maple

Roast Acorn Squash with Tahini Maple Sauce

Here is a perfect, cozy fall recipe! This simple tahini maple sauce adds just the right amount of sweetness to a roasted squash. Feel free to use other squash varieties with this recipe, like delicata or kabocha. This would be an excellent side dish to serve at your Thanksgiving dinner or just as a simple side dish for any fall dinner. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

  • 1 acorn squash

  • 1-2 tbsp olive oil

  • 1 tbsp fresh thyme

  • Salt and pepper to taste

For the sauce:

  • 3 tbsp tahini

  • 1 tbsp maple syrup

  • Juice from ½ lemon

  • Salt to taste

  • 3 tbsp water


Directions:

  • Cut squash in half, remove seeds, cut in wedges

  • Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper and thyme and roast in the oven at 425 for 45-50 minutes (flipping halfway)

  • Combine all ingredients for sauce in a bowl and whisk until smooth

  • Once squash is cooked, drizzle with the sauce and enjoy!

  • Optional (but highly recommended): sprinkle some cinnamon on top before serving

Maple Dijon Salmon

This is one of the easiest weeknight dinners! The salty, sweet combination is the perfect pairing with salmon, which is a fatty (good fat) fish. Also, cooking the salmon at a lower temperature allows the fish to retain moisture and oils — keeping this delicious flavor in.

Ingredients:

(Serves 2)

  • 1 lb salmon

  • 1 tbsp grainy mustard

  • 1 tbsp dijon mustard

  • 1 tbsp maple syrup

  • 1/2 tsp fresh thyme

  • 1/2 lemon, sliced

  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  • Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F

  • Place the salmon in a baking dish. Season it with salt and pepper.

  • Meanwhile, combine mustards, maple syrup, and thyme in a small bowl. Spread evenly on top of the salmon. Place lemon slices on top.

  • Bake for 15-20 minutes or until salmon easily flakes. Serve with extra lemon wedges.

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Almond Flour Pumpkin Bread

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This recipe kicks off the week of PUMPKIN! Since I am literally obsessed with pumpkin (I know, basic, but it's true), I decided to share a new pumpkin recipe each day this week. I used to dream about opening up a cafe called “La Zucca” (Italian for “pumpkin”), where most, if not all, of my dishes would feature pumpkin as the main ingredient. Before I was more health-conscious, these dishes included pumpkin bread french toast, pumpkin ravioli, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin muffins with cream cheese, and the list goes on. This week, you’ll be seeing recipes that are more in line with my new way of thinking, which is that we should be thinking about food as medicine - that we should be eating nutrient-dense food that nourishes and fuels us. These nourishing foods can still be incredibly delicious, as I believe these recipes to be! Maybe I still will open a pumpkin cafe one day...I’ll keep you posted if I do :) 

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Now, for the pumpkin bread. Anyone who knows me well knows about my obsession with pumpkin bread. I would easily take down an entire loaf on my own if I didn’t practice just a bit of self-restraint. I used to buy the boxed pumpkin bread mix from Trader Joe’s, but there are a ton of processed and refined ingredients, plus lots of sugar! When you make a homemade loaf with simple ingredients, I realized, it actually tastes much better and doesn’t leave you feeling guilty or gross after. Make a loaf of this and enjoy it as a snack, as your breakfast (maybe topped with almond butter and bananas to get some extra protein), or for a guilt-free dessert. It’s grain-free, dairy-free and free of refined sugars. 

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups almond flour

  • 1 15 ounce can pumpkin puree

  • ¼ cup maple syrup

  • 3 tbsp coconut oil, melted

  • 3 eggs

  • 1 tbsp + 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

  • 1 tsp cinnamon

  • ¼ tsp salt

  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

  • 1 tsp baking soda

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper or grease with coconut oil.

  • In a medium bowl, gently whisk eggs. Then add pumpkin puree, maple syrup, coconut oil, and vanilla and stir until combined.

  • In another bowl, add almond flour, salt, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, baking soda, and baking powder and stir together. Then add to wet ingredients and mix until combined. 

  • Transfer the batter to the loaf pan.

  • Bake the bread until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center, about 55 minutes.

  • Allow the bread to cool completely before slicing.

This is the brand of pumpkin puree I like to use

This is the brand of pumpkin puree I like to use

Health Benefits of Pumpkin:

  • Pumpkin is one of the best sources of beta-carotene, which converts to vitamin A in our body. Vitamin A promotes eye health and helps our body fight infection and viruses.

  • The Beta-carotene and other carotenoids in pumpkins help with liver detoxification and can improve the tissue health of the liver

  • Pumpkin is an excellent source of fiber, keeping you feeling fuller longer and aiding with digestion

  • The carotenoids and vitamins C and E in pumpkin helps keep our skin healthy and protect it from UV rays


Sources and additional reading: