How the “reduced to clear cart” creates a lovely lunch: mushrooms on toast

When shopping at the supermarket, I make a point of checking out the “reduced to clear” cart. It frequently has some good items for 50% off or more.  I’ve mention before that I buy ripe bananas at 50% off, which I use to freeze for baking and fruit shakes. Sometimes they have other decent produce there as well. On the weekend, I found a mini baguette that was still quite soft and was reduced to clear. It originally had a price tag of 79¢, and with 50¢ off, it was only 29¢! I used the baguette to make crispy chips (see instructions here) to serve with a whole roasted head of fresh garlic from the market. Very luxurious indeed. I only used half the baguette, giving the chips a total cost of 10¢ - much less than the cost to purchase a bag of pita or a box of melbas, my other options for serving with a garlic spread.  Homemade baguette chips are tasty, crunchy, and you can save any extras for later snacks with cheese, or with soup.

What did I do with the last half of my bread? I turned it - along with some of my leftover mushrooms - into mushrooms on toast. Served with a side salad (recipe coming later for that one - it’s a gem) it made a perfect light, vegetarian lunch.

Mushrooms on toast (inspired by a recipe by Gordon Ramsey in Fast Food.)

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra to drizzle on bread

1 small onion, sliced

1 clove garlic, smashed

5-6 cremini mushrooms 

s&p 

pinch of sugar

splash of apple cider vinegar

fresh parsley, chopped

Sauteé sliced onions at medium heat in a pan along with a little olive oil. Add a sprinkling of salt, freshly ground pepper, and thyme if you have it. Add the smashed garlic. Sautee for about 3-4 minutes, decreasing the heat if the onions are browning too quickly.  Add a pinch of sugar and stir.   Then add sliced cremini or portabello mushrooms, along with a tablespoon or two of butter. Stir and add a splash of apple cider vinegar or sherry vinegar. Sautee for a few more minutes. 

Remove the garlic clove. Then remove the mixture from heat and place in a bowl with fresh chopped parsley. Toss to cover.

Meanwhile, slice a small baguette or crusty loaf in half, drizzle with olive oil, and place under the broiler until crispy.  Top with mushroom-onion mixture and add an extra drizzle of olive oil.

Served with soup or salad, this makes a complete lunch! Served alone, it would be a tasty snack. 

Serves one.

Lentil Walnut Burgers: Your frugal vegetarian alternative

For the last several weeks the meals I have cooked for myself have mostly consisted of sandwiches and spaghetti with sauce from a can.  Being busy is one reason for my culinary lapse, and frankly I’m proud of having (mostly) abstained from resorting to fast food. Traveling is another reason. And so is being newly single. I’m not sure why, but cooking for someone else tends to provide the incentive I need to put effort into trying different meal options and calling upon my inner culinary goddess. Before I met Josh I admit I relied on store-bought curry sauce and prepared hummus and I ate a lot of cheese and crackers, gatorade, and you guessed it, sandwiches. But a woman cannot live on sandwiches alone, and I’m determined to continue to try new recipes, make wholesome meals and improve my cooking skills, while living frugally.  I also want to make sure that I have easy, healthful and delicious meal options around the house for when I’m busy, so that I don’t end up living off of grilled cheese.  I believe there is great joy to be had in good food, and the only way for me to take part in that pleasure is to cook quality meals for myself.

I tend to cook mostly vegetarian, although I haven’t been a full vegetarian for nearly 10 years.  I enjoy vegetarian food, find it takes less work to prepare, and it is cheaper. I also do not know of a place in Guelph or surrounding area that provides good quality, fresh meat or fish without charging a fortune. (If you have any suggestions, I’d gladly hear them.)

I love veggie burgers but like all processed foods, they are expensive. And besides, cooking inspires some ancient DIY drive in me.  I love trying out homemade replicas of items most people are accustomed to buying at the store. I’d love it if I could empty my home of anything processed and rely only on wholesome basics.

That’s why I jumped at the chance to try making my own veggie burgers. I found this recipe in the LCBO’s Food & Drink magazine (summer, 2009). I enjoy the LCBO’s magazines because they have a nice variety of fresh, healthy, easy recipes, and best of all, the magazines are free!

