Coconut Butternut Squash Pie

Two coconut butternut squash pie recipes in one week? Yes, well, who could turn down the opportunity to share Ann Keener's Butternut Squash Galette recipe? Also, playing with your food is generally a good idea, despite what your mother might have said.  So while making the galettes, custard, and waffles, I thought I'd play around with fusing some of these ideas together.  The result is a coconut flavored butternut pie...or maybe a butternut flavored coconut pie.  Either way, it's delicious.

Ingredients:

1 Recipe for Classic Pie Crust

1 Medium butternut squash (about 1 1/2-2 lbs)

1 Can of full-fat coconut milk (or substitute 16 oz of heavy cream)

1/2 Cup unsweetened fine-shred coconut

1/2 Cup local raw honey

1/2 tsp kosher salt

3 farm-fresh eggs

Dash of cloves

Dash of cinnamon

Juice from 1/2 lemon

Method:

Prepare one recipe for Classic Pie Crust and bake blind in one large or two small pie plates.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Cut away the ends of the squash, then slice in half at the point where the straight sides meet the round end. Remove the peel and scoop out the seeds.  Grate what is left of the round end until you have about 1 cup of grated squash.  Chop the rest of the squash into 1-inch cubes. (See: How To Prepare Winter Squash).

In an 8x8 baking dish, combine the coconut milk, cubed squash, cloves, cinnamon, and salt.  Bake uncovered for 1 hour.  Remove from oven and let cool.  Once the squash mixture is at room temperature, place in a blender with the coconut, lemon, and honey.  Puree until smooth.  Add more salt, spices, honey, or lemon to taste.  Add eggs and puree again until smooth.  Fold in the grated squash.

Pour the mixture into the pre-baked pie crusts.  Bake pies for about 1 hour, or until the filling puffs and is set.  Remove from oven and let rest for at least 30 minutes before serving.  Serve warm or cold.

Lemon Basil Zucchini Bread

Ingredients:

1  3/4 Cup whole wheat flour*

1 3/4 Cup all-purpose flour

1 Tbs baking powder

1/4 Tsp baking Soda

1/2 Tsp kosher or sea salt

1/2 Cup sugar

3 Cups grated zucchini or zephyr squash

3 Local farm-fresh eggs

1/2 Cup cold-pressed unsweetened coconut milk (can substitute apple sauce, melted butter, sour cream or yogurt)

1/2 Cup local raw honey

Zest of one lemon (using a micro plane or fine grater)

2-3 Tbs finely chopped fresh basil leaves (do not substitute dried basil)

(Alternative: Try using zest of one orange and 2-3 Tbs chopped fresh rosemary instead of the lemon and basil)

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease two loaf pans, either with oil spray, butter or shortening.

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl, mix the eggs, coconut milk and honey, then pour onto the dry ingredients.  Add the grated zucchini, lemon zest, and chopped basil.  Mix until all ingredients are combined evenly.  Pour into the prepared pans and bake for 50 - 60 minutes, or until the tops have split and the loaves spring back to the touch.  You can also insert a bamboo skewer into the center.  It will come out clean when it is fully cooked.

*If you like the bread to be more dense and spongy, reduce the whole wheat flour by 1/4 cup, or add an egg and a little more grated zucchini to add moisture to the batter.

Remove the zucchini bread from the loaf pans after 5 minutes, then let rest for at least 1 hour on a cooling rack before slicing.

Kale Smoothie Popsicles

Yes, popsicles are for kids in the summertime...but you might want to make a few extra of these for yourself.  They make a fantastic cool treat for snacks, dessert, or even a light lunch.  It's a tasty way to enjoy those luscious greens that are filling the CSA boxes this time of year!

Ingredients:

About 6-10 dinosaur kale leaves (as a bonus, the kids love them even more because they are called "dinosaur")

1 cup of frozen blueberries

1 very ripe banana, frozen

1/2 cup raw almonds (or almond butter)

2-3 cups milk, or milk alternative like soy, almond or coconut

Juice from 1/2 lemon

1 tsp vanilla extract

A pinch of kosher salt

Local raw honey, to taste

Method:

Place all ingredients in a blender (I prefer to use a Vitamix for smoothies), and puree on high until very smooth. Adjust ingredients to taste.  Pour the smoothie into popsicle molds (available online and in many local shops). Freeze for 12-24 hours.

Preparation Tips

Fruits: You can adjust the fruit in this recipe to suit your taste, but blueberries are my first choice because they don't have coarse seeds and the smoothie won't turn brown when mixed with greens. Of course brown is not necessarily bad...you can always add some cocoa powder and give it a chocolaty taste.  Also, bananas are fairly essential for sweetness and texture, but hey it's a smoothie, make it the way you like it. You can also make layered popsicles with different flavor combinations.  Recently we tried a red-white-and blue popsicle made with the following layers: strawberry coconut, peanut butter banana, and blueberry kale. The kids keep begging for more.

Flavor & Texture: Nuts are also optional, but they add protein, as well as richness to the flavor and texture.  If you don't use nuts, add a little oil, coconut milk (unsweetened cold-pressed in a can), or cream to the mixture to balance the bitterness in the greens.  The salt, lemon juice and oils or nuts are all important ingredients to get the right balance of flavor, and counteract any bitterness from the greens.

