Maple Cream Stuffed Patty Pan

If you know me, you know I am madly in love with squash. I love all kinds of squash and nothing makes me happier than finding a new "squishy dish" to enjoy. I've grown patty pan in my garden for a few years now, and while it is super easy to grow and has a great flavor, I have always found the shape a little daunting. Too shallow to stuff with rice, too flat to make squash boats out of, not enough flesh to make a pie and which way to slice it for frying? Hmmmmm.

Voila! Inspiration finally hit me. I could "stuff" it with a sauce - a fluffy sweet sauce that will turn my flat squash into a perfect gluten-free breakfast or maybe even a desert. This recipe was an instant hit with my sometimes squash-wary daughter. She said it is her favorite squash meal ever. The maple cream pairs perfectly with the mellow sweetness of the patty pan and we both scraped the skins clean because it was so good.

Maple Cream Stuffed Patty Pan
2-4 small to medium patty pan squash
4 oz (1/2 block) cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup maple syrup (I used the most amazing wood-fired syrup from here in Ohio - Johnson Maple Syrup - delicious!!!)
2 tbsp powdered sugar

Wash then roast the patty pans whole in your oven at 350 until they are soft and browning slightly (1/2 to 1 hour depending on size). Take them out and let them cool for a few minutes. Slice them around the widest part of the squash and remove the top. Scrape out all of the seeds and pulp. While the squash are roasting mix together the other ingredients and whip them well until they are creamy and thick. spoon the cream into the bottom of the squashes, place the tops on and serve.

Lazy Fridge Pickles

So, I haven't posted on here for... quite a while. I've been fluttering around sourdough and gluten-free cooking lately and I feel like I have some things to share. Now, I just need to find the time to share them. I'm actually motivated to post this recipe because I've been having a lot of people asking for my pickle recipe lately and this seems like a nice central place to stick it. I have played around with this quite a bit the last few years. It is kind of a ferment and fridge pickle hybrid that involves uncooked cucumbers and uncooked brine with Braggs apple cider vinegar and "forgetting" to put the pickles into the fridge for a day or two... hence the "Lazy" part of my Lazy Fridge Pickles. I actually attempted a fully fermented pickle once and very unfortunately used two quart jars full of homegrown pickles, garlic and dill to do it. It was a massive fail to make pickles, but a huge success at making rancid cucumber jelly... I always try to look on the positive side. So, I've been too scared (read: smart) to try that again, but I did want a little more mature flavor and health benefits in my pickles and the hybrid technique was born. So far - and I'm going on maybe 20 quarts of pickles over the last three years - this is NO FAIL. Seriously. And, they get rave reviews, even from my toughest critics (aka my husband and daughters) and get demolished at parties where most self respecting social butterflies should know better than to scarf down garlicky pickles. Anyhow, if you like pickles, I hope you give this a try and let me know how it works for you!

Lazy Fridge Pickles
By: Vanessa Prentice
Ingredients:
6-7 small cucumbers sliced in quarters
1 cup water
1 cup Braggs apple cider vinegar
5-6 sliced cloves of garlic
4 or so sprigs of fresh dill
1 tbsp dried dill
1 sliced onion
8 tsp salt (I use Redman's Real Salt)
1 tbsp raw honey
additional water to fill jar

Optional: fresh washed grape leaves, 1 tsp mustard seeds or prepared mustard, 3-4 sliced hot peppers if you like 'em spicy, additional honey or 1/3 cup sugar if you like 'em sweet.

Pack your quart jar with layers of grape leaves - if you have them, onions, cucumber, garlic and dill sprigs until the jar is almost completely full. In a bowl mix together the rest of the ingredients until well combined and pour into the jar. Fill the jar up completely with water then put on a lid and shake well. Leave the jar on the counter for 12-24 hours then put into the fridge. The pickles will be nice and tasty in about a week, but will keep for much longer - if you can keep from eating them all.

Cantaloupe Cream Pie

One of my favorite desserts ever - the cream pie. So simple, so versatile, so deadly good. I've been making a variety of cream pies for years, usually fruits inspire me - raspberries, peaches, coconut - of course chocolate cream pie is always a big hit and cookies and cream pie drives my kids (and husband) wild with delight. A few years ago I had inspiration hit me at the farmer's market in the form of a big, juicy, perfect cantaloupe. Now, grocery store cantaloupe is nothing like the version you can get at your local farmer's market, but it will do in a pinch. But, if you really want this recipe to sing, get a fresh, locally grown cantaloupe, ripened to perfection, with so much flavor and deliciousness bursting from it you can't help but want to create something creamy and dreamy from it.

