Tag

winter squash

Freezer Meals Lunch Recipes Soup Vegetarian

Adobo Butternut Squash Soup

written by Ali

Adobo Butternut Squash Soup is an antidote to the mid-winter blues. In the new year, I’m always drawn to super easy, super healthy recipes. My first week back at work is always hectic, so a quick soup and salad for lunch is perfect. This adobo butternut squash soup takes just five ingredients and can be prepped from start to finish in about thirty minutes. It freezes beautifully, which is always a plus for lunch prep.

Am I the only one who, in January, still has winter squash lurking from the last farmer’s markets of the season? I still have a kabocha, a spaghetti squash, and about four delicata squash hanging out in the pantry. It will be a race to use them up before they end up in the compost. Fortunately, the butternut squash was ideal for this soup. Paired with adobo chilies, this is both spicy and sweet.

Yum

Adobo Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients

1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into chunks
1/2 onion, diced
2 canned adobo chilies
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup water
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt to taste

Instructions

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add the onion. Saute until lightly browned. Add the adobo chilies and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken or vegetable stock and water. Add the cubed butternut squash. Bring the stock to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook until the butternut squash is soft - about 15 minutes.
Puree the soup in a blender in batches or with an immersion blender. Salt to taste.
Serves 4. Enjoy!

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January 20, 2019 0 comment

Farmer's Market Freezer Meals Lunch Recipes Vegetarian

Greek Spaghetti Squash

written by Ali

Greek Spaghetti Squash is the next recipe I made as I was working on eating the rest of the winter squash I bought back in October. I lost one squash to rot, which made me quite sad (and surprised me – our garage is quite cold, so I’m not sure what happened). I love spaghetti squash as an alternative to pasta. It’s easy to cook and great with all the traditional sauces that go well with spaghetti. I’ve been feeling a little nostalgic lately about a restaurant we used to go to quite a bit when we lived in Southern Oregon called Alexander’s. Alexander’s is a Greek restaurant that serves the most yummy hummus and falafel but they also have a pasta dish on their menu called Athenian Pasta, which is a mix of spaghetti, a creamy Alfredo style sauce, feta cheese, and garlic. I’m salivating a little just writing about it. I absolutely loved having this pasta for dinner the various times we’d go there, particularly in the winter. It was totally a comfort food.

So – I had a spaghetti squash in the garage and some feta cheese in the fridge, so thought, why not try to replicate Alexander’s Athenian Pasta? As it turns out, this version of Greek Spaghetti Squash is as yummy as the traditional pasta version, minus the carbs of the pasta. I tossed in a little bit of rosemary just because. I really liked the slight pine taste the rosemary imparts – it’s a great counterpart to the salty feta cheese.

This is another squash dish that survives a few weeks in the freezer without any problems. The cream sauce can get a little grainy – but give it a few stirs and it tastes just fine. This dish pairs well with a nice crisp green salad. If you aren’t too worried about the carbs, it would be great with a little fresh bread as well. And if you are eating this and not at work, it would be lovely to serve with a Greek Retsina.

Yum

Greek Spaghetti Squash

Ingredients

1 spaghetti squash
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups milk or half and half
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary (optional)
1/2 cup feta cheese plus 3 tablespoons

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the stem from the spaghetti squash. Make a few small slits in the squash with a knife. Bake for 40 - 50 minutes or until the squash is soft. Cut in half and let cool.
When the squash is cool, remove the seeds. Gently scrape out the flesh of the squash - it will come out in small strands that resemble pasta.
Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan or frying pan. Saute the garlic for about a minute and then add the spaghetti squash, cooking for two minutes. Set aside.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the flour, a bit at a time and whisk with each addition. When all the flour is incorporated, add in the milk or half and half, the rosemary, and the ground pepper. Bring to a low boil and stir until the sauce begins to thicken. Remove from the heat and stir in 1/2 cup of feta cheese.
Add the spaghetti squash and garlic to the sauce and combine. Distribute to three or four bowls and sprinkle the remaining feta cheese over each dish. Enjoy!

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December 12, 2016 16 comments

Farmer's Market Freezer Meals Holiday Recipes Lunch Recipes Main Dishes Vegetarian

Winter Squash Stuffed Shells with Greens Pesto

written by Ali

I am a huge fan of all things winter squash (as you’ve probably figured out), making this recipe, a winter squash stuffed shells with greens pesto, one of my absolute favorite December lunches. This has everything I most love about the fall and winter: the slightly sweet squash, salty cheese, pasta, and pesto made with kale, spinach and walnuts. Since there is a small chance that there might be a little bit of snow in this part of the PNW tomorrow, this comfort food just seems perfect.

I used a combination of red kuri (my favorite) and the rest of the pumpkin puree I’d frozen earlier in the fall. Fortunately, I still have one more pie pumpkin in the garage – I figure we still have a few more months of cold weather and might need to make some more pumpkin bread. I also used a bit of the sage that is still growing out in the herb bed.

The pesto consists of both kale and spinach – really, you could use just about any combination of greens. I also used walnuts, because it’s what I had on hand. Pesto can be made out of any combination of herb or green, nuts, garlic, and Parmesan or other hard cheese. I love to try out different combinations. I also have started hand chopping my pesto – I think it helps the herbs or greens retain their integrity and not get mushy like they might in a food processor. The taste is a lot closer to pesto I had in Rome many years ago, so I enjoy it for the nostalgic value, as well.

All together, the winter squash stuffed shells with greens pesto takes about forty minutes to make, and most of that time is hands off while it bakes. It’s well worth the time. It also makes a great freezer meal – making it very appealing for lunch. Since it’s vegetarian, it would also make a great main dish for the holiday festivities for vegetarian friends and family.

Yum

Winter Squash Stuffed Shells with Greens Pesto

Ingredients

For the shells:

2 cups pumpkin puree or similar winter squash puree
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 + 1/3 cup parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon chopped sage
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 box of large pasta shells

For the pesto

1 cup tightly packed greens (spinach, kale, etc.)
1/3 cup walnuts
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1/4 cup olive oil

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Bring a pot of water in a medium saucepan to a boil. Add the shells and cook for 8-10 minutes or until al dente.
In the meantime, combine the squash puree, the ricotta cheese, 1 cup of the parmesan cheese, the sage, and the pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.
Drain the shells in a colander and rinse under cold water. When the shells are cool enough to handle, stuff each with about 2 tablespoons of the squash and cheese mixture. Place the shells in a single layer in a 9 X 13 baking pan. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/3 cup parmesan cheese. Bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese gets lightly browned on top.
While the shells are baking, prepare the pesto. Put the greens, the walnuts, the garlic, and the parmesan in the middle of a cutting board and gently chop until the ingredients are finely diced and combined. Put the pesto in a small bowl and add the olive oil, gently combining.
Serve the stuffed shells with the pesto and enjoy!

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This post has been linked to Tinned Tomatoes: Meatless Monday. Check out her great posts!

December 5, 2016 18 comments

Farmer's Market Freezer Meals Lunch Recipes Vegetarian

Red Kuri Squash Risotto

written by Ali

After a holiday break and several days of leftover turkey breast for lunch and dinner, I’m well ready to go back to work on Monday and enjoy this red kuri squash risotto for lunch. The break was wonderful – I spent a lot of time cooking (no surprise there) and some time working on the blog, reading, and putting up Christmas decorations. I also feel like I did somewhere around 100 loads of dishes – but that might be a slight exaggeration!

I am definitely ready for a recipe with winter squash again. I’ve been saving the red kuri squash risotto recipe for a week when I know I want something warm and cozy at lunch. It will also be sweet relief when I’m catching up on emails and projects on Monday. Red kuri squash lends such a subtle squash flavor. I roasted the squash using the easy technique I also use for pumpkins (see the recipe here). The roasted squash left me with two cups – I used one cup for the red kuri squash risotto and froze the other cup for later use. This risotto also freezes really well, making it a perfect make-ahead lunch. Here’s to a productive week ahead with great lunch!

