The 12 Days of Squashmas

A few years ago we had a lot of winter squash on hand.  We compiled and created 12 unique squash recipes that will blow the minds of your friends and family.  They’ll say, “Wow! I’m having a really gourd time thanks to these sweet and savory dishes!”  This post collects those recipes in one convenient location.  Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Winter Squash Brownies. No really, they’ll change the way you bake [recipe]

When working with alternative flours like whole grains or gluten free, you might find that texture and moisture are suddenly problems you never had to deal with with standard all purpose flour.  How many whole wheat breads and gluten free cookies have you tried to enjoy that just crumbled in your mouth and left you needing a drink?  We’ve found a solution to the dryness that comes with alternative healthy flours that is not only easy, but it results in a lower fat, higher fiber treat that anyone will enjoy.

Squash Buttermilk Pancakes [recipe]

We have a weekly pancake ritual on sunday mornings.  One of us melts the butter and starts brewing coffee and then one of us will start the pancake steps.  Weigh and measure all the ingredients, while the other parent entertains the kiddos with walking the dog or letting the chickens out.  The pancake maker will weigh out all the dry ingredients and sometimes a little 3-year-old will come help measure (read: take the leveled measuring spoon from my hand and dump it and tap it on the side and into the bowl of flour) and then we mix it all together!  

Healthy Winter Squash Muffins [recipe]

I don’t think there anything better than warm bread from the oven. Oh, maybe warm bread with a slab of butter melting on it after emerging from the oven, mmmmm and the crack of the crust, and teeth sinking into a soft crumb.   Ahhh.  But most days, I don’t want to wait for the sourdough starter, and then firm starter to rise, and then playing with the dough and waiting. The quicker path to satisfaction is a muffin. The texture is there and it takes under an hour from opening the recipe to having a warm muffin in hand. And what a great snack for a chilly winter day, sitting with a cup of tea or warm in your pocket as you wander in the snow onto the next adventure.

Mashed Kale Sweet Potatoes [recipe]

This won’t be so much a recipe as much as a reflection on the power of keeping things basic. This side dish is so elegantly simple it comes out great even when you make multiple so-called mistakes. While there are cooks out there seeking the perfect consistency of their mashed potatoes using special tools, other people are busy playing with their kids and end up steaming veggies for “a while”. A chef will practice hundreds of iterations of a recipe trying to find the right balance of salt and spice, and normal people occasionally forget the salt entirely. With flavorful kale and sweet potato as the stars, this recipe will take whatever you throw (or don’t throw) at it. And it’s mighty nutritious. 

Turkey with 100 Cloves of Garlic [recipe with gluten free gravy]

Captain’s log, stardate -307097.0319634703. We have travelled through a wormhole and entered a peculiar dinner star system in the Plimoth Alpha sector on a most critical mission of gastrophysical research. These early Earth inhabitants consume a large domesticated fowl, known to them as “turkey” and surround it with illogical amounts of a cousin plant to the now extinct onion. They call this “turkey with 100 cloves”. We are here to observe and attempt to understand the event that changed the course of human history forever. This garlicky dish directly led to the development of our transporter.

100% Local Meal – Pan-seared London Broil With Sautéed Swiss Chard and Spring Onions and Maple Glazed Spring Carrots

It has been so inspiring to walk around the farmers’ market on Saturday mornings.  I like seeing all the beauty around us, but, it is even more fun to play with the vegetables, meat, and dairy and create meals for our family.  The best part about these meals is that I can picture the fields, I know the farmers’ faces and strong hands. The added bonus that with local amazing food like this, I can feed my family AND support my local economy! This local support not only bolsters community and keeps the market going, but ceases the need to support food shipped from thousands of miles away on trucks. 

Mustard Greens Macaroni and Cheese [recipe with gluten free option]

There are many foods that I have despised in this life. One poorly prepared dish, preconceptions passed from a friend, or even just the first glance at a food in a poor context could destroy a reputation for years in my mind. To this day there are still some foods that will cause turmoil if I see them set before me. But I’ve come to learn that it is always worth revisiting a vegetable in a new way, trying a new spice, or eating a new part of an animal. Even the food you think you’ll always hate can shine in the right context. 

Skip the Strawberries and Try These 7 Wonderful Rhubarb Treats

It’s rhubarb time!  My favorite crop is growing and I am noticing it popping up all over town.  At the market it is being sold for a pretty penny and there is talk of strawberry rhubarb pie for dinner.  This is my favorite summer treat too, but aren’t there more things you can do with this quasi-fruit?  I thought so and rather than just throwing it into brownies or making muffins with it, we have been seeking out the very best recipes for this strange plant. Please read on for our favorite rhubarb treats… and definitely don’t eat the poisonous leaves!!

Dandelion Flower Cookie Recipe (Gluten Free & Whole Grain)

Dandelions are pretty great, huh?  Splashes of yellow scattered about starting in late spring, continually spreading and dancing in the breeze throughout the summer.  As flowers they make lovely bouquets for children to share and when they set to seed they become an all natural replacement for blowing bubbles.  And you can eat every part of this surprisingly nutritious, bountiful plant, from the roots up to the leaves all the way to the bright yellow flowers themselves!  You can make many dishes with dandelions, including, oh, say… COOKIES!