Autumn Pear & Roasted Squash Salad

I started craving squash and pumpkin a few weeks ago when I finally admitted to myself that fall was here to stay, but it wasn't until last week that I actually opened my first can of pumpkin and roasted my first squash!

While I like all types of squash (including delicata, acorn, and spaghetti), butternut squash is still my favourite of the bunch. Just give me a bowl of roasted butternut squash for dinner and I'll be happy! Of course, I'd have to kick it up a notch to turn that roasted squash into a recipe worth sharing with you guys, which is just what this Autumn salad is!

This recipe was adapted from the "Autumn Salad Plate" in my new cookbook Moosewood Restaurant Favorites (thanks to Janet of the taste space for the giveaway!). I loved the sounds of a giant salad full of fall flavours and ingredients like squash, pears, toasted nuts, dried cranberries, and a fruity pear dressing, so I naturally chose that recipe as the first one to try from the book.

And the best part about salad plates like this one is that you can easily adapt them to suit your own tastes - I added sliced red onion, goat cheese, and some toasted walnuts in addition to the pepitas, but you could leave any of those ingredients out and still have a delicious salad (I actually forgot to add the goat cheese until I was almost done eating and I liked it both with and without it).

This was definitely a jam-packed plate, which is just how I like my main dish salads to be! It had a nice balance of ingredients with the crisp pears and onion, the warm roasted squash, and crunchy nuts and seeds, all tossed in the sweet and creamy pear dressing.

With Canadian Thanksgiving coming up this weekend, I might end up making this recipe again because I think it would be the perfect salad to serve with the rest of the meal!

Pear & Roasted Squash Salad

Adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Favorites

Pear Dressing

1 ripe pear, cored and chopped (I used a Bosc pear)

2 tbsp water

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

3 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1-2 tsp maple syrup

1/4 tsp dried thyme

1/4 tsp salt

Ground pepper

Pinch of cayenne (optional)

Place the pear, water, vinegar, oil, mustard, and 1 tsp maple syrup in a blender and puree until smooth. Add the spices and blend again. Taste and add more seasoning or maple syrup if desired.

Makes about 1 cup of dressing.

Salad

1 medium-sized butternut squash

1 tbsp olive oil

Half a red onion, peeled and thinly sliced

1/4 cup unsalted pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

2 pears

~8 cups mixed salad greens

1/4 cup dried cranberries

Goat cheese (optional - I used a fig flavoured goat cheese))

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Cut the squash in half lengthwise (I find it easier to do this after pricking it several times with a fork and microwaving it for 1 minute first). Scoop out the seeds and remove the skin using a knife. Cut each half into ½” horizontal slices (half-moon shapes). Toss squash pieces with the oil and spread out onto a large baking sheet (line the baking sheet with foil first if desired for easier cleanup). Sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until tender.

Meanwhile, place the red onion slices in a bowl of water to soak for at least 10 minutes, then drain and set aside (this will help remove some of their bite). Place the pepitas and walnuts on a small baking sheet and toast in the oven with the squash for 5-8 minutes, until they are lighly browned and fragrant. Remove and transfer to a plate to cool.

Slice each pear into quarters and remove the core. Cut each quarter into very thin slices. Toss with a bit of lemon juice to prevent browning if desired.

Place desired amount of salad greens in a bowl (about 2 cups per serving) and pour a bit of the dressing over top. Toss to mix. Place salad greens on a plate and top each plate with 1/4 of the squash (you might want to cut the larger pieces in half first), 1/4 of the pear slices, 1/4 of the red onion slices, about 1 tbsp of cranberries, 1 tbsp each of the toasted pepitas and walnuts. Crumble a bit of goat cheese over top if desired. Drizzle more dressing over top of everything (you may not need all of the dressing).

 Makes about 4 large servings.

Amaranth Porridge with Sauteed Pears

As promised in my last post, I have another pear recipe for you today!

One of my favourite breakfasts that my mom used to make for us growing up was something called "teddy bear porridge".  I'm not sure how it got that name, but it was basically a pot of oats cooked on the stovetop with chunks of hot apples, cinnamon and sugar.  It was the perfect comforting bowl to eat on a cold morning!

This recipe reminds me of that childhood favourite, but with a couple of twists: first, I used amaranth as the porridge base instead of oats, and second, I replaced the apples with sauteed pears.

