Inspired by Thanksgiving, I have created a super simple and delicious side dish. This colorful mash is a tasty combination of both sweet potatoes and butternut squash. Sweetened with maple syrup, spiced with lots of cinnamon, and topped with crunchy roasted pecans really seals the deal for your taste buds.  

I hope you enjoy this fun twist on eating good foods.  Family and friend approved!

Sweet Butternut Pecan Mash
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Ingredients:

• 4 small or 3 large sweet potatoes, halved
• 1 butternut squash or 4 cups, cubed
• ​2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 1 cup of pecans

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1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 large baking pans with aluminum foil for easy clean up.   
2. Add halved sweet potatoes to one baking sheet, and the cubed butternut squash to another. Drizzle each with 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper.
3. Roast both butternut squash and sweet potatoes for 30-35 minutes or until soft and tender. 
4. Remove from oven, and let cool for 5 minutes.  Place butternut squash in a large baking dish.  Scoop sweet potato out of the skin and place inside the same dish. 
5. Use a hand-masher to mash both squash and sweet potatoes until it's a soft, mushy consistency. 
6. Add maple syrup, coconut oil, and cinnamon into the mash. Mix altogether with a spatula. 
7. Smooth out your mash mixture with a spatula until the mash is an even flat surface.  Place pecans on top of your mash any way you wish.  Sprinkle a heavy layer all over or make a pecan art piece - :). 
8. Bake mash in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until heated through. Let cool before serving. 

Serve this healthy sweet mash as a side dish with any dinner or lunch meal!  


          Always craving good food,
                           Jillian 

 A party without cake is just a meeting.
                          -Julie Child

So do you want a party or a meeting?

I had some coffee left over in my coffee pot, and decided that it would be best to drink it with something sweet and cinnamon-y. Poof! The Maple Cinnamon Coffee Cake was born. Whip this cake up, and it will be in your mouth in less than 50 minutes.  

This coffee cake will be kind to your mind, body and soul :) 

Maple Cinnamon Coffee Cake

​Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup almond milk or any milk
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups of oat flour (rolled oats blended in the food processor)
• dash of salt 
• pecans or any nuts, for cake topping

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

2. In a large mixing bowl, add all wet ingredients and whisk together.  

3. Next, add all dry ingredients in with the wet ingredients.  Whisk these together until most of the flour clumps have dissipated. 

4. Grease a small baking pan with coconut oil and pour in your cake batter. 

5. Sprinkle an even layer of pecans on top of cake batter. 

6.  Bake cake for 30-35 minutes.  I always do a toothpick check as well (insert toothpick into bread and if it comes out clean you are good to go).  

7.  Let cake cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving to family and friends!  

P.S. I hope you have a fresh pot of coffee brewed to eat with this delicious treat! 

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        Always craving good food,
                            Jillian 

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Turmeric, part of the ginger family, is a beautiful yellow-orange spice imported from India.  Turmeric not only makes are food look bright, but also are bodies.   Bursting with antioxidants, turmeric can help reduce inflammation, as well as having many other healing properties. Click here to read more about how turmeric is beneficial to our bodies!

Let's do the "bright" thing for our bodies, and use more turmeric in our cooking.  I hope you enjoy this deliciously creamy roasted cauliflower mash!

Roasted Cauliflower Turmeric Mash

Ingredients:

• 1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
• 4 cloves of garlic
• ​3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 cup of organic apple juice
• 1 1/2 cup low sodium vegetable stock
• 5 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves only
• 2 tsp turmeric
• salt and ground pepper, to taste
• dash of cayenne pepper

1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Gently toss cauliflower florets with 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Place on a baking pan, spreading out florets evenly. Place whole garlic cloves on the pan as well. Roast, stirring once halfway through, until cauliflower is lightly browned, 25 to 30 minutes.

2.  While cauliflower is roasting, heat 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil in a medium-size pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.

3.  Next, add in the apple juice, vegetable broth, thyme, turmeric, and cayenne. Let this stock mixture heat up for about 6 more minutes.

4.  Once cauliflower has finished roasting, place the stock mixture and roasted cauliflower and garlic in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

5.  Then transfer this smooth mash back into the pot.  Add more salt and pepper if needed. 

6.  Serve this creamy mash by itself or with your favorite protein. 

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             Always craving good food,
                              Jillian 

It is not the quantity of the meat, but the cheerfulness of the guests, which makes the feast.

Thanksgiving is almost here, which means feasting with family and friends!  Here are my Top 4 Clean and Simple Thanksgiving Recipes that can be used as a side dish, appetizer or sweet treat.  Eat well and feel well this holiday season!
                           

I am grateful for the nights that turned into mornings, friends that turned into family, and dreams that turned into reality. 

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            Always craving good food,
                          Jillian