Butternut Squash Fries

I bought a butternut squash and was going to make soup out of it, but then I stumbled upon an idea to make fries out of the squash. I thought this was a great idea. They turned out great and the kids loved them. The cutting up of the squash was a little labor intensive, but after that it was so easy.

butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed
olive oil
salt

1. Slice the squash into desired thickness pieces.
2. Place in a large bowl and pour a little olive oil and salt on top and toss to coat.
3. Place on a cookie sheet and bake in a 425 degree oven for about 30 minutes until crispy.
4. Stir about every 10 minutes during the cooking process.

Pineapple Carrot Cake

I was so surprised that this cake turned out so moist and yummy. I made it for Ryan's birthday. It came from the "Sweet and Sugarfree" cookbook. The recipe calls for crushed pineapple and cinnamon as a topping, but I made a basic cream cheese frosting for it.

3 eggs

1/2 c. butter, softened

1 c. unsweetened pineapple juice

1 c. whole wheat flour

1 1/2 c. white flour

1 t. baking soda

2 t. baking powder

1 t. nutmeg

1 t. cinnamon

3 c. grated carrot

Topping:

1 c. crushed pineapple

1 t. cinnamon

1. Beat together eggs, butter, and pineapple juice. Add flours, soda, powder, and spices. Beat well.

2. Stir in grated carrot and mix.

3. Spread batter evenly in a greased and floured 9 by 13 pan.

4. Top with crushed pineapple and cinnamon. (if using)

5. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees until browned. Cool on a wire rack.

Lemon Coconut Bars with Carob Fudge Sauce

Another great recipe from "Ani's Raw Food Kitchen". I used less salt than she calls for. This is so easy and so good, I love the carob sauce.

1 c. almonds, chopped

1 1/2 c. pitted dates, soaked for a few minutes to soften

1 t. vanilla

1 1/2 t. sea salt

zest from 1 lemon

Juice from 1 lemon, about 2 T.

1 c. dried shredded coconut

1. Chop the almonds into small pieces. Use some of the flour from the almonds to dust the bottom of a 9 inch square pan.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients including the chopped almonds.

3. Press into the baking pan

4. Chill for a couple of hours until firm. Then cut into squares, top with carob fudge sauce.

Carob Fudge Sauce

1/2 c. pitted dates, soaked and drained

1 c. water

1/2 c. carob powder

1/4 c. olive oil

1. In a blender, blend the dates, water, and carob powder until smooth.

2. Add olive oil and more water as needed to make the right consistency.

Will keep for 6 days in the fridge.

Carob Bread

My friend lent me this great book "Sweet and Sugarfree". It uses fruit and fruit juices as sweeteners instead of sugar. We have tried a few things so far and I've been really pleased. The recipes definitely aren't as sweet as your average dessert, but I feel better eating them and the kids love them, so it's great. Today we tried this Carob Bread, yummy!

I've changed a few things from the original recipes, mainly adding more whole grain and different oils.

1/2 c. carob powder

2 eggs

3/4 c. mashed bananas, about 1 large

1/2 c. water

2 T. coconut oil

3 T. canola oil

2 t. vanilla

1/2 c. oat flour

1 1/4 c. white flour

2 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

1. In a medium bowl, mix together carob, eggs, and banana.

2. Add water, oils, and vanilla and mix well.

3. Add flours, baking powder and baking soda.

4. Pour into a oiled and floured 9 by 5 inch pan.

5. Bake at 325 for 45 mimutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

6. Cool on a wire rack and slice.

They suggest topping it with cream cheese. We ate it plain. You could top it with fresh fruit or a sugar free jelly. It turned out a little crumbly. Maybe I baked it too long.

Sesame Sunflower Bread

I really enjoyed this bread. It's made up of mostly seeds. I got the recipe from "Ani's Raw Food Kitchen". I really like it, but I think I will grind it up a little more next time.


1 c. ground flax seeds
1/3 c. whole flax seeds
1/2 t. sea salt
1 clove garlic, minced
2 T. onion, chopped
1 1/3 c. water
2/3 c. sunflower seeds
1/4 c. black or tan sesame seeds


1. Mix flax seeds, salt, garlic, onion, and water. Add sunflower and sesame seeds and mix well.
2. Spread the batter into square shapes on plastic wrap on the dehydrator.
3. Dehydrate about 4 hours and then flip over. Dehydrate about another hour or until desired crispness.


I love these as a sandwich filled with veggies and cheese or whatever. And it's so easy!