I don't have a picture of this one, sorry. I guess we gobbled it up too fast! But it's super easy and very tasty, and I really think you should try it!
I started with some bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts, covered them in water, and poached them for about 30 minutes on each side, shredding the meat after they were cooked and cooled, and reserving the broth for the stew. Of course, you could use any cooked, shredded chicken that is easiest for you, and store-bought chicken broth if that floats your boat! This way is simply more economical for our family (and a bit tastier, too!)
Chop an onion and saute in olive oil. Add 1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed, and cook for about 10 to 15 minutes. Add some minced garlic to cook for about a minute, then cover with chicken broth and one can of diced tomatoes. Season with salt, pepper, and any Italian herbs you have on hand, and let it cook until the squash is tender (at least 20 minutes - but with the freedom to leave it on the stove much longer if that fits your schedule better.) Stir in one cup of quinoa and cook for an additional 30 minutes, until the stew thickens and the quinoa is tender.
Oh how I wish i could show you a picture! But I hope you enjoy anyway!
Showing posts with label winter squash. Show all posts
Showing posts with label winter squash. Show all posts
Friday, November 11, 2011
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Trout with Butternut Pilaf and Steamed Kale
Butternut.
Pilaf.
I'm already hooked.
This meal is based around the risotto. Trout (or whatever fish is on sale) is just the accessory, not the main dish. Trust me, this pilaf can hold its own.
Start by stripping the leaves off of a big old bunch of beautiful kale. Put the torn leaves in about 1/2 cup chicken broth, cover, and simmer while cooking everything else.
Now take a butternut squash, peel it (easiest way is with a vegetable peeler), and get to grating. Yep, grate that whole sucker. You will need to split the bulb looking part and scrape out the pulp and seeds. After officially wearing out my right bicep, I found that it was easier to cut the squash into smaller chunks to grate rather than trying to hold the whole slippery thing to the box grater.
Looks like a bowl of cheddar cheese. But it's not.
Measure about 1 1/2 cup brown basmati rice and 1/2 cup broken whole wheat spaghetti.
Cook the rice for about six or seven minutes in boiling water to get it started. While the rice par-boils, heat a little olive oil in a pot and let the broken spaghetti brown for a couple of minutes. It will start smelling good and nutty. Grate in a few cloves of garlic, then stir in 3 Tablespoons tomato paste. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the brown rice into the pot. Once the rice is in, start to add chicken broth. You will need 4 cups total. Just add a little, stir it around, let the liquid cook out a little, then add some more. After doing that a few times, go ahead and pour the rest of the broth in, bring to a boil, cover and simmer for about 25-30 minutes.
While the pilaf cooks and the kale steams, prepare your fish with whatever seasonings you like. I used a 3/4 pound trout filet and seasoned it with salt, pepper, chili powder, paprika, dried basil and oregano, and a pinch of cinnamon. I baked it at 400 for about 12 minutes, then turned on the broiler for about 2 minutes.
Before serving, add a handful of fresh torn basil and a couple of dashes of ground cinnamon and nutmeg to the pilaf. I divided the one fish into five pieces and just used one piece per serving to top the pilaf. (That gave us some for leftovers the next day as well.)
It was really good.
Really.
I might have accidentally sprinkled a little Parmesan cheese over everything.
Enjoy!
Pilaf.
I'm already hooked.
This meal is based around the risotto. Trout (or whatever fish is on sale) is just the accessory, not the main dish. Trust me, this pilaf can hold its own.
Start by stripping the leaves off of a big old bunch of beautiful kale. Put the torn leaves in about 1/2 cup chicken broth, cover, and simmer while cooking everything else.
Now take a butternut squash, peel it (easiest way is with a vegetable peeler), and get to grating. Yep, grate that whole sucker. You will need to split the bulb looking part and scrape out the pulp and seeds. After officially wearing out my right bicep, I found that it was easier to cut the squash into smaller chunks to grate rather than trying to hold the whole slippery thing to the box grater.
Looks like a bowl of cheddar cheese. But it's not.
Measure about 1 1/2 cup brown basmati rice and 1/2 cup broken whole wheat spaghetti.
Cook the rice for about six or seven minutes in boiling water to get it started. While the rice par-boils, heat a little olive oil in a pot and let the broken spaghetti brown for a couple of minutes. It will start smelling good and nutty. Grate in a few cloves of garlic, then stir in 3 Tablespoons tomato paste. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the brown rice into the pot. Once the rice is in, start to add chicken broth. You will need 4 cups total. Just add a little, stir it around, let the liquid cook out a little, then add some more. After doing that a few times, go ahead and pour the rest of the broth in, bring to a boil, cover and simmer for about 25-30 minutes.
While the pilaf cooks and the kale steams, prepare your fish with whatever seasonings you like. I used a 3/4 pound trout filet and seasoned it with salt, pepper, chili powder, paprika, dried basil and oregano, and a pinch of cinnamon. I baked it at 400 for about 12 minutes, then turned on the broiler for about 2 minutes.
