Spiced Squash Pancakes

These moist, deep orange cakes are a breakfast treat, and if you like breakfast for dinner, these would be perfect candidates. Walnuts and maple syrup add crunchy sweetness.

Ingredients

Syrup

• 1/2 cup walnut pieces
• 1/2 cup maple syrup

Pancakes

• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup unbleached flour
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup squash puree of your choice* (prepared in advance)
• 1 cup 1% low-fat milk
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• Vegetable oil spray

Preparation

1. In a 1 quart pot, combine the walnuts and maple syrup, and heat over low heat while you make the cakes. Makes 3/4 cup.
2. Preheat the oven to 200 F to hold the finished pancakes, if desired.
3. In a large bowl, combine the whole wheat pastry flour, unbleached flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk the squash, milk, oil and egg. Stir the squash mixture into the flour mixture just until all the flour is moistened, don't over-stir.
4. Pre-heat griddle or large non-stick skillets, over high heat. Spray with vegetable oil spray just before adding the batter. Use 1/4 cup measure to scoop the batter onto the hot griddle, spreading it out to a 4 inch round with the bottom of the cup. When the batter starts to bubble, turn down the heat to medium. When the edges of the cakes look dry and cooked and the pancake is covered with holes, about 3 minutes, flip the cakes. Cook for a minute or two on the second side, it will not take as long. Flip again and cook for a couple of minutes. Transfer the finished pancakes to a heat safe platter and put in the oven as you finish cooking the rest of the batter.
5. Serve 3 cakes per plate, topped with a tablespoon of syrup per cake.

* Squash Puree

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F.
2. Using your favorite winter squash (such as butternut, acorn, pumpkin, delicata), halve the squash, scoop out the seeds, and place it cut side down on an oiled sheet pan.
3. Roast at 400 F until tender when pierced with a paring knife.
4. With a metal spoon, scrape out the cooked flesh and puree in a blender or food processor or mash with a potato masher until smooth.

Authored by Robin Asbell. Reprinted with permission by strongertogether.coop

Italian Sausage with Fall Veggies

Easy, filling and flexible, this dish takes full advantage of whatever fall root vegetables you have on hand.

Ingredients

• 2 medium parsnips, peeled and sliced
• 1 small sweet potato, cubed
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh sage (or 1 teaspoon dried)
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1 pound uncooked Italian sausage links
• 1/2 bunch kale, stemmed and chopped

Preparation

1. Heat the oven to 400°F. In a large roasting pan, combine the parsnips, sweet potato, red onions, garlic, sage, pepper and salt, and drizzle with vegetable oil. Toss to coat. Pierce each sausage link four times on one side with a paring knife, then turn over and pierce four more times. Place the sausages on the vegetables and cover the pan tightly with foil.
2. Bake for 20 minutes, then uncover the pan, stir and turn the sausages, and roast for 15 minutes longer, uncovered. The vegetables should be tender when pierced with a paring knife; if the vegetables are in larger chunks, they may need more time to cook. When the vegetables are tender, add the kale to the hot pan and stir, then roast for 10 minutes longer. Serve hot.

Serving Suggestion

This is an easy and filling fall dish, and the ingredients are very flexible. Substitute your favorite root vegetables for the parsnip and sweet potato, or use any type of link sausage.

Authored by Stronger Together. Reprinted with permission by www.strongertogether.coop

Photo courtesy of strongertogether.coop

Kale-Walnut Pesto with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

No need to wait until summer's basil bounty to make pesto—you can enjoy a flavorful kale pesto any time of the year. Valued as much for its taste and texture as its nutrients, this kale pesto is simple and robust and is delicious tossed with pasta or as a sauce for pizza or a crostini. This is also an excellent use for extra kale from the garden or CSA share—and it freezes well to boot.

Ingredients

• 1 large bunch kale (about 6 cups of leaves)
• 5 sun-dried tomatoes (not packed in oil)
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/4 cup walnuts, toasted
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• Salt to taste

Preparation

1. Place sun-dried tomatoes in a small dish and add boiling water, just to cover. Set aside while they soften.
2. Strip the kale greens from the thicker ribs. Bring a large pot of salted water to a gentle boil. Add the kale to the water and blanch for 30 seconds or less. Remove the greens immediately and place in an ice bath.
3. Remove kale from the ice bath, squeeze to remove the water then place it in a food processor. Chop the sun-dried tomatoes and add those, along with the garlic, Parmesan, walnuts, lemon juice and a pinch of salt, to the food processor.
4. With the food processor running, drizzle in the olive oil, scraping down the sides as needed. Adjust the salt to taste.

Serving Suggestion

Toss with pasta and top with additional Parmesan and toasted walnuts, if desired, or use as a sauce for pizza or crostini.

Reprinted by permission from StrongerTogether.coop. Find articles about your food and where it comes from, recipes and a whole lot more at www.strongertogether.coop.

Budget Friendly Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore

Alla cacciatora refers to a meal prepared "hunter-style" with onions, herbs, and local veggies. Have dinner ready by the time you get home by prepping the ingredients the night before. 

