Pumpkin biscuits

I love anything pumpkin, especially in Fall, so I was excited to try these. They are very yummy! Like any biscuit, just remember to not overwork the dough. I did because the dough was stickier than I would have liked, maybe because I was out of butter and had to use margarine? Anyway, still tasty-I served mine with a roast chicken dinner.

1 and 3/4 c. all-purpose flour

1/4 c. packed brown sugar

2 and 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 c. plus 1 and 1/2 tsp cold butter, divided

3/4 c. canned pumpkin

1/3 c. buttermilk

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Cut in 1/2 c. butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Combine pumpkin and buttermilk; stir into crumb mixture just until moistened.

2. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead 8-10 times. Pat or roll out to 1-in. thickness; cut with a floured 2-1/2-in. biscuit cutter. (I used a drinking glass.) Place 1 in. apart on a greased baking sheet.

3. Bake at 425 for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown. Melt remaining butter; brush over the biscuits. (I skipped this step.) Serve warm.

*We've been enjoying the leftovers toasted in the morning for breakfast.

Yield: 6 biscuits

Curried Squash with Winter Greens

This soup smells amazing when it cooks and is packed with nutrition. My whole family loves it! A great way to use up the last of the harvest from the garden.

1 T. canola oil

1 large yellow onion, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

2 large tomatoes, diced

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp. minced fresh ginger root

1 T. curry powder

2 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. ground coriander

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

4 c. peeled, diced butternut squash (I didn't measure, just used a whole one.)

5 c. water (You could use veg or chick broth for more flavor.)

2-3 c. coarsely chopped spinach, chard, or kale (I didn't measure this either, just used 1 bunch of kale.)

2 carrots, shredded (optional-this was my addition for more nutrition and a little sweetness.)

In a large saucepan (I used my cast iron dutch oven), heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, garlic, and ginger and cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes. Stir in the curry powder, cumin, coriander, salt, and pepper and cook for 1 minute over low heat. Add the squash and water and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. (While simmering, I shredded the carrots directly into the pot.)

Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the squash is tender, about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the greens and cook for 10 minutes.

Transfer to a food processor fitted with a steel blade (or to a blender) and process until smooth, about 10 seconds. (I used my immersion blender.)

Ladle the soup into bowls and serve at once.

Lentil-Tomato Stew

I have this cooking now and it smells amazing! I put it together in 5 minutes or so when I first got up. Looks like it will make a lot of yummy, healthy food. (One serving has 16 g. of fiber!) It also happens to be vegan. I'm thinking I'll make cornbread to go with it.

3 c. water

28-oz can low-sodium peeled Italian tomatoes, undrained (I couldn't find these so used 2-14 1/2-oz cans of Italian diced tomatoes.)

6-oz. can low-sodium tomato paste

1/2 c. dry red wine

3/4 tsp. dried basil

3/4 tsp. dried thyme

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper

1 lb. dried lentils, rinsed and drained with any stones removed

1 large onion, chopped

4 carrots, cut in 1/2" rounds

4 celery ribs, cut into 1/2" slices

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp. salt (I used less)

fresh basil or parsley, chopped, for garnish

1. Combine water, tomatoes with juice, tomato paste, red wine, basil, thyme, and crushed red pepper in slow cooker.

2. (If using whole canned tomatoes) Break-up tomatoes with a wooden spoon and stir to blend them and the paste into the mixture.

3. Add lentils, onion, carrots, celery, and garlic.

4. Cover. Cook on low 10-12 hours or on high 4-5 hours.

5. Stir in the salt. (Oops! I put this in this morning!)

6. Serve in bowls, sprinkled with chopped basil or parsley.

Bean & Yam Burritos

I came across this when looking for this week's menu. We made them once before and they were fantastic! Most of it is done in the  slow-cooker.

2 med. yams or sweet potatoes

1 large yellow onion

1 green bell pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 large green chile

1 T. olive oil

1 T. chili powder

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 c. frozen corn kernels

1 can kidney beans, drained

4 10-inch flour tortillas

1 c. cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese

1. Cut the yams into 1/2 inch cubes. Thinly slice the onion. Stem, seed, and finely chop the bell pepper. Stem, seed, and dice the greed chile. Set aside with the garlic.

