Recipes

Welcome to Going Green’s recipe page, where we bring you new ideas for how to enjoy local and seasonal foods. For the purpose of this page, “local” includes North and South Carolina.

Mushroom and Rice Stuffed Acorn Squash

Servings: 4 • Prep time: 80 minutes

Mushroom and Rice Stuffed Acorn Squash

photo by Casey Nelson

Ingredients

• 2 medium acorn squashes

• 2 Tbsp. avocado oil, divided

• 2 tsp. maple syrup

• 1/2 tsp. salt

• 1 clove shallot, minced

• 2 cloves garlic, minced (Wild Meadow Farm, Delco, NC)

• 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, sliced (local)

• 4 ounces baby bella mushrooms, sliced

• 2 cups cooked wild rice blend (Lundgren Organic Wild Blend Rice)

• 2 cups fresh lacinato kale (Humble Roots Farm, Wilmington, NC; Farmage, Castle Hayne, NC)

• 1/3 cup pecans, chopped

• 1/4 cup cranberries (frozen or dried)

• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400oF. Microwave each squash on high for 1 minute to soften. Cut the acorn squash in half and remove the seeds. Brush with 1 tablespoon of the avocado oil and the maple syrup. Sprinkle with salt. Place squash halves cut side up in a large roasting pan. Pour 1/4 inch of water in the bottom of the pan to keep the squash moist. Bake for about 45 minutes or until the squash is easily pierced.

While the squash is roasting, prepare the mushroom stuffing. Heat the remaining tablespoon of avocado oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add garlic and shallot to the pan and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the shiitake and baby bella mushrooms and sauté for about 3 minutes. Mix in cooked rice and pecans and cook for 5 to 10 minutes. Lastly, add the kale and cranberries and heat until kale is slightly wilted.

Remove the acorn squash halves from the oven and fill each with the mushroom and rice mixture. You may have some left over.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Roasted Green Beans Amandine

Servings: 6 • Prep time: 40 minutes Ingredients

Roasted Green Beans Amandine

photo by Casey Nelson

• 1 ½ pounds fresh green beans, washed and trimmed (Cottle Organics, Rose Hill, NC)

• 3 cloves garlic, chopped (Wild Meadow Farm, Delco, NC)

• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, divided

• 1/2 cup almonds, sliced

• 1 small clove shallot, sliced

• 2 lemons, (slice lemons for garnish; juice unused ends to obtain about 1 Tbsp. of juice)

• 1/2 tsp. salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400oF. Wash, dry and snip the ends of green beans. In a large bowl, toss together green beans, 1 ½ Tbsp. olive oil and garlic. Spread out evenly on a large parchment-lined, rimmed baking sheet and put in the oven until beans are starting to brown—about 20 minutes.

Spread sliced almonds and sliced shallot on a separate parchment-lined, rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil. Add to oven after the beans have been roasting for 10 minutes.

Remove both the beans and almonds from the oven after about 20 minutes. Place beans on a serving platter. Spoon the almonds and sliced shallot over the top of the green beans. Sprinkle with salt and drizzle 1 Tbsp. of lemon juice over top.

Garnish with sliced lemons.

Raspberry Jam Thumbprint Cookies

Servings: 12 • Prep time: 30 minutes

Raspberry Jam Thumbprint Cookies

photo by Casey Nelson

Ingredients Raspberry Chia Seed Jam

• 2 cups of frozen raspberries

• 1 Tbsp. chia seeds

• 1 Tbsp. pure maple syrup

• 1 tsp. vanilla

• 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Cookie

• 2 cups fine almond flour

• Pinch of salt

• 1/4 cup avocado oil

• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup

• 2 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions

Over medium heat, add frozen berries to a small saucepan stirring occasionally as they thaw. When the berries begin to gently bubble, use a fork or potato masher to mush the berries to a smooth consistency. Add in maple syrup, vanilla and lemon juice.

Remove from heat. Slowly stir in chia seeds. Cover and set aside. Let cool and thicken.

While the jam cools, preheat the oven to 350oF.

In a bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, avocado oil and vanilla. Mix in the almond flour and salt until you achieve a doughy consistency. Roll into one large ball. Using your hands, divide into 12 balls.

Place the balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing them evenly. With a round teaspoon, indent the center of each ball. Use a small spoon to fill each cookie indentation with the raspberry jam.

Place in the oven and bake for 10–15 minutes, making sure the bottoms don’t burn.

Remove from oven. Cool and serve.

Original recipes and photos courtesy of Casey Nelson. She is a National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach specializing in women’s health. Connect at caseynelsonwellness@gmail.com, and see her Chef’s Statement, below.

Meet the Chef: Casey Nelson

Casey Nelson is the third chef to contribute original gluten-free vegan ideas since we starting publishing plant-based recipes in Spring 2013. Nelson’s recipes appear as a regular feature appearing in Cape Fear’s Going Green magazine. All her recipes are vegan and gluten-free. These have proven so popular we have started to assemble them in one booklet. The collection can be found, along with the more recent issues of Going Green, at www.issuu.com/capefearsgoinggreen, and more will be added in coming months.

I am Casey, a Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach living in Wilmington, NC. I am passionate about creating healthy and delicious recipes using locally sourced ingredients. I love shopping at the farmers markets and supporting our local producers. I believe the food we eat truly impacts our overall health and wellbeing. I have experienced how much better I have felt both physically and emotionally, eating healthy and eliminating foods I am sensitive to. I strive to make recipes free from refined sugar and common food allergens. If you want more information or guidance about nutrition, please contact me at caseynelsonwellness@gmail.com.

—Casey Nelson

Casey Nelson likes to buy ingredients for her original recipes at area farmers’ markets.

contributed photo