QUESADILLAS WITH "CHEESY" BUTTERCUP SQUASH FILLING

Because my girls and I don't eat much dairy, quesadillas have been a bit of a challenge for us. However, the simplicity of the meal has had me forever enchanted.

Buttercup squash seem to hold a wonderful solution. These little guys have a thick flesh when cooked, reminiscent of a sweet potato, which is enough to hold together two finicky tortillas. The nutritional yeast and spices give it a "cheesy" flavor although [here's my disclaimer], cheese is cheese no matter how you cut it and, if we call it what it is, there isn't a substitute for the real stuff.

However, there is a different kind of really, really good and this is it.

So, put your preconceptions of what a quesadilla should be [or has been] on the shelf and give this a whirl. You might be surprised by your lack of disappointment.


[THE RECIPE]
Makes 2 - 4 Quesadillas

For the tortillas:

4 sprouted corn tortillas
extra virgin, raw coconut oil
sea salt

Gently rub, using hands, a thin coat of coconut oil over one side of each tortilla. Sprinkle a pinch of salt on each. Set aside.

For the "cheesy" spread:

1 large buttercup squash [or other thick-fleshed squash or sweet potato], roasted*
1/2 medium - large onion [or one small], finely chopped
1 - 2 tsp. raw, unrefined extra virgin coconut oil
1/2 red, orange, or yellow sweet pepper, finely chopped
1 - 2 medium size carrots, shredded
1 large clove of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. powders of each: turmeric, coriander, and oregano
1 1/2 tsp. cumin powder [freshly ground if possible]
1 T. nutritional yeast
sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 - 2 cups shredded greens [kale, spinach, pok choi, arugula, mustard greens, etc.]

Roast squash using instructions below [*].

In a medium cast iron or stainless steel pan, saute onion in a teaspoon or two coconut oil until onions are soft and just beginning to brown. Add pepper, shredded carrots, and garlic and saute for another minute or two until peppers are just beginning to soften.

Scoop roasted squash out of the shell and place in a blender with spices, yeast, and salt. Using a tamper, blend until very smooth. Add water by the tablespoon if mixture is too difficult to blend. The spread should have a thick, paste-like consistency.

Once sauce is blended [taste and make any necessary adjustments], spread onto the non-oiled side of half of the prepared tortillas. Top with the sauteed vegetables and shredded greens, add any additional fillings of choice [see suggestions below], and top with the remaining prepared tortillas. The oiled sides should be facing out. Place on a hot skillet or panini maker and cook until filling is warm [about two minutes]. Remove and gently cut into triangle pieces. Serve immediately with sides of choice [see suggestions below].

Optional Fillings:

additional sauteed vegetables
soaked and cooked beans of choice [black, adzuki, white, etc.]
shredded goat cheese
shredded chicken, beef, or lamb

Optional Sides:

salsa

fresh cilantro

avocado or guacamole
Greek Yogurt or non-dairy plain cultured yogurt of choice
coconut milk kefir

*To roast the squash, cut squash in half and scoop out stringy flesh and seeds. Place haves face-down [shell up] on a cookie sheet and cook at 450 degrees for 20 - 30 minutes or until soft. Use a knife or fork and gently prick to check. Remove from oven and let cool for 15 - 20 minutes or until you are able to handle the hot squash. 

SIMPLE PIZZA CRUST

My girls, like their father, love pizza. When I say love I mean LOVE. I've tried a host of pizza crust recipes ranging from a cauliflower to bean base. From gluten-free flour blends and yeast to straight from a box. Each time they came out okay. You know, edible. An occasional visitor but not necessarily a mainstay at our table.

Then I came across a recipe from Julie Morris in her book Superfood Kitchen and wondered if maybe she had hit on something grand. It's really simple with a minimal ingredients list, something lacking in many of the other recipes. Of course I needed to adjust some ingredients based on our family's specific dietary needs. I subbed different grains for rice flour and sneaked in a bit of squash for the beans.

And then, I held my breath and gave it to my two little [tough!] judges. They plowed through five pieces each. I'd call that success.

