Ginger-Cranberry Relish

We have spent the last several days relaxing and enjoying Christmas with my wonderful Mother-in-Law, Sharon. For Christmas dinner we enjoyed an amazing roast duck that we roasted on the barbeque and last night she invited a few of her friends (of Three Sisters Laughing) over for Turkey dinner. We again roasted it on the barbeque which had an amazing way of clearing space in the kitchen so we could use the oven for the rest of the dishes.

One of the biggest hits of the evening, especially for Sharon was my Ginger-Cranberry Relish. It is seriously the easiest way to get cranberries on a Holiday table (well, arguably opening a can is probably easier, but if you prefer freshness over cans I am still right).

This relish does rely on a food processor to make it. I plan to figure out a non-food processor recipe, but in the meantime do what you can to borrow one if need be as it is worth the ease and is delicious. Or if you are potluck-ing your holiday ask a guest to throw this one together.

You can also make this several days prior and the flavors meld and merge to be even more satisfying.

So, here is the recipe for you Sharon! Thank you for hosting us in your sweet home for the Holidays and being such a great sous-chef, too!

Cranberry-Ginger Relish
12 ounces cranberries (1 standard size bag)
1 whole orange, (thin-skinned if possible, navels work well)
¾ cup sugar (or more to taste)
¼ cup crystallized ginger, chopped
1 inch piece fresh ginger, finely minced
1 teaspoon ground ginger

Rinse the cranberries and sort through removing any that are no longer appetizing looking. Cut the orange into 8 pieces, removing any seeds. Place all of the ingredients in a food processor. Pulse lightly until everything is well chopped but not to mushy. Taste and add a touch more sugar or ginger if needed.

Enjoy alongside Turkey dinners or as a spread on Turkey Sandwiches.

Pomegranate-Orange Salad

Tis’ the season for this beautiful jeweled fruit!

I can’t think of a more festive fruit then the sparkly seeds of a pomegranate. Seriously, for me the Holidays are all about Red and Sparkles and what could satisfy that more than a “natural” version of Red-Sparkles.

This salad is a also a refreshing addition to the starch laden sides that grace most of our tables. Fruit, lettuce, a simple dressing and a touch a creamy goat cheese in between equal pure loveliness.

Removing the jewels can be a bit of a challenge. Simply cut in half and break into pieces. If you are like me, you will also want to cover yourself in an apron and protect anything else that make become splattered by your efforts. Some people break them apart underwater, but that will not work for this recipe as you want to reserve some of the bright red juice for the dressing.

Pomegranate-Orange Salad
4-6 servings
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 pomegranate, outside washed
2 oranges
1 teaspoon white wine or champagne vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper (more to taste)
1/2 cup pecans, broken & crumbled
4 ounces goat cheese
4 cups of spring lettuce greens

Start with the red onion, place in warm water to mellow out the astringent flavors while you prepare the rest of the salad.

Cut the pomegranate in half. Working over a colander with a bowl below (and protective clothing on your body if you are like me and spray juice all over) gently loosen the seeds from the membranes breaking the pieces a part as needed. Discard the white membranes and allow any juices to drizzle into the bowl.

Slice off each end of one of the oranges. Carefully slice down along the orange, removing all of the skin and white pitch, just the fleshy center will be exposed without any of the white pith on the outside. Next cut down through the middle of the slices (leaving the pieces long) remove any seeds lay on the flat side and thinly slice along the oranges, so you have pretty fanned-half moon pieces. Any excess juice on the cutting board can be scraped into the bowl with the pomegranate juice.

Cut the second orange in half and juice it. You will want at least a 1/2 cup of juice. Add the vinegar. Whisk in the olive oil slowly and season with salt and pepper.

Arrange the lettuce on individual plates or salad bowls or in one large bowl. Arrange the orange segments and drained red onions on top, sprinkle on the pecans and goat cheese and top with the pomegranate seeds. Drizzle a few tablespoons of the dressing on top and enjoy.

