Summer Squash Soup with Wild Rice

Soup made from butternut and other winter squashes is quite common, but summer squash soups are also a good idea. The base is made from steamed and pureed summer squash. While the water used to steam the vegetables is still hot add some bouillon of your choice - vegetable, chicken or tomato will all work. Add the water to the pureed squash when you are blending them.

Other vegetables to add to the base are onion, garlic, bell pepper, chili pepper or whatever you have in your garden or your pantry.

You can cook the wild rice at the same time you are steaming and stirring the vegetables or you can make it ahead of time.

Spices that will go well with this soup are fresh basil, fresh parsley and chives. These should be added after the vegetables have been pureed. To make this soup even more delicious, add a quarter cup of cream or full fat coconut milk; top with grated Parmesan cheese or slices of avocado. The truly health conscious could use whole milk instead.


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Super Easy Summer Squash with Mushroooms

Since the squash does not seem to end, the recipes will just keep on coming!

Use any kind of summer squash for this easy casserole.

You will also need about 1 cup sautéed mushrooms, cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, Panko bread crumbs and some gorgonzola cheese. If you like a little spice, add a few diced green chilies. Fresh or canned will work.

The mushrooms can be sautéed ahead of time, if you like.

Wash and cut squash into irregular pieces that are close to 1 inch cubes.

Pour a little olive oil in the bottom of a casserole dish - any size. The more squash you have the larger the casserole dish! Layer squash on the olive oil, and sprinkle with salt, pepper and some grated cheddar.

Sprinkle the sautéed mushrooms over this first layer.

Put more squash and peppers - if you are using them - on top of the mushrooms and then crumble some gorgonzola cheese over everything - about 1/2 cup of gorgonzola will be perfect if you are using a 9 x 13 casserole. You can sprinkle a little more cheddar on the top of the second layer of squash if you like. toss the mixture slightly to get all of the cheese and the mushrooms and the squash evenly distributed throughout the baking dish.

Bake uncovered at 375 for about 35 - 40 minutes. While the vegetables are baking, grate 1/3 cup Parmnesan and add to 2/3 cup Panko crumbs. After about 30 minutes, sprinkle this mixture over the vegetables and bake for another 10 - 15 minutes.

It's great as a side dish or as a light summer lunch all by itself.

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