[THE RECIPE]
Adapted from Superfood Kitchen by Julie Morris
Makes One Pizza Crust

1/2 c. sorghum, quinoa, or buckwheat flour
1/4 c. flaxseed powder
3/4 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 T. chia seeds

1 1/2 c. buttercup squash puree*

3 T. water

Mix all of the dry ingredients in a medium-size bowl. Add the squash puree and water and mix well using hands, a spoon, or a mixer [I find a mixer works best here but use whatever you have]. Let sit for 15 - 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Gently spread dough out on a parchment-lined baking pan or pizza stone. Smooth to a 1/4-inch thick. If the dough gets sticky you can sprinkle extra flour or wet/oil spoon or hands.

Bake for 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and add toppings of choice [I show pesto with shredded goat cheese here]. Bake for an additional 5 - 10 minutes or until everything is cooked to your preference.

Cut into squares and serve immediately.

RED-VELVET PANCAKES

Recently I've been experimenting with my basic pancake recipe, giving it a little pizzazz. If you've visited your local market you know there are beets aplenty - one of the many stars of fall. Can you think of a better way to put these little babies to good use than slipping them into a pancake and calling it chocolate? Me either.  


[THE RECIPE]
Serves 4

Dry Ingredients:

3/4 c. quinoa, buckwheat, or sorghum flour

1/2 c. millet or oat flour
1/4 c. amaranth or teff flour
1/4 c. carob powder [or raw cacao powder]
2 T. mesquite powder [optional]

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. sea salt

Wet Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. water [use cooking water from beets]

3/4 c. boiled and peeled beets [appx. 4 small]*

1/4 c. whole flaxseeds 

2 T. apple cider vinegar

1 T. molasses [optional]

Combine all of the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and set aside. If you're grinding your own flour using a Vita-mix, I like to add all of the dry ingredients to the dry-mix container and blend. 

Blend all of wet ingredients, separate from the dry ingredients, on high until the mixture is smooth and well blended. Slowly pour the wet mixture into the dry, mixing constantly either by hand or with an electric mixer. When everything has been fully incorporated, gently fold into the batter any add-in ingredients [berries, nuts, dried fruit, shredded veggies, etc.]. 

Let sit for 15 minutes.

While batter sits, preheat oven to 200 degrees [F] and grab a glass baking dish. If you are using an electric skillet [one of the few times I do], heat the skillet to 315 - 325 degrees [you'll adjust the temperature as you go]. 

Pour 1/3 c. of the batter onto the warmed skillet. Batter should form a nice round but if not, gently spread it out with the back of a spoon or the measuring cup. Repeat 3 or 4 times, depending on the size of the pan. 

Cover skillet and cook for about 5 minutes or until the face of the pancakes begin to look cooked. Remove skillet cover and flip the pancakes. Return cover and cook for an addition 3 - 5 minutes or until both sides of the pancakes are browned. 

Turn off oven and place cooked pancakes in glass baking dish and warm in oven. Repeat with remaining batter. 

Once all of the pancakes are cooked and have had a few minutes in the oven, remove and serve immediately with ghee, real maple syrup [local if possible], and any toppings on choice.

*To prepare beets: scrub and rinse beets until all of the dirt has been removed. Place in a medium size pot and completely cover with water. Bring water to a boil. Gently boil until the beets are tender when poked with a fork. Remove from heat and reserve the cooking water / liquid [it should be bright red now]. Under cold water, remove skins of beets and discard. I like to do a large pot of beets and freeze the extra water and beet puree so I have some on hand when needed. 

PARSNIP CHIPS

Ahhh fall. If you've followed this blog through this season before you know it is without a doubt my favorite. Pumpkins and pumpkin everything, apples, squash, cool nights, warm days, spiced cider, chai, school supplies, soups......pure bliss.

This recipe stems from the root veggie parade that wraps up the growing season. Never a fan of roots in the past, with a little practice they have slipped their way up as some of my very favorite foods, parsnip chips ranking near the top.

[RIGHT ON PAR]

If you've never had a parsnip you really are in for a treat. Parsnips look like their carrot cousin but are a bit more mature, hosting a sweeter, nuttier flavor. And they come at just the right time.  The most effective way to warm the body is from the inside out, something these and other root vegetables are amazingly good at. As the air gets cooler and damper, the warming properties of parsnips help resolve these conditions in our bodies. They're a good source of calcium, vitamin A and C, and potassium and are relatively high in silicon and fiber [the insoluble kind].  

