It's fall and the livin's busy

So 3 weddings in 14 days and 2 babies being born during that time.  Let's just say that life has got in the way of my farmers marketing.  But here's a big congratulations to all and you know who you are!

With all the excitement, I was able to squeeze in a visit to the Waltham Farmers Market this past weekend before the trip down to Narragansett RI for the wedding.  This time of year you can find the best fall foods, such as butternut squash, spaghetti squash, pumpkins, apples, pears, peppers, brussel sprouts, and maybe if you are lucky you can find some corn.  I was fortunate enough to find some hot peppers too!  Over the summer, I canned some hot peppers and I saved the brine to pour over my salads.  I get home one night and my husband informs me that my spicy brine has spilt all over the floor.  I knew that it would be hard to find hot peppers this time of year, but when I found some from Dick's Market Garden, I stocked up.  Now that I know these can be canned and/or frozen, why not?  Several people came up to me to ask me what I was going to do with so many peppers!  To be honest, I may have gone a little over board, but I figure the worst that could happen is that some of these beauties end up in my freezer.

One of my favorite veggies this time of year is spaghetti squash.  I personally think the best way to eat it is pour some olive oil on it and top with some parmesan reggiano cheese.  However, I saw this recipe on the Whole Foods website and I just had to try it.  I got many comments on it during lunch time this week!

Recipe of the week:  Spicy Spaghetti Squash with Black Beans

1 Medium Spaghetti Squash
2 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
1 jalapeno seeded, minced
1/2 cup red pepper, chopped
1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup sweet corn
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/3 cup cilantro
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon salt

Cut the ends of the squash and slice length wise.  Place squash, cut side down in a pan in 1/2 inch of water.  Roast in the oven, covered, at 375 for 45-50 minutes.  When cool, scoop out flesh with a fork, leaving the shell in tact for stuffing.

For the filling, hear oil in a large pan and saute red onion, jalapeno, and red pepper for 2 minutes.  Add beans, corn, and chili powder, saute for another minute.  Add cooked squash, cilantro, lime juice, and salt.  Cook about one minute until heated through.  Fill squash shells with mixture.

If you don't feel like making the mixture, follow the instructions to roast spaghetti squash, scoop out flesh, mix in some olive oil and top with parmesan reggiano cheese.  Yum!