Recipes

Ingredients:
½ small Savoy cabbage or other green cabbage
1 large fennel bulb, quartered
1 large leek, white part only
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
juice and zest of 1 Meyer lemon
3 tablespoons chervil or parsley leaves

Directions:

1. Cut the cabbage, fennel, and leek into very thin slices and wash. Don’t dry!
2. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large, wide skillet. Add the vegetables and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt. Cover the pan and cook for 10 minutes. Check after 5 minutes and make sure there’s a little moisture so the vegetables steam and don’t brown.
3. Meanwhile, simmer the lemon juice in a small skillet until there is only 1 tablespoon left. Remove from the heat and whisk in the remaining butter.
4. Finely chop the lemon zest with the chervil or parsley. Stir half into the butter and add the other half to the vegetables. Toss well, taste for salt, and season with pepper.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 bunch chard, stems removed and sliced into ¼-inch strips, leaves cut into bite-size pieces
½ cup dark raisins
2 cloves garlic, smashed and [peeled
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 2-ounce can of anchovy fillets, rinsed
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup roughly chopped pulp from canned whole tomatoes (drain and squeeze the tomatoes before chopping)
3 grinds of black pepper

Directions:

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the chard stems. Cover until the water comes to a boil, then uncover and cook the stems until tender, about 4 minutes. Add the chard leaves and continue to cook for another 3 minutes or so, just until the leaves are wilted.
2. Drain in a colander, reserving ½ cup of the cooking liquid. Rinse the greens under cold running water. Leave in the colander for 15 minutes to drain.
3. Soak the raisins in the remaining liquid for 10 minutes then remove and drain.
4. Mash together the garlic and salt in a mortar to form a paste. Add the anchovies and fennel seeds. Mash until fairly smooth.
5. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan. Add the greens, garlic paste, raisins, and tomatoes. Cook over low heat, stirring, until warm throughout. Season with pepper.

Makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 red onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2½ cups vegetable broth
1½ tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
1 cup red quinoa
1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
1 bunch broccoli, end of stems trimmed
1 cup raw cashews

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a saucepan and sauté the onion and garlic for 3 minutes. Add the vegetable broth, lemon juice, and tarragon and bring to a boil.
2. Stir in the quinoa and salt. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, about 20 minutes, or until most of the liquid has been absorbed.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the broccoli, trimming the bottoms of the stalks. Lay the broccoli overtop of the quinoa (don’t mix it in), cover and continue to cook (you are actually steaming the broccoli) for 5 minutes, or until the broccoli is bright green (beautiful, isn’t it?!!)
4. Remove pot from heat, and toss gently to combine contents. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with cashews as serving.

Serves 4

Roasting and caramelizing onions brings out their natural sweetness. Onions, like other foods in the allium family, are helpful in promoting heart health.

Ingredients:

Onions:
1 tablespoon ghee or coconut oil, melted
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
3 medium yellow onions, trimmed and cut into ¼ -inch slices
6 medium shallots, trimmed and cut into halves
4 medium leeks, trimmed, cleaned, and sliced into half-moons
8 sprigs fresh thyme

Salad:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon coarse mustard
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 medium Belgium endive (optional)
5 cups spinach, bite-sized pieces
¼ cup thinly sliced scallions (green onions)

Directions:

Onions:
1. Put oven rack in upper third of oven and preheat to 400 degrees.
2. Whisk together the melted ghee or oil, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add the onions, shallots, leeks, tossing to coat. Spread onion mixture in an even layer on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and scatter thyme leaves on top. Cover with another sheet of parchment paper then foil on top, crimping edges all around to seal and form a package. Roast until very tender, about 1 hour.
3. Carefully remove top sheet of foil and parchment paper and turn on broiler. Remove bottom layer of parchment paper and spread the onions evenly on the baking sheet. Broil onion mixture about 5-6 inches from heat until onion tops are browned and caramelized, about 2-5 minutes. Check frequently, removing pieces as they brown. Discard thyme.

Salad:
1. Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, mustard, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.
2. Trim the endive and cut into ½–inch slices.
3. Just before serving, add endive to dressing along with spinach and scallions, tossing until lightly coated. Season with salt and pepper.

To serve – arrange salad on a platter and top with warm onion mixture.

Serves 12

The surprise in this cake is the use of essential oil to add a unique flavor.

Ingredients:
18 ounces raw beets
2 thumb-size pieces of fresh ginger, finely chopped
3 large eggs, separated
1-2 drops Geranium Essential Oil
5½ fl ounces honey – mix the essential oil into the honey
¾ cup olive oil
Seeds from 2 vanilla beans
2 heaping teaspoons baking powder
2/3 cup polenta
Zest and juice of 1 orange
A good pinch of salt
A good pinch of ground allspice
A good pinch of cinnamon
1¼ cup alternative flour of your choice, gluten free

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Boil the beets until soft, then drain and allow to cool. Rub the skins off then mash in a food processor or with a masher until smooth.

