Spiced Butternut Squash Soup w/ Cranberry Pomegranate Coulis & Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

For this month's 5 star recipe makeover, the ingredient of choice was squash. I absolutely ADORE squash in all its forms. From acorn squash to zucchini. There are so many types of gourds to choose from, I decided to go in a simple yet elegant direction. 

The butternut squash soup is pretty spicy, but paired with the sweet cranberry pomegranate coulis and the crunch of the salty toasted pumpkin seeds, it was truly a pleasant dish to make for the challenge, and even more fun to eat!

Spiced Butternut Squash Soup w/ Cranberry Pomegranate Coulis & Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

Spiced Butternut Squash Soup

1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced into 1" chunks

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 cups of vegetable stock

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper

1/ teaspoon of cumin

Salt to taste

Toss diced squash with olive oil until coated. Spread onto a large sheet pan evenly. 

Roast at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes until nice and soft

Heat vegetable stock and place in blender with roasted butternut squash.

Add cinnamon, cayenne pepper, cumin and salt to taste. Puree until smooth. If it's not blending enough, add no more than a 1/2 cup of hot water until smooth. 

Cranberry Pomegranate Coulis

1 cup of dried sweetened cranberries

juice of 1 pomegranate

2 1/2 cups of water

Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pot, bring up to a boil, then down to a simmer on medium heat for 10 minutes. Until cranberries are rehydrated. 

Place contents of pot into a blender and puree until smooth.

Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

1 cup of pumpkin seeds

1 tablespoon of vegetable oil

Salt to taste

Clean pumpkin seeds with cold water, dry with a paper towel.

Toss with vegetable oil and season with salt. 

Toast at 300 degrees Fahrenheit in an oven for 45 minutes until brown and crispy. 

Place butternut squash soup in a bowl, spoon cranberry pomegranate coulis and top with toasted pumpkin seeds. Enjoy! 

Streets, Fashion and Glamour Photography

Hi there everyone!

It feels great to be back...again.

After a four day weekend away from home photographing for a modeling agency and magazine, as well as baby sitting my two younger sisters, it feels great to be back home.

I missed catching up on your blogs, reading, commenting and drooling over photos. But alas, starting your own photography business from the ground up has proven to be more than time consuming. It doesn't leave much time to give attention to everyone. Not just my blogging buddies, but other close relationships. Not that I'm complaining. I couldn't be happier with what I do. I definitely feel that my life is going in the right direction. Thank you to everyone who continues to support me, via messages, commenting and just visiting my blog in general. It does not go unappreciated.

Once again I am sharing a few photo updates. But please be advised, these are MY photographs. Not to be reproduced, distributed, sold, distorted or in any way shape or form taken from this or any of my other websites. Thanks everyone! I'll be back again this week with a recipe for the 5 star recipe makeover!

P.S. I'm dying to share the photos I took of a Japanese restaurant in Jersey City for their website. My favorite food shoot to date. Stay tuned! You can check out my photography website for a sneak peek... Kym Fajardo Photography.

Photography shout outs and credits:
Natural AllDay Models
Carlos Con Long
Kim Ivey
Keisha Divien
Keisha Stush
Amoralee Britton
Bathing Suit Designer: Aeisha of Intimate Icandi Lingerie & Icandi Couture
Hair Stylist: Ciara Smith
MUA's: Natural AllDay, Mocha and Natalia Teresa
Locations: Amityville Marina, Pier 40, Greenwich Village,
Shout outs: Latoya Shauntay Snell and Eric Snell of E. Snell Design

Yacht Shoot and Photography Catch Up

So I've been super busy taking photos, and having the time of my life while I'm at it. I've never felt so alive, excited and motivated like I have these past few months. Although I don't have a recipe to share with you today, I thought I'd share some of the photos I have been taking. Since I plan on turning Free Spirit Eater into food and photography blog in the near future, here's a taste of what you can see in the coming months. Have a fabulous weekend everyone! Cheers!
You can find more of my work at www.kymfajardophoto.com

Credits:
Natural AllDay Models
Make up Artist: Natural AllDay
Bathing Suit Designer: Aeisha of Intimate Icandi Lingerie & Icandi Couture 
Hair Stylist: Ciara Smith
Eric Priiemo Brooks
Carlos Con Long
Kim Ivey
Zeleyna Santiago
Ayo Ogun
Mark Anthony Sanchez
Yacht Shoot shot at Amityville Marine Club

Camembert Candy Apple Tart: 5 Star Makeover

Apples were the theme for this month's Five Star Makeover. 

