Stuffed Patty Squash

A friend gave me a few patty squashes from her garden.  I never had them before so I went online to get some ideas of how to use them.  This is a simple baked squash with mushroom stuffing.

Ingredients:
2 patty squash (these come in different sizes, shapes & color)
1 small container baby bellas
1 carrot
1 stalk celery
1/2 small red onion
1-2 cloves garlic
1 sprig rosemary
1 tsp organic tomato paste
Himalayan Salt (to taste)
Veggie Broth

Step #1: Preheat oven to 400.  Dice onion, carrot, celery, mushrooms & mince garlic.  Cut patty sqaush in half and scope out seeds (on of the squash was super small, so it really was just 1 and a top instead of 2)

Step #2: Add veggie broth to cover bottom of pan.  Add minced garlic and rosemary.  Saute on low for a few minutes to infuse rosemary to broth.

Step #3: Add in onions, carrots, and celery & salt.  Saute until start to get tender. While veggies are sauteing, cut patty squash in half and scope out seeds (on of the squash was super small, so it really was just 1 and a top instead of 2). Place on parchment lined baking tray and cook until fork tender (about 45-60) (Note, they may cook faster if you cook cut side down instead of what I did)

Step #4: Add in mushrooms.  Saute until soft.  Remove rosemary sprig and add to food processor or blender. Add tomato paste.  Gently blend.  (Add additional veggie broth is needed)

Step #5: Stuff squash and enjoy.

Tomato Salad

It's tomato season!  When I was a kid, one of my most favorite things to eat was the fresh tomato salad my dad would make with bread for dunking in all the yummy juices.  Fast forward many years later, I still love it and instead of bread, I dunk with Lydia's Sunflower "Bread"

Ingredients:
Variety of Tomatoes
Handful fresh basil (chopped)
1-2 cloves garlic
Organic Extra Virgin Cold Pressed Olive Oil
Himalayan Salt
Water
Lydia's Sunflower Bread, or if you eat it Ezekiel's Sprouted Bread (Wholefoods, health food stores, and well as other markets carry these as well as Amazon and other online sources)

Step #1: Clean and cut tomatoes.  I used a variety of amazing organic heirlooms from the Farmer's Market.  The green and yellow zebra stripes are my favorite!

Step #2: Add a few drizzles of olive oil, about 1/4 cup water, basil & salt to taste.  Zest in garlic using a microplane or zester.  Mix well. (Pardon the cell phone picts!)

Step #3: Let stand for a couple of hours.  The tomatoes will start to create a yummy juice

Step #4: Enjoy tomato salad.  Add some extra juice to your bowl and dunk your favorite "bread"!

"Peanut butter" Banana "Milkshake"

One of my favorite deserts as a child was a simple peanut butter and banana shake.  Unfortunately I had to give up peanut butter several years ago after discovering that it can hold mold.  If you are interested there is some interesting (and scary) information about peanuts here.

Luckily I discovered sunflower butter and it was love at first taste! Sunflower butter has a similar consistency and a great taste that works as a perfect replacement for peanut butter in a variety of recipes.

So this is my re-worked version of a Banana Sunflower Butter "Milkshake"

Ingredients:
1 frozen banana (tip: peel bananas and freeze without the skins)
1 fresh banana
1 tbsp sunflower butter (I use the no salt or sugar version)
Coconut water (to facilitate blending, I use raw coconut water) (Can use almond or hemp milk)
Cocoa Nibs (optional for garnish)
Stevia (Optional, I find the banana is sweet enough for me and omit it)

Step #1:
Blend all of the ingredients, pour (I used a wine glass), top with nibs and enjoy!