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!

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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…

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Corn, Tomato and Green Bean Salad

This time of year, my thoughts are taken over by the fresh flavors of summer. Two of my favorites are tomatoes and corn and with the Fourth of July right around the corner and summer BBQs and get togethers in the plans, this is the perfect salad for company or anytime you want something simple and delicious.

One of my all time favorite and simple salads is this one, a Simple Fresh Corn and Tomato Salad, where the two flavors are mixed with fresh basil and shared on my old blog GettingRAW.com.

Here I've decided to update it with the addition of blanched fresh green beans and sliced red onions and with the omission of salt and oil. I think it just keeps getting better, if that's even possible.

I used fresh sweet corn here and I even cooked it but that's not even necessary. Fresh raw corn is delicious and while uncooked it remains a vegetable and not a starch in our digestive systems.

I also used two different corn strippers and have provided my reviews of how they worked for those considering such a tool. Just be really careful because I can't tell you how many friends have reported slicing their fingers with these super sharp tools. But if you want to make it even easier, you can use frozen corn.

Corn, Tomato and Green Bean Salad

Ingredients

4 ears of fresh sweet corn, shucked and silk removed, approximately 3 cups

1 lb fresh green beans, stem ends snapped off

1/2 small red onion, sliced in very thin rings and then cut in half

1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half or even quarters if big

1 cup fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

Directions:

Put a large pot of water on to boil. Cook the corn, if desired, about 5- 7 minutes or until tender. Remove corn from water and set aside to cool for cutting.

Place green beans in the pot and cook until tender, approximately 8 minutes. While green beans are cooking prepare a bowl of water with ice. Once green beans are done, submerge in the ice water bath to stop the cooking.

Remove corn kernels from the cob (options shown below) and place in a large bowl. Add the green beans and put the sliced onions in the ice bath while preparing the rest. This crisps up the onions while also mellowing the flavor.

When ready to serve, add all the ingredients to the bowl and toss with the balsamic vinegar.

This salad is really a winner! Enjoy!

Corn Stripper Review

I have two different strippers that I have bought over time. 

The first is the Good Cook Professionals Stripper.

This slides down over the cob and removes the corn from both sides at once. The downside is that it doesn't really adjust to get wider as you go down the cob and it works even worse with the cob inverted so it tends to cut the kernels in half and not get them all removed.

     The second one is the Kuhn Rikon Corn Stripper.

It's a little more expensive but is very easy to use. This one is razor sharp and comes with a blade cover for obvious reasons. This one cuts close to the cob and just zips the corn right off the cob. The corn comes off in sheets and is less ripped up. You get more of the whole kernels this way. This is the one that can really cut your fingers so be very careful!

I also stumbled across this great photo (sorry not sure of source) showing an easy way to both remove and catch the kernels. Had I had a Bundt cake pan handy, I certainly would have given this a try. 

This shows another simple utensil for removing corn from the cob- a sharp knife.

So I hope that was helpful. Any other good ideas out there for removing corn from the cob? I'd love to hear.

I'll be sharing this over at Gluten-Free Cats' Raw Thursday as well as Healthy Vegan Fridays and was even featured at 5 Ingredient Mondays over at Sift Stir and Savor.

Meanwhile, I hope this finds you enjoying the summer harvest of amazing produce. 

Until next time…. take care.

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Zesty Watermelon Gazpacho

Looking for something cool and refreshing to start your meal or actually be a light meal this summer?
Well then, this is it!

Chilled Watermelon Gazpacho

A light chilled soup with a little zestiness to it. Blending super hydrating watermelon and cucumbers, with a little lime, cilantro and a subtle hint of jalapeno and onion and you have this wonderful soup.

It takes only a few mints to whip up, but like most things, benefits from time to marinate and chill.  It's even better the next day, if you can wait that long.

Watermelon Gazpacho

Adapted from a recipe of Tyler Florence found here.

Serves approximately 4 as a small appetizer or 2 as a main soup. Highly recommend doubling!

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh watermelon, cubed and chilled if serving right away.

1/2 cucumber, peeled and seeded

1 large tomato

1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded

2 tablespoons red onion, diced

1/2 lime, juiced

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

salt and pepper to taste, optional

Directions:

Blend tomato, chili pepper and 1/2 the watermelon in a blender into a puree. Add the lime juice and pulse again. Add onion, the cucumber and cilantro until week blended and smooth. Salt and pepper to taste and blend again.

Chill for approximately 15 minutes minimum, if possible.

When ready to serve, pour into glasses or bowls (chilled would be a good idea) then top with remaining cubed watermelon and additional chopped cilantro, onion and even a wedge of lime.

Enjoy!

Sharing for Gluten-Free Cats' Raw Thursday as well as Healthy Vegan Fridays. Have you checked these sites out? There are some great recipes being shared both places weekly!

Until next time!

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Summer's Stone Fruit Salad

I just love this time of year!

Besides the sight of watermelon back in the stores and better yet in my kitchen, I just love seeing the stone fruits roll in. And oh, the aroma! Apricots, plums, nectarines, peaches, plums, cherries, sigh….. Just mouthwatering! I could live on these things.

Stone fruit at the Santa Monica Farmer's Market
photo source: Forks Over Knives

So as I sat looking at the assortment on my counter today, deciding which to cut up and enjoy, I thought why should I have to choose? Let's make a big party for all of them. And then a few raspberries in the fridge felt a little left out so I added them as well.