My first choice was a savory apple bread pudding with a spicy roasted peanut crust, but thanks to my awesome multi tasking skills, I burnt the batch and started from scratch with a new and improved recipe.

Tim had purchased some Camembert cheese, and came up with this sweet, rich and creamy tart. Just a hint of tartness to balance it out, these flavors paired brilliantly together. It's safe to say I am very pleased with the finished result. It turned out way better than that bread pudding ever could have.

Camembert is a semi-soft sheep's milk cheese. Feel free to experiment and exchange it for the slightly similar, ever popular brie cheese. Next time I'd love to purchase some figs and include them in the recipe somehow.

I hope you enjoy making these and consuming them as much as Tim and I did!

Camembert Candy Apple Tart 
Golden delicious apple puree
Caramelized apples
Camembert cheese mousse
Individual tart shells
Crushed peanuts for garnish

Apple puree:

2 golden delicious apples, peeled and diced

1/3 cup of water

juice of 1/2 lemon

1/4 teaspoon of anise extract

Place all ingredients in a small sauce pot with lid. On medium heat, cook until all the water is just absorbed, the apples should not have color. 

Place sauce pot ingredients in a blender and puree. Add a little water to get the puree going. 

Strain through a fine mesh strainer.

Caramelized apples:

2 apples, peeled and julienned

4 tablespoons of butter

3/4 cup of brown sugar

In a medium sauce pan, melt butter on medium high. Add apples, toss and saute lightly, lower heat to medium. Add brown sugar, stir softly (splashing hot sugar can cause burns). 

As soon as sugar is melted through, remove pan from heat. 

Camembert Cheese Mousse:

1/2 lb of Camembert cheese, rhine removed, sliced into cubes

1/4 cup of whole milk

1/4 cup of sour cream

2 tablespoons of corn syrup

Place all ingredients in a blender, puree until you achieve a cheesecake like consistency.

Super Easy Tart Shell Recipe from A Cozy Kitchen

After preparing the dough, press into individual tart shells using a muffin tin.
Change baking time to 20 minutes.

When the tart shells are baked off and cooled, fill them with Camembert mousse, 2 layers of caramelized apples, sprinkle with crushed peanuts.
Pipe more mousse around the tart shell, use reserved caramel to drizzle on top.
Place a layer of apple puree on the serving plate, and the tart on top. 

Guest Post: Skinny Pumpkin Banana Bars w/ Whipped!

Welcome back!

After a two week hiatus, it feels good to be back on the blog. I have been photographing and editing my butt off and having tons of fun along the way. Take a look at my new photography site, Food/Life/Art Photography with some of the new portraits and food photos I've worked on in the past couple of weeks. With more to come of course! 

Chefs Gabrielle Hamilton, Sue Torres, Anita Lo, Amanda Freitag and Elizabeth Falkner.

This week I had the privilege of photographing the 9th Annual A Second Helping of Life to benefit SHARE (Breast & Ovarian cancer organization) on behalf of Serious Eats with one of my favorite gal pal's Jacqueline aka The Dusty Baker. Some of the celebrity chefs (& cookbook authors) I photographed included Dorie Greenspan, Alex Guarnaschelli, Anita Lo, Amanda Freitag, April Bloomfield and Gabrielle Hamilton. And yes the food was amazing.

Now without further ado, I'd like to introduce one of my favorite healthy food bloggers Kristina from the very popular site, Whipped. 

Hi Everyone!

I am so excited Kym is sharing her delicious space here with me today! My name is Kristina and I am the blogger behind Whipped.  My blog is all about finding happy, healthy recipes that don’t just taste good – but make you feel good too! That's why when Kym asked me to guest post for her today I knew I had to find a healthier way to indulge in one of my absolute favorite fall treats - Pumpkin Bars!