Brussels Sprouts Sauté

For my 5th Birthday I choose the meal for my party, Hot Dogs & Brussels Sprouts. I remember being so excited to have the "Little Baby Cabbages" steamed and coated with one of my other favorite childhood foods- butter (who are we kidding- I still love both, but at least with butter I know how to use discretion). As my mother tells me, my young guests were less impressed (or seemingly mortified) by my selection.

But, I was blissful in my delicious selection.

Thanksgiving seems to be the one time of year that I can get my dinner guests to be fully on board with my Brussels Sprouts passion. Part of the reason being that sauteed in a bit of bacon is simply a heavenly way to pair the shredded, slightly bitter "Little Baby Cabbages".

I have yet to have a guest taste and dis this dish. Most people marvel at their new love of Brussels sprouts.

This dish is slightly salty & smokey from the Bacon balancing the bitter from the Brussels Sprouts, sweet & a touch tangy from the Cranberries and a lil' crunch from the Almonds. And it is as simple as can be to make.

If you are a vegetarian or wary of bacon, use a high-heat Almond Oil and add at least a 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt to taste. Other than sauteing the bacon the recipe follows the same. Double this recipe for a larger Thanksgiving Day crowd of 8-12 people

Brussels Sprouts Sauté
4-6 servings

1 pound Brussels Sprouts
2 strips of bacon or 2 tablespoons almond oil (high-heat preferred)
¼ cup dried cranberries
1/8 cup slivered almonds
1 teeny-tiny pinch of sea salt and ground pepper to taste OR at least ½ teaspoon sea salt and pepper- ONLY if using the almond oil instead of bacon

Trim the ends off the Brussels sprouts and cut in half through the stem-base. Lay on the flat side and thinly slice along through the stem end. Some pieces will remain together and most will become light cabbage-like threads. As if you are shredding a cabbage for coleslaw.

Next stack the strips of bacon and cut into rough pieces.

Heat a large skillet (the larger the better- to give everything enough room to get plenty of heat and color) over medium-high heat. Once hot, add in the bacon pieces. Allow the pieces to heat slightly for 1-2 minutes to sear and get a bit of crunch. Sauté the bacon, flip, turning over the strips to get color on the opposite side. Once they are just starting to turn into crunchy pieces add in the Brussels Sprout shreds and pieces. If using the almond oil, obviously skip cooking the bacon, add the oil, once hot add the Brussels sprouts.

Allow the Brussels sprouts to heat for a minute or so to gain color and sear slightly. Then begin to sauté lightly, flipping the pan if you are so inclined. Again allow the pieces to rest on the hot pan and gain color. Continue this until the Brussels sprouts are tender and slightly golden in places, about 8-10 minutes. Add in the dried cranberries and toss to incorporate. Season to taste with the sea salt and pepper. Place in an oven safe dish. It can be made a head and heated in a hot oven prior to serving. I typically stick it in the oven, covered with foil at whatever temperature everything else needs (usually the stuffing, sweet potatoes and other sides have more demanding heat requirements).

Just before serving sprinkle with the slivered almonds. And serve, piled high...

"Little Baby Cabbages"

Fruit & Nut Stuffing

Some people love stuffing and some people could care less. I fall somewhere in the middle but Thanksgiving dinner is unfathomable without stuffing. That being said, my traditional-ness ends there and I love to play with the flavors stuffing can bring to the table. Last year I come up with this idea of and this year I feel it has turned into a romantic deliciousness all on its own, with the main focus being the obvious addition of dried fruits and nuts. As you will see in the recipe I make suggestions for the fruit and nut addition rather than requirements. Pecans, Hazelnuts, Walnuts and Almonds all would make great additions. Peanuts and Cashews on the other hand- not so much.
For the dried fruits, I used dried Apricots, Dates, and there were Cranberries in the bread. Golden Raisins, Figs, and Cherries would also be lovely. While I love dried Mangos, Bananas and Strawberries, they really should be reserved for trail mix- in my humble opinion. But, beyond that- play- experiment- make this your own favorite combination!

The Harvest Bread from Whole Foods is my personal favorite to use because it is already full of the Hazelnuts, Cranberries and Dates- so even the bread is full of fruits & nuts for this stuffing! But, I realize not everyone has access to this bread- I would therefore recommend a Hearty Grain French Bread as a substitute or if you are looking for something a tad sweeter and dare I say ‘naughtier’ Panettone is generally available in boxes everywhere and could add an amazingly delicious element. Make sure you don’t pick up the Chocolate variety- just the fruit and nut one. Unless you enjoy chocolate in your turkey… ugh... that's not a pleasant thought.

Remember- make this your own and enjoy!

Fruit & Nut Stuffing
1 1/2 pounds Harvest Bread, cut into cubes
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon high heat vegetable oil, such as safflower or coconut oil
2 cups celery, roughly chopped small
2 cups onions, roughly chopped small
1 apple, roughly chopped (leave the peels on)
1 ½ cups dried fruit, chopped small (dates, cranberries, apricots, figs, cherries &/or golden raisins)
3-5 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 ½ cups nuts, broken into pieces (hazelnuts, pecans, walnuts, sliced almonds)
¼ cup chopped fresh herbs (parsley, sage, rosemary, &/or thyme—sing with me now)

The bread cubes can be prepared several days ahead or at least a few hours prior to starting the stuffing. If preparing a few days ahead, spread the cubes out on a baking sheet and set out to dry for a couple days. If you are concerned about pets or family members mistaking the cubes for snacks cover them with brown paper bags or parchment paper. Some air holes will help as well. I live in Colorado which is seemingly one of the driest places ever, so if you live in a humid place I would recommend following the oven directions or if you wait until to the day of to start this project (which I so often do).

And here the oven directions are:

Preheat the oven to 300. Spread the cubes on a baking sheet in one layer. Place in the oven and reduce the temperature to the lowest setting, 180-200. Check these guys once an hour or so. The goal is to dry them out. Not dry on the outside and moist in the inside rather dried through as much as possible.

The rest of the recipe is much more simple:
Place a large sauté pan or saucepan over medium heat, actually just in between medium & medium-high heat is ideal. Add the butter and oil. Once melted and hot, add in the celery and onions, sauté, tossing frequently until they are wilted and just getting a touch of golden color. This will be about 8-12 minutes. Add in the chopped apple and saute for 3-5 more minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the dried fruit with 1-2 cups of the broth. Allow it to sit and absorb into the fruit- rehydrating them a tad bit. When the celery and onions are ready, add the fruit and broth to the pan, bring up to a simmer and simmer for 4-6 minutes.

If your saucepan is large enough you can add the cubes of bread to the pan- if not transfer to a large bowl. Toss the bread cubes with the veggies & dried fruit. Once well tossed add a few more splashes of broth until it is to your desired moistness. Toss in the nuts and fresh herbs. Combine well.

If you want to fill your bird with it- go for it. Just remember it will increase your turkey roasting time. Otherwise place it in a baking dish, cover with foil and bake alongside the turkey for the final 30-45 minutes.

I was a bit wordy in the directions- if you want to keep it simple, this recipe is actually easy-peesy, here you go:

1. Dry out the bread cubes
2. Sauté the onions, celery & apples, until tender
3. Soak the dried fruit in some of the chicken broth
4. Combine cooked stuff with bread cubes
5. Add more broth until moist enough.
6. Add in the nuts & herbs
7. Bake in the turkey or next to the turkey in casserole dish covered in foil

Happy Turkey Day!!!

Harvest Rice Salad

I have been making this dish for several years and to my clients and friends in San Luis Obispo, yes this is the dish from the Thanksgiving Special back in 2005.

This salad is earthy and pretty- perfect for Thanksgiving or Holiday parties, especially if you have any Gluten-Free or Vegan guests this year. Although please note, most Vegans would not eat the honey, so just substitute agave nectar. You could even stuff this in a baked squash.

