1 (2lbs) butternut squash, peeled
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 onion, chopped
1 large garlic clove, chopped
6 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Cut squash into 1-inch chunks. In large pot heat oil. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add squash and stock. Bring to a simmer and cook until squash is tender. Remove squash chunks with slotted spoon and place in a blender and puree. Return blended squash to pot. Stir and season with salt, and pepper.

Roasted Red Pepper Purée

1/2 cup coarsely chopped drained roasted red peppers
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, chopped

Puree all ingredients in processor until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
Place a dollop of puree on the top of soup.

4 apples, peeled, cored and sliced
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Place apples, sugar and cinnamon in pan, cover and cook on low heat. The apples will excrete liquid to make the sugar into a sauce. Stir occasionally. Do not brown.

4 ears corn, kernels cut from cob
1 cup "lite" coconut milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)

Combine corn kernels, coconut milk and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then adjust the heat to maintain an active simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the coconut milk has evaporated, 12 to 15 minutes. Stir in cilantro, lime juice and crushed red pepper, if using.

Tip: To remove kernels, stand a cob on its stem end in a bowl and slice them off with a sharp, thin-bladed knife.

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground white pepper
3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced
10 basil leaves, torn
4 sprigs thyme, leaves only
2 bay leaves, broken
20 ripe plum tomatoes, peeled
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon sugar

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil and pour about 2 tablespoons olive oil evenly over the pan. Sprinkle the oil with salt and pepper. Strew a little of the garlic, basil, thyme, and bay leaves over the oil. Cut each tomato lengthwise in half and carefully, with your fingers or a tiny spoon, remove the seeds. Lay the tomato halves cut side down in the pan, wiggling the tomatoes around if necessary so that each tomato has a floss of oil on its cut side. Using a pastry brush, give the tops of the tomatoes a light coat of olive oil. Season the tops of the tomatoes with salt and pepper and a little sugar, and scatter over the rest of the garlic, basil, thyme, and bay leaves. Slide the pan into the oven and bake the tomatoes for 2 1/2 hours, or until they are very tender but still able to hold their shape; turn the tomatoes over at half-time and open the oven for just a second every 30 minutes or so to get rid of the moisture that will build up in the oven. Cool the tomatoes to room temperature on their pan. When the tomatoes are cool, transfer them to a jar, stacking them neatly. Pour whatever oil remains in the pan over the tomatoes and then, if you plan to keep the tomatoes longer than 1 or 2 days, pour in enough olive oil to cover and refrigerate.

Use them to toss into pasta, slightly chopped, or warm them and spoon them whole onto hot garlic toasts, perhaps with a few filets of good anchovies, and shower them with lots of fresh herbs.

I have made this dish 2 ways – with a mayonnaise sauce and with a lighter vinaigrette. The vinaigrette is best for pot lucks or picnics because it doesn’t need refrigeration.

4 ears of fresh corn cobs, cooked till still firm, kernals removed
1 medium tomato, chopped or 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup Hellman’s GFCFSF Canola mayonnaise (or make your own)*
1/3 cup red onion, diced
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons basil leaves, chopped fine

Mix all ingredients, season with salt and pepper to taste.  Refrigerate.

*An alternative to the mayonnaise, use 1/8 cup rice wine vinegar and 1/8 cup safflower or grapeseed oil (or any other lightly flavored oil), whisked together.

Blender Mayonnaise

1 egg or egg substitute to equal 1 egg
1 scant teaspoon prepared mustard
cayenne pepper, optional
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup Canola oil
3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Put the egg or egg substitute, mustard, cayenne pepper (if using), and salt in a blender; blend at high speed for about 20 seconds. Gradually add the oil through the top of the blender, while blending, in droplets at first, blending until all the oil has been blended with the egg and mayonnaise is thick and creamy. Blend in lemon juice just until mixed.  Refrigerate.

Roasted Corn Guacamole:

Kernels from 3 ears fresh corn, or 2 cups frozen corn, defrosted
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and black pepper
1 tablespoon finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 lime, finely grated zest and juice
1 jalapeño, stemmed and seeded, finely chopped
1 avocado, pitted and chopped

Soup:

Kernels from 5 ears fresh corn, or 3 cups frozen corn, defrosted
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 jalapeño, stemmed and chopped
Salt and black pepper
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
Cilantro sprigs, to garnish

Roast the Corn for the Guacamole
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

Put the corn kernels on the baking sheet and toss with the oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and black pepper to taste. Spread the corn out evenly on the baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes, until the corn turns a golden brown. It may seem that you have left the corn in the oven for too long, but you want the corn to caramelize and get a little crunchy. Remove the corn from the oven and set aside.

