Quinoa and Kale stuffed Acorn Squash

If you haven't noticed by now, I make a lot of dishes with quinoa and kale. I love both of these ingredients because they are not only good for you, but they are filling! Today's recipe was inspired by the season. I went to Trader Joes the other day to pick up my groceries for the week and when I walked into the produce section, all that was plentifully available was butternut squash, chestnuts, and acorn squash. I have always stumbled upon recipes that call for acorn squash but I was always hesitant to try them out. I finally decided that I was going to buy one and come up with my own recipe. I also ended up buying butternut squash and chestnuts that day.

When I think of acorn squash, I think of warm and rich flavors. I decided that I was going to roast the squash with olive oil and honey because the honey will help caramelize the squash. I also chose to use curry in my quinoa because it is warm and flavorful. I finally added chili powder when toasting my pumpkin seeds because it gives a little kick to the entire dish.

Here is how I did it:

Quinoa and Kale stuffed Acorn Squash 

Ingredients

- 1 acorn squash 

- 2 tbs olive oil

- 1 tbs honey

- 1/2 cup red or white quinoa 

- 1/4 cup chopped dried apricots 

- 1/2 cube chicken bouillabaisse 

- 1 tsp curry powder 

- 1 1/2 cup water 

- 1 small onion

- 1 tsp chopped garlic

- 3/4 cup frozen kale that is defrosted  

- salt and pepper 

- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

- 1/4 tsp chili powder
- 2 ounces goat cheese 

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Wash and dry you acorn squash. Cut in half and scoop out the seeds on the inside. Place on a baking sheet and pour 1 1/2 tbs olive oil, 1 tbs honey and salt and pepper over the squash. Flip the squash skin side up and bake for 30 minutes. Flip the squash after 30 minutes and cook for another 15 minutes with the flesh side up. Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, place quinoa, dried apricots, chicken bouillabaisse, curry powder and water in a pot. Bring the quinoa to a boil and then cover and put heat on low. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes until quinoa is fully cooked. 

In a pan, place the remaining olive oil, chopped onions and garlic and sauté until slightly brown. Add in the defrosted kale and cook for 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. In another sautee pan, place the pumpkin seeds and chili powder and toast for 5-7 minutes. Make sure you don't burn your seeds.

Place the kale and quinoa mixture in a large bowl and mix together. Add in the pumpkin seeds and set aside. 

Fill the acorn squash with the quinoa mixture and crumble the goat cheese evenly on both halves of the squash. Bake in the oven until the cheese is slightly melted and the squash and quinoa are warmed through.

I made this meal for one of my best friends Jenna. We love to work out and eat together. I decided to make this for her because we had a killer work out earlier together and we both needed something filling and healthy to help us recover. We paired the squash with a little side salad. The meal was great and it was just the perfect amount!

Anne

Pumpkin Cheesecake

During the holidays, my family and I typically go to my cousin's house to celebrate. My aunt knows how to make the most perfect comfort food and I know that every time I go there, I am going to leave with a very full belly and a smile on my face. For thanksgiving this year, she made succulent turkey with rich stuffing. We also had carrot ginger soup made by my cousin, sweet potatoes with marshmallows, fresh cranberry sauce and brussels sprouts with toasted pecans. The meal was perfect! We spent all day sitting at the dining room table talking and laughing and enjoying ourselves. It was probably my favorite Thanksgiving to date.

For dessert, I typically am the one to make it. I decided that instead of making the standard pumpkin pie, that I would make a pumpkin cheesecake. I woke up bright and early on Thanksgiving morning to make the cake and spent all day in the kitchen to make sure that it was perfect.

Here is how I did it:

Pumpkin Cheesecake 

Ingredients: 

- 12 tbs butter

- 2 1/2 cups cinnamon graham cracker crumbs 

- 2 3/4 cups sugar

- 18 ounces cream cheese softened

- 20 ounces pumpkin puree 

- 1/2 cup sour cream 

- 6 eggs

- 1 tbs cinnamon 

- 1/4 tbs cloves 

- 1/4 tbs ginger 

- 1 tsp salt 

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Melt butter and incorporate 1/4 cup of sugar and graham cracker crumbs. Press the mixture into the bottom and the sides of a spring form pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. 

