Ginger-Cinnamon Squash Soup

Fall is my favorite season of the year. Back in the days, when I worked in Manhattan, I recall loving my walk from the Lexington Avenue E-line to my office on Park Avenue, in my Fall boots and poncho (Fall is also my favorite clothing season!) with the crisp Fall air hitting my cheeks. Now, with the Manhattan life behind me, I still love the Fall season and the change it signifies, beckoning a new year with its beautiful colors: the vibrant oranges, reds and yellows.

I was at Terhune Orchards on Saturday picking up some squash to make one of my favorite recipes for Fall: Ginger-cinnamon squash soup, mellow yet spicy at the same time bringing the perfect combination of sweet and savory warmth to your Fall lunch or supper.

Ingredients:
1 small-medium squash (about 3 pounds) should make 2.5 cups of pulp
2-3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp cinnamon powdered
1/2 large onion sliced
1 tbsp ginger root grated
1 tbsp sour cream (optional)
1 tbsp almonds sliced and dry toasted in oven
1 tsp brown sugar
2 cups of water
salt to taste
sprinkle of black pepper

Cooking Method:
Pre-heat oven to broil setting. Half the squash and remove seeds from cavity, baste oil on the surface and broil in oven for 40-45 minutes. Scoop out pulp using a spoon and puree in a food processor. In a saucepan, heat  1 tbsp oil, add onion and ginger and saute until light brown. Add the squash pulp, salt and cinnamon and boil until desired consistency is achieved (About 1/2 cup water should have boiled off). Add sugar and toasted almonds, black pepper and stir. Add sour cream on top (I did not add sour cream to the version in the picture to keep it light). Serve hot!

Mushroom and Cheese Stuffed Sweet Peppers

By now, you have probably guessed that I like to play around with flavors, colors and textures. This next recipe achieves all three in a clean manner. After you're done, you should be able to savor each bit comprising an outer layer of sweet and juicy green pepper followed by gooey cheese mixed in with crunchy mushrooms spiced with delicious herbs. What an explosion of flavors in your mouth!

For the recipe you will need,
4-6 medium sized sweet peppers, hollowed out from top
4 tbsp cottage cheese (could substitute with 3 tbsp minced meat and 1 tbsp cheese in which case you will need to increase oven grilling time to 1 hour instead of 45 minutes)
1 clove garlic minced
1/2 small onion finely chopped
1/2 cup portobella mushrooms chopped
1/2  tsp dried basil (or if using fresh chopped basil, use 1 tbsp)
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp paprika
2 tbsp olive oil
salt to taste
Parmesan for garnish (optional)
non-stick spray

Method: Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. First, to prepare the stuffing, in a shallow pan, saute the onions, garlic in 1 tbsp olive oil. Add thyme, basil, paprika, and mushrooms and finally cottage cheese and salt and stir for a minute before removing from heat. Stuff the peppers, baste the outside of the pepper with olive oil. Cover oven tray with aluminium foil. Spray the tray with a non-stick spray and place the peppers on their side and grill for 30 minutes. Turn to other side and grill for another 15 minutes. Poke with a fork to make sure the pepper is cooked.

Serve hot!

Minted Red Beans

This vegetarian side is my favorite, because of its simple bold flavors, vibrant colors and refreshing taste.

Ingredients:
1 cup red beans (soaked overnight, then pressure cooked or boiled until soft) or you could use 1 can of canned pre-cooked red beans
1 large Roma tomato (or 2 small), diced into inch cubes
1/2 large onion chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tsp ginger root grated
1 tsp paprika
6-8 medium sized fresh mint leaves (whole or chopped)
1/5 tsp turmeric or curry powder (optional)
salt to taste
11/2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
Avocado and fresh mint to garnish

Cooking Method:
In a medium shallow pan, add oil in low heat, add onion, garlic, ginger and saute until light brown. Add the tomato, turmeric (if you like) and paprika and saute for a minute. Then add beans and water and turn to medium heat and allow water to boil off. Add mint and salt, switch off burner and cover. Open and stir lightly, garnish with avocado slices and mint. Serve while warm!

