For about two months now, an unopened Crate and Barrel box containing a vegetable spiralizer has been collecting dust on the floor of my guest bedroom. A spiralizer is a trendy new gadget which uses a series of blades to spin soft vegetables into noodles. Since I clearly love to cook (the only logical reason for running a completely income-less blog) one would think this shiny new toy would be utilized right away. But then it arrived and...nah. Too much work. I only ever enter my guest bedroom to grab the vacuum cleaner. Which is about every other day since I live with two dogs and a slob who regularly track leaves, dirt and little sticks all over my floor. So for eight weeks that Crate and Barrel box has sat there staring at me each time I enter that room. 

With all the heavy holiday foods looming on the horizon, I finally got the thing out. I don't have a party or a family gathering to attend every day, and there is no reason to eat as if I do. One of my secrets to never gaining weight during the holiday season is to limit treats to the days I have them scheduled. I don't keep a candy bowl out and I rarely eat holiday desserts unless there is a pre-planned occasion where someone has taken the time to bring or prepare something special.

If you don't have a spiralizer, and want to recreate this recipe, the cheapest option is a hand held potato peeler, which makes a great pappardelle out of zucchini and squash. You can always add the Paderno Spiralizer to your holiday list due to its great reviews. Since I own a KitchenAid Mixer, it made more sense to order the attachment, which works great. The whole process from assembly to clean-up is very easy. The fact that it can be used to make curly fries for my meat-n-potatoes husband is a bonus, should I ever tire of vegetable noodles.

I chose to post a primavera recipe on the blog because of how easy it is to pull together. Zucchini and yellow squash noodles take just minutes to cook, while the sauce is versatile and will work with any combination of vegetables. 

Ingredients:
1 onion, halved and sliced thin
1 bell pepper, cut into strips
1 medium carrot, julienned
1/2 cup broth, any variety, plus 1/2 cup reserved
1/4 cup broccoli florets
1/2 cup grape or cherry tomatoes
2 cloves fresh garlic
1/2 cup white wine
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup milk, any variety
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon each fresh or dried Italian herbs (oregano, basil, thyme, flat leaf parsley)
1 medium zucchini, spiralized 
1 medium yellow squash, spiralized

Directions:
In a large saute pan over medium-high heat, cook the onion, pepper, carrot and broth until the vegetables absorb the liquid. Add the broccoli, tomatoes, garlic, wine, salt and pepper, milk and reserved broth. Continue cooking until the liquid reduces by half. Stir in the cheese and herbs. Remove from heat. 

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the zucchini and squash noodles. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and pour into a large strainer. Use a pair of tongs to pile the noodles onto a serving dish. Top with the primavera sauce.

Yield: 2 large servings
​

For anyone who hasn't yet visited New York, it is very unusual to experience sunny seventy degree days in November. My hopes are high it will hold out for the Quidditch Tournament at Vassar College. Yes, you read right...quidditch, the game invented by Harry Potter author JK Rowling, is quickly becoming a serious sport.

In 2005, quidditch was founded at Middlebury College in Vermont. By the following year, Vassar College formed its own team called the Butterbeer Broooers and participated in the first World Cup against Middlebury. Growing in popularity as an official club sport, quidditch teams began forming at universities across the US. Soon, countries including Canada, Finland, the United Kingdom, Australia and France were competing.

The game is now governed by both the International Quidditch Association and US Quidditch. The rules generally follow those in the books, which state that players must straddle broomsticks while attempting to score goals with a quaffle (think football), and block the opposing team from doing the same with bludgers (think dodgeballs). In the midst of all this, one player is tasked with catching a small flying ball called a snitch, which in real, non-magical life is carried at the waist of a snitch runner, who must try to avoid being identified and tackled by the other players.

Vassar's team, the Butterbeer Broooers, will be kicking off their season this weekend. Despite a couple decades between myself and the newly minted college students, I intend to be there just for the fun of seeing people knock around on broomsticks while playing a contact sport.

Naturally, all this sports talk makes me think of snacks. Can't go to a game empty handed. I suppose butterbeer cakes and treacle roasted nuts are a bit more Harry Potter-worthy. But I've made none of that. Instead, I came up with these moist, delicious pumpkin cookies (Harry Potter lives on pumpkin juice after all). The oat flour in this recipe tends to become a bit fluffy when added to liquids, giving a cake-like quality to the final product, so don't expect these to flatten and harden the longer they bake. One final tip, the icing is a must, providing that little extra explosion of flavor and can easily be doubled.

Happy weekend fellow readers. Go Broooers!

Ingredients:

Cookie Dough:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg, separated
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 1/2 cups gluten-free oat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Icing:
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons almond, soy or dairy milk

Directions:
Pre-heat the oven to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to beat the butter, oil, sugars and egg yolk until light and creamy. Add the pumpkin and vanilla and continue to mix until fully incorporated.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg white and cream of tartar for 5 minutes, or until stiff peaks begin to form. Fold into the pumpkin mixture.

Using another bowl, sift the flour, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice. Stir it around a bit with a fork before adding half to the wet pumpkin mixture. Use a rubber spatula to combine, then add the remaining dry ingredients and continue stirring until a sticky dough forms.

With an ice cream scoop, place balls of dough onto the lined cookie sheet, about 1-inch apart. Gently pat each cookie into a flat disc with the back of a teaspoon. Bake for 10-12 minutes until the bottom edges are lightly browned. The cookies should appear slightly underdone. Let stand for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling wrack.

For the icing, whisk together the sugar and milk until thickened. Dip the tops of the cooled cookies into the icing and place on parchment paper to dry. Alternately, use a fork to drizzle thin stripes across each cookie. Icing will harden in approximately one hour.

​Yield: 18 medium size cookies