Sausage & Seasonal Vegetable Stuffed Squash

Spaghetti, Kabocha, Pumpkin, Hubbard, Acorn and more. This time of year beautiful—and tasty—winter squash abound. Last night we made stuffed Delicata squash using seasonal produce and spicy Italian sausage. Delicata, also known as sweet potato squash, is creamy with a tinge of, well, sweet. Like Acorn squash, Delicata halves make perfect individual servings and dress up any plate. I'm eager to stuff a Spaghetti squash with this sausage stuffing for a dish that's a tad more savory than sweet. Just pick your favorite squash and go for it!

Sausage and Seasonal Vegetable Stuffed Squash

Gluten-Free | Casein-Free | Citrus-Free | Corn-Free | Dairy-Free | Egg-Free | Fish-Free | Peanut-Free | Potato-Free | Shellfish-Free | Soy-Free | Tree Nut-Free | Wheat-Free | Sweetener-Free | GFCF

Serves:  4
Prep Time:  40 minutes
Cook Time:  1 hour

Ingredients:

1 pound ITALIAN SAUSAGE, browned and crumbled (pick your heat)
3-5 medium DELICATA SQUASH
5 small dried SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS (or other dried mushroom)
1/2 cup very HOT WATER
3 tablespoons extra virgin OLIVE OIL
1-1/2 cups roughly chopped CAULIFLOWER
1/2 cup roughly chopped CELERY
1 small ONION, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons WHITE COOKING WINE
1 cup CHERRY TOMATOES
1 cup cubed ZUCCHINI
1/2 cup diced BELL PEPPER
1 cup cooked RICE
2 tablespoons fresh BASIL, roughly chopped or 2 teaspoons dried
1/2 teaspoon PAPRIKA
1/2 teaspoon SEA SALT or to taste
1/4 teaspoon dried SAGE
PEPPER to taste
CAYENNE to taste
1 cup DAIYA® CHEDDAR STYLE SHREDS or 1 cup shredded cheddar if diet allows (Optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375˚F.

Carefully cut squash in half lengthwise, scoop out and toss seeds, reserve.

Combine mushrooms and hot water and set aside to soak. When mushrooms are plump, roughly chop and reserve soaking liquid. Transfer mushrooms, cauliflower and onion to food processor fitted with the "S" blade. Pulse until the texture of rice.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat and add cauliflower mixture, reserved mushroom liquid and wine. Saute 10-15 minutes or until liquid has evaporated and cauliflower mixture is light and fluffy. Add browned sausage and remaining ingredients (except Daiya cheese shreds) to skillet, gently toss and heat through.

Scoop and gently pack sausage stuffing into squash and sprinkle with additional paprika. Arrange squash in shallow, oven-proof casserole dish with lid. Pour 1/4" water into bottom of casserole dish and bake covered for 45-60 minutes or until squash is tender when poked with a fork. Remove cover, sprinkle with Daiya shreds and bake uncovered for an additional 5-10 minutes or until cheese shreds have melted. Allow to cool a few minutes before serving.

Notes:

Unlike most winter squash, the skin of Delicata squash is thin and tender enough to be eaten when cooked. Personally, I still scoop the flesh out of the skin and eat that way.

Creamy Dairy-Free Pumpkin Smoothie

Anyone want some pumpkins? We've got an abundance with plenty to share! Every other day, it seems, I've been cooking up a couple of pie pumpkins in the slow cooker, a method I read about at Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free. I've made pumpkin bars, pumpkin pie, dehydrated pumpkin granola balls (total bomb!), pumpkin puree for my dog (yup, she needs to lose some weight) and today, a pumpkin smoothie. Let me know if you agree that it tastes a lot like chilled pumpkin pie served in a glass! Pumpkin is loaded with vitamin A and antioxidant carotenoids and is a good source of vitamins C, K and E, and lots of minerals, including magnesium, potassium and iron. I'll drink to that!

Creamy Dairy-Free Pumpkin Smoothie

Gluten-Free | Casein-Free | Citrus-Free | Corn-Free | Dairy-Free | Egg-Free | Fish-Free | Nightshade-Free | Peanut-Free | Potato-Free | Rice-Free | Shellfish-Free | Soy-Free | Wheat-Free | Grain-Free | GFCF | Vegetarian | Vegan

Serves:  2-4
Prep Time: 3 minutes

Ingredients:

2 cups ALMOND MILK (how to make almond milk)
1/2 cup cooked PUMPKIN PUREE (here is the slow cooker method for cooking pumpkin)
1/4 cup raw WALNUTS (preferably soaked and rinsed in water for 8-10 hours, but not necessary)
1 APPLE, cored and quartered
3 tablespoons no sugar added APPLE BUTTER (such as Tap 'n Apple)
1 tablespoon MAPLE SYRUP
Pinch SEA SALT
1-2 cups ICE

Directions:

Blend all ingredients, except for ice, on high in a high-powered blender (such as a Blendtec) for one minute. Add ice and blend until smooth. The colder the better!

