Pumpkin Season!!!

Is there a difference between "pumpkin" and "squash"?   

Nope. Not really. Shapes. Sizes.  Harvest time.

This is the best answer I could find:

"Squash are generally separated into three categories: summer squash, winter squash, and pumpkins. The difference between them all is really just based on how they are used. Summer squash are harvested when young and tender, while winter squash are harvested when hard and ripe. Pumpkins are really just winter squash, but have a distinctive pumpkin shape."* 

Not to mention there are SOOOO many varieties.  I found great lists (plus additional recipes) - All About Pumpkins Varieties and Seed to Supper. 

Pumpkin is so nutritious, full of fiber to fill you up and beta-carotene that amazing anti-oxidant to fight the free radicals in your body.  Here is the skinny on pumpkin:

1 cup of cooked pumpkin flesh contains**:

Calories 49                        Protein 2 grams

Carbohydrate 12 grams    Dietary Fiber 3 grams

Calcium 37 mg - healthy bones

Iron 1.4 mg - healthy blood

Magnesium 22 mg - bones, protein building, muscular & nerve functions

Potassium 564 mg - protein building, electrolyte & fluid balance, muscular contractions, nerve impulses

Zinc 1 mg  - hormones, enzyme making, protein building, immunity

Selenium .50 mg - enzymes for defending against oxidation

Vitamin C 12 mg - antioxidant, immunity, absorption of Vitamin E & iron

Niacin 1 mg - energy metabolism

Folate 21 mcg - new cell synthesis

Vitamin A 2650 IU - vision, immunity, antioxidant

Vitamin E 3 mg - antioxidant, immunity, nerve development

Share which squash is your favorite and great pumpkin carvings too on That’s Vegetarian’s Blogwhere you can find more pumpkin recipes too.

---

Pumpkin Pie Frozen Yogurt

32 oz low-fat plain yogurt, strained for about 5 hours
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice

Strain the yogurt using a colander or strainer lined with cheese cloth, a paper towel or coffee filter for 5 hours or over night to remove most of the water to prevent ice crystal from forming in the yogurt.  You can substitute non-fat yogurt but the low-fat makes a better frozen yogurt.
Once that is complete, in a large bowl, mix together the pumpkin, yogurt, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and pumpkin pie spice until smooth. Refrigerate the mixture until thoroughly chilled, about 3 hours.
Follow manufacturer’s instructions for your ice cream/yogurt maker. Enjoy immediately or place in airtight container in freezer.  Remove about 2o minutes prior to serving time.

Prep Time: 15 min

Wait time: up to 8 hours
Freeze time: depends on your machine
Difficulty level: easy
Serves 4
PP: 6 (same pp value if you use non-fat yogurt)
Download recipe pdf by clicking this link:

https://gallery.mailchimp.com/1edba23076ec479c23fb9ff23/files/Pumpkin_Pie_Frozen_Yogurt.pdf

---

* www.weekendgardener.net/vegetables/squash-winter.htm   

**www.allaboutpumpkins.com/facts.html 

Gotta Love Them Apples!

Feel the soft supple skin.  Is it firm to the touch or does it have some give?  Smell the sweet fragrance.  Gently bring it up to your mouth, touch it to your lips, open wide and one healthy bite into the sweet flesh until the juice starts to slide down your hand.  Slowly pull it away.  Savor the taste as you slowly chew on the crisp flesh of that delicious Winesap apple.  The ever sensual apple.

There are over 7,500 apple varieties, so many more that I remember from my childhood.  Many exciting varietals are actually hybrids – Jonagold is a cross between Jonathan and Golden Delicious, Empire is a cross between the Red Delicious and McIntosh, and the Mitsu (Crispin) is a cross between Golden Delicious and Indu.  Who knew?

 

Apples can be a combination of sweet and tart and a spectrum from crisp to mealy.  Ever have a spicy apple?  Try a Winesap.

Apples are primarily a late summer/fall harvest fruit but do harvest into November especially for winter varieties like Mitsu, Fuji, Northern Spy, Red Delicious, and Granny Smith.   

When choosing the right apple, make sure there are no bruises.  The ones you get in a regular supermarket are the prettiest of the bunch often waxed to perfection.  Don't be afraid of the ones that are a little less shiny and raw looking.  Less tampering with mother nature.  I think the naked Winesaps pictured above are beautiful.  Also note that apples fall into the dirty dozen from the Environmental Working Group - which means, organic is best for apples. They retain and or use a lot of pesticides in the crop. 

General rule of thumb is to store in a dark cool place.   Ever use an apple in a paper bag to ripen other fruits and vegetables?  Well it is a great trick when you need them to ripen faster.  Apples give off ethylene gas which speeds the ripening.  So use caution leaving apples in your fruit crisper in the fridge.  Keep the apple in a plastic bag in the drawer.

