Roasted Spiced Butternut Squash Salad with MacIntosh Apples

This delicious salad was the main dish of our Thanksgiving meal and thoroughly enjoyed!

Butternut squash, spiced with clove, cinnamon and allspice and roasted then tossed with a mix of kale and spinach, red onions, chopped apples both dry and fresh, a handful of pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries and then tossed in mild creamy dressing of apple juice, sage, garlic and onions with a slight sweetness of added dates.

This salad just screams fall harvest making use of seasonal vegetables and colors.

The recipe was adapted from the new book by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, Eat to Live Cookbook, and like all the recipes of his that I have tried, is certainly a winner in our home. I'm looking forward to cooking my way through this book.

The best thing about his recipes is that I don't have to worry about them being healthy and I mean truly healthy not just some fad based on someone's opinion. Dr. Fuhrman puts so much emphasis on nutritional research that I don't think anyone else can truly compete in this area. He has enlisted the help of some top chefs to utilize his knowledge and guidelines and put together some winning recipes. I know that the recipes are designed for total wellness and having had such good results with every recipe tried so far, I also know that I don't have to worry about them tasting good. Two big thumbs up from here.

So on to the recipe:

Roasted Spiced Butternut Squash Salad with MacIntosh Apples

Recipe adapted from Dr. Fuhrman's book Eat to Live- Cookbook

Serves 4

For the Dressing:

1 clove of garlic
1 tablspoon chopped shallots
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon dijon mustard (optional)
1/4 cup unsweetened apple juice or water
2 tablespoons raw almond butter
1 Medjool date, pitted and stemmed
1/2 cup parsley
6 fresh sage leaves

Combine dressing ingredients in a high speed blender until well combined. Set aside.

For the Butternut Squash:

12 ounces butternut squash, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch diced pieces

1 tablespoon coconut or date sugar (optional)

pinch of cinnamon

pinch of ground cloves

pinch ground allspice

pinch of cayenne

1/2 cup of unsweetened apple juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a big bowl, toss the squash with the sugar, spices and apple juice until well coated. Place the mixture in a roasting pan, cover with foil and roast until the squash is caramelized and slightly browned but still firm when tested with a fork. About 15 mins total but stir/toss about half way through.

Note: If you are fortunate to find fresh diced squash in your grocery store, usually in 32 ounce portions, go ahead and double this portion of the recipe. I guarantee the extra roasted squash will not go to waste. It's so good!

For the Salad:

4 tablespoons pumpkin seeds

4 tablespoons dried cranberries

2 apples of choice, (Winesap is what was called for in the original recipe but I used MacIntosh)

2 tablespoons chopped dried apples

1/2 of a red onion, sliced into fine rings

3 cups spinach, sliced

3 cups kale, sliced

While the squash is roasting, combine the salad ingredients in a big bowl.

When the squash is ready, toss it with the salad dressing until well coated and then add to the salad, toss and serve right away. 

I hope you enjoy this as much as we did. You can substitute sweet potatoes, parsnips or any other type of squash you desire as well. It's all good.

And if you are looking for a nice dessert for this meal, check out the previous recipe for the Cranberry Apple Tart!

Enjoy!

Find us on Facebook here, Follow on Pinterest here, and See what we're up to on Instagram here.

Frosted Raspberry Black Bean Brownies

No doubt this title sounds a little strange. I know it did to me when I first read about these. Black beans and brownies are never three words I would have put together without wincing. Probably what you are doing now.

But surprise! It works!

Over on Dr. Fuhrman's member site this is one recipe that everyone seems to love so I thought, hey! I love brownies so I'm game.

But why would anyone make brownies with black beans at all?

I hear ya. Well the benefits are many:

no processed sugar
no flour (aka gluten)
no dairy
no soy
vegan
no heavy amount of nuts like most raw desserts (although there is some nut butter)
plus lots of beneficial carbs and fiber from the black beans
chia!

Beans of all kinds are a dieters best friend as they fill you up, have great fiber and are a good source of calories when eating a high produce (and low calorie) diet.

