Fall Meals

By now, you know how much I love and appreciate locally grown produce. My kids like it, too. They're far more willing to eat food they grew themselves or purchased from a local farmer. I've posted many recipes that use seasonal produce grown in our garden. Here's one that made use of some beautiful delicata scquash from a local farm- Lucky Field Organics.

My sister originally cooked a variation of this recipe. It has now become a staple in our house during the fall and winter months.

Ingredients
delicata squash (I used two)
olive oil
tamari (Find it in the Asian section of your supermarket)
maple syrup (Get the real stuff)

Procedure:

1. Delicata are oblong shaped, kind of like a fat cucumber. Slice them crosswise to make rounds about 1/3 inch thick.
2. Scoop the seeds out of the rounds leaving all of the flesh and skins behind. (A teaspoon or small knife works well). My son likes to do this job. Unlike other winter squashes, the skins are tender and delicious.

3. Spread the squash rounds out in a single layer on a cookie sheet. You may want to line the tray with foil as clean-up can be messy.
4. Drizzle them with olive oil, tamari, and maple syrup. I used about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon each of tamari and maple syrup for the two squashes. Start with a little. You can add more as needed during cooking. Too much tamari, however will be too strong and make the squash salty.
5. Bake them in the oven at 375 degrees until the squash is golden brown, tender, and carmelized.

Vegetarians: You can use this same recipe with tempeh. Slice the tempeh about 1/4 inch thick and proceed as with the squash. Add some steamed kale and you've got a meal!

My kids happen to love sweet potato fries with this. Peel and slice the potatoes into fries. Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Bake as with the squash.

Do you have a favorite fall/winter meal?

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