What an amazing October day we had this year for our Harvest Celebration 5k/10k event! I noted that it was 70 degrees out when I was packing up the gear! It was great to have a bunch of children, many dog friends and partners out for this. Every year it gets bigger!
Big thanks go out to Vida Integrated Health who provided massage treatments after the run! And also thanks to our door prize sponsors: Fancy, Schmancy, Andaluz, Freggies, Tutta Bella, Tin Umbrella, and Communichi.
Thanks also to everyone for bringing such fantastic dishes for the potluck. We voted on one best main dish and one dessert with Lynne and Leslie each taking home the big prize: a massage from Alicea Cole ! Below are the recipes for each of their dishes!
Leslie’s Recipe: Spicy Squash Salad with Lentils and Goat Cheese
Adapted from Bon Appetit
3/4 cup black or green lentils
6 cups peeled, seeded and cubed butternut squash or sugar pumpkin (1-inch cubes) (from about a 2-poudn squash)
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon hot smoked Spanish paprika*
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
4 cups baby arugula (I skipped this)
1 cup soft crumbled goat cheese
1/4 cup thinly sliced mint leaves (optional; I used this, but added it after I took a photo)
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, plus additional to taste
Roasted seeds (about 1/2 cup) from your butternut squash or roasted pumpkin seeds
Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss squash or pumpkin cubes with 2 tablespoons oil, cumin, paprika and salt. Arrange in a single layer on baking sheet and roast 20 minutes. Flip pieces and roast for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until tender. Cool.
Meanwhile, soak lentils for 10 minutes in a small bowl, then drain. Cook lentils in boiling salted water until tender but firm, about 30 minutes. Rinse with cold water, then drain and cool.
Combine lentils, pumpkin, any oil you can scrape from the baking sheet (I didn’t get enough for this to be worth it) with arugula, if using, half of goat cheese, mint, vinegar, and 1 tablespoon oil. Season with salt and pepper and extra vinegar, if desired (we felt it needed it). Divide among plates and pass with remaining goat cheese to sprinkle.
Lynne’s Winning Recipe: Gluten Free French Apple Tart
Adapted from recipes by Ina Garten and Jacques Pepin
Pamela’s Gluten Free Bread Mix
2 1/2 sticks chilled butter or Earth Best Buttery Spread
Extra butter for top of filling
4 T sugar
4-5 firm apples
Apricot preserves
Pie crust: Make pie crust according to instructions on side of package but add an extra 4 T butter (2 1/2
sticks total). Quickly knead into a ball, wrap and chill for an hour. Roll crust out between two sheets of
parchment paper to 1/4 inch thick. Peel off and discard top sheet of parchment. Transfer rolled crust on
the bottom sheet of parchment to a large cookie sheet pan, trimming edges to make a rectangle. Chill
crust while preparing the apples (keeps crust from shrinking while baking).
Apples: Peel and core apples and slice 1/4 inch thick. Place overlapping slices of apples diagonally down
the middle of the tart and continue making diagonal rows on both sides of the first row until the pastry is
covered with apples slices. Sprinkle with sugar. Dot with butter.
Bake tart in 400 degree oven for 45 minutes to an hour or so. Bake until the pastry is browned as well
as edge of apples. Bake long enough so there is some caramelization. Brush tart with warmed/melted
apricot preserves. Loosen the tart with a spatula so it does not stick to the paper as it cools. Slide off
paper when cool to a plate or cutting board.