Prepare the Corn for the Soup
Put the kernels (fresh or frozen and defrosted) in a blender.

Combine the oil and the garlic in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and jalapeño. Season with salt and pepper and sauté until the vegetables are soft and translucent, about 6 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to the blender and puree until smooth. (You may need to pulse or stir the corn mixture in order to achieve a smooth consistency, but do not add any more liquid.)

Simmer the Soup
Pour the corn puree into the soup pot and place over medium heat. Stir constantly for a few minutes, until the soup begins to thicken. Slowly whisk or stir in the chicken broth. Bring to a boil, decrease the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes.

Finish the Roasted Corn Guacamole
In a bowl, combine the roasted corn, red onion, cilantro, lime zest and juice, and jalapeño. Gently stir in the avocado. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve and Garnish
Ladle the soup into soup bowls. Place a generous spoonful of the guacamole in the center of each bowl. Garnish with a small sprig of cilantro placed in the center of each.

6 ears fresh corn (or 3 cups frozen corn kernels ... if you must)
3 tablespoons GFCFSF margarine or coconut oil
1 14-ounce can coconut milk (just under 2 cups)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Cayenne to taste (optional)
Sugar if necessary
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Parsley leaves to garnish (optional)

Shuck the corn and cut the kernals from it. Put margarine in large skillet or broad saucepan over medium heat. When it melts and begins to foam, add the corn and cook, stirring, for a minute or two. Add 1 1/2 cups of the coconut milk and bring to a gentle simmer; add good pinch of salt, some pepper, and a pinch of cayenne if you like. Simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the corn is tender.

Taste and add a little sugar if you like. Continue to cook until the mixture is thick, another few minutes, adding a little more coconut milk if necessary. If you'd like it thicker, combine with a tablespoon of cold water and stir it into the corn the mixture will thicken almost immediately. Taste and adjust seasoning, garnish, and serve.

Variations: Add 1/2 cup sautéed onion and/or a teaspoon of minced fresh chile.

To top

No need to core the apples since boiling in juice for several minutes softens the core and removes the seeds.

2 cups unsweetened apple juice
1 cinnamon stick
2 Red Delicious apples

1) In large skillet or pot, combine apple juice and cinnamon stick; bring to a low boil while preparing apples.

2) With sharp knife*, slice off 1/2-inch from top and bottom of apples and discard (or eat!). Stand apples on either cut end and saw gently crosswise into very thin (1/8-inch) rings, rotating the apple as necessary to get even slices.

3) Drop apple slices into boiling juice; cook 4 to 5 minutes or until slices appear translucent and lightly golden. Meanwhile, heat oven to 250 degrees F.

4) With slotted spatula, remove apple slices from juice and pat dry. Arrange slices on cake-cooling racks, being sure none overlap. Place racks on middle shelf in oven; bake 30 to 40 minutes until apple slices are lightly browned and almost dry to touch. Let chips cool on racks completely before storing in airtight container.

*I use a mandolin to slice my apples for dehydrating.

12-14 firm apples, sliced
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Grated, chopped zest from one small orange
Grated, chopped zest from one small lemon
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Topping:
1-1/3 cup sifted GFCFSF flour
4 cups uncooked Bob’s Red Mill GF oats
2 cups brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup finely chopped pecans (optional)
1-1/3 cup GFCFSF margarine, melted (Earth’s Balance Soy-Free)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine apples, sugar, grated zests, cinnamon and lemon juice. Set aside. In another bowl, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, salt, nutmeg, nuts and cinnamon. Toss with melted margarine until mixture resembles coarse crumbles. Using two 9 by 12-inch glass baking dishes, divide apples evenly. Top apples with oat mixture. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until apples are tender. Makes 2 crisps.

If you want to freeze one of the crisps for later use, or make small individual-serving crisps, prepare as usual but before baking, wrap tightly in several layers of plastic wrap and then foil. If you have a large enough Ziploc bag, you can put it in that after the plastic and foil too. When you want to use it, do not defrost it. Cook frozen on baking sheet at 375 for an hour or until browned. If the edge browns too fast, cover the edges with foil.

1¼ lbs Granny Smith Apples (or your favorite tart apple)
the juice of one medium lemon
2/3 cup agave (or Honey)
½ cup water
1 2-inch piece of cinnamon
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated

Core the apples and keep the skin on, but quarter them, then cut into thin slices. Toss with lemon juice and let them sit overnight. The next day, make a simple syrup by adding the agave and water in a small saucepan and bringing to a boil. Add the cinnamon and ginger. Simmer for 5 minutes, then pour over the apples and stir. Puree in a blender or food processor until smooth, then freeze in an ice cream maker (according to manufacturer's instructions). The apple ice will be smooth and creamy--and delicious.