These burgers are incredibly healthy, packed with protein as well as fiber, and you are free to up the vegetable content by adding any variety of toppings and side dishes.

The burgers were tasty, and held together reasonably well (although like all lentil burgers, some crumbling is inevitable.) I did find them a little dry, and I think this could be amended by upping the mushrooms and slightly decreasing the amount of lentils. I would also consider adding cheddar cheese right into mix for added flavour, and more fresh herbs.  

For toppings, you are free to be creative! But choose something moist and flavourful, to help balance out the dryness of the burgers.  The recipe called for tzatziki sauce, but I did things a little differently. The first time I ate one of the burgers I added lettuce and cucumber, warmed feta cheese, sauteed mushrooms and onions, tomato relish and a homemade sauce made of mayonnaise, lemon and chopped garlic.  The second time I ate one of the burgers, I added all of the above, but substituted the sauce with another homemade concoction made with mayonnaise, chopped green onion, and tomato relish. I also added a couple slices of tomato.

For sides, you could try sweet potato fries or zucchini fries (which I was going to try but decided homemade veggie burgers involved quite enough effort for one evening) and any variety of summer salads, such as the one I suggested here. I just had mine with potato chips for a quick lunch. (I know I’ve boasted before about how I normally skip out on processed snacks, but when you’re grocery shopping while famished, your cravings are bound to prevail, hence the chips.)

The recipe says to grill the burgers on a barbeque. I do have a barbeque patio but just decided to fry them in a pan instead, and that worked fine. The best way, I think, is it fry them at a fairly high temperature in oil, to get a nice crispy coating. My second burger had been refrigerated over night, so after searing it on both sides, I covered the pan and cooked it on low to make sure it was heated throughout. This worked out well.

I froze two of the veggie burgers, placed in between wax paper and inside plastic bags. I’m guessing that if I thaw them out, they can be grilled as normal. Since the veggie burgers were pretty dry, I didn’t see any problem in freezing them. If they work out, I will likely do up a big batch to have an easy to prepare meal waiting for me on any busy or late night.

Here’s the recipe:

Lentil Walnut Burgers

1 cup red lentils

2 cups water

1 tbsp olive oil

1 cup finely chopped onion

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp ground cumin (freshly ground is best)

1/2 tsp each s&p

1  cup finely chopped walnuts

1 cup finely chopped cremini mushrooms

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs

1 . In a small saucepan, bring lentils and water to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer, cover and cook until all the water has been absorbed, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.  Saver Queen’s note - you could also use canned.

2. In a skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; cook onion until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, cumin, s&p; cook 1 minute. Stir in walnuts and mushrooms; cook until mushrooms are completely tender and no liquid remains, about 5 minutes. Let cool slightly. Stir in cilantro, bread crumbs and lentils to combine. Form into patties.

3. Grill over medium heat on greased grill, turning once until crisp and golden on each side, about 12 minutes.

4. Serve on grilled whole grain buns with grilled onions, cucumbers, tomatoes and tzatziki.

Makes 4 burgers.

These burgers are a also a great frugal alternative to store bought veggie burgers. If you or a family member wants to join in on BBQ fun but is a vegetarian, then you will find these burgers an affordable option. Your most expensive part of the burgers will be the walnuts, which can be purchased in a bulk food store, and since the walnuts need to be chopped, you can opt for pre-chopped walnuts or walnut pieces, which are less expensive than their whole counterparts. Mushrooms and lentils are cheap, and you can even make your own buns if you so desire, or serve in homemade pita bread!

***

Saver Queen’s update: I made these again for my Mom and Dad.  Instead of just one cup of chopped mushrooms I added about 2.5 cups and reduced the amount of walnuts. I also slightly upped the cumin and added extra cilantro. Bingo! They were very moist and delicious. My parents loved them! I served them after a busy day and my dad, a runner, had just returned from a high powered workout, so these healthy, high-protein burgers hit the spot.

Saver Queen’s summer salads

This past winter, my main trick for eating healthy and tasty food on a budget was to make a lot of hearty and yummy soups.  Now that spring and summer are here, I’ve moved on to salads.  Making salads that combine protein and veggies are easy. A few combinations and you have yourself an entire meal! The best part? It’s an incredibly frugal way to eat nutritious foods.

