3 Easy Winter Recipes We Love This Season

There’s no better way to celebrate this time of year (well, any time of year, really) than with seasonal food that feeds both your body and your soul. Plus, it gives us a reason to come together with our loved ones and make our homes that much happier, which is what we’re all about here at Zinus. That’s why we’ve partnered with a few of our favorite foodies to bring you some delicious winter recipes that’ll look phenomenal on your table whether you’re serving up a weeknight meal or entertaining holiday guests.

As food bloggers from Wisconsin, when we asked Jordan and Mike of @midwestmunchers their favorite thing about the holidays, naturally their response was “the FOOD!” Always inspired to create meals from what they have already in the fridge, these two seasonal savory recipes are all about elegant simplicity. “This time of year we always seem to have a lot of butternut squash on hand so the soup is a super quick and easy way to use that up while making a delicious and upscale meal. Flatbreads are always a go-to menu item because you can so easily customize it to taste with what you have on hand!” Delicious and convenient—we can’t argue with that.

Cozy Curried Butternut Squash Soup with Parmesan Croutons

Ingredients

• Olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium sized butternut squash
• 2 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 14-ounce can coconut milk
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1-3 tablespoons maple syrup
• 4 teaspoons sriracha

Optional for garnish:

• 1 loaf crusty bread
• 1 cup parmesan cheese
• Raw pumpkin seeds

Directions

1. Cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise. Then scoop out and discard the seeds. (Helpful hint - if the butternut squash is difficult to cut, put the entire squash in the microwave for 10-15 minutes. This allows the skin of the squash to become softer and easier to cut.)
2. Take a baking sheet and set the squash halves face up. Drizzle each half with olive oil, salt and pepper. Cover with tin foil.
3. Bake the squash at 375ºF for 60-90 minutes depending on how large your squash is. You’ll know your squash is done when you stick a fork in it and the flesh of the squash is soft.
4. While the squash is baking, sautee your onion and garlic.
5. Scoop the cooked flesh off the squash into the pot with the sauteed garlic and onions. Discard the skin of the butternut squash.
6. Proceed to add the curry powder, coconut milk, vegetable broth, maple syrup and sriracha to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 60 minutes.
7. Use an immersion blender or normal tabletop blender to puree the soup.
8. If using the optional garnishes, take your loaf of crusty bread and cut it into cubes. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and bake at 350ºF for 10-15 minutes. Once the croutons are golden brown, sprinkle them with fresh shredded parmesan cheese and bake for an additional 5 minutes until the cheese has melted on the croutons.
9. Garnish your soup with the parmesan croutons and raw pumpkin seeds.

5 Minute Flatbread with Strawberry, Goat Cheese, Arugula and Balsamic Glaze

• pre-made flatbread or naan
• fresh strawberries
• fresh mozzarella cheese
• goat cheese
• fresh arugula
• balsamic glaze (you can make this, but Jordan always buys it in the oil & vinegar section of the grocery store and it’s still delicious!)

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 375ºF and then place your pre-made flatbread or naan directly on the oven rack for 5-10 minutes. This step is crucial because it gives your flatbread a nice crispy crust. If you skip this step and put the toppings directly on the flatbread, you’ll have a very limp floppy flatbread that will be difficult to eat.
2. Once your flatbread is crispy, remove it from the oven and place it on a baking sheet.
3. Layer the fresh mozzarella and goat cheese on the flatbread. There is no exact measurement to this. If you like your flatbread cheesy you can go wild on this step! If you’re looking for something a little lighter you can scale back and add less cheese.
4. Place the flatbread back in the oven for 15-20 minutes until the cheese has fully melted.
5. Remove from the oven and top with freshly sliced strawberries, arugula and balsamic glaze. There is not an exact measurement for this. Just make sure to add enough that you’ll have a little bit of all the flavors in each bite.
6. Enjoy!

Alyssa, the founder of @simplyquinoa, went dairy and gluten-free in 2012, and turned her new found lifestyle into the food and wellness company she runs today. And for her, cookie baking is a must around the holidays. So she’s shared a fudgy, chocolatey, and (dare we say) healthy recipe for hot chocolate cookies inspired by the season. “They're the perfect healthy Christmas treats. Everyone loves a good hot cocoa cookie!”

Dairy and Gluten-Free Hot Chocolate Cookies

• 3/4 cup sorghum flour
• 1/2 cup quinoa flour
• 1/2 cup cacao powder
• 2 tablespoons tapioca starch
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/3 cup vegan butter
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon nut or seed butter of choice (Alyssa likes tahini)
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup mini marshmallows

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Whisk together the flours, cocoa powder, and other dry ingredients (minus the sugar) in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.
3. Beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in remaining wet ingredients.
4. Add half of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and beat together until combined. Add in the rest of the dry ingredients and continue to mix until you have a thick, cookie-like dough. Fold in the chocolate chips and marshmallows.
5. Scoop the dough onto the baking sheet and gently flatten each one with your hands (this is optional, but make the cookies more uniform in shape).
6. Bake in the center of a warm oven for 12 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned and the tops of the cookies are still slightly tender to the touch.
7. Cool on a wire rack for 5 - 10 minutes and enjoy!
8. Dunk these babies in a glass of almond milk (or regular milk if you so choose) and relish in the chocolatey goodness that you just created.

Craving more? Read our 2020 holiday recipes blog for more tasty holiday inspired recipes.