I want to give a shout out of thanks to my friend Kelly who made this dish for the photo shoot! A few months ago she moved in to a great new house with a kitchen in desperate need of a remodel-- as in they could not use the oven or stove for months because of electrical scariness. They have become very savvy on their BBQ and a little electric two burner and hosted many a great meal for us. I roasted the butternut squash for this dish otherwise she did the rest and that is her pretty bowl as well. Thank you Kelly- can't wait to cook with you in your new kitchen!

Harvest Rice Salad
1 1/2 cups brown and wild rice mixture
1 pound butternut squash, peeled and diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small red onion, diced
2 green onions, sliced
3 celery ribs, diced
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 cup pecans
1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped fine

Dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons honey or agave nectar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sage, rubbed
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook rice in 3 cups of water until it is absorbed, about 45 minutes. Transfer to bowl, fluff and let cool.

Meanwhile, toss diced butternut squash with oil and place on a greased baking sheet.
Roast until soft and browned, about 30-40 minutes. Add to rice.

Add all the vegetables, the cranberries and the nuts to the rice. Toss.

Whisk the oil, vinegar, honey/agave nectar, salt and sage and pepper until well blended, pour over the salad and toss.

Butternut Squash & Goat Cheese Dip

Tis' the season for gatherings, parties, fat, sugar, glutinous eating and more. This lovely dip is an alternative healthier than most options that will give reprieve to the appetizers and party food that we come to regret in January. It is also rich in flavor with the Seasonal Butternut Squash taking on the majority of the creaminess.

Butternut Squash-Goat Cheese Dip

1-2 lb butternut squash, cut in half, scrap out the seeds
1 head of garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely minced
½ cup orange juice
4-8 ounces goat cheese
1 package whole wheat crackers, melba toasts, or slices of pumpernickel bread or a gluten-free rice cracker… or something that will accompany whatever way you want to dip, spread or love up your dip

Preheat oven to 375. Place the butternut squash skin side down on a baking sheet. Keep the head of garlic whole and slice off the top of the garlic to expose just the tops and place in between the two squash halves on the baking sheet. Drizzle the olive oil on the squash and garlic. Sprinkle with the salt and half of the rosemary. Roast in the oven for 35-45 minutes until the squash is soft and almost mushy.

Squeeze out the garlic cloves, scrap out the squash from the skin place in a large bowl or food processor. Mash the squash, garlic, orange juice, and remaining rosemary. Mix in the goat cheese depending on the amount of squash to taste. Add salt to taste.

Garnish with fresh rosemary sprigs. Serve with crackers or slices of toast.

Mascarpone-Champagne Fruit Salad

My client told me her family loves figs. Since this is not exactly fig season and I was making the dish a couple days before Thanksgiving I decided to use dried Figs. Instead of throwing them in the Fruit Salad with the risk of the figs looking like dried up sad lil’ nuggets floating in a mass of lovely fresh fruit, I decided to soak them in Port Wine.

After their little fig-gy bath, I made the Port more syrupy with sugar and then candied the Cranberries with the Port. To balance out the robust character of the Port soaked fruit I decided to lighten the mood. I was drawn to pears as “tis their season” but felt they would brown up so fast it would be ridiculous. Unless of coarse they were poached… in something fantastic… something like Champagne. After poaching and slicing those lovelies I felt a need to continue using the poaching liquid and the image of a syrup-y Champagne Sauce made creamy with Mascarpone flooded my mind and the sauce for the Fruit Salad was set. Of course, poaching the pears was best with a Vanilla Bean which I then dissected and added into the creamy fruit salad “dressing”. It’s freckled character adding to the romantic indulgence of what is simply a bowl of seasonal fruit.

Mascarpone-Champagne Fruit Salad

with Champagne Poached Pears and Port-Soaked Figs

1 cup dried figs

1 ½ cups port

½ cup sugar

½ cup cranberries

3 oranges

½ cup sugar

2 lg pears (fairly firm, not too ripe)

1 bottle Champagne

1 vanilla bean (optional)

8 ounces mascarpone cheese, at room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup grapes

4 tangerines

1 cup pomegranate seeds*

Garnish:

½ cup fresh mint, torn into pieces (optional)

½ cup lemon stilton, crumbled (optional- leave on the side to be added by guests)

½ cup walnuts, crumbled (optional- leave on the side to be added by guests)

Trim the tips of the figs. Add to a small saucepan and pour in the port. Bring up to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and simmer for 5-8 minutes, until they are just softened. Remove figs. Add in the ½ cup sugar and dissolve. Add in the cranberries and simmer for 15 minutes until the cranberries become “candy”. Remove cranberries. Halve the figs and add back into the port syrup while preparing the remaining items.