Before serving, add a handful of fresh torn basil and a couple of dashes of ground cinnamon and nutmeg to the pilaf. I divided the one fish into five pieces and just used one piece per serving to top the pilaf. (That gave us some for leftovers the next day as well.)
It was really good.
Really.
I might have accidentally sprinkled a little Parmesan cheese over everything.
Enjoy!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings
So, I am a Rachael Ray junkie. And this week she is doing an awesome thing...every day she is introducing a new slow-cooker recipe. I loooove slow cooker recipes. It is so satisfying to do the work in the morning and then have the aroma of home-cooked food drifting throughout the house all day. Well, old Rach gave a slow-cooker chicken and biscuits idea the other day that inspired me. I liked her idea, but I modified it and added dumplings instead of biscuits. Because everyone loves dumplings. Or at least they should. They should especially love this version, because it has relatively little fat, and is full of nutritious vegetables.
Start by chopping up...
5 carrots
2-3 ribs of celery
1 butternut squash
Put these vegetables in the crockpot, along with a bag of frozen peas.
Sprinkle about 1/4 cup flour over the veggies. Cover with chicken broth - about 3 to 4 cups. Add salt and pepper; turn it on low and forget about if for about 6 hours.
An hour before you are ready to eat, turn the temperature on high and add your cooked, shredded chicken to the pot. Then make the dumplings...
2 cups whole wheat flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
Mix together and drop little pieces of it into the hot crock pot. Stir to incorporate and then pop the lid back on and let it cook for 45 minutes to an hour.
And then...
Thoroughly enjoy!
Start by chopping up...
5 carrots
2-3 ribs of celery
1 butternut squash
Put these vegetables in the crockpot, along with a bag of frozen peas.
Sprinkle about 1/4 cup flour over the veggies. Cover with chicken broth - about 3 to 4 cups. Add salt and pepper; turn it on low and forget about if for about 6 hours.
An hour before you are ready to eat, turn the temperature on high and add your cooked, shredded chicken to the pot. Then make the dumplings...
2 cups whole wheat flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
Mix together and drop little pieces of it into the hot crock pot. Stir to incorporate and then pop the lid back on and let it cook for 45 minutes to an hour.
And then...
Thoroughly enjoy!
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Spaghetti Squash
My favorite squash ever is butternut squash. (Check out the most amazing butternut squash recipe here.) But my second favorite squash is spaghetti squash...and this is by far the most entertaining squash you will ever eat.
Start by splitting the squash in half lengthwise. You will need one spaghetti squash for every two people. Beware: it is called a "hardsquash" for a reason. But the work is worth it. If you pop the whole squash in the microwave for about a minute and a half before cutting it, it softens just enough to save you a little frustration.
When you split it open you will see lots of pulp and seeds.
Scrape all the gunk out with a spoon.
Drizzle a little olive oil over the squash and season with salt and pepper. Put the squash on a baking sheet, cut side up, and put it in a 375 degree oven for one hour.
While the squash is cooking, prepare your toppings. You can put anything you like on top...the possibilities are endless. This time I made three different options: I chopped and sauteed a package of button mushrooms; I browned some lean ground beef; and I made a red sauce out of tomato sauce, grated garlic, oregano, and marjoram. I have also used sausage as well as chicken before, and all of it tastes great with spaghetti squash.
Here is the fun part.
When you are ready to eat, you serve everyone their own little ready made "bowl." Take a fork and just start to scrape the sides and bottom...
It comes up just like spaghetti noodles!
Once your "noodles" are ready, top it off! I personally used all of the above toppings, plus mozzarella cheese. I always use cheese.
The most fun you will ever have eating squash, I promise. Enjoy!
Start by splitting the squash in half lengthwise. You will need one spaghetti squash for every two people. Beware: it is called a "hardsquash" for a reason. But the work is worth it. If you pop the whole squash in the microwave for about a minute and a half before cutting it, it softens just enough to save you a little frustration.
When you split it open you will see lots of pulp and seeds.
Scrape all the gunk out with a spoon.
Drizzle a little olive oil over the squash and season with salt and pepper. Put the squash on a baking sheet, cut side up, and put it in a 375 degree oven for one hour.
While the squash is cooking, prepare your toppings. You can put anything you like on top...the possibilities are endless. This time I made three different options: I chopped and sauteed a package of button mushrooms; I browned some lean ground beef; and I made a red sauce out of tomato sauce, grated garlic, oregano, and marjoram. I have also used sausage as well as chicken before, and all of it tastes great with spaghetti squash.
Here is the fun part.
When you are ready to eat, you serve everyone their own little ready made "bowl." Take a fork and just start to scrape the sides and bottom...
It comes up just like spaghetti noodles!
Once your "noodles" are ready, top it off! I personally used all of the above toppings, plus mozzarella cheese. I always use cheese.
The most fun you will ever have eating squash, I promise. Enjoy!
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Butternut Pasta
This is...are you ready for it???...my FAVORITE meal. Possibly ever. I know that's a huge statement. And I might make that statement about other meals as well. But then I eat this one, and I know without a doubt, that this is the one, for at least four reasons...
1. The Butternut Squash
Have you ever had this delectable winter squash? If you haven't, you need to stop reading this post, go to the nearest grocery store, buy one, and then come back and finish reading. I really want you to be as in love with butternuts as I am.
