Warm Winter Salad

Lets kick the weekend off right, with a nice warm and hardy salad. Not a frilly little salad, but a salad that fills you up and leaves you feeling warm and cozy.   A salad with a lot of squash! So here's the thing, I eat a lot of winter squash, maybe 4 plus a week. Because I eat so many, I store a good amount in a cold storage area outside of the little warm living space we call home. Last week we had a drastic temperature change and  a good few of the my butternut and spaghetti squash froze.. then started to de-thaw. Not good. That was the second bad food experience of the day….. Earlier that day I had bought about 2 dozen super ripe bananas that I had been planing on freezing and what not. There were four bunches and each bunch was wrapped in plastic and were in a bag that I left near the back door. The thought crossed my mind, but I hastily brushed it away. Washer won't eat those….. Well guess what? The shit ate half of my freaking bananas…plastic and all. Needless to say, I was kind of pissed already so finding my squash on the way out really set me off. I was not about to let more food go to waste.(or be eaten by the dog) I went into rescue mode..Chop chop and dice…boil, roast and steam…and eat eat eat…. and eat. I have been eating butternut for breakfast, lunch and dinner for the past week and that's ok with me cause man it does taste oh so tasty. But for some people in my life, eating mashed squash out of a jar all day long does not hold the same appeal so I have been sneaking it in where ere I can.  

So some of that diced squash tuned into this lovely warm salad. Even the mister liked it and he is not a fan of warm salads(he says he is not, but I think he actually is, as long as I don't call them "salads") Any who…This salad hits all the marks…. Fantastically filling, super delicious, fast and healthy.  Check, check, and check! I am so good. 

Easy peasy….

Diced butternut squash, half a vilalia onion,  prepared lentils and a bunch of kale… Nothin else.(salt and pepper, but they don't count)

Diced butternut and a mediumly sliced onion..(mediumly is a new cooking term) Spritz a bit of oil in a pan and toss the squash and onion in there and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Shove into the hot oven and roast until squash and onion are tender and tasty.

Remove the pan from the oven and toss in finely chopped kale and a big scoop of lentil… Mix it up and let the sit in hot pan for a few minutes…it will make the kale get soft and warm.

Plate it and eat eat… I drizzled a little balsamic vinegar on mine…Nick like his straight up. Do what you will cause either way, it's going to be awesome!!!!

Hooray for Friday and for winter squash!!!!

-C

Warm Winter Salad

Ingredients (This made one good sized salad…and exact measurements were not used so feel free to add greater or lesser amounts of any of the ingredients)

• 1 1/2 cup Diced Butternut squash
• 1/2 Vidalia Onion(or any variety you like)
• 3-4 large Kale leaves
• 1/2 cup Precooked Lentils
• salt and pepper to taste
• Balsamic Vinegar 
• drizzle of oil for pan

In a 425 degree oven,  place diced squash and sliced onions in a slightly oiled pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast for about 20 minutes until tender. Remove pan from oven and toss in chopped kale and lentils and let sit in hot pan for a few minutes… Plate and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.

Spaghetti Squash and Meatballs

What we got here is an easy one pan meal for the beginning of a hectic(but fun) holiday week . But I am sure that you  have your wits about you, that you are not feeling like a stretch Armstrong doll. No, you are all calm and collected… Well that's nice because I feel like my head going to explode.So what I need this week is easy,  fast food  with lots of healthy good stuff and maybe to get rid of the meatballs that are in the freezer….. Mission accomplished with this dish. It's basically a hug pan of veggies with a few left over meatballs from Nicks bday dinner and a little cottage cheese.  Nothing fancy… hearty and warm..Nick likes it so it's a winner. 

The spaghetti squash is the main component in this dish so if you want to use other veggies, go for it. You can make this vegan and leave out the cheese and use fake balls or no balls at all (hehe)  You can even toss in some beans, lentils, or tofu. I make variations of this dish often… and lentils are a really good addition..

Besides the squash and the meatballs, I used mushroom, onion, kale, tomato and garlic  plus about a half cup of cottage cheese, cause that was what I had in the fridge. 

First thing first, cook the squash.  Just stick it in the oven for half hour at 425.. Once you can stick a fork into it, pull it out and let it cool enough to handle.. While thats cooling off, cook down the veggies. Started with a little oil in a cast iron skillet on medium heat, toss the onion and mushrooms ands frozen meatballs*(or whatever you want to use) and heat  until meatballs are cook through and the onion and mushroom are browned. Now add the garlic, kale and tomato, Turn heat off.  When the squash is cooled enough to handle,. slice open, scoop out the seeds and scoop the flash out. Spaghetti squash and cottage cheese into the skillet and toss.. Sprinkled a bit of mozzarella or parmesan cheese on top.  Lots of crushed black pepper and into the oven for about 15 minutes. or until the cheese is nice and melty and you are hungry and want to eat. 