I added raspberries because really what goes better with chocolate than raspberries?

I also decided to use a 12 individual cheesecake pan when I read that the serving size was 12. I cut the time down for mine because of the pan and frankly I could have cooked mine longer. They were not as fully cooked as they could have been. They came out more like a pudding cake, which was still quite good but for a crunchier outside, more time would have been better.

The frosting is optional and also vegan, sugar and nut free. Have you had "Chocomole" aka chocolate frosting made with avocados before? It's very good and even great as a pudding.

So let's get to it, shall we?

Raspberry Black Bean Brownies

Recipe adapted from Dr. Fuhrman's Black Bean Brownies from the website: DrFuhrman.com

Ingredients for Brownies:

2 cups of no or low salt black beans, drained and rinsed or home cooked
10 pitted medjool dates, soaked until soft
2 tablespoons raw almond butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder or cacao
1 tablespoon ground chia seeds
1 pint of raspberries, divided.

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.

Combine black beans, dates, almond butter and vanilla in a food processor or high-speed blender. I used my Vitamix for this and while you can, you will get quite a workout with the plunger as this batter is really really quite thick. I had to add a couple of tablespoons of water to get it moving at all. Next time I will use a food processor.

Once well mixed, go ahead and add the cocoa powder and the ground chia seeds and blend again.

(Sorry, about the lighting here. I lost my sunlight unexpectedly- darn clouds!) 

Spread half the mixture into a lightly oiled pan (8x8) or muffin/ cheesecake pan. Mine was non-stick so I did not use any oil.

Mash up 3/4 cup of the raspberries in a cup and then spread over half the brownie batter. Then add the remaining batter over the raspberry layer to the.

Bake for 1 1/2 hours at 200 degrees.

Cool completely. Apply topping if desired. Cut into 12 pieces or remove from cups.

Can be stored in the refrigerator covered for up to a week. (I froze mine.)

Chocomole aka Chocolate Frosting (optional)

Ingredients:

1 ripe avocado

1/2 cup water

4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder or cacao

5 pitted medjool dates, soaked until soft.

splash of vanilla

Blend all ingredients until smooth.

Frost brownies if using and top with remaining raspberries.

 Eat!

Well are you game? I hope you give these a try. And if you do, please come back and tell me your verdict.

I'll be sharing this over at Healthy Vegan Fridays and also on Gluten Free Wednesdays over at the Gluten Free Homemaker's site.

Oh and one more thing:

When you have that blender all chocolateied (is that a word?) up after making the frosting use that left over goodness to whip up a smoothie.

Chocolate Raspberry Banana Smoothie:

  

Blender coated with chocomole

1 cup of almond milk

handful of raspberries

2 dates

2 frozen bananas

YUM!!

Until next time…

Find us on Facebook here, Follow on Pinterest here, and See what we're up to on Instagram here.

Springtime Minestrone Soup

For many here in the states the beginning of June is still the end of Spring, just inching it's way into Summer. But around here where we are already steadily over 100 degrees, it's already feeling like Summer. But so as not to rush into things, I decided to post this Springtime Vegetable Minestrone using some of the spring tender asparagus, tomatoes, peas, watercress and kale.

This is another easy recipe, as it uses the crockpot to slowly simmer the flavors all day long. People often think of the crockpot only in cold weather months but forget that it can come in just as handy for those busy warm weather days when you just don't want to be in the kitchen much.

Speaking of warm weather, I have to apologize for being a little light on the posts these last couple of weeks. It's this time of year when we first get into the hot temperatures that I always forget how it effects my health. It causes me a flare up that I knocks out my energy and makes me feel quite sick and every year I am always surprised. I guess I always think it's behind me when I improve in cooler weather. But sadly, not yet.

It's been hard for me to prepare and photograph the meals as I would like. Perhaps I may snap some more informal shots as I do for Instagram from time to time for the simple things. I'll experiment and see what you all think.

