Vegetarian Tortilla Soup (or you could add chicken, chicken broth...)

It has been forever since I posted a recipe! This one looks good because our local weather has cooled off a bit, and I have a lot of these ingredients available.  Either from my own garden, tomatoes I've previously canned, or the local Farmers Market at Pioneer Park (which I highly recommend).

Ingredients:
Serves 4

Butter/oil to saute with
3/4 cup chopped yellow onion (1 small to medium-sized)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 TBS tomato paste (I would recommend looking for glass bottles as opposed to cans!)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon chili powder
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
4 TBS cilantro, fresh, chopped

4 corn tortillas cut into 1/2 inch wide strips
1 and 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes (I think you could use fresh or canned)
2/3 cup canned black beans, rinsed
2/3 cup chopped zucchini (1 small)
1.5 TBS minced japapeno (seeded for LESS spicy)

Directions:

Heat about 1 TBS butter and a little oil in a skillet.  Add onion and garlic.  Cover and cook over medium-low heat until almost tender, stirring often, for about 5 minutes.
Stir in tomato paste, cumin and chili powder.
Add broth and 2 TBS of the cilantro.  Bring to a boil, then, reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes.
Add the tortillas, tomatoes, beans, zucchini and jalapeno to soup.  Cover and simmer until zucchini is tender.  About 10 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper.
Garnish with remaining fresh cilantro.

Quinoa-Stuffed Acorn Squash

This recipe comes courtesy of year 2000 edition of the Joy of Cooking's 'All About Vegetarian Cooking.' Makes 4 servings

Ingredients: 3 acorn squash, halved and seeded
1 TBS butter
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup vegetable stock
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts or whole unblanched almonds, toasted
2 TBS chopped fresh parsley
2 TBS + 2 TBS grated parmesan cheese

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange the acorn squash cut-side down on a baking dish (like a 9x13). Add 1/2 inch water to the baking dish and cover with aluminum foil. Bake until squash are tender: 45-55 mins. Leave the oven on, but take out the squash.

 In a large skillet over medium heat: place the onion and saute in butter until golden (approx 8 minutes) Stir in the quinoa and heat, stirring until toasted (about 3 minutes) Stir in the vegetable stock. Bring the contents of skillet to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Uncover the skillet and let mixture cool slightly.

 Scoop out and dice the pulp of 2 of the acorn squash halves. Turn the remaining 4 halves cut-side up and season with the salt and pepper. Combine the Quinoa mixture and the diced squash. Stir in the nuts, parsley, and 2 of the TBS of parmesan cheese. Spoon it into/onto the 4 squash cavities, distributing evenly, sprinkle the tops with the remaining parmesan.
 Bake until heated through, approx 20 minutes.