butternut

Whole Wheat Butternut Squash, Apple and Hazelnut Muffins

November 1, 2013 by Erica

Whole Wheat Butternut Squash, Apple and Hazelnut Muffins

OMG muffins.

I am trying to concentrate on writing a nice little blog post for you, complete with a description of the flavor and texture of these muffins. But all I can think about is taking a gigantic nutty, squashy, apply bite out of one.

Whole Wheat Butternut Squash, Apple and Hazelnut Muffins

They are so good that all descriptions seem extraneous, and the thoughts swirling around in my head keep getting interrupted by interjections of “MUFFINS!” and “HAZELNUTS!” Funny how I really can’t concentrate on anything, including stringing together a coherent description of these muffins, when presented with the thought of them.

Let’s stick to listing the ingredients – that, I think I can handle. And I should tell you that I am excited about every single one of them.

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Mashed Butternut Squash

October 9, 2013 by Erica

Mashed squash may not be the most romantic-sounding dish. This I know. But trust me, it is up there with the tastiest!

Each week for my CSA, I get an email containing a few recipes for this week’s ingredients. This was one such recipe, and I knew immediately I had to try it. It sounded quite similar to the spiced butternut squash soup I made last winter – one of my favorites. Butternut squash, onions, apples and spices in yet another spoonable form? Yes please!

These are the squashy version of mashed potatoes. And if you like mashed potatoes, let me tell you how you will feel about mashed squash: you will FREAK OUT. Unlike potatoes, with butternut squash there’s no need to add cream (just a little bit of butter!), because it already has plenty of moisture. Instead, the focus is on flavor. Apples and onions and maple syrup, oh my! Plus a hint of warm spices to round out the dish and make it absolutely heavenly. Seriously. I swoon every time I reheat a serving of these. They are just THAT good.

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Butternut, Chickpea and Kale Soup with Tahini Broth

March 6, 2013 by Erica

butternut kale and chickpea soup with tahini broth

Can you believe it’s March?

I’ve started off every month for the past… oh, year or so, with that same question. I think it’s a sign I’m getting old.

But this month, unlike every month in the fall when I know that another month means even colder weather, I’m happy it’s March. March means that, although everything may still be snow-covered, a few warm days will be tossed in here and there. It’s actually been over 50 the past few days! (Don’t be too alarmed; there’s a chance of snow today… now THAT is March for you.) I always look forward to the warm weather because it means summer produce. Strawberries, tomatoes, basil, peaches… and other things that I have probably forgotten about because I haven’t seen them in so long.

But this year, I kind of started to panic when I realized spring was coming. I haven’t cooked enough winter food yet! Blogging will do that to you. I need more time for soup!

butternut kale and chickpea soup with tahini broth

So that was the impetus behind this soup. That, and wanting to make something creative with tahini while Nate was out of town this weekend because, as you may remember, he does not like tahini. So I made a soup and put tahini in the broth. It’s yummy, and satisfied my soup craving so that I can finally make peace with winter.

The main flavor of this soup comes from the butternut squash, making it slightly sweet. The broth is also spiced; I used coriander, turmeric, and thyme, but you could play around with those. And when it comes down to it, I think the tahini is actually optional (for all you tahini haters out there… I don’t understand you).

I love that this soup is chock full of veggies and flavor. Warming, filling, yummy-tasting… all my favorite qualities in an end-of-winter soup.

butternut kale and chickpea soup with tahini broth

5.0 from 1 reviews

Butternut, Chickpea and Kale Soup with Tahini Broth

Hands-on time

15 mins

Cook time

35 mins

Total time

50 mins

Author: Erica

Yields: 4-5 servings

Ingredients

1 tsp olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
2 large or 3 small cloves garlic, minced
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
pinch of cayenne
pinch of dried thyme (optional)
5 cups vegetable broth with no tomatoes (such as Whole Foods 365 Organic)
4 cups diced butternut squash
1 14-oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (1 ½ cups)
1 cup reserved chickpea liquid (or substitute 1 cup vegetable broth)
1/4 cup tahini
juice of 1 lemon
2 handfuls curly kale, torn into bite-size pieces
sprinkle of salt

Instructions

In a soup pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute about 5-6 minutes. Add celery and saute another 3-4 minutes.
Add bay leaf and all spices and stir to coat. Add the vegetable broth, butternut squash, and chickpeas and bring to a simmer. Simmer 20-25 minutes, until squash is tender.
In a heat-proof measuring cup, microwave the chickpea liquid (or additional vegetable broth) until hot, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tahini until thoroughly combined. Add to the soup along with the lemon juice and kale.
Remove from heat. Salt to taste. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

Spiced Butternut Squash Soup

December 3, 2012 by Erica

I think it’s safe to say that I’m not the only one on the internet with a soup recipe today.

From what I hear, it’s been raining on the West Coast for the past week, and every California food blogger I follow has spent the whole time making soup. Who can blame them? Even here in Utah, where it’s not raining, it’s been cold and gray and just DARK all the time, so of course I’ve made my fair share. And it’s all culminating in one big soup throwdown in the blogosphere today.

So here is my submission: A yummy spiced butternut squash soup with apples, carrots, and onions from the archives of the lovely blog Daily Garnish. I have to say, if you were considering making the Mexican Squash Soup I posted a few weeks ago, make this one instead. Then make that one next week! This soup, with the apples and spices, is so warm and fragrant… it’s perfect for when it’s midnight-dark at dinnertime and you need something to cheer you up. It’s actually what I was making when I took the picture that’s now my blog header. See?

Apples, carrots, and squash, oh my!