If you haven't used amaranth before, it's a tiny seed that looks similar to quinoa, and it can be cooked in a similar way too.  I cooked mine in water and once it was all absorbed, I stirred in some almond milk to make it extra creamy for more of a porridge texture.  I also added a cinnamon stick and some spices to the pot to incorporate more flavour.

The pears were diced and sauteed in a pan with a bit of Earth Balance, sugar and cinnamon, until they were nice and soft. They can be served on top or mixed into the porridge so that every spoonful has a chunk of juicy sweet pears.

You can eat the porridge with just the sauteed pears, but to make it a bit more special, I topped mine with some raisins, toasted walnuts, popped amaranth, and a good swirl of pure maple syrup.  I would definitely recommend adding the maple syrup because the amaranth isn't very sweet on its own, but the popped amaranth is optional - I liked the extra dimension of texture that it added, but if you don't have time for that extra step, I think the porridge would still be just as good without it!

I actually ate a bowl of this for dinner and saved the leftovers for breakfast the next day.  It was just what I wanted - a warm, comforting bowl of creamy porridge with the flavours of Fall!  Not only is it comfort food, but it's really healthy too - amaranth is a good source of protein, fibre, calcium, and contains other vitamins and minerals, plus its gluten-free.

I still have fond memories of teddy bear porridge, but now I love this grown-up version too!

Now, on an unrelated note - I just wanted to give you a heads up that things might be a bit quiet here on the blog for the next two weeks.  In a few hours, I'll be off to the airport for another trip back to Africa!  This time, I'll be visiting Nairobi, Kenya, where I have a week-long workshop similar to the one that I attended in Zambia a couple months ago. 

I'm even more excited for this trip because I've booked a mini-safari after our workshop! I'm going to the famous Maasai Mara reserve, and I'm lucky enough to be there during the great wildebeest migration.  An African safari is something I've always wanted to do, and I can't believe that in just over a week, I'll actually have the chance to experience it myself! 

I'm not sure if I'll be able to do any posts while I'm away, but I'll do my best to stay in touch!  And I'll definitely be back with some more Fall-themed posts in October...I might be a bit late to the pumpkin party, but I've already got a can in my cupboard waiting to be opened as soon as I get back home!

Amaranth Porridge with Sauteed Pears

1/2 cup + 1 tsp dry amaranth

1 cup water

1 cinnamon stick

1 tsp ground ginger

Pinch of salt

1-2 tbsp raisins

2 tbsp chopped walnuts

1 large pear, peeled and diced

1/2 tsp cane sugar or brown sugar

Almond milk

Maple syrup and cinnamon to taste

First, make the puffed amaranth topping (optional): Heat a small saucepan over medium-high heat.  Once hot, add about 1/2 tsp amaranth and cover.  Shake the pan a bit and wait for the amaranth to start popping.  (if it doesn’t pop, throw out that batch and start again).  Once it has popped, transfer to a small bowl and add another 1/2 tsp amaranth to the pot. Repeat process.

Add the remaining 1/2 cup amaranth, water, cinnamon stick, ginger and salt to the saucepan.  Heat on high until the water boils, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and let simmer for 15-20 minutes, until most of the water has absorbed.  Remove from heat and add the raisins.  Let sit, covered, for 5-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a small skillet over medium heat.  Add the walnuts and cook for 3-5 minutes, until lightly toasted.  Set aside. 

Keep the pan heated on medium-low and add a small bit of butter or cooking spray to the pan.  Add the pears and sprinkle them with sugar and a dash of cinnamon.  Saute for about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are are soft and warm.

When the amaranth is ready, remove lid and discard the cinnamon stick.  Stir in as much almond milk as necessary to get a creamy consistency.  Transfer to a bowl and top with sautéed pears, walnuts, and as much of the puffed amaranth as you like.  Garnish with a drizzle of maple syrup and a dash of cinnamon.

Serve hot.

Makes 2 servings. 

Chai-Spiced Pear and Walnut Muffins

When September arrived, I started to get really excited for apple season.   I love baking with apples because they always make the whole house smell amazing and they pair so well with warm spices that I crave in the Fall season.

Unfortunately, the apple season didn't go so well in Ontario this year, as 85% of the crop was destroyed by frosts. So with local apples not readily available - and high prices on the ones that are available - I've decided that I'll have to change focus this year and start eating more pears instead!

I picked up a basket of red pears at the market the other weekend and since they were already quite ripe, I knew that I'd be cutting most of them up and using them in recipes rather than eating them whole.

First up on my list of pear recipes - muffins!

