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.

Grilled Italian Kebab Buffet

I love the idea of make your own ________ parties. We have had guests over for personalized pizzas, nachos, calzones, and more. I was dreaming about “make your own Kebabs” for months- before the snow had even melted making this party worthwhile enough to stand outside to put these lovelies together.

Finally we were able to arrange a medley of veggies cut into chunks on top of our blue checker tablecloth. Then I selected three different kinds of chicken sausage: Roasted Pepper & Garlic, Artichoke & Olive, and Spinach & Feta that I cut into large pieces. Any sausage could be used, but be sure that it is at least partially cooked or smoked, so you are able to cut it into chunks. Otherwise, it will just ooze out and you will be unable to thread it onto the skewers. Next I introduced huge chunks of polenta that I tossed in a bit of olive oil. We actually tried chunks of Ciabotta bread splashed in olive oil and they turned into sad, charred croutons. The Polenta is well worth it and delicious- make sure the chunks are at least 2 inches big.

And if you haven’t tried them Grilled- Radishes are amazing. Slightly charred outside with a center that turns from slightly spicy to intensely sweet- please try them!

After cutting everything up into chunks I let our guests do the work and then we grilled them just a few feet from the table. We waited for our Kebabs while munching on Salad and a simple Goat Cheese appetizer (blog posts soon!)

Be creative with your Kebab toppings. Please share any of your favorite variations in the comments section.

Grilled Italian Kebab Buffet
1 eggplant
1 red onion
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
1 yellow squash
1 zucchini
8 ounces mushrooms
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
1 bunch radishes
2-3 pounds Smoked or Partially cooked Chicken/Turkey/Pork Sausage
1 tube of polenta (yes- I cheated a bit, check out the amateur gourmet’s step by step instructions to make it from the cornmeal)
2 tablespoons olive oil (more or less)
Kebab Sticks- if wooden soak them at least 15-30 minutes just prior to threading

Wash and trim each vegetable. Cut the eggplants into chunks and sprinkle with salt and allow to sit for at least 15 minutes while you prepare the remaining vegetables. Cut the red onions and bell peppers into 1-2 inch chunks. Cut the yellow squash and zucchini into 1 inch rounds or 1 ½ inch half moons. Scrub the radishes and trim off the greens close to the base. No worries about the little tail root as it burns off quickly. After finishing the vegetables, rinse the eggplant and allow it to dry, shaking off the excess.

Slice the sausages into 4-5 pieces, about 1-2 inches. Cut the polenta tube into half long ways. Lay down flat and cut across into 2 inch half moon pieces. Toss with the olive oil lightly. If making the polenta from scratch, allow it to set in a narrow pan, such as a bread loaf pan. After it is chilled, cut into 2 inch+ pieces.

Arrange each item into a bowl or serving tray. Please keep the sausages separate.

Next, allow your crowd to mix and match and thread their own. Keep the kebab sticks in water on the table and allow people to scoop them out and get creative. If everyone starts or ends with a different vegetable they will be easier to keep them straight on the grill.

Grill for about 5-8 minutes on each side, rotating until the sausage is cooked through.

Now you may run into this same problem we did... we managed to make and eat too many kebabs. With the leftovers we threw the smaller pieces on to a kebab- see the red onions, pepper, and cherry tomatoes in the picture below on the stick. The larger pieces we just tossed on and hoped they wouldn't slip through.

Homemade Tortilla Chips

Recently we were lucky enough to have my totally fabulous & beautiful 14 year old niece come visit for several days with her equally fabulous friend before they headed to Sing a Mile High Children's Choral Festival where they wowed us with their beautiful voices.

While they visited we did lots of cooking and they were both great sous chefs incredibly helpful and motivated. One of the first things we tackled were Homemade Tortilla Chips. This may seem overly ambitious, but hear me out, here are a few of our reasons for making these:

• Simple to make, Baked not Fried
• Cheaper than buying a bag of chips and the quality is much higher
• You can control the salt, oil, and seasonings = healthier
• You can make just enough- so you don’t end up devouring a bag in one sitting or a half finished bag that becomes overly salty crumbs or worse- stale! (we live in super-dry Colorado)
• They take less than 15 minutes to prepare a batch for 2-4 people
• The taste is much better than pre-made- fresher & made just to your taste buds!

I gave the girls a few quick guidelines and they were off and running… they made tons and we had the most amazing nachos that night. We each had our own glass pan and filled them with our own personal toppings. Which was great because my niece & husband can’t eat cheese, my niece’s friend is a Vegetarian and I personally wanted all the toppings.

