Stuffed Acorn Squash

Happy Thanksgiving! The holiday season is in full swing, and our decorations are already up! We have never decked the halls pre-Turkey Day...first time for everything, I suppose. 

I hope your Thanksgiving preparations are well underway. If not and you need some inspiration (or perhaps will be cooking the rest of the weekend), check out this delicious acorn squash from my intern Macy!

Ingredients:

4 acorn squash cut in half and seeds removed
Olive oil spray
1 cup uncooked quinoa/brown rice mixture (you can use one or the other)
1 1/2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
1/2 lbs of organic lean ground turkey
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 large white onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 large carrots peeled and chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1/3 C tomato sauce
2 sage leaves, chopped
Parsley, for garnish

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray the cut side of squash with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place in a baking dish and add 1/4 cup water to the bottom of the pan. Cover and bake for 50 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool before serving. Meanwhile, cook quinoa/brown rice in chicken broth according to package directions.

While the quinoa/brown rice is cooking, brown ground turkey in a sauté pan then set aside.

Add olive oil to the pan and add the onion and garlic. Sauté 1 minute, add the celery, carrots salt and pepper to taste; cook until vegetables are soft, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Add tomato sauce and sage to the pan, stirring 5 minutes, then cook covered for about 2 minutes. Return the ground turkey and the cooked quinoa/brown rice to the sauté pan and mix well. 

Fill the cooked squash and enjoy!

*M*

October Pumpkin Series: Pumpkin Maple Granola

Happy Hallo-week! We're almost to the end of October, but my interns have two more great recipe adaptations to share. This Pumpkin Maple Granola, adapted from Minimalist Baker, is sure to please and is a great option for nursing mamas since it contains galactogogues oats and flaxseed. Dig in!

*M*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From Kayla: 

I’ve always loved fall. When blessed with the vision of fall colors, I’m absolutely in a state of bliss. The crisp air refreshes my lungs as I inhale the warm smells of the season. Living in Tennessee, we had three huge trees in our front yard. I would volunteer myself to rake the leaves; at a young age, I’d discovered the feeling of pure Zen. My parents would buy the trash bags with jack-o-lantern faces on them. After jumping into the leaf piles a few times, I would stuff these bags with the leaves I’d raked. We would have enough leaves to line our ½ acre long driveway with these bags. I loved dressing up for Halloween, and you better believe my costumes were always on point. But my best memories of fall were not of candy or scary masks, but of good home cooked comfort food and the array of colors outside my southern childhood home.

These days, I have my own ideas of comfort food. Thick oatmeal, creamy pasta, steamy lattes, rustic soup and chunky granola are among the front runners. This pumpkin maple granola was adapted from the Minimalist Baker, using what I had on hand. While they match the pumpkin them much more, I was out of pepitas. So I added cashews and macadamia nuts, along with a couple tablespoons of flax seeds to boost the omega-3. I replaced regular sugar with brown sugar to incorporate a deeper, rich molasses hint. I also used a roasting pan for my granola and baked it all in one batch. I brought some of this to share with my coworkers and it was a huge hit! I hope you enjoy.

Pumpkin Maple Granola

Adapted from Minimalist Baker

Ingredients:

3 cups rolled oats

1 ½ cups raw pecans

½ cup cashews

¼ cup macadamia nuts

2 tablespoons flax seeds

3 tablespoons brown sugar

¼ teaspoon sea salt

¾ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ cup coconut oil

1/3 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup pumpkin puree

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 340 F. Mix oats, nuts, spices, sugar and salt together in a large bowl. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, warm the coconut oil, maple syrup and pumpkin puree and whisk. 

Pour over the dry ingredients and incorporate with a wooden spoon.

Spread evenly onto two baking sheets or in a large roasting pan. Bake for 23-33 minutes. For chunky granola, don’t worry about stirring. If you like it more consistent, stir halfway through.

Remove from oven when granola is golden brown and let cool completely. It will crisp up as it cools.

