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I am so in love with the seasonal foods at this time of year. For me fall is all about renewal, it is about bounty and it is about comfort, slowing down the pace a little, turning more inward and enjoying quiet times with loved ones. I love fall foods so much that most of my clipped recipe notebooks have a special section that I call “autumn foods”. Our trip to New England was especially inspiring being that it was full of this delicious bounty. So what does one do when you come home from a vacation full of meals consisting of seasonal vegetables and fruits, celebrating autumn? Well one goes to the farmers market to get some more. What does one do with loads of turnips, carrots, potatoes, squash, pumpkin and greens procured from said farmers market? Well one get their butt in the kitchen, makes a big mess and eats the rewards of one’s labor for days and days, of course!

When we got back from our trip, we had barely any food in the house, and nothing fresh – no veggies, no dairy and no meat. So we headed to the Farmers market. Now I knew we couldn’t get everything there, but I wanted to see what I could get there and then go to the grocery after. For me the grocery store is always an after thought. The farmers market and all the goodies there are the inspiration and fodder for week’s meals and we go to the grocery store to fill in the blanks. I enjoy letting the seasonal bounty dictate our menu more and more.

I ended up getting so many greens (kale, chard and turnip greens, as well as lettuces) because they came in such huge quantities from one of the produce stands that we love, that we literally brought home a GARBAGE bag full for about $9. I had so much that I gave half to the gentleman who does the landscaping for our condo. But there was still so much leftover, I knew I just had to start getting creative. So what came out of it was sauteed greens with garlic and citrus champagne vinegar, stuffed acorn squash, roasted root vegetables and pumpkin soup ( as well as Judy’s roasted pumpkin seeds). I also made bread, Pumpkin Oatmeal, from the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes A Day book. Here are the recipes for the sauteed greens and stuffed squash.

Also if you want to learn tips on how to make your kitchen more Green, check out this article



Sauteed Greens with Citrus Champagne Vinegar

INGREDIENTS:

8 cups of greens (I did a mixture of kale, chard and turnip greens)
1 yellow onion, chopped
5 cloves of garlic, minced
2 TBS olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup citrus champagne vinegar

METHOD:

Heat up olive oil in a large pan. Sautee onion and garlic until browned. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add in greens about 2 cups at a time until wilted and keep adding. Total cooking time for greens about 7-10 minutes. Salt and pepper everything to taste and then mix with the vinegar. Serve warm.

Stuffed Acorn Squash

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INGREDIENTS:

4 small acorn squash
1/2 bottle of beer
3 cups day old bread cubes (I used a combination of pumpkin-oatmeal and whole wheat)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 large onion
2 cloves garlic
2 TBS fresh sage, minced
1/2 cup veggie stock
salt and pepper to taste
parmesan cheese

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 400 F. Cut squashes in half. Place cut side down in a large glass baking pan. Pour in beer and bake uncovered for about 45 minutes or until tender.

In a large skillet heat up olive oil – sautee onion and garlic until soft. Add sage and bread cubes. Sautee until bread is browned. Add veggie stock and simmer until liquid is gone. Salt and pepper to taste. Fill acorn squash halves with bread mixture. Grate parm over top and stick back in the oven for about 15- 20 minutes. Eat immediately!