Tag Archives: squash

  1. Masala Chai Squash Porridge – Gluten-free, Vegan and Paleo

    I so happy to have my friend Leanne of Healthful Pursuit  joining us today as our guest blogger, with this incredible porridge recipe that is not only vegan, paleo and gluten-free but also safe for the candida diet. Leanne is an amazing positive-energy, filled beauty of a woman, that I am so honored to have known now for many years. Now that we are both on the West Coast and each working on our yoga teacher trainings, I have a feeling there will be even more collaborations between the two of us. Take it away Leanne!

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    Masala Chai Squash Porridge - Gluten-free, Vegan and Paleo

    I’ve made something for you.

    Something that just about everyone in your life can enjoy no matter their food allergies, sensitivities or eating style.
    Because I believe that it is possible for women to live a liberated life on a restricted diet.

    Vegan, paleo, gluten-free, candida diet, you name it, they can have this porridge and most of the recipes on my food blog, Healthful Pursuit.
    So, preheat your oven, grab a squash, and let’s get making some porridge… masala chai style. Masala Chai Squash Porridge! Read the rest of this entry »

  2. Fall Detox Buddha Bowl with Garlic Turmeric Cashew Cream – Gluten-free + Vegan

     

    FALLcleanse

    Fall Detox Buddha Bowl with Garlic Turmeric Cashew Cream  {GF & V} from Tasty Yummies

    Woo hoo, we did it! It’s day 5 of the 5-Day Fall Cleanse! I am super excited to be sharing this yummy bowl of fall goodness for the final day of this challenge. I am not exactly sure why they call these delicious meals “Buddha Bowls”, but it is something I have seen quite often at restaurants, since moving out here to Southern California. They are always a little different at each place, but the gist of it is this – usually some type of grain at the bottom, brown rice, quinoa or millet (but you can certainly go without) and a great big pile of veggies on top. I’ve seen them with steamed or roasted veggies and raw, as well. Most have avocado and a drizzle of some sort of yummy sauce, over it all. I think what I love about Buddha Bowls is the fact that it’s just a great way to make a hodge podge mess of veggies into a meal and still give it a fancy refined name. A Buddha Bowl, sounds so much nicer than “a fridge cleaning pile of veggies”. It really is a great way to use up those greens before they go bad.

    This week's CSA.
    We got our huge CSA box delivered this week – that’s right our CSA boxes are now being delivered right to our home once a week, how amazing is Southern California? – and I decided even before it came, that I was going to be able to make all kinds of goodness for my 5-Day Cleanse. For whatever reason, I had been dreaming of creating my own Buddha Bowl before my box even arrived this week, so I couldn’t wait to see what was in there waiting for me to work with. I also had half of a butternut squash leftover from my Fall Detox Soup and I just adore the taste of roasted butternut squash, it’s so sweet and delicious. The perfect additional to a fall Buddha bowl, if you ask me. Any other squash would work too, pumpkin, kobocha or even just a sweet potato.
    Read the rest of this entry »

  3. Fall Detox Soup – Gluten-free + Vegan

    FALLcleanse
    Fall Detox Soup - Gluten-free + Vegan

    It’s day 3 of the 5-Day Fall Cleanse, which means we are past the halfway point. I hope you have been following along with Sherrie and I are on Facebook  and Instagram pages (links below) where we are sharing every single thing we are eating. I actually wish I had it in my schedule to do this cleanse for longer, I am truly enjoying it. Since I don’t, that just means I will go forward eating more mindfully again, which is one of the main reasons I love a cleanse. It resets everything, it gets me back to being focused and aware, listing to my body and eating intuitively. It is the the best way for me, that I have found to stop bad habits in their tracks and get back to feeling my best.

    My favorite thing about a cleanse in the cooler months, is being able to make a huge pot of soup to enjoy throughout the cleanse. It makes mealtime easy and stress-free. It guarantees that I always have something healthy to choose from and it keeps me from making any crazy decisions.

    Fall Detox Soup - Gluten-free + Vegan

    This particular soup is filled with the best of what is in season right now. If some of these ingredients aren’t available near you, improvise with what you do have. This soup was literally inspired by what we had left from our last CSA box (we get our next box later today) and what looked best at the market. Read the rest of this entry »

  4. Red Kuri Red Curry – Gluten-free + Dairy-free w/ Vegan Option

    Red Kuri Red Curry - Gluten-Free + Vegan

    I know, I know. I went there with the name. But I just couldn’t help it. I had a few red kuri squash left from our CSA in the fall and I wanted to eat them up before they weren’t any good. I was trying to think of what to do with them last week and then out loud I said “red kuri, red curry”. I giggled a bit, then thought about how incredibly delicious it really would be. Squash in any type of curry is incredible, it holds up well and it makes it so substantial and satisfying.

    Meals like this are my favorite. I love one-pot meals that are quick and simple but loaded with amazing flavor. I have also been having fun making vegetarian meals for my parents. My dad is the cook of the house most of the time and he is an amazing, amazing cook! He is creative in the kitchen and has been a huge inspiration to me and my love of cooking (and eating). He tends towards a meal centered around meat, then he plans a starch and lastly a veggie, usually a salad. Not that there is anything wrong with this, this was always how I ate and cooked, but these days I tend to center a meal around an in-season vegetable and it goes from there. Sometimes it features meat, but not always. I find some of my favorite meals to be largely centered around or totally made up of vegetables. I just love them and I never want them to feel like an after thought.

    Red Kuri Red Curry - Gluten-Free + Vegan

    My dad LOVED this, everyone did. OK well Mark maybe liked the leftover fries and wings he had warmed up, a little better, but he ate this and did like it (I can’t compete with fried stuff when it comes to him). This red curry is filling and comforting, creamy and thick but still insanely light. Plus the colors are absolutely beautiful.

    Red Kuri Red Curry - Gluten-Free + Vegan

    [print_this]Red Kuri Red Curry – Gluten-free + Dairy-free (w/ Vegan Option)
    Serves 6-8

    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 medium onion, chopped
    • 2 cloves garlic, minced
    • 1 green bell pepper, chopped
    • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
    • 3 tablespoons red curry paste* (you can use more or less depending on how spicy you like, I used a lot more)
    • 2 small red kuri squash, peeled, seeded & cubed – about 6 cups (butternut squash would also work)
    • 1 cup organic vegetable broth
    • 1 can organic coconut milk, I like Native Forest
    • 1 tablespoon fish sauce (or gluten-free tamari/soy to make vegan)
    • 3 tablespoons coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
    • 2 cups frozen organic peas
    • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro or even better, Thai basil leaves

    Heat olive oil in a large pan, when hot add onion, green pepper, curry paste, garlic and ginger. Cook for a minute or two. Add squash and saute for about 5 minutes then add vegetable broth. Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until the squash is tender. Add coconut milk, fish sauce, sugar and peas. Simmer for about 5 minutes until the peas are no longer frozen.

    Serve over brown or white basmati rice garnish with cilantro or thai basil.

    *If you are vegan, you will want to make sure the curry paste you select doesn’t contain fish sauce. [/print_this]

  5. Butternut Squash Chai Smoothie – Gluten-free, Vegan + Sugar-free

    Butternut Squash Chai Smoothie - Gluten-free, Vegan + Sugar-free

    For my final recipe as part of my vegetarian Thanksgiving series this month with Free People, it just didn’t seem right to share another side dish for the feast or a sweet dessert, I thought it appropriate to share a recipe that is not only healthy and delicious, but also one that uses up some of the leftovers from the big day.

    This smoothie is simple to make, perfectly sweet without any refined sugar and it has the most beautiful autumn-inspired hue. The spices are just perfect and you can feel free to adjust accordingly to your own taste. Plus, this smoothie makes the perfect quick and easy breakfast as you are heading out the door to Christmas shop for the day!

    If you don’t have any leftover butternut squash puree, feel free to just sub in some unsweetened pumpkin puree. Canned or fresh will work.

    Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving surrounded by the people they love and delicious foods! My day was absolutely perfect!!

    Butternut Squash Chai Smoothie - Gluten-free, Vegan + Sugar-free

    This recipe was originally shared on the Free People Blog BLDG 25.

    [print_this]Butternut Squash Chai Smoothie – Gluten-free + Vegan
    makes 1 large serving or two smaller servings

    • 1 1/2 cups unsweetened non-dairy milk (I used 1 cup of almond milk and 1/2 cup of coconut milk)
    • 1 cup butternut squash purée (or pumpkin)
    • 4 Medjool dates, pitted (soaked if they are very dry)
    • 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
    • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
    • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
    • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
    • Pinch ground cloves
    • Pinch of ground pepper
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • A couple of ice cubes

    Add everything to your blender, blend until smooth and creamy. Serve topped with a sprinkle of cinnamon and/or nutmeg, and enjoy![/print_this]

     

  6. Butternut Squash Risotto – Gluten-free + Vegan

    A Very Tasty Thanksgiving - COMING SOON to Tasty-Yummies.com

    Last, but certainly not least, in our Very Tasty Thanksgiving series we have a beautiful dish from Jeanine of Love and Lemons. I absolutely LOVE everything about Jeanine’s site, from the photography and design, to of course, all of the incredible recipes. Jeanine and her husband Jack work together on the site to create some of the most beautiful looking photos and styling you will ever see, always swoon worthy.  Jeanine isn’t exclusively gluten-free or vegan, but many of her recipes naturally are, and she always celebrates what is seasonal and fresh, so it is a great resource no matter what your eating restrictions are.