2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, and green chile and saute for 3-4 minutes. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, and oregano and cook for 1 minute more.

3. In a slow cooker, layer half the yams, and then top with half each of the onion mixture, corn, and beans. Repeat the layers. Cover and cook on the Low setting until the yams are tender, 5-6 hours.

4. Preheat the oven to 350. Divide the mixture evenly among the tortillas and scatter with the cheese. Fold to enclose the filling and place in a greased baking pan. Cover with foil and bake the burritos for 25-30 minutes. Serve hot.

Super-Fast Pesto Lasagna

I don't know where I got this one from, but we make it quite often. It was the last meal I had before Zoe was born, so it has a special place in my heart. It's very easy as-is since it uses lots of prepared foods, but you could certainly substitute for fresh/homemade ingredients. You could throw in more vegetables, or use less cheese, or whatever. I don't think you can mess up lasagna!

3 c. ricotta cheese

1 c. shredded Parmesan cheese

1 large egg

2 10-ounce packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry

1 7-ounce package prepared pesto

4 c. bottled chunky pasta sauce

12 no-boil lasagna noodles from one 8-ounce package

2 c. grated Fontina or mozzarella cheese

Blend ricotta and parmesan in medium bowl. Season cheeses with salt and pepper; stir in egg. Blend spinach and pesto in another medium bowl.

Brush 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish with oil. Spread 1 cup pasta sauce in prepared dish. Arrange 3 noodles side by side atop sauce. Spread 1 and 1/4 cups cheese mixture over in thin layer. Drop 1/3 of spinach mixture over by spoonfuls. Repeat layering with sauce, noodles, cheese mixture and spinach mixture 2 more times. Top with remaining 3 noodles and 1 cup sauce. Cover lasagna with foil. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead and refrigerated.)

Preheat oven to 350. Bake lasagna, covered, 35 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with Fontina cheese. Bake until lasagna is heated through, sauce bubbles and cheese on top is melted, about 15 minutes longer. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Freezer salsa

So, next summer when we are all like "I have a million tomatoes, but I don't feel like canning" remember this recipe. I've made freezer salsa twice over the summer and its awesome.

Freezer salsa. Adapted from some recipe I found on the internet.

• 20 lbs tomatoes
• 2 cups fresh cilantro
• 2 large onions
• 10 garlic cloves
• 10-20 hot peppers I used an assortment of peppers from my garden and the CSA. Roasting them changes the flavor and lowers the heat a bit. I roast some and leave some raw.
• 2 cups chopped green peppers
• 2 tablespoons cumin
• 1/4 cup sea salt
• 1/4 cup vinegar - I don't think I used that much.
• 6 large limes, juice of
• A few sprigs of mexican oregano, if you have it. Not a big deal if you don't.
  

Directions

1. Blanch tomatos in a large pot of boiling water for about a minute. This makes it easy to peel them. I have an immersion blender that I use to break them up after that, but you could chop in a food processor or mash them by hand.

2. Chop cilantro ,onion ,garlic and add to tomatoes.

3. Chop hot peppers with seeds and put in to 10 quart stock pot.
4. Add cumin, salt and vinegar and stir all together.
5. Bring to a boil and lower temperature to keep at a low boil for 2-3 hours.
6. Boil down to about half to get rid of all the extra tomato water.
7. I use whatever jars I have on hand with matching lids.
8. Fill and leave 1/2 inch head space let cool to avoid condensation and ice on top of salsa.
9. Place lids on and freeze.

Lentil Chilli

(from a Mama on MDC)

2 cups lentils, rinsed and picked over
7 cups water or vegetable broth
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
2 large red or yellow bell peppers, seeded, deribbed, and finely chopped
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes in juice
1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce
¾ cup beer
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 ½ teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
1 cup sour cream
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese

In a 6- to 8- quart saucepan, over medium-high heat, combine the lentils and water. Bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently. Cook the lentils until tender, about 45 minutes. Add the onion, bell peppers, tomatoes with juice, tomato sauce, beer, chili powder, cumin, oregano, cayenne, and salt. Stir well. Reduce heat to low. Keep the soup at a bare simmer until the flavors meld (about 30 minutes).

Top each serving with a spoonful of sour cream and some cheese.