Yum

Red Kuri Squash Risotto

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
1 shallot, minced
1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup cooking sherry, white wine, or dry Vermouth
5 cups vegetable stock or chicken stock
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup red Kuri squash puree
1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

In a small saucepan, heat the chicken stock to a simmer. Leave it simmering.
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Add the minced shallot and cook until the shallot is fragrant. Add the Arborio rice and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes. Add the sherry, white wine, or Vermouth and cook over low heat until it is absorbed.
Add 1 cup of the simmering chicken stock to the rice and stir off and on until the stock is absorbed. Continue to add 1 cup at a time, stirring and simmering, until all the stock is incorporated or until the arborio rice is to your preferred level of doneness. Take the risotto off heat and add the Parmesan cheese and red Kuri squash puree, stirring to incorporate.
Serve with a a bit of grated Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

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November 27, 2016 0 comment

Appetizers Farmer's Market Snacks

Smoked Paprika Winter Squash Fries

written by Ali

Smoked Paprika Winter Squash Fries are one of my new fall obsessions. I’m always trying new ways of using up the winter squash that I so diligently buy too much of and have to figure out how to use up before spring shows up again. Coupling that with a desire to eat healthier, I thought using at least one of the winter squash I’ve gotten stashed in the garage as a side dish to my lunches this week would be a good idea. I started out thinking I’d use the red Kuri squash, but honestly, I’m currently hoarding that one for the perfect recipe and squash fries just aren’t it, so I used the last of my honey nut squashes instead. The advantage of using something like a honey nut or butternut squash for this is that they are pretty easy to peel and slice and you won’t be in danger of a major knife accident.

Smoked paprika is my other new fall obsession. I love the dark red color it lends to food and the very smoky and peppery taste. I’ve been using it to flavor everything, from soup to baked chicken to these smoked paprika winter squash fries. I’m eyeing several of the other squashes that are currently on the shelf to make even more of these. They are a great accompaniment to the mini baked “fried” green cherry tomato recipe I posted earlier this week, especially if you make po boys with the tomatoes. These would also be lovely served with a homemade ketchup, especially if you have any green tomato ketchup sitting around.

Smoked Paprika Winter Squash Fries
1 whole winter squash, peeled
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Slice the squash into sticks or wedges. Place in a bowl and add the smoked paprika, salt and olive oil. Combine. Turn out onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet in a single layer.

Bake for 20 minutes, flipping the fries half way through.

Enjoy!

November 2, 2016 0 comment

Farmer's Market Lunch Recipes Quick and Easy Snacks Vegetarian

Black Bean and Winter Squash Quesadilla

written by Ali

If you are looking for a quick snack to accompany the Black Garlic Tomato Soup from yesterday, look no further than these Black Bean and Winter Squash Quesadillas. I’m starting the process of using up the winter squash I’m hoarding – I mean, storing – for the winter. I roasted one of the honey nut squash from Trader Joe’s for this recipe. These squash look like a small butternut squash, but the flesh is a darker orange.

My tip for roasting winter squash is to cook them whole – I posted a tutorial on how to do this with a pumpkin a few weeks ago, but it works for any winter squash. I have been puncturing a few wholes in the squash before I put it in the oven, mostly because I’ve had a few small potatoes burst in the oven in our rental and don’t want to risk it with a much larger squash.

The quesadillas are great to serve with a soup for lunch. They can easily be heated up in the microwave and are quick to make the night before.

Black Bean and Winter Squash Quesadilla with Black Garlic Soup

Black Bean and Winter Squash Quesadillas
Serves 4

1 small winter squash, roasted (or 1 cup of already prepared winter squash puree from a larger squash)
1 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
4 tortillas
4 slices of cheese (Monterey Jack or similar)

Spread several tablespoons of the winter squash puree on half of a quesadilla. Spread 1/4 cup of the black beans on top and then layer with a slice of cheese. Fold the tortilla in half over the squash, beans and cheese. Cook in a preheated skillet, flipping once to ensure both sides are golden brown. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Enjoy!