3. Put the beet puree, ginger, egg yolks, honey and olive oil in a bowl and add the seeds from 1 vanilla bean. Whisk together then add the baking powder, polenta, orange zest and juice, salt, allspice, cinnamon and flour.

4. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff and fold them into the beet mixture.

5. Prepare a 10-inch cake or springform pan with butter and dust with flour, or line with parchment paper. Pour in the mixture and bake for around 35 mins or until spongy and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Rose Geranium Icing

1 cup powder sugar
3 teaspoons water
3 teaspoons rose water
1 drop geranium essential oil

Mix together and drizzle over semi-cooled cake.

Autumn is upon us, and I am seeing shades of orange and red everywhere I go-many in the form of pumpkins and winter squash. We finally harvested the majority of our squash and pumpkins and now its time to cook up those quintessential fall dishes. I have made pumpkin bread, pumpkin pancakes, squash and apples, pumpkin puree, and the list goes on. But one of my more recent dishes was a new experiment-a twist on a comforting classic. This butternut squash mac and cheese is perfect for those cool fall nights and is a bit healthier without losing any of the creamy richness, the reason we all love mac and cheese.

naturallyella.com

Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

Ingredients:
2 cups of butternut squash puree (any winter squash or pumpkin would taste delicious)
1 ½ Tablespoon butter
1 ½ Tablespoon flour
3/4 cup whole milk
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
1 cup of cheddar cheese
1 pound of whole wheat penne pasta

 Directions:

1. Peel and chop butternut squash. Toss with some olive oil, salt and pepper and roast at 400°F for 30 minutes.
2. While squash is roasting, bring a pot of water to a boil, add pasta and cook til tender.
3. Once squash is cooked through and cooled slightly, place in a blender or food processer and pulse until it’s smooth.
4. In a medium saucepan, heat butter over medium-low heat until melted. Whisk in flour and cook for a minute. Continue whisking while slowly adding the milk. Next add in salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Allow mixture to thicken slightly. Add the squash puree and whisk until it is completely incorporated. Lastly add the cheese and whisk until melted.
5. Combine squash mixture to pasta and serve

*If you wanted to make this even healthier, you could try adding some sautéed spinach or kale, or any other delicious fall veggies.

This recipe is adapted from Naturally Ella Blog

Ingredients:

Marinade:
1 garlic clove, minced
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
sea salt to taste
¼ cup cider vinegar
¼ cup olive oil
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley

Salad:
1 medium onion, thinly sliced into circles (about 1 cup)
4 medium sweet peppers, sliced lengthwise into ½-inch strips (about 4 cups)

Directions:
1. Place the sliced onion in a large bowl. Mix all of the marinade ingredients and pour over the onion.
2. Blanch the sweet peppers in boiling water for about 2 minutes. Drain the peppers and let them cool. Add them to the onion mixture and toss well. Chill for one hour before serving.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:
1½ cups vegetable broth
2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce
1 tablespoon sake
2 teaspoons honey
1½ tablespoons grated, peeled fresh ginger
¾ pound butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1/3 pound green beans, ends snipped off
1 tablespoon cornstarch or arrowroot dissolved in 2 tablespoons water.

Directions:

1. In a saucepan, gently bring 1 cup vegetable stock, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, the sake, 1 teaspoon honey, and the ginger to a simmer. Add the squash and simmer, covered for 8-10 minutes, until just tender. Remove the squash from the broth with tongs or a slotted spoon and set aside.
2. Add remaining ½ cup broth, salt, and ½ teaspoon of the honey to the contents of the pan and return to a simmer. Add the green beans and simmer, covered, for several minutes until barely tender. Remove the beans. To the broth, add the remaining soy sauce, and ½ teaspoon honey to taste (if the squash is sweet enough, omit the last ½ teaspoon honey).
3. Return to a simmer and stir in the cornstarch or arrowroot mixture to thicken. Add the squash and green beans and gently reheat.
4. Serve hot in a deep serving dish.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 medium beets, peeled and cubed
2 medium carrots, sliced diagonally
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cubed

Dressing:
6 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 small garlic clove, minced
sea salt to taste

Directions:

1. Lightly steam beets, carrots and peas in separate batches until just tender but still bright in color. Mix them in a large bowl and add the cucumber.
2. Combine the dressing ingredients. Toss vegetables with the dressing and chill until ready to serve.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 eggs
¾ cup sugar of choice
¼ flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup coarsely chopped apples
1 cup toasted pecans
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
½ pint heavy cream
2 tablespoons maple syrup
8 pecan halves, toasted

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, beat eggs until fluffy then slowly add the sugar, while beating, until the mixture is very thick.
3. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the eggs and sugar, stirring just enough to combine them thoroughly. Gently fold in the vanilla, chopped apples, pecans and lemon juice. Pour the batter into a buttered 10-inch round or 9-inch square baking pan.
4. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the top is brown and crusty. As the torte cooks, the bottom layer will be soft and the top layer will become cookie-like and crunchy.
5. Just before serving, whip heavy cream with the syrup. Cut the torte into wedges or squares and top each serving with a dollop of whipped cream and a pecan half.

Yields 8 servings