Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Something Savory, Something Sweet


This has been a fun week of trying new recipes and revisiting old favorites. Once again, there has been an abundance of squash and pumpkin--a trend I hope to continue in the weeks to come. 

I made the soup on Friday evening. By Monday morning (with the help of some roommates) it was all gone. That's the mark of a good soup. 

After completing last week's post, I realized I should have made some sort of reference to Squash and this Blog's title.  Therefore, a remedy. This is Beth March's contribution to the Pickwick Society in Louisa May Alcott's Little Women:

"The History of a Squash"
Once upon a time a farmer planted a little seed in his garden, and after a while it sprouted and became a vine, and bore many squashed. One day in October, when they were ripe, he picked one and took it to market. A grocer-man bought and put it in his shop. That same morning, a little girl, in a brown hat and blue dress, with a round face and a snub nose, went and bought it for her mother. She lugged it home, cut it up, and boiled it in the big pot; mashed some of it, with salt and butter, for dinner;  and to the rest she added a pint of milk, two eggs, four spoons of sugar, nutmeg, and some crackers; put it in a deep dish, and baked it till it was brown and nice; and next day it was eaten by a family named March.
-T. Tupman.

Pumpkin Bread or Muffins
Multiple Servings/Family Size (includes 3-4 servings of vegetables)

Adapted from the original recipe by Sharon Redinger

2 cups Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Oil
3 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla
12-15 oz Pumpkin (either one can or one pie pumpkin, cooked)
2/3 cup Water
2 ½ cups Whole Wheat Flour
1/8 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/8 tsp Cloves
1/8 tsp Nutmeg
1/2 tsp Cinnamon 

Sugar
Cinnamon














In large mixing bowl, combine wet ingredients. Beat well. 
Add dry ingredients on top, mix softly to ensure baking soda and powder is dispersed. 
Stir everything together.
Pour into two greased loaf pans or muffin tins (with muffin papers).
Bake at 325 degrees. 1 Hour for Bread, 20 minutes for Muffins.
When done, sprinkle with a mixture of sugar and cinnamon.

Butternut Squash Pozole
Multiple Servings/Family Size (includes 3-4 servings of vegetables)

Olive Oil
Onions
1 small can Green Chilies
Garlic
Oregano

1 red or yellow Bell Pepper
1 ½ tbsp Chili Powder
1/2 tsp Cumin
1/2 cup Water

1 carton Low Sodium Broth, either Chicken or Vegetable (I used Trader Joe’s Low Sodium Broth)
1 can Tomato Paste (again, I found a low sodium kind at Trader Joe’s)
1 tsp Black Pepper

2 ½ cup Butternut Squash, cut into 1/4-1/2 inch pieces
2 small cans of Hominy, well rinsed
1 can Black Beans, well rinsed
1 can Pinto Beans, well rinsed
2 Tomatoes (1 cup), chopped
Cilantro
Sour Cream

1. In a frying pan, sauté onions and green chilies with a small amount of olive oil. Add garlic and oregano.
2. In a large soup pot, combine bell pepper, chili powder, cumin and water. Boil until water is almost evaporated.
3. Add onion mixture to soup pot. Pour in broth, tomato paste and black pepper. Bring to a boil.
4. Add squash and hominy and return to boil for about 15 minutes.  
5. Add beans and chopped tomato, reduce heat.  Cover. Simmer until squash is soft.
6. Garnish with Sour Cream and Cilantro.


Quinoa and Three Bean Salad
1 Serving (includes 3 servings of vegetables)

Olive Oil
Garlic
Onion, chopped
Cherry Tomatoes, chopped
Green Beans, frozen or fresh
Garbanzo Beans
Black Pepper
Paprika
1/4 cup Quinoa
1/4 cup Lentils
Balsamic Vinegar

Cook/steam green beans in water, small amount of olive oil and garlic.

Sauté onions in a frying pan. Add tomatoes, garbanzo beans, paprika, and black pepper.

