Recipes

Stuffed Winter Squash with Quinoa and Vegetables (serves 4)

Ingredients:
1 large winter squash like butternut, spaghetti, or acorn
1 Tblsp olive oil
1 1/2 C. dry grain like quinoa, rice, or amaranth.
3 C. assorted veggies (frozen veggies from last season?) like corn, peas, carrots, onions, garlic, cabbage, or whatever you like.
1 C. Oregon filberts
1 Tblsp butter (or olive oil if you must )
1/3 C. nutritional yeast

Procedure:
Preheat oven to 400*
Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scrape out seeds with a spoon or ice cream scoop
Grease a cookie sheet with olive oil and put squash cut side down.  Bake until soft, usually 40 min-50 min
While squash is in the oven, cook the quinoa:
put dry quinoa in a saucepan on medium-high heat for 2 min, until toasted golden brown, stirring frequently.  This develops the rich, nutty flavor of the quinoa.  Then add 2 1/2 C. water, lower heat, and cook for 15 min. 
Chop veggies and sautee them all together in olive oil until tender.
Toss cooked veggies in with quinoa, and when squash is done, stuff the squash halves with veggie-grain mixture.
For a tasty topping, chop up nuts (or use a coffee grinder) and toss in a hot skillet with butter.  Once they’re toasted, pull off the heat and stir in nutritional yeast.  Crumble the topping on the squash halves.
If you’d like, briefly reheat squash in the oven before serving.

Enjoy!  Quinoa is the grain highest in protein (a complete protein), has essential amino acids, and it’s gluten free!

This recipe is gluten free, vegan (as long as you use olive oil or a vegan margarine instead of butter), and full of protein, vitamins and minerals.  It’s a great way to use the last of the fall veggies, and it’s a complete meal in itself!

Stuffed Bell Peppers are a nutritionally-packed bundle of filling goodness…try this out!

This recipe serves 4

Ingredients:

2 bell peppers, cut in half lengthwise

2 C. cooked rice or any other grain (try quinoa, bulgar, polenta, etc)

2 C. cooked ground beef seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic and paprika

2 C. chopped veggies of your choosing (onions, peppers, broccoli, carrots, mushrooms, etc.) Saute in olive oil with salt and pepper and chili powder.

Pack all ingredients into the pepper halves and bake at 350 degrees for 40 min or until pepers are tender.  Top with shredded cheddar and green onions.

A coulis is a thick sauce usually made from fruit or vegetables.  Impress your friends with this easy, tasty recipe.

Ingredients:
3 red bell peppers, 1 C. olive oil

Procedure:
Roast peppers in oven on broil until charred on all sides (turn with tongs)
Put peppers in a bowl and cover with a plate to let sweat for 5 min.
Peel skins off peppers under running water
Remove seeds and stems
Put peppers in blender
Slowly drizzle oil into running blender.

Serve on crackers, with grilled polenta, on burgers, with cream cheese or any soft cheese, or whatever you want!

Aqua Fresca!?

Hacienda offers this refreshing drink along with their tamales… 

Here’s a formula for making some at home!

Just blend 1 cup total fruit (any kind will do) of your choosing with 2 cups of water in a blender. Pour the mixture through a strainer into a pitcher, then add 1/4 c. sugar and a teaspoon or two of lime juice. Chill it, and enjoy.

Its that simple!
Summer Veggie Pasta

Ingredients:

• 2 -3 Tomatoes chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic – sliced
• 1 – 2 small summer squash diced
• 1 pinch chili flakes
• 4 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1# pasta of choice (I like linguini)
• 2 oz grated parm
• sea salt
• black pepper

Directions:
In a medium sauté pan place olive oil, garlic and chili flakes. Next place pan on stove top burner, turn to high heat and closely watch oil until chili flakes slightly change color, you can smell the garlic (without putting your face next to the scalding hot oil) and the oil starts to change in viscosity. Then carefully toss all you veggies into oil mixture. You should then hear a loud sizzle sound if not your oil was not hot enough. Cook for for 1 – 2 minutes add vinegar and remove from burner. Finally toss everything with the cooked pasta, top with parm, a large pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Serve Enjoy!

*Note if you have a gas stove remove the pan from the burner when you add the veggies to avoid oil catching on fire. Fire is both dangerous and doesn’t taste very good with pasta.
Spicy Dill Refrigerator Pickles

• 4-5 smallish pickling cucumbers
• 3 cloves garlic peeled
• 1 tsp red chili flakes
• 1 bunch of fresh dill whole
• 1 quart water
• ¾ cup white vinegar
• 4 tablespoons kosher salt

Directions

First, make a brine by boiling salt and water then adding vinegar. Second combine garlic, chili, dill and cucumbers in a quart jar then pour boiling brine over till covered.

Place canning lid on top. Leave on counter for 2 days then in refrigerator for at least 1 week.

Nectarine and Almond Crisp

This is a recipe that I found on Epicurious.com that was a hit with my family. Give it a try!
-Ingredients

• 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar, divided
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cardamom, divided
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 ounces almond paste (about 1/3 cup), crumbled
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 1/2 to 2 3/4 pounds nectarines (about 8 cups), each cut into 8 wedges

-Preparation
Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter 11 x 7 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Blend 3/4 cup flour, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 3/4 teaspoon cardamom, 1/2 teaspoon ginger, and salt in processor. Add almond paste and process until fine crumbs form. Add butter and process using on/off turns until mixture begins to clump together. Transfer to bowl. Mix in almonds.