    We know this recipe is coming in just a day before Thanksgiving and many of you have your meals totally planned and shopped for, but not all of you are in America and celebrating Thanksgiving and some of you may also just want a simple, yet still very delicious and seasonal alternative to the turkey and all the sides. Besides being a great possible side at your holiday feast, this risotto would also make the perfect meal for the day after Thanksgiving when you want something beautiful, seasonal and delicious and light. 

    I hope everyone enjoyed this series and thank you again for following along and hopefully you got some great inspiration for your own Thanksgiving feasts. Thank you again so much to all of the lovely guest bloggers who joined me, sharing their recipes and tips. Much love to everyone and Happy Thanksgiving to those of you that celebrate. I hope your day is filled with lost of love and of course, super tasty food.

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    Butternut Squash Risotto - Gluten-free + Vegan

    I’m so happy to participate in Beth’s Very Tasty Thanksgiving! I’m up last, but I’m so excited to make the other recipes that have gone up before mine – they all look so delicious!

    Now that it’s the day before Thanksgiving, I’m sure most of you have finished planning and shopping for the big meal. You’ve moved onto either preparing your feast, or are en route to your Thanksgiving destination.

    I’m sharing a recipe that I made one Thanksgiving when my husband and I decided to stay home and celebrate, just the two of us. It was one of the nicest, stress-free holidays we’ve ever had. We avoided the grocery store rush by going to Whole Foods that very afternoon (the best time to go, btw, the store is empty). I made this butternut squash risotto with leeks, sage and rosemary… it was the essence of Thanksgiving, without having spent all day cooking. A perfect meal for 2.

    Butternut Squash Risotto - Gluten-free + Vegan

    [print_this]Butternut Squash Risotto – Gluten-free + Vegan
    serves 2 with leftovers.

    INGREDIENTS:

    butternut squash:

    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 cup butternut squash cubes (about 1 cm)
    • salt, pepper
    • 1/4 cup veggie broth

    risotto:

    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 1/2 chopped onion
    • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
    • 1 large leek, sliced (white and light green parts only)
    • 1/2 cup white wine
    • 1 cup organic arborio rice
    • 3 cups veggie broth
    • 1-2 tablespoons earth balance butter
    • 1/4 cup finely chopped sage
    • 1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary
    • 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts (optional)
    • a few pinches of red pepper flakes
    • salt, pepper

    METHOD:

    butternut squash:

    First, start your butternut squash. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add butternut squash cubes, salt and pepper. Cook until they start to brown, gently flipping, to get color on the other sides… about 5 minutes. Before they start to brown too much, add the veggie broth and stir. Reduce heat to low. Heat until they are tender and cooked through. Approx 20 minutes, depending on the heat of your stove. If the broth cooks down before they are done, add some more (or some water) to keep them from burning to the bottom of the pan.

    risotto:
    When the squash are at least half done, start your risotto. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and half the leeks, and a bit of salt and pepper. Cook until the onion is translucent (but not browning), about 8 minutes. Add the rice, mix it together with the onions so the dry rice toasts a little bit. (about 1 minute). Add the wine, scrape up anything that’s sticking to the pan, and let the wine simmer down for another minute.

    Add broth 1 ladle at a time, stirring continuously. Each time the liquid cooks down, add another ladle full. Before you add the last ladle of broth, add the butternut squash, the remainder of the leeks, rosemary and sage, a pat of (vegan) butter. Stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve immediately. Top with pine nuts and a pinch of red pepper flakes.

    * alternatively, you can add your butternut squash cubes to your risotto pan right after the onions… as you cook your risotto they will melt apart into the risotto rather than remain cube shaped. Both ways are equally delicious.[/print_this]

     

    Jeanine is the creator of Love and Lemons, a food blog that is a collaboration with her husband Jack. After years of running a graphic design business, she has turned her creativity toward her passion for all things food… by cooking, styling, and sharing seasonal (mostly) vegetarian recipes. 

    Visit Jeanine’s blog Love and Lemons

    You can also follow Jeanine on:

    Twitter: @lovelemonsfood
    Facebook: facebook.com/lovelemonsfood
    Pinterest: @loveandlemons
    Instagram: @loveandlemons

  7. Raw Butternut Squash and Kale Salad – Gluten-free + Vegan

    A Very Tasty Thanksgiving

    Today I am sharing a recipe as part of both our Very Tasty Thanksgiving series as well as my ongoing vegetarian Thanksgiving series I am doing with Free People this month. This colorful raw squash and kale salad is so simple to make, full of delicious seasonal flavors and doesn’t require any cooking or baking, which is a huge bonus on Thanksgiving, when the oven and stove are in high demand. Enjoy.

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    Raw Butternut Squash and Kale Salad - Gluten-free + Vegan

    I shared this recipe previously when I made it last year for Thanksgiving. It was such a hit, so easy to make, I couldn’t let it get passed by this year. Anything raw and this healthy should be celebrated on a day of indulgences.

    Raw Butternut Squash and Kale Salad - Gluten-free + Vegan
    This vibrant and bright salad is crunchy, sweet and so satisfying. It would be a welcome side dish at any Thanksgiving feast and it is a wonderfully unique option for everyone, especially for those who are gluten-free, vegan and/or vegetarian. Plus, I personally love the idea of any Thanksgiving sides that aren’t heavy and carb loaded and more importantly, that don’t require the use of the oven that is always far too crowded on Thanksgiving.  Head over to the Free People blog BLDG 25 now to get both recipes.

  8. Butternut Squash Soufflé – Gluten-free + Dairy-free

    A Very Tasty Thanksgiving - COMING SOON to Tasty-Yummies.com

    Next up in our Very Tasty Thanksgiving series is Cara of Cara’s Cravings. I came across Cara’s site earlier this year and I have always enjoyed every recipe that pops up in my feed from her. Although Cara isn’t exclusively gluten-free or dairy-free, she prepares a good amount of recipes that are naturally both and where she and I really share a common bond with our food is our love of eating clean and wholesome foods! Cara believes in healthy, seasonal clean eating, but doesn’t believe that has to mean compromising the flavor or fun of a meal. I couldn’t agree more. Cara’s sharing a super creative and unique recipe for a Butternut Squash Soufflé, which looks like the perfect dish for just about any holiday celebration, if you ask me. Enjoy.

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    Butternut Squash Souffle - Gluten-free + Dairy-free

    As much as it pains me to say it, and surprises all my friends who know I love to cook and entertain, I have never – and probably will never – host Thanksgiving.

    Food blogger blasphemy, right?!

    But you see, when I married my husband Ben, I also married his family in Philadelphia. And in this family, Thanksgiving is always in Philly. I know, it would seem like we should compromise and switch off every year between my family and his, but thing is, I really can’t complain. My family is all here in Massachusetts. And, I’m Jewish, so we get lots of big holiday dinners with my family: Rosh Hashanah (x3), Yom Kippur (the night before and break-fast), Hanukkah, and Passover (x2.) Oh, and did I mention my Dad converted to Judaism? So yeah, I get Christmas and Easter with the other side of the family too. I have no grounds to demand that we stay here for Thanksgiving. Unless of course there was a snow storm – but we’ve even trekked down there for a Bar Mitzvah when that was the case.

    But that doesn’t keep me from making Thanksgiving-esque dishes throughout the holiday season. You should see the amount of winter squash that comes through this kitchen. I love to stock up from farmers’ markets and for some reason they all get stored at the far end of the kitchen counter, which my husband has affectionately labeled, “Squash Alley.”

    This year, I got my bottom in gear and prepared a whole turkey dinner weeks before the big day so that I could join in the blogger fun and actually have Thanksgiving dishes to share.

    Butternut Squash Souffle - Gluten-free + Dairy-free

    Well, that’s kind of a lie. I made all the side dishes and asked my dear friend V to take care of the bird. I’m not one to do anything too terribly creative with a turkey, but wholesome stuffings, sides, and salads are what I’m all about!

    While I don’t eat an entirely gluten free diet, I tend to cook a lot of gluten free dishes, whether that be recipes with more nutritious whole grains that happen to be gluten free, or entirely grain-free dishes. Same goes for dairy. I try to keep in moderation, and that opens up a whole wide world of ingredients like nuts, coconut, and tofu.

    This Butternut Squash Souffle is a dairy-free, gluten-free side dish I’ve been making for a couple of years now at this time of year. It’s sweet, but not too sweet (come on, as if there is such a thing!) and has a light and fluffy texture. While I’d love to put it on my Thanksgiving table, I’ll happily settle for serving it at my pre-holiday bash, Hanukkah party, or dinner any time I feel like it.

    Butternut Squash Souffle - Gluten-free + Dairy-free

    [print_this]Butternut Squash Soufflé – Gluten-free + Dairy-free
    Adapted from The Food Lovers’ Primal Palate Carrot Souffle

    • 2lbs peeled, diced butternut squash
    • 1 quart low-sodium, organic chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegan option)
    • 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
    • 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled
    • 1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla or plain almond milk
    • 1/4 cup maple syrup
    • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
    • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
    • kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
    • 1 tablespoon coconut flour
    • 3 large eggs

    Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a large souffle dish or individual ramekins with coconut oil or cooking spray.

    Place squash and broth in a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes, until squash is very soft. Drain squash (reserve the broth for another use, if desired) and transfer to a food processor. Cool for 15 minutes.

    Add onion, coconut oil, milk, and maple syrup. Process until smooth. Blend in cinnamon and nutmeg, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Lastly, blend in coconut flour and eggs.

    Pour the mixture into the greased dish(es). Bake for 45-50 minutes, until puffed and set. Serve hot.

    This dish may be refrigerated and reheated when ready to serve, although it will lose its “puff” it will still be just as delicious. [/print_this]


    Cara Lyons began blogging at Cara’s Cravings in 2007 out of a love of eating. After losing 75lbs in her early 20’s Cara saw no reason to give up her passion for good food; now, she simply prepares it differently and is always trying to incorporate nutritious, colorful vegetables, palate-pleasing spices, and natural sweetness from fruit and other healthy sources. Nowadays, Cara focuses on using the least processed, wholesome ingredients she can – while still managing to please her husband, family and friends with ever-changing creations. Cara’s original recipes may also be found in Clean Eating Magazine and Simply Gluten Free Magazine.

    You can also follow Cara on:

    Twitter: @CarasCravings
    Facebook: facebook.com/carascravings
    Pinterest: @carascravings

  9. Indian-Spiced Butternut Squash Mash with Toasted Coconut (Gluten-free + Vegan)

    Indian-Spiced Butternut Squash Mash with Toasted Coconut (Gluten-free + Vegan)

    This month as part of my ongoing series with Free People, I am sharing a series of healthy gluten-free and vegetarian Thanksgiving recipes.  I absolutely love Thanksgiving, the entire holiday season really, and I get excited to start planning my Thanksgiving menu as soon as the fall season hits.

    For this series, I will be sharing both classic recipes re-imagined and some unique and totally non-traditional recipes that you aren’t used to seeing amongst your traditional Thanksgiving spreads.

    Indian-Spiced Butternut Squash Mash with Toasted Coconut (Gluten-free + Vegan)

    A blend of classic traditional Thanksgiving ingredients with a little non-traditional Indian inspiration, this butternut squash mash is sure to please everyone at your feast, but especially those who are gluten-free and/or vegan, who may likely have limited options. It is creamy, rustic and full of so many amazing flavors.

    Indian-Spiced Butternut Squash Mash with Toasted Coconut (Gluten-free + Vegan)

    Head to the Free People blog BLDG 25, to get the full recipe and stay tuned throughout the entire month of November as I share a new gluten-free vegetarian Thanksgiving creation each week! Plus, make sure to check in here on Tasty Yummies starting later this week, where I have a really fun Thanksgiving series planned for you guys. More on that soon.

    Indian-Spiced Butternut Squash Mash with Toasted Coconut (Gluten-free + Vegan)

    Print Pin Rate
    Servings: 4 -6

    Ingredients 

    • 2-3 lb butternut squash, halved and seeded, peeled and diced into 1-inch cubes
    • 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 2 tablespoons coconut oil
    • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
    • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
    • 3 cloves garlic, minced
    • 1 2- inch piece of fresh ginger, finely minced or grated
    • 1 tablespoon garam masala powder, you can add more if you want the flavor to be even more powerful
    • ½ teaspoon sea salt
    • ¼ cup coconut milk, full-fat canned kind
    • cup finely shredded unsweetened coconut
    • fresh cilantro for serving, optional

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven 400º F.
    • Toss the squash with oil, salt and pepper and spread out in a single layer on a rimmed baking pan. Roast, tossing occasionally, until just tender and golden brown, about 30-40 minutes. While the squash is roasting, arrange the raw coconut in a single layer on another baking sheet. Once the squash comes out, place the coconut in, bake for about 3 to 5 minutes, toss around and then bake another 3 to 5 minutes. Watch it carefully, as it can burn quickly.
    • Once the squash and coconut are both ready and out of the oven, heat the coconut oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat, add in the mustard and cumin seeds, heat for a few minutes until the spices begin dancing around the pan, popping and jumping. Add in the garlic, ginger, garam masala powder and salt. Stir around for a minute or two, reduce the heat to low or off, add in the roasted squash cubes and coconut milk and mash by hand with a potato masher, until as smooth and creamy as you’d like it to be. Salt to taste, serve immediately topped with toasted shredded coconut and a little fresh cilantro, if you’d like.

     

  10. Pasta with Roasted Pumpkin, Peppers and White Beans – Gluten-free + Vegan

    Pasta with Roasted Pumpkin, Peppers and White Beans - Gluten-free + Vegan

    I made this recipe last weekend for a fun fall party at our friends Erika and Devin’s. Even though many of the fun fall events they had planned got cancelled due to rainy cold weather, it was still a really fun night, my sweater still smells like yummy camp fire! My favorite.

    They made some meat-eater friendly dishes, so I decided to make and bring something gluten-free that I could eat, but that would also be great for any vegetarians or vegans. This pasta dish was really delicious warm, but it was equally as yummy when it cooled off a bit and was more of a pasta salad.

    A little FYI, if you are a cheese-lover, this would be super delicious with some grated sharp Parmigiano-Reggiano and/or Romano cheeses. It’s been many months since I cooked with cheese at home, or really even thought about adding it to a dish I was making, but the thought definitely crossed my mind with this one.

    Pasta with Roasted Pumpkin, Peppers and White Beans - Gluten-free + Vegan

    Besides being full of so many of my very favorite foods, I think what I liked the most about this is the nice crunch from the toasted pumpkin seeds and all of the beautiful colors. You will notice in the recipe below I used 3 different kinds of peppers, we have an insane amount of peppers right now from our CSA so I was using up what we had a lot of, feel free to use whatever peppers you have on hand, even if it is just one of two of your standard bell pepper. It will be good either way.

    On a side note, the weather is definitely quite icky here due to Hurricane Sandy (I am located in Buffalo, NY). Supposed to be the worse tonight and into tomorrow (I am writing this on Monday night). I hope all of my East Coast readers are staying safe and get through this storm without incident! I am anticipating lots of wind and rain over the next few days and I have my fingers crossed that we have no flooding (there is a river at the end of our dead end street). I made a huge pot of soup, my perfect comfort food for the super windy, cold and rainy times like this.

    How is the weather near you? Are you experiencing Sandy’s wrath? Stay safe everyone!

    Pasta with Roasted Pumpkin, Peppers and White Beans - Gluten-free + Vegan

    [print_this]Pasta with Roasted Pumpkin, Peppers and White Beans – Gluten-free + Vegan
    Serves 6-8

    • 1 small pie pumpkin (about 2 lbs), peeled, seeded and diced into 1-inch cubes
    • 1 teaspoon fresh marjoram, roughly chopped
    • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, roughly chopped
    • 6 tablespoons olive oil, split in half, plus possibly a bit more
    • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
    • 2 cloves garlic
    • 1 red bell pepper, diced*
    • 1 red carmen pepper, diced*
    • 1 poblano pepper, diced*
    • 1 can organic white beans, drained and rinsed
    • 16 ounces organic gluten-free brown rice penne pasta
    • salt and pepper to taste
    • additional fresh marjoram and thyme
    • 1/2 cup hulled pepitas, lightly toasted

    *These were the peppers I had on hand from our CSA, we have a lot of peppers right now so I have been getting creative with adding them to recipes, feel free to use whatever pepper(s) you want.

    Preheat your oven to 425ºF, toss the pumpkin cubes with 2 tablespoons olive oil, the fresh herbs and salt on a large baking sheet. Arrange in a single layer and roast for about 15-20 minutes, then take the pan out and add the diced peppers, white beans and garlic, continue baking another 15-20 minutes until the pumpkin and peppers are tender and browned.

    While the pumpkin is roasting, prepare your pasta. Cook your pasta according to package directions and place in a large serving dish once cooked and drained. You can reserve a bit (approx 1/4 cup) of the cooking liquid if you want to add it to the pasta dish, which I like to do.

    Once the pumpkin, white beans and peppers are cooked, add that to the serving bowl with the pasta. Add some fresh herbs, 2-3 tablespoons olive oil (pasta cooking liquid if you are using it) and half of the toasted pepitas, salt and pepper to taste. Toss to combine and taste, see if it needs any salt, pepper, or additional herbs. Serve topped with toasted pepitas.

    [/print_this]

  11. Creamy Crock-Pot Pumpkin Risotto – Gluten-free + Vegan

    Creamy Crock-Pot Pumpkin Risotto – Gluten-free + Vegan

    If it isn’t apparent yet, I am all-in on the fall-inspired dishes right now. Apples, squash, pumpkin anything…I am all about it. All of it. I love the shift into comfort food at the start of Autumn and I know that my body is craving it for a reason. Ask and you shall receive hungry tummy! What better way to combine Autumn flavors and produce with comfort food, than a delicious creamy pumpkin risotto.

