I should have read the reviews before making this, because 1 cup of sugar in recipe, although I used 7/8ths, was too sweet for me, whereas many reduced down to 1/4 cup. I did make quite a few changes, as follows. I used roasted Butternut squash instead of pumpkin, added chopped dates and walnuts, whole milk instead of soy milk, and a squirt of molasses. I would make this again.
This soup is so delicious and different! I modified it a little based on what I had on hand, like I usually do, but the what a great base recipe to start with. I substituted roasted hatch peppers for jalapeno, made chicken bone broth, used frozen sousvide chicken breasts and shredded in chunks by hand, and added diced tomatoes. Next time, I might add frozen corn and some black beans. The combination of spicy, savory, and tart, with the texture of avocado are delightful. I just add the avocado last and ladle into bowls to maintain the texture. I will definitely make this again!
As I am one of those people who hardly ever follows a recipe, and sees them as a place to start, this recipe was a great place to start. I added onion, substituted apple for the mango, red pepper flakes, parsley, and butter. I used the famous Benton's bacon from Tennessee, and that really kicked up the flavor. I am thinking of blending up the leftovers and adding either half and half or coconut milk in my Vitamix to make a creamy butternut squash soup. It's a great recipe!
I loved the way this recipe turned out. With no disrespect to the recipe, I did change it up, but I view recipes as guidelines and go from there. Basically, I like to use ingredients on hand in my fridge and pantry, an ongoing game of 'Chopped' of sorts. I did use another reviewer's tip to use a ham bone for my stock, and diced up the ham from it instead of chicken stock. For my beans, I used lima beans and pinto beans. For my veggie sub, I had no corn on hand so I used fresh green beans. I did add some hot sauce, not enough to make it 'hot', but enough to add complexity to the tomato base, and also a teaspoon of Italian seasoning. I did not use rice, but I broke up soba noodles and added it near the end. I used everything else in the recipe, and I think the 'Benton's bacon made in Tennessee I used kicked up the flavor as well. Thanks for the recipe!
This was a pretty good basic recipe to start with. I am one of those people that can't seem to follow any recipe as written. My creative juices start taking over, and off I go. I don't like anything super sweet either, so I started off with a cup of sugar, and added a maybe 2 tablespoon pour of molasses I brought back from the Barbados. Now I know where that phrase slow as molasses comes from. It's at least 2 times as thick as Trader Joe's, and the flavor was so intense. The bread turned out sweet enough for my taste, so glad I cut back. I substituted coconut oil as the recipe stated as an option, but I think next time, I will use butter, as the coconut flavor did not come through as well as I know the butter would have. In addition to the walnuts and coconut, I added some chopped dried pears and a finely minced slice of Candied Siracha honey Benton's bacon jerky I made. Additionally, I added coconut tossed in sugar on top, as another reviewer suggested. Most flavors all came through, except next time, I will either leave out the jerky because it was barely detectable, or double to 2 slices if I have any on hand at the time. I will most definitely use this recipe again.
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