INGREDIENTS
1 Tablespoon Oil (veg broth can be substituted for oil)
1 whole onion (peeled and quartered)
1 whole butternut squash peeled, deseeded and cut into same size pieces
2 tsp himalayan salt
1 Cinnamon stick (or equivalent of ground) (ginger and/or nutmeg also good)
Almond or cashew milk (I love making this from raw pureed almonds or cashews and water) Blend 1 cup of nuts with an almost full blender pitcher of water. The more water, the thinner the soup...

METHOD
Heat large pot on medium heat
Add oil or broth
Add cinnamon stick and any other spices here
Add quartered onion, cook until lightly browned edges
Add peeled butternut squash, cook until lightly browned edges
Add almond milk just to the top of the veg. Add water if not enough liquid.
Add Salt (I use my eye, so translation might be 2 teaspoons?)
Cover, reduce heat to med/low and cook.
Using a pressure cooker, cook time is about 15-20 minutes.
For a regular pot, cook time will be about 40 mins. Poke the squash with a fork to
see when it's soft.
When done, remove the cinnamon stick and then puree mixture in the blender.
You may add water or more almond milk for consistency preference.
Garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds for a delicious crunchy texture.
​
Enjoy!

One of my favorite things to do is to create healthier alternatives to traditional dessert recipes.  Food is the basis of all life and it is such a delight to think that it can be delicious AND serve our best health at the same time!  Here is my favorite simple black bean brownie recipe!

Ingredients
One 15oz can black beans, rinsed and drained well
3/4 cup cacao 
1/2 cup sweetener (sugar, agave, honey, etc)
1/4 tsp Himalayan salt 
3-5 Tablespoons melted coconut oil (more oil for more moist/gooey brownies)
2 "flax eggs" (2 tablespoons ground flax meal and 6 tablespoons water) (make this mixture first)
1 tsp vanilla extract 
1.5 teaspoon baking powder 

Method
Heat oven to 350 degrees
Lightly grease muffin pan or cake pan (I use coconut oil)
Blend all ingredients in food processor (*if using flax eggs, blend flax and water first and let sit for a few minutes) then add to all other ingredients 
Bake for 20-30 minutes 
*Can add nut pieces or vegan chocolate chips to top of brownies if desired 
Allow to cool for 15 minutes