kuri squash stuffed with wild rice and sausage

This is very tasty and satisfying.  From here.

Ingredients

• 1 red kuri squash, seeded and cut into quarters or eighths depending on squash size
•  olive oil, divided
•  salt & pepper
• 1 pound ground/bulk sausage
• 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
• 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, or 2 sprigs fresh
• 1 apple, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup pecans, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons raisins
• 1 cup cooked black rice, or other variety rice
•  

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Place the squash pieces onto a large baking sheet, drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 40-50 minutes, flipping each piece halfway through. Squash should be golden brown on all sides and fork tender when done.
• Meanwhile, make the filling by heating the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet.
• Add the sausage and cook until browned, breaking up with a spatula into small pieces.
• Add the onions, celery, mushrooms and rosemary. Stir to combine and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
• Add the apples, pecans and raisins. Stir and cook an additional 1-2 minutes.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper then turn off the heat.
• Add the cooked rice to the skillet and toss to combine.
• Once the squash is done roasting, remove from the oven and transfer 1-2 pieces to a plate. Spoon the prepared stuffing on top of the squash and serve

 

lower sugar berry crisp

 I've been carefully avoiding sugar for a few months now, and I'm trying to strike a balance with a small enough amount each day that still allows tasty treats.  Aiming for less than 10 grams per day, which means A LOT of label reading and avoiding processed foods.  I've found Blue Stripes and some other dark chocolates are a great bang for grams, with like 3-4 grams added sugar for half a chocolate bar.  That's like than a slice of Dave's Killer Bread or less than a tablespoon of ketchup, and it's way more satisfying to my sweet tooth.  I allow a half tablespoon of jam on a muffin made with no added sugars (sweetened with mashed dates) or slice of whole wheat sourdough toast.  Or hot chocolate made with 1 teaspoon of maple syrup.  These are satisfying still.

But I've stayed away from making other desserts, as I do not want to use fake sugar.  I'm thinking of making a sweet potato pie for Thanksgiving with whole wheat crust and maybe 1/4 cup maple syrup.  That's a whole lot better for me than what else will be served.  

And I have a heap of berries frozen from picking this summer, including a mix of blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries.  (I keep my strawberries for chia seed pudding with no sweetener.)  

HEre's what's in the oven now and I hope it's great!

• 5 cups (or so) of mixed berries
• 1 Tbsp corn starch
• 1/2 Tbsp white sugar
• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup pecans
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp cinnamon/cardamom/whatever sounds good
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

Combine berries, corn starch, and white sugar in a baking pan.  Then in a bowl combine the rest of the ingredients, mixing by hand and sprinkling over the berries.  

Bake at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes.

Eat with yogurt! 

summer squash scramble

 I keep struggling with what to prepare for breakfast, and I also struggle with what to do with the vegetable bounty from my garden.  

Finally, after a week of staring at an identified summer squash (not what I planted, but what grew), I realized I can just saute it with eggs and add parmesan that I shredded too much of, and make it a meal.

I can do this with most vegetables, adding whatever cheese or other thing is about like salsa.

Not sure why I keep forgetting this, but putting it here to remind me. 

- Chop up squash or whatever vegetable is lurking

- heat cast iron skillet, add olive or whatever oil

- saute vegetable

- mix in bowl: eggs (I usually use two smaller), salt, pepper, seasonings such as onion and garlic powders

- add egg mixture to vegetables and cook to desired doneness

- top with cheese, salsa, or whatever else needs to get used up

whole wheat sourdough flatbread

 I'm super grateful that Trader Joe's has whole wheat flatbread with no preservatives, etc.  I'm eating it daily as I avoid refined sugar/grains/seed oils.  

Someone on Facebook posted this with a tasty photo so I'm adding it to my to-do list when I want from scratch, which is of course always better.

Flat bread

Farmhouse on boon

Ingredients

* 260g or 2 cups flour I use freshly milled hard white wheat

* 250g or 1 cup starter

* 5g or 1 tsp salt

* 135g or 1/2 cup milk

* Olive oil for cooking (optional I don’t use it)

 

Instructions

1. Mix sourdough starter, flour, milk, and salt together. Knead for a few minutes.

2. Cover and allow to rise for for 2-4 hours (or overnight for long fermentation). I leave 24 hours!

3. Divide into 8 equal pieces.

4. Roll flat (about 1/4” thick) on a lightly floured work surface.

5. Add a small amount of olive oil to a cast iron skillet and preheat over medium. I don’t use oil, just put straight on the pan.

6. Cook each flatbread for a minute or two on each side until it starts to brown a bit.

green beans and tofu

 I've got green beans wrapping up in the garden, and tofu in the fridge.  This turned out good.  From here.

