Girls team feast!

The Williams Nordic Women gathered Saturday night at Emily's co-op, Milham, for a pre-season feast prepared by the senior girls, Emily, Liz, and Fiona. The menu included butternut squash / peanut soup, chicken with garlic and onions, salad, fruit salad, garlic bread, and dessert courtesy of our very own Aubrey!

Emily explains the fixins'.

The women discussed the racing schedule and racing opportunities for both carnival team members and development team members. Notably, the proceeds from mitten and hat sales, along with other concerted efforts spearheaded by Emily and Liz, will mean that it will be much cheaper and easier for development team members to race consistantly than in years past. We also discussed team goals for the upcoming season, and many of the veteran skiers reflected on lessons learned from years past.

All in all, there was good company and good feelings about the upcoming season.

Senior girls (and master chefs) Emily, Fiona, and Liz.

Here is the recipe (contributed by Emily's Mom) endorsed by Alice as "the best soup I have had in my life". It is gluten-free, lactose-free (Em left out the cheese) and vegetarian, so everyone could eat it!

(Note: I posted the wrong recipe originally, without really looking at it. Below is the correct one. I hope I didn't screw up too many peoples' meals- my sister Roz definitely had a time of it the other night with the wrong recipe!)

Peanut and Squash Soup

“This mildly spicy, slightly sweet soup hails from Senegal. – recipe by Lia Huber”

1 ½ teaspoons peanut oil

4 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash

1 cup chopped onion

2 tablespoons minced garlic (about 6 cloves)

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon ground coriander

4 cups fat-free, less sodium chicken or vegetable broth

¾ cup reduced-fat creamy peanut butter

2 tablespoons tomato paste

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Heat peanut oil in a large saucepan over medium–high heat. Add squash and the next 5 ingredients (through coriander) to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Add chicken broth, peanut butter, tomato paste, and crushed red pepper, stirring well to combine; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until the squash is tender. Sprinkle with cilantro.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)

The Bottom Line: Yummy!