Ingredients

• 1 14-ounce can Woodstock diced tomatoes
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 medium green pepper, chopped
• 1 medium zucchini, sliced
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup dry red wine
• ½ cup Field Day chicken broth
• 4 ounces Muir Glen tomato paste
• 6 chicken legs, skinless
• 2 cups brown rice

Preparation

In a large slow-cooker, combine the tomatoes, onion, green pepper, zucchini, celery, garlic, basil, oregano, salt, red wine, chicken broth and tomato paste. Stir to mix, then add the chicken legs and press down to cover them with the vegetable and spice mixture as much as possible. Set the cooker on low and cook for 7 hours.

Start cooking the rice on the stove about 45 minutes before the chicken is finished cooking, using approximately 4 cups of water for the 2 cups of rice.

When chicken is cooked, taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Serve a cup of cooked brown rice in a wide bowl or pasta plate, with a chicken leg and vegetable sauce.

Reprinted by permission from StrongerTogether.coop. Find articles about your food and where it comes from, recipes and a whole lot more at www.strongertogether.coop.

Lemon Bars

The bright lemon flavor of these bars makes a great finish to a dinner of hearty Mediterranean dishes like pasta or ratatouille. Of course, they’re a delicious midday snack as well.

Via Creative Commons

Ingredients

Crust

• 3/4 cup butter, cold and cut into small pieces
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup confectioner’s sugar

Filling

• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest, minced
• 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (3-4 lemons)
• Pinch of salt

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour and confectioner’s sugar together. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or your fingers until the mixture is crumbly. Press the dough into the pan evenly.Bake for 15-17 minutes.
2. While the crust is baking, whisk the filling ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Pour the filling onto the hot crust. Place the dish back into the oven and bake for about 15 minutes.
3. Stir together the sour cream and sugar for the topping. Gently spread the sour cream mix evenly over the bars. Bake another 5-7 minutes. Let the bars cool completely before cutting or topping with powdered sugar.

Reprinted by permission from StrongerTogether.coop. Find articles about your food and where it comes from, recipes and a whole lot more at www.strongertogether.coop

Pho with Shrimp

Classic Vietnamese pho is based on a slow-cooked beef stock, one that takes beef bones and lots of simmering. This easy rendition relies on good boxed stock, quickly infused with star anise, cinnamon and other pho flavors that add fragrant notes. You can opt for making the soup in each bowl, or making one big pot of soup and ladling it over noodles, whatever is more convenient for you.

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons canola oil
• 3 slices fresh ginger
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 8 cups chicken broth, 2 boxes
• 2 whole star anise
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorn
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce, to taste
• 4 small baby bok choy, cut in 2 inch pieces
• 16 large shrimp, shelled and deveined
• 4 ounces rice noodles, flat
• 1 large carrot, julienned
• 1 8-ounce package baked tofu, sliced
• 2 cups bean sprouts, rinsed
• 4 large scallion, sliced on a diagonal
• 2 large limes, halved and sliced

Preparation

1. In a 2 quart pot, heat the oil over medium high heat, then saute the ginger and garlic just until fragrant, about a minute. Add the stock, anise, cinnamon, peppercorns and fish sauce. Bring to a simmer and lower heat to keep it at a gentle bubble. Cook for 20 minutes. The stock will reduce to about 7 cups.
2. While the stock takes on flavor, prepare the garnishes. Chop the bok choy, prep the shrimp, and have all the vegetables in separate piles on a plate. Cook the noodles, and divide them between six wide soup bowls.Arrange the tofu and bean sprouts on top of the noodles.
3. When the stock is ready, strain it, taste for salt-adding more fish sauce if you think it needs it, and bring it to a boil. At serving,simmer shrimp, bok choy and carrot in the stock until cooked, about 3 minutes, then ladle the hot soup over the noodles, tofu and sprouts.

Serving Suggestion

Serve piled with scallion and lime wedges on the side. If desired, you can cook the shrimp, bok choy and carrot in the simmering stock and serve the soup from a communal pot, ladling it over the rice noodles and tofu in each bowl and garnishing with scallions.

Reprinted by permission from StrongerTogether.coop. Find articles about your food and where it comes from, recipes and a whole lot more at www.strongertogether.coop

Kale & Blood Orange Salad

Via A House in the Hills

Ingredients

• 4 medium blood oranges
• Juice of 1 large lemon
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 clove garlic, smashed
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 bunch kale, washed, stems removed
• 1/2 cup slivered red onions
• 8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled or cubed

Preparation

1. For the dressing, zest and juice one of the blood oranges into a small bowl or jar. Taste the juice. If it is very tart, add a tablespoon of lemon juice; if it is very sweet, use two tablespoons blood orange juice and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Add salt, pepper, garlic and olive oil and whisk well or shake to combine. Set aside.
2. Roll the kale leaves up, cut crosswise into thin ribbons and place into a serving bowl. Pour the dressing over the kale and use your hands to toss, then massage for a minute or two to tenderize the leaves.
3. Peel and segment the remaining blood oranges, either with your fingers or with a knife, cutting between the membranes to make neat sections. Cut each segment into 2 or 3 pieces and add to the bowl with the kale. Add the red onions and feta, toss to mix and serve. 

Serving Suggestion

This salad is a great make-ahead, since, unlike many tossed salads, it keeps for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. Serve with roasted meats, or top with leftover cooked sliced chicken for a hearty lunch salad. Substitute navel oranges for the blood oranges if you prefer; just be sure to use 2 tablespoons of lemon juice with the sweeter navel orange juice in the dressing.

Reprinted by permission from StrongerTogether.coop. Find articles about your food and where it comes from, recipes and a whole lot more at www.strongertogether.coop