A “Chili” Kind of Day

From crisp fall days to snow and sleet - Minnesota does not disappoint. I woke up this morning to cold, wind, rain and sleet on my walk - definitely gets the blood flowing. On a happier note Dan’s daughter Alona and her betrothed Nate have set a date - the wedding will be on June 3rd - we’re so happy and excited for them. Lots of great adventures ahead for everyone.

I’ve been eyeing my garden in hopes that the last 2 butternut squash will ripen but today I made an executive decision to pick them (during the rain, sleet and snow) and hope they ripen. If they don’t well the other 12 squash won’t be able to become acquainted with them - but I doubt they will care. 

If you’ve read my blog or you know me, you know that Fall is my favorite time of year - root vegetables, pumpkin, crusty french bread, a glass of wine, a fire and a good book set my evening on the right path. Tonight Dan built an awesome fire and we feasted on a batch of chili made with peppers and tomato sauce (a delicious and spicy red and green tomato sauce) made with ingredients from our garden. 

Two things; there is no such thing as too many onions and spicy is good - but not the kind of spicy that burns your mouth, the kind of spicy that is flavorful. I’d like to tell you I have a recipe for my chili but I don’t - every time I make it, it’s different. A lot of that comes from the ingredients I have on hand, the freshness of the spices and of course my mood. 

Some days I’m feeling spicy some savory and some sweet (but not in chili of course)! This go around I wanted spice, not that kick ass spice that makes you sweat but the kind that warms you and in this go round I achieved it - score!

Ingredients:

2 medium to large onions diced

1 red pepper - chopped

1 orange pepper - chopped

3 small poblano peppers - chopped

1 can black beans - rinsed and drained

1 can white kidney beans - rinsed and drained

1 can chili beans (beans and liquid)

2 large carrots, peeled, chopped and microwaved until soft

3 - 4 cups tomato sauce - I used the sauce that I made from the red and green tomatoes in our garden - you can also use 2 - 3 cans of diced tomatoes with green chilis 

Instructions:

Chop all ingredients. In a medium to large sauce pan, saute onions, peppers, and partially cooked carrots in olive oil until softened. 

To a crockpot add, onion mixture, beans, tomato sauce, garlic, chili powder, crushed red pepper flakes and cumin. Cook on low for 3 - 4 hours to meld flavors. 

Serve with cornbread or a crusty grain bread for dipping - it was delicious!

Stay safe and warm!

Squash with a Twist

With the exception of the few frost hearty crops like kale, collard greens and hard shell squash, we’ve said goodbye to another great garden year. The other day I picked the squash (with the exception of the 2 that are not quite ready), made a batch of green tomato chutney, and a final batch of green/red tomato sauce - the freezer is full.

We’ve got 3 kinds of squash this year; acorn, butternut and buttercup all waiting to be roasted or turned into something wonderful. My go to recipe is simply roasting and serve with a splash of maple syrup - maybe butter if I’m feeling like living life on the edge. 

Squash is extremely flexible it can be cooked, roasted, flattened into patties, fried, or included as a base flavor for soups. The seeds of squash are also edible, and can be made into a number of different forms or their oils can be extracted. 

I've been thinking about using butternut squash for the “cheese” in macaroni and cheese and turning acorn squash into a dessert - a fall custard if you will. This custard is simple to make and has only 5 (seriously count them) ingredients I found the recipe over on It’s a Love / Love Things blog - you can check it out here.

 Ingredients

2 cups of baked acorn squash

4 eggs

1/4 cup of coconut oil

2T butter (or more coconut oil if you prefer)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

maple syrup to drizzle. 

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350. Toss all ingredients into a high speed blender and puree until smooth. Pour mixture into a greased pan (I use coconut oil) and smooth with a spatula. Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes. When a toothpick inserted comes out clean, the custard is done. Allow to cool on a cooling rack for 20 minutes. You can serve it warm or cold with a drizzle of maple syrup. 

Enjoy!

Adventures and Soup

After a long stretch of amazing warm September weather it seems Fall has arrived in Minnesota - it’s not a bad thing, it’s what we expect when October 1 rolls around. Yesterday I spent 4+ hours at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum volunteering at the Annual Fall Festival helping families make scarecrows - it was a blast. The day reminded me of when I spent cool fall days with my nieces and step-daughters creating scarecrows - those were some wonderful times. 

Today was a recovery day - I laid around, read and then finally decided that I needed to get up and get my steps in (btw I’m on track to walk 2017 miles in 2017), get groceries and do a bit of yoga. Halfway through my walk the rain decided to pour down and I found my self standing under a tree for about a half hour waiting for the rain to let up, which of course it did not so I decided to brave the elements and walk home. 

About half way home I noticed an elderly gentleman heading toward the senior living center with 2 bags of groceries trying to navigate around the posts and tape keeping would be walkers from messing up  the new concrete. With one leg on either side of the tape he appeared to be “stuck”  and was having a difficult time getting his second leg over the barrier. I ran across the street and helped him get across and into the building, We were both soaking wet - I jogged the rest of the way home. 

When I got home i peeled off the wet clothes and made myself a nice cup of almond milk chai and wrapped up in a blanket to get warm and I started searching for my favorite curried squash soup recipe, which I found almost immediately. 

The original recipe came from Eater’s Choice - A food lover’s guide to lower cholesterol, which I bought ages ago. There are some great recipes in the cookbook, although I was a meat eater in those days so these days I browse the vegetables and soups section. The Apple Squash Soup recipe calls for acorn squash but you can use whatever you have on hand. It also calls for apples (hence the name) and apple cider. I decided to switch it up a bit and use caramelized pears - it was a nice change. The sweetness from the caramelized pears and at the curry were a nice combination. 

Apple Squash Soup

1 T margarine

2 C chopped onions

2 T curry powder

6 cups peeled and cubed squash (I used acorn)

2 pears

3 cups vegetable broth (I used the broth I made from my scraps earlier in the season)

1 tsp salt

1 cup apple cider

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Slice pears in half and place cut side down on a pan to roast (I use my Pampered Chef stone) for approximately 20 minutes - or until they begin to caramelize. 

In a large pot melt margarine. Add onion and saute until tender. Add curry powder and combine. To the onion - curry mixture add squash, pears, stock and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 25 - 30 minutes. 

When squash is fork tender, puree soup in a high speed blender, add the apple cider and heat until warm. Pour in bowls and enjoy. Tonight we included a whole grain baguette and some brie and cashew cheese the result was delicious. 

Thanks for stopping by!