squash and greens

two words: delicious. nutritious.

roasted veggies over herbed cole slaw

quinoa with butternut squash and greens

black bean burrito on sprouted grain tortillas
salad with maple balsamic vinaigrette

escarole soup with kabocha squash and chick peas

john and i have been enjoying winter squash and greens almost every evening. during the day, we like to drink our greens. trips to animo juice, an organic cafe a few towns over are so colorful this time of year.

we usually order a juice and a wheat grass shot. the juice below is called garden state and was made from carrot, greens, apple and lemon. i forgot what john had, but it was yummy and contained spirulina.

green smoothies at home haven't been too exciting. (i miss my berry smoothies!)

blub blub

=)

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so what are your plans for the weekend?

i have an idea for the mommies that read my bloggie:

make food with your kiddies!

this is a great time of year to make soup or baked goodies. my friend made pumpkin bread from scratch with her 2 and 3 year-old and said they had an absolute blast! it's a cute way to spend time with your children and celebrate natural foods, while teaching them the important skill of preparing their own food.

roasting pumpkin seeds is a fun activity for the kids, and you could puree the pumpkin for all kinds of yummy treats like pie or cookies.

here's an easy and deliciously rich peanut butter cookie recipe from pam i recently tried that would be perfect for the little ones - only 3 ingredients!
 

note: i recommend using unsweetened peanut butter or less sugar

if you have a blender and a dehydrator, you could make some apple cinnamon fruit roll-ups.

with homemade green powder for added nutrition

you can see the little green specks, but the taste is masked by sweet apple and cinnamon. a nice idea for the pickier eaters to get their greens in!

just some ideas. i'd love for you to share yours in the comments!

also, what were some things you loved doing with your family as a child?

i was reminded of how special it was to eat dinner with my family every night by this article. stephanie nielson is truly inspiring.

have a wonderful weekend!

=)

festive fall eats

soups and salads and slaw... oh my! i'm doing my best to keep our fall harvest meals exciting. while roasted squash is comforting and delicious, it can get old fast.

mr h. from subsistence pattern suggested trying squash grated raw on salads. i love that idea and took it a step further to create a fall cole slaw using savoy cabbage and sweet peppers.

sweet fall slaw

1/4 kabocha squash, grated
2 sweet or bell peppers, any color, julienned
about 6 leaves of cabbage, julienned
few sprigs dill

maple cider vinaigrette

2 T coconut oil
2 T apple cider vinegar
1 T maple syrup
cinnamon and salt, to taste

mix veggies and vinaigrette well. (if your coconut oil is solid, warm it just a bit.) serve immediately.

this slaw went nicely with grilled portobello mushrooms marinated in balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

optional: top with pecans

maple cider vinaigrette and pecans make a nice seasonal salad with apples as well. (i have to mention john created the vinaigrette. he's becoming quite the chef! did i tell you about the first meal the "italian stallion" (barely) prepared for me... shake-and-bake chicken with rice-a-roni?! neverminddd.=)

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homemade veggie soups are my favorite when the weather is crisp. this one is a fresh ginger and shoyu base with acorn squash, celery, savoy cabbage and white potato.

today's tip: use a pinch of nutmeg to enhance the flavor of fall soups.

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some kabocha squash was roasted in a maple-balsamic glaze and served with sauteed kale. can you tell i like pecans?

i also like kabocha squash and kale, preferably organic and free, from my own garden. i saved some squash seeds to grow next summer and i'm hoping the kale babies below grow through the fall and winter. we'll see!

i leave you with a shot of my favorite fall flower, the pansy. i was that crazy lady taking photos of flowers at the market. who could resist?=)

she's baaackkk

finally got my laptop back! bad news - they couldn't fix the 7h problem. good news - they gave me a little keyboard to use, free of charge! it's going to take some getting used to, but i'm just glad the old gateway is still up and running!

i hope you didn't mind my previous cut-and-paste posts. every day i visit peace village's thought for the day and receive insightful emails from the daily om. they write such gems that i feel the need to share.

today's thought from peace village:

Today is a day of new opportunities. Let me not lose them by dwelling on the past.

i'm three weeks behind on my csa updates and even further behind on food pics, but dwell i shall not!=) 

week 12

week 13

 week 14

today's dinner was a super yummy stir-fry with kabocha squash (the pumpkin-looking guy from week 12) bok choy and peppers from week 13, and broccoli and patty pan squash from 14 (this week). the veggies were chopped and steamed with sliced button mushrooms...

... then served over quinoa with chopped mango, cilantro and a variation of quinoa salad marinade:

2 T coconut oil
1/4 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp raw organic agave
1/2" piece of ginger (or more), grated
3 T shoyu or tamari

i added 1 T chunky peanut butter (any nut butter would be tasty) and a clove of garlic per john's recommendation. good call, johnny boy!

this was our first time trying kabocha squash and the verdict is - delicious! tomorrow i'd like to roast it with kale, maple syrup, pecans and shoyu for a sweet and savory seasonal dish.

how do you like to prepare winter squash?