Add additional almond milk or water to adjust smoothie consistency to your liking.

Kimchi Scared Me Silly

This post is my September 2010 contribution to the monthly blog event Go Ahead Honey, It’s Gluten Free started by the lovely Naomi over at Straight Into Bed Cakefree and Dried; each month a blogger hosts this event and selects a theme. This month our host is the vivacious and talented Diane Eblin from The W.H.O.L.E. Gang. She has chosen "Scared Silly" as the theme and has challenged us to share a dish or ingredient we were once scared to eat (or in my case, scared to make!). Though I have never been hesitant to eat Kimchi (also known as Korean Sauerkraut), it's the making it part that frightened me.

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Every time I open Sally Fallon and Mary Enig's book, Nourishing Traditions, I learn something. This week I have been studying up on lacto-fermentation which Sally dedicates an entire section of the book to. She points out that "in earlier times, people knew how to preserve vegetables for long periods without the use of freezers or canning machines." The way they did this was through the process of lacto-fermentation. Here's what Sally has to say about it:

“The proliferation of lactobacilli in fermented vegetables enhances their digestibility
and increases vitamin levels. These beneficial organisms produce numerous helpful
enzymes as well as antibiotic and anticarcinogenic substances. Their main by-product,
lactic acid, not only keeps vegetables and fruits in a state of perfect preservation but
also promotes the growth of healthy flora throughout the intestine.”

                                                                         Sally Fallon, Nourishing Traditions

Honestly, up until this week, fermenting anything in my kitchen was out of the question—unless it was by accident in the back of the fridge. So to tell me that I should mix some vegetables together in a glass jar, add some salt and let it sit on the counter for three days and then eat it. Hmmm, "no thanks!" Alas, putting fear aside, I did it. I tried Sally's recipe for Kimchi and it worked! I am alive, I am not suffering from gastric distress or food poisoning—I have tried it and am a convert.

Fermentation is a big topic and worth reading up on. If you're interested in adding more beneficial probiotics to your diet or just want to learn more about it, buy Sally's book or read up on it online. In the meantime, if you are a fan of kimchi, give this recipe a try. It's a flavorful condiment that I like to serve with Korean bulgogi and rice.

One more thing. If you are a fan of the Noursihing Traditions book, check out The Nourishing Cook! Kim Knoch has taken on the challenge of cooking through all 773 of Sally’s recipes—think Julie and Julia. Whoa! I am impressed. She has been at it since December 2009. There are no photos in the Nourishing Traditions book so if you want to see what a finished product looks like, head on over to The Nourishing Cook.

Korean Sauerkraut (Kimchi)
A recipe from Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon with Mary G. Enig, Ph.D.

Gluten-Free | Casein-Free | Citrus-Free | Corn-Free | Dairy-Free | Egg-Free | Fish-Free | Peanut-Free
Potato-Free | Rice-Free | Soy-Free |  Tree Nut-Free | Shellfish-Free | Wheat-Free | Grain-Free
Sweetener-Free | GFCF | Vegetarian | Vegan | Raw

Makes:  2 quarts
Prep Time:  15 minutes
Fermentation Time:  About 3 days

Ingredients:

1 head NAPA CABBAGE cored and shredded
1 bunch GREEN ONIONS, chopped
1 cup CARROTS, grated
1/2 cup DAIKON RADISH, grated (optional)
1 tablespoon freshly grated GINGER
3 cloves GARLIC, peeled and minced
1/2 teaspoon dried CHILE FLAKES
1 tablespoon SEA SALT
4 tablespoons WHEY (if not available, use an additional 1 tablespoon SEA SALT — which I did. For more information on use of whey, consult the book) Do not use whey if you have a dairy allergy/intolerance.

Directions:

Place vegetables, ginger, garlic, red chile flakes, sea salt and whey (or extra tablespoon sea salt) in a bowl and pound with a wooden pounder or a meat hammer to release juices. Place in a quart-sized, wide-mouth mason jar and press down firmly with a pounder or meat hammer until juices come to the top of the cabbage. The top of the vegetables should be at least 1 inch below the top of the jar. Cover tightly and keep at room temperature for about 3 days before transferring to cold storage.

