Halloween

I love all holidays.  I love the anticipation, the preparation, the festive moods, the friendly people...  Although Halloween is one of my least favorite holidays, I still love it.  I love that today we worked outside in our yard, carved a pumpkin, cooked the seeds, prepared the candy bowl for trick-or-treaters and now we answer our door as dozens of kids come to our house dressed in costumes such as: Spiderman, Batman, The Man in the Yellow Hat, Curious George, Minnie Mouse, Tron, Harry Potter... (by the way, Man In the Yellow Hat you are my favorite:).
Here is our expertly carved Jack-o-Lantern by Jeremy

Last year was the first time I cooked the seeds of our pumpkin and I was quite pleased with the result.  However, last year we covered them in honey which was a little bit of a sticky mess.  So this year I went for something a less messy :)

1. Remove seeds from pumpkin and clean as much as possible
2. Pat seeds dry with paper towel
3. Put seeds in a bowl and sprinkle with a little bit of olive oil, garlic salt and pepper and mix.
4. Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 250 for 45 minutes

***Pumpkin seeds are believed to:

• promote prostate health
• improve cholesterol levels
• decrease inflammation related to arthritis
• be a good source of magnesium, manganese, zinc, iron, copper and protein

P.S. Our summer CSA ended last week, so we didn't have any vegetables this week.  But next week we start our CSA winter edition!

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Quesadillas

A Guest Post from Jeremy:

After months of laboring in our kitchen as Erin's sous chef, I was granted the opportunity to take the lead on a meal the other night, and have now been invited to share that experience as a guest blogger. She's a taskmaster, that Mrs. Brown, but at least she's cute. One of our favorite meals from way back when we were dating, Sweet Potato and Black Bean Quesadillas are always a big hit in the Brown household. Erin's first response when I told her about them? "Well, I like black beans and I like sweet potatoes, but I just don't know about them mashed together." She almost broke my heart. I adapted this recipe, so I can't take all the credit, just most of it.

Here what you need:

• 3 organic sweet potatoes (organic does matter since non-organic sit in the ground soaking in chemicals)
• 1 large red bell pepper
• 1 medium red onion
• 1 can of drained black beans
• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• Spices: chili powder, cumin, ginger, salt, pepper, cinnamon, red pepper flakes (you decide how much)
• 8-10, 8-inch tortilla (we like Tumaro's Gourmet Tortillas, low in fat, carbs and artificial junk)
• Shredded cheddar or mexican blend cheese
• Sour cream, salsa, and/or avocado (for a topping)

And here's what you do:

1. Stab the sweet potatoes with a fork until they're full of holes, then microwave them for 8 minutes or bake them for approx 45 min at 450. They should be soft and starting to bubble, but don't let them get tough.
2. Dice one large red bell pepper and one red onion.
3. Mince 2-3 cloves of garlic (I love our garlic press and hate chopping garlic).
4. Toss the pepper, onion and garlic into a pan with some olive oil, then add chili powder, cumin, ginger, and salt and pepper (I just estimate how much).
5. Sautee over medium heat until the onions are translucent and the peppers are kinda soft.
6. Turn heat down to medium low and toss in one can of drained black beans and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated.
7. Meanwhile, scoop all of the sweet potato sweetness out of the skin, and make sure to burn your fingers a lot while doing so. In a mixing bowl, mash up the sweet potatoes with some cinnamon and red pepper flakes.
8. Add the sweet potato mixture to the veggies and beans in the pan, stir to heat and combine.
9. Grab your tortillas and put about 1/2 a cup of the mixture onto half of each tortilla, then sprinkle with cheddar or mexican cheese. Fold in half.
10. Brown the quesadilla in a pan with a little bit of olive oil. Our panini press works great for this.
11. Serve with some sour cream, natural salsa, or slices of avocado.

Only cook as many as you think you'll eat. These make better leftovers if you do. This time of year, these go down nicely with a bottle of Oktoberfest beer. Paulaner is my favorite.

Now back to washing dishes for Erin . . .

Black Bean Soup

I can't take credit for the creation or discovery of this recipe.  I had this soup several years ago at my friend, Abbey's house.  I remember loving it that first time I had it.  Ever since then I look forward to the coming of cold weather...soup weather!  So today, on this last day of October, I make my first of many pots of black bean soup for the winter.

Abbey's Black Bean Soup

• 10 slices finely chopped bacon (I use turkey bacon)
• 2 medium onions
• 6 garlic cloves
• 1 (14.5 oz) can chicken broth (I buy organic free range broth and I use closer to 25 oz)
• 1.5 c. canned tomatoes (I like to buy diced)
• 2 Tbs ketchup
• 2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 Tbs chili powder
• 4 cans black beans - drained
• salt and pepper (salt not needed)
• 1 bunch cilantro
• juice of 1/2 lime
• scallions and/or cheddar cheese for a garnish

1. Cut bacon into small pieces and put into a large heavy pot and place over medium heat.  Cook until bacon starts to give up its fat...about 4 minutes (for turkey bacon I let it cook about 10 minutes).
2. Stir in the onions and cook until they turn translucent...about 4 minutes
3. Stir in garlic until you smell it...1 minute.
4. Add the rest.  Boil gently 10 minutes.
5. Stir in cilantro after 10 minutes. Cook until thickened.  Stir in lime juice.

