Culture

V Cook—Healthy Bread and a Hearty Soup

With the autumnal chill officially upon us, there’s nothing better than cozying up with a good soup and some delicious homemade bread. And this week’s recipes are healthy alternatives to the traditional fare rooted in the health benefits from butternut squash. Rich in magnesium and potassium along with vitamins A and C, butternut squash infuses the soup with a layered richness while acting as the bread’s base. Chef Andrea Rodriquez breaks down how to recreate one of VB’s favourite pairings for a low-calorie, seasonal indulgence.

VB Butternut Squash and Seeds Bread: 

Ingredients:

1/2 flesh of a roasted butternut squash

110 grams of buckwheat flour

4 tablespoons of arrowroot

1/4 teaspoon of bicarbonate soda

1 teaspoon of sea salt

2 tablespoons of sprouted flaxseed

2 tablespoons of raw apple vinegar

2 tablespoons of golden linseed

60 grams of sunflower seeds

60 grams of pumpkin seeds

60 grams of black sesame seeds

60 grams of white sesame seeds

Recipe:

Pre-heat oven to 180°C

In a mixer, blend the butternut squash flesh until smooth

Then add buckwheat flour, arrowroot, soda bicarbonate, sprouted flaxseed, and salt

Transfer to a large bowl and mix with the rest of the ingredients by hand

With your hands, shape the dough into a loaf of bread (use some additional buckwheat flour for ease)

Cut several shallow marks on top

Bake in oven for 40-50 minutes

VB Country Vegetable Soup:

Ingredients:

2 litres of vegetable stock

100 grams garden peas

450 grams of diced and peeled carrots

2 diced leeks (white part only)

1 white onion (peeled and diced)

125 grams Cannellini beans (cooked and drained)

1 spring onion (thinly sliced)

1 red chili pepper (with seeds removed and finely chopped)

Recipe:

Place a large sauce pot on medium high fire and place all vegetables inside (excluding garden peas, red chili, and spring onion)

Add vegetable stock and bring to a boil

Add peas, red chili, and spring onion and leave to simmer for 20 minutes

Chef’s Note:

For a creamier result, blend half the soup in a mixer and then mix the two halves