Enjoy!

Kayla

October Pumpkin Series - No Bake Pumpkin Cookies

Oh hey there, fall!  Welcome back!  It's still a wonderful 90+ degrees here in the Valley of the Sun, but we are all itching for the temperature to fall below 80 so we can whip out our boots and sweaters.  (No, seriously.  That's considered "cool" around here.)

Here's my little pumpkin with her very first pumpkin.

Even though we don't have beautiful multi-colored trees and roads lined with fallen leaves, we can still get into the autumn spirit with some healthy pumpkin recipes.  Intern Kelsey has a treat for our readers - a month full of pumpkin!  Each week we will spotlight a new, healthy pumpkin recipe from some amazing food bloggers that will help you fall-ify your palette.  Let's get cookin'...or in the case of these no-bake cookies, let's just eat!  Wouldn't these be awesome with our healthy pumpkin spice latte?

*M*

******************

From Kelsey:

I am a huge fan of pumpkin. Pumpkin bread, pumpkin spice lattes, you name it and I bet I have tried it and LOVED it! I was so excited when Megan came up the idea for me to do a different pumpkin recipe for each week in October. I immediately began the search for the ultimate pumpkin recipes. Enter the No Bake Pumpkin Cookies from My Whole Life. These are absolutely delicious. Without a doubt, they are one of the best pumpkin items I have ever had. Also, they require no flour, no dairy and no baking. I did not even have to buy any of the ingredients because I had them all in the pantry. As if these cookies could not get any better, they also have tremendous amounts of nutrients in them.

Pumpkin has long been over-looked as a good source of fiber. It contains approximately three grams per one cup. Fiber can help keep you feeling fuller longer, which makes these cookies the perfect go to snack. Pumpkin can also help refuel you after a workout, since it contains more potassium than a banana! Lastly, since we are getting into cold and flu season, I thought I would mention that pumpkin has a substantial amount of Vitamin C to help prevent colds and even the flu! I hope that you enjoy these cookies as much as I do!

No Bake Pumpkin Cookies

Ingredients: 

1 cup raw pecans

1 cup raw almonds

10 medjool dates
 (pitted)
3 TBSP pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup pumpkin
1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp ground cloves

Instructions:

Assemble ingredients.

Grind up almonds, pecans, pumpkin seeds, and spices using a food processor.

Add in dates and continue to grind.  Finally, add pumpkin and mix until dough forms.

Let sit in the refrigerator for approximately one hour.  

Roll into balls and use your palm to flatten into cookies.  

Then eat!  Enjoy!

*Kelsey*

Spaghetti Squash, Ricotta and Meatball Bake

Fall is the season of squash, and I'm always looking for an excuse to cook with it. Spaghetti squash is especially fun because it has a pasta-like texture and offers a healthy - and gluten-free - substitution that's nutrient-packed and tasty. It is also great for kids because it has a fun yet mild consistency that will help boost their vegetable quota for the day.

This recipe was inspired by a post from Big Girl Small Kitchen sent to me by my best friend. I expanded upon it by adding homemade grass-fed beef meatballs and sauteed mushrooms, and I modified the process. You can also use turkey meatballs or add a vegetarian protein source using canellini beans. My husband really liked it and said that he didn't miss the pasta!

In honor of Halloween and this year's nutrition-inspired costume, here's a shot of me as "grass-fed beef":

By the way, to make the meatballs I use a recipe I made up myself:

3 lb grassfed beef (I get mine at the North Scottsdale Farmers Market)

Homemade breadcrumbs (sprinkle olive oil over Ezekiel or other whole grain or gluten-free bread and add garlic powder; toast in a toaster oven until dark and pulse in a food processor to make crumbs)

1 organic egg

1/2 cup raw parmesan shavings

Garlic powder

1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped

Sea salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients and roll into 1-inch balls. Bake on a baking sheet at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned. This recipe made about 50 meatballs, and I froze most of them for a future recipe.