Toss nectarine wedges, remaining 1 tablespoon flour, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cardamom, and 1/2 teaspoon ginger in large bowl to coat. Transfer to prepared baking dish; sprinkle topping over. Bake until topping is golden, nectarines are tender, and juices are bubbling around edges, about 40 minutes. Cool at least 20 minutes before serving.
Smoked Salmon and Peachy Soba Salad

Ingredients:

• 3 peaches – sliced or diced
• 1 bunch green onion - minced
• 1 8oz package Buckwheat Soba noodles – cooked and cooled
• 2 ears corn - shaved from husk
• 12 oz smoked salmon – flaked into small chunks
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 2 tsp fresh grated black pepper
• 2 oz extra virgin olive oil
• 1 oz balsamic vinegar

Combine all ingredients in bowl, toss, marinate for 10 minutes then season with salt and pepper and serve.
Summer Cucumber Salad
Ingredients:

• 3-4 English Cucumbers
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 ½ cups water
• ½ cup white wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 gloves garlic smashed
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper

Directions:
1. Peel and slice cucumbers, then place in large glass bowl
2. In a separate bowl mix the remaining ingredients.
3. Combine all ingredients and allow too marinate for about 30 minutes in the refrigerator. Serve as a side

Note: The beauty of this recipe is you can add and subtract the amount of each ingredient to suit your taste. You can also add other veggies like tomatoes, carrots, broccoli…etc. The only difference is the time to marinate. Longer for harder veggies.
Pasta with Fava Sauce

This is a great recipe to learn to use Favas and pasta water.

How To Prepare and Cook Favas

• Fava beans need to be shelled (removed from their pods). To open the pods just pull on the stem at the top to unzip the string down either side of the pod, then gently push the pod open between your thumb and forefingers. Pop the beans out.
• Cook shelled beans in a large saucepan in plenty of boiling water until just tender, about 3 to 5 minutes depending on the size of the bean. Drain well and rinse with cold water to cool.
• Using the tip of a knife or your thumbnail, slit the translucent skin covering the bean, peel off and discard.

Pasta with Fava bean sauce:

(Serves 4)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1-1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano
1-1/2 cups Chicken Stock or canned low-salt chicken broth
Gray salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cups cooked, peeled fava beans
3/4 pound dried fettuccine
4 oz piece pecorino cheese or parmesan cheese

• Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until hot. Add the garlic and sauté briefly until light brown. Stir in the oregano, then add 1 cup of the stock. Bring to a boil, season with salt and pepper, and add 1-1/2 cups of the fava beans. Simmer to blend the flavors, about 3 minutes.
• Scrape into a blender container and puree with the remaining 1/2 cup stock until smooth. Return the sauce to the pan and add the remaining 1/2 cup favas. Simmer gently and taste for seasoning. Add salt and especially pepper.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 12 minutes. Drain, reserving about 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water. Pour the pasta into a warm serving bowl and add the sauce. Toss well and thin with the pasta water, if necessary, until the sauce is glossy and not sticky. Serve immediately and grate the cheese over the top at the table.
• Tip: I like serving pasta in a warm ceramic bowl. Just before serving, ladle a little hot pasta water into the bowl for a couple minutes to warm it up. Drain the water before filling the bowl with the pasta.
• Now’s the time to use our extra virgin olive oil, or any other high quality olive oil to drizzle over the pasta.
Chocolate Zucchini Cake

• 2 1/2 cups regular all-purpose flour, un-sifted
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3/4 cup soft butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 teaspoons grated orange peel
• 2 cups coarsely shredded zucchini
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

1 Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, soda, salt, and cinnamon; set aside.
2 With a mixer, beat together the butter and the sugar until they are smoothly blended. Add the eggs to the butter and sugar mixture one at a time, beating well after each addition. With a spoon, stir in the vanilla, orange peel, and zucchini.
3 Alternately stir the dry ingredients and the milk into the zucchini mixture, including the nuts with the last addition.
4 Pour the batter into a greased and flour-dusted 10-inch tube pan or bundt pan. Bake in the oven for about 50 minutes (test at 45 minutes!) or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 15 minutes; turn out on wire rack to cool thoroughly.
5 Drizzle glaze over cake.Glaze: Mix together
2 cups powdered sugar,
3 Tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla.

Beat until smooth.
Cut in thin slices to serve.
Makes 10-12 servings.
Strawberry Caesar Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 pint fresh local strawberries
• 1 head romaine lettuce
• ½ cup shaved pecorino or aged parmesan cheese
• 2 -4 Tablespoons Caesar dressing
• Fresh grated black peppercorn
• 1 pinch sea salt

Procedure:

Start by washing and slicing strawberries. Next, cut the stem end off of the romaine and wash leaves in cool water. Pat or spin the lettuce dry and place in a large serving bowl. You may want to cut or tear the leaves into bite size pieces if head is large. Toss leaves with dressing until well coated. After that, top with berries, cheese, copious amounts of fresh grated black pepper and a large pinch of sea salt. Serve and enjoy.

Honey-Rhubarb Crumble
Ingredients:
5 1/2 Cups Fresh Rhubarb (1/2-Inch Sliced Rhubarb — (about 1 1/2 lbs.)
1/4 Cup Boyco Honey
1 Tsp. Grated lemon peel
1/3 Cup Regular Cut Oats
1/3 Cup All-Purpose Flour
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar, Packed
3 T. Chilled Stick Butter — cut into small piece
1 1/2 Cups Vanilla Ice Cream
Procedure:
Combine the first 3 ingredients in a bow, and toss well. Spoon into a 8-inch square baking dish coated with soft butter or cooking spray. Place oats, flour and sugar in food process, and pulse 2 to 3 times. Add chilled butter, and process until mixture resembles coarse meal; sprinkle over rhubarb mixture. Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes or until rhubarb is tender. Serve with ice cream. Yield: 6 servings.