Homemade Applesauce, Pear Sauce

My favorite part of the gluten-free diet: we can always say yes to fruits and vegetables! And keeping foods in their most basic element can be both tasty and rewarding. This is the most basic recipe for applesauce, but the results are so delicious. Sweet apples make a sweeter sauce, obviously, and the sweeter the apple the less inclined you'll feel to add any sugar. This is a great first food for baby, but be sure to make extra because other members of the family will probably want some too.

Applesauce, Pear Sauce

2 medium apples or pears (sweet, ripe)
2 Tablespoons water or unsweetened apple juice

Peel fruit and chop the apple or pear into small, even-size pieces. Put the fruit into a heavy-bottomed saucepan with the water, cover, and cook over low heat until tender, about 6 to 8 minutes for apples, 4 minutes for pears.
Blend the fruit to a smooth puree using some of the cooking liquid. This is delicious warm or cold.

Butternut Squash Soup

Image from flickr.com

Here is a classic recipe for squash soup where the vegetable is the main event. The Joy says you can make this soup with any winter squash, but of course, butternut is the classic.
Also, a word about leeks. Leeks look like giant green onions (scallions), and are "an ancient member of the onion family," but they are milder and sweeter than any of their relatives. They are in season from fall to spring, the soup season, really, and they are so lovely in soups. Look for bunches with leeks the same size, preferably small, with bright crisp leaves.
And a word about ginger. If you don't have fresh ginger, you can use powdered, but know that it is much hotter and should be added slowly. Preparing fresh ginger is a refreshing experience and I think everyone should try it at least once.

There are so many butternut squash soup--anyone else have a favorite to share?

Butternut Squash Soup

1 medium to large butternut squash (about 3-1/2 pounds), halved and seeded

3 Tablespoons unsalted butter or vegetable oil
2 large leeks (white part only), cleaned thoroughly and chopped
4 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock

2 cups more chicken or vegetable stock
1-1/2 teaspoons salt

chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
croutons
toasted squash seeds (optional)*

Preheat oven to 400.
Place cut squash cut side down on an oiled baking sheet and bake until squash can be easily pierced with a fork, about 1 hour. Let cool, then scoop the pulp from the squash skin and discard the skin.
Melt or heat butter or oil in a soup pot, over medium-low heat. Add leeks and ginger and cook, stirring, until tender but not browned.
Stir in the squash along with the stock. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring and breaking up the squash with a spoon, 20 minutes.
Puree in a blender or using a stick blender (be careful, it's hot!) Return to the pot and stir in 2 additional cups stock and salt.
Heat through and serve immediately, garnishing with fresh herbs and croutons and seeds, as desired.
To toast squash seeds: rinse and dry the seeds, toss them in 1-1/2 teaspoons oil to lightly coat, and bake them along with the squash, until browned, reserve to serve with soup.

Waxing Nostalgic About What I Eat

I eat so much food now compared to five years ago. I blame my expanded palate on marrying my husband, graduating college, staying home and having time to cook, two pregnancies, and two babies. The other day I tried to remember what I ate before I married Brad and all I could think of:
chicken
all kinds of pasta, usually whole wheat
fresh parmesan
cheddar
eggs
minute rice
bananas
sandwiches
luna bars
kashi cereal
cheerios
cheese toast
smoothies
hawaii's own frozen juice concentrate
yoplait yogurt
annie macaroni and cheese
milk

If you ask me what I ate before my freshman year of college, I really can't tell you. My mom did her best, but I was so picky and we often didn't like the same things. My freshman year I started checking out health food stores and fresher options thanks to my roommates. Brad has introduced me to even more foods, which sounds counterintuitive when there are so many foods he can't eat. But the world is so much bigger than bread and noodles.
Here are some of the foods I have tried (or prepared for the first time on my own) and come to like since I got married. The ones marked with * I now buy on a regular basis.

limes*
lemons*
cream*
plain yoghurt*
cinnamon life
cilantro*
black beans*
chickpeas*
kidney beans
pinto beans*
refried beans*
bamboo shoots*
coconut milk*
pork chops*
pork loin roast*
seven-bone beef roast
ground turkey
mission chips*
dubliner cheese
goat cheese
feta
eggplant
pomegranate
rhubarb
parsnips
blueberries
sour cream
yellow squash
basil
nutella
dried beans
tangerine
munster cheese
ginger*
shallots
leeks
salmon
steak
figs
fava beans
edamame

applesauce and pear sauce from scratch
pizza from scratch
frosting from scratch
cream puffs from scratch
roasted turkey
cranberry mustard relish
omelet
homemade corn tortillas
thai curry
pesto from scratch
chicken tikka and tikka masala from scratch
butternut squash soup from scratch
tomato soup from scratch
muffins from scratch
carrot cake from scratch
pancakes from scratch
lemon pancakes from scratch
bread from scratch
crepes from scratch
brownies from scratch
cheesecake from scratch

Here's to finding even more delicious foods in the future. I'm just getting started.