Cantaloupe Cream Pie
flesh from 1 medium sized cantaloupe
(either shredded and squeezed of excess juices or run through a juicer to extract as much juice as possible. Run through a food processor or smash the pulp until it is as smooth and unlumpy as possible.)
1 pkg cream cheese (blended with 1 cup of whipping cream until smooth)
1/2 cup plus 2 tbs sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 additional cups of whipping cream
Crust: 1 stick of butter and 1 pkg (about two cups) of grahams, crushed

First put together the crust by melting the butter and pouring it into the graham cracker crumbs. Press this into the bottom of a pie pan and bake for 5-10 minutes on 350. Set aside to cool. Whip the three cups of whipping cream with the vanilla and 2tbs of sugar until stiff peaks form. Set aside one third of the whipped cream in the refrigerator. Add the cantaloupe, cream cheese mixture and 1/2 cup of sugar to the rest of the whipped cream and blend until smooth. Pour into the cooled pie crust, cover and refrigerate for at least an hour - or overnight for a more firm pie. Before serving top your pie with the reserved whipped cream and garnish with small slices of fresh cantaloupe.

To make this pie extra-awesome... I also used local whipping cream from Snowville Creamery (The same cream used to make Jeni's Ice Cream) and I used Grateful Grahams, baked with love in Cincinnati. You can now order both of these products from GreenBEAN Delivery and I would highly recommend it!

Happy cream pies everyone :)

Squash for Breakfast

So, I've been dabbling with gluten-freedom for the last few weeks. And by dabbling I mean I've been 99% gluten-free. Kind of the same way I dabbled with vegetarianism for a couple of years... It has been a wonderful experience for me and not nearly as difficult as I once may have thought. Since working at Wild Oats several years ago I have known that many natural nutritionists and naturopaths consider gluten to be an unhealthy thing in anyone's diet. Not to mention if you are gluten-sensitive or gluten-intolerant. It's just not very easy to digest and today's bread products have so much more of it than even ten or twenty years ago. Because the higher the stretchy, elastic gluten in a bread the more chewy and moist and yummy it seems. Bread product makers start out with high gluten flour and then add vital wheat gluten to it. Making every slice of bread, bun and bagel turn into a virtual sticky disaster in your gut. I have a testy gut to begin with, add to that eating gluten at every meal and it's no wonder I wasn't feeling great.

I decided to cleanse. Cleansing for me means vegetables, lots of vegetables. No sugar. Limited dairy, and for the first time I decided I would also go gluten free. For at least a week. Well, after the first week and one teeny slip on the gluten I felt so good I decided to do it one more week and then another. This past week I've had gluten twice, which is still a huge change from my usual three or more times a day and I still feel really good. I've lost five pounds, without doing additional exercise.
One of the most difficult changes for me was breakfast. I am a bread fanatic in the morning. I want pancakes. I want a bagel. I want a muffin with a side of muffin! I found a few things that did it for me. I'll do my next post on Greek yogurt parfaits I promise... but, the first thing that really clicked and I keep going back to is squash.

If you have read my blog in the past you know I am a voracious squashavore anyways. (Squishy Dishes) I love squash in all ways and many varieties. I don't know why it never occurred to me what a wonderful breakfast they would make! I've used several different kinds that I've found at the farmer's market, acorn, buttercup, butternut. Simply cut the squash in halves or quarters and scoop out the seeds. While you are making your coffee let the squash roast in a hot 400 degree oven. I either turn the halves upside down in a water bath or slather them with coconut oil and place them on a pan skin side down. In about a half hour when the squash is nice and soft (and browned if it was left upright) take it out and score it with a butter knife. You can then dot it with some butter, cinnamon and maple syrup and voila! One half of a squash is enough to satisfy me and make me feel like I've had pancakes for breakfast. Without the tired and bloaty feeling I would usually get from pancakes.

If you have ever thought of cutting down on your gluten intake, or if you are just looking for something new for breakfast or brunch, I hope you will give this a try!

