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Blogs / yum! / Fall 2009 / To Everything There is a Season

yum!

A blog about food

To Everything There is a Season

 

Every leaf speaks bliss to me
Fluttering from the autumn tree.
- Emily Bronté 

 

Flying home into Hailey yesterday was so beautiful; I had tears in my eyes. Nevermind that I had been stuck on the East Coast, in an airport for over 19 hours, had about 3 hours of sleep—and thought I might never see Idaho again. Fall is one of my favorite seasons (winter getting top billing), and the site of Hailey and the red, yellow and green colors of the trees welcomed me back to the Valley.

Not that I expect anyone to know all of this about me, but I love birthdays. I celebrate mine for about a week. I am not calling myself “old” by any means, but as I have aged, this weeklong party has made my mornings a bit more painful. So this year, I am embracing the Valley’s resources and am trying for a fun weekend of sports instead of drinks. To get ready, I need to train a bit and start eating more healthily (goodbye for now Bacon, my life-long friend). So for the next two months, I am going to be researching healthier recipes that use local ingredients for some interesting new tastes. I am also inspired by working on our winter issue, which focuses on health and wellness. Basically, I am letting y’all know that my recipes are going to be good—and good for you.

Winter cooking makes me feel nurtured, warm and fuzzy, and I have a natural habit of whipping up a bunch of soups and hearty grub. This season, in the name of heartiness to kick-start my healthy months, I am trying some “cooked salads” I found in  Yoga Journal.

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Warm Spinach and Squash Salad

Serves 4

1 ½ pounds delicata squash cut into half moons, or butternut squash, peeled and cubed
4 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon salt, divided
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablspoons lemon juice or red wine vinegar
5 cups baby spinach leaves
½ cup toasted sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 400. In a 12-by-17 baking dish, toss squash with one tablespoon of olive oil, ¼ teaspoon of salt, and a few grindings of pepper. Bake until squash is tender, about 20 minutes. In a large bowl, mix juice or vinegar with ¼ teaspoon salt. Add squash, spinach, and almonhs. Heat remaining 3 tablespoons of oil in a small frying pan over medium-high heat. Carefully pour over salad (oil may splatter) and toss to coat and wilt spinach evenly. Serve at once.

Or if you can't give the Bacon up, try this salad (I altered it a bit and used baby spinach - it is my favorite if it is wilted as I feel that butter lettuce gets a bit slimy): Warm Salad with Jerusalem Artichokes Bacon and Radicchio

Yum!