    Creamy Crock-Pot Pumpkin Risotto – Gluten-free + Vegan

    I had been dreaming of a pumpkin risotto for a few weeks now and even had a few readers request a recipe, but instead of a traditional risotto like this one or this one, I wanted something that wasn’t quite so labor intensive. I never mind standing over the pot, spooning the broth or stock in, one ladle-full at a time, it is always worth it, but I wanted to see if I could create a simpler method for those days that you don’t have the extra time to dedicate an hour of your life to just one pot of food. In comes the magical Crock-Pot, the closest thing I will ever have to a personal chef!

    Creamy Crock-Pot Pumpkin Risotto – Gluten-free + Vegan

    This risotto is creamy, rich and comforting without any dairy at all. It’s quite unbelievable that this is not only gluten-free, but it is also vegan. The roast pumpkin and the pumpkin puree and not only provide a beautiful rich autumn-inspired hue to the dish, but a delicious hearty flavor. If you aren’t vegan and/or dairy-free this would also be quite delicious with a good chicken stock and some Parmigiano-Reggiano at the end, though I can say with confidence neither are needed or missed. The key to a creamy risotto is opting for arborio rice rather than the trational long grain.

    Creamy Crock-Pot Pumpkin Risotto – Gluten-free + Vegan

    [print_this]Creamy Crock-Pot Pumpkin Risotto – Gluten-free + Vegan
    serves 6-8

    • 3 tablespoons olive oil
    • 2 cloves garlic, minced
    • 1 leek, cleaned, halved the long way then thinly sliced (white and light green parts only)
    • 1 small onion, diced
    • 1 red bell pepper, diced
    • 3/4 cup dry white wine
    • 2 cups uncooked Arborio rice
    • 1 teaspoon sea salt
    • 5 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
    • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, split in half.
    • 1 cup pumpkin puree, canned or fresh
    • 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 1 small pie pumpkin, seeded, peeled, and cut into 1-inch cubes
    • salt and pepper

    Optional – 1/2 to 2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese — preferably Parmigiano-Reggiano

    Heat the olive oil in a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat and sauté the leeks, onions and red bell pepper until they have softened up a bit, about 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute or two, then add all of the veggies to the crock-pot. Next pour the wine into the pan that the veggies were cooked in and scrape up any leftover bits in the pan, then add in the rice, stir around and cook until all of the wine has been absorbed. Add the rice to the slow cooker along with the broth, salt and half of the fresh thyme. Cover and cook on HIGH for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until all the liquid is absorbed.

    While the risotto is cooking roast the pumpkin. Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Toss the pumpkin cubes with olive oil and a little salt, and roast for 30-40 minutes until lightly browned and tender. Stirring after 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

    Just before serving, stir in the pumpkin puree, roasted pumpkin and the remaining thyme. If you are adding cheese, add it now. Stir it all together, cover and let sit for another 3-5 minutes, then serve.

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  12. Mediterranean Spaghetti Squash Salad – Gluten-free + Vegan

    Mediterranean Spaghetti Squash Salad - Gluten-free + Vegan
    With the start of fall I am fulling embracing all things fall-food related, pumpkin, squash, apples, etc. For my next post in my September series of recipes on the Free People blog BLDG 25, I am sharing a beautifully vibrant salad full of some of my favorite Mediterranean flavors. This spaghetti squash salad is so simple and so delightful, it is hard to believe that the entire thing is basically just veggies. If you haven’t yet experimented with a spaghetti squash, get on that ASAP, especially while they are in season.

    Mediterranean Spaghetti Squash Salad - Gluten-free + Vegan

    While the beautiful colors outside are starting to show themselves and summer has all but faded away, this salad is a wonderful celebration of all of it. Embracing the last bit of summer with fresh local tomatoes and of course, the fall with the delicious and versatile spaghetti squash. This salad is great vegan or if you aren’t vegan or dairy-free, it is wonderful with a small bit of crumbled goat cheese feta over top.

    This recipe was originally shared on the Free People blog, BLDG 25.

    Mediterranean Spaghetti Squash Salad - Gluten-free + Vegan

    [print_this]Mediterranean Spaghetti Squash Salad – Gluten-free + Vegan

    serves 4-6

    • 1 medium-sized spaghetti squash
    • 2 cups grape tomatoes, halved or quartered
    • 1 small red onion, diced
    • 1 banana pepper (or bell pepper), diced
    • 1/2 cup kalamata olives (or black olives), chopped
    • 1/4 cup fresh herbs, roughly chopped – I used a blend of oregano, mint and parsley
    • 4 oz feta cheese (optional)

    Dressing:

    • 1/4 cup olive oil
    • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
    • 2 cloves garlic, minced
    • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
    • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
    • 1 teaspoon raw sugar or other sweetener

    Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Using a skewer or the tip of a knife, puncture a handful of holes all over the squash, on all sides, to keep it from bursting while baking.

    Place the whole squash in a glass pan and bake for 1 hour, until the flesh is soft. Allow to cool until you can easily handle it and slice in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds and fibrous strings from the center of the cooked spaghetti squash. Using a fork around the edge of the spaghetti squash, gently scrape to shred the pulp into strands. It will happen very easily.  Place the spaghetti squash in a large serving bowl, and place in the fridge to cool.

    Meanwhile, whisk together the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

    Once the squash has cooled to about room temperature or colder (I just make the squash the night before, place it in the fridge to cool overnight and toss the salad together the next day), add all of the other ingredients to the squash and toss well to combine. Pour the dressing over the salad and gently toss to combine.

    Serve topped with additional fresh herbs and some crumbled feta cheese, if you wish! [/print_this]

     

  13. Summer Harvest Frittata – Gluten-free + Dairy-free

    Summer Harvest Frittata - Gluten-free + Dairy-free<

    I am seriously in love with my CSA from Porter Farms. It is so cost effective, the produce is all organic (and obviously local) and each week there are new surprised in the bag that I get excited about playing with.

    Summer Harvest Frittata - Gluten-free + Dairy-free

    I am sure most of you do know, but if you don’t know what a CSA is, here is a quick description from the Porter Farms website:

    CSA stands for “community-supported agriculture”. The idea behind it is simple: individuals share the costs, risks and bounty of growing food in an environmentally-friendly fashion. The concept first appeared in the U.S. in the early 80’s, when people sought higher quality foods available from local sources.

    The meaning of “community-supported agriculture” as it relates to the mission of our program here at Porter Farms is as follows: CSA participants, through their membership, help pay for seeds, compost, irrigation supplies, equipment maintenance, fuel, labor, etc. In return, the farm provides, to the best of its ability, 22 weeks of fresh, certified organic produce throughout the growing season.

    Community supported agriculture is a grassroots movement that reconnects the local community with its food source, the local farmer. This alternative to the grocery store and big chains couldn’t fit more perfectly into my lifestyle and my mindset. My only complaint about CSAs is that I didn’t join one sooner! This most definitely will be a yearly thing for us.

    Summer Harvest Frittata - Gluten-free + Dairy-free

    Each week I try to get creative with the offerings in my bag, playing around with new recipes, getting inspired. This week we received zucchini, yellow squash, cucumbers, celery, red and golden beets, tomato berries and red onions with their tops. So many things that I love! I wanted to play around with a dish that would really highlight as many of the ingredients as I could. I did pretty well, the only two that didn’t make it into this dish were the beets and the cucumbers and don’t worry I have big plans for both of those.

    Summer Harvest Frittata - Gluten-free + Dairy-free

    In addition to the CSA, each Saturday morning, I always pick up a dozen (or two) brown eggs from Painted Meadows Farm at the Elmwood Bidwell Farmers Market. I am telling you, until you have had eggs fresh from a farm (or maybe you have my ultimate dream and you have your own chicken in the yard), you have no clue what you are missing. The taste isn’t even comparable, the yolks are a shade of yellowy, orange you wouldn’t believe. Now I am spoiled, it’s the only kind of eggs I want to eat.

    Summer Harvest Frittata - Gluten-free + Dairy-free<

    In looking over our pantry and refrigerator and all of these lovely, seasonal ingredients, I had the perfect thought for a light summertime dinner – a Summer Harvest Frittata. What a great way to highlight all the wonderful items in season right now.This recipe is quite versatile so feel free to play around with it and add or take away anything you’d like or have on hand from your own CSA, farmers market or your garden. I added a bunch of fresh basil since it is growing abundantly and beautifully in our yard, but the flavor profile can easily change to whatever fresh herb or spice you have readily available. This frittata was perfectly satisfying for dinner with a small salad on the side, but it would also be great for breakfast, brunch or heck even lunch, you can eat it all day!

