Winter (and Fall) Squash Season

by Sabrina Linden, Dietetic Intern

Cooler temperatures and shorter days put the rich orange, yellow, and green hues of winter squash on display.   Providing vitamins A, B6, and C, and packed with antioxidants, this veggie is sure to boost immunity all season long.  The yearend’s varieties differ from their summer counterpart in that they have a hardy (often still edible) exterior allowing survival through the chilling weather, and a mildly sweet interior as cozy and comforting as your favorite sweater.  If you’re new to squash shopping, delicata and butternut are great options for beginners; the deeper the beige of butternut, the better.  As for delicata, look for a strong yellow color with green stripes.  Both cylinder shapes can be prepared with the skin intact.  Veterans to these vegetables can explore the evergreen spherical versions like acorn and kabocha.  And, if you’re trying to convince anyone in your household to eat more veggies, may I suggest a golden spaghetti squash- yes the inside looks just like noodles!    All in all, winter squash are one of my favorite kickoffs to fall.  I encourage you to add them to your grocery list and remember, whichever you choose, make sure it’s: firm, not soft; blemish-free; dull, not shiny.

Cool Refreshing Gazpacho

I enjoy Gazpacho.  It is great on these hot, steamy humid days with a lovely glass of rosé or Albariño. I often see it on the menu and I'm usually disappointed when I order it, like last night.  I like mine to have a little bit of chunkiness to it. However, it is usually all pureed. I understand because it is easier just to puree it all instead of chopping and dicing.

Gazpacho is a traditional dish from Spain that spread to Portugal and Latin America.  They all have their own variations with adding bread or avocados and even omitting the tomatoes and having more fruit-based like watermelon.  They traditionally use a mortar and pestle instead of a blender of food processor, which cause the puree to foam a bit, and a sieve for the tomatoes to get the seeds out. 

It is great summer soup because it is a soup served cold and the acidity of the tomatoes add to the refreshingness of it.  There is some prep work with dicing and chopping.  Or you can just throw it all in the food processor until completely pureed.  Your choice and it is worth it either way!

To make the soup as rich and flavorful as you can, use fresh tomatoes from your own tomato plants or gather some up at a wonderful local farmers' market.  Canned tomatoes can be more flavorful than many fresh ones you buy in your regular supermarket.  Check out this article on tomatoes.  Letting it sit longer also enhances the flavor of the soup, a minimum of 2 hours but t is still spectacular days down the road.

Visit That's Vegetarian?!  to prepare any one of the dishes and you'll find yourself saying "That's Vegetarian?!" 

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Gazpacho 

1/2c Celery, chopped

1 Red, orange, or yellow bell pepper, chopped

1 Red onion, chopped

1 Garlic clove, chopped

1 Cucumber, peeled and chopped

2t Hot pepper such as jalapeno, Anaheim, or Serrano, chopped

1/2c Cilantro, chopped + 12 stems for garnish

5 Tomatoes, chopped

2c Tomato juice

1 can Tomatoes, diced
1 Avocado, cubed (opt)

2T White wine vinegar

1T avocado oil or olive oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 lime wedged

Mix the celery, peppers, onion, garlic, cucumber, cilantro, and 3 of the chopped tomatoes in a large bowl. Using a regular or immersion blender or a food processor, puree the can of tomatoes. Add half of the veggie mixture to the pureed tomatoes and pulse about 5 times for 3-5 seconds each time. Add the remaining mixture and pulse another five times. Continue to blend until you get your desired texture. Pour into a bowl and mix in the tomato juice, remaining chopped tomatoes, vinegar and oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours, preferably overnight. 

Serve with cilantro, lime wedge, avocado and/or cucumber slices.

Serving size 1 cup

Serves 6

Prep time 20 minutes

Cherries - Probably my favorite summer fruit!

Anyone who knows me, knows my passion for cherries.  I will walk by the street vendors in NYC and buy 2 pounds at a time (you get a better deal).  Sometimes even twice a week.  I am worry that they will disappear without notice.  During the winter, I get the frozen ones.  Those are nice because they are sans pit.

There are two basic groups of cherries - sweet and sour. The most common sweet cherries we eat like candy include bing, black, and Ranier. The sour cherries - montmorency, are usually used for pies and fruit sauces. It is challenging to find the sour cherries.  The sour cherries are slightly lower on the glycemic load index therefore raising your blood glucose a little less than the sweet ones.

Both groups are full of health benefits, however the sour cherries are more abundant in the quantity of the nutrients.  The benefits can be obtained from cherry juice as well but keep in moderation as cherries are high in sugar to begin with and in the juice you are not getting the advantages of the fiber.  A few benefits include:

• Antioxidants - vitamins A & C, melatonin,  and beta carotene, which help fight the free radicals in the body which can damage and destroy cells. 
• Anti-inflammatory and increased memory effects because of the abundance of anthocyanins. 
• Anti-carcinogenic properties due to quercetin 
• Contain the minerals magnesium, iron, folate, potassium, boron, and fiber.

The best recipe I have for fresh cherries is to rinse and eat.  Much easier than trying to cut around the pit or using a cherry pitter.  Frozen cherries - put in yogurt or ricotta cheese to make a deliciously sweet breakfast and add a little amaretto and slivered almonds.   Also, puree the frozen cherries in a blender or food processor for a sorbet like dessert.  Perfect for the end of summer.



