Roasted Root Vegetable & Emmer Salad

I made this beautiful, healthy, satisfying salad served alongside a pumpkin-coconut soup and warm fresh bread last weekend when my brother and sister-in-law were visiting. It was full of fresh autumn vegetables which, served warm, feel nourishing during these cooler days.

Ingredients:

• Sweet potato/Yam (1 large)
• Potato (2 medium)
• Yellow Onion (1 large)
• Carrot (2-3)
• Zucchini (1 average)
• Mixed Salad Greens
• Olive oil
• Bluebird Grains Emmer Farro (1-2 cups)
• Roasted Chopped Nuts
• Fresh Herbs - whatever you have in the garden, we used rosemary
• Herbes de Provence mix (for seasoning)
• Powdered Garlic, Salt & Pepper

** If you like or love garlic, I recommend roasting garlic too. Other vegetables which you could include: bell peppers, beets & eggplant

What to do:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare a baking sheet (with oil or aluminum foil).
2. Clean and peel vegetables. Chop into 1-2 inch chunks. Place in a bowl.
3. When all vegetables are chopped, pour on olive oil and add spices and fresh herbs.
4. Place evenly on baking sheet and roast in oven for about 1 hour, turning the vegetables every 15-20 minutes.
5. While the vegetables are roasting, clean the salad greens and place in a bowl or on a serving plate. Add cooked emmer and roasted nuts.
6. When vegetables finish, add to salad and serve with dressing of choice. We used a simple balsamic vinegar, olive oil and salt mix but this would be even more amazing with a homemade vinaigrette as well.

Delicious Pumpkin Coconut Soup

This soup was an experiment turned delight which I hope you enjoy and take liberty to improve on. It is a simple and easy to prepare soup with grounding autumnal flavors that warm the body during these cooler months. We paired it with a roasted root vegetable & emmer salad and warm freshly baked bread. 

Ingredients:

• Fresh Pumpkin (2 cups)
• Coconut Milk (~1/3 cup)
• Yellow Onion (1 large)
• Coconut Oil (for frying, 2-3 tablespoons) 
• Brown Sugar (2 tablespoons)
• Cinnamon, Clove, Nutmeg & Salt
• Ground, roasted, spiced nuts (as garnish)

What to do:

1. Start by chopping the onion and sautéing it in coconut oil in a medium pot on a medium-high heat, stirring periodically so that it doesn't burn. Meanwhile, cut the pumpkin in chunks.
2. After about five minutes, when the onion is tender and translucent, add the pumpkin and stir for a few minutes.
3. Add just enough water to submerge the pumpkin, cover the pot and bring to a boil. Let the it cook for about 25 minutes.
4. While the soup is cooking, roast the nuts (I used walnuts & almonds) on the stove or in the oven - whichever is your preferred method-, then chop or blend them into small pieces. Add a dash of nutmeg & clove to them.
5. Once the pumpkin is soft and could be easily mashed with a potato masher, it is ready to be puréed.
6. Purée with a blender or other kitchen tool and return soup to pot. 
7. Stir in coconut milk (use more if you want a stronger flavor) and bring soup to low boil. 
8. Add spices to taste. Start with 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon clove & nutmeg. Then add more based on preference. 
9. Let cook for another 10-15 minutes. Makes four servings. 
10. Add roasted nuts to garnish. Serve warm.

Enjoy!

The Castanyada: a Catalan alternative to Halloween

Every year on the eve of All Saints Day, which happens to also be Halloween for America, Catalans celebrate the "Castanyada," a dinner of sweet potatoes, roasted castanyes (chestnuts) from which the word "castanyada" is derived and panellets (almond-based cookies). It is traditionally served with a special wine. This Catalan holiday differs from many others in that it is celebrated in the home with family over dinner rather than in the streets with music, dance and other activities.

Sweet potatoes, chestnuts and panellets

Enjoying the Castanyada dinner with family

A large selection of panellets.

During this time of the year, walking through Barcelona and surrounding towns, one will find street vendors roasting chestnuts and sweet potatoes where long cues form to get their hands on these sweet and healthy treats. Since the weather drops quite a bit at this time of year, it is a real delight to warm up the body with these piping hot, freshly-roasted snacks.

Anyone in the mood for chestnuts? Photo credit: Barcelona Street Times

The traditional figure from this holiday is the castanyera (the chestnut-roaster), depicted by the image of an old woman in a skirt with apron and a headscarf, bent over a grill. This image is part of the collective memory of the origins of the Castanyada and has been immortalized in popular children's songs as well as through drawings and stories.

Photo credit: L'Elefant Tropeta