Spices and Seasonal Vegetables

If you're like my household, by this time of the winter you're getting a teensy bit tired of the standard fall and winter produce favorites. There are only so many ways to cook a potato or turnip before you start having weird dreams about them. I love all of the current seasonal hits more than most people but even I need to spice things up by this time in January, pun definitely intended.

Spices, spices, spices. Salt and pepper can get you a long way but what about chili powder, cardamon, and ginger? How often do you reach for cinnamon when you're making carrots? Not very often, I bet, but these spices and so many others can really liven up your midwinter meals. 

A great store that just came to Charlotte is the Savory Spice Shop. The Savory began as a mom and pop store in Denver, CO, but has been franchised in a handful of cities across the U.S. A group of friends recently opened their own franchise in the Atherton complex just across the parking lot from the market. They have everything from sugars, cinnamons and other sweet flavors to pretty much any savory spice you can think of. As an added bonus, all spices are sold by the ounce so you can chose how much you want.

My current favorite way to use one of their products is for sweet potatoes and butternut squash, both of which you can buy all over North Carolina right now. The Lomax Farm, Coldwater Creek and several vendors at the Charlotte Regional Farmers Market are selling sweet potatoes and the butternut squash I got from Houston Farms. Add some olive oil from Ohh-lio Express and either the Bohemian Forest Rub or the Tandoori spice from the Savory Spice Shop and you've got a vegetable side dish worthy of an entree!

Butternut Squash and Sweet Potatoes (V)

1 butternut squash

1-2 sweet potatoes

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

Spice of your choice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Cut potato and squash into 1 inch pieces and place in a 9x13 pan
2. Drizzle olive oil on top 
3. Sprinkle your favorite spice and salt
4. Heat at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until potato and squash are at your desired tenderness

Note: Salt can really bring out the flavor of spices that otherwise might fall a little flat so add just a dash, especially for international flavor profiles.

Vegan Month Part I: Sweet Potato Squash Bake

It's vegan month here at Charlotte Local Eats! This month I post recipes that don't require meat, eggs, or dairy products. After reading The China Study and learning all about the benefits of a completely animal product-free diet, I've been testing some recipes that avoid those ingredients.

If I hadn't strategically titled this post, you probably would have guessed that I was going to give you a tofu recipe. Luckily for you, that post comes next week. This week I celebrate the hallmark of Dr. Campbell's diet: whole unprocessed plants. There's so much you can do with just veggies and one or two other ingredients. This recipe is so incredibly simple, the hardest part is waiting for it to come out of the oven. 

Actually, peeling the squashes is a bit of a trick. My suggestion: cut the thinner part of the squash from the bulbous part, remove the tip and base and then use a really sharp knife to cut down towards the counter top. You may loose a little bit of the meat of the squash, but you won't cut yourself or spend an hour trying to peel one squash.

Houston Farms has had beautiful butternut squash and Bell's Best Berries has had sweet potatoes and green apples. That makes this recipe easy, local and, as a bonus, totally vegan. The recipe below makes about 4 servings.

Sweet Potato Squash Bake (V)

1 butternut squash

1 sweet potato

1 green apple

1/4 cup red wine vinegar 

1-2 T brown sugar

1. Peel the potato and squash then cut apple, potato and squash into roughly the same slice size, no more than 3/4 inch thick
2. Put squash, then potato, then apple in a brownie-type dish
3. Pour over vinegar and dot with sugar
4. Cover with tin foil then Bake at 400 for 45 minutes

I added almonds when I made it but they didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped. The rest was delicious though!