I got lucky this week with the apple theme. I happened to have a bag of organic apples that I had forgotten about. This is why apples are an amazing fruit. They last for a long time if kept in a cool spot. I should have been eating them like I had planned.
They say "an apple a day keeps the doctor away". Today's recipe combines apples with sage which is said to be somewhat of a ghostbuster. Why not keep them both away. All due respect to healers and spirits. I just prefer to not be in their company if possible.
I have not been in a fresh fruit mood this winter which is why the apples had remained in the fridge. To compensate for not eating raw apples for health, I made a creamy apple vinaigrette to go on a roasted squash salad which is to me kind of a wintery salad that is like a meal in itself. There was no need for anything more.
I often use apple cider vinegar for a dressing but this time I thought I would try using apple juice. Fortunately I have a wonderful tiny juicer that I had purchased used for very little. This worked great for making a quick apple juice.
When I purchased the squash I was looking for butternut. They didn't have any so I got the next best thing. When I took it to the counter all of the cashiers were bewildered and had no idea what it was. It dawned on me at that point that I also didn't know the name. I went to where I got it and found it in tiny printing. It was a courge poivre. This translates to pepper squash.
I chopped it up into cubes and put it in a 400F oven to become nice and tender.
I also put two chopped onions and a few cloves of garlic into roast. I took out the garlic first as it cooked much faster. When they were all done, I combined them with a cup of soaked cashews and the juice.
Apple dressing
2 cups apple juice
1 cup soaked cashews
2 roasted onions
3 cloves roasted garlic
3 tablespoons white balsamic
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt to taste
2 or 3 dried sage leaves
1 teaspoon agave nectar
I blended everything until it was really smooth.
I decided to add more sage at the end. It was too mild. I really love the combination of sage, apples and squash or pumpkin when it's savory. I guess it's from living in the North land and having these things available in winter.
This dressing was not as strong as it would have been with apple cider so I could use a lot more. I also think that it would be a good dressing on any fresh greens.
Roasted pepper squash and apple salad
1 whole pepper squash diced and roasted
1 diced fresh apple
1 diced red onion
1 shredded carrot
Fresh greens, pumpkin seeds and tomatoes
Thank you for stopping by and have a great week!