Spaghetti Squash

*hows about that good looking outlet in the background... whoops!

These are delish, home grown squashes from the farm! Doesn't get more natural than this!!

Next time you want to have pasta for dinner...don't. Have some 'ghetti squash instead!! Cut the squash in half, throw it in the steamer for about 20-25 minutes and before you know it you'll be scraping squash out of its' shell in spaghetti form and seasoning it with turkey meatballs, tomato sauce! Super healthy, super easy!!

Squash is technically a fruit because of the seeds on the inside but lets get real... it's totally a vegetable because we cook with it...end of story.

Apple Turnovers

This was my first time making a legit pastry, and let me tell you.... it was exciting and mildly stressful.

After the folding and flattening and folding and flattening of the pastry dough it was time to watch the dough bake. If you've ever done this before you may be able to relate.

Phase one: Watching these carefully crafted pockets of apple filled butter and flour, I was fully expecting them to just melt into a messy cookie sheet of blah!  However, to my surprise, they didn't! The dough started to develop little droplets of buttery goodness on the outside and then moved on to phase two...

Phase two: Puffing and puffing and puffing up until you think they are going to 'splode!!! The layers of pastry start to show and it's incredible how many layers their are. It was at this point that I was hoping my 'forking' technique, as in fusing the dough together, was adequate.  Luckily I only had one little fella split a bit of their side.

Phase three: After the anxiety of the potentially having little buttery apple exploding bombs in my kitchen, the storm passed and the turnovers* brown up all nice and crisply!

*There is no actual 'turning over' of these pastries when you make them. It is simply the folding in half of a square...

How to do...

Flaky Apple Turnovers

(the dough)

3 c flour
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 c butter, cold and cut into 1/4" cubes (Yay! None of this 'room temp' business with the butter)
1/2 c + 1 tbsp ice watter
2 tsp lemon juice

1. Add flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor (The food processor lives on!!)
2. Add 1/4 of the cubed butter and pulse until butter is dime sized (~4 one second pulses)
3. Add the remaining butter and process to coat the cubes with flour (~2 one second pulses)
4. Put mixture into a mixing bowl
5. Combine ice water and lemon juice
6. Add 1/2 of the liquid to flour mixture and toss to combine
7. Keep adding the liquid, 1 tbsp at a time until the dough clumps in your hand
8. Turn the dough onto a surface (it will be dry and shaggy and you will be questioning what you've gotten yourself into)
9. Fraisage the dough (google it) until it's 'moundable' and well incorporated
10. Press the dough into an 8" by 4" rectangle, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour

*I have learned that I take the 'easy start tab' on my saran box fully for granted and now is the time to thank the wonderful people at saran for their innovative and time saving 'easy start tab'. 

(the rolling)

1. Place the dough onto lightly floured parchment paper and roll into 15" by 10" rectangle
2. Fold the dough lengthwise into thirds
3. From the narrow end of the dough, roll the dough into a coil
4. Press it down to form a 6" by 5" rectangle
5. Repeat the rolling and pressing process once more
6. Wrap the dough in plastic and chill for 1 hour
 ~chilling~
7. Roll the dough into a 15" by 20" rectangle until it's about 1/8" thick
8. Cut the dough into 12, five inch squares and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment. Chill while you make the filling

*I am becoming much closer friends with parchment paper. No burning, no clean up. Awesome!

(the filling)

1 1/2 c sugar
4 large eapples
3 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt

1. Peel and grate apples with a food processor. Combine apples, salt, sugar, and lemon juice in a medium bowl
2. Place 2 tbsp of apple filling (squeezed of excess liquid) onto the dough. This part sucks. To squeeze the filling of the liquid I put it in paper towel and gently let the excess sticky and sugary liquid drip into a bowl). A thorough hand washing is required after this process. 
3. Moisten the edges with the excess liquid and close the squares to make triangles! Crimp the edges with fork... aka forking.
4. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 24 hours in the fridge

5. Combine 1/2 c of sugar with 2 tsp of cinnamon to sprinkle on 'turnovers' that are lightly misted (so the sugar sticks)
6. Bake @ 375F for 30-35 minutes. Place on a wire rack to cool.

  

French Apple Tart

Today I decided to make a tart! I've never made a tart before and I learned sooooo much!

Learning moment #1. Making tarts from scratch takes a long time!

A friend gave me a whole bag full of fresh apples from the tree in their yard and instead of making a classic apple pie, I decided a tart would be a nice 'game changer'.


Learning moment #2. I want an apple tree in my back yard... that is, when I get a back yard.

By a process of google click-n-pick I found this recipe which I had all of the ingredients. (click here for the original recipe.) I found this recipe a little bit wordy so I'm gonna break it down for you...

French Apple Tart Ingredients
       
          Sweet Pastry Crust
 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter (room temp)
1 lrg egg
1 oz vodka or rum

          -Beat the butter with a mixer until softened
          -Add the sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy
          -Gradually add the egg, beating just unitl incorporated 
          (Don't over mix or the butter will separate and lighten in color)
          -Add the flour and salt and mix just unitl it forms a ball
          (Don't overwork or pastry will be hard when baked)
          -Flatten the dough into a disk, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate about on hour or until firm
         -Once chilled, roll out the pastry into an 11-12 inch circle (this is much easier said than done... just be patient)
        Learning moment #3. if needed, take the shot of vodka or rum about now because working with pastry needs some liquid assistance
         -Set the pastry into the tart pan and press the dough into the little ridge things
        -Prick the bottom of the dough so it doesn't puff when baked
        -Cover and refrigerate it for about 20 minutes or until chilled
        
        -Preheat oven to 400 degrees and place rack in center of oven
        -Line the unbaked pastry shell with parchment paper and fill the tart with weights all the way to the top. This seems strange but just do it. Your edges will thank you!
         -Bake crust for 20-25 minutes until crust is dry and lightly browned
         -Remove weights and cool crust on wire rack
Learning moment #4. Beans work great as pie weights
          
          Apple Filling
6-8 medium-sized apples (granny smith or other firm textured apple)
3 tbsp butter (divided)
1/4-1/2 cup sugar (divided)
1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
1/2 tsp cinnamon (divided)
Icing sugar to sprinkle
           
            For the bottom layer of apples:
          -Peel, core, and slice three of the apples 
Learning moment #5. Use lots of apples for the bottom bit. I didn't quit have enough so I just used more on the top
          -In a large skillet melt 1 tbsp of butter and stir in between 2-4 tbsp of sugar, lemon zest, and 1/4 tsp of cinnamon
         -Add the apples and saute over moderate heat, stirring occasionally for 7-10 mins or until the apples are soft
Learning moment #6. This part smells amazing!!! Brace yourself for multiple taste testers!!
         -Gently mash the apples with the back of a spatula or spoon and stir the mixture until most of the liquid has evaporated. 
         -Remove from heat and let cool

         For the top layer of apples:
        -Peel, core, and cut the apples into slices 1/4 inch thick
        -Melt 1 tbsp of butter in a large skillet over medium heat and stir in the other 2-4 tbsp of sugar and 1/4tsp of cinnamon
        - Add the apples and saute until they begin to soften, approximately 5 minutes. Set aside to slightly cool

         -Spoon the apple sauce mixture into the cooled pre-baked tart shell
         -Arrange the apple slices in concentric circles over the applesauce, and brush with 1-2 tbsp of melted butter
        -Bake the tart on a baking sheet in a preheated 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes
        -Remove from the oven and sprinkle the tart with icing sugar
        -Cover the edges of the tart with foil, and broil it under a preheated broiler until the edges of the apples are golden brown and crisp 
        -Once the tart has cooled lightly glaze the apple slices with warm apricot glaze

          Glaze
1/2 cup apricot preserves
1 tbsp cognac, calvados, rum or water

         -In a small saucepan heat the apricot preserves until boiling
         -Remove from heat and strain to get rid of lumps. Add the cognac, rum, or water
Learning moment #7. In this case, more rum isn't always better...
         - Use this glaze to seal the baked tart shell and to brush the top of the finished tart


Serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream!  Enjoy!!

Cucumbers

Let's talk about cucumber water for a minute. Have you tried it? Do you like it?
Well, I've had it once before when I was in a hoity toity spa and I wasn't quite sure of the purpose of it. However, I decide to make some the other day as a refreshing thirst quencher.
Little did I know that I was also getting SO many vitamins like A, C, K and Iron. A little jazz booster for your H20, wouldn't ya say? Easy way to make your water more interesting. Slice it hamburger or hot dog way and plop it in your water container!! Done!!
P.S. If you're feeling really adventurous, mash up some mint and have a cucumbery-minty-super refreshing-summery drink!! Or throw some lemon in it!!

Purple Cauliflower

Purple Cauliflower. What a goofy looking vegetable. All of the other purple vegetables like eggplant, beets, and that purple lettucey stuff grow into their color nicely. But purple cauliflower...no such luck. It just looks weird (unless you're having some kind of purple themed party, then it would be great!).

Why is this particular cauliflower purple... well, its full of anthocyanins obviously (insert heavy sarcasm here). Anthocyanins are the antioxidants of purple things (or so thats what is seems). Red wine and purple cabbage both have anthocyanins and depending on the pH these anthoc... pigments will appear red, purple, or blue.