I've always loved the combination of pears with ginger, so I took that idea for my muffins but added some more spices and instant chai mix to incorporate the flavour of one of my favourite cold weather drinks: chai.

I based my muffins off a recipe for vegan peach pecan muffins and changed some things around to turn them into pear-walnut-chai muffins. These muffins are made with a mix of whole wheat and spelt flours, and lightly sweetened with pure maple syrup.  I also reduced the oil a bit and added more applesauce, so overall they're pretty healthy!

I thought these had the perfect balance of warm Fall spices, and I loved the addition of crunchy walnuts and juicy pears to make them a bit more interesting!   They also rose up beautifully in the oven and came out so light and fluffy - a nice change from the usual muffins I make, which tend to be dense and hearty.

I hope you guys like pears too because I'll have another pear recipe coming up soon!

Chai-Spiced Pear and Walnut Muffins
Adapted from a recipe in Ripe From Around Here

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup light spelt flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

Pinch each of cloves and cardamom

1/2 cup almond milk

1 tbsp powdered instant chai mix (optional - for more chai flavour)

1/4 cup + 2 tbsp unsweetened applesauce (I used cinnamon flavoured)

2 tbsp canola oil

3 tbsp pure maple syrup (if you like sweeter muffins, add 1-2 more tablespoons)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2.5 tbsp chopped walnuts

3/4 cup peeled diced pear

Preheat oven to 375°F and prepare a muffin tin by spraying with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients (flours through to cloves and cardamom).

Pour the almond milk in a small bowl and stir in the instant chai mix until it dissolves.  Add the applesauce, canola oil, maple syrup and vanilla and stir to mix.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just until the dry ingredients are incorporated (some lumps are okay).  Fold in the walnuts and the diced pear.

Spoon batter into prepared pan, dividing equally among six muffin cups.  Bake in the preheated oven for 24-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let sit in the pan for a few minutes, then carefully remove and transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Makes 6 muffins.

Parsnip Pear Soup

I've officially made my first soup of the Fall season! When the weather starts getting cooler, I love to bring home root vegetables from the market, roast them in the oven, then purée them into a delicious and comforting soup.

This soup was different than any I've ever made in the past.  It combines parsnips with pears, resulting in a unique, slightly sweet taste with a hint of spice. Parsnips are a pretty neutral-tasting vegetable on their own (similar to carrots), but in this recipe they are roasted first, which brings out a deeper, sweeter flavour that paired nicely with the pear.

This wasn't the prettiest soup I've ever made either - it looked more like ugly mashed potatoes than a smooth soup - but I still loved the taste of it!

As you can see in the photo below, my soup was also very thick, almost like a puree. I prefer thicker soups anyway, so this was fine with me, but if you like a thinner soup, you can add more liquid.

I wanted to serve this with some fresh bread, so I made some healthy three-seed biscuits to have with it (see photo above). They were the perfect accompaniment, and they were easy enough to put together in the same time as it took to make the soup! The recipe for these biscuits comes from Canadian Living: The Vegetarian Collection: Creative Meat-Free Dishes That Nourish and Inspire and was recommended to me by Ashley of Eat Me, Delicious. You can find the recipe on her blog here: Three-Seed Biscuits.

Parsnip Pear Soup
Adapted from Eat This, originally from The Perfect Pantry

1 lb parsnips, peeled and ends trimmed
1 yellow onion, peeled and quartered
2 cloves of garlic, unpeeled
1 pear, peeled and chopped
1.5 cups vegetable stock
1 tsp dried thyme
1/8 tsp allspice
salt and pepper
roasted pumpkin seeds for garnish (optional)

Place the parsnips, onion, and garlic on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven at 375°F for 30-40 minutes, until the parsnips are tender and lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. 

Once cooled, cut the parsnips into chunks and remove the garlic from its peel. Place the parsnips, garlic, onions, and pear in a large pot. Add the vegetable stock, thyme and allspice. Add more water if you need to, so that the veggies are almost covered.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 20 minutes. Remove from heat.

Blend soup in batches in a blender or food processor. Add more water if necessary to thin out the soup (I found that I needed to add a lot of water to get more of a soup-like consistency. I used at least 1 cup of water, and my soup was still very thick).

Season with additional salt and pepper and serve hot. Garnish with pumpkin seeds if desired.


Makes 3 servings.

This is my submission to Souper Sundays hosted by Deb at Kahakai Kitchen.