The next day we took the leftovers and made Taco Salad- stay tuned for a blog post on that. I ran to the store for a few ingredients and came back to the girls cranking out a few more trays of tortilla chips.

The Recipe is almost more of a guideline as the experience can quickly become your own.

Preheat the oven to 350.

Start with a bag of corn tortillas- at least 5 per person.

In a shallow dish drizzle in 2-3 tablespoons of vegetable oil we use Coconut or Safflower Oil. FYI- I have tried olive oil and it was a bit too heavy.

Stack up the tortillas and cut into 6 wedges.

Dip one side of one tortilla wedge into the oil, press it into the next tortilla chip. Then dip the next side into the oil. Basically, blotting the excess oil onto the next tortilla wedge.

Keep this going until you have a slightly oil-y stack of wedges pressed together. Spread these out on a baking sheet.

Combine your choice of the following:
1-2 tablespoons smoky paprika
1-2 tablespoons cumin
1-2 teaspoons salt
1-2 teaspoons sugar (oh yes- highly recommend this!)
1-2 teaspoons chili pepper or chipotle powder
The zest of one lime

Just plain old salt (of course I would recommend a nice sea salt) works, too!

Lightly sprinkle your seasons of choice onto the chips. If you sprinkle from a distance well above the tray rubbing it between your pinched fingers it will lightly dust the chips without clumping.

Place the trays in the oven. This may be the only ‘tricky’ part. I have tried several different trays over the many times I have made these. Thicker trays mean the chips bake slower than on thinner trays. This is probably obvious, but it does make my recommendations for the actual baking times a bit of a challenge.

That being said; bake at 350 for about 5-9 minutes. Check them. Once they are just starting to crisp, flip them over and continue baking checking every 2-4 minutes- this is important as they can go from white to burnt in about 2 minutes. Trust me. I have thrown away many a delicious chip as I tested the theory that they will be fine without my attention.

Now- find your dips or your tortilla chip recipes and go crazy.

They can be made ahead and still served warm, here is how:
If you ‘under bake’ them, you can spread them on a baking sheet and blast them at 350 for 3-5 minutes just before serving.
Served hot they are even more amazing. To serve them hot, place a cloth napkin/towel in a basket. Fill with the hot chips and fold the cloth on top. This will keep the heat in a bit longer.

I am sure they do not last as long as store bought varieties. I can’t tell you how long, because we usually have eaten them all within 2 days. If you are actually capable of storing them seal them up and store cool.

Cocoa Mint Roasted Lamb with Orange Roasted Asparagus

Lamb is my favorite Easter dish. It represents so much of spring and I adore serving it with Mint Sauce. I originally created this Cocoa Mint Rub when I found a small rack of Lamb in our freezer that we had managed to ignore for over a year. I knew they would need a strong rub in case the freezer had an effect on the flavor. While the main taste is Cocoa there is a bit of coffee in there to intensify the overall experience. We were all instantly hooked to the richness of the Cocoa with the lightness of the Mint against the tender lamb. This rub is now my favorite accompaniment to Lamb… and something about putting Chocolate and Mint on the main dish rather than in the Easter basket just charms me.

Of course, this Easter Lamb needs buddies and asparagus grabbed my attention- especially since it has been a long winter with out those sprigs of goodness. I prefer them roasted with an almost caramelized essence and orange seemed a great way to tie together the Cocoa, Mint and Lamb. And to officially bring them altogether I made an Orange Mint-Basil Sauce, which would be incredible drizzled on roasted vegetables, chicken or even as salad dressing.

Cocoa Mint Roasted Lamb

Cocoa Mint Rub
2 tbls raw sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
¼ cup mint, washed, dried, torn into pieces
1 clove garlic minced fine
¼ cup cocoa powder
1 tbls ground coffee

3-4 lb Lamb Shoulder or Leg, Boneless

Preheat oven to 450. Combine the Rub ingredients and pound with a mortar and pestle. Alternatively, it could be blended in a mini-food processor or blender.

Lay the lamb on a cutting board. If the butcher wrapped it in strings to hold it together, leave the strings on. Sprinkle and press the rub onto the lamb until it is well coated with the rub. Place a wire rack inside of a roasting pan. When I don’t have a wire rack handy I will place long sticks of celery along the bottom of a baking dish. This allows the meat to be slightly elevated and circulate the heat.

No need for a lid or any moisture. Roast the lamb for 20 minutes at 450.
Reduce heat to 325. Stick a thermometer into the center. When the thermometer reaches 135 the lamb will be rare after resting and when it reaches 145 it will be medium after resting.

Remove the lamb, cover with foil or a lid and allow to rest for 15-20 minutes. Cut off the strings if necessary. Slice the meat about ¼-1/2 inch thick.