Ingredients

• brown rice
• tofu, extra or super firm
• green beans (a pound-ish)
• 1 T soy sauce
• 2 T nutritional yeast
• oil
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1" ginger peeled and minced or grated 
  
• more soy sauce
• gochujang, chili oil, sesame oil, sesame seeds, or something along those lines

Press tofu to get moisture out.

 Start rice to cook.

Prep green beans (wash, cut ends).  Chop garlic, ginger.

Dice tofu 1/2" pieces.  Put in a bowl with 1 T soy sauce and mix, then add the 2 T nutritional yeast. 

Bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes. 

Heat saute pan with oil and add garlic and ginger for a minute, then add in the beans and cook 5-8 minutes or more (I was about 12 minutes, which included some larger beans, and needed to put a lid on for some of the time).  Add chili oil or something else for flavor.

Serve rice with tofu and beans.

cauliflower pizza crust

 Sticking with the pizza theme, I'm saving this recipe for cauliflower thin crust pizza to try someday.

Ingredients

Makes 4 crusts

• 1 12 oz bag of frozen cauliflower rice steamed and squeezed
• 2 eggs
• ¼ tsp sea salt
• ½ cup full fat greek yogurt
• ⅔ cup almond flour
• ⅓ cup arrowroot

Equipment

• Parchment paper
• Sheet pan
• Nut milk bag

Make extra crusts and store them in the refrigerator or freezer. They keep very well – just stack them with parchment paper in between the crusts and wrap in a reusable gallon size zip bag.

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Cook bag of frozen cauliflower rice for 4 minutes in the microwave or on the stovetop, allow to sit for one minute to cool.
3. Using a nut bag or a dishcloth, squeeze the water out of the steamed cauliflower rice until it is very dry.
4. In a bowl of a food processor, add cauliflower, eggs, salt, yogurt, almond flour, and arrowroot.
5. Blend until very smooth. It will be very much like batter and this is what you want.
6. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, put ½ cups of batter, and using a spatula or the back of a spoon, create an 8-inch circle of batter.
7. Bake the crust for 6 minutes until it is firm but not brown. This is just a pre-bake to get the crust firm enough for toppings.
8. Remove crust from the oven and turn the heat up to 500.
9. Top your pizza crust and bake for about 15-18 minutes or until cheese is melted, golden and bubbly.

 

pizza sauce for canning

 Pizza sauce for canning recipe from here. I think I'll use up some of the Roma tomatoes that I've frozen for this and start making homemade pizza on the regular.  I'll update this after I try it.

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 - 3 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 7 pounds fresh paste tomatoes (Roma, Amish Paste or San Marzano)
• 1 6 ounce can tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar (I plan to cut this significantly)
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/8 teaspoon Citric acid or 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice per half pint jar (increases the acidity and lowers the PH for safe water bath canning)

Instructions

1. Wash the tomatoes and coarsely dice. If using frozen tomatoes add them to a strainer to drain off any liquid. Set aside.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and onions, stirring a few times around the pot.
3. Add Italian seasoning, oregano, and basil. Stir the mixture a few times to allow the herbs to draw out their flavors.
4. Add the strained tomatoes, tomato paste, brown sugar, salt and 1 bay leaf. Stir to combine and bring the mixture to a light boil.
5. Turn the heat to low, taste and season if needed. Allow the sauce to simmer for 30 minutes to 1 hour partially covered with the lid.
6. While the sauce cooks, wash and sterilize about 6 half - pint size jars, lids and rings. Prepare your water bath canner according to your canners instructions.
7. Remove the sauce from the heat and remove and discard the bay leaf. Use an immersion or stick blender to blend the pizza sauce to a smooth consistency.
8. Gather your sterilized half - pint jars and add the citric acid or lemon juice (It is either or not both) to each jar.
9. Ladle the pizza sauce into each jar, leaving a 1/4 inch head space.
10. Clean the rims of the jars with a paper towel dipped in white vinegar to remove any residue and to ensure a clean seal.
11. Add a lid and a ring to each jar and tighten to finger tip tight.
12. Add the jars to the canner and lower the rack into the canner. Add more water if the jars are not covered. You need at least 1 inch of water to cover the jars.
13. Bring the water to a boil, reduce heat to a low boil and and cover the pot. Process half - pints for 15 min.
14. When the processing time is complete, turn the canner off, keep the jars in the canner for an additional 5 minutes before removing to the counter covered with a dish towel.
15. You will start to hear the jars popping that means the jars are sealing.
16. Leave the jars undisturbed for at least 12 hours.