So, get these in the oven, grab a cup of tea and a really good book or the family, some friends, and a picnic basket, and take in every single ounce of this season. Play outside as much as possible. Try your hand at apple or pear sauce [it's too easy not to!], eat a salad [like twice a day because soon you'll salivate at the thought of fresh greens], and carve a pumpkin. Walk through the woods or around the block. Sit by a campfire. Light your favorite fall-scented candle. Decorate with mums and gourds and corn and hay. Most of all forget that winter is around the corner and simply enjoy what is right now - beauty everywhere.

[THE RECIPE]

3 - 4 large parsnips, scrubbed and cut into very thin slices*
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
spice blend of choice [I really like equal parts black pepper, onion powder, paprika; 1/2 parts garlic powder and turmeric; and a dash or so ground rosemary, ground thyme, ground basil]

Place cut parsnips on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Drizzle a couple tablespoons worth of olive oil over the parsnips and sprinkle a teaspoon or so of salt and a teaspoon or so of spice blend. Toss well until parsnips are thoroughly coated, adding more oil, salt, and spice as needed. Test a chip and adjust flavors accordingly.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place baking sheet in oven and bake for anywhere from 15 - 30 minutes. You'll want to watch them closely because baking time will vary depending on parsnip slice thickness.

When they are golden brown [not dark brown or black] and crispy, remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes.

Enjoy plain or with your dip!

*When I purchase organically I tend to not peel parsnips, carrots, beets, etc. and opt to scrub them really well instead. Many essential nutrients lie just beneath the peel and most peelers remove those nutrients with the peel.

SPICED PEAR SAUCE

When I think of September my first inclination is to let my thoughts go immediately to, what else, apples! Apple cider, apple sauce, apple crisp, apple pie, apple picking, apples, apples, apples!

This year however, we have pears.

I'm sure our trees are making up for last year's poor performance because this season they're loaded. The thing about gardening is we never really know what we'll get. We put in the work and hours and anxiety and care but, at the end of each day, nature must take over and we walk away with a feeling of well, it is what it is. Last year's fruit crop [or not-so-fruit crop] is fine evidence of this. If you suffered through no apples, pears, or peaches [at least organically grown, local ones] you know what I mean.

Which leads me to a confession.

I'm quite the glutton. In fact, I may just turn into a peach or pear or watermelon or maybe all three.

If you've fasted from anything before you may be able to relate. Or if you try to stick to local foods and follow seasonal eating patterns you definitely get it. Our mantra around here is: eat it while it's good and fresh and juicy and bright and delicious and eat a lot. Oh, and freeze or can everything else.

And so we're doing just that. We're eating and snacking and canning and freezing.

Which leads me to a recipe. A really, really simple recipe.

Spiced pear sauce.

A few weeks ago we picked our first pears and then a small cool snap got me thinking - apples make wonderful sauces, what about pears?

You may want to sit down for this.

Pear sauce is even better.

May you fully embrace the last days of summer - eat outside, swim, climb trees, walk in the park, swing. May you can or freeze some food [and be really proud when you do]. May you bite into a crunchy apple and juicy pear and be reminded to fully live in the present knowing what is this year may not come around next season. And may you make lots and lots of sauce.


[THE RECIPE]

Quick disclaimer: this is about as loose as recipes get. I've provided basic recipe guidelines but everything will be adjusted to your own taste preferences.

Fresh picked, organic pears
Fresh or ground dried ginger
Ground cardamom
Water
 Food mill, blender, or food processor

Prepare pears by washing [really important if you aren't using organic pears]. Halve and then quarter the pears and remove core or simply cut around the core. Place pears quarters in a large stainless steel pot and add water to within one inch of the bottom [a few cups should do the trick]. If you are using fresh ginger, peel and cut the ginger into 1/4" chunks [a couple chunks work well]. Place in the pot with the pears. Cover the pot and bring water to boil. Once the water boils, turn the heat down just a bit to a hard simmer. Cook the pears until they are really soft [anywhere from 30 - 60 minutes].

If you are using a food mill or have a glass blender you can proceed right away. If you have a plastic blender or food processor you'll want to allow the pears to cool to warm before you blend.


Place the pears in a food mill, blender, or food processor and mill to your desired consistency. Once all of the pears have been ground into sauce, add powdered ginger [if you are not using fresh add anywhere from 1/4 tsp - 1 tsp depending on the taste you desire] and a small pinch of cardamom. Start really small with the spices and add more as you go. Cinnamon is also a really nice addition but again, start small.



You can either can [follow your canner's instructions], freeze [allow to cool before placing in freezer], or eat your sauce.