So for now, until I get my feet back under me, I will be leaning more toward easy and simple meals for a while. Lots of smoothies, salads, fruit, which is prefect for the summer months anyway but soup is still a perfect fit for highly nutritious no brainer meals.

So Super Soup Sunday is still on!

Springtime Minestrone Soup with Raw-mesean 

This recipe is adapted from Dr. Joel Fuhrman's website and member newsletter. I used the crockpot as suggested but this could easily be cooked on the stove in a soup pot for a shorter period of time.

Here is a combination of broth, water and carrot juice for the base. Kale, watercress and green peas up the nutritional quotient, while barley and cannellini beans make it a heartier more filling soup.

Tender asparagus, fresh tomatoes, carrots and onions round out the vegetables. The recipe called for thyme and oregano but I substituted an organic Herbs de Provence mix for a little more flavor with the garlic.

Raw-mesean is a nut based cheese substitute for parmesan cheese. Try it! I think you'll like it!

Ingredients:

1 small bunch of kale, tough stems removed and chopped

3 cups diced fresh tomatoes

1 15 oz can of low salt cannellini beans, rinsed well and drained (1 1/2 cup)

3 carrots, peeled if not organic and sliced

1 onion, diced

1/2 cup hulless barley (dry)

3 cups low sodium vegetable broth

2 cups of water

1 cup carrot juice

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 teaspoon oregano, dried

1/2 teaspoon thyme, dried

1/4 teaspoon pepper

12 thin asparagus stocks

1 cup frozen organic peas

3 cups fresh watercress

Place everything except the peas, asparagus and watercress in the crock pot.

Cook covered on low for 6 hours.

Add the asparagus and peas and cook another 20 minutes or until asparagus is tender.

Add watercress until wilted.

Ladle soup up into bowls and dust the top with the raw-mesean or pass on the side in a bowl.

For the Raw-mesean:

1/2 cup almonds, (walnuts or even pine nuts work well too)

1/2 cup Nutritional Yeast- for that cheesy flavor

Pulse in a food processor until crumbly and resembling parmesan cheese in consistency.

Quick & Easy Black Bean Soup

Don't have a lot of time but would love to have some throw together meals in the fridge for the upcoming week? You'll love this one.

It's easy to keep ingredients on hand to throw this together at a moment's notice, and fast to prepare with little to no chopping, because sometimes, you just need a break. Am I right?

Today, Mother's Day was just one of those days. Hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day!

This recipe is adapted from The Fast Black Bean Soup recipe in Dr. Fuhrman's book, Eat for Health. Can you tell I love this book? It's also on his website: Dr.Furhman.com

Here we are using some frozen veggies, black beans and even a low salt black bean soup for the base. Carrot juice and tomatoes round out the collection of flavors. If you are worried about the frozen veggies, know that while fresh is always best, little nutrients are lost in the freezing process and in some cases it might be easier to find organic produce this way.

Plus this is for those times when you need something ready to go with little fuss and the taste is worth it. This makes about 5 healthy servings.

Ingredients:

2 15-ounce cans of black beans, no or low salt, and strained and well rinsed (to remove salt)

2 cups frozen mixed vegetables

2 cups frozen corn

2 cups frozen broccoli florets

2 cups carrot juice

1 15-ounce can prepared black bean soup, low to no salt.

1 cup water

1 cup fresh tomato, chopped

1/4 cup cilantro

1/8 teaspoon chili powder

Optional toppings:

1 avocado, chopped or mashed

1/2 cup green onions, chopped

1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds

Note: you will probably have some left over veggies so just defrost them and add them to your salads, a wrap or a pita for a little more variety.

Quick and Easy Black Bean Soup

Directions:

Combine beans, all the frozen vegetables, carrot juice, water, soup, cilantro and chili powder in a soup pot. Bring to boil and then reduce to simmer on low for 30 minutes.

Stir in chopped fresh tomato and heat through for a few minutes.

Serve topped with avocado, green onions and pumpkin seeds if using.