Optional Step, if you desire Candied Orange Peels: With a vegetable peeler, peel off the orange rind into thin slices. Cutting some slices into your desired shape if necessary (such as thinner long strips like I did). Place the orange peels in a small saucepan and bring up to a boil. Drain off the water and repeat boiling the peels and draining at least two more times until the peels are tender. Add in 1 cup of sugar into the sauce with about 1 cup of water. Add in the peels, bring up to a boil, reduce to a simmer for 12 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow to cool in the syrup for at least 1 hour. Cut off the white membranes of the orange, halve and then cut into slices. Place in salad bowl.

Peel the pears with a vegetable peeler. Halve the pears, with a small scoop, remove the center seeds (I use a melon baller- but a teaspoon works), remove the stem and the base until the pear is “clean” with no extras. Cut each half into about 4-6 slices. Place all the slices in a tall sided skillet or saucepan and pour the champagne on top. Toss in the vanilla bean if using. Bring up to a simmer over medium-high heat. Allow to simmer about 10-15 minutes until the pear slices are tender, but not mushy. Overripe pears will actually turn brown- not pretty. Remove the pears with a slotted spoon and cool. Add the ½ cup sugar to the champagne and bring up to simmer. Reduce the syrup down to about ¾ cup. Meanwhile, remove the seeds from the vanilla bean. Slit on end of the vanilla and with the back of the knife, scrape along the bean until the sandy-fine seeds, ball up. Stir the seeds into the champagne-syrup while it comes up to a simmer. Remove the champagne syrup from the heat and melt in the mascarpone cheese, stirring until it becomes a creamy, smooth thick sauce.

Cut the pears into 3-4 1-inch pieces. Toss with the mascarpone-champagne sauce. Combine the remaining fruit in a salad bowl, the candied cranberries, grapes, mandarin slices, orange slices, pomegranates, and the drained soaked figs (the port sauce can be used for another use later). Toss altogether with the mascarpone-champagne sauce, the mint leaves, and candied orange peels. Garnish with the lemon-stilton and walnuts. Enjoy!

Gingerbread & Pumpkin Mousse Trifle

Tis the season for delicious gluttony! I love the Holidays and the fact that is a time for extravagant dishes.

This year settling on the perfect holiday dessert seemed nearly impossible, so we combined many of our seasonal favorites. Gingerbread is simply classic and I am always looking for an excuse to make the spicy cake. But denying chocolate during the Holidays seemed a sin onto itself therefore we decided on a Chocolate-Gingerbread Cake made with Coffee-- the hodgepodge of flavors were made more delightful with the bittersweetness.

Trifles for me are often born of slight baking disasters in desperate need of transformation. One memorable cake-to-trifle experiment was after the disappointing results of a Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Kahlua Cake. I can’t remember the details, my brain was fuzzy after the heavenly impact of spooning up the layered cake crumbles with whipped cream.

My attraction to making a Gingerbread Trifle came after watching Paula Deen whip up an interesting concoction. I am partial to more natural, albeit not as speedy as Paula might like her ingredients. I am happy to cheat a bit as I did by using Organic Canned Pumpkin in the Fluffy Pumpkin Mouse that was layered in between pieces of the cake. The final touches included Candied Orange Peel and Candied Ginger—you can purchase or make both of these. I made the Candied Orange Peels, while I didn't make the Candied Ginger, David Lebovitz has a great recipe I am planning to try next time.

After it was all done, I realized my sweet tooth was aching a bit. To balance out the intense sugar I layered the Mousse and Cake with an unsweetened, barely touched with vanilla bean whipped cream.