October 27, 2016 0 comment

Farmer's Market Uncategorized

Winter Squash Guide

written by Ali

Once upon a time, there were only three kinds of winter squash in my life: pumpkin, acorn squash, and butternut squash. My family grew acorn squash, and I remember eating them roasted with salt, pepper and butter, which is probably the most perfect way to eat an acorn squash. I also have fond memories of one of our dogs when I was growing up hunting the acorn squash – she was convinced that they were a threat to our safety and would regularly bark at them. Butternut squash came a little later in my repertoire of winter squash, right around the time I started finding pumpkin pie pumpkins in the grocery store. I think it’s safe to say that these three squash were my go-to squash for a long time. I added Kabocha squash when I lived in the Marshall Islands, as these green squash were sold as local pumpkin in the market and made a great addition to curry.

Then I moved to Roseburg, Oregon and joined a CSA. Suddenly, each week in the early fall brought a new winter squash and brought me scrambling to figure out what to do with them all. One squash led to another and then I was buying many winter squash from the farmer’s market and the u-pick farm and stashing them in the coldest room in the house so I could eat them all winter long.

Now that we live in the Portland area, we set aside a Sunday morning to make a trip out to Sauvie Island, which is a popular spot in Portland to find farm stands. Bella Organic Farms on Sauvie sells a multitude of winter squash, and I had to contain myself as there’s just only so much squash I can eat in a season. So here’s a tour of the squash I bought at Bella Organic Farms and links to recipes for each. You’ll definitely be seeing some of my own recipe creations for these squash throughout the fall and winter.

Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti squash is a great food for a low carb or carb free diet, as its stringy insides make a good substitute for pasta. You can roast spaghetti squash whole and then cut it open, de-seed and pull out the stringy insides.

Favorite recipes
Broccoli and Cheese Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

Garlic Spaghetti Squash with Herbs

Skinny Spaghetti Squash Alfredo

Spaghetti Squash with Kale and Chickpeas

Kuri Squash

Kuri squash is a lovely orange squash with an intensely orange interior. It’s great as a pumpkin substitute for pies, as well as blends smoothly as a base for soups.

Favorite Recipes

Roasted Red Kuri Coconut Curry Soup

Roasted Kuri Squash Soup with Smokey Harissa and Chickpeas

Red Kuri Pumpkin Pie with Chocolate

Black Futsu Squash

Black futsu squash is one I haven’t cooked with before. I saw it at Bella Organic Farm and thought it looked interesting. So here are two recipes to check out if you find one of these beauties:

Black Futsu Squash in Sweet Coconut Cream

Roasted Black Futsu Squash with Hazelnut Sage Pesto

Galeux d’Eysines Squash

The Galeux d’Eysines squash is another squash that I haven’t cooked before. I also couldn’t find many recipes that feature this winter squash, so I’m sure I’ll be posting a recipe or two of my own before too long. In the meantime, here’s a soup recipe that uses this unusual squash.

French Pumpkin Soup

Buttercup Squash

The Buttercup squash is another pretty squash that has a unique appearance. It’s also very versatile for cooking.

Favorite Recipes

Simple Roasted Buttercup Squash

Buttercup Sage Mac and Cheese with Bourbon

Black Bean and Butternut Squash Wraps with Chimichurri Sauce

Honey Nut Squash

These adorable squash are a smaller, sweeter variation on a butternut squash. I actually found these at Trader Joe’s and thought they were just so cute! You can use these in any recipe that calls for butternut squash. Here are a few ideas:

Roast Honey Nut Squash with Rosemary and Gruyere

Twice Baked Honey Nut Squash

Butternut Squash Pancakes

Delicata Squash

I saved the best for last. Delicata squash have a super nutty flavor and they roast like a dream. Even better yet, you can eat the entire squash – skin and all. I love eating thinly sliced and roasted delicata squash rings on a salad, especially with a few toasted hazelnuts and some pomegranate seeds.