My love affair with pumpkin bars goes back as far as I can remember. I swear half my family gathering memories involve me getting yelled at for swiping off that irresistible cream cheese frosting from the bars before my mom could ever serve them!

So when Kym gave me an excuse to create a new pumpkin bar recipe I couldn't resist - so 5 cans of pumpkin... a lb of bananas.. and 4 pans later... I have my new favorite pumpkin bar recipe! 

The combination of pumpkin and banana is so so delicious. The banana gives the bars this delicious sweet mellow background and pairs perfectly with the pumpkin. Topped with a smooth cream cheese frosting and a sprinkle of cinnamon - these are delish!

Plus these are lower cal, lower fat, and totally dairy-free; and no one will ever know! These taste so indulgent - with none of the guilt. Perfect way to keep yourself in check after navigating your way through holiday mashed potatoes...gravy... and creamy casseroles!

So enjoy a little taste of fall! And thank you so much again Kym for having me today! 

Skinny Pumpkin-Banana Bars 

Yields 24 large bars

Note: These can also easily be made into a dairy-version by swapping out the soy yogurt for regular yogurt, dairy-free cream cheese for regular, and vegan margarine for regular

Ingredients:

For the Bars

•   2 eggs

•   1/2 cup mashed banana 

•   1 2/3 cups granulated sugar 

•   1/2 cup vegetable oil

•   1/2 cup soy yogurt (or regular yogurt) 

•   15-ounce can pumpkin 

•   2 cups sifted all purpose flour 

•   2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder 

•   2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

•   1 teaspoon nutmeg

•   1/4 teaspoon allspice

•   1 teaspoon salt

•   1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

For the Icing

•   8-ounce package dairy-free cream cheese (I like Tofutti brand) , softened 

•   1/2 cup vegan margarine (I like Earth Balance), softened

•   2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar 

•   1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation: 

Make the Bars

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.

2.Using an electric mixer at medium speed, combine the eggs, mashed banana, sugar, oil, soy yogurt, and pumpkin until light and fluffy. 

3. Stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, salt and baking soda.

4.Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix at low speed until thoroughly combined and the batter is smooth. 

5. Spread the batter into your greased baking pan and bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out almost clean with most crumbs clinging to it. Let cool completely before frosting. 

Make the Frosting

•   Combine the dairy-free cream cheese and vegan margarine in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth.  Add the sugar and mix at low speed until combined.  Stir in the vanilla and mix again. 

•   Spread on cooled pumpkin bars.

Gluten Free Banana Oat Bread w/ Sarah Bakes Gluten Free

Happy Friday everyone!

I trust you all had a positive and exciting week!
I surely have had one hell of a week!

Photo shoots through out the weekend brought upon so many blessings. But it was Monday afternoon's session that literally brought me to my knees. As I knelt to take a shot, my bad knee moved over slightly, on its own. Of course it had to occur at the beginning of the shoot, but I pushed through and was able to walk around Manhattan for the next 4 hours. It also happened to be one of my all time favorite photo shoots!

So aside from the recovering knee injury and pain in the ass newbie models I've dealt with, life has been going pretty smoothly.

And to end the week on a positive note, Sarah from Sarah Bakes Gluten Free stops by with  Gluten Free Banana Oat Bread!
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Hello there, Free Spirit Eater readers!  My name is Sarah and I love to bake delicious gluten free treats!  I have a new gluten free blog and it is truly a dream come true to share my most favorite recipes.  When my husband was diagnosed with celiac disease 2 years ago and I discovered my gluten allergy, we began the adventure of gluten free living.  I thought my days of baking were over.  Well, I can now say that my baked goodies are still just as tasty...their just gluten free! I would love for you to come on over to Sarah Bakes Gluten Free Treats and bake with me sometime!
Banana bread baking in the oven...one of those smells that just makes your house feel warm and cozy.  No matter what time of year, it is always a good time to bake up a loaf of banana bread.  My recipe is not only super moist and delicious, but it's dairy-free and low-fat too!  The addition of the gluten free rolled oats and walnuts gives it great texture.  I'm a texture girl...really makes or breaks baked treats for me.  Extra crunch on top from the raw sugar.  This banana oat bread has it all!  Wholesome, filling, and just what you need to start your morning off with a smile!
makes 1 loaf

