Acorn Squash and Red Quinoa Harvest Salad

I am not too sure if you have heard of Quinoa , I discovered this amazing super grain a few years ago and I am completely obsessed. Apart for the amazing health benefits , supergrain , complete vegetarian protein , has all the amino acids our body requires ............. it is just so darn tasty .

Last weekend I was asked to cater for a christening brunch, as I discussed the menu details , a must have in my books was Quinoa . It is autumn , it is close to thanksgiving , it is also a tad chilly and I needed no excuse to make this delicious dish. 

In its entirety I named this dish Acorn Squash and Red Quinoa Harvest Salad  , some acorn squash was baked in the oven with apple cider and I thought this was the perfect bed and contrast for the quinoa salad.

I usually prepare the quinoa the day before and let it sit overnight in the fridge , I just find that it tends to become fluffy and separates easily. Just like rice which always tastes much better when it has "rested" in the fridge overnight . I am not a vegetarian,  so some prociutto was added at the last minute - but if you wanted to keep this dish 100% vegetarian I recommend some crumbled feta or goat cheese just before serving .

So here goes the recipe , and original GG recipe inspired by the season and thanksgiving . It can easily be halved - but please do not write to me with regrets !!

Acorn Squash and Red Quinoa Harvest Salad
served 12-16 people

1 packet Red Quinoa or 2 cups Quinoa
2 tblsp olive oil
2 handfuls Brussel Sprouts
2 stalks Celery
4 green onions
kosher salt
freshly ground pepper
fresh thyme 2-3 sprigs
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 small tin water chesnuts
1 1/2 cups apple cider
1 cup dried cranberries
8 slices prociutto (optional)
feta cheese or goat cheese (optional)

2 acorn squash
1 cup apple cider
1 tsp cinnamon
1 pinch nutmeg
1/2 tsp allspice
olive oil
unsalted butter


Cook Quinoa according to package directions.

Clean outer layers of brussel sprouts and then slice in half , lenghtways then each half into 4 pieces . Clean and slice celery on a diagonal , approx the same size as the brussel sprouts .

Heat some olive oil in a non stick pan , add brussel sprouts and saute until they turn a light green colour , then add the celery some salt and freshly ground pepper . Saute until the vegetables just start to soften . Meanwhile chop the red and yellow peppers into chunky squares, slice the green onions on a diagonal and drain and rough chop the water chestnuts . Add all these ingredients to the pan and stir until combined and the peppers barely start to soften . You need to just take the rawness out of the peppers .

Season again with salt and pepper and DO NOT overcook at this point or the brussel sprouts will become bitter . Check for seasoning and adjust if necessary.

Remove from pan and add to the cooked and cooled quinoa. Toss to combine - it should very colourful .

Add the craisins and the apple cider into the saucepan and bring to a boil , then simmer for about 3 minutes until the craisins soften and the cider has reduces ever so slightly . Add this to the quinoa salad. Toss to combine.

Meanwhile preheat the oven to 400F , place the prosciutto slices onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and bake until it becomes crispy . Keep an eye on the time as each oven varies - should take about 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Also, clean and slice the acorn squash ( do not remove the peel) into 1 inch thick slices , saute slices in a combination butter and olive oil then place in an oven proof dish . Place rest of ingredients in a cup and mix well , then pour over the squash and bake until slightly brown and cooked through .

When all is done and cooled , get out your best platter , arrange the squash in an artful manner on the platter , then pile the quinoa salad mix on top then garnish with either crumbled prosciutto or feta/goat cheese .

Enjoy !

Apple Cranberry Loaf

Thanksgiving is but a mere 8  days away , I am sure for everyone who is hosting, menus have been planned , shopping trips mapped out with military precision . And the all important "Turkey" has been nabbed !

Until I arrived to this country, I was not familiar with Thanksgiving. Yes,  I had heard of the pilgrims and the Mayflower , Yes, I had heard how they ate what the Indians ate ..... however the whole tradition surrounding this holiday began to slowly unravel itself to me over the past 10 years .

Upfront let me announce to the world that I LOVE turkey , as much as I LOVE chicken . Where I come from turkey was the main event for Christmas , stuffed "just right" and accompanied with roast vegetables ... and of course plum pudding . It was inevitably always hot on Christmas day - but all good cooks sweated it out in the kitchen - because Christmas just would not be Christmas without the turkey.

However , I have digressed from the theme of Thanksgiving . As I eargerly await my portion of the bird next week I have begun to look at other offerings that can be enjoyed . Again , not wanting to put a damper on all things dessert for this day - pumpkin pie ......just does not cut it for me ....... . Don't get me wrong I love fresh pumpkin oven roasted - delicious ... but this strange dessert that everyone clamours for at Thanksgiving - has to this day, remained a mystery to me . My eldest daughter came home the other day after tasting some pumpkin pie and announced that it was " the best pie she had ever tasted!!!" .... I think an intervention is required .