Cook quinoa and lentils according to directions on lentil package.

Combine ingredients into bowl and sprinkle with balsamic vinegar.





Thursday, October 20, 2011

It's the Season for Squash, Sweet Potato and Pumpkin!









It is easy to fall into routine. But this past weekend I went camping, and that is far from routine for the taste-buds. There's something about that camp-fire charred taste that makes anything taste good. I was not in charge of meals this weekend, but did have fun mixing some fun flavors with the last recipe in this post. After a cold weekend in the great outdoors, I got home and headed straight for the kitchen to make something comforting and hot. Enjoy!


Butternut Squash Non-Risotto
1 Serving (includes 3 servings of vegetables)

Olive Oil
Onion, chopped
Tomatoes, chopped
Butternut Squash, chopped
Garlic
Black Pepper
Thyme
1/4 cup Lentils
1/4 cup Quinoa
Balsamic Vinegar
Parsley
Parmesan Cheese

Cook quinoa and lentils together according to the instructions on the lentil package.
Roast vegetables on a baking pan with olive oil, garlic, pepper and thyme—400 degrees until golden.
When lentils and quinoa are done (tender and water evaporated), top with roasted vegetables. Sprinkle with balsamic vinegar, parsley and parmesan cheese.


Hamburgesa con Avocado
1 Serving (includes 3 servings of vegetables)

Onion, chopped
Ground Beef
Garlic
Black pepper
Chili Powder
Tomato, chopped
Avocado, sliced
1/4 cup Rice

Cook rice according to instructions.
Sauté beef and onions until browned. Add spices.
When rice is done, top with tomatoes, avocado, onions and beef.


Balsamic Vegetables and Pasta
1 Serving (includes 3 servings of vegetables)

Olive Oil
Onion, chopped
Green Pepper, chopped
Mushrooms, chopped
Spinach, chopped
Garlic
Thyme
Black Pepper
Balsamic Vinegar
Whole Wheat Pasta

Cook pasta according to instructions.
Sauté vegetables in small amount of olive oil. Add garlic, thyme and black pepper. When pasta is done, top with vegetables and sprinkle with balsamic vinegar.


Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake
Multiple Servings/Family Size (Each portion includes 1 servings of vegetable)

Crust:
1 ½ cup Oats
1/4 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
3 Tbsp. Butter

Cheesecake:
1 package of Cream Cheese, softened
1 Egg
1/2 cup Sugar
2 Tbsp Sour Cream
1 Tbsp Water
1 Tbsp Vanilla
2 Tbsp Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
1/4 tsp Ginger
1/4 tsp Cloves

1 Can of Pumpkin
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1 Egg
1 Tsp Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 tsp Cinnamon

Melt butter and mix oats, flour and sugar. Press into greased tart or deep pie pan. Bake at 350 degrees until batter is ready.

Beat together cheesecake ingredients. Set aside.
In separate bowl, mix pumpkin, sugar, egg, flour and cinnamon.
Take pan out of oven. Pour half of cheesecake batter over oat crust. Then pour in pumpkin mixture. Top with the remaining cheesecake batter and swirl with butter knife.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes, or until knife comes out clean.


Sweet Potato, Beef and Zucchini Goulash
1 Serving (includes 3 servings of vegetables)

Olive Oil
Ground Beef
Onions, chopped
Zucchini, chopped
Sweet Potato, chopped
Garlic
Black Pepper
Thyme
Paprika
Cumin
1/2 cup water
Parmesan Cheese

Sauté beef with vegetables and small amount if olive oil. Add spices and water. Simmer until sweet potatoes are tender. Top with Parmesan cheese.

Apple and Cheddar Grilled Cheese, Camp-fire Style
1 Serving (includes 1 serving of fruit)

Tin Foil
1 apple, sliced
Cheddar cheese, sliced
2 slices of bread

Make sandwich and cover with tin foil. Place on hot coals of a camp fire. Flip after a couple of minutes.
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