Favorite Recipes

Midwinter Delicata Squash and Greens Salad

Smoky Delicata Squash and Black Beans Baked Quesadilla

Delicata Frittata

This first photo is all the squash together…and a dog’s nose. Daisy is keeping up the fine tradition of dogs in my family who are suspicious of winter squash. The second photo is a trio of squash – possibly my three favorite:(from left top clockwise) kuri, buttercup and galeux d’eysines.

These last two are just some pretty pictures of pumpkins in the pumpkin patch at Bella Organic Farms.

I hope you enjoy the bounty of winter squash that are available this time of year. I’d love to hear about your favorite recipes for winter squash and your experiences cooking with different types of winter squash, so please comment below!

October 12, 2016 0 comment

Farmer's Market Quick and Easy

DIY Pumpkin Puree the Easy Way

written by Ali

My first experience with DIY pumpkin puree was probably inspired by Martha Stewart. As a teenager, I used to watch Martha Stewart’s TV show with my mom when I was on summer break and then again during the winter holiday. I think this may have been when I started getting interested in where my food actually came from. The thought of using pumpkin for something other than carving it into a Jack-O-Lantern was really appealing, but I didn’t have a clue where to find a pie pumpkin. The only pumpkins in the grocery store were the carving kind.

Fast forward to my early twenties: I was still intrigued by all things food related. I had decided to be a vegetarian and wanted to find farm fresh vegetables. I started going to the Cherry Creek Farmer’s Market on a semi-regular basis, where I first found edamame (they come in pods on a stick – this was absolutely marvelous and exotic to me), various varieties of kale and chard, freshly made pasta, and, once fall rolled around, pie pumpkins. I dutifully dusted off my Martha Stewart Cookbook, wrestled the pumpkin open, pulled out the seeds, and roasted it. Note that this was the mid-nineties and my access to cooking related resources was actual cookbooks (I had a huge collection, including one book that had all sorts of pumpkin recipes in it – it was something of a revelation that pumpkin had uses other than Thanksgiving pie).

I kept on roasting pie pumpkins and other winter squash, like butternut squash, by dutifully cutting them open, pulling out the seeds and roasting. I had other encounters with winter squash, including discovering the ubiquitous local pumpkin when I lived in the Marshall Islands. Local pumpkin was really Kabocha squash, which I didn’t realize until I’d moved back to the US and joined a CSA. Local pumpkin, or Kabocha squash makes the most heavenly curry, but I digress.

All of this is to say that one day, in the not too distant past, after I had wrestled a pie pumpkin open to roast, I was browsing Pinterest and came across a recipe that has, frankly, changed my life. Ok – not changed my life so much, but definitely made an emergency room visit from trying to cut a very tough winter squash in half much less likely. Here’s the secret – when you need to roast a pumpkin or another winter squash to make a puree, just bake it like you would a baked potato.

That’s it – just put the squash in whole. I’ve done this for years without incident, but if you are worried about the risk of pumpkin explosion in the oven, you can make a few stabs at the squash like you would a potato. Bake it at 350 degrees until it’s easy to pierce with a knife. Let it cool (it’s steamy and hot, so risky to open it too soon and not get a steam burn). Cut it open, scoop out the seeds, scoop out the flesh and either puree it in a blender or mash it up with your hands or a potato masher.

I usually roast two pie pumpkins a season. I freeze it in quart freezer bags in 1 cup serving sizes. I can generally get around 6 cups of pumpkin from two small pie pumpkins.

If you are looking for a way to use up your pumpkin puree, check back in tomorrow when I will post a Pumpkin Pie Spice Biscotti that will rock your fall. Enjoy!

October 4, 2016 0 comment