    Summer Harvest Frittata - Gluten-free + Dairy-free

    [print_this]Summer Harvest Frittata – Gluten-free + Dairy-free
    Serves 6-8

    • 6-8 large local farm fresh brown eggs (more eggs will give you a fluffier thicker frittata, less eggs and it will be thinner)
    • 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
    • 1/4 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1/2 cup celery, chopped
    • 1 small red onion, chopped
    • 2 cloves garlic, minced
    • 1 medium zucchini, cut in half-length wise, then cut in half again (if it is large enough) and sliced
    • 1 medium yellow squash, cut in half length wise, then cut in half again (if it is large enough) and sliced
    • 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved or quartered depending on what size they are
    • Salt and pepper to taste

    Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

    In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs with a small pinch of salt, red pepper flakes and basil. Set aside.
    In a 8 to 9 inch oven-safe, cast iron skillet, heat olive oil over a medium-high heat, make sure you get the olive oil all up the sides using a brush or some wax paper, etc. (you can also use an oven-safe nonstick skillet). Add the onion and celery, with a dash of sea salt, sauté about 3-5 minutes until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and sauté another 2 minutes, being careful not to burn it. Add the zucchini and squash, toss around and sauté about 8-10 minutes, until they are tender. Add the tomatoes and cook for another 2-3 minutes until the tomatoes start to soften and get tender. If there is any water sitting in the pan from the veggies, pour it off. Salt and pepper to taste.

    Turn down the heat a bit. Add the egg mixture to the skillet by pouring over the veggies and giving it all a really quick stir to combine. Cook over a medium-low heat for about 5 minutes or until the eggs are just set and there isn’t a lot of liquid running around the pan. To do this, run a spatula underneath the sides of the frittata and tilt the pan so the uncooked eggs run to the underside and cook.

    Place the skillet in the center of your preheated oven. Allow to bake for 13-15 minutes, until it is golden brown, well set and puffy. Remove from oven with oven mitts and let cool for several minutes, cut into wedges and serve.

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  14. Butternut Squash and Roasted Red Pepper Soup (Vegan and Gluten-free)

    Butternut Squash and Roasted Red Pepper Soup, Vegan and Gluten-free

    I am super excited about how this soup turned out. This soup actually made me realize what a dork I am about good healthy food. It actually makes me stupid excited and I wanna dance around my kitchen! I love when you have an idea in your mind for a dish, you start experimenting, tasting and playing around and it just all falls perfectly into place. That happened with this soup. In fact, it actually came out better than I had imagined it would.

    I topped this soup with a roasted red pepper puree that was inspired by a recipe I came across from Bon Appetit magazine in 2003 and I also drizzled some roasted butternut squash seed oil over top. I realize this oil is a very specialized product, and many of you may not have access to it, so you could certainly just use a good quality extra virgin olive oil, or just skip it altogether. The butternut squash seed oil that I have is from a company based in the Finger Lakes region of NY called Stony Brook Oils, I picked it up at Farmers and Artisans here in Buffalo. You can visit Stony Brook’s web site to get a listing of all of the stores you can buy their various squash seed oils at or you can even buy them online. Honestly, if you ever get a chance to try a pumpkin or a squash seed oil, do it. The flavors are incredible. It brings a unique nutty and roasted flavor to so many different dishes. I have never tasted anything like it.

    I happened to be able to get my hands on some beautiful red bell peppers that I roasted on my stove top to use in this soup and for the puree on top. If the red peppers at your market aren’t looking so hot, just go with jarred roasted red peppers, they will work perfectly fine, too.

    This naturally gluten-free and vegan soup is bursting with flavors and it is so beautiful and colorful. The roasted red peppers in the soup compliment the nutty flavor of the squash and the spicy, garlicky puree on top is a nice burst of bright flavor with a hint of spiciness. The puree was so delicious that I have been using it as a spread on sandwiches and on top of freshly steamed vegetables, etc. I feel like I always need to have a batch of this stuff on hand.

    Butternut Squash and Roasted Red Pepper Soup, Vegan and Gluten-free

     

    [print_this]Butternut Squash and Roasted Red Pepper Soup
    serves 6-8

    1 tablespoon olive oil
    1 large butternut squash (about 2 to 2 1/2 lbs), peeled, seeded and cubed
    1 large onion, diced
    2 celery stalks, diced
    2 cloves of garlic, minced
    2 roasted red peppers, diced (here is a great page of different options on how you can roast your own red peppers at home, I roasted mine on my stove top)
    1 tablespoon fresh thyme, roughly chopped
    1/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes
    1 teaspoon kosher salt
    7 cups low sodium vegetable broth

    butternut squash seed oil (or olive oil) for drizzling

    Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, celery and butternut squash and sauté until the onions and celery are tender, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and roasted red peppers; stir 1-2 minutes. Add thyme, red pepper flakes, salt and vegetable broth; bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until squash is soft, about 45 minutes.

    Purée with an immersion blender or in batches using a regular blender or food processor*, until smooth. Return puree to pot. Thin soup with more broth if desired. Ladle soup into bowls. Top each bowl with 1 tablespoon of the roasted red pepper purée and a light drizzle of butternut squash seed oil. Sprinkle with a pinch of fresh thyme.

    * When puréeing hot soup in a blender or food processor, do so in small batches, filling the blender pitcher only about halfway. Put the lid on, but remove that small cap in the lid (if you have it) and hold the lid down tight with a towel, otherwise the steam will cause the lid to explode off, spewing hot liquid everywhere. This has never happened to me, but it can, so be careful.

    [/print_this]

    [print_this]Roasted Red Pepper Puree
    via Bon Appetit Magazine, November 2003

    2 roasted red peppers (approximately 1 cup)
    2-3 garlic cloves
    1/2 tablespoon olive oil
    1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

    Puree all ingredients in processor until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

    [/print_this]

  15. Raw Butternut Squash and Kale Salad

     

    Raw Butternut Squash and Kale Salad

     

    I was so excited to be participating in A Book of Yum’s Gluten-free Vegetarian Thanksgiving Event, that I of course couldn’t decide on just one recipe, so I made two! I wanted to re-imagine a classic side dish like stuffing, but I also really wanted to bring something completely new and unique to the table (pun intended). I came across a recipe in Edible Buffalo’s Fall 2011 issue a few weeks ago that I cut out and set aside, since it really intrigued me. It was a raw butternut squash salad – I had never thought about eating squash raw, but I honestly couldn’t wait to try it. In thinking about the recipe and really wanting there to be a rainbow of beautiful fall colors, I decided to change it up add some fresh local kale and dried cranberries instead of golden raisins. I also had some a fresh organic navel orange that I had zested earlier in the day to make another batch of my Chai concentrate and I thought the juice from that would be the perfect complement to all of the flavors going on in this salad.

    This beautiful salad is crunchy, sweet and bright. It would be a welcome side dish at any Thanksgiving feast and it is a wonderfully unique option everyone, especially for those who are gluten-free, vegan and/or vegetarian. Plus, I personally love the idea of any Thanksgiving sides that aren’t heavy and carb loaded and more importantly, that don’t require the use of the oven that is always far too crowded on Thanksgiving.

    Raw Butternut Squash and Kale Salad

     

    Raw Butternut Squash and Kale Salad
    Serves 4-6

    1 butternut squash (about 1 pound), peeled, seeded and grated by hand or with a food processor
    1 cup kale, washed and stems removed, cut into very thin strips
    1/2 cup dried cranberries
    1/4 cup olive oil
    1 tablespoon rice vinegar
    1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
    2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
    Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

    Combine all ingredients, toss and adjust seasonings to taste. Refrigerate, covered, for an hour before serving.

  16. Butternut Squash Enchiladas with Tomatillo Sauce

    Butternut Squash Enchiladas with Tomatillo Sauce

    Butternut Squash Enchiladas with Tomatillo Sauce

    Having a creative job means that sometimes you just can’t work. I know that sounds like an excuse, but when you are supposed to be creating something and you just don’t have any ideas, it’s quite hard to “work”. I am very lucky that we now work from home, so some days when that “creative block” happens – if I can’t find some silly administrative task like updating our webstore, shooting photos of new products or responding to emails, I can just walk away from my computer and get into any number of different things that are completely unrelated to work, like taking the dog for a walk, heading to a yoga class, watching TV, reading a book or magazine and my most favorite distraction from work… cooking! This week I have been feeling a bit stressed and the ideas just haven’t been flowing as freely. It has been a bit frustrating to say the least. We have a ton of work on the books right now, so it is no time to screw around or to just stare at a blank sketch pad. Wednesday, I decided rather than sitting at my desk with my sketchpad, that I would make our dinner early, so we could enjoy it for lunch and I could take photos when it was freshly cooked instead of trying to shoot them without daylight or shooting the leftovers the next day!

    Beautiful and fresh tomatillos for the Butternut Squash Enchiladas with Tomatillo Sauce

    Roasted butternut squash for the Butternut Squash Enchiladas with Tomatillo Sauce

    Tomatillo's cooking down for the sauce for my Butternut Squash Enchiladas with Tomatillo Sauce

    So, I got up at my usual 7am and started prepping the squash and the tomatillos for the sauce. Then I went upstairs for a few hours, it was the perfect boost that I needed and I started working on a poster design that I was stuck on and I made some major headway! It felt great. When lunchtime came, I scooted downstairs, preheated the oven, heated up the sauce and started assembling the enchiladas. I popped them in the oven and went back upstairs to work for a bit. When the buzzer rang, I ran down, took some photos and served my husband and our assistant the best lunch we’ve had since we moved the business home. It was actually really fun to eat a bigger meal in the middle of the day. It felt like the right time to eat that way.