Seeing that squash on my cutting board reminds me that something exciting happened this past Friday: a Trader Joe’s opened in Salt Lake!! I drove by on Saturday and the crowds looked INSANE – I am definitely staying away until after the holidays. I already have about 5 grocery stores too many in my regular rotation, but I’m excited to have Trader Joe’s around for things like pre-chopped butternut squash. (Now you see where this tangent came from.) Sadly, no wine at this new TJ’s because we’re in Utah… sigh… but I’ll take it!

Anyway, I love soups like this because the only dishes you get dirty are a peeler, a cutting board and knife, and a soup pot and a ladle. Unless you’re like me and splatter soup all over the kitchen as you’re cooking, there’s very little clean-up involved. Enjoy!

Spiced Butternut Squash Soup

Recipe from Daily Garnish

Time: about 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients:

1 yellow onion, chopped
1 medium-sized butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and chopped into about 1/2-inch chunks
2 apples, cored and chopped but peels left on (I used Gala)
2 carrots, chopped
4 cups vegetable broth
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp curry powder
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup almond milk (or your choice of milk)

Instructions:

In a soup pot or large dutch oven, saute the onion with a bit of olive oil over medium heat until until softened and starting to brown. Add squash, apples, carrots, broth, and spices (everything except the almond milk). Stir, cover and bring to a boil.

Simmer over medium-low heat until vegetables are soft and even starting to look a bit mushy. This will depend on how small you’ve cubed up your veggies, but generally takes me around 45 minutes.

With an immersion blender, blend until smooth. (You could also transfer the soup in batches to a regular blender and then to a bowl.)

Remove from heat and stir in the almond milk.

Serve hot!

Farro Risotto with Butternut Squash and Kale

November 16, 2012 by Erica

Happy Friday! Do you need the weekend as much as I do?

Last weekend, I had a whole list of things to cook and bake. I woke up early on Saturday morning energized to get started, and just kept going all weekend. As much fun as it was to try out a bunch of new dishes, I don’t think this weekend will be like that. I just want to sleep! And ski. Oh yeah… and bake some pies for a Thanksgiving dinner party I’m going to on Saturday night. OK, so maybe it will be a liiiiittle bit like last weekend.

With any luck, I’ll have some pie recipes to share with you next week. For today, I have this risotto, which was part of last weekend’s craziness. Nate says it’s a keeper, and I have to agree with him, seeing as I ate about two servings worth of samples as I stood over the stove.

I was pretty scared of risotto after my last attempt, on Valentine’s Day, left me a hot sweaty mess after stirring the stuff for about an hour longer than the recipe called for. Not very romantic, especially since I was pretty grumpy by the time it was done. It was also a farro risotto… the stuff just would not cook! Nate’s mom pointed out to me that I should use pearled farro, which cooks a lot more quickly. Make sure you use that here to reduce the time you spend stirring! I found a package of it in Whole Foods near the rice (although they didn’t have it in bulk).

I am all about easy cooking (very little patience over here). So if I can make risotto and not be be swearing by the end… trust me, you can, too!

For this risotto, the squash and kale are cooked separately (this could even be done ahead of time) and then added at the end. The farro, onion, and garlic are simmered with white wine and vegetable broth. I tend to favor a “stir once or twice and then just stay in the vicinity” technique rather than constant stirring. That way I don’t go crazy, and I even get some dishes washed while I cook.

There is a fair amount of olive oil and vegan butter going on here. So it’s definitely a treat, but a tasty one worth having once in a while!

5.0 from 1 reviews

Farro Risotto with Butternut Squash and Kale

Hands-on time

15 mins

Cook time

65 mins

Total time

1 hour 20 mins

Author: Coffee & Quinoa

Yields: 4 as an entree

Ingredients

3 Tbsp vegan butter, divided (I used Earth Balance)
1 medium butternut squash, chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
large bunch of kale (I used curly), stems removed, leaves torn into 2-inch pieces
3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1 1/2 cups pearled farro (can use regular farro but cooking time will double)
1 sweet onion, diced
3 large or 4 small cloves garlic, minced
1 cup dry white wine
4 cups vegetable stock, warmed (you may use slightly more or less depending on cooking time)

Instructions

First, roast the squash. (You can do this step ahead of time and keep roasted squash in the fridge.) Preheat oven to 375 degrees. On a foil-lined baking sheet, toss the cubed butternut squash with 1 Tbsp olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast about 35 minutes, until squash is tender, stirring 2-3 times in the process to cook evenly.
Next, toast the farro. Heat remaining olive oil in a large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Add farro and toss to coat. Toast the farro about 1-2 minutes in the pan (you will hear it start to sizzle), then transfer to the oven (still at 375) to finish toasting for about 6 more minutes. Stir once after 3 minutes. The farro won't look toasted, but it will start to smell a bit toasted and will be sizzling. Remove the farro to a bowl and wipe out your skillet.
Now we’ll actually cook the risotto. In the same skillet, melt 2 Tbsp vegan butter over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onion and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook about 2 minutes more. Now add 1/2 cup of the wine and increase heat to high to deglaze the pan. Stir once or twice, reduce heat to medium, and let simmer until the wine is almost evaporated, about 2-3 minutes.
Add farro and about 1/2 cup of vegetable stock to the skillet. Stir and let simmer until almost all liquid is absorbed. Continue doing this, alternating veg stock with the rest of the white wine, until your farro is tender, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook your kale by sauteing with a small amount of water, tossing continuously, until bright green, about 30 seconds. Run under cold water until cool, then set aside.
Once farro is tender, stir in remaining Tbsp vegan butter, squash, and kale. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot!

Notes

Adapted from Bon Appetit magazine via http://iheartyum.com/main-course/farro-risotto-with-butternut-squash-and-kale/

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