium Banana
• 1 tbsp Almond Butter

Directions

1. Add the first 8 ingredients (Oats, soy milk, water, chia seeds, maple syrup, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and sea salt) into a jar and mix well.
2. Stir in about ½ tablespoon the almond butter and ¼ of a diced or mashed medium banana to the jar.
3. Thinly slice the remaining ¼ of the banana. Top the oat mixture with the thinly sliced banana and the rest of the almond butter.
4. Close the jar and let the oats sit in the refrigerator overnight.
5. Pull the jar out of the refrigerator, stir and enjoy!

Don’t be afraid to experiment with other ingredients. And if you do, be sure to share your awesome creation and tag us on social media.

The nutritional information for the full recipe is below:

If you’re not an Oh My Green customer yet, get started now and make the upgrade to healthy snacks now!

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