Hey to you!  I was walking around the kitchen on Sunday afternoon wondering what to do with another big squash that was hand picked by “The Best Builders” around when I noticed some nutmeg sitting in the pantry.  A little light bulb went off and thought that it would be a great combination.  I then wandered over to the fridge as I knew that we had some “real” maple syrup.

That was enough to call it a dish.  Below is the scoop on how this goes together.  Pretty simple yet a perfect fall treat.  Here is a shot of my laptop as I was playing around with the settings on my camera.

Ingredients

• Carrots
• Squash
• Tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• 1/2 Tsp. Nutmeg
• 1 Tbsp. Maple Syrup
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Prepare and peel the carrots and squash.  Cut into chunks and place in a large bowl and toss with olive oil, nutmeg and maple syrup.
3. Throw in a roasting pan and let cook for 25 minutes.
4. Remove and toss in tomatoes.
5. Cook another 15 minutes.
6. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: When cooking grape tomatoes, I tend to put them in later in the cooking process so they do not completely break down and become mush.

That dish is pretty simple yet satisfying.  Very nice for this time of year for sure. 

I spent a little time at the house (with no power) tonight with my car headlights on cleaning out the utility room.  I think we are getting some heat in the house tomorrow!  The boiler is being installed. 

Question of the Day

How do you heat your house?  Let me know – I think it will be interesting as we go across the globe.

Have a great Tuesday.

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty

Last weekend I was playing around in the kitchen and created something unique with some root vegetables and fresh grape tomatoes.

Ever get tired of tasting the same old vegetables with your dinner? I do sometimes so I wanted to kick it up a notch with a funky glaze for some plain ole vegetables. The title pretty much sums it up but I did add a few more ingredients than just apple and molasses.

Have you guys noticed how few ingredients I have been using as of late? I have not even been trying to keep it to a minimum  – I guess I am just lazy!

Below is the low-down on the recipe that hopefully you will try. I realized as I was shooting this that a green vegetable would have been a nice addition. I will mention that in the zesty tip down below.

Ingredients

• Carrots
• Squash
• Grape Tomatoes
• Turnip
• 1/4 Cup Molasses
• 1 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
• 1/4 Cup Apple Juice
• 2 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
• Black Pepper

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400 Degrees
2. Prepare all vegetables ( clean, peel and chop )



3. Combine soy sauce, molasses and brown sugar into a bowl and mix well.



4. Add apple juice and black pepper and pour over vegetables



5. Cover and bake until fork tender – About 45 minutes.
6. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: Roasting Vegetables intensify the natural flavors.  Different from boiling, roasting actually will enhance the flavors you choose to match with the vegetables. Try to combine root vegetables with this dish as opposed to leafy vegetables due to the cooking time.  Green vegetables would work well in this dish as well.

I hope you have a great day and stay tuned for another house update in the near future as well as a super fun product review.  Talk to you tomorrow.

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty

Hi! I’m Amy Green, author of Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free, a blog dedicated to great food made simple and a little healthier. All of my recipes are made without refined sugars or gluten – and the best part is that you wouldn’t know it if I didn’t tell you.

I am so excited to share a dish with Zesty’s readers, and wanted to do something extra special that said fall. Desserts are one of my favorites to create, especially when I can get something that’s good for you in them. So, I made a gluten-free, sugar-free, moist, tender Butternut Squash Orange Spice Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting that can be dressed up or served simply.

To dress your cake up, level and torte the cake. Frost the top of the bottom layer. Then, add a layer of toasted walnuts that have been smashed in your food processor. Top those with a thin layer of frosting, add your next layer of cake, and finish by frosting the rest of your dessert. To get a rim of toasted walnuts around the edge of your cake, sprinkle smashed walnuts around the base of the cake. Use an offset spatula to gently push the walnuts up the side of the cake and into the frosting.

Or, my favorite – serve your cake simply. Level the cake and generously frost only the top. Garnish with a little orange zest and you’re done.

A few tips before you get started:

• When making a cake, it’s important to have your butter and eggs at room temperature because they cream better, which adds lightness to your final product. A few hours will be enough but I like to set mine out the night before I bake. Don’t worry – your eggs won’t go bad.
• Don’t skip the sifting step. This is especially important when baking gluten-free.
• Make sure to preheat your oven before you start mixing up the cake. This will give your oven enough time to heat up and ensure that the temperature is perfect for your cake.
• I used my KitchenAid but you can make this cake with traditional electric mixers.
• Adding the lemon juice at the end activates the baking soda and baking powders which will help your gluten-free cake rise much like a cake baked with regular flour. Once the lemon juice is mixed in, get that cake into the oven quickly!

Butternut Squash Orange Spice Cake

serves 8 – 10

Cake Ingredients

• ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup agave nectar
• 3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons orange zest
• 2 cups gluten-free flour blend (see below for the mix used here)
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ginger
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon cloves
• ¼ teaspoon allspice
• 1 1/3 cups grated butternut squash (use the large holes on a box grater)
• ¾ cup golden raisins
• 1 tablespoon fresh-squeezed orange juice
• 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and line a 8 inch spring form pan.
2. Cream butter on medium high for about 2 minutes. Add agave and continue mixing on medium high for another 2 – 3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
3. Add eggs one at a time while mixing on medium low until eggs are completely incorporated. Mix in orange zest.
4. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and all spice. Add sifted flour mix to butter mix on low speed until smooth. Stir in butternut squash and raisins.
5. Add orange juice and lemon juice and stir until smooth. Turn into prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
6. Bake for 35 – 40 minutes, until the top is a deep golden brown and a cake tester tests clean.
7. Let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then slide a thin spatula between the cake and the edge of the pan.
8. Release the springform side and let cake cool for another 20 minutes before removing the bottom of the pan.

Frosting Ingredients

Orange Cream Cheese Frosting *This will frost a 2 layer cake. If you want to only frost the top, cut the recipe in half.

• 16 ounces light cream cheese, at room temperature
• ¼ cup agave nectar
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 1 cup heavy cream

Method

1. Place cream cheese in a medium mixing bowl and mix on medium high until light and fluffy. Add agave and orange zest. Continue mixing until thoroughly incorporated.
2. In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form.
3. Stir ¼ of the whipped cream completely into the cream cheese mixture. Gently place remaining whipped cream on top of cream cheese mixture and fold until thoroughly incorporated.
4. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Gluten-Free Flour Blend (makes 3 cups)

• 1 cup sweet rice flour
• 1 cup sorghum flour
• 2/3 cup cornstarch
• 1/3 cup tapioca flour

Thanks so much Amy (Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free) for such a great post.  I hope you all have a great day today and I will fill you in on U2 when I get back.

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty