Stuffed Squash...Stuffed Face!!

Squash Your Bad Food Cravings...

Eat up this Amazing Fall Dish and Enjoy Nature's Flavors!

My close friends visited last weekend and brought me a Dumpling Squash and Edamame from their vegetable share, a pretty sweet offering! I have never prepared either, but I am sure glad that I had the opportunity!! Stamped and approved by my roommate and I,  these tasty food items will make their way into my oven again!

Ingredients for 2:

• One Dumpling Squash
• Rice Blend
• Grapeseed Oil or Butter
• Salt & Pepper
• Spicy Peppers (Cayenne, Serrano, Chili, Habanero, or Jalapenos)
• One Bundle of Kale
• Toppings (optional): Cream Cheese, Butter, Goat Cheese, Parmesan
• Edamame

Dumpling Squash Stuffed with a Rice Blend

Preparation Time: 45-1 hour

Pre-heat Oven: 385°F

Variations: Sweet or Spicy

Dumpling Squash stuffed with a Rice Blend

The Dumpling Squash is a little bit harder to halve than an Acorn Squash, and I also found it creamier in taste...yummmyyy!! I prepared the Dumpling Squash the same way that I have prepared Acorn Squash in the past...if it ain't broke, don't fix it! This time, I added a slight variation and stuffed the Dumpling Squash with a Rice Blend...fancy huh?! 

Let's Begin! Start by cutting your Dumpling Squash in half, remove seeds, and guts (strings and the soft tissue connected to the seeds). Add Grapeseed Oil (Vegan option) and/or Kerrygold Butter coating the insides of your squash and leaving a small oil puddle in the middle of each piece (when your squash is ready, the extra oil or butter will mix in with your squash making it super creamy). Add Garlic, Serrano Peppers, and Salt & Pepper. Tip: If, you would like a sweet option, sprinkle Sweet Cinnamon all over the inside of the squash which tastes great too! 

Bake for about 30-40 minutes until the inside begins to soften...then, it is time to add your rice.   

Stuffing: Basmati, Wild, Brown & Red Rice Blend

Add Garlic, Salt & Pepper, Serrano Peppers to your rice for a super-awesome flavor. Cook your rice blend (make sure you do not overcook and have mushy rice). Add your rice inside of the squash, re-salt & pepper and cook for another 20-30 minutes. Your squash is ready when, you can poke through it with a fork. It'll be soft, a similar consistency to potatoes when they are ready for mashing. Use the shell as your bowl and scrape down the squash walls blending with your rice mix as you eat.

When your squash is ready, add more Grapeseed Oil and/or Butter, Salt & Pepper, and toppings such as:  Cream Cheese, Parmesan, Goat Cheese, Hummus, etc.

Kale

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

1 Bunch of Kale feeds 2 People

Sauteed Kale with Garlic & Serrano Peppers

Kale is loaded with many health benefits...so, dig in!! Fill and heat your saucepan with Grapeseed Oil adding in your Garlic, Salt & Pepper, and chopped Serrano Peppers for a spicy kick (may substitute with Chili, Habanero, Cayenne or Jalapeno Peppers). Chop up the Kale and add to the mix with extra Grapeseed Oil if needed. Saute for about 15 mins until your Kale is at your desired texture.

Edamame:

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Medium Heat: Steamed

Edamame

Add an 1-2 inches of water into your saucepan and bring to a boil. Add your Edamame and season with Garlic, Salt & Pepper, and an herb blend. Cover your Saucepan which will steam your Edamame. Steam for 10-15 mins, shell, and eat your Soybeans. Yummy!!

And Voila...

Stuffed Dumpling Squash (Rice Blend), Kale & Edamame

It's just so purdy, how am I gonna eat it?!

Snuggle up with Tomato Soup...

I'll Even Teach You How to Can It...

Get Out Your Mason Jars, Folks!!

I am one of those crazy "soup people" that can't help but serve up a delicious bowl of soup on the hottest day of summer...yummmm!! The recipe you are about to follow, NOW, is simple, cost-efficient, super tasty and probably the best decision you will ever make. 