Antiodxidant-fruits. 2009. Web. 09 Aug 2015. http://www.antioxidant-fruits.com/
Berkeley Wellness. Remedy Health Media, UC Berkeley. 2015. Web. 09 Aug 2015.  http://www.berkeleywellness.com/healthy-eating/food/article/types-cherries
Self Nutrition Data. CondeNaste, 2014. Web. 09 Aug 2015. http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/1867/2 and http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/1861/2

Cheese Stuffed Fakin' Wrapped Dates

First and foremost, thank you for your support.  It's time to be thankful and show our appreciation.  What better way than to one, say it, and two, make some yummy food.  Here is a creative appetizer for the holiday season. I had this at a restaurant, came home and figured out how to make my version of Fakin' Wrapped Cheese Stuffed Dates. It was a simple appetizer to create an ohhhhh sooooo tasty!!!!!!!!!!!!

The easy part is which fakin’ to use. Morningstar Breakfast Strips are my favorite meat substitute. I do try to limit the amount of processed food but I just can’t forgo this one. The strips do contain dairy byproducts and most “veggie” cheeses also contain dairy byproducts. That makes it difficult to make this a vegan dish. You can check out other “fakin’” products but can’t say I like the way they taste.

Then it gets increasingly challenging. Which cheese? I did a taste test with sharp and medium cheddar, Brie, Gorgonzola, pepper jack, and Parmesan. The sharper the better for my taste, but use whichever you prefer. (See note above about “veggie” cheeses.)

Lastly, the dates. An old Arabic legend tells of the Date palm's creation: "After God had finished molding Man from Earth; He took the remaining material and shaped it into a date palm which he placed in the Garden of Paradise". * Dates are full of vitamins and minerals including manganese, potassium and copper. They are a heart healthy food. It is the only naturally dried fruit. There are hundreds if not thousands of types of dates. The most common are Medjool, deglet noor, and honey dates. I have had them all, ahem those three, and they are yummy!!!

Putting all of these ingredients together creates a savory, sweet, salty, creamy, smokey taste of heaven. Visit That's Vegetarian's website, blog , and YouTube channel for more information, videos, and recipes!!  You'll find yourself saying "That's Vegetarian?!"  

Fakin’ Wrapped Cheese Stuffed Dates

10 Dates

10 Strips of Morningstar Breakfast Strips (aka Fakin’)

A few ounces of Cheese of choice (I prefer Gorgonzola or Parmesan)

Preheat oven to 350F.  Cut dates in half lengthwise.  Remove pit if there is one. Stuff with sliver of cheese.  Wrap with 1/2 Morningstar Breakfast Strip.  Stick with toothpick to keep strips in place.  Place on parchment paper or silicon-coated pan. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.  Enjoy hot or room temperature.

Prep time: 15 min 
Cook time:  15 min
Serves 5, 2 each
Difficulty level: Easy
(5pp)
Fakin' Wrapped Cheese Stuffed Dates Printable Recipe

Banana Bread ~ Vegan

A dark, rich, moist and robust yet subtle vegan banana bread that pairs nicely with a steamy cup of coffee.  Adding a little coffee to the recipe helps bring out the flavor of the bananas.  Instead of egg we are using flax seed meal, we did the same for our Pumpkin Bread.  I use oil in the video, but subsituting 1/2 cup of non-fat plain or vanilla yogurt in makes it more moist and lower in fat but no longer vegan.  I had suggestions of chocolate chips, carob chips, and peanut butter too!!  


Share your suggestions of favorite things inside or on top of your banana bread by commenting below.


Bananas are rich in Potassium (cell integrity)*, Manganese (healthy bones)*, Vitamin C (iron absorbtion)* and Vitamin B6 (red blood cell production). (Bountiful Banana Benefits)  Flax is rich is fiber, minerals and vitamins ~ Magnesium (nerve transmission)*, Phosphorus (formation of cells)*, Copper (iron absorption)*, Thiamin (enrergy)* and Manganese (cell regeneration)* to mention a few.  (Funky Flax Facts)  



Watch the video, print the recipe, prepare any one of the dishes and you'll find yourself saying "That's Vegetarian?!"


*Read on...Harvard Help Guide and Healthy Check Systems

Banana Bread ~ Vegan

2 T ground flax seed
3 T water

3 T coffee  

4 large bananas, mashed
2 T olive oil or 1/2c yogurt or 1/2c apple sauce

1/4 c molasses
1 c whole-wheat flour

1 c unbleached white

1 T pumpkin pie spice

1 t cinnamon

1/3 c sugar
1 t salt
1 t baking soda

3/4 c walnuts, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray the bottom of a loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Whisk or blend the flax water and coffee until frothy.  Mix the mashed bananas, olive oil (yogurt/apple sauce), flax and molasses.

Mix the dry ingredients - flour, sugar, spices, salt, and baking soda.

Combine wet and dry and mix until well blended.  Add walnuts

Pour the batter into prepared loaf pan.  Bake for 55-60 minutes.  After 50 minutes check with knife or toothpick by sticking it in the bread.  If it comes out clean ~ its done.  If it has some batter on it, cook a little longer.  If it still needs to cook longer but is already quite browned, place foil over the top to stop it from browning.

Remove and let cool for at least 15 minutes.
Vegan Banana Bread Printable Recipe
Prep time:  15 min ~ Cook time:  60 min ~ Serves 10  ~ 7pp