Leslie Dabney, The Vineyard Mom, joined us from her home in California with two recipes for fall: Roasted Fall Veggie & Pasta Salad and Cinnamon and Walnut Muffins with Vanilla Icing.
Roasted Fall Veggie and Pasta Salad
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 cup diced butternut squash
2 cups broccoli florets
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 yellow squash, diced
12 ounces of any short pasta
2 tablespoons fresh basil
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
¾ cup grated parmesan cheese
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, combine tomato paste, oregano, basil, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, garlic powder and ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil.
Whisk to combine.
Add into the mixing bowl the butternut squash, broccoli, red bell pepper and yellow squash.
Toss to combine all the veggies in the tomato mixture.
Spread the veggies onto a foil lined baking sheet in a single layer.
Roast until the veggies are softened and slightly browned.
This will take 35-40 minutes.
While the veggies are cooking, cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water according to package directions.
Drain well.
In a large mixing bowl, add the roasted veggies and the pasta.
Drizzle in the remaining ¼ cup of the extra virgin olive oil.
Top with the basil, parsley and parmesan cheese. Mix well and serve warm.
Leslie suggests serving with a chardonnay if you like medium-body wines or with a Sauvignon blanc if you prefer a light and crisp wine.
Apple, Cinnamon and Walnut Muffins with Vanilla Icing Swirl Muffins
1 ½ cups white sugar
½ cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 ¾ cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup milk
2 cups peeled, cored and diced red apples (honeycrisp or Braeburn)
½ cup roughly chopped walnuts
Vanilla Icing Swirl
1 cup confectioners sugar
4 tablespoons heavy cream
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Muffins
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Coat the top and insides of a jumbo muffin pan with cooking spray or line with paper liners.
Beat sugar, butter, vanilla and salt together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each egg.
Combine flour, baking powder and cinnamon in a separate mixing bowl.
Stir flour mixture into the egg mixture, alternating with the milk until just combined.
With a spatula, fold in apples and walnuts until evenly distributed.
Scoop batter into muffin tin so each one is ¾ full.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean.
Place muffin on a wire rack.
Vanilla Icing
Whisk together confectioners sugar, heavy cream and vanilla extract.
Drizzle vanilla icing over each muffin; warm or cooled.
Recipes courtesy of @thevineyardmomliving.