    These enchiladas, besides being a burst of beautiful colors, are so full of delicious and bright flavors. The squash has a bit of a rustic nuttiness, the tomatillo has a bright almost citrus flavor to it, with a little bit of heat from the lemon drop peppers I added. I thought about adding black beans inside of the enchiladas, but ended up deciding against it since I thought they would just be bursting open. I think even though it would taste incredible, it would be too many things inside with the big hunks of squash. But I will likely make them that way at some point. I used a simple traditional Mexican crumbly white cheese called queso fresca, it was the perfect compliment and didn’t make the dish too heavy and gooey cheesy, which can be a bit too much for me, sometimes. They were delicious topped with a fresh squeeze of lime juice, fresh green onions and cilantro and a little dollop of organic low-fat sour cream. If you are vegan, you could definitely leave out the cheese or substitute Daiya for the queso fresco. Or if you can’t find queso fresco, you could go with a small amount of good quality sharp cheddar cheese.

    I have made homemade tortillas in the past when making enchiladas and it is most definitely worth it, but since I didn’t really have an unlimited amount of time to make these, I decided to go with a high quality corn tortilla from the store. The key to making enchiladas keep their shape, is to steam the tortillas first, otherwise they will break apart a bit. I know this and I steamed mine, but I think they should have been steamed a bit more, some definitely fell apart just a tad when I rolled them up. I decided to just go with it, since I knew it would all taste the same, but some would just fall apart when I served them. Of course, the two that I decided to take a photo of did just that when I served them, but I kinda liked how rustic they looked and I love how you could see the color from the squash exploding out. So I said, screw perfection and just went with it! Life isn’t perfect, I’m not perfect and my enchiladas aren’t perfect – and I am OK with ALL of it! I embrace it.

    Butternut Squash Enchiladas with Tomatillo Sauce

    Butternut Squash Enchiladas with Tomatillo Sauce
    Yesterday afternoon I had another one of those moments where I hit a creative road-block, for some reason this one hit me harder than ever. I actually felt sad over it and I let it beat me, a bit. I was working on a project that is seemingly very simple and should have an easy solution, but I was struggling. It broke me! I cried. I decided to take a step away “virtually” and move over to another project and then to editing the photos for this post. It definitely helped and today I am looking at it again with fresh eyes and I am ready to tackle it again. So I wanna hear from you….

    What do you do when you hit a creative roadblock?
    Do you find cooking and baking to be a good escape from everyday life and your work or does it stress you out too much?
    I’d love to hear your thoughts on how you get through when you are feeling stumped with a problem, creatively or otherwise. Share away!

    Butternut Squash Enchiladas with Tomatillo Sauce

    Butternut Squash Enchiladas with Tomatillo Sauce

    Butternut Squash Enchiladas with Tomatillo Sauce
    serves 6

    Tomatillo Sauce
    1 1/2 pounds of fresh whole tomatillos, husked and rinsed
    2 hot chiles of your choice, stems removed (I used dried lemon drop peppers from my garden) – you can skip this or just use one if you want it less spicy
    enough water to cover the tomatillos
    3 whole cloves garlic, peeled
    1 handful of fresh cilantro (about 1/4 cup)
    1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

    Add your tomatillos and chiles to a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil over a medium-high heat, then reduce the heat and allow to simmer for approximately 5-7 minutes until the tomatillos are soft but still whole. If they aren’t all totally soft, no worries, still remove them from the heat and drain. Add the tomatillos and chiles to a food processor and add 2 cloves of garlic, fresh cilantro and salt, puree all the ingredients together and set the sauce aside.

    Butternut Squash Enchiladas

    1 – 2lb butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced into 1-inch cubes
    1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
    1 red bell pepper, diced
    1 yellow onion, diced
    1 large garlic clove, minced
    6-8 ounces queso fresco, crumbled (you can skip the cheese or use Daiya to make this vegan) – reserve approximately 1/4 cup for the topping
    12 corn tortillas

    fresh lime wedges
    fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
    fresh green onions, thinly sliced
    organic sour cream

    Preheat the oven to 400º, place the squash cubes on a rimmed baking sheet toss with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and place into the oven to roast for 30-40 minutes until tender and lightly browned. Set aside when done.

    While the squash is baking, add the onion, garlic, red bell pepper and a dash of salt to the teaspoon of olive oil in a medium pan over a medium-high heat, sauté. Cook for 5-8 minutes until the onion is translucent and both the onion and pepper are tender. Remove the vegetables from the pan and set aside in a bowl.

    Use the same pan from the onion and pepper mixture to heat up your tomatillo sauce. Bring it to a simmer over a medium-heat and allow it to heat through and slightly thicken. Just about 5 minutes.

    Once the squash is done, you are ready to start assembling your enchiladas.

    Start by spooning a small amount of the tomatillo sauce into the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish (I used an 8.5 x 11 pan and it was a bit crowded, but it worked) – just enough to cover the bottom with a very thin layer.

    You will need to steam the corn tortillas so that they don’t break when rolled. Moisten two paper towels, working in batches of 3 or 4 tortillas at a time, wrap the tortillas in the damp paper towels and microwave them for approximately 30-45 seconds. Once microwaved, dip each tortilla into the tomatillo sauce, one at a time, making sure both sides get coated in the sauce. Scoop a small amount of butternut squash cubes (probably about 2 tablespoons), the onion and pepper mixture and cheese, keeping in mind how much to use so that you can roll the enchiladas shut and also so you have enough to fill 11 more. Place the enchilada, seam side down, in the baking dish. Repeat until you’ve made as many enchiladas as you want or have filling for (this recipe made 12, with a small amount of squash and pepper mixture leftover).

    Spoon the remaining tomatillo sauce overtop all of the enchiladas and top with the remaining 1/4 cup of queso fresco.

    Place the pan in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes until the cheese is slightly melted, golden brown and everything is bubbling. Pull it out of the oven, sprinkle a bit of fresh cilantro on top to make it even prettier and allow it to cool for 5 minutes. Serve your enchiladas warm with fresh cilantro, fresh green onions and a squeeze of fresh lime juice, you can also add a dollop of organic sour cream, if you wish.

  17. Butternut Squash, Arugula and Goat Cheese Pizza

    Butternut Squash, Arugula and Goat Cheese Pizza

    After being on a cleanse for two weeks, removing meat, fish, dairy, sugar, caffeine, alcohol, the usual gluten and processed foods, etc – I was looking forward to slowly adding some things back in this week. I love that after two weeks of removing those things from my diet, I no longer crave them, I don’t feel weighed down, exhausted, sluggish, bloated, etc. I feel like the change of seasons is the best time to wipe your slate clean and start fresh and new. Personally, in my life I like to subscribe to the idea of ‘all things in moderation’. That’s not to say I eat junk food, corn syrup laced sodas, processed foods, factory farmed meats and all that other yucky junk in moderation or at all, but there are some things that, though I know in excess can be bad for you (specifically for me – caffeine, alcohol, dairy, meat, sugar), I think in moderation are OK and in some ways good for you.

    I like cleansing because I can reset myself and my cravings and start over with the new season. I don’t see myself giving up dairy entirely anytime soon, or cocktails for that matter, so by doing a cleanse I can clean myself of all the junk in my body and any excessive cravings I may have for these things, especially after months of traveling and eating and drinking more than I would like to.

    Once I am off a cleanse, I don’t go all in again the very next day and make a drink to have with my massive cheese and meat platter, all finished off with a huge plate of cake – but instead I slowly start adding small amounts back into my diet. This is partially so my system isn’t shocked after two weeks of eating mostly vegetables, whole grains and legumes, but also so I don’t just jump back into old habits and cravings. This week I wanted to enjoy and add back in small amounts of locally farmed dairy and meat and some sweets – but only those made from alternative sweeteners such as honey, maple syrup or coconut sugar, no straight cane sugar just yet.

    This pizza was the first real treat after coming off the cleanse and I felt like it was a good way to go back in. I made the crust with flaxseed egg replacer (2 tablespoons of ground flax seeds with 6 tablespoons of warm water) and I got the goat cheese from First Light Farm & Creamery, a wonderful local farm with delicious goats milk products. In addition, the arugula, squash and onion were all from the farmers market and the rosemary was from my own garden. It doesn’t get much fresher and tastier than all that!

    This pizza is loaded with delicious fall flavors, everything pairs together so well. The arugula retains a nice subtle and spicy crunch, the squash is tender and so perfect with the rosemary and onions and the goat cheese finishes everything off with a super flavorful, rich and creamy tang! As mentioned in the recipe below, please feel free to use your own favorite pizza dough recipe (with or without gluten, it doesn’t matter) or even a good store-bought dough or crust. Since it was a busy weeknight, I used a package of Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free pizza dough mix. Although I have made some delicious gluten-free pizza doughs completely from scratch, I really love how easy and delicious the Bob’s Red Mill dough is for when you don’t have all that time. It is a pre-mixed blend of flours (without any additives or other wacky ingredients) and it comes with a package of yeast. You just add olive oil, eggs (or a flaxseed egg replacer) and warm water, that’s it. I like their crust because it is light, it has the perfect balance between chewy and crispy and it isn’t too thin or too thick. When I don’t have the time to make my own dough it really is a great alternative.