Tips & Suggestions:

• Vegan/Vegetarian Soup Recipe: By adding peppers, tomato skins, onions and veggies like zucchini and carrots, this eliminates the need for texture-adding dairy products such as Parmesan Cheese or heavy cream.

• Batch Cooking: Make soup for the whole year by cooking 3-4 batches at once and canning it. EAT FRESH! For instance, I made 4 batches this summer producing 6-8 large Mason Jars, and 15 small pint jars. Both are great choices, because they provide individual and large serving options.

• Add Extra Ingredients:
• Spice it up: Jalapenos, Cayenne Peppers, Habanero Peppers, etc.
• Different Types of Tomatoes: Romas, Heirloom, Beefsteak, Green, etc.
• Add a little texture: Zucchini, Squash, Onions, Carrots

• Visit your local farmer's market to significantly cut down on the cost of ingredients. 
• In Charlotte, I recommend these markets: 
• The Charlotte Regional Farmer's Market (Cheaper and where I purchased my tomatoes, there is a sweet older man from Lincolnton, and I buy from his booth).
• King's Drive Farmer's Market (Lower-Medium Prices...tip: you can grab anything from any of the booths, tally up at the end at any booth. 
• Atherton Mills (More expensive side...tip: pay per booth)
• I haven't tried this yet, but I am going to register, Absolute Organics, a fruits and vegetable delivery company (free delivery) that mostly purchases from local farms and only offers Organic produce. They allow you to purchase a small, medium, or large basket that has a variety of Seasonal Fruits and Veggies ($30-$50). Please comment if you have heard about their services and share! 

Making Your Soup...even a dummy can do it!

NC Charlotte Regional Farmer's Market

Prepare Zee Ingredients/Batch.

• 30 lbs Tomatoes: I purchases a 30 lb Box (one yellow box-my mom, aunt, and cousin bought some too) from the NC Regional Farmer's Market for $12-15 bucks this summer, and it made roughly 4 Large Batches. I consider a Batch one cookie sheet filled with vegetables and creating one large pot..steps below but keep that in mind.
• Tomatoes: Mixture roughly 7 lbs/batch
• Garlic:  2-3 Cloves/batch
• Large Red or mixed Peppers: 2-3/batch
• Sugar: Half of a cup
• Yellow Onions: 2 Large Onions
• Poblano Peppers and Spicy Peppers: I pour them in...it's up to you
• Grapeseed Oil: has a high heating point, a little goes a long way, drizzle over veggies.
• Vegetable Stock: 2 Containers
• Optional: I added 1 Zucchini, Spicy Basil (just add to pot, not the cookie sheet) One Squash, and 4 Carrots for texture
• One Large Pot and One Cookie Sheet

And Most Importantly, Zeeeeee Directions!

1. Prep: Gather, Loosely Chop up, Spread all vegetables and place on your cookie sheet, spicy peppers, herb blend, salt & pepper, sugar, and drizzle Grapeseed Oil...



This Last batch just had Tomatoes, Onion and Garlic (this is better for people who do not like spicy and for mild salsa and pasta sauce)...I ran outta' all the good stuff...the first 3 batches were filled with spicy peppers, carrots, zucchini, onions, squash, etc.!

2. Roast Your Vegetables: Pour everything on your pan, heat 30-40 Mins to a soggy consistency at 350 Degrees F.
3. Boil in a Large Pot: Pour all of the contents into a large pot including all of the juices, place on medium heat (so it's mildly boiling), add vegetable stock, salt & pepper, add some more herb blend, let cook for 25-30 minutes.

Directly After Cookie Sheet

With Vegetable Stock

4. Hand Blend and Puree: I recommend this little Cuisinart Immersion Blender from Sur La Table, I use it for smoothies, mashed veggies, and soups! Blend until you have the right consistency of soup for you...

Time to Preserve This Stuff...Canning, Whhhattt?! 