I found this one by googling for barley and discovered a great recipe from Whole Foods (see below).

Ingredients

3 cups water 
1 cup pearled barley 
1/2 cup chopped green onions 
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper 
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped 
1/3 cup basil leaves, chopped 
2 tablespoons mint leaves, chopped 
1/4 cup avocado oil or canola oil* 
1 clove garlic, minced 
1 to 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice 
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Method

In a saucepan, combine water and barley. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer until barley is tender, 40 to 45 minutes. Drain barley and set aside. 

Place green onions, red pepper, parsley, basil and mint in a large bowl. Add cooked barley and toss to combine. 

In a small bowl, whisk together oil, minced garlic and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then drizzle over barley salad, stirring to combine well. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve at room temperature or cold.

Saver Queen’s adjustments

I lacked lemons, green onions, red pepper and basil, so I subbed in green pepper, mushrooms, tomatoes and just used mint, parsley and bottled lemon juice instead. I also used olive oil instead of canola.  The recipe has 4g of protein per serving, which is not bad for a vegetarian dish! I have served this before with salmon, but it would also work well with a few other salads. 

I love digging out staples hiding in the pantry, like barley, lentils, and dried or canned beans, because they can usually be combined with whatever veggies you have around to create a great dish.  These frugal staples are not only cheap, they are tasty and nutritious.  It’s a great way to pull together a light, meatless summer meal that’s easy on the budget.

What’s your favourite summer salad?

Homemade junk food, part two: candied peanuts

I found this wonderful recipe from David Lebovitz: delicious candied peanuts. I made a batch of these at Christmas time, and again a few days ago when I had a craving for some salty, sweet goodness.  This recipe is also incredibly cheap to make - all it requires is a bag of raw peanuts, sugar, and a bit of salt.  If you buy your peanuts from a bulk food store, it will cost just cents to make.

Carmelized peanuts

Ingredients:

2 cups (275g) raw peanuts (or almonds)
1 cup (200g) sugar
1/3 cup (75ml) water
a sprinkle of coarse sea salt (or smoked salt)
optional: ground cinnamon or chili powder

Directions

“In a wide, heavy-duty skillet, mix the peanuts with the sugar and water. Cook the ingredients over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until the liquid seizes up. It will take a few minutes. At this point, the peanuts will get crusty and the sugar will crystallize.

The peanuts will become dry and sandy, which is perfectly normal. Don’t worry; you didn’t mess up. Lower the heat and keep going, scraping up any syrup collecting in the bottom of the pan and stir the peanuts in it, coating them as much as possible.

As you go, tilt the pan, removing it from the heat from time-to-time to regulate the heat and the syrup, so you can coat the nuts with the liquid as it darkens without burning the peanuts or the syrup. This is the only tricky part—I like to get the peanuts as deeply-bronzed as possible. if the mixture starts to smoke, remove it from the heat and stir.

Right before they’re done, sprinkle the peanuts with a sizable pinch of flaky salt (and pinch of cinnamon or chili powder, if you want), stir them a couple of times, then tilt the peanuts out onto a baking sheet or a marble countertop.

Let the peanuts cool completely, then break up any clumps. Store in an airtight container, where they’ll keep up to a week.”

Might I say that this snack goes perfectly with a beer?

Homemade junk food, part one: Pizza Pops

As I mentioned in part one of my series, How to cut your grocery bill in half, I try to avoid buying processed foods or junk foods. Instead, I enjoy making them at home.  Last week I fell off the wagon many times and resorted to fast food and coffee on the go; this was mostly due to a hectic schedule that involved traveling out of town.  Last weekend I resolved to do some cooking and baking to help myself to stay on track.

Eating a healthy diet means that every so often I run up against insurmountable cravings for salty, fatty, late night snacks.  One of my favourite guilty pleasures are Pizza Pops, or miniature frozen calzones.  Last weekend, I decided to try making them myself.  I’m not sure what the cost-per-unit is; but if you purchase your baking supplies at a low cost, buy cheese on sale and pick up affordable veggies like green pepper and mushrooms, these little snacks can end up being incredibly affordable indulgences.

