Sausage and Mushroom-Stuffed Acorn Squash

In my quest to find a CSA that provided a nice variety of produce via delivery for an affordable price in the DC area, I happened upon Washington's Green Grocer. So far, my review is mixed. I like the variety and the convenience, but they are less of a CSA-style provider than I had originally thought, with some of their produce coming from as far as Chile and South Africa. Not exactly the most sustainable, local option! I feel torn - has anybody else encountered this?

Some of the goodies from my most recent box were beautiful portobello mushrooms and a precious acorn squash. Happy autumn!

Sausage and Mushroom-Stuffed Acorn Squash
1 acorn squash, halved and seeds removed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 links spicy chicken sausage, sliced
3 medium portobello mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup bread crumbs
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400F. Brush or spray squash with olive oil and bake for one hour, until meat is tender.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook until soft, 5-6 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Add sausage and cook until browned. Mix in mushrooms, and continue cooking until mushrooms have released their liquid.

Remove the mixture from heat, and add in cilantro, red pepper flakes, bread crumbs, and salt and pepper.

When squash is done cooking, fill the centers with the mixed filling, and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake for 10 minutes, until cheese is browned. Any extra filling that does not fit in the squash can be baked at the bottom of the dish.

Dinner guests

My friends are really fun. And funny. And interesting. So whenever there's an opportunity to bring people together, feed them, and let them entertain me, I am happy to oblige.

This past week, some of my climbing friends and a neighbor of mine came over for dinner. The group was largely vegetarian, but that didn't stop us from a little bit of experimentation. The menu consisted of two kinds of hummus (plain and sweet potato; sweet potato recipe below), barley and butternut squash risotto, salad (with Noa's perfectly made "in the bowl" dressing...this is a true art form), peanut butter-oatmeal-chocolate chip cookie cake, and Erica's homemade coffee ice cream. Drool.

The cookie cake used the 'how to impress my teenage cousin' recipe, but instead of cooking as individual cookies, I just put the dough into my cast iron skillet and baked at 350F for ~25 minutes. Since one of my new year's resolutions was to cook in the cast iron skillet more (I WILL get mine seasoned well!), I get the satisfaction of accomplishing a goal, while really, I get to enjoy an easier and more impressive way of serving cookies!

Barley and Butternut Squash Risotto
Recipe from Gastronomy Blog

Photo from: Ileana's Kitchen

1 medium butternut squash (about 2 pounds), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2 inch cubes (about  3 1/2 cups)
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt
Pepper
4 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

4 cups water
1 onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups pearled barley
1 cup dry white wine
3/4 cups grated Parmesan
1 teaspoon minced fresh sage
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
For fried sage
10 sage leaves
1 tablespoon butter
Coarse salt


Adjust an oven rack to the upper middle position and heat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss the squash with 2 teaspoons of the oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper and spread out over the prepared baking sheet. Roast the squash until tender and golden brown, about 30 minutes; set aside until needed.

Meanwhile, bring the broth and water to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting and cover to keep warm.


Combine the onion and 1 teaspoon of the oil in a large saucepan. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.


Stir in the barley, increase the heat to medium, and cook, stirring often, until lightly toasted and aromatic, about 4 minutes. Stir in the wine and continue to cook, stirring often, until the wine has been completely absorbed, about 2 minutes.


Stir in 3 cups of the warm broth and half of the roasted squash. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is absorbed and the bottom of the pan is dry, 22 to 25 minutes. Stir in 2 more cups of the warm broth and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is absorbed and the bottom of the pan is dry, 15 to 18 minutes longer.


Continue to cook the risotto, stirring often and adding 1/2 cup of the remaining broth at a time as needed to keep the pan bottom from becoming dry (about every 4 minutes), until the grains of barley are cooked through but still somewhat firm in the center, 15 to 20 minutes longer.


Off the heat, stir in the remaining roasted squash, cheese, butter, sage, and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper to taste.


For the fried sage
While the risotto is cooking, make the fried sage. Gently melt the butter in a frying pan. Once the butter begins to bubble, add the sage leaves. Fry the leaves on both sides until crispy, approximately 5 minutes. Drain the leaves on paper towels, sprinkle lightly with salt, and set aside.

Before serving, garnish the risotto with grated Parmesan and fried sage leaves.

Sweet Potato Hummus
Recipe from http://www.acozykitchen.com/sweet-potato-hummus/

Photo from A Cozy Kitchen

1 sweet potato

1 can of cannellini beans
1 clove of garlic
1 teaspoon of tahini
2 tablespoons of olive oil (might have to play with this amount for your liking)
2 tablespoons of lemon juice (from one 1/2 lemon)
1 teaspoon of salt (or to taste)

Pre-heat oven to 350F.

On a baking sheet, place sweet potato in the oven to roast for 30 minutes, or until tender.  Allow it to come to room temperature and then peel and mash.
In a food processor, add your can of cannellini beans, garlic, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice and salt.  Pulse for 30 seconds or until creamy. You might have to add more olive oil or lemon juice to get it to the consistency of your liking.
Then add the mashed sweet potato and pulse for 15 more seconds until combined.
Serve with pita chips, regular chips, or whatever you like!

Wegman's to the rescue

 This weekend is the one that I’ve been anticipating for months on end.  Loading up on carbs, resting and relaxing, and a quick 26.2 mile jog around Seattle. That’s right.  I have willingly and knowingly signed up for my very first marathon, and boy oh boy, it came up quickly.  I’m nervous, excited, and most of all, ready to get it over with already!

Lucky for me, my high-carb, low-activity week lined up perfectly with two amazing events: Thanksgiving and snOMG (as my coworker, Lorena, put it, “leave it to the media to make us sound like total teeny bopper wimps.” Well put, Lorena, well put.).  Seattle received an underwhelming 2.5 inches of snow, but the city has been incapacitated for going on 3 days now.  Who’s complaining?  Not this girl.