Results…

words can barely say. Most of our guests ate in serene silence—

Take that fruitcake.

Chocolate & Coffee Gingerbread Cake

Shift together the dry ingredients:

2 ½ cups flour

1 ½ tsp baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ginger
Pinch each: Cloves, Cinnamon, Nutmeg

Melt together the “wet” ingredients:

1/3 cup chocolate chips, melted

2 sticks of butter

1 cup hot coffee

¾ cup brown sugar

1 cup molasses

4 eggs, slightly beaten

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare a shallow baking dish (we used a 9 x 13) by rubbing the bottom and sides with butter and dusting with cocoa powder. If you don’t have cocoa powder, flour works fine.

Sift together the dry ingredients and set aside. Melt the chocolate chips and butter together. Mix in the hot coffee. Remove from heat and stir in the brown sugar & molasses. Cool slightly to ensure the eggs will not scramble in the chocolate. While whisking the chocolate mixture, slowly add the eggs until incorporated. Shift in the dry ingredients, folding after each addition, take care not to over mix.

Pour into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 35-45 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan until you are ready to assemble the trifle.

Pumpkin Mousse

1 package unflavored gelatin

1 ½ tbls cold water

3 large egg yolks

½ cup sugar

15 ounce can pumpkin (or if you are less of a cheater than I am: 1 ½ cups cooked & pureed pumpkin will work also)

Pinch each: Cinnamon, Ginger, Cloves, and Nutmeg

4 cups heavy cream, chilled

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

Take a double boiler or a metal bowl that fits on top of a saucepan (that’s what we use!). Combine the cold water and gelatin in the top boiler pot/bowl. Allow to thicken for 1-2 minutes. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar into the gelatin mixture over the boiling water until a thermometer reads 160F. Remove the egg mixture and whisk until cooled and thick. Whisk in the pumpkin and spices, cool.

Beat the cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in half of the pumpkin-custard, until smooth and an even color. Add the vanilla bean paste to the other half of the whipped cream.

The grand finale….

Layer the Trifle:

Take about 2 handfuls of the cake and gently crumble it into a Trifle or other glass bowl. The layer needs to be even, about 1-2 inches high. Dollop in the Pumpkin Mousse until there is an even layer. Crumble on more cake, dollop on the Vanilla-Cream, more cake, more mousse, more cake, more cream….. until the bowl is filled to the brim with goodness.

We filled the bowl and ended up with leftovers of all three.

Somehow I don't remember either of us complaining about that.

Let me know your favorite Trifle combos.

I am terribly excited to use and abuse my Trifle privileges….

Indulge me.

Roasted Pumpkin Salad with Maple Dressing

A few weeks ago we attended the Naming Ceremony of our friends’ brand new beautiful baby on a gorgeous sunny day in October. She was officially given her name at the bank of Clear Creek in Golden—how appropriate since her sweet name is Brook. We were all asked to give a blessing to baby Brook and without hesitation I bestowed on her the love of food and cooking. The celebration was followed by a beautiful spread of dishes in their backyard. I brought a salad to share and now would love to share it with you. I dedicate this recipe to baby Brook, as her day was my inspiration and may she always adore the food the seasons bring to us.

My focus for this dish is on the delights of the end of summer and the beginning of fall’s harvests. Roasted bell peppers & green beans remind us of summer. The pomegranates & roasted pumpkin seeds are to celebrate autumn.

To make this salad, I would recommend prepping all of the roasted vegetables the night before and allow them to cool overnight. Layer and dress the salad just before serving. Whole Foods and other groceries seem to be supplying us with ready to eat pomegranates, but if you would like to take the time to deseed the jeweled fruit yourself there are directions below. See my previous blog for directions on roasting pumpkin seeds.