Apples are a good source of fiber and vitamin C.

Which apples do you like to use for what purpose?  And if you really feel adventurous – Why?  Please comment on That’s Vegetarian’s Blog below!

Apple Crisp

Topping

1c        Quick Rolled Oats                1T     Flax seed meal 

1/3c     Brown sugar                          1t     Cinnamon

1/2c     Whole wheat flour                1/2t  Nutmeg (Or 1-1/2t Pumpkin pie spice)

1/4c     Butter or margarine (VEGAN)

Filling

8c        Apples (approx 8 medium apples), halved then sliced*

Juice from one lemon                    1T     White flour

1t         Cinnamon                            1/4c  Maple syrup

Spray  8” pie dish with vegetable oil.  Set aside.  (Or use ramekins or lined cupcake tins for individual servings)  Preheat oven to 350F.

Combine sliced apples, lemon juice, white flour, cinnamon, and maple syrup.  Pour into prepared pie dish.

In same bowl, mix dry ingredients of topping  - oats, brown sugar, flour, flax meal, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Add cold butter (or margarine) and mush together with hands until crumbly.  Spread evenly over filling.

Bake for 30 minutes or until filling is soft when pierced with a fork.  If topping gets too dark, cover with foil.

* Substitute pears, plums, peaches, rhubarb, berries, etc or a combination of a few.

Prep Time: 20 min

Bake Time: 30 min

Serves 8

7ppv

Apple Crisp Printable Recipe

http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/seasonalcooking/farmtotable/visualguideapples

http://www.pickyourown.org/apples.htm

http://www.foodsubs.com/Apples.html

http://www.joyofbaking.com/apples.html

http://www.paulusorchards.com/apple_faq.htm

http://www.orangepippin.com/apples/

Apple Butternut Squash Soup Just in Time for Thanksgiving!!

Ahhhhh, Thanksgiving is just around the corner.  For those of you who haven’t gone shopping for your Turkey Day feast, here is a great recipe for you.  And surprise surprise – no turkey here.  I enjoy the fixins but not any of that fake turkey stuff.  Staying away from the over processed products as much as I can.  I have my weaknesses (fakin), but I can do without the other “look like meat” products. 

Add this great Apple Butternut Squash Soup with the special ingredient of red lentils.  When the red lentils are pureed with the soup you can’t even tell they are in there.  Plus, they don’t need to be soaked because they are so small.  By roasting the squash instead of boiling it, a layer of complexity and a sweet caramelization develops.

This soup is chock full of nutrients and a great cold buster.  Butternut squash is super high in Vitamin A and pretty substantial in Vitamin C, Manganese, and Potassium.  It is also a good source of Vitamin E, bunch of B’s, Calcium and Magnesium.  The apples add even more Vitamin C and fiber.  Red lentils add more fiber, protein, Folate, Iron, Copper, and Manganese.  Ginger is great for digestion, cold prevention, migraine relief, and pain and inflammation.  Nutmeg is good for brain stimulation, pain relief, indigestion and cleansing.  I didn’t know this soup was so beneficial!!!

Also check out our previous blogs for additional information and recipes for the fall:

Gotta Love Them Apples!

Beans Beans Glorious Beans

MoreSquash and Pumpkin Ideas

Eating What’s in Season

Grab the ingredients at the grocery store when you go out and give your friends and family a treat for Thanksgiving!!

Click here to enter email address to receive newsletter.

Apple Butternut Squash Soup

Olive Oil Sprayer

1t Olive oil

2 Apples, medium, chopped, peeled optional

3/4c Onions, chopped

1t Ginger, fresh grated

1/2t Nutmeg

1/4t Ground red pepper

2c Vegetable broth

6c Water

1c Red lentils

3c Butternut squash, 1” cubes, peeled optional

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400F.  Spray a baking sheet with the olive oil and place the cubed butternut squash in a single layer.  Spray with more olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, toss.  Roast for about 30 minutes tossing after 15 minutes.

While the squash is roasting, prepare the remaining ingredients.  Add 1 t olive oil to pot.  Add the chopped onions and apples.  When soft, add nutmeg, ginger, and red pepper.  Stir.  Wait a minute or so until you can smell the spices come alive and fragrant.  Add broth, lentils and water.  Simmer for 30 minutes. 

Remove squash from oven and add to simmering soup.  Cook for an additional 10 minutes.  Puree in blender or using a stick blender.  Be careful as the soup is HOT.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Garnish with fresh ginger and nutmeg.

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 45 minutes

Serves 8, about 1 cup each

Level of difficulty - Intermediate.

3 pp

Printable Apple Butternut Squash Soup Recipe

Fakin' Aspragus Recipe

Mock comfort food + something healthy = Fakin' Asparagus!!!

