Roasted butternut squash soup (with added finger...)

After making myself and the house look nice I decided to cook! I've been feeling shattered and run down lately so my last trip to the supermarket saw me stock up on veggies galore. In my veg haul was a gorgeous large butternut squash, which I decided to turn into a spicy soup (and which resulted in me cutting my finger!). Here's what I did:

Spicy butternut soup

1 large butternut squash,  peeled and diced into one inch chunks CAREFULLY!
1 medium brown onion
1 clove of garlic
1 teaspoon of dried chilli flakes
850ml chicken stock
Salt and pepper

1. Roast the prepared butternut squash in olive oil in the oven, on a tray,  for about 30 mins at 180 degrees.

2. Finely cut the onion and fry gently in butter for ten minutes,  then add the garlic,  also chopped finely,  and continue to fry for a further ten minutes. Add the chilli flakes about 5 minutes before the end of cooking.

3. Once the butternut is cooked add it to the onion and garlic pan,  pour over the stock and whizz with a hand blender until the desired texture is reached. I like mine thick with some lumps,  so it's not like baby food!

It serves four people,  or three greedy pigs. Very tasty.

Butternut and Chick Pea Salad

I tried this, or something similar, at work and have recreated it at home today, with a twist. Here's what it is and how to do it:

1 Butternut Squash
1 240g (drained) can Chick Peas
1 120g (drained) can Black Eyed Beans
1 Orange
Half a block of hard feta cheese
Salt, pepper, olive oil

1. Cut the butternut squash into bite sized pieces, toss in the olive oil and salt and pepper, and roast in the oven for 30 mins at 180 degrees (fan oven).
2. Tip the roasted squash, and both cans of peas / beans into a big bowl
3. Cut the orange in half and squeeze every last drop of lovely juice out, and add to the squash and bean mixture
4. Toss everything together well
5. Get yourself a couple of big bowls to eat from (this serves 2 hungry people at lunchtime)
6. Chop the feta cheese into centimetre square pieces and sprinkle over the salad

And that's really all there is to it. Yummy and pretty healthy, and it looks like sunshine.