SEEDS... the wonder of life!

My neighbor brought me over half of her home-grown banana squash - what a gift!

The seeds were plentiful - I pulled out about 100 from the caverns of this squash.  

Check this out though - I have never seen a seed like this one before. 

The other side looks identical with a slender beige middle on each. 

My daughter Eden had baked pumpkin bread the other day & saved me the seeds, again about 100 seeds from just one very small organic pumpkin. I give them a quick rinse to get most of the flesh off of the seed - they seem to dry better this way. 

Pumpkin seed on the left; banana squash on the right - awesome, right? 

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This is the cover of my new book - my project is posted on kickstarter so that I can raise funds to print this darling book. I have about 3 weeks left. Please share this link with others you may know who may be able to help me push on down the road.  

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/marcyhopewilliams/ruby-rose-comes-to-town

Thanks!

Marcy Hope Williams

Butternut squash, polenta, figs & hazelnuts dinner

I was earlier inspired from a recipe I read from http://www.projectdomestication.blogspot.com/

which I read on http://www.lanayferme.com/home.html

I texted my friend after work tonight to see if she was up to cooking - and lucky for me, she was. 

Carefully gathering up all the main ingredients I managed to forget the recipe. 

I had wanted to change up the recipe a smidgion anyway, so we improvised. 

Here are the main ingredients. 

We ended up using the the acorn squash rather than the spaghetti squash, 

plus baked a serving of banana squash too.

The top was removed to reveal a beautiful scalloped-edge shape. I can imagine using this as a stamp with paint to create some fun wrapping paper (it's getting late so I apologize for the ideas). 

The squash was placed in an inch of water & microwaved for about 10 minutes. We were hungry, so we chose this option rather than turning the squash upside down & baking it in a 400-425 degree oven for about 40 minutes. 

The polenta was sliced in 1/2" slices.

For those of you who haven't ate polenta - it's a special treat, a great grain alternative, made of pre-cooked corn meal. 

We chose to fry this up on a griddle at about 350 degrees - remember it's already been cooked so your just frying it to gain that light golden-brown color. 

About 8 figs were quartered & some were snacked on.

And here's where the missing photo would be - a picture of about 3/4 c of hazelnuts being roasted over the stove. Half of the nuts were coarsely chopped & the remainder were left whole. 

Ah, the finished product. Laziz's Muhammara was used to top the polenta & the squash entree. Sliced cucumbers were added for both color & to include a raw green. 

Roasted hazelnuts & figs were sprinkled onto the squash. 

Time to Celebrate Harvest Time!

I don't know about you folks, but I honestly have found myself wearing the color orange so much this past week! Coincidence - or just feeling Autumn?

Here's my harvest from the local gardener's market - I am so thankful for all of the work that goes into this harvest - from planning, planting, tending & then finally harvesting & bringing these fruits to our market.

I sensed that feeling of community & could understand a wee bit more how an agrarian society might feel this time of year - no wonder there are celebrations across the land for the great bounty received!

My plan was to go to the market, purchase my week's produce & return home to make a protein shake - well, that didn't happen. 

Instead I was enticed to the aroma of a family-run business that was cooking up pupusas! This was a breakfast treat for me, for I had never tried one. Basically refried means stuffed in cornmeal & fried on a hot griddle, served with a side of lightly spiced coleslaw. A larger variety of ingredients were offered, but I chose to keep it simple.

Cache Valley hit 35 degrees today, so I just warmed my hands by the griddle & waited. 

You see those apples? -My daughter had met the gardener responsible for this large fruit-bearing orchard. Yesterday we were fortunate to visit him at his home & receive a small tour of his land, which looked like Heaven on Earth. He grafts different varieties of apples himself - some of his trees may look a bit strange, but my, oh my, what large delicious apples he produces.

Last night I baked an apple cobbler, which turned out to be very yummy - especially the apple part. I'm still perfecting this recipe but I promise to share as soon as I can.  

Tonight I baked up one of my spaghetti squashes - oh was that melt-in-your-mouth good!

Check out all of the seeds from just one squash. If I planted all of these seeds, I'm guessing I would have enough squashes to last my neighbors & me easily through the winter. I will dry these seeds to use when I find the best soil to plant them in. 

I baked this squash under a tent of foil, upside down in about an inch of water on 400-425 degrees for an hour - no need to add butter or margarine. 

Sorry, this picture isn't very delectable, but I still wanted to include it. I took the picture after spooning off a couple of servings - you can see the texture how it resembles spaghetti!

Looking for Ideas for a Vegetarian Meal?

Look no further...

From Eden's Kitchen:

Spaghetti squash anyone? I've seen much yellower squashes, in fact I usually purchase them smaller & in a more mellow-yellow shade, but Eden bought this at the Gardener's Market last Saturday - the vendor said it was the "1st of the season." 

Here's the interior view - you'll want to remove the seeds. You can always dry the seeds on a paper towel or plate & save them for replanting at a later time.

A closer look.

Place face down in about an inch of water & bake - I usually create a tent of tin foil to drape over the squash to prevent burning & it allows the squash to retain its moisture better. For years I've spread a tablespoon of margarine on the interior of both sides, but for the last 2 times I've baked this squash, I haven't. And you know what?  It still turns out perfectly yummy - so unnecessary calories. 

The squash takes about an hour at 400-425 degrees. You'll need to ck the tenderness of the meat of the squash about 40 minutes along. 

Here's a stir-fry beginning - organic extra firm tofu, garden green beans, sliced mushrooms & sesame seeds, sauted in a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil on a medium to low heat. 

Ready to eat!

The spaghetti squash is towards the bottom of the plate. Now you see the reason for its name. If you gently remove a serving size from the shell of the squash with a fork, you'll get this strand-like texture, which is what you're aiming for.

This side-dish is delicious, nutritious & an attractive addition to your plate. Remember, any yellow or orange-colored food will be packed full of vitamins A & E - great for your skin! Squashes are usually a natural diuretic too.

The 1st time I remember having spaghetti squash was at a friend's house. My friend is quite the vegetarian cook & she actually used this spaghetti squash just as one would use spaghetti noodles. She cooked up her own pasta sauce, topped the serving of squash with the sauce & with garbanzo beans - it was superb - we'll have to make that one night for you/us.

The cucumbers have been prepared through the spiralizer - Eden says, "they taste better this way" - & much more attractive than your usual cucumber slices.

Here's another meal plated up. The cute button carrots are from the Gardener's Market & very sweet!

Hungry?

By the way, I finally tried Eden's popsicles from the earlier blog & they were sooooooooooooooooo good!  There's no added sweetener, but I guarantee that you'll be surprised how the natural sugars from the freshly squeezed carrot/strawberry blend will excite your taste buds & energize your body!

*One final note - personally, I never get tired of eating from a plant-based diet - never! There are just too many ways to prepare even one dish - you can change the seasonings, serve it hot or cold, or just replace an item or two on the menu & you'll have a completely different meal. You can easy google for vegan or vegetarian meals, to stimulate your creative foodie mind too.

**Besides, I've found that if I'm really looking to give my body the best nutrition possible, I can look no further than the plant kingdom. Garden-fresh & raw are our best choices, but a warm meal or soup on a cold winter day may be just the perfect choice.

I leave you in peace,

Marcy Hope Williams