The next time I make this recipe, I will add more chile pepper or some cayenne and/or paprika for added heat and richer colored red juice.

Goddess Bread and a Day of Discovery

Another gluten-free bread baking success—Delicious Gluten-Free Bread from the Gluten-Free GoddessIf I am doing my math right—and let me warn you, I mentally checked out of that subject during my first year of algebra—it was 519 years ago that Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas and what a discovery! Can you imagine? Well today I made a little discovery of my own, not as monumental, but one that made me jump and kick my heels, nonetheless.

Those of you who tune in regularly know that I have been on a bit of a bread kick. Maybe it's the onset of fall—cool mornings, a cup of coffee and cravings for cinnamon toast. A few weeks back I tried Ginger Lemon Girl's Vegan Gluten-Free Crusty Bread—a tasty rustic number. Today I discovered Gluten-Free Goddesses Delicious Gluten Free Bread. The two things I love about this recipe are 1) Karina designed it to be made using a bread machine and 2) it's not only gluten-free, but egg-free and dairy-free as well! Karina suggests the step of finishing off this loaf in an oven. I had planned to do that, but shortly after throwing all the ingredients in the bread machine we decided to head down to Ft. Collins for the day. On our drive home this afternoon, with the anticipation of Colombus, I wondered what I would find in my bread maker. A rock? A half-baked glob of dough? Well I was tickled to discover a lovely loaf, no, a beautiful loaf of bread. I may not have discovered a continent today, but I'm quite pleased with what I've found. Thank you Karina! Click here for the recipe.

Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger | September 2010

Rustic Bread! Gluten-Free (check), Egg-Free (check), Vegan (check).This post is a part of the monthly blog event "Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger" that Sea, at the Book of Yum, started back in February 2008. This is my first "adoption" and I look forward to more!

I am adopting Carrie of Ginger Lemon Girl. Carrie and I met this summer at the International Food Bloggers Conference and have kept in touch since. I appreciate her gentle spirit, her sense of humor and have loved cruising her site for inspiration in the kitchen.

The two recipes of Carrie's I selected were ones perfectly suited for fall—Vegan Gluten Free Crusty Bread and Gluten-Free Pecan Pumpkin Pie Bars.

Ginger Lemon Girl's Vegan Gluten Free Crusty Bread

Let's start with the bread! A few weeks back Carrie and I were all a buzz on Facebook about making vegan, gluten-free bread. That week I had a big bread baking flop and realized as many before me, that gluten-free bread baking can be challenging. Take away eggs and the challenge doubles, triples, quadruples! After lamenting over the failure in my blog, I got an email from Carrie that said she had a victory that very day; a vegan, gluten-free bread recipe that "worked!" Of course I was totally intrigued and as soon as she posted the recipe I took it for a test drive. I will second Carrie's "it worked!". It WORKED! I hope these pictures prove that anyone (even yours truly) can do it. The entire family thought it was the tastiest gluten-free, egg-free bread we'd ever had. My hat is off to Carrie and her Vegan Gluten Free Crusty Bread recipe.

Note: To make this the perfect oil and vinegar dipping bread I might add a tad more salt (hopefully this doesn't affect the "chemistry" of the dough).

Ginger Lemon Girl's Pecan Pumpkin Pie Bars

This weekend I recruited my sister, husband and two toddler sons to help me work some hours on the farm—part of our "CSA working share." The job for the group was picking pie pumpkins and needless to say, pumpkins were on my mind all day. When we got home I fired up the slow cooker and used the Crockpot squash cooking method Amy Green shares on her site Simply Gluten & Sugar Free. In four hours I had cooked pumpkin which I then pureed in the blender. Then it was on to making Carrie's Pecan Pumpkin Pie Bars. One thing I really love about these bars is the crumb crust. I've been feeling the pressure to find the ultimate gluten-free piecrust recipe for the upcoming holidays. But you know what? This press-in crust is so stellar and easy that I will be using it again.

I followed Carrie's recipe as closely as possible, the only modifications I made were 1) I used coconut oil where oil or buttery spread was called for. 2) The only granulated forms of sugar I have in my kitchen are evaporated cane juice and coconut sugar, so I chose to go with the evaporated cane juice wherever the recipe called for "sugar". 3) I added 1/4 teaspoon sea salt to the crust mixture since there's no salt in coconut oil like you find in buttery spread. Please note that this recipe is not egg-free. (Does anyone have recommendations for making it so? I've been hunting high and low for ways to make an egg-less pumpkin pie. I have a husband who can eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner!)

Thank you Carrie for some fall cooking inspiration! We look forward to more :).