Recipe: Roasted Acorn Squash

Just when I thought I had finished cooking for the day this little beauty caught my eye and I just had to bake it up. Perfect addition to any meal and it’s the easiest recipe around.

ROASTED ACORN SQUASH

INGREDIENTS

• 1 acorn squash, washed

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• Salt and pepper to taste

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INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400°F * Cut the squash in half, using a spoon scrape out the insides, and slice into 1/2" half moons.

2. Add the olive oil, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Toss to coat. * Lay the squash out on a baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes until fork tender and golden in colour.

Recipe: Spicy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

A snacker [someone who eats lightly or between meals], a snack [a small amount of food eaten between meals] .

Raise your have if you’re a snacker! 🙋🏻‍♀️ OH I SEE YOU! Now repeat after me - .

“I like good snacks and I can not lie,

You other snackers can't deny,

That when the food goes in an itty bitty plate,

And goes right in your face

You get sprung..”

.

No reason, I just wanted someone to sing with me. Now sit back and relax with a bowl of SPICY ROASTED PUMPKIN SEEDS

Spicy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups pumpkin seeds

• 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil

• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne

• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

• 1/4 teaspoon paprika

• parchment paper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Bake at 300 degrees for 40 minutes, taking them out and stirring/flipping halfway through. Let cool for a minute and enjoy!

Recipe: Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins, but WAIT there’s more! These are Gluten Free and No Sugar Added - WHAT-THE-SMURF! These turned out so light, moist and perfectly naturally sweetened......did I have you right after Chocolate Chip?

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Step 1

Add bananas, eggs, vanilla

Step 2

Baking soda + powder, salt and blend until smooth.

Step 3

Add almond flour and process to combine. Pausing often to scrape the walls and continue to process until incorporated.

Step 4

Using a large ice cream scoop, (size 8), divide batter between 12 cups on the prepared muffin tin and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown and toothpick inserted come out clean. Remove from the oven, let cool 15-20 minutes and enjoy.

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Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Serving: 12 muffins 
Author: Mary Mammoliti/Kitchen Confession

INGREDIENTS 

• 3 large ripe bananas

• 3 large eggs

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 3 cups almond flour

• 1/4 cup chocolate chips (dark or milk chocolate) 

• Cooking spray

INSTRUCTIONS 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and lime a muffin tin with liners and spray each liner with cooking spray. Set aside.

2. You can use a hand mixer, blender or food processor to mix the ingredients, you choose they all work well. 

3. Add bananas, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, baking soda + powder, salt and process until smooth.

4. Add almond flour and process to combine. Pausing often to scrape the walls and continue to process until incorporated.

5. If you are using a blender or food processor scoop the batter into a bowl and add chocolate chips. Stir with a spatula.

6. Using a large ice cream scoop, (size 8), divide batter between 12 cups on the prepared muffin tin and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown and toothpick inserted come out clean. Remove from the oven, let cool 15-20 minutes and enjoy.

NOTES

Store in a cool dry place for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Recipe: Golden Delicata Squash Soup with Roasted Garlic Chickpeas

Have you heard of the Delicata or Sweet Potato Squash?

It’s much sweeter than the other squash relatives and the taste reminds me of a mix of sweet corn, and pumpkin.

Today, I’m roasting, blending and simmering it up in my T-Fal 4qt Dutch Oven from their Stackables 10pc Set and whipping up this creamy dairy free soup!

Side note, how gorgeous is the sleek glass lid?!?! Prime real estate in my kitchen is finding a vacant shelve and this T-Fal Stackable 10pc Set has just moved in, taking up minimal space making it perfect for small space storage.

Want the recipe? Keep scrolling.

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Golden Delicata Squash Soup with Roasted Garlic Chickpeas

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Serves: 2
Author: Mary Mammoliti / Kitchen Confession

INGREDIENTS

• 1 delicata squash, cut in half and seeds removed

• 1 large can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained, rinsed and dried

• 4 tsp olive oil, divided (plus more to caramelize the onions)

• 1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 cup vegetable stock (or chicken stock)

• 1 tbsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp onion powder

• 1/2 tsp cayenne

• Salt and Pepper to taste
  

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.. Cut your delicata squash in half lengthwise and using a spoon scoop out the seeds. Place each half on a baking sheet, and drizzle 2 teaspoons of olive oil over top each fleshy side then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Flip each half cut side down on the baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes or until fork tender.
   

2. Toss your drained, rinsed and using a paper towel pat dry the chickpeas to remove some of the moisture and pour them into a bowl. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons of olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder and cayenne until evenly coated. Spread the coated chickpeas onto another baking sheet and roast at the same time as the squash for 20 minutes., mixing the chickpeas halfway to avoid burning them.
   

3. While everything is roasting in the oven, roughly chop the onion, mince the garlic. Add a generous amount of olive oil to a large skillet and cook the onions on medium to low heat until soft, fragrant and caramelized - about 5-8 minutes. Add your garlic once the onions are done and cook for a few seconds (careful not to burn). Set aside.
   

4. Once your delicata squash is done roasting, let it cool for a few minutes until it’s comfortable to handle and then roughly chop it up. Add your chopped delicata squash, the onions and garlic and the vegetable stock to a heat-safe blender. Blend until creamy and smooth, adding more vegetable stock if needed.
   

5. Pour the blended soup to a large pot if desired and let it simmer and heat on the stove until warmed through. Top with the roasted chickpeas and enjoy!