Besides just cutting all the fruit up and placing them in a bowl, which would be delicious too, I decided to poke around the net and come up with an idea for how to add a dressing and some greens to wrap it all together. I'm really working hard at getting my 1lb of raw greens minimum in per day so a salad seemed a good idea.

And it was!

I stumbled across this recipe for Stone Fruit with Toasted Almonds on My Recipes, originally from Cooking Light and with a few tweaks thought I'd give it a go. This is a little different for me as it uses a sweet wine in the dressing but it's basically a reduction sauce so little if any alcohol is left. Paired with a splash of white balsamic vinegar, it makes for a nice light dressing that lets the fruit sing.

The key to this is to use an assortment of fresh and ripe stone fruit. Go ahead and use whatever you have on hand. Below is a list of what I had that was sweet and juicy and ready to go but cherries would be a nice addition as well.

Summer's Stone Fruit Salad

This is a very simple and elegant salad using wine and vinegar to cut the sweetness while at the same time dressing the greens. Below is what I used to make this recipe.

Ingredients:

1 cup riesling or other sweet wine
1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar or other white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon almond oil, optional
3 plums
2 peaches
2 donut peaches
2 nectarines
3 apricots
8 cups of mixed baby greens
2 tablespoons of sliced almonds
1/2 cup fresh raspberries, optional

Start with placing the wine in a small sauce pan and heat on medium high heat until the liquid is reduced down to about 2 tablespoons.

While that is on the stove, approximately 10 minutes, start pitting and slicing the fruit over a bowl to catch any of the juices and place the sliced fruit in another bowl.

When the wine is reduced, add in the vinegar and oil if using and mix with the fruit juices.

To serve, toss the salad greens in a large bowl with the fruit, dressing and slivered almonds until well mixed. Plate and add raspberries if using.

This is as delicious as it is beautiful.

As I sit here looking at the apricots in the above photo, I can't help but remember a time from my childhood when I first discovered fresh apricots. One California summer, a patient of my dad's had invited our family to come to his ranch for a dinner. We drove for what seemed like forever and then up a hill that was covered with rows and rows of trees. We had never seen a ranch and the idea that the trees had food in it never even crossed our minds.  I must have been about 9 years old and my brother was probably 5 or 6. Once inside the house, we quickly became bored and I'm sure underfoot and were sent outside to play until the meal was ready.  I was an avid tree climber at that age but my little brother not so much. We wandered around the roads for a while but eventually I had to start climbing the trees. It didn't take long up in the trees to discover the ripe fruit and even though I had no idea what it was, I tested it out. Pretty courageous of me since I was a very finicky eater and had never eaten from a tree before. I shared the bounty with my brother and surprisingly he loved them just as much. In total gluttony, we picked and ate apricot after apricot as the sun went down.

Eventually it became dark and we were called in to the house to eat but of course we were already stuffed. I'm sure I swore my brother to secrecy about our smorgasbord but not doubt we were covered in apricot juice. When my brother got sick, the gig was finally up for sure and I was in trouble.  Little brothers. What can I say.

But that memory of sitting in a tree, high up on a hill over looking a valley as the sun went down eating juicy apricots on a warm summer night will always stay with me.

I hope you have some similar fond summer fruit memories.

Sharing:

I shared this recipe over at Allergy Free Wednesday's blog hop. I hope you check it out.

Until next time….

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Mango Black Bean Salsa/ Salad

Few things are as tasty as a fresh salsa. Summer time produce makes this salsa extra special. It's a combo of ripe tangy mango, sweet corn, black beens, vine ripe tomatoes, bell pepper, lime and cilantro. Avocado is a nice bonus item as well. Serve with chips (low salt and baked) or lettuce leaf of choice or just toss it in a big salad as a dressing.

Like any medley, this salsa benefits from time to mingle, so make ahead if you like to let the flavors marry, just omit the mango until ready to serve. When you're ready to eat, add in the chopped mango and a squeeze of lime to awaken the flavors.

Mango Black Bean Salsa

This recipe adapted from Dr. Fuhrman's Immersion Excursion Recipe Book found here.

Ingredients

1 cup sweet corn, organic frozen is fine (fresh is approximately 3 ears, husk and silk removed)

2 mangoes, peeled pitted and diced

4 green onions, sliced

2 vine ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced

1 bell pepper (red or orange suggested)

2 cups cooked black beans (or 2 15 ounce cans, low sodium and well rinsed)

3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

4 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 1 1/2 limes- reserve extra slices for serving)

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1-2 cloves minced fresh garlic

1 pinch chili powder

1 avocado, diced (optional)

Directions:

Defrost corn by running in a bag under hot water or if using fresh decided if you prefer to cook it first. It's not necessary. Raw corn is quite good. Frozen corn is flash cooked before frozen so not a raw food. Either way, prepare your corn.

Add all the ingredients to a medium sized bowl and toss well. Let sit a minimum of 15 minutes for flavors to mingle. Remember to leave out the mango and avocado if not using right away. 

I always think these taste better the next day so don't be afraid to make this the night before and stir occasionally.

For a salad, chop up some romaine to serve as a bed or go ahead and toss it all together. If you expect leftovers, keep the salsa separate until ready to eat. Same goes for the avocado.

This is one of our favorite salads so I'm sure you will see a lot more variations on salsa coming up.

This was my submission over at Gluten Free Cat for Raw Thursdays (even though the beans are cooked, it's easy to just leave them out for a tasty salsa/ salad!) Also submitted on Healthy Vegan Fridays. 

Happy Summer! Hope you enjoy!

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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.