Fun Fact for ya... Copious amounts of cauliflower intake (any color) have been shown to reduce aggressive prostate cancer (P.S. I didn't know there was such a thing as 'aggressive' prostate cancer until right now. Isn't all cancer pretty aggressive?)

Also.... Quit boiling your vegetables!! It's a thief of nutrients! Buy a steamer for 30 bucks, turn it on, and fill your body with all the things veggies are good for! Enjoy the added bonus of freeing up a burning, and never worry about a pot boiling over ever again!!
   

Bell Peppers

Have you ever noticed that Green bell peppers cost a heck of a lot less than the Red, Yellow, or Orange peppers. A whole $1.50 less at my particular grocery store. At first glance this seems quite ludicrous, however, it kinda makes sense once you know the facts and can get over the fact that the grocery stores probs aren't part of some 'supermarket conspiracy'. 

So, Green peppers cost less because they are harvested much sooner than yellow peppers, much much sooner than orange peppers, and much much much sooner than red peppers. (Why only green peppers have a price difference is a little bit questionable). 

See,  all bell peppers are all grown on the same plant and they change colour as they ripen. So if you want a green one pick it early in the growth cycle of the plant. If you want a red one, pick it much later. Also, here's a fun fact that you may or may not have seen coming....

...Red bell peppers are the most nutrient filled. For instance, 

Nutrient	Green	Red	Yellow
Vitamin A	12% DV	105% DV	3.6% DV
Vitamin C	137% DV	292% DV	282% DV
Beta Carotene	340 mcg	841 mcg	110 mcg

(*Thank you http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodtip&dbid=68)

So, next time you wanna cheap out and buy the green peppers instead think of all that beta Carotene that you're leaving on the shelves...

Served with Hummus and paprika (btw, paprika is prepared from red peppers)

Garlic

Is garlic even a vegetable?

Well, I've found out that it is a member of the Lily family (along with the onion, shallot, and chive), it's not a herb (because herbs denote something green), and it's not a spice (because wikipedia says so). So, basically because garlic doesn't fit into any other category it's most closely related to a vegetable.

But let's get to the important stuff...
Garlic festivals are all around us! Look into it, you probably live near one. Strictly based on witty alliteration, The Gilroy Garlic Festival, held in Gilroy, California seemed like a fun festival to learn about. This festival is complete with garlic favoured ice cream, garlic braiding workshops, and a Miss Garlic Gilroy Festival Queen (she has to perform a Garlic Speech, believe it or not. )

Roasted Garlic:

Cut the top off of the little clovies, spritz with oil and seasonings, cover in tinfoil and then bake it for 30-35 mins at 400 degrees.
(*Be sure to have gum on hand)

mmmm. Tasty!

Kale

Some may call it 'your new friend with benefits' others call it the cardboardy-like lettuce, either way, KALE is the new potato chip!!!

Cut off the stems, spritz a little oil, and season to taste. That's all it takes to turn this leafy, well structured green into a crispy delight. Pop 'em in the oven at 375-400 degrees and make sure your socks are on tight, because they are about to be blown...right off!!

You will never go back to potato chips again. Aside from the super convenient and inexpensive ways of Lays or Tostitos, Kale chips totally win in the snack food competition of life!

Oh ya, and kale was a key player in the Dig for Victory Campaign. What is the 'Dig for Victory Campaign' you may ask... Well apparently, during WWII gardens were planted in private residence to reduce the pressure on public food sources. Kale, along with other nutrient over-achievers, were grown and harvested and given to those in need. These gardens also provided the garden people (not the gnomes, the actual people) with a sense of purpose. Go Kale!!

30 Days of Veg

Everyone can eat more vegetables! So, for 30 days I will prepare a new veggie each day and with the help of the wonderful worldly web I might even learn something new!

Day 1: Sweet Potatoes
Day 2: Kale
Day 3: Garlic
Day 4: Bell Peppers
Day 5: Cucumber
Day 6: Purple Cauliflower
Day 7: Spaghetti Squash
Day 8: Baby Carrots
Day 9: Chives

Sweet Potatoes

Sweet Potatoes are a root vegetable that's super high in Vitamin A. According to whfoods.org these rooty treats are considered, 'standout antioxidants'. These 'unexpected tubers' are fabulous! and include magnificent health benefits of antioxidants, anti-inflammatory properties, and blood sugar-regulating nutrients.

Seasoned the sweets with a lemon and paprika pre-mixed seasoning.
Other seasonings to try are: cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, or just a simple s&p.