Recipe: Lemony Fresh Orzo Salad

To quote my nieces and nephew “FOMO is real” and I couldn’t agree more. It’s been so grey and rainy here in Toronto that I’m missing the sunshine. Where is it?  I bet it’s at a party! Did I miss the invite? Why hasn’t it been around? GHAAAA! I can’t take this! Let me check @instagram. I’m missing out on something great! Maybe. Umm, probably not. Who knows where it is and what it’s doing I just miss it and decided to stop obsessing. I’m taking matters into my own hands.  Did you know that adding lemon to just about any dish will give you instant sunshine? 

Give this beauty a try and let me know if it brightens up your day.

Lemony Fresh Orzo Salad

TOTAL TIME: 30 MINS
PREP TIME: 15 MINS
COOK TIME: 15 MINS
AUTHOR: Mary Mammoliti / Kitchen Confession

INGREDIENTS:

• 12 ounces uncooked orzo

• 2 large handfuls fresh arugula, chopped

• 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained

• 1 English cucumber, diced

• 1 cup frozen corn, thawed

• 1 cup roughly-chopped fresh basil leaves

• 1/2 head radicchio, roughly-chopped fresh

Lemony Dressing:

• 2 lemons, juiced

• 1 tablespoon rice wine or white vinegar

• 1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard

• 1 garlic clove, finely minced

• 1/2 cup olive oil

• 1 teaspoon sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper, to taste

• optional: 1/2 cup crumbled feta or goat cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook the pasta in a large stockpot of generously-salted water until al dente, according to package instructions.  Drain pasta then rinse thoroughly in a strainer with cold water until the pasta is chilled.  Transfer to a large mixing bowl.

2. Add all the lemony dressing ingredients to a medium sized bowl and whisk for 1-2 minutes, or until the dressing begins to look creamy. Set aside.

3. Add the remaining ingredients to the mixing bowl. , pour dressing over and toss to combine.  Taste, and season with extra salt and pepper, if needed.

4. Serve immediately.  Or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

NOTE:

If you do not use all the dressing store in a sealed jar in your fridge for up to one week.

Recipe: Crunchy Honey Almond Granola

Good morning from the KC kitchen!

I hope you are all having a great start to your day. 

My morning began with this bowl of Greek Yogurt and a handful (or 2, who’s really counting) of this CRUNCHY HONEY ALMOND GRANOLA followed by an interesting chat with the inspiring founder of The Grange of Prince Edward Winery Caroline Granger - get ready KC Podcasters for a new episode coming your way. It’s going to be

In the mean time scoop out a few spoonfuls of vanilla creamy greek yogurt and a handful of this Honey Almond Granola. Sit back and enjoy every scoop :)

Photo Description: a bowl filled with vanilla greek yogurt topped with crunchy honey almond granola, a gold spoon, and a glass storage container filled with the freshly made granola

Did I mention if you subscribe to the Kitchen Confession Podcast on any podcast platform the episode will automatically download and ready for you to listen to at any time. It’s that easy! SUBSCRIBE and help us keep doing what we love to do and bring you more of what’s going on in the world of FOOD & BEVERAGE ~ sending you all xoxoxo ❤️

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CRUNCHY HONEY ALMOND GRANOLA

Only 6 ingredients and easy to make. It’s gluten free, healthy and crazy delicious! Pinch me, I think I’m dreaming - NOPE THIS IS THE REAL DEAL! 

Photo Description: a bowl filled with vanilla greek yogurt topped with crunchy honey almond granola, a gold spoon, and a glass storage container filled with the freshly made granola

PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOK TIME: 22 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 32 minutes
SERVINGS: As many bowls as you see fit :)
AUTHOR: Mary Mammoliti | Kitchen Confession

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups rolled oats (use gluten free if you have a gluten sensitivity)
1 cup whole almonds, roughly chopped
1/2 cup pure honey
1/4 cup grapeseed oil (any neutral oil will work like canola)
3 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Roughly chop the whole almonds.

3. In a large mixing bowl add the rolled oats and almonds and stir to combine.

4. In a smaller microwave-safe bowl add the honey, oil, vanilla and salt and microwave for about 30 seconds until just warm and the honey and oil mix easily.

5. Pour the warm honey mixture over the oats and stir until the mixture is coated.

6. Transfer the oat mixture to the prepared baking sheet and spread into an even layer. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until golden brown being sure to stir the granola after 15 minutes and again at 20 minutes. If you need the extra 2 minutes stir again before placing the tray back in the oven.

7. Allow granola to cool completely on the baking sheet before storing in an airtight container. This granola keeps for about a week - if it lasts that long :)

8. Do NOT refrigerate

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Recipe: Grilled Honey Sriracha Lime Salmon

The weather is warming up, the sun is shining and the likelihood of me spending hours meal prepping on a Sunday during the summer months are slim to none. This time of year I tend to gamravitate towards quick and simple 30 minute meals and tonight’s dinner was no acception. 

The entire meal was prepared on the BBQ! Which  means kitchen cleanup is minimal and I had food in my belly in 30 minutes - pinch me I think I’m dreaming. Begin by tossing your veggies in a little EVOO, and get them on the grill. Add your marinated salmon and cook for 12 - 15 minutes. TA DA! Dinner is served. Now go and enjoy your meal you crazy kids. 

 

GRILLED HONEY SRIRACHA LIME SALMON

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 12-15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 2
Author: Mary Mammoliti | Kitchen Confession

INGREDIENTS

2 individual (4-6 ounce) fillets
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons sriracha sauce
1 lime, juiced
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce (or Tamari)
1 teaspoon minced garlic

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine all ingredients in a shallow bowl and add the salmon, toss to coat, cover and let stand for 10 minutes.

2. Preheat BBQ

3. Place a reusable non stick mat on the BBQ grates. If you don’t have a reusable grill mat use aluminum foil and place it down on the grates

4. Place marinated salmon onto the grill mat and cook for 12 minutes.

5. Serve warm