New York was gorgeous. Positively glowing with fall colors.

We spent our days hiking to plunging, splashing, cascading waterfalls and the evenings dining on the culinary gems of the Finger Lakes region. We ate so much good food – wines, cheeses, waffles with peanut butter and banana, brie stuffed French toast, and more. But my favorite meal of them all was at the place I least expected: Moosewood. Don’t get me wrong – I had heard Moosewood has excellent food, but I had also heard that they were all about healthy, natural, vegetarian foods. I’m not opposed to any of those things. They just aren’t really words that get my mouth watering in anticipation, you know? However, the hype intrigued me so I decided we should check it out anyway.

I am so glad we did. I loved everything I ate that night, from the tea to the roasted dumpling squash. In fact, I loved it so much I asked for the recipes right then and there and then bought two of their cookbooks as soon as I got home. Who knew vegetables could taste so fantastic?

The tea. Wow. That chilly night there were several really good sounding drinks on the menu but when my husband noticed the ginger tea, I just had to have it. It was sweet and citrus-y with a warm, slightly spicy finish from the ginger. At the first sip I immediately I knew I would need the recipe to make at home again and again.

Once we got back home to Virginia, I thought I would have a few more weeks before the weather really cooled enough to try making ginger tea. I mean, it was still nearly 70 degrees during the day.

And then it snowed. Wait, what?

Yeah, that happened. Snow. In Virginia. In October. The only way I was going to get through this was with some ginger tea.

To my delight, Moosewood’s Ginger Orange Tea is utterly simple to make and takes only slightly longer than steeping a regular tea bag. This tea is packed with vitamin C and flavor, making it perfect for whenever you’re feeling under the weather. It can be served chilled over ice, which mellows the flavors some, but I prefer to enjoy it piping hot next to a window with a view on a snowy day.

Ginger Orange Tea

Adapted from The Moosewood Restaurant Cooking for Health Cookbook
Serves 4

Fresh ginger can be found in the produce section of most grocery stores. While fresh squeezed orange juice is ideal, I took the lazy way out and used store bought, not from concentrate, 100% orange juice. After some experimenting, I discovered ginger is best grated with the large holes of a box grater, but a microplane zester can be used in a pinch.

Ingredients

2 heaping tablespoons peeled and grated fresh ginger
2 cups water
2 cups fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1-2 tablespoons honey, to taste

Directions

Place water and grated ginger in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Steep for at least 5 minutes. Strain tea with a fine mesh strainer, pressing on the ginger with the back of a spoon to squeeze out all the liquid. Return tea to pot. Stir in orange juice, lemon juice, and honey. Reheat to serve warm, or chill to serve over ice.

I only discovered I even liked butternut squash two years ago. I had never tried it before. Since then though, I’ve eagerly looked forward to roasting the slightly sweet orange squash as soon as the weather cools every year. It’s my new favorite fall vegetable.

This year, I decided to try something a little different with my butternut squash. I roasted it as usual, then pureed it and turned it into a fantastic soup. This soup has just a hint of pumpkin pie-like flavor, while remaining savory and not tasting, you know… like pumpkin pie. It’s fall in a warm, cozy bowl and it’s healthy too!

Well, except for maybe that extra crisp bacon I topped it with.

Yeah, that happened. Salty sweet heaven. You need to eat this.

Butternut Squash Soup with Crumbled Bacon

Serves 4-6

While the soup is simmering, cover a baking sheet with foil, lay bacon strips in a single layer on sheet and bake at 375°F for 15-20 minutes, or until bacon is crisp. It’s my favorite way to cook bacon.

Don’t be scared by the tales of how hard it is to cut up butternut squash. By roasting the squash in quarters, it only requires a few quick cuts. You don’t have the mess with peeling and chopping it. I made my soup on the thicker side. If you prefer thinner, add more chicken broth. I only added a few dashes of each spice to the soup – start with a little and adjust to your taste.

Ingredients

1 3-lb butternut squash
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 shallots, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 cups finely diced carrots
3 ribs celery, finely diced
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and diced
3-4 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
salt to taste
dashes of cinnamon, allspice, chili powder

crisp cooked bacon, for garnish

Directions

With a sharp, strong knife, slice roughly 1/2 inch off the top (stem end) and bottom of butternut squash. Cut squash into quarters lengthwise, first slicing in half from top to bottom, then cutting each half in halves. Place squash on a foil lined baking sheet (for easy clean up). Using your fingers, break 1 tablespoon butter into small pieces and dot over squash. Sprinkle evenly with salt. Cover with foil and roast at 400°F for 45-50 minutes, or until squash is tender and easily pierced. Cool on pan.