The recipe I  used was from Recipe Zaar:

Ingredients

CRUST

• 1 cup lukewarm water
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon instant yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup oil
• 2 1/2 cups flour

SAUCE

• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1/2 cup fine diced onion
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 3 tablespoons water

Saver Queen’s tip: Add a pinch of salt.

Directions

1. Mix yeast with 1 cup of flour. Add all the rest of the ingredients and beat well.
2. Knead in the rest of the flour. I am not sure of the amount of flour here as I do it by feel of the dough. The dough should be soft and elastic, not too dry.
3. Let rest 15 minutes.
4. Cut into 10 balls and roll out into 6″ circles.
5. Top with equal amounts of sauce on half of the circle leaving 1/2″ at edge clear for sealing purposes.
6. Add your choice of fillings. I love pepperoni, mushroom and cheese. Pinch edge well to seal.
7. Prick tops and you can also brush with an egg wash mixture.
8. Bake on cookie sheets at 350′ for 30-35 minutes.

Saver Queen’s tip: remember that you can stuff these with lots of fillings, because the bread expands, leaving a large pocket inside.

These freeze really well. Package them in individual ziplock bags or wrap in plastic.  Then, simply re-heat them for about 15 minutes at 375′ on a baking sheet, or preferably, a pizza stone.  If not heated all the way through, you can also microwave them for 20 or 30 seconds, but they lose their nice crispy crust. These make a great late night snack!

How to cut your grocery bill in half (Part two)

In my last entry, I noted that a great way to reduce your grocery bill is to simply reduce your intake of highly processed foods. The second most important thing that you can do is reduce the amount of food waste you produce.

If I want to know how much I am really spending on food, I calculate the cost on a per-serving basis.  If you make sure to use every bit of what you buy, your per-serving cost lowers dramatically.

In general, I have a few tips for reducing edible food waste:

Learn about the best ways to store and preserve your foods. For example, herbs and salads last much longer if they are washed, dried, and then stored in the crisper, in-between pieces of paper-towel. 

Plan meals around what you have in the fridge.  Even if you feel like you can’t possibly pull together a meal based on what you’ve got, forage through your freezer, pantry and refrigerator and think about what you might be able to make with those ingredients.  Look at it like a fun challenge.  By planning meals based on what you’ve already got, you will reduce the number of trips you take to the store. For example, usually find carrots, potatoes and baking supplies are still hanging around when almost everything else has been eaten - this means a hearty supper of soup and dumplings can still be arranged.

Check your fridge frequently to see what is on its way out.  By monitoring expiration dates and checking your fruits and veggies regularly, you will catch foods before they go bad.  I recommend doing this before you decide what’s for dinner.  In other words, do this every day or as often as possible. 

Use any foods that are past their prime, but still edible, in soups, stocks, stews, casseroles or in other creative ways you can think of.  

An example: On Friday, before I left the city for a weekend to go to a wedding, I surveyed my kitchen.  There were three beautiful tomatoes that had already ripened and were unlikely to last the weekend.  Similarly, I had a full bag of mushrooms that were just started to go bad.  I decided to turn the tomatoes into a really lovely bowl of tomato soup (pictured above) and use the mushrooms in a mushroom and barley soup I had been wanting to make.  Neither was difficult to make, and they provided a meal before we left and upon our return.

For more suggestions on how to reduce your edible food waste, check out my earlier posts:

How much should your food really cost?

Reducing waste and eating well for less

And now for the tomato soup recipe:

(Please keep in mind, this was just done on a whim, without a recipe.  So please feel free to improvise, taste and modify as you go along.)

Ingredients

12 vine-ripened or roma tomatoes, seeded and cut in halves or quarters

4 cloves garlic

2 red peppers, cut into strips

2 onions, sliced

4 cups water (approx)

1/2 cup cream

olive oil 

s&p

parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions

Cut the tomatoes into halves, or quarters if larger tomatoes, and scoop out their seeds. Then place in a large roasting pan, along with the garlic, onions and red peppers.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Put in 400 degree oven and roast until the tomatoes start to caramelize and turn colour (approximately 30 minutes.) When done, empty contents in blender and puree until smooth. Then add to a large pot at low-medium heat and simmer.  Thin with water, adding slowly and stirring to get the consistency right.  Simmer gently until heated through and flavours have melded together.  Remove from heat, add cream and stir.  Add more s&p if necessary.  You may also want to add a little extra olive oil and parmesan cheese, and/or parsley if you desire.  (The picture above shows all three.)