Herbaceous and Nutty Couscous (Minted Red Bean side in next post)

This delightful and colorful vegetarian affair is refreshing, light and healthy. It is inspired by Mediterranean origins but I have thrown in more vegetables, herbs and nuts to add texture, color and flavor. I typically make a side of red beans to as an accompaniment (I will share that recipe in my next post). I was very happy with the end result. Give it a try!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups couscous
1/2 large onion chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
1/3 cup each of peas and carrots diced into 1/2 inch cubes (fresh or frozen, optional)
1/2 cup sun dried tomato
1/3 cup pecans or walnuts
1 tsp chives fresh chopped or dry ground
1 tsp parsley fresh chopped or dry ground
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 1/2 cup chicken stock or water
Salt to taste
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil

Cooking Method:
In a shallow pan on low heat, lightly saute the nuts in olive oil and remove. Then saute the onions and garlic until they turn yellow. Add chives and chopped parsley and saute for a minute.  Add the sun dried tomato, carrots,peas, pecans, couscous and water. Bring to a boil, add salt and turmeric and let the water boil off. Couscous and veggies should have cooked. Fluff with a fork before serving. Enjoy!

Rice Crepe with Cheese Filling

Inspired by the Indian Dosa crepe, this recipe is simple and a good divergence from the typical Sunday breakfast. You could substitute rice with wheat flour. The cheese could be replaced with a fruit chutney or sauce,egg or syrup.

Ingredients: serves 2 people

Rice flour 1cup

Cream of wheat 1 tbsp

Vegetable Oil or spray

Cheddar Cheese 1/2 cup grated

Salt: optional

Water 1.5 cups

Cooking Method:

Add water to the cream of wheat and rice flour. Let it sit for half hour. Heat a 8 inch non-stick pan on medium heat, spray oil and spread a tbsp of batter and spread in circular motion while applying light pressure. Lower the flame,and cover for 30 seconds to a minute. Turn over and add some grated cheese. The cheese should melt and the crepe should be crispy and come off the pan easily using a non-stick spatula.

Enjoy!

A tour of the Trenton Farmers Market

So, I met this lady that was producing a show for Princeton T.V. She would interview kids from the Princeton YMCA to get their thoughts on healthy snacks that could be picked up at the local Trenton Farmers market. She asked if my 5-year old, Ved who happened to be a Y camper would like to be part of that production. I agreed because...Hey, I believe in healthy snack and if a T.V. program was going to get Ved excited about substituting cookies for fruit, I'm all for it!



I escorted a shy Ved to the Trenton Farmers market but once he was there and was assigned to his lady friend Y buddy, Mel, he settled down happily into his role.

While Ved was busy doing his shoot, I took some fantastic pictures at the Trenton market. Oooh the fresh Jersey tomatoes, peaches, peppers, eggplant, and the popular local meat store. As I walked around, I talked with farmers about their produce and learned about the great blueberry and peaches this season. I also was excited to share how I am using their golden peaches, roma tomatoes and purple eggplant for the line of condiments that I am developing.

Summer Lunch: Chicken Curry with Peach Ice Tea

When I think of a summer lunch, I am looking for bold flavors with a summery drink to cool things down. Plus, I like to use vegetables grown right in Jersey like local peaches and tomatoes. So, after having the weekend shopping, I decided I wanted to make some soul-satisfying spicy flavors using basic ingredients and some peach ice tea to go with it.

Ingredients: For the Chicken Curry

4 chicken thighs (keeping the bones adds flavor) or breast

2 medium sized tomatoes

1 cup low fat yogurt

1 large onion

1 inch cube ginger

2 cloves of garlic

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

salt to taste

2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

cilantro to garnish and flavor

Cooking Method:

Grind 1/2 onion, ginger, garlic and tomato in food processor and add the cumin, yogurt and chicken with it in a glass storage bowl and marinade for 3-6 hours in the fridge. When ready to cook, heat oil in a shallow pan and chop 1/2 of the remaining onion  and sautey until light brown, add the marinaded chicken and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes, then add cinnamon and simmer until chicken is cooked.  Add chopped cilantro  for flavoring. You could also add some whole or chopped cilantro as a garnish at the end.

Ingredients: For the Peach Ice tea

2 medium sized peaches

your favorite black tea bags

sugar to taste

Cooking Method:

Remove seed from peaches, chop to 1/4 and bring to boil. Simply pour the peach water into a glass jar and soak your tea bags for 5 minutes. Add sugar to taste and chill before serving