Fresh Green Beans

When I was little I loved green bean casserole (with the mozzarella cheese and onion rings on top...yum!).  I used to ask for my mom to make it on birthday along with strawberry pretzel jello.  Sometime in the past 15 years I have also learned to appreciate and enjoy fresh green beans. In addition to the taste, there is something about washing and snapping the green beans that I enjoy (weird I know).   This is the way my mom always makes them; They are delicious.

Fresh Green Beans with Mushrooms

• green beans
• mushrooms
• garlic
• onion
• butter
• salt and pepper
• optional: add some bacon for more yummy goodness (and less healthiness)

1. Wash and snap beans. 
2. Put beans in boiling water for approximately 20 minutes
3. In the meantime saute mushrooms, onion, garlic,salt and pepper in a skillet.
4. Drain water and mix the beans and mushrooms together.

Even my husband who 2 months ago claimed he didn't like green beans, looks forward to eating them now.

Baked Butternut Squash

I've always enjoyed eating healthy and have tried to eat as many fruits and vegetables as I can.  However, I have learned, by being a part of our CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), that there are a variety of yummy things that grow from the earth that I have been oblivious to.  Butternut Squash is one of those things.  This is the first recipe my husband and I made from the many butternut squashes we have had this season.  Jeremy and I give it 2 thumbs up!  I  love how easy it is!

BAKED BUTTERNUT SQUASH

• 2  small butternut squash or 1 large
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 1/3 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
• pepper

1. Peel butternut squash (with a knife or with a peeler...I haven't decided which is easier).
2. Cut squash in half and remove seeds
3. Cut squash in about 1 in cubes
4. Mix squash, olive oil, pepper, garlic in a baking dish
5. Sprinkle with cheese
6. Bake at 425 for 50 -55 minutes.
7. ENJOY!

*** Winter squash are an excellent source of Vitamin A!  They are also high in dietary fiber, vitamin C, potassium and maganese.

Acorn Squash Cheesy Bake

We’ve had 2 acorn squash sitting on our kitchen counter for a week from our CSA.  A month ago I tried to bake an acorn squash in the oven with butter and cinnamon.  It didn’t turn out very good (due to the fact I didn't cook it long enough).  Therefore I’ve not been excited to do anything with these two acorn squashes.   After looking at a variety of recipes on-line I combined a few to make what I call Acorn Squash Cheesy Bake :)

Acorn Squash Cheesy Bake

• 2 Acorn Squash
• 1 cup celery
• mushrooms
• ½ onion
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 small yellow peppers
• fresh rosemary
• cooked shredded chicken
• cheddar cheese
• salt
• pepper

1.      Cut both acorn squash in half.  Remove seeds.  Place all four halves face down in a glass baking dish.  Cook in the microwave for 20 minutes.

2.      Sautee celery, mushrooms, onion, garlic, yellow peppers in skillet with olive oil, salt and pepper. 

3.      Shred cooked chicken and add to sautéed veggies.

4.      Take cooked acorn squash and scrape out the insides into a baking dish.  (Be careful it is HOT!)

5.      Spread squash in the bottom of greased baking dish. 

6.      Spread sautéed veggies and chicken on top of squash

7.      Sprinkle fresh rosemary and shredded cheese on top.

8.      Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.

My husband and I both really enjoyed this dish.  I served it with brown rice and a green salad.  This is for sure something we will make again. 

Roasted Pumpkin with Applesauce

• Cut a mini-pumpkin in half
• Remove the seeds
• Place the two pumpkin halves in a baking dish
• Fill the pumpkin halves with applesauce
• Sprinkle with cinnamon
• Cover and bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 45 minutes

I love pumpkin and wanted to find a use for the mini-pumpkins we received from our CSA.  This dish is interesting, although I found it somewhat disappointing mostly because I didn't think the pumpkin tasted much like pumpkin.  Not sure if I would make it again.  But, it was fun for something new and different.

Grandma's Applesauce

We've had a lot of apples the past few weeks from our CSA.  After several weeks of making apple crisp, I decided to make my grandma's applesauce this week.  I've never made applesauce before. In fact I am not really a fan of applesauce...except for my grandma's.  It has been years since I have had it, but I got excited just thinking about it.  My mom was able to find her recipe (as seen below).  It wasn't very specific so I wasn't exactly sure of the details.  However, after about an hour of peeling, chopping, cooking, and mashing...I had something very similar to the applesauce I remember having as a child at my grandparents house.

Grandma's Applesauce

• 4 quarts apples peeled & chopped
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 and 1/3 cup sugar and honey combined
• 1 and 3/4 cup water
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp salt

Cook in a large pot for 10 minutes. Remove from heat 10 minutes.

 

My grandma had made a note to use less sugar.  So, I put in just 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 cup of honey.  I put all the apples and other ingredients in a large pot on the stove and cooked over medium heat for 10 - 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. I then took it off the heat and allowed it to stand 10 minutes.  I tried to chop the apples up a little but eventually decided to pour it in a mixing bowl and beat it for a couple minutes with my hand mixer.  I left the applesauce fairly chuncky because that is how my grandma always made it...that is the way I liked it.