Spaghetti Squash, Ricotta and Meatball Bake

Ingredients:

1 spaghetti squash (4-5 lb)

2 teaspoons olive oil

12 ounces mushrooms, sliced

1 cup organic marinara sauce, divided

3/4 cup ricotta cheese, divided

Grass-fed beef meatballs (12-15)

3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Instructions:

Rinse the squash and cut in half length-wise.

Use an ice cream scooper to remove and discard the seeds.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper and place on a baking sheet, flesh-side down.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes, or until the skins have darkened on the edges.

While the squash is baking, heat olive oil in a pan and add garlic. Sautee the mushrooms until cooked through.

When the squash has finished baking, remove from the oven and let cool for 15-20 minutes. (Seriously, how pretty and delicious does this look?! I wanted to eat it plain, right then and there.)

Use a fork to scrape the flesh into a bowl.

Set into a strainer to remove some of the liquid.

Using a clean paper towel, squeeze the squash to remove as much liquid as you can. Nobody wants a soggy meal.

Place the squash in a mixing bowl and add 1/2 cups marinara sauce and 1/2 cup ricotta. (This is where you can play with spices too, such as oregano, additional garlic, or even a little rosemary.)

Pour the mixture into a 9x9 baking dish. Layer with meatballs, and then top with mushrooms and the other half of the marinara sauce.

Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and small dabs of ricotta.

Bake for 35-40 minutes at 375, or until the top is browned.

Enjoy with some roasted vegetables or a crisp green salad and a nice glass of cabernet! This recipe made about 6 servings.

Enjoy!

*M*

Crockpot Autumn Chicken Sausage Casserole

This time of year - despite the still lingering freakishly high temperatures - I'm craving a taste of fall. This awesome crockpot recipe adapted from "A Year of Slow Cooking" tastes like autumn in a bowl, and it's also packed full of healthy veggies and fruit, gluten-free whole grains, and lean protein. Pair it with some roasted brussel sprouts with bacon and walnuts (I used pecans) for a delightful dinner any time of the year.

I put all ingredients in the slow cooker pot the night before and popped it on the crock pot heating element the next morning. It was wonderful coming home that night to a house filled with cinnamon and spice. One caveat - because of this, I had to add significantly more liquid (see ingredient note below). I also added more carrots, apples, and onions than in the recipe, and I used celery and a can of black beans as well. Additionally, I didn't have allspice, so I used cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper, and cloves.

This made 6 servings plus about 4 servings to freeze, so it was very economical for us. I can't wait to have the reheated-from-frozen servings next week!

Ingredients:

1 pound sausage (I used apple chicken sausage, 1 1/2 lb)
1 large, or 2 small apples, chopped (no need to peel - I used 2 large)
1 yellow onion, chopped (I used 2)
1/2 cup chopped carrots (I used 1 1/2 cups)
1 cup chopped celery

3 cups already cooked long-grain brown rice

1 can black beans, rinsed
1/2 cup raisins
1 T dried parsley flakes
1 T brown sugar (I used a dash of stevia)
1/2 tsp allspice (I used cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and pepper)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/3 cup chicken broth or water (I used 1 1/2 cups - 1 cup the night before and 1/2 the day of; you might need more or less, so make sure to check it a few hours into cooking)

Instructions:

Assemble ingredients. If you're using uncooked sausage, brown it in a skillet first.

Dump all the ingredients into the crock, and stir well.

The black beans add a nice texture and consistency, plus extra fiber and protein. If you want to make this dish vegan, eliminate the chicken sausage and use vegetable broth or water instead of chicken broth.

Yummy spices:

Cover and cook on low for 5-7 hours, or on high for 3-4. You're really only heating through, and allowing the vegetables to soften.



This will not stick together like a gloppy casserole; it has the consistency of fried rice. Use bowls to serve rather than plates.

Look at this awesome brussel sprout side dish too!

See? Fall in a bowl!

Enjoy!

*M*