    I made this pizza earlier in the week and since then I have had a small amount more of organic dairy and some pasture-raised local meat from our farm.  I am still feeling really, really great! I am really looking forward to having a glass or two of wine this weekend in celebration of my birthday and I am also looking forward to experimenting this weekend with making some healthy sweets made from sugar alternatives. Look for a recipe tomorrow for my gluten-free pumpkin oatmeal raisin cookies made with honey instead of sugar and grapeseed oil instead of butter. Sunday morning we are going apple picking so keep an eye out for an updated version of my gluten-free apple crisp, I am going to try to make a version without butter or sugar! I can’t wait to play.

    Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!

    Butternut Squash, Arugula and Goat Cheese Pizza

    Butternut Squash, Arugula and Goat Cheese Pizza
    makes 8 pieces

    1  – 1lb ball of  your favorite gluten-free (or not) pizza dough or a ready-made crust. You are looking for a 14-16″ round crust (I used a package of Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free pizza dough mix and made one large pizza with it instead of two)
    2 1/2 cups cubed local butternut squash (about 1/2-inch square pieces)
    2 tablespoons olive oil (half for the squash and reserving the other half for the crust)
    1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
    1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
    1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, roughly chopped (you can use dried rosemary here, just use less)
    3 cups organic arugula, roughly chopped
    6 ounces crumbled local goat cheese

    Preheat oven to 425º. If you are making your own pizza dough, have it already mixed and rising. While your dough is rising, on a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the squash with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, half of your salt, half of your freshly ground black pepper and half of your fresh rosemary. Cook the squash until slightly browned and tender, about 25 minutes, tossing occasionally to ensure even cooking. Set aside.

    While the squash is cooking, caramelize the onions in the other tablespoon of olive oil with a dash of salt in a large skillet over a medium-high heat. Stir often and cook 10-12 minutes until perfectly browned and caramelized. Set aside.

    Once all of your toppings are ready, pre-bake your dough without the toppings (mine took approximately 10 minutes), then remove from the oven and top with squash, onion, arugula, crumbled goat cheese and the remaining rosemary, salt and pepper. Bake until the crust is crispy, lightly browned and the cheese is melted, about 15-18 minutes.

    Obviously whatever pizza dough recipe or ready-made crust you choose to make this with will be fine, just adjust your cooking temperature and times accordingly (if necessary).

  18. Butternut Squash & Chickpea Coconut Curry (Crock Pot Recipe)

    Butternut Squash & Chickpea Coconut Curry (Crock Pot Recipe)

     

    I absolutely adore my slow cooker. It is so perfect for those days where you kinda feel like cooking, but you don’t really have the time or desire to stand around stir this pot so it doesn’t stick, toss that thing in this dressing, cut up this and that. I always love eating at home and cooking my own meals, but sometimes after a long day of work, I just don’t have the energy to head to the kitchen and start on another 1-2 hour adventure. Though it hardly feels like work, sometimes it’s just hard to muster up the energy after a long and busy day. With a crock pot there is no preheating, no keeping an eye on it so it doesn’t over cook, no stirring. It’s just simple, easy home-cooking. When you are ready to eat, just head to the kitchen and serve yourself. I always tell Mark that my crock pot is the closest I will ever come to having a personal chef, it really feels like that.

    This recipe is exceptionally easy, just toss all (well, almost all) of the ingredients in to your crock pot in the morning and check back later. I decided to keep out the peas until the end and wished I had done the same with the spinach, so I altered the recipe to reflect that. That’s it. You could certainly fuss with sautéing the onions and garlic ahead of time if you wish, but I really don’t see why you should bother. I tossed it all in and it was ready to go 6 hours later. I had some beautiful spinach and peas from the market so I decided to toss those in for some extra greeny goodness and that was our meal.

    I truly think this was the best curry I have made yet. I personally have a wonderful yellow curry powder that I love, though I know many people swear by making your own mix, toasting the spices yourself, etc. I have yet to try that as I really love the powder I buy. If you prefer to take that route, please do. Beyond being extremely easy to make, this curry is loaded with flavor and is so satisfying. I served it over a small serving of brown basmati rice and topped it with fresh cilantro and a bit of unsweetened shredded coconut. The perfect cleanse-friendly, fall meal.

    Butternut Squash & Chickpea Coconut Curry (Crock Pot Recipe)
    serves 8

    2 1/2 cups diced butternut squash
    1 1/2 cups dried organic chick peas
    1 small onion, chopped
    2 cloves garlic, minced
    1 can 13.5 ounce organic coconut milk (you can use light here, I didn’t)
    1 bunch of fresh spinach, rinsed and roughly chopped (you could also use kale here)
    1 1/2 cups freshly shelled peas (you can use frozen here, if you wish)
    1-2 large tomatoes, diced
    3 cups vegetable broth or water
    3 tablespoons yellow curry powder (you can use your own blend of spices here, I just happen to have a premixed curry powder from a local indian grocery store that I love)
    1 teaspoon kosher salt
    handful of fresh cilantro, roughly chopped (save some for serving)

    Rinse and sort through the dry chickpeas. Cut the skin off the squash, remove seeds and cut into 1 inch square cubes. Add all of the ingredients to your slow cooker besides the peas and spinach. Cook on high for 6 hours. About 20-30 minutes before serving add in the fresh peas and spinach, and give it a stir. If your sauce seems to be a bit too thin or watery when it is done cooking, you could make a quick mix of cornstarch and hot water and pour a tablespoon or two of the mixture into the crock pot, allow it to simmer a bit longer. This will thicken it right up.

    Serve over brown basmati or jasmine rice topped with fresh cilantro, mint or basil and maybe even some shredded coconut.

  19. Red Quinoa with Spaghetti Squash, Spinach, Fresh Herbs and Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

    Red Quinoa with Spaghetti Squash, Spinach, Fresh Herbs and Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

    Today is day 9 of my cleanse and I am feeling incredible. Besides feeling lighter, clearer and more awakened when cleansing, I really love the opportunity to play around with new dishes. I love the challenge of making fun cleanse-friendly, vegan meals that are loaded with whole, fresh ingredients and of course, flavor. I especially enjoy doing so this time of year, when there is so much exciting produce to play around with.

    I am not going to sing the praises of quinoa once again, if you read my blog regularly you know what a nutritional powerhouse it is. I will tell you however, if you haven’t yet experimented with spaghetti squash, you must. It is such an amazing vegetable (well technically it’s a fruit, but whatever) and it is so versatile in vegan cooking. Many people like to eat spaghetti squash in replace of traditional pasta in recipes, I personally love pasta too much to do this on a regular basis, but I have before and it’s good. I had some for lunch today with a bit of the leftover vegan alfredo sauce that I made and it was delicious. Spaghetti squash is especially good simply tossed with butter or olive oil, garlic, fresh sage and some salt and pepper. Much like a pumpkin, you can also toast the seeds from a spaghetti squash, one of my favorite fall snacks. You could certainly use those on top of this recipe, just cut the squash in half before baking, scoop out the seeds and rinse them before toasting. I personally didn’t feel like hacking through the raw squash before baking, which is much harder than cutting into it when fully cooked, so I baked the squash whole. Plus I already had toasted pumpkin seeds from earlier in the day, on hand, ready to be used.

    This meal is full of flavor and it quite hearty. Beyond the nutty crunch of the quinoa and the fall flavor from the squash, I love the taste and aroma from the fresh herbs, the slight crunch from the spinach, the subtle heat from the chile and the brightness of the lemon juice at the end. The crispy toasted pumpkin seeds on top were the perfect finish to the dish. For a dish that is incredibly healthy and light, this dish filled both Mark and I up perfectly. The leftovers are also just as delicious as a room temperature or cold salad.

    Feel free to play around with whatever fresh herbs you happen to have on hand, sage would be nice here as well as rosemary, parsley, basil, oregano or whatever fresh herbs you can easily get your hands on. You could also use arugula instead of spinach which would bring a lovely peppery flavor to the dish.

    Red Quinoa with Spaghetti Squash, Spinach, Fresh Herbs and Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

    Red Quinoa with Spaghetti Squash, Spinach, Fresh Herbs and Toasted Pumpkin Seeds
    serves 4-6

    1 cup red quinoa (you could also use regular quinoa here)
    1 1/2 cups water
    1 large peeled whole garlic clove
    1 spaghetti squash
    1/4 cup fresh herbs, I used chives and mint
    1 spicy hot chile pepper, finely chopped, seeds removed for less heat (I used an heirloom lemon drop pepper, you could also use a jalapeno or dried red pepper flakes)
    2 cloves garlic, finely minced
    2 cups organic baby spinach, roughly chopped
    1/2 lemon
    salt and pepper to taste

    Preheat oven to 375º.
    Place the whole spaghetti squash in a shallow baking pan, pierce with a knife or skewer and place in the center of the oven (this is a must so it doesn’t explode). Baked for 45 minutes to an hour, until you can easily pierce it with a paring knife.

    While the squash is cooking, rinse quinoa well and place in a medium saucepan with 1 1/2 cups of water and garlic clove. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, until all the water is absorbed and it’s fully cooked. Fluff with a fork and place the cover on the pan until the squash is finished baking.

    Meanwhile, cut up your fresh herbs, mince the garlic and pepper and add all to a large serving dish.

    Once the squash is cooked remove it from the oven and allow to cool slightly, enough so that you can handle it. At this point, if your pumpkin seeds are raw you can increase the oven temperature to 400º and put them in to be toasted.

    When cool enough to handle, cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise with a serrated knife. Scoop out the seeds and fibrous strings from the center of the cooked spaghetti squash. Gently scrape the tines of a kitchen fork around the edge of the spaghetti squash to shred the pulp into strands. Add the spaghetti squash to the serving bowl. Remove the whole garlic clove from the cooked quinoa and add the quinoa to the serving dish. Add in the fresh spinach and toss everything together to combine. Your spinach will wilt a bit from the heat of the quinoa and squash. If you want the spinach fully cooked, you can quickly saute it in the pan you cooked your quinoa in. I personally like the crunch from the fresh spinach. Squeeze the juice from half a lemon over the dish. Salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately topped with fresh herbs and a small handful of toasted pumpkin seeds.

  20. Vegan, Gluten-Free Fettucine Alfredo

    Vegan, Gluten-free Fettucini Alfredo

    I have fully admitted to my love-affair with pasta on this blog, many times. It is something I cannot live without and is almost always included in my weekly menu planning. Not only are pasta dishes simple and fun to create but they can easily be made with ingredients you have in the pantry and your refrigerator and many times can easily be made healthy. Even with the healthiest of pasta recipes, to me it is a major comfort food, it always will be. Probably the number 1 comfort food on my list.

    Although I am on a cleanse, I wanted to make sure to experiment with at least one cleanse-friendly pasta dish. Of course, as I mentioned in my post about my cleanse, there are many different types of cleanses out there and many different items you can remove from your diet when cleansing. Obviously this recipe may not work on every cleanse. For me already being on a totally gluten-free diet, removing gluten when cleansing is never a major hassle or issue, but it is very important to a cleanse and to detoxify your body. For me one of the biggest things I like to remove from my diet while cleansing is dairy. I am not a milk drinker and I rarely cook with it, but cheese is what gets me. I love cheese. So with that in mind, I wanted to come up with a cleanse-friendly pasta dish that would bring the comfort of any other gluten-free pasta dish I would make, but with cleanse friendly ingredients.

    I love gluten-free pastas and find them to be much lighter compared to traditional wheat-based pastas. I personally prefer brown rice pastas and I love Tinkyada brand organic pastas. They have three or less ingredients, organic brown rice, rice bran and water. That’s it. When I cleanse the majority of what I eat is fresh vegetables, legumes and whole grains – I certainly cannot go without pasta. Brown rice pasta falls within the constraints of my cleanse and though I don’t eat a ton of it, a dish like this is a perfect way to forget you are even cleansing at all. If you don’t care much for brown rice pasta, there are also corn and quinoa based gluten-free pastas that are also quite delicious, as well.

    I decided when making this alfredo sauce rather than trying to experiment with different nut milks, which I knew wouldn’t give me the thick and creamy affect of an alfredo sauce, I would go the route of a raw nut based sauce. Cashews tend to be great for this. Even without excessive soaking, you can just add boiling hot water to cashews just before pureeing and get a delicious creamy sauce. I took the above photo the next day with the leftovers, since it was too dark to take photos the night we ate it. I honestly don’t think the image fully captures just how creamy the sauce really is, it is incredible. There isn’t an overwhelming nutty flavor to the sauce and by adding garlic, basil and some nutritional yeast, it’s very hard to tell that it is even dairy free. Beyond nutritional yeast’s nutty and cheesy flavor, is a great source of protein and fiber, it is rich in B-complex vitamins including B12 and it contains the glucose tolerance factor that helps in the regulation of blood sugar. If you are a vegetarian or vegan, it is definitely worth exploring adding it into your diet.

    The beauty of this sauce is that it doesn’t actually need to be heated up, so if you like to eat raw, you could skip heating it up, use your favorite alternative raw noodle, like thinly sliced raw zucchini (or other raw vegetables), kelp noodles, etc and just pour the raw cashew cream sauce right over for a delicious and healthy raw meal.

    I had some beautiful zucchini and yellow squash that we picked up at a farmers stand on our drive home from NYC so I added that and a carrot to the dish for some additional health-benefits as well as the very lovely colors. You could play around with many different vegetables here including fresh spinach, peas, etc.

    I had a small amount of sauce leftover that I put in the fridge, I figured it would be delicious on some steamed broccoli or over a baked potato, etc. I have a feeling you will fall in love with this healthy alfredo sauce.

    Soaking raw cashews for Vegan, Gluten-free Fettucini Alfredo

    Veggies for Vegan, Gluten-free Fettucini Alfredo

    Vegan, Gluten-Free Fettucine Alfredo
    serves 6

    1 1/2 cups raw, unsalted organic cashews
    3 cloves garlic
    1 cup warm water (you may need more)
    3 teaspoons nutritional yeast
    1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
    1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    14 ounces of your favorite gluten-free fettucine or linguini, I use Tinkyada’s organic brown rice pasta
    handful of fresh basil, roughly chopped
    1 tablespoon olive oil
    1 zucchini, julienned
    1 yellow squash, julienned
    1 carrot, peeled, julienned (or you can wash and peel the outside, then peel the entire carrot instead of julienning it, which is what I did)
    kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

    Place the raw cashews in a glass bowl, cover in water. Let soak as little as a few hours or overnight.

    In a large saucepan bring your water to a boil and cook your pasta according to package directions.

    Drain the soaked cashews and rinse well, place into your food processor with garlic, salt, pepper and 1 cup of water. You may find you need to add more water if the sauce is too thick, but you can always add more. Process until smooth and creamy. Once it is at your desired consistency, add in the nutritional yeast, pulse a few times to combine. Set aside until you are ready to heat it up.

    While your pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a skillet over a medium-high heat, add your julienned vegetables and sauté a few minutes until tender. Remove from heat.

    Once the pasta is cooked, reserve 1/2 cup of your cooking liquid, drain and place in a large serving dish. Pour the alfredo sauce into the saucepan you used to cook your pasta and heat over a medium heat, stirring often to keep from sticking. Once warm, pour over the pasta.

    Add the vegetables and fresh basil to the pasta and sauce. Toss to combine, adding some of the pasta cooking liquid if the sauce is too thick. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately, topped with freshly chopped basil and a sprinkle of nutritional yeast, if you wish.

  21. Rosemary Roasted Butternut Squash

    Rosemary Roasted Butternut Squash

    This is another cleanse-friendly recipe that I made as a side dish to my lentil soup. You could actually just toss the roasted squash cubes right into the soup just before serving if you wish, but Mark and I really wanted to savor the crispy brown little bites on their own.

    Roasted butternut squash is super easy to throw together and it makes a delicious fall side-dish. You can also add it to soups, stews or even atop salads. Butternut squash is packed with nutrients and antioxidants, it is low in fat and it provides an ample dose of your daily fiber. You can read more about all the wonderful health benefits of butternut squash from Whole Living here.

    Like most things that I tend to gravitate toward when cooking, what I love most about squashes are their versatility. You can roast butternut squash with a wide array of different spices and herbs, you can toss it with a bit of maple syrup or brown sugar and cinnamon, you can puree it for soup, the list goes on and on. Grab yourself some fall-harvest squashes this weekend at the market and get to playing, the possibilities are endless. We hit an adorable farmer’s stand on our way home from NYC and I nabbed two butternut squash, two acorn squash, a spaghetti squash and four pie pumpkins. I plan to grab even more this weekend at our farmers market.

    I chose rosemary as the star of this show because my potted rosemary in the garden is looking wonderful and it pairs so wonderfully with fall and winter dishes like this. You can certainly play around with other herbs or spices, thyme and sage are both wonderful with squash, you can also try smoked paprika, cilantro, tarragon, the list goes on and on.

    Rosemary Roasted Butternut Squash

    Rosemary Roasted Butternut Squash
    serves 2-4 (depending on how large the squash is)

    1 medium butternut squash
    1 clove garlic, finely minced
    1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
    Olive Oil (I probably used under a tablespoon, you can use more here if you wish, I was just trying to keep this very light)
    Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

    Preheat the oven to 400ºF

    Halve the squash lengthwise. Using a spoon, scoop out and discard seeds. Peel the squash with a vegetable peeler (if you can, this never works for me) or cut into big chunks and keep steady on the cutting board while cutting off the peel with a sharp knife.

    Cut the squash into 1-inch cubes. Transfer to a large, rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with oil, sprinkle with chopped rosemary, minced garlic, a small amount of sea salt and fresh ground pepper and toss to evenly combine. Spread out evenly in a single layer. Roast, tossing occasionally, until just tender and golden brown, about 30-40 minutes.

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