In a large soup pot, saute shallots, garlic, carrots, celery, and apple over medium heat until tender, about 5-8 minutes. Add enough chicken broth to cover (about 3 cups) and simmer for 20-25 minutes. Remove soup from heat.

Using a spoon, scoop softened roasted squash from skin and puree in food processor until smooth, working in batches if necessary. Transfer to a bowl. Carefully ladle soup into food processor and puree until smooth, again working in batches if necessary. Repeat until all soup is pureed.

Combine pureed soup and butternut squash in pot and return to medium-low heat. Cook just until hot. Add cider vinegar. If needed, add additional chicken broth to thin soup to desired consistency. Season to taste with salt & spices.

Serve warm, topped with crispy, crumbled bacon.

Either way, you need to make some zucchini bread.

I originally got this recipe from one of my favorite farmer’s markets. They had samples. I tried one and said “Oh, yum! I’m going to need the recipe.” When I got home I read the recipe and nearly fell out of my chair. 3 cups of sugar. 1 cup of oil. No wonder it tasted so good! Call me crazy, but I feel like bread made with vegetables should at least try to exercise some restraint*.

So this is my altered version. It uses half the sugar and replaces half the oil with non-fat Greek yogurt, and it still tastes delicious. The texture is somewhere between cake and a muffin. They’re moist and lightly sweet with lots of cinnamon spice flavor – just the way I like my zucchini bread. I highly recommend adding chocolate chips (which I forgot – first time in my life I have ever forgotten chocolate!) and/or nuts, if you like that sort of thing.

This recipe makes enough to share – 2 loaves or a loaf and muffins – so feel free to pay that neighbor back for sharing their garden goods!

* For those of you rolling your eyes at the thought of using restraint in baked goods, stay tuned. The next recipe uses over a pound of butter and more than 4 cups of sugar. And heavy cream.

Zucchini Bread & Muffins

Makes 2 standard loaves
OR
5 mini loaves
OR
1 8×4 loaf plus 12 muffins

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups graulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
4 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
1/3 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt, such as 0% Chobani
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tablespoon water
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
chocolate chips (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° Prepare baking pans – line muffin tin with liners and/or spray loaf pans with non-stick baking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients (flour through cinnamon). In a medium bowl, beat eggs lightly. Add oil, yogurt, vanilla extract, lemon juice, and water. Whisk. Stir in grated zucchini. Pour wet ingredients into dry and whisk just until combined.

Divide batter evenly among prepared pans. Bake standard loaves about 45-50 minutes and mini loaves and muffins about 20-25 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire wrack. Store covered at room temperature, or wrap tightly and freeze for later.

This recipe is so simple you’re probably thinking “What’s the big deal? It’s just asparagus.” But oh, roasting does something to asparagus that’s near magical. It somehow intensifies the flavor while bringing out a subtle sweetness. I like to roast mine until the tips are browned and crunchy, which when combined with a little salt makes those beautiful green spears downright addictive!

Roasted Asparagus

Serves 2-4

This is one of those recipes where you don’t need to be exact. Use these measurements as a general guideline, but adjust to your taste. Makes a great side dish on its own, but can also be use in other recipes – like quiches!

Ingredients

1 bunch of asparagus, stemmed*
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 big pinches of kosher salt

Directions

* To stem asparagus, grasp the spear with two hands – one at the base and one near the middle. Gently bend the spear and the woody end should just snap off. Discard woody ends.

Cover a baking sheet with foil (for easy clean up). Preheat oven to 400°F.

Lay asparagus on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and toss until evenly coated. Arrange spears in a single layer.

Roast at 400°F for 10-15 minutes for skinny asparagus (15-20 minutes for thicker asparagus), or until tender.

No wait, that’s just the Lemon Pudding Cakes.

Pudding cakes are a hybrid of two well-loved desserts – cake and pudding. But you don’t actually use either cake or pudding to make them. Confused? Sorry. All you really need to know is that you whisk together most of the ingredients, fold them into some whipped egg whites and bake. What goes in the oven as a soupy batter comes out as cake on top and pudding on the bottom – like magic. If you baked these with kids, I bet it would blow their minds. (OK, I admit it kinda blew my mind too.)