It is the fantastic combination of smoky, salty, crunchy with crisp, clean, caramelized heaven.  Fakin' Asparagus is a great appetizer especially in the spring and early summer when asparagus is in season.  I wanted to get the recipe out before they were out of season.  Remember to check out That's Vegetarian Eating What's in Season for valuable resources on seasonal foods by locale.  

I use Morningstar Farms Bacon Strips because they are the closest to the bacon essence. They are very similar to the salad topping Bacos, which are vegetarian as well.  They are also lower in fat, cholesterol and calories.

Baked Pork Bacon

Morningstar Farms Bacon Strips

Bacon - Almost 2xs the calories & fat;  50% more sodium; less fiber, iron & calcium. However, bacon does have 3x's as much protein.  
The serving size of bacon is half of the fakin on the right. Double amounts on left when comparing.



Let me now redeem my recipe with the facts about asparagus.  It is low in sodium to balance out the sodium of the fakin'.  It contains many minerals and vitamins including potassium, magnesium, manganese, vitamins A, C, E, K, and an entire slew of the B family.  

Fakin' Asparagus is a fun appetizer that has a comfy feel to it.  Try it now while the asparagus is still in season.

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

FAKIN' ASPARAGUS RECIPE

1 Box Morningstar Farms Bacon Strips

36-72 Asparagus spears

1/4 c Fresh Parmesan cheese, shaved (opt)

Defrost the Morningstar Farms Bacon Strips for at least 1 hour to increase ease of handling.

Preheat oven to 400F.

Break the ends of the asparagus stalks by holding at the blunt end and a 1/4 of the way down from the tip. This will allow the asparagus to break at the best point to eliminate any excessive fibrous ends. Spray baking dish with olive oil, place rinsed trimmed asparagus in pan, sprinkle with pepper and toss in pan. Bake at 400F for 5 minutes, 4 if the stalks are thin.

Remove the asparagus and let cool for about 5 minutes, until they are at a comfortable temperature for handling.

Fakin' Asparagus Video

Grab 2-4 stalks of asparagus all facing the same direction and one MF bacon strip. Wrap the asparagus with the fakin from the tip down on an angle slightly overlapping. Place in the same baking dish with the edge of the fakin closest to the bottom of the spear face down on the pan to prevent it from unraveling.

Bake at 400F for about 4 minutes, until the strips have browned. Watch closely as they brown quickly since they are defrosted. Remove from oven once lightly browned.

Cool for about 5 minutes and enjoy.

Prep time: 20 minutes

Bake time: 5 minutes for asparagus, 4-5 minutes for wrapped asparagus

Serving size: 3 pieces

Serves 6

Level of difficulty - easy.

3pp with or without the cheese because there is so little.

Fakin' Asparagus Printable Recipe

http://www.morningstarfarms.com/morningstar-farms-veggie-bacon-strips.renderImageText.html?BID=29192&MD5=714d8244ef514ee6b9b94c873e6a1ade&FT=MorningStarFarmsVeggieBaconStrips_352&productORrecipe=product&freeTextPresent=no

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/legumes-and-legume-products/10602/2

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/pork-products/7354/2

Beans Beans Glorious Beans!!

Beans have been around since the beginning of civilization­­­. They have been found in the mid-East, Himalayan foothills, Egyptian tombs, Europe and the Americas. Beans are also referred to as pulse and legumes. Some seeds and pods of plants are called beans, such as vanilla, coffee, and cacao, because of their resemblance. There doesn't seem to be much rhyme or reason to the name-calling. There are numerous documentations to their use all over the world for centuries upon centuries. Beans are great to use now because they are such an economical, low fat, low cholesterol protein source packed with essential nutrients.

Certain types of dried beans contain toxins and must be removed by soaking and cooking. Red kidney, runner, castor and soya are the most common. If you are using canned varieties, you are fine, they are already cooked. If you are going to soak and cook these varieties of beans, choose using the stovetop method instead of a slow cooker. Bringing them to a boil for a period of time will help better remove the toxins. Certain cultures decided to ferment the beans as a method of getting rid or the toxins especially soy, i.e. tempeh. Some people will even avoid eating soy unless it has been fermented. Edamame, which are fresh young s

oybeans do not fall into this category; steam or boil them and you are good to go. 

Then the flatulence issue. It is caused by the increased fiber in our systems and a sugar in the beans for which we don't have the enzyme to assist in the digestion process. There are a few ways to help with the gas issue: change the water frequently when soaking dried beans, scrape the foam off the top as the beans cook, cook the beans with kombu or epazote, use the canned variety instead, drink more water, and lastly Beano which helps with the missing enzyme.

