Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Warm Cider Vinaigrette

Adapted from Ina Garten's Back to Basics


Serving Size: 6-8

Ingredients

• 1 butternut squash, peeled and 3/4 inch diced
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3 tbsp dried cranberries
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 4 oz romaine lettuce, washed and sliced finely
• 1/2 cup walnut halves
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat oven 400 degrees. 

In a small mixing bowl add 2 tbsp of olive oil, the maple syrup, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper. Toss squash in mixture.

Place squash on sheet pan and roast for 15-20 minutes, turning once until tender. Add cranberries to the pan for last 5 minutes.

While squash is roasting combine cider vinegar, mustard, 1/2 cup olive oil, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper in a small bowl. 

Cut romaine lettuce in fine strips.

Place lettuce in large salad bowl and add roasted squash mixture, walnuts, and grated Parmesan. Spoon just enough vinaigrette over salad. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Optional: Add cherry tomatoes

Corn Salad

Serving Size: 6-8

Ingredients (adapted from Ina Garten's fresh corn salad recipe)

• 5 ears of corn, shucked
• 1/2 cup red onion, diced
• 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• handful of basil, chopped

Remove the husk of the corn. 

Cook the corn for 5 minutes in a large stockpot of boiling salted water. Drain and immerse corn in ice water.

When corn is cooled, cut the kernels off the cob and add to a large serving bowl.

Toss the rest of the ingredients in the serving bowl. Add the basil last. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Growing a Vegetable Garden

 
   I have been reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver and was inspired to start my own journey to growing my own vegetables and fruits. Any food fanatic would enjoy this narrative of a family leaving the suburbs for a country lifestyle. This book offers historical details on vegetables, the farming industry, and the movement towards organic living. In addition Kingsolver's husband, Steven Hopp provides essays revealing insightful reflections on each chapter's topic. With only half the book left to read I decided to begin growing my own food.

I went to the local Home Depot and to my luck they were having a sale on their vegetables and fruits. Each plant I bought was between $3-$5.

• Jalapenos

• Strawberry

• Cucumber

• Okra

• Zucchini (which i s already starting to flower)

• Habanero Chili (which is already starting to bear)

I bought Miracle Grow's potting soil for vegetables and added that to our garden soil. Most of these plants need direct sunlight so I chose a location where there were no other trees or shrubs providing shade. In addition I left enough distance between each plant to leave them room to grow. During the upcoming weeks I will document their growth and hopefully be able to harvest the vegetables and fruits. 

Sauteed Pea Sprouts

I did not realize how many health benefits pea plants have to offer. For instance pea plants contain 8 times more folic acid than bean sprouts, 7 times more vitamin C than blueberries, and 4 times more vitamin A than tomatoes! Why take a multivitamin tablet when you can eat this delicious vegetable? 

For additional nutritional info on pea sprouts, click this link below:

http://www.peashoots.com/peashoots-nutrition.htm

This recipe is so simple and takes 10 minutes to cook. 

Serving Size: 6-8

Ingredients

• 5 cups of pea sprouts
• 1/2 cup of onion, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, diced
• 1 cup bell pepper, diced
• 1/4 cup oyster sauce
• 2 tsp lime juice
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• pinch of salt
• pinch of pepper

Directions

Pour olive oil in wok and heat over low-medium setting. After 2-3 minutes add the onion, garlic, and bell pepper. When the onions and garlic begin to brown add the chicken broth, oyster sauce, .and lime juice.

After 5 minutes add the pea sprouts. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Optional: Top with chopped walnuts

Sundried Tomatoes

Ingredients

• tomatoes (the bigger the better)
• handful of basil
• handful of oregano
• pinch of salt
• pinch of pepper
• extra virgin olive oil
• drying device

Directions

To dry the tomatoes I used whatever equipment I had at home to make a drying device. This included: a round shallow aluminum tray, a plastic coriander to cover the tomatoes, a trivet to put on top of the tray for oxygen circulation (which helps the drying process), mesh liners to keep the bugs away, and clothespins.

Cut the tomatoes in half and arrange them on the trivet lined with the mesh.

Finely chop the basil and oregano. Sprinkle on top of the tomatoes. Sprinkle the salt and pepper over the tomatoes.

Line the bottom of the coriander with mesh and use clothespin to secure the coriander to the aluminum tray. Set outside in the sun for 6 to 8 hours for 2-3 days, depending on where you live.

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Once dried,  place the tomatoes in a completely sanitized jar and fill with extra virgin olive oil.