If you need some sunshine in your life, make these Lemon Pudding Cakes. They’re bright and sweet and light – a perfect pick-me-up after a long, cold winter or a dark and stormy Spring day.

Lemon Pudding Cakes

Adapted from Eating Well
Serves 8

I managed to use 4 6-ounce ramekins and 3 7-ounces very full ramekins for this batch, so you’ll need at the very least 8 6-ounce ramekins for the full batch. I strongly recommend using fresh squeezed lemon juice as it’s the star flavor in this very lemon-y dessert. I tried these both warm and chilled – I preferred mine chilled.

Ingredients

3/4 cup + 1/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup low-fat milk
2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 large egg yolks, room temperature
3 large egg whites, room temperature

powdered sugar, for dusting

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray eight 4- to 6-ounce ramekins with non-stick baking spray. Place ramekins in a roasting pan or baking dish deep enough to reach the top of the ramekins.

In a medium bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup sugar, flour and salt. Add milk, lemon zest, lemon juice, melted butter and egg yolks. Whisk to combine.

Using an electric mixer with a whisk attachment, beat egg whites on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. While beating, slowly add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Continue beating until egg whites form stiff peaks and look glossy. Carefully fold the egg whites into the batter. (It will be soupy).

Divide batter among prepared ramekins in roasting pan. Put roasting pan in oven and fill pan with enough really hot tap water to come halfway up the side of the ramekins. Bake until set on top and lightly browned, 25-30 minutes.

Cool ramekins on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature, or cover each ramekin with plastic wrap and chill to serve cold. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Me too.

Did you stuff yourself full of rolls, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing and pie yesterday?

Me too.

We have so much in common! Maybe you’re also looking for a way to use up some Thanksgiving leftovers that’s on the light side and that does not feature 3 or more carb-filled sides? This Thanksgiving Leftovers Salad should just about hit the spot.

Thanksgiving Leftovers Salad

Vinaigrette adapted from Cooking Light
Makes 1 serving

This recipes makes enough vinaigrette for several salads. Store any leftovers in the fridge. Still want more carbs? Serve with warmed leftover rolls, or try rolling leftover stuffing into small balls and baking until crisp to serve on the side.

Vinaigrette Ingredients

1/2 cup whole-berry cranberry sauce, homemade or canned
3 tablespoons orange juice, fresh or refrigerated
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
pinch of salt

Salad Ingredients

Mixed Greens
Leftover Turkey, shredded
Softened mild cheese, such as goat cheese or brie, crumbled
Pecans, chopped

Directions

Measure vinaigrette ingredients into a small bowl and whisk vigorously until combined. Adjust liquid by adding more orange juice or oil, if needed.

Pile a healthy serving of greens on a plate. Top with shredded turkey, cheese and chopped pecans. Drizzle with cranberry vinaigrette and serve.

To make it worse, this recipe is not fancy or complicated at all. You don’t need to use your oven or pots. In fact, you don’t even need to make a trip to the grocery store to buy an expensive specialty ingredient that you’ll only use once before it languishes in the back of your pantry.

Will you ever be able to forgive me? Perhaps some Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal would help win you back…

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

Makes 1 serving

Ingredients

1/3 cup oats
2 tablespoons canned pumpkin puree
1 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons milk
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
dash of cinnamon, cloves, and allspice
dried cranberries (optional)
chopped pecans (optional)

Directions

Measure all of the ingredients into a microwave-safe bowl and stir just until combined. Microwave on high for 1-2 minutes, or until desired consistency. Top with more pecans and dried cranberries, if desired. Serve immediately.

This cake is a kuchen, prounced “koo-ken” best I can tell. Kuchen is German for cake. I’m not German and I’ve never even eaten kuchen before, but this recipe looked so good I had to try it. I’m so glad I did. There are several varieties of kuchen. This one has a base cake layer that is dense like a pound cake. The top layer is a smooth, creamy, almost cheesecake-like layer of custard. It’s fantastic!

While this recipe is probably best made at the peak of summer, when fresh summer berries are bursting with ripeness, it can be made with frozen berries which means it’s suitable for any time of year. It uses my beloved Greek yogurt, which I think qualifies this cake as a breakfast food, but it’s equally good as a snack or for dessert. It’s simple and unfussy, but yields beautiful results. Best of all, with only 4 Tablespoons of butter in the whole thing, it’s practically health food!

