Recipe: Apple- and Date-stuffed Butternut Squash

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If you’re looking for a colorful, attention-grabbing dish, serve this stuffed squash sprinkled with pomegranate arils (seeds) and mint. To create this dish, you’ll bake the squash halves until just soft enough to remove from the shells, then chop the flesh and mix with sautéed onions, apples and dates.

Ingredients

  • 1 medium butternut squash, halved lengthwise, seeds removed
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2 medium sweet apples, peeled and chopped
  • 6 large dates, pitted and chopped
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, slivered
  • 1/4 cup pomegranate arils

Preparation

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Lightly oil a sheet pan, and place the squash, cut side down, on the pan. Bake for 30 minutes. It will not be completely soft. Place on a cooling rack until cool.
  2. While the squash bakes, place a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Drizzle in the olive oil and add the onion. Stir for five minutes, add the apples and stir until hot, then reduce to medium heat for about 10 minutes to soften the apples. Add the dates, cinnamon and salt, and stir. Turn to low heat while the squash cools.
  3. When the squash is cool enough to handle, use a paring knife to cut out the flesh, leaving about ¼ to ½ inch lining the shell. Place the shells on the baking pan, cut side up. Chop the flesh in ½-inch pieces. Add the squash to the apple mixture. Drizzle with the honey and stir to mix well, then spoon the mixture into the reserved squash shells. Gently pat down to compress.
  4. Bake at 400 F for 30 minutes. Serve sprinkled with mint and pomegranate arils.

Serving Suggestion

Serve with brisket and an arugula salad with a tart vinaigrette.

We’re open Labor Day, with sales!

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The co-op is open normal hours for Labor Day, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Enjoy our Labor Day Weekend sales!

On Friday and Saturday only, purchase any melon and get three ears of corn for FREE!

Our meat sale lasts all weekend long, from Friday through Monday. Get a two-pack of in-house seasoned burger patties for only 2.99, and get in-house seasoned brats for only 5.99/lb. Enjoy the unofficial end of summer with a seasonal feast!

Recipe: Simple Vegetable Curry

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Cauliflower is on sale at the co-op for just $1.99/lb. and local green beans from Glory B Farm is on sale for $3.99/lb. Try both ingredients in this recipe for simple vegetable curry. This fragrant, flavorful curry takes just 25 minutes to make.

Ingredients
1 cup canned coconut milk
4 teaspoons curry powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 large red or green jalapeno, slivered
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cups green beans, trimmed and cut into one-inch pieces
1 pound cauliflower, chopped into florets
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Preparation
Combine the coconut milk with the curry powder and salt in a large sauté pan and stir to mix. Over medium-high heat, bring mixture to a boil and add the jalapeno, onion, green beans and cauliflower. Stir, then cover the pan and return to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes. Uncover and test the vegetables for doneness; they should be very tender when pierced with a paring knife. Stir in the lemon juice and taste for salt. If desired, simmer longer to thicken the sauce.

Serving Suggestion
Coconut milk is a fantastic simmer sauce—sturdy enough to boil and full of sweet, coconut flavor. Keep a few cans in the pantry and you can always make a delicious, creamy curry dinner in just a few minutes. Add cooked rice from the co-ops’ deli and you’re done!

Recipe: Raspberry Agave Sorbet

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Sorbet is a refreshing, light alternative to ice cream, but it is so much more. Try it layered in parfaits, floated in berry sangria, or on top of another berry desserts, such as Fruit-Topped Bread Pudding or Berry Cobbler. In this version, using agave syrup means that you can skip the traditional step of making a syrup from sugar, since agave dissolves in cold water.

Ingredients

  • 12 ounces frozen or fresh raspberries
  • 1/2 cup light agave syrup
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Equipment

  • Ice cream maker or food processor

Preparation

  1. If using an ice cream maker, have it chilled and ready to go (if using the freezer method, have an ice cube tray or cookie tin lined with parchment paper ready to go). Place a fine wire screen strainer over a bowl, which you’ll use to strain the raspberry puree.
  2. In a food processor or blender, puree the raspberries until smooth. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the puree into the wire strainer, and then to press the puree through. Scrape and move the fruit pulp until all you have left are seeds. You should have about one cup of puree. Stir in the agave, water and vanilla, then chill until very cold.
  3. Use the ice cream maker to freeze the sorbet. If desired, transfer to a storage tub and freeze until ready to use. (If using the freezer method, pour the sorbet mixture into the ice cube trays or onto the parchment lined cookie tray and freeze. Break the frozen sorbet mixture into chunks, if using a cookie tray, and puree the chunks in a food processor before serving.)

Melon season

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Happy melon season at your co-op! Check out some of the different varieties we carry.

Canary: Fans of organic Canary melons carve the succulent texture of its pale green to cream-colored flesh and sweet flavor. Canary’s skin begins to take on a waxy quality as it ripens, and its aroma is punctuated with hints of pineapple and banana.

Snow Leopard: Sweet and juicy with firm white flesh, organic Snow Leopard leaps effortlessly from the grill to a fruit salad or sliced up for snacking. It shares a similar flavor profile with honeydew, but with crunchier flesh that makes this melon satisfying to munch.

Galia: The pale green flesh of delicious organic Galia melon is described as tasting sweetly aromatic with notes of tropical fruit. Give this variety a good sniff- its sweet scent is a great indicator it’s ripe and ready!

Orange Honeydew: Everything you love about a firm-fleshed honeydew, plus a honey-sweet flavor that eaters of all ages will enjoy. Try organic orange honeydew for a delicious twist on a well-loved favorite!

Inclusive Trade

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Stop by your co-op and find incredible deals on Inclusive Trade brands that are woman-, Black-, Indigenous-, people of color-, LGBTQIA+-, persons with disabilities-, and veteran-owned.

Recipe: Grilled apricots with chevre and honey

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Northwest grown organic apricots are on sale for just $2.99/lb. through July 18! Try them out in this recipe for grilled apricots with chevre and honey.

Ingredients
4 apricots, halved and pitted
4 ounces soft chevre
2 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoon orange Juice
1 teaspoon fresh basil, thinly sliced
Salt to taste
Vegetable oil to brush the apricot halves

Preparation
Preheat the grill over medium heat.
In the microwave or in a small saucepan, gently heat the honey, orange juice, and basil. Stir well and set aside.
Brush each apricot half with a little vegetable oil and sprinkle with salt. Place apricots cut side down on the grill for about 2-3 minutes. Turn the apricots over and reduce the heat to low. Brush each apricot halve with the honey mixture (save any unused honey mixture to serve with the finished apricots). Top each apricot half with 1/2 oz. of goat cheese. Close the grill lid and let the cheese melt for a couple of minutes. Serve with a drizzle of the remaining honey mixture.

Serving Suggestion
This sweet little recipe works as an appetizer or salad with some fresh lettuce, arugula or watercress, or as a dessert when drizzled with warm honey.

Summer Garden Tour

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UPDATED DATE! Save the date for the Summer Co-op Garden Tour! Starting at noon July 9, Becky Graham of Harvest Moon Design plans to lead a tour of the co-op garden and share her expertise in organic gardening for pollinators. Hope to see you then!