In a bowl, beat together cream cheese, sugar, sour cream, pumpkin puree, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and salt. Once the mixture is well incorporated, add in the eggs, one egg at a time. Pour the cream cheese mixture into the spring form pan. Bake between 2:00 and 2:15. The cheese cake will be firm but the center will still be a little loose. 

Let the cheesecake set for an hour before removing it from the spring pan. Serve with fresh whipped cream or ice cream. 

I was nervous that my cheesecake wasn't going to stand up to the amazing dinner that we just had at my aunt's. Thankfully, everyone seemed to really enjoy the dessert and it was the perfect way to end the meal.

Anne

Pre-Thanksgiving Dinner

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!! Last night I celebrated pre-thanksgiving with just my family and we spent the whole night laughing and eating. There isn't anything else I could be more grateful for. For our dinner, I decided to make a lighter version of a Thanksgiving meal because I didn't want to stuff myself the night before the actual Thanksgiving. The meal was a success and even my dad who is a meat and potato kind of guy loved it! 

Here is how I did it: 

Collard Greens salad with apples, cranberries and pecans

Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup pecans
- 1 bag of collard greens
- 4 to 5 medium radishes
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries (or cherries)
- 1 medium Granny Smith apple
- 2 ounces soft goat cheese, chilled
Dressing:
- 1/2 cup of olive oil 
- 1 lemon 
- 1 tbs honey 
- 2 tbs dijon mustard 
- salt and pepper 

Preheat the over to 350 degrees. Spread the pecans evenly on a baking sheet and place in the oven for 5-10 minutes until they are toasted. Meanwhile, cut the radishes into thin slices and cut the apple into medium sized cubes. 

Place the greens, cranberries, radishes, pecans and goat cheese in a large bowl.  In a small dish, whisk together all of the ingredients for the salad dressing and pour it over the greens. 

Pomegranate Glazed Chicken

Ingredients:
- 2 pounds chicken wings or legs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 cup sweet chili sauce
- 1/3 cup pomegranate juice
- 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 lime, juiced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
- pomegranate seeds for garnish
- freshly chopped parsley for garnish

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl, mix together chili sauce, pomegranate juice, soy sauce, vinegar, lime juice, brown sugar and garlic.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add olive oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper, then place in the skillet and sear for 2 minutes on each side . Remove chicken and place on a plate. Pour in pomegranate juice mix and whisk, allowing the sauce to bubble and simmer for 1-2 minutes. Place chicken back in the skillet and turn and toss to coat. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove chicken and serve with chopped parsley and pomegranate seeds.

Quinoa and Sweet Potato Melange 

Ingredients: 

- 3/4 cup red quinoa
- 3/4 cup original quinoa [white]
- 3 cups water 
- 1 cube chicken bouillabaisse 
- 3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1/2 medium onion, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons of cumin
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 3 tablespoons of parsley, chopped
- salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix diced sweet potatoes, onions, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes until soft. In the meantime, cook the quinoa. Once the quinoa is cooked, add the cranberries, cumin and salt and pepper. Add the potatoes once fully cooked and garnish with parsley. 

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!!

Anne 

Muesli Bars

This past weekend I ran my first marathon. I started training in June and I cannot believe that it is finally over. The race went so well! I had no pain and didn't hit what runners call "The wall". My time was 3:35:45 which I am so unbelievably surprised and proud of. I guess my training and pre race meal really paid off! The week leading up to the marathon I ate whatever carb I wanted and drank double the amount of water that I normally drink. The night before the race I went to Ralph's Italian restaurant in South Philadelphia and binged on their seafood pasta and loaded up on bread and butter. It was fantastic. I ended my night with a large piece of pumpkin pie with a dollop of whiped cream. I was feeling comfortably full and ready to race!

