Brownies and Salad and Cakes, oh my

I have been in a festive fall mood lately, especially now that our veggie and fruit boxes are including winter squash, pomegranates and soon oranges! I made one of my favorite salads last week, both Matt and Orson loved it:

Organic Delicata Squash Salad with Pomegranate Dressing:

 It is super easy, you will need:

1 Delicata Squash

1 tbs Herbs de Provance

1 or tbs olive oil

1 Pomegranate (see this cool video on how to remove the seeds)

 Some organic greens

1 cup toasted peacans

some Honey

Some Basalmic Vinegrette

Tbs or 2 of red wine
2 tsp mustard

salt and pepper

2 tbs olive oil

First half and seed the squash and then remove the outer skin (I do this using a potatoe peeler).  Cut the squash into inch rounds (like in the picture) and then toss with herbs and olive oil.  Spread out on cookie tray in a single layer and place in 375 degree oven for about 30 minutes (check for crisp outside and soft in and turn at least once).

Meanwhile, seed pomegranate and set aside half of the seeds to go on top of salad, with about a quarter of the other seeds, press out juice and mix juice with honey, around a tbsp or so.  Add mustard, S&P (to taste), vinaigrette and wine (if you have red wine vinaigrette you can just use it and skip the wine and balsamic, I think) to the honey mix and stir, slowly add in olive oil...taste and adjust as needed.

Once squash is done, take out and let cool and pan toast the pecans (watch closely so they don't burn).

Then create the salad, wash greens and mix with most of the pomegranate seeds and all the pecans, lightly coat with some of the dressing.  Plate.  Add squash and some more pomegranate seeds to the top and then drizzle with a little more dressing.  If you like grate some parmesan-romano cheese on top.

Orson loved it!

I have also discovered my favorite gluten free cake and brownie mixes...Dowd & Rogers, I can get their dark chocolate brownie and lemon cake mixes at a local health store and they are so good!  To the brownie mix I add nuts, GF oats, chocolate chips and cranberries or pomegranates when I feel like it, or just make it as called.  I have also made it into cookies.  So good.  I made the lemon cake as called for and then added an orange, lemon rum sauce on top.  I also poked little holes in the cake with a tooth pick so it would soak through.  To make the sauce: melt one stick of butter in a pan with 1/2 cup of sugar.  Combine and then add 1/4 cup OJ, a little lemon extract and some lemon zest.  Taste and add more as needed, when completely combines, pour over cake.  I reserved some and added slowly to let it soak through.  I only ended up using about half of the sauce, so I poured some over chocolate cake later in the week.

Hope everyone is enjoying fall!