This tomato soup was unbelievably delicious.  And while it’s not the cheapest recipe (tomatoes can certainly be expensive, especially when out of season) it is an example of how to use up ingredients around the house.  This soup can also be used with imperfect or bruised tomatoes.

How have you prevented food waste this week?

How to cut your grocery bill in half (Part one)

I’ve heard some friends ask recently how to cut back on their grocery bill.  I have many ideas, so here is the first of a series on how to trim back your grocery bill.

Choosing the right store, stocking up on sales, and using a local food box are great ways to start. 

But it doesn’t just matter when or where you shop, it matters what you buy. And maybe even more importantly, what you don’t buy.

 
The best way to cut back on your food bill is to eat a simple but healthy diet of rustic foods and foods made from scratch.  The more processed foods you buy, the more expensive your bill.

Here are a few of the foods that  I consistently buy when I go shopping:

- Local & cheap veggies including potatoes, carrots, celery, broccoli, aromatics and apples.  These kinds of foods are versatile, affordable and easily turned into hearty meals.

- Beans (dried are the cheapest but we also buy cans because of the convenience factor) as well as dried lentils and canned tomatoes that can be turned into soup bases, curries, pasta sauce or pizza sauce.

- Rice

- Whole grain crackers 

- Dairy (I usually have coupons for milk, yogurt, butter, sour cream and certain cheeses) and eggs.

- One or two cheap cuts of meat

- Baking supplies

What I don’t buy (and make from scratch, instead):

- Bread, pitas

- Snacks, such as hummus, guacamole, salsa,  granola bars or dips

- Muffins, cookies, desserts

- Sauces & Salad dressings (such as curry sauces, pasta sauces, gravies, cooking sauces, etc)

- Canned soups, chicken or vegetable stock

- Junk food (chips, chocolate, pop)

- Cleaning supplies

Eliminating processed foods, especially the ones I mentioned here, such as the junk food, deserts, and pre-made sauces that have high mark-ups, can save you money right away. 

This cabbage & white bean soup recipe, described below, is the perfect example of a rustic, homemade meal, complete with homemade bread. Thanks to 101 Cookbooks for this easy, cheap and very tasty recipe! It’s one of my favourites!

Rustic Cabbage Soup

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
a big pinch of salt
1/2 pound potatoes, skin on, cut 1/4-inch pieces
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
5 cups stock* Saver Queen’s note - use a homemade stock for a super-cheap soup, or buy beef broth instead!
1 1/2 cups white beans, precooked or canned (drained & rinsed well)
1/2 medium cabbage, cored and sliced into 1/4-inch ribbons

Stir in the garlic and onion and cook for another minute or two. Add the stock and the beans and bring the pot to a simmer. Stir in the cabbage and cook for a couple more minutes, until the cabbage softens up a bit. Now adjust the seasoning - getting the seasoning right is important or your soup will taste flat and uninteresting. Taste and add more salt if needed, the amount of salt you will need to add will depend on how salty your stock is (varying widely between brands, homemade, etc).

Warm the olive oil in a large thick-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Stir in the salt and potatoes. Cover and cook until they are a bit tender and starting to brown a bit, about 5 minutes - it’s o.k. to uncover to stir a couple times.* Saver Queen’s note: I recommend cooking at a lower temp, or else the potatoes might burn.

Serve drizzled with a bit of olive oil and a generous dusting of parmesan (or blue!) cheese. Serves 4.

What do you buy and what don’t you buy when you go to the store?

Easter weekend meal prep

In anticipation of heading home for the Easter weekend, I worked in the kitchen for most of the day, preparing a soup, salad, snack and desert to take home with me.  Here are a few of the hearty yet frugal goodies I whipped up.

I started my making a double batch of my budget boosting butternut squash soup.   While it was pretty darn good following my initial recipe, it became even better with a few additions, including real cinnamon (freshly ground from the recent arrival of whole spices) fresh nutmeg and extra sour cream. Oh, and just a pinch of brown sugar.