gluten free banana oat bread

• 1 1/2 cups Sarah's gluten free flour blend 
• 1/2 cup gluten free rolled oats 
• 1/4 cup flaxseed meal 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 3 bananas, very ripe 
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 3 egg whites
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
• 2 tablespoons turbinado (raw) sugar 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 9x5 loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.  Whisk together flour blend, oats, flaxseed meal, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.  In large mixing bowl, mash bananas until no large pieces remain.  Mix in applesauce, oil, brown sugar,  and honey.  Add egg whites and vanilla.  Mix well.  Add flour mixture and walnuts.  Stir until just combined.  Pour batter into greased loaf pan.  Sprinkle on turbinado sugar.  Bake 50-55 minutes, until toothpick inserted comes out clean.   Cool on cooling rack for 10-15 minutes.  Remove from pan and continue to cool.

Chat with Sarah on twitter  
Share recipes with Sarah on pinterest   
Connect with Sarah on facebook   

Banana Soft Serve w/ Mango, Raspberries & Almonds (Food Wine & Thyme)

Hello there fellow free spirit eaters!

You may have noticed I've gone MIA... once again.
I recently updated my photography website and joined an incredible site, Model Mayhem, for photographers, models, make up artists, designers, stylists etc to find one another and possibly work together. Thanks to MM, I have booked up this weekend and the next. What a blessing.

That made me realize there needs to be some changes around here on the blog. No longer will this only be a guilt free food blog, but a Food, Fitness and Photography blog. Photography will include fashion, chef portfolios, architecture, landscapes, events, travel, children, couples, etc. I'm still debating on whether to change the title to match my new photography biz, Food.Life.Art. I'm excited to have my blog completely redesigned. It's been a long time coming. So please bare with me as I begin to make these changes, and continue to follow my dreams.

Take a peek at my new photography site!

For guest post Friday, Kathy over at Food, Wine and Thyme shares a quick and easy soft serve recipe! Summer isn't over yet folks!
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Ice cream is pure, simple and delicious. It brings feelings of happiness and memories of childhood. It comforts, consoles and puts a smile on our faces.  As adults there are many reasons to why we can’t enjoy ice cream the same way we did when we were children, and that’s why I love this simple banana soft serve “ice cream”.  Simple to make this dessert can be customized numerous ways. All you have to do is freeze bananas and then puree them in a blender. Change the flavors by freezing other fruits and berries and using in combination with bananas.

One of my favorite ways to have this dessert is to add fruit and berries as toppings.  I hope you enjoy this delicious Banana Soft Serve with Mango, Coconut, Raspberries and Almonds.

Ingredients:

2 frozen banana’s (peel the skin before freezing)

2 tbsp low fat milk, flavor of your choice

¼ vanilla fat free yogurt (I love Chobani)

½ mango, cubed

1 tbsp shredded coconut

¼ cup raspberries

1 tsp sliced almond

Directions:

1. Blend first three ingredients together.

2. Top with mango, raspberries, almonds and coconut.

Enjoy J

**I'll be back to my regular posting schedule by Monday! Follow me on Instagram (freespiriteater) as I share location shots from this weekend's photo shoots!

Skinny Cinnamon Bun Cupcakes w/ The Sweet Prima Donna

It's Guest Post Friday!

Today I have the pleasure of introducing my new friend Brooke. Her healthy dessert blog (I know right? A dream come true!) The Sweet Prima Donna, is filled with the most appealing guilt free desserts you can think of.

P.S. I'm guest posting over at Brooke's blog today! Chocolate Chai Tea Bread!!!

A desire to bring moist, chocolaty, chewy, buttery, flaky desserts back into our kitchens with out the guilt trip. Or trip to a "specialty" bakery that charges out the ass for "healthy" pastries. You know what goes into your batter, and the results are spectacular. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Brooke, The Sweet Prima Donna.

 Hi Everyone!

I'm Brooke B. from The Sweet Prima Donna blog (www.thesweetprimadonna.com)!  The Sweet Prima Donna is a blog where you can find all your favorite desserts made skinny or healthy.  I want everyone to be able to indulge in dessert without feeling guilty because life is meant to be enjoyable (all the time in my opinion!).  I always say, "Life is short, eat dessert first."  Head on over to my blog and do just that! 