Roasted Pumpkin Maple Salad

4-6 servings

Roast the pumpkin and prep the veggies first (night before is ideal):

1 lb pumpkin, deseed, rinse and reserve the pumpkin seeds

1 tsp coriander

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp coarse sea salt

1 tbls olive oil, divided

2 large yellow or orange bell peppers, cut into 1-2 inch chunks

1 lb green beans

For the Dressing:

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, roasted

1/4 cup orange juice

2 tbls maple syrup

1 tbls apple cider vinegar or balsamic

1/4 cup olive oil or pumpkin seed oil

4 cups baby spinach

4 cups spring greens

1 cup roasted pumpkin seeds*

1/2 cup pomegranate seeds or 1 small pomegranate** see note about deseeding a pomegranate

4-6 ounces goat cheese, crumbled slightly (or more to taste!)

Best to prep the vegetables several hours before to allow them to cool, I make them the night before.

Preheat the oven to 425. Peel and chunk the pumpkin into 1-2 inch cubes. Spread the chunks on a large roasting pan. Sprinkle with the seasonings, salt and 1 tbls of olive oil. Toss lightly to evenly coat. Place in the oven and roast for 15-25 minutes until the chunks are slightly golden and tender. Remove and cool.

Toss the bell peppers and green beans with the remaining olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt. Spread out on a roasting pan and roast for 12-18 minutes until golden and tender.

To make the dressing:

Place the pumpkin seeds through the vinegar in the blender. Blend until the seeds are smooth. Slowly drizzle in the oil in a steady stream to emulsify the dressing.

For the Salad:

Layer the salad in a large salad bowl. Start with a few cups of the spinach and spring greens. Top with the roasted bell peppers, roasted green beans, pomegranate seeds, and roasted pumpkin chunks. Crumble on part of the goat cheese, sprinkle on pumpkin seeds, and drizzle on the maple dressing. Continue layering until all of the ingredients are utilized. Be sure to have enough pumpkin, pumpkin seeds, pomegranate seeds, goat cheese, and dressing to top the final layer.

*See my blog on Roasting Pumpkin Seeds
**For Deseeding a Pomegranate:

Be sure to wear an apron or clothes you do not mind getting splashed with red staining juice. I am typically a mess when I do this so please be advised! Take a large pomegranate and cut down the middle in half. Work over a bowl of water and gently pull apart the flesh of the pomegranate, shake out the seeds and allow to drop to the bottom of the bowl of water. The excess membranes will float to the top. Once all of the seeds have been removed, scoop off the floaters. Drain off the water and enjoy your yummy pomegranate seed jewels.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Pepitas or Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

One of the healthiest treats during the holidays are simple to make and come out your pumpkin or other winter squash when you are making pies, pumpkin salad, or of course carving a jack-o-lantern during Halloween. Fortunately, they are simple to make and can be flavored any way you may like.

Every time I roast pumpkin seeds it is rather thrown together and everything is quite un-exact, mainly because my pumpkins are all various sizes. Also, I constantly change my spice combination depending on my mood or the dish they will be served with.

Roasting Pumpkin Seeds

1-3 cups of pumpkin seeds (flesh removed)

1-3 tablespoons of vegetable oil (olive, coconut, or even melted butter)

1-3 tablespoons of your favorite spices

1-2 tsp salt

Making sure your pumpkin seeds are clean and dry is essential. Start by rinsing the seeds in a bowl of water and rub them between your hands to remove any threads of flesh that are still clinging on. Next, dump them in a colander and shake off the liquid. I usually let them drain for a few minutes. Then spread them out on a tray or plate to continue drying. Typically, I am carving a pumpkin or cooking something so I ignore the seeds for quite a while. When the seeds are relatively dry, they are ready to be cooked. You can also rub them between a kitchen towel to absorb off any excess moisture.

Preheat the oven to 325. Spread them on a baking sheet and toss them with the oil and spices. Bake for about 20 minutes, shaking the pan about every 5-10 minutes. Continue heating until the pumpkin seeds are to your preferred level of crunchiness. Remove the pan from the oven, if the seeds are perfect take them off of the pan quickly as they will continue to cook a bit more on the hot pan. If they need a bit more time allow them to cool on the pan.

Enjoy sprinkled on salads, in a beautiful package for a gift, or in trail mix!

Wikipedia has a few additional fun facts about Pepitas.