My favorite color is fall. If that’s cheating, then lock me away in a forest filled with leaves of every color and a year’s supply of squash, apples and pumpkin everything. As much as I love summer, there’s nothing like crispy, cool fall weather to get you in the mood for all the comfort foods. While the leaves haven’t hit their peak yet in Chicago, this squash is definitely picking up the slack with vibrant hues of greens, oranges and heaven-sent gold. Whether a special occasion or just a dinner in, this recipe isn’t nearly as complicated it looks and is sure to impress! Get toasty with this delightful Quinoa, Kale & Apple Stuffed Squash recipe below and get the lowdown on all the produce that fall has to offer.

Sunday nights I always like to try out new recipes. And this weekend, I was feeling extra fall. We visited Jack’s Pop-Up Pumpkin Saturday night – 2 acres of fall adventure on Goose Island in the heart of Chicago. I was skeptical about the corn maze, but it was pretty legit. The husks were strung together in dense clusters that came pretty close to the real deal. Loads of carved pumpkins, hot cider (with some adult additions) and carnival games filled the space. While the corn maze was impressive, the cover was still a bit atrocious for basically an outdoor-themed bar. We got our fall fill though without having to drive an hour out to the ‘burbs though.

I often get my inspiration from perusing the grocery story for what looks interesting and seasonal. This is also why Whole Foods is called “whole paycheck”. On this trip, the carnival squash caught my eye with all of the bright splattered colors. I’d never heard of a carnival squash, but I’m always up for trying new things, so assumed I’d figure out what to do with it – or use it as fall decor! Here’s what I learned about the plethora of winter squash after a little sleuthing:

According to Specialty Produce, Carnival Squash is actually a hybrid of sweet dumpling and acorn squash. The strips are due to seasonal temperature changes, with warmer temperatures resulting in more green striping. The flesh is slightly sweet and nutty, reminiscent of butternut squash. It’s ripe with nutrients like potassium, Vitamins A and C, calcium, magnesium, folate and both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Basically, a total powerhouse!

If you’re not able to find Carnival Squash, you can also sub Acorn Squash in this recipe. This squash is similarly small, but primarily deep green on the exterior and shaped like (surprise surprise) an acorn.  It has a mild nutty flavor that makes it highly versatile. It’s just as dense with nutrients like potassium, Vitamins A and C, thiamin, potassium, magnesium, manganese, iron, copper, phosphorous and calcium.

The other parental half of Carnival Squash is sweet Dumpling Squash, which is similar in size, but primarily pale yellow on the exterior with some green striping and a pale yellow interior flesh. It’s also milder in flavor than a butternut squash, but slightly sweet with a flavor most like a combination of sweet corn and sweet potatoes.  It contains a wealth of nutrients including Vitamin A, folate, riboflavin, thiamin and beta-carotene.

My mom loved to roast acorn squash with butter and brown sugar growing up. I wasn’t particularly adventurous as a kid though, so I never really picked up on this. Also, I’ve been trying to cut back on sugar since it’s so addictive in nature and wreaks havoc on blood sugar. So for this recipe, I went savory with some of my other favorite fall produce: honey crisp apples. For a little protein, I added quinoa to this stuffing (which I always cook in broth to add more flavor) and chicken sausage, which is a bit leaner than standard pork sausage. You can certainly forgo the chicken sausage if you’re vegetarian or vegan, but I’d suggest adding some pecans for crunch and added protein (otherwise the stuffing paired with the squash can be a bit soft all around in texture and not very interesting to the palette). Whenever I make a recipe, I like it to be flavorful, full of texture and to draw you in with delicious scents. The fresh herbs stir all the senses and will your home with all the fall smells, so I’d encourage you not to skip out!

Quinoa, Kale & Apple Stuffed Squash
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
– 2 carnival, acorn, delicata or dumpling squash (carnival shown)
– 1 C of quinoa
– 1 1/2 C of water or broth of choice
– 1 lb  of chicken sausage (or sub for pecans if vegetarian)
– 2 cloves of garlic, minced
– 1 onion, small diced
– 1 C of chopped apple (1-2 apples)
– 1 bunch of Lacinato kale, torn (or sub for spinach)
– 1 T of fresh rosemary, chopped
– 1 tsp of fresh thyme, chopped
– 2-4 tsp olive oil or ghee
– salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Farenheit. Cut the squash in half and use a spoon to scoop out the seeds. Rub the flesh of each half with a bit of olive oil or ghee and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spray a sheet pan or baking dish with oil of choice or lay parchment paper over the sheet. Place the squash on the pan flesh side down and bake until tender, approximately 20-30 minutes, or until you can easily pierce it with a fork. Remove from the oven.
Step 2: While the squash cooks, make the quinoa. Rinse the quinoa and add to a small sauce pan along with the water or broth (broth will add more flavor). Turn the heat to medium and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat, cover and allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the water is absorbed and the quinoa fluffs up.
Step 3: While the quinoa cooks, add a teaspoon or two of olive oil or ghee to a frying pan.  Turn the heat to medium and add the diced onion. Cook until browned and translucent. Add the garlic to the pan, cooking for 30 seconds to a minute until fragrant, stirring frequently so you don’t burn it. Add the chicken sausage. Use a spatula to break up the sausage into crumbles, cooking until just browned. Scoop the chicken sausage from the pan into a medium bowl. In the same pan, add another teaspoon of olive oil or ghee. Place the chopped apples and herbs in the pan and allow to cook a few minutes until the apples are softened, stirring occasionally. Add the kale, cooking for a few minutes until slightly wilted.
Step 4: Turn your oven broiler on high. Add the apple, kale and herb mixture to the medium bowl, mixing with the chicken sausage and onions. Add the quinoa to the bowl, mixing until combined. Place a heaping scoop or two of the mixture into the cavity of each of the squash halves (you likely will have extra). Put back in the oven and cook for 5-10 minutes or until the top gets nice and toasty.