Fresh v/s Frozen: You can use fresh fruit that has not been frozen, but the texture is more like ice cream when you start with frozen berries and bananas.  If you want a real time-saver, blanch your greens and freeze them as well.  Alternatively, you could puree them in a blender, then freeze portions in an ice-cube tray.  You can pop out portions as you need them for smoothies.

The Blender: A high powered blender like Vitamix is my first choice for making smoothies.  There are many blender gadgets available, even specifically designed for smoothies.  To get a truly smooth texture from high-fiber foods like greens and nuts, it's best to have a blender that can keep up with the demand.  You can still make smoothies in standard kitchen blenders, but it may take longer, or the texture may be less uniform and smooth.

Baked Apples With Chestnut Puree & Cocoa Nibs

How exciting to find chestnuts at the Main Street Farmer's Market!  The Chattanooga Chestnut Tree Project is lead by UTC agriculture researchers who are working to restore the American Chestnut to the lower Appalachian region, while also supporting farmers who are looking for improved cultivars to grow in local chestnut orchards. These local beauties inspired a delicious afternoon snack or light dessert when paired with  this season's apple harvest.  You can use the chestnut puree as a dip for freshly sliced apples, or dress it up as a baked dessert. Either way, they pair well as a tasty seasonal treat.

Chestnut Puree: 1 lb fresh chestnuts 1-2 teaspoons local honey 1 1/2 cups milk, cream or coconut milk Juice from 1/2 lemon Freshly grated nutmeg (about 1/8 of a nut) Dash of ground ginger Dash of cloves Pinch of salt

Cut the chestnuts in half across the widest part and place in a saucepan.  Cover with water and boil for about 20 minutes.  The skins should slip off or peel easily.  Once the skins are removed, place the chestnuts in a blender or food processor, along with the other ingredients.  Puree until smooth.  Adjust spices, honey or lemon to taste.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice the apples (peel if desired) and place in a lightly oiled or buttered glass baking dish.  Bake until tender (about 15-20 minutes).  Serve warm with chestnut puree, drizzled honey and a sprinkle of cocoa nibs (can be found at Greenlife or Earth Fare).

Apple & Cinnamon Pound Cake With Caramel Icing

For the most part, this blog is dedicated to highlighting recipes that are nutritious and healthy, using locally produced ingredients when available, and making the most of a CSA share.  Admittedly, the term "healthy" is subjective, since we all have bodies that respond somewhat uniquely to things like fats, sugars, glutens, starches and seasonings. But there's no shame in having a slice of delicious, home-made cake once in a while, right?  When I saw the crisp green apples in my box this week, I knew a celebration was in order. This pound cake blends the best of late-summer and early-fall flavors.  Local apples are ready for harvest, bringing on the cravings for caramel apples and apple pie.  Swirled together in the form of a rich and creamy pound cake, this will steal the show at your next gathering. Ingredients: 3 cups whole-wheat pastry flour 1 Tbs baking powder A pinch of salt 2 tsp cinnamon

1 large crisp cooking apple, peeled & diced 1 tsp lemon juice dash of cinnamon

4 sticks of unsalted butter (1 lb), softened to room temperature 1 3/4 cups of sugar 5 large farm fresh eggs, separated 1 tsp vanilla 1/2 tsp almond extract 1 cup whole-milk buttermilk

Caramel Icing: (can double the icing quantity, depending on how much you like) 1 stick of butter 1/2 cup dark or light brown sugar 3 Tbs milk

Method: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a bundt cake pan.  In a medium bowl, combine the flours, baking powder and soda, salt and cinnamon.  Set aside.  In a small bowl, mix together the diced apples, lemon juice, and dash of cinnamon. Set aside. In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Slowly add 3/4 cup of the sugar while continuing to beat the egg whites.  Set aside. In a large bowl with a hand-mixer or in a stand-mixer, beat the softened butter, then add the remaining one cup of sugar slowly and beat for 3-5 minutes, or until it is fairly fluffy in texture.  Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating one minute with each addition, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.  Mix in the vanilla, almond and buttermilk. Add the flour mixture and blend until fairly smooth.  Gently fold in the egg whites. Fill the bundt pan with 1/2 of the cake batter.  With the back of a spoon, make a shallow well in the batter. Spoon the apple layer into the pan, trying to keep the apples from touching the sides of the pan.  Cover the apples with the remaining cake batter, and spread it evenly into the pan.  Bake in the center of the oven for 1 hour and 30 minutes.

While the cake is baking, prepare the icing.  Melt the butter and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook for about 5 minutes over low heat while stirring gently.  Add the milk and continue to stir until it boils again. Continue stirring for about ten to fifteen more minutes.  The caramel will begin to thicken.  The total cooking/stirring time is about 30 minutes.  Remove from heat and let cool. Stir until smooth before pouring on the cake.

When the cake is done, the exposed part will be cracked and golden brown.  Remove from the oven and let cool for about 15 minutes.  To remove from the bundt pan, place a plate or cake platter over the top. While holding them together, turn the pan upside-down, (so the curved part of the cake is pointing up) and the plate is resting on a flat surface.  Slowly remove the pan from the cake by lifting it straight up.  When the cake is completely cooled, drizzle the caramel icing over the top.  Slice and serve.