Cinnamon buns are a favorite in my house.  Unfortunately they aren't very health friendly, and are loaded with calories and sugar.  So if you are like me and don't want to take in a half a days worth of calories on a cinnamon bun, then these cupcakes are the answer to all your diet prayers.  At only 105 calories a piece, they are soft & buttery, with swirls of warm brown sugar & cinnamon, and topped with sweet vanilla glaze.  Obviously the texture is different than a cinnamon bun, but all the flavors are present.  My family & I can't keep our hands of these!  I made 24 yesterday, and there are now 5 on the counter… okay so I had some non- family taste testers, but you get the idea they went over very well and were a crowd pleaser to both my health conscious friends and my non-health conscious friends (guys), haha.

Grab some some coffee, sit down with one, or maybe even two cinnamon buns and eat up, enjoy!

Cinnamon Bun Cupcakes (skinny)

Recipe adapted from www.confessionsofacookbookqueen.com

Calories per cupcake- 105

Fat- 1.5g

Recipes

Cupcakes:

1 box yellow butter cake (you can use regular yellow, but this makes it more buttery)

1/2 tsp butter extract

12 oz club water

2 egg whites

Cinnamon Swirl:

1/3 cup light brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Vanilla Icing:

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 tsp fat free milk (add more if needed to thin out)

Directions:  Mix.

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Line a 24 cupcake tray. 

2. Mix cake mix, butter extract, club water, and egg whites on low for 30 seconds, then turn to high and beat for 1 minute until the batter is smooth and fully combined.  

3. Mix cinnamon swirl ingredients together (brown sugar and cinnamon) and set aside.  

4. Place 1 tbsp of cake batter into each muffin liner, then take the cinnamon swirl mixture and sprinkle 1/2 tsp into each cupcake tin on top of cake mix.  Take a fork and swirl cinnamon mixture lightly into cake mix.  

5. Place another tbsp of batter on top, and top each cupcake with one more 1/2 tsp of cinnamon mixture, and swirl lightly.  

6. Bake for 15 minutes or until the tops spring back.  Let cool for 5 minutes in cupcake tray, then transfer to baking racks to cool completely.  

7. Once cooled completely drizzle each with glaze.

8. Lastly, eat them all up!

Original Recipe: http://www.confessionsofacookbookqueen.com/2011/06/cinnamon-roll-cupcakes/

xox & sugar from the kitchen,

Brooke B.

SeaPaddleNYC Finish Line Photos & BBQ

I realized I haven't updated my photography portfolio or shared any recent shots I have taken. The photos I share today are from last week, so they're still raw and not completely finished, but I was too excited and thought I'd share a sneak peek.

Here are some food photos from a family BBQ my parents hosted at their home. These were just the appetizers.

Fried red snapper
Grilled corn on the cob
Sauteed mussels in garlic sauce
Simple romaine salad
Fresh guacamole and tortilla chips
Fresh coconut rice
Colombian chorizo

Then there's the very special shoot I had the privilege of witnessing. Our friend Ray paddle boarded around the entire island of Manhattan in a little over 5 hours. Why would he do such a crazy thing? He raced to raise money for SeaPaddleNYC's charities that benefit those with Autism.

Watching each paddle boarder fall over as soon as they reach shore, panting, smiling, waving their arms in victory as they took that final breath, that final push to cross the finish line.

I captured some pretty emotional moments. From a boarder looking at a shouting woman with her fist raised high in to the air, signaling her partners victory. Her arm shot up as soon as I rested my 7D against my brow; And boy was I glad she did. It made for a dramatic shot which I was truly grateful for.

Another shot I feel deserves attention is the shot where two men were racing one another to reach the finish line first. From shore we could see the final vigorous strains it took to paddle their boards closer to shore. The wild look of determination in their eyes.

It was a fascinating event to witness. For someone to train their bodies for months in advance, to push their bodies further than some have ever pushed it before. All in the name of charity. It was intense, emotional and inspiring.

Come back for Guest Post Friday!
Hint: Cinnamon, sticky, sweet and portable. All for only 105 calories per serving! You cannot miss this!