Now go out and impress your friends with something that looks super fancy, but is actually super easy!

The post Fall-ing for Fall Foods & Festivities appeared first on The Shooks Life.

Straight up, wait up, hold up, Mr. Lover. Like Prince said you’re a sexy avocado. Oh wait, did I just mashup 2 of my faves? If Salt-N-Pepa got word of these baked avocados, I’m sure I’d get a “that sounds sexy!”. I had every intent of making these crispy strips of avocado into tacos, but they were so dang good on their own, that I just straight up grazed on all this roasted veggie goodness. And the vegan red pepper crema – honey, dip it, dunk it because it is so worth it! Don’t be shy, ask for dEATs (and get ’em below).

Here I go again. Girls what’s my weakness? Avocado. And Salt-N-Pepa. And tacos. I’ve got a lot of weaknesses, okay? And there’s nothing I love more than combining all my faves in one. Ever since I made these Buffalo Cauliflower Tacos, I’ve been obsessed with finding more veg friendly tacos. Avocado is usually a garnish on a taco, but what if it was the star of the show? Wish it, wonder it, make it happen. Gluten free and vegan baked avocados it is! And since a taco isn’t a taco without something saucy atop, I mixed up this vegan red pepper crema for drizzling and dipping to your hearts content.

I thought the baked avocado was going to be the star here, but O-M-G, this red pepper crema is amazeballs. Like, I want to put it on everything (and probably will). The creamy base is raw cashews soaked overnight in water and then blended with roasted red peppers, nutritional yeast and paprika.

If you’re not yet familiar with nutritional yeast, hop on the train because this caboose delivers cheese-like flavor, tons of nutrients like B12 and is a complete protein. It comes in a flaky or powder form and is low in fat and sodium, gluten free and contains iron. Talk about nutritional magic dust.

Also, option to add one more secret ingredient: a scoop of Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides. Find out all the benefits of collagen here.

So while my original intent was tacos, these baked avocados make a great appetizer too when paired with the red pepper crema. Make sure the avocado is *slightly* under ripe. You want it to be firm enough to hold it’s shape through dipping in almond milk and then breading with seasoned panko. I was also super stoked to find shishito peppers at Trader Joe’s this past weekend. I first tried these at a market in Madrid, Spain, but they’re actually Korean. Hot off the grill, these blistered little peppers are a spicier version of a green bell pepper – something like 1 in every 10 is bit hotter like a milder jalapeno.

Also, the striped bell peppers that I charred with portabellos and sweet onion are a variety that were first discovered in The Netherlands in 2013. The enjoya peppers have a yellow base color with strips of red, similar to a Gala apple. They’re sweet and crisp just like a red bell pepper, but ‘o so much prettier.

I found both the shishito and Enjoya peppers at my local Trader Joe’s, but char whatever veggies you like with this baked avocado and red crema stat – you won’t be disappointed!

Baked Avocado with Vegan Red Pepper Crema
Serves 4
Ingredients:

Baked Avocado
– 2 firm avocados
– 4 T unsweetened, unflavored almond milk
– 3/4 C panko bread crumbs
– 1 tsp smoked paprika
– 1/2 tsp cumin
– 1/2 tsp garlic powder
– pinch of salt & pepper

Vegan Roasted Red Pepper Crema
– 1 red bell pepper, roasted (I bought a jar from Trader Joe’s)
– 1 C raw cashews soaked overnight in the fridge
– 1/2 C of water
– 1 clove of garlic (or 1 tsp of jarred, minced garlic)
– 1 tsp smoked paprika
– 1 tsp nutritional yeast
– 1/2 tsp salt
– freshly ground black pepper, to taste
– optional: 1 scoop of Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides

Directions:

Baked Avocado
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and prepare two dipping stations: fill one shallow bowl with the almond milk and the other with the panko, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Mix the dried breading thoroughly.
Step 2: Halve the avocados, using a large knife to remove the pits. Lay the avocado halves skin side down on a cutting board and slice into 3 equal parts or roughly 6 slices per avocado. Gently peel away the skin.
Step 3: Dip the avocado slices in the almond milk, allowing excess to drip off. Then coat in the panko spice mix, using a spoon if necessary to fully coat all sides. Place on the foiled baking sheet.
Step 4: Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.

Vegan Roasted Red Pepper Crema
Step 1: Place all ingredients in a food processor. Mix until a creamy texture. Add additional water depending on desired thickness.
Step 2: Enjoy as a dip for your favorite veggies or as a sauce for tacos or pasta.

The post A grazer’s delight appeared first on The Shooks Life.