In short, I loved it so much I told everyone I know about it, immediately made a second kuchen, and forced my friends to eat it.

Lemon Blackberry Kuchen

Adapted from 6 Bittersweets
Serves 8 – 12

This cake is equally great with raspberries, so feel to use them if you prefer. If using frozen berries, thaw at room temperature and drain excess liquid.

Ingredients

Cake
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 large egg whites, yolks reserved for filling
2 tablespoons milk or buttermilk (optional)
1/2 tablespoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Filling
1 1/2 cups non-fat Greek yogurt (I use Chobani 0% plain)
1/2 cup sugar
2 large egg yolks
1 large egg
1/2 tablespoon lemon zest
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
6 ounces fresh blackberries

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with baker’s spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Add melted butter, egg whites, lemon zest, optional milk and vanilla. Stir until a soft cookie-like dough forms. Press dough lightly into bottom of prepared pan. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together yogurt, sugar, egg yolks, egg, zest, lemon juice and vanilla extract until smooth. Let sit for 5 minutes.

Spread berries evenly on top of dough. Pour yogurt mixture over berries. Bake at 350°F for 45-55 minutes, or until center is set but still jiggles when gently shaken. Cool in pan for 15 minutes. Remove outer ring and cool about an hour. Cover and chill for 4 hours, or until ready to serve.

A few weeks ago, during one of our many 100 degree days this summer, I picked up a quart of fresh blackberries at the farmers’ market thinking they would be perfect for turning into frozen yogurt. And they were! I added some lemon zest and Limoncello to give it some zing. The alcohol also helps to keep the frozen yogurt from freezing up too hard. Just try not to love the vibrant purple color of this frozen yogurt. It tastes as good as it looks.

If you have blackberries, this is a refreshing and fairly healthy way to cool off during these last few sweltering days of August!

Blackberry Lemon Frozen Yogurt

Adapted from David Lebovitz’s The Perfect Scoop
Makes about 4 cups

I used Chobani 0% Greek yogurt because it’s what I had on hand. It worked fine, but I think 2% or even full fat Greek Yogurt would yield a better texture and creamier frozen yogurt. Limoncello is an Italian lemon liquor that can be found at most liquor stores.

Ingredients

3/4 cup sugar
zest of one lemon
handful of fresh mint leaves (optional)
2 cups Greek yogurt
2 heaping cups (300g) fresh blackberries
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 tablespoons Limoncello

Directions

Pulse sugar, lemon zest and mint leaves in food processor until sugar is damp and fragrant.

Add yogurt, blackberries, lemon juice and Limoncello. Process until uniform in bright purple color and texture. Push mixture through a mesh sieve into a 4 cup container to remove seeds and leaves. Cover and chill overnight.

Churn in your ice cream maker according to instructions.

I ended up eating most of the peaches raw. They were that good. But I had a few left, and I also happened to have a few leftover blackberries languishing in the fridge as well. While I’m normally adamantly opposed to the idea of a warm fruit crisp on an hot and humid August evening, we just happened to have a few unseasonably mild days last week, so I decided I would make an exception.

I love this dessert for several reasons. It’s super easy, it uses seasonal fruits, it’s highly adaptable, it uses up leftovers, and it’s really not that bad for you. Plus it’s easy to scale the recipe up to feed a crowd if you need to. Topped with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream, it even makes a suitable summer dessert.

Peach Blackberry Crisp For Two

Makes 2 individual servings

My peaches were so ripe I didn’t bother to peel them. You can peel first if you prefer. Substitute all purpose flour for the whole wheat flour if it’s all you’ve got on hand. This recipe will work for just about any combination of fresh fruit you have on hand, as long as it will fit in a ramekin.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons old fashioned oats
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
dash of ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 large fresh peach, pitted and chopped
1 cup fresh blackberries, more or less

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a small bowl, combine flour, walnuts, oats, salt, sugar, cinnamon and butter with two forks or your hands until crumbly.

Layer chopped peach and blackberries in two 7-ounce ramekins. Top ramekins evenly with flour crumb mixture. Place ramekins on a foil lined baking sheet (in case of overflow) and bake 20-30 minutes, or until fruit is bubbly. Cool at least 5 minutes before serving.