The easiest way to know how long to soak and cook dried beans is to read the bag. If you are buying bulk, here is a quick list. I prefer cooking dried beans on the stovetop vs. pressure cooker (fastest way) or slow cooker (easiest way) because I can monitor how done they are through the cooking process. I don't like mushy beans. I prefer them a little firmer especially if I will be using them in a recipe in which they will be cooked more.

The soaking ratio: 1 pound dried beans to 10 cups water. The longer you soak, the shorter the cooking time.

• Longest soak - Cover and refrigerate for 6-8 hours.
• A little less time - Boil 10 cups of water. Add 1 pound of beans. Return to a boil. Remove from heat. Set aside for 2-3 hours at room temperature tightly covered.
• Still less time - Boil 10 cups of water. Add 1 pound of beans. Return to a boil for about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Set aside for 1 hour at room temperature tightly covered.
• Perhaps to help with a little less gas - Try the "Still less time" method but set aside at room temperature overnight. Or change the soaking water once or twice on the longest soak.

Before cooking the beans, rinse them. Cover the beans with three times as much water. Bring to a boil then simmer. Start checking at about 45 minutes. Cook until your desired texture. Lentils, split peas, and black-eyed peas don't require any soaking.

Let's turn focus to the numerous varieties of beans, their nutrition facts, and typical uses all in one easy place. Beans are an amazing source of protein and low in cholesterol, which makes them a superb alternative to meat. Beans contain folate, calcium, iron, and potassium too. The USDA recommends that adults eat more than three cups of beans each week for maximum health benefits. All the items in the list are 1/2 c cooked unless otherwise indicated.

Healthy Bean List	Calories	Protein (g)	Fat (g)	Carbs (g)	Fiber (g)
Adzuki (Field peas, Red oriental): soups, sweet bean paste, Asian dishes	147	9	0	28	8
Anasazi (Jacob's cattle, Cave, Aztec): soups, southwestern dishes, in lieu of pinto beans	150	10	0.5	29	9
Baked	119	6	0.5	26	5
Black (Turtle): soups, stews, rice dishes, Latin American cuisines, dips	113	8	0.5	22	7.6
Black-Eyed (Cowpeas, Crowder, Southern): salads, casseroles, fritters, Southern dishes,	99	6.6	0.5	18	5.5
Cranberry (Borlotti, Roman): Bean salad, pasta	120	8	0.4	21.7	8.8
Edamame (young soybeans): snacks, salads, casseroles, rice dishes	65	6	2.8	5	2.9
Fava (Broad, Horse): stews, side dishes, falafel	93	6.5	0.4	16.5	4.6
Garbanzo (Chickpeas, Ceci): casseroles, hummus, soups, Spanish and Indian dishes, falafel	134	7	2.2	22.5	6
Great Northern: baked beans, soups	104	7	0.4	19	6
Green Beans - fresh: Salads, stews, soups	22	1	0.2	5	2
Kidney (red or white - Cannellini): stews, salads, chili, rice dishes	112	8	0.4	20	7
Lentil: soups, stews, salads, side dishes, Indian dishes	115	9	0.4	20	7.8
Lima (Butter, Madagascar): succotash, casseroles, soups, salads	108	7.3	0.4	20	6.6
Mung: Indian dishes, stews, soup	106	7	0.4	19	7.7
Navy (Yankee, Boston, Fagiloi): salads, soups, baked beans	129	7.5	0.6	23.5	9.5
Pinto: refried beans, Mexican dishes, soups, stews, beans and rice	122	7.7	0.6	22.4	7.7
Purple Beans - (like green beans in a purple skin): cooked as a side, salads, soups, stews, raw	22	1	0.2	5	2
Pink: soups, stews, chili, refried beans	126	7.5	0.4	24	4.5
Runner Beans - (usually eat them when they are young and green)	22	1.2	0	5	2
Snake Beans (yardlong bean, similar to a green bean) (100g)	95	3	0	2	4
Soybean: as tofu, stews, casseroles	127	11	6	10	3.8
Split Peas: soup	116	8	0.4	20.7	8
White includes Navy, Cannellini, and Great Northern. See above.	127	8	0.6	23.1	9.3
Yellow (Peruano, Canary)	127	8.1	1.0	22.3	9.2

Have fun trying to incorporate more beans into your diet. Check out these previous That's Vegetarian bean recipes and look forward to some more. Happy tootin'!!!

Some previous TVeg recipes with beans include:

Chili Con Tofu, Spicy Black Bean Casserole, Spicy Hummus, Baked Falafel, Baked Stuffed Zucchini, and Kabocha Squash & Azuki Beans.  

What are you favorite recipes?  Comment below!!

Visit That's Vegetarian's website, blog , and YouTube channel for more information, videos, and recipes!!  You'll find yourself saying "That's Vegetarian?!"    

Bean Nutririon and Uses Table