So , the Apple Cranberry Loaf recipe was sent to me from down under , it had one crucial ingredient that make this a Thanksgiving must ... dried cranberries ....... I just simply had to make it .

It is delicious, it is healthy ( whole wheat flour and very little butter) , it is like an energy bar in cake form and perfect for the Thanksgiving table and travels really well . I made it in little mini cake loaves - because I thought they looked so cute .

So , if you are not responsible for the turkey and the hostess asks your " just bring a dessert" , consider forsaking the pumpkin pie and shake things up a bit with apple cranberry loaf .

Apple Cranberry Loaf

1 stick Unsalted Organic Butter
¼ cups White Granulated Sugar
¼ cups Light Brown Sugar
3 whole Organic Eggs
2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
½ teaspoons Kosher Salt
½ teaspoons Ground Allspice
½ teaspoons Ground Cinammon
¼ teaspoons Ground Nutmeg
¼ teaspoons Ground Cloves
½ cups Organic Whole Milk Or 2%
2 whole Granny Smith Apples, Grated
½ cups Walnuts, Chopped
½ cups Roasted (Unsalted) Whole Pepitas
¾ cups Cranberries


Method

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and line a loaf tin or 4 mini loaf tins.


Cream butter and sugar till pale. Add the eggs one at a time, beating and scraping sides between each addition.

Sift flour and spices into a bowl, then add flour mixture to the butter, slowly along with the milk.

Once the mixture comes together, add the grated apples (see note below). Fold in nuts, seeds and cranberries. Place in the loaf tin and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, on the center rack of the oven. Remove from the oven and let the loaf stand in the tin for 5 minutes before turning out. Allow to cool before slicing.

Note: I peeled and quartered my apples, then put them in the food processor and pulsed until coarsely chopped. Do this step after you have added the eggs, or the apples will start to turn brown.



Enjoy this deliciously healthy bread!

Harvest Apple Sauce

I love apple sauce , it is comfort snacking at its simplest . What I do not like is the store bought apple sauce - way too much added sugar and things that do not belong .

My girls also like apple sauce - but growing up I spoiled them . Unlike all their friends who would open a packet of sauce and immediately start devouring the contents - my little pumpkins wanted the homemade - real deal - so every so often I whip up a batch .

Now that we have just enjoyed a wonderful apple season - what could be better than apple sauce made with apples from the orchards ( thank you for the contribution Kelly ! ) , fresh , unwaxed, crisp apples - it does not get better than that !

Preparations are simple , clean out the fruit bin of all the odds and ends of apples -I always seem to accumulate plenty

wash well , quarter and roughly cut out the core

place in saucepan with a cup of water

bring to a boil and simmer until everything is soft and mushy

by leaving the skins on the applesauce takes on a lovely pink/rosy hue

Allow to cool slightly then pass through a coarse sieve using a spatula , scrape all the goodness into a container , store in refrigerator and eat with abandon !!!

Enjoy on its own , with granola , and of course with roast pork and even roast turkey.

Please make some, you will never go back to the mass produced stuff again.

Halloween .......... and the great pumpkin adventure

Well we just survived another halloween , it was colder than usual - so bundling up was essential . The whole process begins the night before with the carving of the pumpkins . A lot of thought goes into this . Strategies are plotted , designs are sketched out ad nauseum ............ and most years we come up with some good pumpkins .

Now , getting to this point is all the fun . For the first time , the girls were brave enough to deal with pumpkin goop ............ yes! the hands dived in and scooped out all that fun stuff ( albeit with a little help from the master pumpkin carver - Dad) ....... Mum was spared the hard work ..... I think they had fun !!

So, as you can see from the sequence of events , things were moving along nicely, even Penelope gave her look of approval - before she disappeared for a while .

.

The next important strategy is the carving process ........... Number 1 daughter picked a "ghastly face " to carve ........ Engineer Dad plotted out the drawing with exacting precision and then set about carving the "ghastly face " ...... under the watchful eye of Number 2 daughter.

So, in the final stretch the girls were very proud of their efforts , Mum helped Number 2 daughter with her carving - hence all photographing ceased - because you cannot carve and photogragh at the same time .

Here is the final product - note how life imitates art ............ Number 2 daughter's toothless grin is also reflected in the pumpkin !!!! and Number 1 daughters devil ears are reflected in the"ghastly face" .....

The next day ........... Halloween preparations were in order and my two little pumpkins set off to trick or treat  as the "good little witch" and "the little devil" ............ but they hammed it for a photo.