My parents and sister came to cheer for me during the marathon and after the race, they greeted me with warm embraces and plenty of positive comments. My mom also brought me her amazing muesli bars that she makes for me all the time. These bars are so delicious and absolutely addicting!!! I can't stop at one bar, I usually eat 3 or 4 and then I have to remove myself from where the bars are because I would eat the whole batch. For my post race meal, I decided that all I wanted were these muesli bars. They are the perfect meal/snack after a hard workout. They aren't too sweet and they keep you full but not feeling bloated. The protein also helps your muscles to recover quickly.

I spent the rest of my afternoon on the couch munching on my mom's muesli bars. I wasn't felling too sore or tired which I was very surprised about. My mom said that it would take about 48 hours to actually feel the pain which I am not looking forward to. However, I am completely hooked on running  marathons now and I cannot wait to run my second one! I was only 45 seconds away from qualifying for the Boston Marathon which is so exciting but also such a tease... At least it will keep me motivated to train!

Muesli Bar

Ingredients:
-5 cups old fashion oats
- 1 cup flax seeds
- 1 cup protein powder
- 1 cup wheat germ
- 1 wheat flour
- 1 cup coconut
- 2 cups of toasted chopped walnuts
- 2 cups of dried fruit
- 1 tbs cinnamon
- 1 1/2 honey
- 1 1/2 creamy peanut butter

Preheat your over to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, mix all of the dry ingredients together. In a pot over heat, add the honey and peanut butter and mix until they are combined. Pour the warm honey and peanut butter over the dry ingredients and mix together.

Pour the oat mixture into a large baking sheet and spread evenly. Bake for 15-20 minutes until slightly toasted on top. Set aside and once it is completely cooled, cut into squares.

I eat these plain as a snack or for breakfast, I like to sprinkle it over yogurt!

Anne

Pumpkin Cake Truffles

I am a huge fan of cake pops/truffles. I love that the cake and icing are mixed together and then dipped in chocolate. It makes the filling so rich and creamy and the outside so sweet and crunchy. I love to make cake pops during the holidays. They are great to give to your friends and family because they are individual treats that look very fancy but take no time to make. Another perk about cake truffles is that you can make large batches of the filling and freeze the balls for another day. 

I decided to make a batch of pumpkin cake truffles for my friends this weekend. I used cream cheese frosting as my binder because I love the taste of pumpkin and cream cheese together. I also dipped it in white chocolate because it pairs well with the cream cheese. 

Here is how I did it: 

Pumpkin Cake Truffles 

Pumpkin Bread: 
- 1 (15 ounce) can of pumpkin puree
- 4 eggs
- 1 cups vegetable oil
- 2/3 cups of water
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups of sugar
- 3 1/2 cups of flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 tsp cinnamon

Cream Cheese Frosting:

- 2 packets of softened Philadelphia cream cheese

- 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

- 2 tsp vanilla extract 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 2 cake pans with non-stick spray. In the bowl, combine pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water, vanilla and sugar until well blended. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon until well combined. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour batter into the prepared pans. Bake for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove the bread from the pan and place on a cooling rack. Once fully cooled, crumble the bread in a bowl. Do not use the edges of the cake because they tend to be a little dry. 

For the frosting, combine 2 packets of softened cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla extra. Whisk until completely smooth. 

Add the frosting to the crumbled bread and mix well. Place in the fridge for 10 minutes to firm up. Once the mixture is firm, roll into small balls and place on a tray. Cool for another 10 minutes. 

Melt your white chocolate. You can either do this in the microwave, 15 seconds at a time until completely melted. Or, you can place a double boiler over the stove and melt your chocolate that way. Whichever way you prefer. Once the chocolate is melted, dip the balls until fully coated. Place back on the tray with parchment paper underneath and sprinkle sugar and cinnamon over top. Chill in the fridge. 

I had trouble with my chocolate melting properly so I added a little bit of milk and butter to make it thinner. If you are having trouble with your chocolate, you can do the same. The only difference that it makes is that your shell won't be as hard as if you just dipped it in only white chocolate. Once they are hard, you can wrap them or place them in special boxes to send as gifts or you can do what I do and eat them all. 

Anne