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Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Stuffed Squash Delight

I have squash, squash and more squash and I LOVE IT! This week will be an experiment in how many ways I can cook squash without hearing any complaints from the kids. This one was a hit with both of them. I re-used the Autumn Quinoa Salad from the phamily dinner (see recipe below) and the pumpkin soup (also see recipe below) and came up with the yummiest stuffed squash I've ever had. Without further ado...

Stuffed Squash Delight
2 delicata squash, halved and seeded
1 C autumn quinoa salad
1/3 C black beans
1 cube bean puree (previously I had boiled a batch of white beans and pureed them and froze them in a cube tray)
parmesan cheese (to sprinkle over the tops)
1/2 C pumpkin soup
2 T butter

Heat oven to 350 and place squash cut side down in large baking dish with water. Bake 30 minutes until soft when pierced with a fork. Meanwhile, melt butter in skillet and add quinoa salad, black beans and bean puree and stir until warmed. When squash is done, take out of oven and fill with quinoa mixture. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and spread pumpkin soup over tops. Put back in oven for 15 minutes until warmed through. Serve with a side of veggies.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Pureed Pumpkin Soup

Got a wonderful little pie pumpkin in my CSA share from Hatchet Cove Farm and since I'm not a pumpkin pie fan, I thought I would make a soup for my phamily dinner. This was simple and yummy for a cool autumn day.

Pureed Pumpkin Soup
1 pie pumpkin (see directions below about preparation)
1 apple, peeled and chopped
1 medium onion, sliced
1/2 C milk (I used almond milk)
spices - I used a mix of cinnamon, pumpkin spice and curry
salt & pepper
2 T oil
3 C water/broth

Cut pumpkin in half and put cut side down in a baking pan with a little bit of water in it. Bake at 350 degrees until soft, about 45 minutes.

Heat oil in pot and saute onions until translucent. Scoop pumpkin into pan and stir thoroughly. Add water/broth to cover pumpkin/onion mix. Bring to a boil and simmer gently. Add apples and spices and continue to cook an hour or 2 until flavors are mixed and everything is soft. Remove from heat and process in blender until smooth. Return to heat in pot and add salt and pepper and milk and stir. Taste and adjust spices as needed. Warm soup without bringing to boil. Serve with crusty bread.

Autumn Quinoa Salad

For my harvest party I needed some protein and tucked in the back of my cupboard was a cup of Quinoa...heaven. And then I thought, why not bake those pumpkin seeds from the pumpkin soup, and the squash seeds from the Pesto Potato Squash Salad, then add them to the quinoa. The rest is history.

Autumn Quinoa Salad
1 C Quinoa (I used Inca Red)
1 1/2 C water (less liquid makes the quinoa chewier)
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 handfuls of roasted pumpkin seeds (see directions below)
1/2 C diced cooked squash
2 T oil
salt & pepper

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds - clean off seeds and rinse thoroughly. Spread out on baking sheet and drizzle lightly with a tiny amount of oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes, stirring often until they are toasted.

Place quinoa and water in a pot and bring to boil, lower to a simmer and keep covered about 15 minutes until water is gone. Put in a big bowl and toss with chickpeas and olive oil. Add squash and pumpkin seeds, sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss until thoroughly mixed. Refrigerate until serving.

Fall Potato Salad

Started getting my fall CSA share from Hatchet Cove Farms last week while I was in Vermont for School, and I couldn't wait to get home and have at all the wonderful squashes. We had planned a phamily dinner for the day after I came home and I had to whip up some food with whatever was in my pantry (which was bare since I had been gone for 9 days). I'm not usually a potato salad fan, I don't really like mayo, but something about this fall weather wanted me to fill my gullet with potatoes. I still had a bunch of potatoes from the last week of my summer CSA, and they looked so nice next to my sweet dumpling squash, that I had to do something with them. The fall potato salad was born!

Fall Potato Salad
(amounts don't need to be exact)
6 large potatoes
1 squash
1 jar of pesto (or homemade)
1 large shallot, chopped (if they are the small ones, several of them)

Peel and cut potatoes into cubes and steam until soft, but not mushy. Set aside. Cut squash in half and steam until soft. Peel and cut into cubes. Mix with potatoes, pesto and shallot. Refrigerate to incorporate flavors. Serve at room temp.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Secret Veggie Potato Pancakes

I haven't been making posts recently because I don't have a camera to take pics of all my yummy food. But you know what, that's not going to stop me anymore. Until I get a new camera, you'll just have to use your imagination!

I was scrounging around the house for food and trying to make something we all would enjoy. I was too lazy to go shopping and our food on hand was pretty limited, but with a little creativity I came up with a yummy meal my kids devoured! It's a new spin on an old recipe - potato pancakes. I was trying to pack in as many veggies as I had on hand, without them noticing, and thought these were the perfect way to do it. It's no secret at this point my kids love kale, and I don't usually have to hide it for them to eat it, but I thought it would just be a fun twist to do so...keeps them on their toes! So without further adieu, here is the recipe.

Irish Pancakes
4 medium sized potatoes, cut into chunks
1 C kale, ripped into pieces
1 large carrot, peeled
1 small onion, chopped
2 eggs
3 T flour
salt and pepper
Oil, for frying

Toss potatoes into food processor and process until broken into tiny pieces (or shred them with a cheese shredder). Place in bowl and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Process kale and carrot together until desired texture, then toss in bowl with potato. Add onions and stir thoroughly. Beat 2 eggs until fluffy and add to veggies with flour. Stir thoroughly to incorporate into the veggies. Heat some oil in a cast iron skillet and when ready, spoon mixture into pan in desired shapes and sizes. Cook 2-4 minutes on each side, until brown and crispy. Keep cooked pancakes warm in oven until all are ready.

I served this with a small dollop of sour cream, a side of greens and dressing and some sauteed cauliflower. Right before we devoured the entire plate of food, we realized that everything on it (except the sour cream & dressing) had come from our CSA at Hatchet Cove Farms. A great meal that only traveled 30 miles to our plate!!