Balsamic Glazed Beets

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 7 minutes
Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients
3 1/2 lbs. beets- cooked, peeled, and sliced (click here for help)
Beet greens- washed
3 T balsamic vinegar
2 T pure maple syrup or honey
1 T olive oil
sea salt and pepper to taste
1 t cinnamon

Directions
1.    In saucepan stir together vinegar, syrup or honey and olive oil.
2.    Add beets and greens and heat over moderate heat until heated through.
3.    Add cinnamon and salt & pepper to taste.
4.    Serve warm or at room temperature.
5.    Can be made one day ahead.

Wonderful Winter Squash

Winter squash is one of the things I love about the fall. There are lots of varieties (pumpkin, butternut, delicata, acorn, spaghetti--great to use instead of pasta!) and adding them in this time of year helps keep sugar cravings from overtaking afternoon thoughts.

This recipe is super easy to throw together with leftover, cooked winter squash (whatever you've got on hand--even sweet potatoes would work) and contains a healthy dose of protein and high quality fat. Serve it with apples, and mark a fruit serving or two off your list for the day. Seems like it's perfect for an after nap/school snack or the favored munchy at Thanksgiving.

Ingredients
1/2 cup cooked winter squash
1 can (15 oz) canellini (white kidney) beans--or 2 cups fresh
1/4 cup flax seeds, ground (I use a coffee grinder)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/3 cup maple syrup
1.5 Tablespoons coconut oil
1.5 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Put everything in the bowl of a food processor and whirl away. 
2. It it's too thick, add a little water. 
3. Taste and adjust seasonings.
4. Serve at your next fall gathering and impress everyone there OR
5. Serve to some munchkins and let them guess what's included in the ingredient list.

Ginger Mashed Winter Squash

Yum.

It's all that needs to be said about this one.

Ingredients
Winter squash (butternut, sweet dumpling, delicata, etc.--use all the same or a combination of several)
Freshly grated ginger (start with a teaspoon)
A lot of cinnamon (no idea how much I put in!)
Butter Flavored Grapeseed Oil* or Butter (start with a Tablespoon)
A drizzle of honey
Sea salt to taste

*Email here to order.
Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Slice squash in half lengthways and scoop out seeds.
3. Place face down on a cookie sheet with a lip. Add enough water to cover the bottom of the tray.
4. Roast until a fork inserts easily.
5. Let cool slightly and scoop out flesh.
6. Add remaining ingredients and mash together. Adjust seasoning to taste.
7. Enjoy!

Apple Crisp

It's fall, which means apples--lots and lots of apples! We got a box of winesap seconds at a local orchard, which make a great apple crisp, and I have made one a week for almost a month now. It's easy to throw together and tastes delicious served warm with ice cream on top. Come to think of it, what doesn't taste delicious with ice cream on top?

I modified Mark Bittman's original recipe in How to Cook Everything (which you should put on your Christmas list, if you don't have a copy) to make it my own. Here's the skinny:

Ingredients
Apples, washed, quartered, and thinly sliced (I didn't peel mine) to fit into an 8" square or 9" round baking pan
Cinnamon (1-2 teaspoons depending on taste)
Juice of 1 lemon (or lime--it's what I had on hand tonight!)
1/2 cup sugar (or to taste)
5 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup or so rolled oats
1/2 cup or so whole wheat pastry flour
dash of salt
1/4 cup or so walnut pieces

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. While oven is preheating, grease dish lightly with butter or oil (I have an aerosol sprayer I put oil in to make this so easy) and fill with apples, cinnamon, a sprinkling of your sugar, and the lemon juice. Mix well.
3. Put it in the oven for 15 minutes. Set a timer.
4. Meanwhile, combine remaining sugar, more cinnamon (again to taste), butter, oats, flour, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse it all together until everything is, according to Mark Bittman, "well incorporated but not uniform."
5. When timer goes off, spread topping over apples and bake for 12-15 minutes. Again, set a timer.
6. When timer goes off, add the walnuts and return to oven to bake for 5-10 minutes until the topping is brown and your house smells like fall. I actually turn the oven off and leave the crisp in it to stay warm until ready to serve.
7. Top with ice cream and enjoy!

Pumpkin Bread

This is a lovely fall recipe my mother-in-law shared from years ago. I modified it to fit the ingredients I typically use for baking, and it turned out delicious. It makes quite a lot (two 9x5 loaves), so I made some muffins and mini-loaves to share with friends  (be sure to reduce cooking time significantly) in addition to two small loaves for the freezer.

Ingredients
2.5 cups sugar
1 cup Butter Grapeseed Oil (click here to order) or other oil
(I might try coconut oil next time)
4 eggs, beaten
2.5-3 cups cooked winter squash or pumpkin*
2 cups pastry wheat flour
1.5 cups unbleached all purpose flour
2 t soda
2 t salt
1 t baking powder
1 t nutmeg
1 t allspice
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t cloves
2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup walnut pieces

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. With a mixer cream sugar and oil together.
3. Add eggs and pumpkin--mix well.
4. Sift together dry ingredients and add to mix slowly.*
5. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts by hand.
6. Pour into two well greased and floured 9x5 inch loaf pans.
7. Bake 1.5 hours or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
8. Let stand 10 minutes.
9. Remove from pan to cool.
10. Enjoy!

* I had pumpkin in the freezer, so it was plenty moist. If you find the batter is a bit dry, add water a little at the time to make it pourable. The original recipe calls for canned pumpkin and 2/3 cup of water, but I found I didn't need the water.

Easy Winter Squash

We have been blessed with lots of winter squash this season in our CSA, but it's starting to pile up a little. I plan to use this simple method for cooking what I've got and freezing it for use to make pumpkin bread and soup this fall. We might have to eat a little before it goes into the freezer, though. It's so yummy!

Ingredients:
Winter squash (cook what you've got!)
Water
Local, raw honey
Cinnamon

Directions:

   1. Preheat oven to 425
   2. Slice squash in half lengthwise (you need a good, sharp knife to do this)
   3. Spoon out seeds and discard
   4. Place cut side down on oven safe dish or cookie sheet
   5. Add enough water to cover bottom of pan
   6. Place on middle rack of oven
   7. Set timer and check in 20 minutes. It's done when tender to a fork
   8. Remover from oven and let cool
   9. Place squash cut side up on a plate and drizzle with honey and sprinkle with cinnamon
  10. Enjoy!