Bounty From the Farmer's Market

I get up earlier on Saturday mornings than any other day of the week all summer long. Not for cartoons or to get the coffee started early... I am so excited to get to the farmer's market, that I just can't stay in bed! I go to the Union County Farmer's Market in Marysville, Ohio. Which, if you have ever been there, it is a very small market. Nothing like the market in Clintonville or Worthington or even the market I used to run from the parking lot at Wild Oats in Upper Arlington. Most weeks there are less than a handful of farmers there, complimented by another handful of food producers and artisans selling their wares. But, from the moment I arrive, I am completely blissed out by the magic of buying directly from the farmers. I love asking about the varieties of garlic I buy or talking to the cheese maker about her cows. I love to buy someone's last jar of elderberry jam this season and smell the handmade soaps being sold alongside fresh herbs and warm, homemade bread. There is no better place to find the freshest, best tasting vegetables and fruits that haven't had to travel thousands of miles to get to you. And at prices that reflect the savings in gas and transportation! If you are not a farmer's market enthusiast already, isn't it about time to give it a try?

To find a farmer's market near you visit: www.localharvest.org

Quinoa and Black Bean Salad

This is an incredibly easy salad that is as delicious as it is nutritious. It is gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian and vegan, so it's the perfect thing to create for company with special dietary restrictions. Between the black beans and the quinoa, the protein content in this dish is very high so it makes a very satisfying meal. I took it to a potluck this week and actually had someone say it was the best potluck dish ever! I don't know, I have tried some pretty killer potluck dishes... but, nothing this healthy should actually taste this good.

Quinoa and Black Bean Salad
2 cups Quinoa
1 red pepper diced
1/2 peeled cucumber diced
2 organic carrots diced
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup green onions choppped
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup EV Olive Oil
1/4 cup Braggs G/F Aminos
1 can black beans

Cook the Quinoa according to the directions on the box. I used red Quinoa, but for a milder flavor you can use the regular white. After it cooked, I mixed in the chopped green onions so they would mellow in flavor a little as the Quinoa is cooling. Chop the red pepper, cucumber, carrots and fresh parsley and toss them in a bowl. You can substitute other veggies that are fresh and on hand. Zucchini and other summer squash, tomatoes, red onions, broccoli, green beans and sprouts would all work well. Beets would be great, but would probably be best if cooked first. Add vinegar, olive oil and Braggs liquid aminos (or your soy sauce of choice) to the veggies and let sit until Quinoa is cooled. Then mix everything together along with black beans and enjoy!

Fried Quiche with Dandelion Greens

This is one of my favorite egg dishes. It's so easy and you can use any seasonal produce and whatever green suits your fancy. I posted about this on Facebook a while back and got so many nice comments it made me decide to start a food blog :)

So today for lunch, I wanted some fried quiche, but realized that the baby spinach I usually make it with had gone south and needed to retire to the compost bin. But, while dumping the wilted (and somewhat slimy) greens and lamenting my strong urge for greeny, eggy deliciousness I spotted the perfect substitute for my spinach growing happily all over my yard. Dandelion greens. Before the lovely flower emerges, this tender green isn't bitter at all and can also be eaten raw in salads. It's exceptionally healthy for you and delicious as an alternative to other expensive greens that you might buy at the grocery store. The best part is... it's free. As long as you don't spray your lawn, you can have an endless supply of salad greens and greens to saute all summer long. My girls and I actually enjoy frying up the flowers as well, which are a tad more bitter, but also have a sweetness to them.

So, don't be hating on the dandelions this summer - learn to love them and appreciate them! You can start by making this crazy delicious dish.

Fried Quiche with Dandelion Greens
1 cup mushrooms cut into small chunks
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 cups rinsed and chopped dandelion greens
5-6 eggs
1/2 cup crumbled cooked bacon
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (or chives)
salt and pepper to taste
(optional: garlic powder)

Fry the mushrooms, onions and garlic in a hot pan with a little olive oil until onions are translucent and mushrooms start to release moisture. Turn down the heat and cover the mixture with the dandelion greens and let them wilt for a minute or two. (I also sprinkle the greens with some garlic powder, but I'm kind of a garlic freak...) Crack eggs over the greens in a way that distributes yolks around the pan. You can use a spoon to get them into place. Sprinkle the bacon and a little salt and pepper over the eggs then cover the pan for 3-4 minutes until the egg whites are cooked. Toss parsley over the eggs and serve hot.

You can substitute other vegetables and greens. Try this with zucchini, red peppers and spinach or eggplant, tomatoes and arugula. It's all good.