Cranberry Rosemary Refresher

I have been told by numerous people that the life of a food blogger seems really glamorous. I think sometimes when we see a picture of a beautiful dish, we imagine the chef/photographer standing in their kitchen, leisurely making a delicious meal about to be served to their family, while casually stopping to snap a photograph or two. As a food blogger, I can tell you that this is rarely how it happens. At least, not in my house.

Instead, here's the scene: a rainy Saturday morning.  At home, alone, with two crazy cats. The best light in my house is in my living room, with giant windows that face a main road. There I am, still in my pajamas, standing on a stool above a table to get the best angle as people walk by and shoot me puzzled looks.

Randomly a rogue cranberry falls from the table, inspiring one of my cats to bat it around the living room with all his might. As I'm trying to balance on a stool, ignore the passerbys, and get a decent shot, I knock over the martini glass and spill cranberry juice across my living room.  By now both of my cats are engaged in a cranberry-chasing battle and all of this running has managed to make one of them lose his lunch. Clean-up on aisle five, please?

Nevertheless, I managed to get a decent photograph of an amazing drink that you need to try this holiday season. Whether you leisurely enjoy this at a beautiful dinner with your loved ones, or simply use it as a reward for cat clean-up duty, I promise that it will energize your taste buds while flooding your body with nutrients.

Cranberries are loaded with antioxidants and Vitamin C, making this refresher the perfect winter immune booster. This was my first time juicing cranberries and I was pleasantly surprised by the intensely-tart flavor of fresh cranberry juice. Pairing it with fresh apple juice mellows the flavor and sweetens it up a bit without the use of refined sugars.

If you don't have access to a juicer, simply substitute 2 cups of unsweetened 100% cranberry juice and 2 cups of 100% apple juice. Fresh cranberry juice has a more intense flavor so even though my cranberries only yielded 1 cup of juice, if you are using bottled juice, you will probably want 2 cups.

Cranberry Rosemary Refresher
Makes 4 drinks

Ingredients:
2 cups water
3 fresh sprigs rosemary (more for garnish, if desired)
1 pound fresh cranberries (makes about 1 cup of juice)
4 apples (makes about 2 cups of juice)
Ice

Directions:
Add water to a covered saucepan or small pot and bring to a boil.  Add the rosemary, and lower heat to a simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let steep, covered, for one hour. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Juice the cranberries and apples. Mix with the chilled rosemary water. Garnish with fresh rosemary sprigs and serve over ice.

Recipe shared at Wellness Weekend and Vegetarian Mamma

Apple Cider Vinaigrette

Thank goodness for spell check.  If it wasn't for spell check, I would never be able to spell words like recommendation, license, disastrous, judgment, and fluorescent.  And don't even get me started on vinaigrette.  You would think that for someone who has to use this word almost daily in their work that I would have learned how to spell it by now.  But no.  Vinegrettte?  Vineagrette??  Vinagarette?!  

How about I just wow you with some pretty pictures instead.

This is one of my favorite salad dressings to use in spring.  Usually by this time of year I am craving fresh, crisp salads and have a produce drawer full of slightly mushy apples.  Since I live in Washington, mushy apples just don't fly around here.  But this vinaigrette is pretty darn amazing.

This recipe is a bit tangy because of the apple cider vinegar and spicy mustard, but the apple juice and dates add some great natural sweetness to balance.  It can be stored in the refrigerator and will easily keep for at least two weeks.  Since the cold will cause the olive oil to solidify, be sure to pull it from the fridge a few minutes prior to using.  Enjoy it with any fresh greens, preferably while quizzing yourself on how to spell vinaigrette.


Apple Cider Vinaigrette
Makes 2 cups

1/2 cup 100% apple juice (preferably fresh)
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
3 cloves garlic
1 medium apple, peel and core
1 tablespoon spicy mustard
4 large medjool dates, pitted
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup extra virgin olive oil

Add apple juice, apple cider vinegar, garlic, apple, mustard, dates, and salt to a blender.  Blend until smooth.  With blender on low, add the olive oil in a thin stream.  Store in the refrigerator.

Acorn Squash Apple Soup

Do you ever have days where you feel your phone vibrating in your pocket... but it's totally not?  Days where you swear it's Friday, but it's actually Tuesday.  Or Wednesday.  I forget.  Days where your keys are definitely not where you left them, your schedule is jam-packed with a million little things, you have to make it to the airport by 5 pm in rush-hour traffic, and all you want to do is crawl. back. in. bed.

Did you know that acorn squash apple soup fixes these things?

Yep, it totally does.  This soup makes your phone behave, your brain get back on track, does your laundry, feeds your cat, and it even takes out the compost. 

Okay, maybe not.  But it does ease a growling stomach. Some days that's enough for me to be thankful for.

This soup makes me wish it was fall every day of the year.  I love eating this with crusty rosemary bread white watching the leaves scatter outside the window.  It's a little bowl of bliss in this sometimes crazy, chaotic life that I happen to love.

Acorn Squash Apple Soup
Serves 4 - 6

1 acorn squash
2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 medium onion, diced
1 large apple, diced
2 teaspoons chopped fresh ginger
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups cooked garbanzo beans
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried sage

4 cups vegetable broth

2 cups apple juice

Freshly-ground salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Cut squash in half, rub with a little oil, and place on sheet pan cut side down.  Roast for 30 minutes, or until insides are tender.  

Remove from oven and allow to cool.  Scoop out insides of squash and set aside. 

Add oil to a pot over medium heat.  Sauté the onion and apple for about 5 minutes.  Add ginger and garlic and sauté for an additional minute.  Add garbanzo beans, squash, thyme, and sage.  Cover with vegetable broth and apple juice and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, reduce heat, cover, and cook until vegetables are soft, about 15 - 20 minutes.

Next, blend the soup by using an immersion blender or transfering it to a regular blender. (If using a regular blender, be very careful as the steam can sometimes cause the lid to blow off.  I recommend allowing the soup to cool for a few minutes, then blending small batches on medium speed while holding the lid down with a large pot holder or towel in my hand).  Serve hot, with salt and pepper to taste.  

Housewarming Apple Crisp

Someday you will have the need for your house to smell like apples and cinnamon. When that day comes, turn to this crisp. Just know that you have been warned about its addictiveness from the beginning.  And, if you serve it alongside some Coconut Bliss ice cream (which you should), there is absolutely no stopping you.

I made this for a little housewarming party last night. I've never baked an apple pie, but the beauty of the apple crisp is that anybody can bake a crisp. If I can do it, you can too. Peel and core some apples. Sprinkle some oats over the top. And... voila! There's the best smell coming from your oven and warm, gooey crisp ready to meet your mouth.

Spending my Saturday afternoon in the kitchen brought me back into balance after this long week.  Food has a way of doing that for me.  Well, food and library books.  And Enya.  But, let's just stick to the food for now.

Adapted from the Clean Food Cookbook
Serves 8 - 10.

Filling
12 apples (peeled, cored, and sliced)
1/4 cup maple syrup*
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp whole wheat pastry flour or brown rice flour
*If you are serving along side something sweet (like ice cream), use 1/4 cup maple syrup. If the crisp will be served on its own, use 1/2 cup.

Topping
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat flour or brown rice flour
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup canola oil

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

To prepare the filling, place apples in large bowl. Fold in syrup and cinnamon. Sprinkle on flour and gently fold until combined. Spread mixture into 9x12-inch baking casserole.

To make topping, use the same mixing bowl and combine oats, flour, nuts, and cinnamon. In separate bowl, whisk together syrup and oil, add to dry ingredients and mix until crumbly. Spread topping evenly over apples, cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 20-30 minutes or until apples are cooked through and the top is crisp.  Remove from oven and serve.

Autumn Harvest Salad

Let's just get this out of the way:  it's been too long.  And, I've missed you.  How is October is your corner of the Universe? 

Everything has been bright, beautiful, and busy here.  I have finally pulled out my Vita-Mix and food processor from the tower of moving boxes.  I hope to have the kitchen up and running again shortly.  Until then, let's just munch on some raw beets and catch up.

Almost everyone that helped us with our move got a taste of this salad.  It was the least I could do as a thank you for all of our amazing friends who packed boxes, cleaned counters, and carried furniture around. I know raw beets aren't for everyone, but you might be pleasantly surprised with this recipe.  If you still have your doubts, then I guess I should mention that Ashley had two bowls of this and no one could possibly dislike raw beets more than her. 

I think the key is that this salad is so rich, delicate and juicy.  Juicy would usually be the last word I would think of to describe raw beets, but that's where the carrots and apples come in. A little crunch here and there, a lot of sweetness.  All you need is some fresh produce, a food processor, and a little oil. Nothing could be quicker, easier, and more delicious to make.  Just look out for your chin... the beet juices tend to run. 

Serves 4 - 6

Ingredients:
4 medium carrots
4 medium beets
2 medium apples (or 3 small)

Dressing:
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbs apple cider vinegar
3 Tbs olive oil
Juice from 1 lemon

Directions: 
Mix the ingredients for your dressing together in a small bowl. (I just whisked it together with a fork.)  Run your carrots, apples, and beets through a food processor to create small match sticks and add them to a large bowl. Toss with your dressing.  When serving, garnish with another drizzle of olive oil over the top and salt and pepper if desired.