Serve with the Orange Mint-Basil Sauce and Orange-Roasted Asparagus

Orange Roasted Asparagus

1 lb asparagus
1 tbls olive oil
½ tsp kosher or sea salt
1 small orange

Preheat the oven to 425. Gently break off the tough ends of the asparagus by bending it about 2-3 inches from the bottom until it snaps. Toss the asparagus with the olive oil and a pinch of the salt.

Slice the Orange into ¼ inch thick slices. Remove seeds if necessary. Toss onto the asparagus. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt.

Roast for 8-12 minutes until the asparagus is tender and slightly golden.

Orange Mint-Basil Sauce
Greatly influenced by http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Basil-Mint-and-Orange-Vinaigrette-12081

½ cup mint, washed and dried
½ cup basil, washed and dried
1 orange, zest and juice
2-4 tablespoons of orange juice (depending on the juice in the orange)
1 clove garlic
1 tsp orange vinegar or white-wine vinegar
1 pinch of salt and pepper
½ cup olive oil

Place everything except the oil in a blender and blend until smooth. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil until emulsified.

Thai Winter Rolls

Thai Spring Rolls are refreshing bundles of vegetables. As the name suggests I feel these are best enjoyed in the Spring, when we can relish in the glorious new veggies nature has in store for us. But, what shall we do when there is snow on the ground and Spring seems months away... Thai Winter Rolls.

The innards of the Thai Winter Roll is a simple salad that I created years ago as a lil' node to the Raw Food Movement, Winter veggies and one of my favorite vegetable juice combinations: Beets, Ginger, Garlic, Orange, and sometimes carrots. I am also a huge fan of raw Sweet Potatoes-- often prefer them over carrot sticks.

To shred up my Raw Beets and Sweet Potatoes I use a food processor, but I have also used a simple handheld or box grater when making small batches. Feel free to make the Beet & Sweet Potato Slaw without the Rice Papers, as it is one of my favorite side dishes. I only decided to bundle up this slaw when I was asked to cater an event at Golden's Urban Escape Day Spa in January. These little guys were a smash hit!

Please let me know your experience with making these rolls.... and if you come up with any other creative ways to pack up a Thai Roll, please let me know too!

Sweet Potato & Beet Slaw

(aka... the "salad filling")

Serves 4-6

1 sweet potato, peeled

1 beet, peeled

1 orange, zest and juice

1 clove garlic, minced

1 inch ginger, grated/minced

3 tbls olive oil

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp coriander

1 tsp salt and pepper

½ cup cilantro, leaves picked from the stems & left whole

Shred the sweet potatoes and beets with a box grater or cut them into large chunks and grate in a food processor (quick & easy!). Make a dressing with the orange juice and zest, garlic, ginger, and whisk in the olive oil. Add the cumin, coriander, salt and pepper to your desired taste. Set aside to allow the flavors to meld. Add in the shredded vegetables. Toss until well coated.

To Make the Rolls, you will need:

1 package of Sping Rolls Skins- about 15-20 (found in the Asian Section of many grocery stores)

shallow bowl (big enough to hold the wrapper) full of warm water

2 dinner plates (if you have an assistant!)

After the salad is prepared, place a Rice Wrapper in the shallow bowl of warm water for about 2-6 seconds, until it becomes flexible. Lay the wrapper down on the dinner plate and place 2-5 pieces of the cilantro in the center. With a fork, scoop up about 1/2 cup of the salad filling-- the fork will allow excess dressing to drip off.

Next fold the two edges until they almost meet in the center.















Bring the bottom of the wrap up and tuck in the salad filling, tucking the edge insde. Continue to roll in the same direction, until the roll looks like.....















This-- Tada! You now have created a Thai Winter Roll














Please let me know if you have any other favorite variations on the Spring Roll!

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Peanut Sauce-- Quick & Easy

Peanut Sauce can be used to dip raw veggies, drizzled on a salad, or added to a saute of colorful vegetables. The ease of making peanut sauce is soooo simple and it lasts at least a week or more also. This is also an excellant dipping sauce for my Thai Winter Rolls.

Let me know your favorite way to use peanut sauce!

Peanut Sauce

1/2 cup peanut butter

½ cup coconut milkor try coconut juice

1 tbls soy sauce (wheat free if avoiding gluten)

1 tbls rice wine vinegar

2 tsp fresh minced ginger

1 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbls sweet pepper sauce (optional- if you like it spicier)

2 tbls cilantro, minced

Whisk together all of the ingredients. Adjust the seasonings to your prefered taste and add more peanut butter or coconut milk/juice depending on how thick you like it.

Enjoy!