Recipe: Carrot Ginger Apple Juice

Last week, my brother and I were in the mood for carrot cake so I decided to make and film a somewhat healthier version of this scrumptious dessert. The recipe called for around two cups of carrots, grated and strained. I forgot to pick up cheesecloth at the grocery store, but I soon realized that I could have easily acquired the "grated and strained" effect from carrots if I used their pulp from a juicer! That meant a new project--so as a result, this recipe (and video) was born!! I think using leftover pulp from your carrot juice works incredibly well for this sort of recipe: as a result, my carrot cake was not soggy or mushy at all! The texture rendered light and slightly crumbly, but the shape held together for the most part. In short, it was just divine! There were no chunks except that of the raisins and desiccated coconut--exactly the effect I was looking for! I would totally just roll the batter up into little balls or cut them into bars for a snack the next time I make them (which I will)! 

The juice was pretty good as well--for a juice, it was surprisingly rich and the ginger gave it the perfect amount of pizazz! (Haha seriously, who even uses that cheesy word anymore?) I haven't juiced since the summer so I forgot how ridiculously simple it is to pump out a glass of liquid gold (or orange, in this case). The only thing that's somewhat of a nuisance is cleaning the entire contraption. Does anyone know of an easier way to accomplish this? As the weather warms up, I'm looking forward to making more juices and smoothies! Ah, I am loving spring! 

Sincerely,

Jenny

Recipe: Roasted Butternut Squash Crescents

Hey y'all, I decided share with you some photos from my butternut squash experiment last night. My dad wanted to use up this veggie so instead of throwing it into a stew like I always do, I decided to try something new.

 I started by preheating the oven to 400 degrees.  Being too lazy to peel the skin, I left it on after scrubbing the squash thoroughly. I sliced hacked the cumbersome vegetable with a meat cleaver into neat little rounds. Unable to squeeze everything onto the roasting tray, I then cut each circle in half so everything could neatly fit. Taking a bunch of spices from the cupboard, I used a combination of black pepper, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, and nutritional yeast. Since my dad avoids any sort of processed vegetable oil in his diet, I omitted the EVOO most people who toss in and decided to give this fat-free version a spin. The squash definitely had enough moisture alone because after 30 minutes, when I took out the sizzling tray to give everything a flip--nothing was burned--in fact, everything was mouthwateringly tender to the touch and delightfully steaming. If I sliced even the butternut squash even thinner or used a mandolin, these would have turned out to be scrumptious chips!

 If you're running short on time, 30 minutes is definitely enough to cook these babies through--you just won't get that nice caramelized layer--so I'd definitely recommend the full hour (30 minutes, flip, another 30 minutes) in the oven. Trust me, you won't regret it.

The peels were kind of a nuisance, so I think I would make the extra effort to peel the entire squash before I throw it into the oven next time. Nonetheless these spiced, fat-free butternut crescents (sounds fancy, doesn't it?) were a big hit with both my dad and I. Personally, I felt like the squash didn't need much seasoning at all because it was so good on its own, but I shall definitely be recreating this dish (with the new adjustments) again for you all. :)

Sincerely,
Jenny