Eating local in November
Comments Off on Eating local in NovemberA few weeks ago I was in Prince Edward County for a “girls” weekend and one of our stops was to buy some local apples, squash and a pumpkin. We also bought wine, some really tasty sheep’s milk blue cheese and cider, while we were in “the County”. It was a GOOD weekend!
It’s been a while since I posted a recipe – so I thought I’d post two. One is a side-dish that calls for the wonderful apples and squash that are available (though sadly not abundant in the case of apples) during autumn season in Ontario. I used sage from my container garden, as the frost had not yet done its damage. The other is a dessert that’s almost a good as apple pie!
This is from Longo’s Experience magazine – Fall 2012
Apple and squash mash with sage topping
2-1/2 lbs (I large) butternut squash, peeled and cut into cubes
1 onion, halved and cut into 16 small wedges
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
½ tsp freshly ground pepper
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
1-1/2 lbs (about 5) Macintosh apples peeled, cored and cubed (I didn’t peel mine!)
Topping
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 bags of fresh sage, leaves only, chopped
½ tsp sugar
In a large bowl, toss together squash, onion, olive oil, salt, pepper, and cayenne until well coated. Arrange in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake in centre of 375 degree F oven for 30 minutes. Stir in the apples. Bake for another 15 minutes or until squash and apples are very soft. Cool for 5 minutes.
Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Using a potato masher, mash coarsely; onions will not mash but only soften. Scrape mixture into an 11 X 8 or 13 X 9 inch ovenproof dish.
Puree can be refrigerated for up to 24hrs. Bring to room temperature for 30 minutes. Reheat covered with foil in 350 degree F oven for 35 to 45 minutes or until heated through.
TOPPING
In a small skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add sage leaves and sugar. Cook stirring about 2 minutes or until leaves are crispy. Sprinkle over top of casserole to serve.
And now for dessert!
From Meals That Heal Inflammation by Julie Daniluk, RHN
Cinnamon Baked Apples
½ cup of various nuts and/or seeds
¼ cup dried cranberries
2 dates pitted and chopped
1 tsp grated fresh ginger root
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp ground cloves
4 apples
¼ cup honey
1 cup apple juice or cider (not HARD cider!)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F
Mix nuts, seeds, cranberries, dates, ginger root and spices in a bowl.
Don’t peel the apples, since most of the fiber and nutrients are in the skin. Being careful not to cut through the bottom of the apple, cut out the core.
Place in an 8 X 8 baking dish. Stuff each apple with the nut spice mixture, then drizzle with honey.
Pour juice around the fruit to keep it moist.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until fruit is soft. Serve warm.
Please let me know if you try any of the recipes I post – I would love your feedback.
Healthy eating!