roasted sweet dumpling squash with rosemary and garlic

winter squash did nothing for me until i tried the different varieties grown by our csa, and now roasted squash may be my favorite thing about fall (next to the colorful leaves and coziness of the season, of course:) i like kabocha, delicata and sweet dumpling squash best as they all have a nice sweetness and texture to them that make them delicious simply roasted with just a bit of salt - and their skin is edible (and very good) - so no peeling (which is not always easy with squash)!

this dish came together pretty effortlessly as i just picked through the fridge and garden for ingredients. in my opinion, all veggies taste great together roasted, especially squash and root vegetables! to make sure those tough veggies got tender when baked, i added just enough water to fill the bottom of a glass casserole dish and covered with foil to steam them through.

the sweet dumpling squash, purple potato and carrots were baked with a nice sprinkling of salt, three chopped garlic cloves and two sprigs of rosemary for 25 minutes in a 425° oven. then i removed the foil, added broccoli and a drizzle of olive oil, then roasted the veggies uncovered another 20 minutes.

while the vegetables were cooking, i picked and made a kalad (which i just accidentally typed but have decided to leave and coin as the new term for kale salad :) it would have been a quick and easy salad had every single leaf not been covered in eggs, tiny cocoons and cute little caterpillars hiding in the curly ends! after the little guys were freed, the chopped kale was washed thoroughly, massaged with olive oil and salt, then sprinkled with hemp seeds and dried cranberries.

 

you know it's a good meal when hubba wubba says to leave out the rest because he plans to go back for seconds!:) which vegetables do you enjoy in the fall?

xoxoxo

delicata squash and wheat berry soup

this seasonal soup is a beautiful balance of sweet squash and savory herbs, with a nice chewiness from the wheat berries. had i known how delicious it was going to be, i would have noted my exact measurements! what i can do is give you some rough estimates to help you create a similar tasty soup in your slow cooker.

DELICATA SQUASH & WHEAT BERRY SOUP

1 cup wheat berries, rinsed

1 delicata squash, cubed

2 carrots, sliced into half moons

1 red pepper, diced

3/4 cup dried chick peas (or 1 1/2 cups cooked)

2 garlic cloves, minced

about 4 cups water or vegetable broth

pinch of cayenne pepper

salt and pepper, to taste

dried oregano and/or fresh thyme

place ingredients in a crock pot and cook on high for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally. if using cooked chick peas, stir those in towards the end. since the measurements aren't exact, start with about 3 1/2 cups water or broth and add more as needed. let me know if you have any questions - i'm happy to help!

xoxoxo

end of september garden

despite the cooler temperatures, the garden is still thriving. we're harvesting tomatoes, lettuce, cucumber, green beans, yellow squash and some herbs. i didn't take as many home garden as community garden photos this year, but i do have some to show you from last month. 

on the last day of summer, i added sunflowers to an autumn wreath. it's my farewell summer, hello fall wreath. it hung just a few hours until the flowers wilted, so i'm glad i took a picture.

this dark outside by 7 pm business is for the birds, but i'm doing my best to embrace the change. oh what would i do without you, winter squash?=)

some of my favorite ways to enjoy winter squash:

sweet sage acorn squash (or with walnuts - walnuts and sage mimic a sausage flavor.)
kabocha squash (simple is best - i like mine roasted with just a sprinkle of salt.)
pumpkin seeds (most winter squash seeds can be prepared this way!)
squash and greens
stuffed butternut squash
spaghetti squash
sweet fall slaw

sunshine days

the plumeria from my mom is producing the nicest-scented blooms. they were supposed to be pink but i'm happy they're yellow. they look really pretty in the garden this time of year.

my niece alaina turned five. alaina's the sweetest little soul i've ever known. she gets excited over heart-shaped rocks and gushes over kati-cat's "little feet". she came with me to babysit and helped baby kev go down the slide by himself, saying things like "it's alright little buddy". oh the cuteness!

winter squash is in and i couldn't be more thrilled! kabocha is my favorite for its flavor, but i love that acorn squash is its own flower-shaped bowl. it's perfect with sweet sage butter, toasted walnuts and a side of garden green beans, and tastes even better reheated the next day for lunch.
 

these are the last of the sunflowers. it's actually one plant with multiple heads. i always say it - next year i need to plant more sunflowers! soon it will be time to plant the garlic and tulip bulbs for spring. oh where did the summer go? i'm certainly soaking in these last days!=)

p.s. honestly, it has hasn't been all sunshine over here. i've been feeling sort of sad and frustrated lately, but i like to keep my blog positive and not get into it here. i'm ok and don't want anyone to worry, just know that i haven't been around so much because i've been trying to rest my arm and keep to myself. i'm sure no one wants to read the rants that i'd be posting otherwise.=)

fall harvest

 kabocha squash, spaghetti squash, and one little pumpkin

these are the winter squash that i harvested in the middle of summer, but since they're "fall crops", we'll just pretend i picked them today.

