DIY Wednesday: Squash Apple Butter

September 30, 2015September 30, 2015 / ktbuchs87

I certainly did not invent apple butter, although that would be pretty awesome if I did. I’m also certainly not the first to put a recipe for apple butter on their blog. But I’m putting a little spin on the typical apple butter today for your DIY post of the week.

I actually had never really tried apple butter until I met Adam. His grandma sent us home from a visit once with some apple butter and it was delicious. It was smoother and creamier than applesauce and that was what I loved about it. It’s funny that Adam was technically the one to introduce me to apple butter since the man doesn’t like cooked apples! I know, he’s weird.

Anyway, most apple butter is made with a TON of sugar. Besides adding sweetness, it helps preserve the apple butter. That’s fine for some, but since I don’t do refined or much added sugar, I wanted to try an apple butter that didn’t use sugar. To me, cooked apples are already fairly sweet. Plus if you add in spices like cinnamon it ups the sweet factor. I also wanted to do something to make my apple butter even smoother. Pureed squash is really smooth and creamy plus it tends to lean toward the sweet side. And squash is just awesome in general so I thought why not add it into my apple butter.

Luckily it worked out and I ended up with a fall hybrid butter that is perfect on toast, in oatmeal, on pancakes, or on a peanut butter sandwich. It is so easy to make your own apple butter and it will cost a lot less than buying it from the apple orchard or specialty shops. So if you have a plethora of apples hanging around and want to try something a little different than your typical apple butter, give this squash apple butter a try!

Squash Apple Butter

5 to 6 large apples of different varieties, I used a mix of sweet and tart like granny smith and gala.
2 cups diced butternut squash, you could also try pumpkin or delicata
2 tsp lemon juice
2 to 3 cinnamon sticks, optional
2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg, optional
1 tsp ground cloves, optional
1 tsp ground cinnamon, optional

Place sliced apples, cubed squash, and cinnamon sticks if you are using them into a slow cooker. You want to make sure you fill the cooker almost to the top leaving just a little space.
Cook on high for 4 hours. If your apples and squash start sticking, you can use a little water. Don’t use too much because you don’t want a watery butter.
After 4 hours, the apples and squash should be fairly soft. Remove the cinnamon sticks and smash everything else with a potato masher or fork and transfer the whole thing to a blender. You could also use an immersion blender. Puree the apples and squash until super smooth. This is important to make sure you have a smooth and creamy butter.
Return the puree to the slow cooker and cook on high for another hour. At the end stir in the lemon juice and any spices you want.
Allow the whole mixture to cool before you transfer to jars or other airtight containers. Store in the fridge.

I have really liked swirling this into my oatmeal in the morning. The whole thing just reminds me of fall and that makes me happy!

In other news, my little sister is getting married this weekend ( 😀 😀 😀 😀 ) and I am just a tad busy helping her with that! While I have plenty of new recipes to share with you, my Friday post will be a round-up of my favorite fall recipes around the blog world. I hope you have a great Wednesday and see you soon!

DIY Wednesday: Basil Salad Dressing

September 23, 2015September 23, 2015 / ktbuchs87 / 3 Comments

Friends, I’m ready to admit something.

I’m kind of having a love affair with basil. I know, I know. It’s just a summer fling, but I can’t get enough of the stuff. It smells so good, looks so pretty, and tastes phenomenal. Even better, it makes any food I put in my mouth taste phenomenal.

I got into the fresh basil game a little late this summer because for most of the summer we were gone every weekend and I couldn’t get to the farmer’s market and I was not going to pay over $3 for the tiny little packages at the store. But this past month we have made it to the market and one stand there sells fresh herbs of all kind and I can get a whole bunch of basil for $2. Naturally I load up on it and come home and make all the basil things.

Besides the obvious pesto (which I have like 3 jars of right now) I have been making basil and lemon oil, and this dressing. I have swooned about this dressing a few times over on Instagram so I thought that I would share it with you guys.

I’ve talked about making your own salad dressing before and I think it’s the best money and health saving switch you can make. Making your own salad dressing is SO simple and you get to control the ingredients. Store bought dressing is full of preservatives and you’re paying a lot of money to ingest those things.

So why not make your own? This literally comes together in the touch of a blender button and BAM, you have a delicious, basil-filled dressing ready to go on salad, over vegetables, or straight into your mouth with a straw. Which I’ve never done…

Basil Salad Dressing

1 cup loosely packed, whole basil leaves
2 tsp roasted garlic or 2 cloves fresh garlic
2 tbsp tahini
1/3 cup full-fat coconut milk (you could also use almond milk)
juice of half a lime
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Ready for this? Put everything into a blender and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week…. if it lasts that long.

I love one step recipes almost as much as I love basil. See how easy it is to make dressing? You can even switch up the herbs you do and use parsley, dill, or cilantro. Whatever your little heart desires!

Simple Fish Salad

September 18, 2015 / ktbuchs87

Remember that wall of fish in my freezer? Well, it has made me become very creative with cooking fish and I thought that I would share some of my creations with you wonderful people.

I don’t eat fish but my husband, Adam does. I know that fish is a very popular, healthy protein and that many people eat fish. The problem with fish is preparing it. Some people have this perception that it is really difficult to cook and while it can be easy to overcook fish, it isn’t as hard as you might think. Some people think the best way to make fish is to dunk it in batter and fry it up, right mom :)? While this method is tasty, it isn’t the healthiest way to make fish.

Here is a simple and healthy way to make fish that is a nice change from pan or deep frying.