What is canning you may ask? It is a process to store food without refrigeration. By sealing your jars in either a warm bath (what we are doing) or a High Pressure Cooker Bath (used with certain recipes). When your jar is sealed, it keeps its contents fresh while allowing you to store your jars in a cabinet for 1-2 years depending on the contents.

I Highly recommend this book for canning recipes, cooking times, and directions on hot bath and Pressure Cooking 

Tips:

• Sterilize your jars the night before in the dishwasher and let dry.
• Start Boiling the water in your canner and also, fill the large bowl with boiling water and submerge the lids and rings inside of your bowl. Half fill 4-5 of your canning jars with the boiling water and let them sit for sterilization; then, you begin to roast your vegetables and make your soup. 
• Do Steps Quickly, Be Cleanly, and Keep Everything HOT, HOT, HOT
• Use Tongs to pick up the lid and ring, it's too hot otherwise.
• Place Jars on the cutting board to cool
• When you hear the pop noise, it'll be instant or may come hours later, the jar is sealed. 
• Check your jars the following day after they have cooled. If you push the lid, and it does NOT bounce back or make a popping noise, it is sealed. If it makes a little noise or clicking noise, it's not sealed...it's okay, you re-can or place it in the fridge and use up this batch within a couple weeks.

What you will Need:

• Canner: generally fit 6 around the edges and one in the middle
• Kettle or Pot: boil water for canning lids, jars and rings
• Large Bowl: place you rings and lids (you will submerge them in hot water at all times and during the soup making process).
• Tongs: It is super hot when dealing with the Mason Jar Lids.
• Mason Jars with Lids: It depends on how juicy your vegetables are, if you have large jars, small jars, etc. Use your judgment.
• Cutting Board: to place the hot jars on.
• Funnel: for easy soup pouring

Soup Canning Steps:

This Canner's on Fiiiirreeeee!!!

1. Preparing the Canner: lower the basket, submerge in water, bring to a scorching boil and keep it stocked with water. 
2. Preparing the Mason Jars: prepare the jars after they dry from the dishwasher, remove lids and rings (if the lid has been used before, you can't re-use it, you can buy a pack of only lids at Michaels), place 4 jars about halfway full of boiling water.
3. Preparing the Large Bowl: Place all of the rings and lids into the bowl and submerge them in boiling water, keep refilling the bowl over time, so, the bowl always contains hot water.
4. Ready-Set-Go: Pour out the water from one of the jars half filled with water, swirl the water around as it leaves trying to disinfect as the water leaves the jar (you can pour this water into the canner to refill), funnel the soup into the jar (make sure that you wipe off the outter jar if it splashes, keep clean), fill almost to the top leaving and 1-2 inch space, wipe off the inner and outter rims, grab tongs and fish out a lid and ring, place the lid on the jar, tighten it with the ring and place on the cutting board.
5. Hot Water Bath: Lift up the basket, lower jars in their secure spots placing on the middle too, lower the basket, place the lid over your pot and cook at high heat for 20 Minutes.
6. Repeat: Refill another jar half full with water, grab your next jar and repeat!
7. Checking the Jars: the next day, press on the middle of the jar. If it makes a noise or pops back at you, it's not sealed...it's still okay to consume, just not to store without refrigeration and will have to be consumed within 10-14 days. If the jar doesn't make a sound when you press on it or if, you hear the jar pop after it's bath, it's sealed and may be stored 1-2 years in a cabinet. Tighten the rings after they cool, because they will loosen during the process.

And Voila...

Don't you dare ever put this Amazing Soup in the microwave and zap its nutrients!! 
Instead, take the time...pour your soup into a pot on medium heat and serve with bread from your local bakery, Nova's Bakery, which just opened its third location, in the South End Area next to Einstein Bagels.

Everything canned up and ready to store...

My family just taught me this recipe this summer, and I feel super special to be let in on this great family secret! Hands down, without exaggeration, this is the BEST Tomato Soup, I've ever had in my whole life, and it's healthy...ENJOY!!!!!!!! :)