Green Options

Fall salads are as bright and colorful as the falling leaves outside now. I hope you’ll try this easy fresh beet, apple and yam salad with cranberry dressing.

The recipe is simple. First boil and roast the beets and yams. Then let cool, slice some organic apples and the golden beets together with the yams or sweet potatoes. Cranberry vinaigrette adds a delightful tang to this side dish.

I’ve scored some fantastic organic sweet potatoes from the market lately. Here are some ideas for cooking with them:

1. Sweet Potato Coconut Mash: This is another option for making mashed potatoes, try mashing and blending soy, regular or vanilla almond milk into a bit of long baked sweet potatoes. Smart cafes like Lettus, are known for mixing healthy organic virgin coconut oil into it, and pairing it with pumpkin seed encrusted tempeh, with a magical homemade green sauce, mmm…
2. Moroccan Roasted Organic Spiced Sweets: Bake or boil a couple sweet potatoes moist. Chop and mix a pinch of cumin, ginger, salt, cinnamon, allspice (optional) and a sprinkle of coriander and cayenne in a small bowl. Mix in skillet with a teaspoon of organic olive oil or pop in the oven until browned.

Although fall means the end of summer’s abundance of produce, the end-of-season crops are nothing to sneeze at.  Butternut squash, with its earthy sweetness and versatility, can be used in both sweet and savory dishes.  I whipped up this simple, hearty soup from local squash, then froze the extra for quick lunches throughout the season.

What makes this soup extra special is its creamy sweetness and vanilla flavor; it’s practically a dessert soup.  You can alter the sugar to taste, but I like the hint of sweetness that the small amount listed here provides.  Roasting the squash imparts a deeper, richer flavor as well.  The recipe, after the jump…