Simple Fish Salad

1 lb of white fish, I used rockfish but halibut, tilapia or cod would work well
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp fresh or dried dill
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2-3 tbsp homemade mayo (or use your favorite brand)
1/2 a medium zucchini, shredded

Fill a medium saucepan with a little water and then place a steamer basket over the top. Cover and bring to a boil.
While water is coming to a boil, remove any skin from your fish and cut into 1 in. cubes. Place the fish in a medium bowl.
Sprinkle fish with lemon juice and all the seasonings. Mix well to make sure all the fish is coated. Place the fish into the steamer basket and cover. Steam until the fish is cooked through about 5 to 8 minutes.
Remove the fish and place it in a clean bowl. Shred the fish with two forks and allow it to cool a little. Once the fish is cool, mix in the mayo. Use enough that the fish is covered by not drowning in the mayo. Stir in the zucchini shreds.
You can serve this right away or keep in the fridge and serve cold.

That’s it! This is a meal that comes together fast and can be made ahead of time. You can also serve it numerous ways. You can spread it over toasted bread, in lettuce wraps, or you can scoop it up with celery or carrot sticks. So many delicious options! If you’re looking for a new way to eat your fish, give this fish salad a try!

Have an excellent weekend everyone!

DIY Wednesday: Date Sugar

September 16, 2015September 16, 2015 / ktbuchs87

Sugar has been getting a lot of attention lately. Really, it’s always gotten some type of attention. Is it good or bad? Are there better or healthier sugars? Are no calorie sweeteners ruining our health? Will you die immediately if you have one of your grandma’s famous chocolate chip cookies?

There are so many opinions, studies, research, and questions swirling around sugar lately as more and more people are trying to adopt a healthier lifestyle. I don’t have all the answers about sugar, but I can share my experience/relationship with sugar.

When I totally changed the way I ate a few years ago, I cut out refined sugar. No more white sugar or brown sugar. I relied mostly on honey as a sweetener, but for a long time I avoided anything sweet other than fruit. That worked for a little while and eventually I didn’t crave sugar like I used to but every now and then I wanted something sweet. At first I thought that was a weakness on my part, but I’ve learned that it’s ok to crave things and to address those cravings in the way that makes me feel best. I still avoid refined sugar, but I use things like honey, molasses, and maple syrup as sweeteners when I’m baking and cooking.

Today’s DIY is all about another type of sweetener, date sugar. I’ve seen it in stores like Whole Foods and usually it’s really expensive for a small amount. When I saw that dates were the only ingredient, I figured I could make my own. A quick search on Google confirmed that it is a thing and you can make your own date sugar. I like this sweetener because it isn’t a liquid sweetener like honey or syrup. It doesn’t dissolve in liquid like white sugar, but it does add a really nice caramel flavor. You can use this in oatmeal in place of brown sugar, in baked goods, or even in coffee or tea if you don’t mind the grainy bits. I also like this sweetener because it offers all the nutritional benefits of dates while adding a sweet flavor.

DIY Date Sugar

20 Medjool dates, pitted and sliced in half

Preheat oven to 250 and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat.
Arrange the sliced dates on the sheet and bake in the oven for 2-3 hours checking every so often to make sure the dates don’t burn.
Turn off the oven and let the dates sit in the oven for another few hours or overnight until the are completely hard.
Once the dates are cooled and hardened, put them into a blender or food processor and grind until you have a fairly fine powder.

Keep your date sugar in an airtight container and store it in the fridge or freezer if you aren’t going to be using it right away.

Told you this one was easy! Now remember, the one thing about sugar I can tell you is that sugar is sugar. Your body can’t tell the difference between high fructose corn syrup or date sugar. It’s ok to have a sweet treat now and then but don’t make this the basis of everything you put in your mouth. It’s all about balance people!

Hope you have a great Wednesday and tell me, what’s your favorite sweetener?

The Last Summer Pasta Salad

September 11, 2015September 11, 2015 / ktbuchs87 / 1 Comment

Summer is having its last hurrah. Half of this week has been ridiculously hot and humid. I’m talking two showers-a-day hot and humid. But that humidity finally broke a few days ago and now you can feel a touch of fall in the air.

While I absolutely love fall, I’m not quite ready to give up my summer just yet. My farmer’s market still has plenty of end of the summer vegetables like corn and tomatoes and there are still a few 80 degree days in the forecast. Warm days like that beg for a meal that doesn’t require you to turn on the oven.

I came up with this pasta salad last Sunday when even thinking about turning on the oven made me sweat, and I was already sweating buckets. This meal comes together fast and tastes amazing served up cold. It also packs in a lot of vegetables and herbs and can be customized to whatever produce you have lying around.

So if you’re like me and aren’t ready to say goodbye to summer, whip up this salad and enjoy these last few days.

The Last Summer Pasta Salad with Herb Sauce

2 cups cooked pasta, I used brown rice rotini
1 cup cooked quinoa
2 ears of corn, kernels removed (you can also use frozen kernels, thawed)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1 cup bell peppers, I used a mix of yellow, green, and red
1 cup zucchini, diced
1/2 cup onion, diced
3-4 cloves garlic minced

Herb Sauce

1 small bunch of basil leaves, about 1/2 cup tightly packed
1 small bunch of cilantro
2 cloves garlic
1/3 cup full-fat coconut milk
juice of half a lime
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all sauce ingredients in a blender and set aside.
Heat a little olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the onions until softened and then add in the peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, and corn. Cook until the edges are slightly brown. Add in the garlic at the very end and saute for one more minute.
Remove the vegetables from heat and let them cool. In a large bowl combine the pasta and quinoa and the cooled vegetables. Mix everything well.
Pour the herb sauce over everything and stir to combine so everything is coated. Taste and adjust the seasonings. You can serve it right away or put it in the fridge to cool completely.