Your Cooking Coach
Show MenuHide Menu

Roasted Butternut Squash with Maple Syrup

Sometimes simple is the way to go- actually that is my way when it comes to entertaining for any event- even when it is a casual dinner party.

When it comes to holiday entertaining I try to make things simple for myself and look for recipes that I can make in advance or at least prep in advance.

For Thanksgiving there is a lot to think about and so I make sure not every dish is complicated and time consuming.

This is one of the side dishes that is delicious yet very simple to make. All I did was to cut up a butternut squash, drizzle it with olive oil and good maple syrup- thats it. 40 minutes in the oven and I had a fabulous side dish. It is delicious with the sweet maple syrup and a bit of savory salt.

You can buy already cut up butternut squash to make things easier for yourself. Prep it in advance- the morning of and even roast it. You can reheat it right before the big feast is served… easy and yummy- that is the way to go.
read more …

Apple Crisp- Easy Fall Dessert

I am in the holiday/fall mood and all I want to do is cook with all the ingredients that remind me of cold weather. Apples is one of those ingredients that makes me think of  cosy evenings in my house with a cup of hot apple cider or eating a delicious hot apple crisp with some ice cream.

I made this last weekend for a dinner at a friend’s house. I used my favorite apples- honey crisp but any kind of apples can be used-whatever you like.

I used a very typical crisp topping including flour- I used my usual white whole wheat flour and oats. I paired it with walnuts and cinnamon- and butter, of course. You can’t really go wrong with any of these ingredients.

The apples are mixed with orange and lemon zests giving the filling a wonderful citrusy, fresh taste. Everyone enjoyed the dessert. I served it with pumpkin gelato- which I made a few days ago. It came out really well- if I do say so myself.

The whole combination was a very successful one. This is another great idea for Thanksgiving. I will post the gelato recipe soon.

  • 2 pounds variety of apples (about 4 – 5 medium), cut into 2 inch pieces
  • Zest and juice of one lemon
  • Zest and juice of one orange
  • 1/3 cup turbinado sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon ground cloves

Mix all the ingredients in a medium sized baking dish. An 8 X 8 square or an oval shaped will be fine.

Topping

  • 1 cup white whole wheat flour
  • 1/3 cup turbinado sugar
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 cup toasted and chopped walnuts
  • ½ cup toasted oats

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In the bowl of a mixer, add the flour, sugars, and butter. Using the paddle attachment, incorporate the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture looks mealy or crumbly. Stir in the oats and nuts.
Distribute the topping over the apples. Bake for an hour, or until the topping is golden brown and fruit is bubbling. Cool slightly and serve warm.

Apple Crisp 1

Buttered Brown Rice

I served brown rice with the fish and bok choy. Most people shy away from brown rice as they think it tastes like cardboard.. well, I think it is the most delicious thing ever- it is nutty and delicious. Especially the way I make it with some butter and broth. I used chicken broth but one can substitute vegetable or mushroom broth to keep it vegetarian. Either way, the result is yum!

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup brown rice
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth

Heat a saucepan with butter and olive oil. Add the rice and sauté on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the salt and broth. Bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer, half covered for 20 minutes. Cover with lid and continue cooking on low for another 15 minutes till the rice is cooked.

Buttered Bok Choy

I served this with the fish I posted yesterday. My husband loves bok choy and I make it often but this is my favorite way to eat it- simple.. with a bit of butter, olive oil and garlic. Less is more especially when one uses excellent ingredients…

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, grated
  • 2 to 3 bunches mini bok choy, cleaned and trimmed
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Heat a frying pan with the butter and olive oil. Add the garlic and sauté on low heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the bok choy and sauté on medium heat for a minute. Add salt and pepper. Cover with lid for 3 to 4 minutes. Take lid off and cook off any excess moisture. Serve immediately.

Soy Honey Halibut

We love halibut in my house. I was in the mood for a glazed salmon but unfortunately no one likes it except me, so I decided to go with the favorite! I was in the mood for Asian flavors- so I combined some soy, honey and vinegar, etc and came up with a homemade teriyaki kind of sauce- perfect for serving fish to kids.

  • 1 pound halibut, cut into filets
  • ¼ cup low sodium tamari
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 2 garlic cloves, grated

Add the ingredients to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until it thickens like syrup. Keep aside.

  • Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Preheat oven to broil.

Place the filets on a lined cookie sheet. Drizzle with oil, salt and pepper. Broil for about 5 minutes. Glaze the filets with the tamari mixture and finish broiling till the fish is done. Finish off with some extra sauce and serve.

Pumpkin Duffins with Cream Cheese

Here is another version of our favorite healthy dessert- duffins. I wanted to make something for Halloween and the first thing I think of – is pumpkin. When I think of pumpkin, cream cheese frosting comes to mind- it really is a match made in heaven.

So, in order to make duffins, I decided to invert the two and use the cream cheese as a filling in the middle.

The result was delicious- well, eventually. I made one batch and had a few friends taste test for me and give me some critical analysis. My daughter is the most honest taste tester I have- she has no qualms about telling me when things are not right. She told me the duffins didn’t have enough pumpkin flavor and the filling tasted too much like cream cheese and not like a frosting. She was right- I had forgotten to add vanilla extract in the cream cheese mixture.

The second batch included more spiced including cinnamon, ginger and cloves. It also included the missing vanilla extract. The result was delicious.

Make these for halloween…

  • 1 cup raw sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1½ cups white whole-wheat flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup extra light olive oil
  • ¾ cup 1% milk
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger

Filling

  • 2 oz cream cheese
  • 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Keep aside.

Topping

  • 1 tablespoon butter, melted
  • ½ cup fine raw sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Lightly grease a 12 muffin tin with a bit of oil in each cup.
In a large bowl, beat together sugar and egg till light and fluffy. Pour in vegetable oil, milk and pumpkin puree. Mix to combine.
In a small bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and ginger. Pour into the egg mixture and stir well.
Add a quarter cup batter in each cup. Add a teaspoon of cream cheese on top. Top each cup with the rest of the batter to cover the filling.
Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
While muffins are baking, melt butter in a small bowl. Pour ½ cup sugar into another small bowl.

Once the muffins are done, lightly brush the top with melted butter, remove from the pan and roll in the sugar, coating all parts of the duffin.

Cranberry Chocolate Pumpkin Cookies

Another delicious way to have pumpkin flavored desserts!

  • 2½ cups white whole-wheat flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ½ cup extra light olive oil
  • 1½ cups turbinado sugar
  • 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup dried cranberries, chopped
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves into a medium bowl. Keep aside. Cream together the oil and sugar for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the egg and beat for another minute. Add the pumpkin puree and vanilla extract and beat for another minute. Add the cranberries and chocolate and mix well. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix to combine. Scoop with a tablespoon measure and drop the cookies onto a lined cookie sheet, flatten with the back of a spoon. Bake for 15 and 20 minutes. Cool on a baking rack and serve.
Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

« older entries    newer entries »