It’s Elemental

“Keep the hot side hot and the cool side cool!”  This was the revolutionary selling point for the McDonald’s McDLT, in 1985 so the consumer didn’t have soggy warm lettuce against a hot hamburger.  Truly, I think this idea simply led to additional packaging for a crappy sandwich no matter how you build it and another ad campaign that has stuck in my head for a good 25 years.

This week’s winter squash recipe thankfully has nothing to do with McDonalds, but it is a warm and cool salad.  In the cooler months, I like to make salads that combine fresh greens with warm roasted vegetables, contributing an element of comfort food.  In addition to flavors, varying textures and temperatures make food more dynamic and appealing to eat.

Week two of The Squash Project, in which I am making a new winter squash dish every week until Christmas, involves acorn squash.  This is an easy to find squash that is ridged and shaped like an acorn, hence the name.  The flavor is nutty and sweet, but with a drier texture and less sugary than some of it’s siblings.  Acorn squash are categorized as winter squash, but actually are in the same species as summer squash, like zucchini.  Acorn squash are not as concentrated in beta carotene as most other winter squash, but they are still high in potassium and fiber.  If the acorn squash is organic, the skin is absolutely edible.

My Rosemary Roasted Acorn Squash Salad would be a delightful addition to the Thanksgiving table with it’s bright colors and delicious, seasonal ingredients.  It is also an easy weeknight meal with the addition of cooked chopped chicken breast or a scoop of garbanzo beans.

May we be grateful for the opportunity to eat healthy food, the primary step to thriving in our one precious life.

 

Rosemary Roasted Acorn Squash Salad

Serves 6

1 medium organic acorn squash

2 tablespoons olive or avocado oil

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary (1 1/4 teaspoon dried)

1/2 cup walnuts, toasted*

1/2 green apple, thinly sliced and tossed in lemon juice to prevent browning

1/2 cup dried cranberries

8 ounces mixed salad greens

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Cut squash in half.  Scoop out seeds.  Cut squash into 2 inch pieces.  Toss with 2 tablespoons oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and rosemary.  Spread evenly on baking sheet.  Roast for 30 minutes or until squash is lightly caramelized on corners and tender when pierced with a fork.  Set aside.

*To toast walnuts: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spread nuts evenly over pan and toast for about 7 minutes or until lightly browned.

A wonderful thing about living in the Pacific Northwest is rosemary grows like a weed.

Dressing:

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1/4 teaspoon garlic granules or powder

Whisk together all ingredients in a measuring cup or small jar.  Set aside until ready to serve salad.

In a large salad bowl, add greens, cranberries, apple and warm or room temperature squash.  Toss salad with dressing (you any have a little dressing leftover depending on your saturation desire).  Hand crumble walnuts over salad and serve immediately.

Squash It

Guilt.  This is one of my overpowering emotions after quitting my job.  I busy myself exercising, scrubbing the floor, browsing the web and reorganizing piles.  At the end of the day I wonder what happened today.  What did I do that was meaningful?  How did I make the world a better place on this day?  If I have something tangible to show for my day, it seems to deliver more satisfaction.  This is how the squash project has been born.  Until the week before Christmas, I’ll be making a new winter squash dish every week.  I will post photos and recipes for anyone who wants to jump on this delectable journey with me.

Why winter squash?  Obviously because it’s damn delicious.  I’m one of those obsessed people who wants to try everything pumpkin- beers, butter, chips, ice cream…  Often, edible pumpkin items deceptively don’t even contain real pumpkin.  My science writer friend and dream crusher sent me an article about the 340 chemical compounds used to create pumpkin latte spice mix.  These do not reside in anyone’s pantry!  The squash project 2014 will be based on real food, mostly gluten free and paleo, to encourage consumers to feel well fed and loved.  (My dear, supportive husband being the main victim.)

September through December is prime season for winter squash.  These beautiful vegetables are not only stunning fall decorations, but are brimming with fiber, potassium, vitamins A and C and beta carotene to boost overall health.

What better way to squash ideas of self doubt and anxiety by expanding my horizons with butternut, hubbard, kuri and sugar pie pumpkin.  Below is the commencement of the great squash project, 2014.  Bring it.

Kabocha squash, destined for greatness

Kabocha Squash Date Pecan Bars

(Gluten free and Paleo)

1 cup packed, cooked kabocha squash* pureed or well mashed with a fork

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 eggs

1/3 cup coconut flour

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 cup Medjool dates, chopped

1/2  cup pecans, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease an 8 x 8 Pyrex pan and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine squash, coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla and eggs.  Mix well.  Stir in the rest of the ingredients and pour into prepared pan.  Bake 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow bars to cool in pan then consume with a cup of mid afternoon earl grey.

* How to bake winter squash:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cut squash in half.  Scoop out seeds.  Place halves flesh side down in a 9 x 13 baking dish.  Fill dish 1/4 of the way with water.  Bake for 1- 1 1/2 hours or until tender when pierced with a fork.  Drain.  Allow squash to cool.  Peel off skin with knife or scoop flesh from skin with a spoon.  Leftover squash may be frozen for future use.

 

Manual mashing. Food processor works too.

Well combined and ready to be baked.

 

Shine More

The most joyful thing is happening in Seattle.  It is SUNNY!  Several days in a row of glorious, inspiring, motivational sunshine!  The most stunning kind of day when I wake up to a warm orange glow on the last of the fall leaves, a brilliant azure sky and a crisp bite of winter chill  in the air.  My lettuce that attempted to power through the fall has now turned brown and lifeless.  As these transitions are happening outside my front door, I feel them happening inside as well.

I have spent plenty of my life working at a comfortable job that is uninspiring, frustrating and not encouraging me to live to my potential.  After many discussions with friends and family, I find this feeling to be quite common.  I am at a strange age when I am closer to 50 than I am to 20, my body reinforces this fact with it’s aches, many of my friends have kids and lead a different lifestyle than me and it’s getting  more difficult to think of going back to school or starting a new career as I am losing time.  What is the ideal life I’m meant to be leading?  I fear I will figure it all out when I am 80, only to look back and say, “Damn.  That’s what the universe was trying to tell me.”

The first step towards clearing my path for self actualization/ transformation/ personal gratification has been to quit my job.  Everyone has asked me, “What are you going to do now?”  I think my best answer has been find fulfillment.  The response to that is, “Let me know how that goes.”  So, here I am, sitting in the November sun, writing this, full of gratitude.

Sunny hike through lava fields.

Snowdrops

 

Another route to “The Good Life”