Cranberry Chocolate Tart

Recipe courtesy of Zach's mom, slightly adapted

For crust:

10 graham crackers

¼ cup confectioners sugar

6 tablespoons melted butter

Preheat oven to 375. Process graham crackers into crumbs. Add sugar and butter, processing until crumbly and well combined. Press into bottom and up sides of 9-inch tart pan. Bake  for 7-8 minutes until set but not brown. Remove from oven and cool.

For filling:

1 cup sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup pomegranate juice

1 cup dried cranberries

12 oz bag of cranberries

½ cup chopped dark chocolate (about 2/3 of a good dark chocolate bar)

Bring sugar, salt, and cranberry juice to a boil. Stir in dried cranberries and simmer for a minute to hydrate. Stir in half of whole cranberries, simmer gently for 10-12 minutes until most berries have popped and most of liquid has reduced. Stir in remaining cranberries and simmer for a few minutes, but don’t let them pop. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Stir in chocolate, pour into crust, and cool in fridge.

Spicy Squash Salad with Lentils, Goat Cheese, and Arugula

3/4 cup black or green lentils


6 cups peeled, seeded and cubed butternut squash (1-inch cubes) (from about a 2-pound squash)


Olive oil

1 teaspoon ground cumin


1 teaspoon paprika


1/2 teaspoon coarse salt


Baby arugula

Soft crumbled goat cheese
 (omit if you're Alli)


1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, plus additional to taste

Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss squash or pumpkin cubes with 2 tablespoons oil, cumin, paprika and salt. Arrange in a single layer on baking sheet and roast 20 minutes. Flip pieces and roast for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until tender. Cool.

Meanwhile, add lentils to boiling salted water and cook until tender but firm, about 30 minutes. Rinse with cold water, then drain and cool.

Combine lentils, squash, arugula, goat cheese, olive oil, and red wine vinegar.