They are so lovely.
To begin, peel the squash. Definitely with a vegetable peeler. The first time I worked with a butternut, I tried to use my not-so-sharp paring knife, and I ended up with frustration, a big mess, and maybe two square inches of butternut squash to cook. No, the skin is very tough, so just save yourself the grief and peel it the easy way.
Then cube the squash. I do this in two stages. First, I cut off the long cylinder-shaped top portion, cut it into about half-inch slices, and then cube each slice. Then I take the round bottom part, cut it in half lengthwise, scoop out the pulp and seeds, and cube the rest of it. Yes, it is a lot of work. Yes, butternut squash is really tough to cut. Yes, it is totally worth it.
Once it is all cubed up to the best of your ability, put it on a pan with little sides. Is this a cookie sheet? Is it a jelly roll pan? I don't know. Drizzle with olive oil, toss it around, sprinkle salt and pepper, and put it in a 425 degree oven for, oh, 35-45 minutes. Until it starts to get brown and crispy around some of the edges.
Mmmm.
2. The Sausage
Tonight when I made this dish, I used 3 links of Italian style turkey sausage because that's what I had left from the package I used to make lentil stew earlier this week. But for the most amazing butternut pasta ever, use deer sausage.
Cube it up and brown it in a skillet.
Sausage is wonderful.
3. The Pasta
Confession: If I ate pasta every day, I would be happy. I am a happy person. Logical conclusion: I eat pasta (almost) every day.
Use whole wheat elbow macaroni. It's the bomb. And remember to salt the boiling water before you put the pasta in.
4. The Butter
This is the secret ingredient running behind all the flavors in this dish. Once the pasta is cooked, pour it in the drainer and let it hang out while you return the pot to the stove. Over medium heat, melt a tablespoon of butter. Shake in your favorite herbs...I used thyme, oregano, and basil. Let the butter melt and absorb all the herbs. It will even start foaming a little. It's so cute.
Keep stirring it around so it doesn't burn. You'll know it's ready when you drop one little pasta elbow into the butter and it sizzles - then pour all the pasta in (SIZZLE) and stir it around to coat all the pasta in the herb-butter.
Oh. My. Goodness.
Final step: Add the perfectly browned sausage; the perfectly roasted butternut squash; and a perfect handful of shredded parmesan cheese to the pot. Stir it all around.
Amazingness.
Once you take one bite of this, you will die. In the best way possible. Enjoy!
1. The Butternut Squash
Have you ever had this delectable winter squash? If you haven't, you need to stop reading this post, go to the nearest grocery store, buy one, and then come back and finish reading. I really want you to be as in love with butternuts as I am.
They are so lovely.
To begin, peel the squash. Definitely with a vegetable peeler. The first time I worked with a butternut, I tried to use my not-so-sharp paring knife, and I ended up with frustration, a big mess, and maybe two square inches of butternut squash to cook. No, the skin is very tough, so just save yourself the grief and peel it the easy way.
Then cube the squash. I do this in two stages. First, I cut off the long cylinder-shaped top portion, cut it into about half-inch slices, and then cube each slice. Then I take the round bottom part, cut it in half lengthwise, scoop out the pulp and seeds, and cube the rest of it. Yes, it is a lot of work. Yes, butternut squash is really tough to cut. Yes, it is totally worth it.
Once it is all cubed up to the best of your ability, put it on a pan with little sides. Is this a cookie sheet? Is it a jelly roll pan? I don't know. Drizzle with olive oil, toss it around, sprinkle salt and pepper, and put it in a 425 degree oven for, oh, 35-45 minutes. Until it starts to get brown and crispy around some of the edges.
Mmmm.
2. The Sausage
Tonight when I made this dish, I used 3 links of Italian style turkey sausage because that's what I had left from the package I used to make lentil stew earlier this week. But for the most amazing butternut pasta ever, use deer sausage.
Cube it up and brown it in a skillet.
Sausage is wonderful.
3. The Pasta
Confession: If I ate pasta every day, I would be happy. I am a happy person. Logical conclusion: I eat pasta (almost) every day.
Use whole wheat elbow macaroni. It's the bomb. And remember to salt the boiling water before you put the pasta in.
4. The Butter
This is the secret ingredient running behind all the flavors in this dish. Once the pasta is cooked, pour it in the drainer and let it hang out while you return the pot to the stove. Over medium heat, melt a tablespoon of butter. Shake in your favorite herbs...I used thyme, oregano, and basil. Let the butter melt and absorb all the herbs. It will even start foaming a little. It's so cute.
Keep stirring it around so it doesn't burn. You'll know it's ready when you drop one little pasta elbow into the butter and it sizzles - then pour all the pasta in (SIZZLE) and stir it around to coat all the pasta in the herb-butter.
Oh. My. Goodness.
Final step: Add the perfectly browned sausage; the perfectly roasted butternut squash; and a perfect handful of shredded parmesan cheese to the pot. Stir it all around.
Amazingness.
Once you take one bite of this, you will die. In the best way possible. Enjoy!
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