We’ve kicked off 2014 with four JoyFoodly lifestyle habits that taste great, make us feel great, and are good for the environment. This week, we’re sharing our food habit number two: Eating in Season.
We were so happy to hear from those of you who didn’t get caught up in the new year’s resolution madness. Our food habit number one: Eating Better Proteins, brought in many happy emails about all the fun families had trying out our Purple Paiche Tacos. Yay for purple food!
Our second food habit is such an easy one we often take it for granted. Food habit number two is to Eat in Season, when produce is the freshest, tastes the best, and is more likely to be from a local source instead of traveling thousands of miles to your grocery store.
Today’s grocery stores carry so many fruits and vegetables that are grown out of season that it can be confusing, and not very tasty. When’s the last time you ate a winter tomato? Yep, pretty sad no matter how good the technology.
In our JoyFoodly kitchen, we strive to only cook what’s in season and make this easy and joyful for your family. We’re currently working on a new product that we think you’re going to love. It’s called the Joyful 12! Each season, we’ll give you a game plan for how to get 12 seasonal vegetables and fruits into your family’s diet with JOY. Let us know if you’d like to learn more and receive updates on the Joyful 12!
Since we know that winter produce can get a bit repetitive, we love to find new ways to use seasonal foods in creative (and delicious!) ways. We experimented with winter squash in our kitchen, and think you’ll love these two super simple, family-friendly recipes we shared with kids and families recently at our Macy’s Demo in San Francisco with our good friend, Chef Elianna Friedman of CUESA and the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market.
My absolute most JOY-filled moment was when our 11 year old audience helper, Evelyn, said “I don’t like the soup. I LOVE it.” We loved cooking with you, Evelyn!
For our Sweet and Spicy Apple Pumpkin Soup, click here!
Here’s to your family relishing in winter’s fruit and vegetable delights.
- 1 acorn squash
- 1 tablespoon of Olive oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup salsa (your favorite, fresh brand)
- 1 package of 10 inch tortillas
- 3 cups of Mozzarella cheese, shredded (12 oz.)
- 1/2 cup of Green onions, trimmed, sliced thin
- 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
- 1 ripe avocado
- 2 tablespoons plain yogurt
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 1 small bunch of cilantro (approximately ½ cup)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Rub squash with olive oil and 1-teaspoon salt and roast at 400F for 40 minutes.
- Remove from oven and cover with plastic wrap or tin foil for 10 minutes while it cools enough to handle. Leave the oven on, as you’ll bake the quesadillas after assembling them.
- With a spoon, remove flesh of the squash and place in a bowl. It should be cooked enough to easily spoon it out of its skin. Add ¼ cup of salsa, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and mix together.
- Spread out the tortillas on a clean, parchment lined baking sheet.
- Cover one half of tortilla with the roasted squash, spreading it out with your spoon. Top with cheese, then green onion and cilantro.
- Fold tortillas in half over contents to form quesadillas.
- Place in a 400 F oven for 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the tortillas are warm. Serve with Joyful 12’s Avocado Sauce on the side of the quesadilla.
- Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and mix together until creamy.
Chef Hollie Greene
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