This soup pairs very well with a fresh green salad. A simple, and healthy lunch or dinner ready to go.

So there you have it. Fast, easy and healthy to boot.

Enjoy!

Until next time… 

Hearty Ginger Lentil Soup

Welcome to another edition of Super Soup Sunday!

I can't believe it's been a full week already but here we are. And what a week it was. I spent it helping an elderly neighbor who had a bad fall and ended up in the hospital. If you ever want a reminder of why it is so important to take care of our health now, at whatever age you are at, spend some time with a senior or for more of a reminder, spend time in a hospital where seniors are the majority. It is not a pretty sight. My friend is home now, and family has arrived from out of town to take over the care. But it has reinforced my resolve to not be dependent on our healthcare system and eat my veggies!

But enough about that. Let's talk food!

This recipe is another from Dr. Fuhrman's book, Eat For Health,

the same book I mentioned in the last post. It is also posted in his newsletters and on his member website at www.DrFurhman.com, which if I am loving! 

As a member on his site, I have access to a community that have been following this program and some for years and they have so much to share. There are some truly amazing success stories there. The other thing I really am enjoying is the direct access to Dr. Fuhrman for any questions I may have. His staff, including other MDs are readily available for input as well. Between them and all the previous discussions, webinars, podcasts, and newsletters just about every possible issue is covered in full. There are over 1000 recipes in there as well. It's a true wealth of information and well worth the monthly fee. If you are serious about regaining your health, and wanting to transition to a nutrient based way of eating, I would highly recommend it.

Now on to this delicious soup.

This Hearty Ginger Soup has already become a favorite in our house. 

It's very nutrient dense, flavorful, and as the name implies- hearty! I think it took me half an hour the other day to finish my bowl for lunch! Ginger plays a major roll, along with lentils, brown rice, sweet potatoes and a hefty amount of swiss chard, to name a few of the key flavors. Instead of vegetable broth, carrot juice is the liquid base, which just ups the nutrients as well as the flavor. I chose to purchase the juice to save some time but if you are game, juice the carrots yourself. 

Also it calls for Dr. Fuhrman's Veggie Zest, which is a no salt dried vegetable seasoning. You can use a substitute like Bragg's or Mrs. Dash but do not use the same amounts listed in the recipe. I tried this with Mrs. Dash on another soup and it was so full of pepper it was basically inedible. So I decided to break down and buy Dr. Fuhrman's Vegizest to get it right for future recipes, including this one.

This recipe requires some time for chopping so be prepared time wise. It's definitely worth it as I believe we got 12 big servings out of this recipe and it freezes well.

Ingredients:

8 cups carrot juice

4 cups of water

1 cup dried lentils ( do not soak)

1/2 cup uncooked brown rice

2 zucchinis, finely chopped

2 carrots, finely chopped

1 red bell pepper, finely chopped

1 onion, finely diced.

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

2 bunches swiss chard leaves and stems, chopped

6 cloves garlic, peeled, minced and pressed 

3 tablespoons grated fresh ginger root
3 tablespoons Dr. Fuhrman's Vegi-zest or equivalent to taste. (thanks to reader Angie for catching this.)

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon allspice

1/2 cup fresh parsely chopped, for garnish

Place all but the sweet potatoes, swiss chard and parsley in soup pot. Bring to a boil then cover and simmer about 40 minutes.

Add potatoes and simmer another 15 minutes.

Add chard and simmer for 10 more minutes.

Serve topped with  chopped parsley.

Carrots and zucchini (I just realized I peeled the zucchini for some reason- not necessary.)

Grated ginger and garlic and cubed sweet potatoes

The recipe calls for Swiss chard but I'm a sucker for the vibrant colors of Rainbow chard. One of these days I'll have to make myself buy Swiss chard.

Final soup close up. Hope you give it a try. It's really worth it. 

Let me know if you try the carrots as a soup base and if you do the juicing yourself. 

Until next time,

 Eat Your Veggies!

Find us on Facebook here, Follow on Pinterest here, and See what we're up to on Instagram here.