March 10, 2025
Welcome to week 2 of the Cooking Up Kindness Project. This week’s meal is:
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup, Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Mashed Potatoes, and Irish Soda Bread
St. Patrick’s Day is March 17, so this meal is a tribute to my Irish heritage. Although the traditional Irish American meal is corned beef and cabbage, potatoes, and soda bread, I’ve made a vegetarian alternative that substitutes brussels sprouts, aka little cabbages, for the cabbage. Brussels sprouts and cabbage are both members of the Brassicaceae family and offer many health benefits from the fiber, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients they contain. March is maple syrup month in the northeast, so I’ve prepared the sprouts with that in mind.
Maple syrup adds a host of phytonutrients many of which are only recently being discovered. The butternut squash soup provides an uncomplicated blend of vegetables and spices adding to the variety of plant foods. Potatoes are at the heart of the Irish culture so what would an Irish meal be without them? They also provide fiber and a variety of nutrients including some vitamin C. Steaming the potatoes instead of boiling helps retain more of the vitamins. The gluten free, dairy free Irish soda bread provides more fiber, B vitamins, potassium, iron, and other minerals. But is also just delicious, especially topped with butter or vegan butter.
The shopping list for this week’s meal can be found here.
Start this meal by making the Irish soda bread. You can even make the bread a day I advance, as it is best if it sits for a while. Find the Irish Soda Bread recipe here. Next roast the butternut squash. While it’s roasting prepare the remaining soup ingredients, brussels sprouts and potatoes. The soup can simmer while you make the rest of the meal. Find the recipes for the butternut squash soup, brussels sprouts, and mashed potatoes here. Traditionally, Irish soda bread is made with buttermilk. I’ve made a dairy free version by adding vinegar to increase the acidity which helps the bread rise. If dairy is not a problem, feel free to use buttermilk as it makes a tasty bread. You will need a blender, high speed blender, or immersion blender to blend the soup. I prefer using my high speed blender which has a large capacity and makes a very smooth soup. Be sure to use real maple syrup. Also, if dairy is not an issue feel free to use butter and cows milk when making the mashed potatoes.
Assembling the meal to gift
Wrap the Irish soda Bread in foil. Let the soup cool a bit then put the soup, brussels sprouts, and mashed potatoes in repurposed jars other containers. Package it all in a box or sturdy bag and include a label of the meal components and any instructions. You may choose to include butter, (Irish butter is nice) if you are not making this dairy free. Add a note telling the recipient what is in the meal and how to reheat it. My note will look something like this:
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup, Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Mashed Potatoes, and Irish Soda Bread
This meal includes roasted butternut squash soup, maple roasted brussels sprouts, mashed potatoes, and Irish soda bread. The entire meal is gluten free and dairy free. The meal is also vegan except for the Irish Soda Bread. The mashed potatoes are made with extra virgin olive oil and dairy free milk. To serve, transfer the soup to a pot and heat gently on the stove until it is hot. Warm the brussels sprouts and mashed potatoes in the oven covered so they don’t dry out. Serve the soda bread at room temperature sliced into thick slices and cut in half. It will crumble if you try to cut it thinly. Top the bread with softened vegan butter or even a little coconut oil sprinkled with a dash of sea salt. Enjoy!
Notes and suggestions:
- To make the meal completely vegan, you can substitue aquafaba for the egg in the Irish soda bread.
- If you don’t have the gluten free flours on hand and want to make regular Irish soda bread, follow the recipe but use 4 cups of unbleached flour and omit the gluten free flours and potato starch.
- If you can make this a gluten free meal, that would be wonderful and provide the lucky recipient with a tasty meal that nourishes their bodies and promotes a healthy gut. There is some research that shows that gluten is an irritant to most people, so providing a meal free of gluten may be beneficial to anyone, not just those who are gluten intolerant. But, as always, do what you can. If making gluten free Irish soda bread is too much, just use regular flour – just make sure the recipient knows the meal is not gluten free. Be kind to yourself and make it as simple as you need to.
Now for Gifting the meal:
When I am ready to post the meal, my message on Buy Nothing looks something like this accompanied by a photo of the meal:
Hey Buy Nothing Community, once again for Lent this year I would like to offer one healthy nutritious meal each week to someone who could use it. I was hoping you could help me find some hungry takers. If you or someone you know could use a meal, pm me. I would be happy to deliver it. I’ll try to have it made by the middle of each week.
This week I am offering Roasted Butternut Squash Soup, Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Mashed Potatoes, and Irish Soda Bread. I use all natural ingredients, most of which are organic. I can provide a list of ingredients. I do not have a strictly gluten free kitchen but I am really careful about cross contamination. I will include butter or vegan butter if desired.
Feel free to use the photos from my recipe if needed.
Thank you for joining me in this endeavor to spread a little kindness in our world.
I hope you enjoy making and gifting this meal. Please share any positive feedback you get when you gift your meal. I would love to hear it! Also reach out with any questions or comments.