Next I made an apple crisp.  Last time I made this desert I used organic Granny Smith apples from a nearby farm from my Fresh Box.  These apples were spectacularly tasty, but I didn’t have time to visit the farm so instead I bought some apples at the grocery store. They tasted great too.

Next up was the snack.  I made the old standby - an easy yet addictively tasty cheese ball. 

Here’s how:

Mix together the following ingredients:

1 pkg plain cream cheese, softened

1 tin canned ham

1 tbs horsradish

1 tbs dijon mustard (or to taste, depending on your preference)

few drops of lemon juice

freshly ground pepper

After mixing together thoroughly, form into a ball and roll in parsley flakes.

It’s that easy!  And lately canned meat is on sale, so it’s a pretty cheap snack to make.

Of course, I had to taste it to make sure it was edible.

Finally, I made a rice & bean salad.  Delicious, healthy, and hearty, this salad makes a nice addition to a springtime meal and is perfect for lunch.

Here’s how to make it:

Ingredients

2 cups basmati rice

1 red pepper, minced (can also add a green pepper)

1/2 large red onion, minced

1 cup  - 1 1/2 cups feta cheese, crumbled

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup olive oil

s&p 

Directions:

Cook the rice, then cool in the refrigerator for about an hour.  Mix with a little olive oil and use a fork to loosen up the clumps.  Add the other ingredients.  Stir to mix well.

I love making meals additions that are this simple and tasty. Of course, the unavoidable mess in the kitchen leaves something to be desired!

It helps if you have a buddy in the kitchen, though.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

What frugal & tasty edibles are you enjoying this weekend?

The soup

My Butternut Squash Soup turned out so beautifully that I thought I would share some pictures with you.  It was velvety smooth and intensely flavourful.  The hot curry powder, fresh nutmeg and colourful tumeric from my recent spice delivery really helped to give this soup a kick!

Although the squash is not cheap - I paid at least $4.50 for mine - the soup makes quite a large batch.  This batch made 5-6 portions.

And the soup is easily turned into a meal with the addition of a couple of small side dishes.  I like eating it with some homemade crispy pita chips and homemade hummus.  

What tasty homemade meals have you enjoyed this week?

Butternut squash soup, the lazy way

Tonight I was eating alone (Josh was working late) so I made a simple dinner of rice, broccoli, chick peas and a pre-made sauce.  I knew I needed to use up butternut squash in my fridge as I could tell it was nearly about to turn.  My favourite thing to do with butternut squash is to make soup.  It’s not hard, but too time consuming and demanding for a night like tonight.  I don’t know why but my flu bug is still hanging on.  I can’t seem to quell the headache, fatigue, and other nagging symptoms.

So I baked the squash, peeled and seeded it, and filled two containers with the cooked squash. Tomorrow I will make up a soup for lunch.  I call this my budget boosting butternut squash soup.  Care for a sneak preview?  Here’s my very own rendition.  I can’t wait to try it with my new curry powder and black peppercorns.

Budget Boosting Butternut Squash Soup

This delicious and satisfying soup is easy, requires few ingredients and is creamy and delicious.  The approximate cost is $1.40 per serving. It can be eaten as a meal or served as a delish side dish.

Ingredients

 2 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 stalk celery, finely sliced

1 medium potato, cubed

1 large Butternut Squash

1 cup sour cream

4 cups water

1 tbsp curry (or more to taste)

1/4 freshly ground nutmeg

salt & pepper to taste

 Directions

Place a whole butternut squash on a sheet pan in the oven at 400 degrees for approximately one hour.

 In a large stock pot, heat olive oil over low heat; cook onion and celery, stirring occasionally, adding a little sprinkling of salt, approximately 1/2 tsp.  

Remove squash from oven and slice in half.  Remove seeds with a spoon.  Scoop the rest of the squash out of the peel and add to the pot, along with the water, potato, garlic and spices.  

Cook uncovered on medium heat, until the potato is cooked, stirring occasionally.

Next, blend with a hand-blender or let cool slightly and blend in a blender in batches. Return to pot, warm, and mix in 1 cup of light sour cream.  Serve.

Makes 4 generous servings.