5/21/11

you may remember that i filled one of our plots at the community garden with gourds. some of you gardeners probably laughed at me for thinking the space was sufficient. well, i learned my lesson.

 6/26/11

just a little over one month and the space reached full capacity. after that it was a squash hospice. i'm grateful some plants hung on long enough to produce fruit. it's just so hard saying no to some seeds, especially the ones i saved myself. i could really use more space!

sweet sage squash with rosemary roasted potatoes

:: sweet sage squash ::
(slight modification of muth family farm's recipe)

1 medium acorn squash, halved and seeded
2 T earth balance vegan butter
1 T maple syrup or brown sugar
2 tsp minced fresh sage
pinch of salt

rosemary roasted potatoes
(recipe by barefoot contessa)

1 ½ pounds small red or white-skinned potatoes (or a mix)
2 T olive oil
3/4 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
1 T minced garlic (3 cloves)
2 T minced fresh rosemary leaves


1 :: preheat oven to 400°F. 

2 :: place acorn squash cut side down in a glass casserole dish. 

3 :: cut potatoes in quarters and toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic and rosemary until well coated. spread on baking sheet in a single layer and bake with squash about one hour, or until potatoes are brown and crisped. flip twice with a spatula during cooking to ensure even browning.

4 :: while the squash and potatoes are cooking, prepare sweet sage butter by heating butter, maple syrup, sage and salt on low about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

5 :: coat squash with sweet sage butter and enjoy flavorful fall deliciousness!=)

::

at the community garden for rosemary, i picked some more greens and shot some more photos.

 cabbage

 arugula and peas

 escarole

 pea blossoms

 our plots

cute shed

and lastly, the stars of tonight's show

sage

 and rosemary

do you like rosemary and/or sage? what are your favorite ways to use them?

stuffed squash and raw brownie bites

 inspired by heathy

 

recipe from the delicious revolution

spaghetti squash and pumpkin cookies

heavens to betsy, was this ever a flavorful fall meal! my kitchen smelled so good while the spaghetti squash and pumpkin cookies were baking, it may have even lured a new furry into our family! (more on that to come... don't want to jinx it!) edit: that little furry is named sammy and he already has a family. he still comes to visit!

 

this was my first time with spaghetti squash. it took a few bites for me to get used to and by leftovers the next day i was hooked! i find it super yummy, warm or cool with olive oil, himalayan salt, pepper, and oregano.

sauteed artichoke hearts and organic shelled edamame also went nicely with the strands of squashy goodness. john enjoyed both dishes as well.

for those who haven't tried spaghetti squash, i'd describe it as a sweet winter squash with an interesting texture... almost like zucchini pasta, but cooked. all you do is slice it in half, length-wise, bake it face down at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes or so, then go at with a fork. the flesh naturally falls apart into spaghetti-like strands.

...though the name is a bit misleading, as it doesn't taste at all like spaghetti. think yummy, slightly crunchy, healthy pasta alternative... a nice seasonal sub for kelp noodles and other gluten-free pastas!

image source

for those who have tried it, do you like spaghetti squash? how do you prepare it?

on to dessert...

though i prefer to make raw sweets, john loves baked goodies and is so appreciative when i bake him something, it almost makes the burnt fingertips and messy counter tops worthwhile. i also kind of feel bad i didn't make him zucchini brownies once this summer.

with homemade pumpkin puree in the fridge ready to expire, i searched for an easy pumpkin cookie recipe that included ingredients i had on hand. (i love the man but wasn't about to knock myself out running around!=)

these vegan old-fashioned soft pumpkin cookies were outstanding! more like little pumpkin cakes or pumpkin roll - so moist and flavorful! i bet the recipe could even be used for vegan pumpkin roll - i'll have to try it, though i'm not sure how it will compete with my mom's famous pumpkin roll...

mine may stand a chance since i add a deliciously unique fall flavor with asian five spice powder (a mix of cinnamon, anise, fennel, ginger, clover, and licorice root... hmmm, shouldn't it be called six spice?)  have you tried five spice powder? are you in love with it, too?

i wrote down my alterations but lost the paper. i remember using more cinnamon (maybe 2 tsp?) and a heaping tsp five spice. i cut back on the nutmeg and ginger and didn't add any cloves - only what was in the five spice powder. with no applesauce in the house, i substituted one ener-g egg replacer.

the recipe made 27 large cookies. thinking of pumpkin rolls, john thought they would taste great with cream cheese icing. i've made this vegan cream cheese frosting recipe before with vegan carrot cupcakes and everyone (including me) loved it. i'm not usually a big fan of cream-cheesy desserts.

so out we went for vegan cream cheese. (i'll run around if he's willing to keep me company!=) it was a total impulse purchase and i didn't read the ingredients until i got home. next time i'd like to try raw cream cheese, but with rejuvelac and cashews. i may even take a stab at an uncooked pumpkin roll rawl!=)

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

=)

*

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!

=)