Logically, the extra rest time should be used for productive things. Like cooking!  And even though I didn’t think I could possibly eat any more butternut squash, on came my lightbulb when I remembered this recipe from Wegman’s from years back.

In a word: yummydeliciouseasyascouldbe.

Tomorrow starts Thanksgiving cookstravaganzathon. On tap for my kitchen: sweet potato rolls and a cranberry-apple crisp.  And I did just happen to buy a 3lb. bag of walnuts, so who knows what other kinds of mischief we can get into!

Happy holiday, everyone!

Butternut Squash with Baby Spinach
Serves 8 as a side, 4 as a main dish

One 3lb. butternut squash, peeled and diced
2 large red onions, chopped or diced
3 tablespoons of olive oil
¼ teaspoon thyme
¼ teaspoon parsley
salt and pepper to taste
6 oz. baby spinach
¾ cup dried cranberries

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Dice squash and onions and mix with olive oil and spices in large bowl.
3. Roast for 55 minutes, or until squash is tender and lightly browned.
4. Remove from oven and toss with spinach and dried cranberries.  Serve warm or room temperature.

Moroccan Monday

It worked!  Forget men, the way to a TEENAGER’s heart is through food.  My cousin’s visit this past weekend was a blast--we ate, gabbed, danced, wandered, and ate some more.  Here’s a picture of us doing the chocolate tour at Theo Chocolate Factory.  Cute, no?

Needless to say, if life lesson #47 is that food impresses teenagers (especially peanut butter cookies. Take note!), lesson #48 would be that teenagers can sleep. A lot.  Now, I knew this, but somehow had forgotten just what that meant.  So while Dear Cousin snoozed away on Sunday morning, I got a chance to whip up a batch of hearty, root vegetable-filled stew.

Let me say, I changed the recipe a bit from the original (link with the recipe).  This is delicious, could definitely handle even more spicing.  The original recipe called for preserved lemons (of which I had none), so perhaps that played into the flavor difference?  Regardless, the stew still turned out great, and I will be lapping this up for lunch with gusto!

Squash and Chickpea Moroccan Stew (adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 medium yellow onion, small dice
* 4 medium cloves garlic, thinly sliced
* 1.5 tablespoons ground cumin
* 2 teaspoons cinnamon
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 1 butternut squash, large dice
* 1 pound sweet potatoes, large dice
*1 bunch broccoli rabe, chopped
* 2.5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
* 2.5 cups cooked chickpeas, drained
* 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with juices
* 2 teaspoons lemon juice
* 3/4 cup brined kalamata olives, chopped
* Handful fresh parlsey leaves, chopped

1. Heat olive oil in a 3- to 4-quart Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed saucepan with a tight fitting lid over medium heat. When oil shimmers, add onion, garlic, cumin, and cinnamon, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until spices are aromatic and onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

2. Add squash, potatoes, and broccoli rabe, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, stir to coat, and cook until just tender, about 3 minutes. Add broth, chickpeas, tomatoes and their juices, and parsley, if using. Bring mixture to a boil then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer until squash is fork tender, about 10-15 minutes.

3. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice and olives. Smitten Kitchen suggested serving this over couscous, garnished with parsley and toasted almonds, but the stew also works well on its own.

Spicy? Not so much.

This has been a root vegetable-filled week.  The potluck I went to on Friday had butternut squash casserole with leeks, butternut squash risotto, roasted butternut squash soup…an amazingly delicious, but slightly uniform smorgasbord.  Of course, what’s staring at me from my counter?  No other than a butternut squash.

I had high hopes for this salad, and while it was certainly filling, and had tasty elements, it wasn’t quite the fantastical experience I had expected.  A few ideas as to why:

• Too much spinach. I upped the spinach to try and include a few more leafy greens in my day, but the spinach seemed to take away from the flavors of the squash.
• Not enough spice.  The original recipe I used was light on spices in an effort to not overwhelm sensitive taste buds.  For this spice-loving girl, it was too bland.
• Not crumbling the goat cheese enough.  The goat cheese was one of the best flavors in this mix, and the bites that didn’t have any were really lacking luster.

The good:

Photo: Smitten Kitchen

• High in fiber, protein, and iron, this meal is dynamite on a plate, especially for vegetarians.
• Goat cheese. Ohhhhhh goat cheese.
• Mixing in the roasted squash seeds when serving makes the perfect contrast in textures and adds a savory kick to the taste combination.

I’ll be making this again, just with a few tweaks next time!

Spicy Squash Salad with Lentils and Goat Cheese
Adapted from Bon Appetit

To toast the seeds, simply clean them off, rinse and pat them dry and toast them in the oven or toaster oven on an oiled baking sheet, sprinkled with salt.

Serves 6 as an appetizer, 3 as a main

3/4 cup black or green lentils
6 cups peeled, seeded and cubed butternut squash or sugar pumpkin (1-inch cubes)
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon hot smoked Spanish paprika
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
4 cups baby spinach
1 cup soft crumbled goat cheese
1/4 cup thinly sliced mint leaves (optional; I didn’t use this, but maybe it would help enhance the flavors?)
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, plus additional to taste
Roasted seeds (about 1/2 cup) from your butternut squash

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, soak lentils for 10 minutes in a small bowl, then drain. Cook lentils in boiling salted water until tender but firm, about 30 minutes. Rinse with cold water, then drain and cool.

Combine lentils, pumpkin, any oil you can scrape from the baking with spinach, if using, half of goat cheese, mint, vinegar, and 1 tablespoon oil. Season with salt, pepper and extra vinegar, if desired. Sprinkle with remaining goat cheese to serve.