*Note. If you want to make meatballs fresh, my recommendation would be to make them in the skillet first and then just toss all the veggies into that pan to cook down… No need to make more dishes. 

Pulled straight from the oven….Served nice and hot, placed right onto my wooded counter. I need to stop placing hot pans on the wood, I am leaving burn marks. There is actually a lot of thing that I need to stop doing in the kitchen, like setting towels on fire, burning myself at least once a day, slicing my fingers,.breaking dishes…….So maybe place skillet on a trivet of  some kind and serve it up!

So easy and fast.. Served with a piece of crusty bread… Man, I wish everything this week could be this fast sans easy….. but I am not complaining. 

Have a good Monday!

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Spaghetti Squash and Meatballs

• 1 small Spaghetti Squash

• 5-7 pre cooked vegan meatballs

• Small red onion

• 2 -3 big mushrooms

• 1 small tomato

• a few kale leaves

• 3-5 cloves garlic(or as many as you like)

• half a cup of cottage cheese *

• a handful of shredded parmesan or mozzarella*

• salt and pepper

• oil (for pan)

*use vegan versions or dairy versions.. up to you.

Preheat oven to 425

Place spaghetti squash in oven. Let bake for about a half hour or until fork tender. Remove and let cool enough to handle.

While that's happening, chop the veggies into any size you want.. Drizzle olive oil in medium skillet and place diced sliced mushrooms, onion, and pre made meatball to brown. Once meatballs are warmed through, add the kale, garlic, tomato, and cottage cheese. Take the cooked spaghetti squash and remove seeds and scoop flesh into the skillet. Toss everything together, sprinkle with salt pepper, top with shredded cheese and place in oven for 15 minutes

Take it out of the oven and let cool. for a minutes and…...

EAT!

Polenta Delicata Caramelized Onions and Mushroom Pizza

Wowzers.. What was I thinking! I know, the same thing you are…YES YES YES!!! Gluten free what now.. My lovely sister is on that ban wagon. She has been having"issues" lately(so many, it's hard to pin point) and says she is feeling better without the gluten. Me being the lovely person that I am want to feed my poor sister, make her happy with food.  I HAD to prepare that lady a dinner and it had to be pizza cause I know how much she likes her pizza. So I brain storm. What would be a good gluten-free pizza crust? I could do the obvious and  get gluten-free flour, but to be honest, that's some expensive stuff and I really didn't feel like going to the store. I wanted to work with what I had in the house….and ah ha, there it is,  cornmeal.. With a little bit of water I can turn that into some polenta and a super gluten-free pizza crust.

So in walks polenta(if polenta could walk) What goes good with polenta? Caramelized onions, mushrooms and yes, my last delicate squash.(I am too nice) A nice base of marinara sauce and a bit of parmesan cheese mixed into the crust and sprinkled on top…..a complete work of genius that I was proud to serve to the gluten free lady.

Note. I have to make this clear, just because this pizza is gluten-free doesn't mean that a person that is not gluten-free cannot eat this. Anyone and Everyone should eat this pizza.

 There really isn't a whole lot of ingredients to this pizza… Cornmeal for the polenta. Marinara sauce….I used jarred marinara because it was a little easier and we don't always need to make things from scratch…Lots of onions(2 finely sliced), handful of  sliced mushrooms, thinly sliced squash and parmesan cheese. Most of the prep takes place at the same time, but that's good, we can multi task, just have everything pre chopped and ready to go. First thing first, start the polenta

There are so many different ratios and directions on how to prepare polenta, so if you feel like your way is better, I trust you. What I did for this crust was 1 cup cornmeal to about 2 1/4 cups water. The main thing is the finished product. You want a pasty paste that is spreadable but not overly watery.

Bring the water to a boil and constantly whisk while gradually pouring in the cornmeal. After a minute to two, it should be pretty well incorporated and there shouldn't be to many lumps. Turn the heat down to simmer and stir a lot  until the polenta starts to pull away for the sides of the pot. Really scrap the bottom of the pot so it doesn't burn. Once its done, add in a 1/4 cup of parmesan( if you want to keep it vegan, just don't add it) and salt and pepper.

           On a well oiled baking sheet or pizza sheet..spread the polenta into the shape of your desire. I went with a somewhat circular shape, but now that I think of it, I wish I had been more creative, like maybe a triangle or even the shape of a bus….Yeah, a bus shaped pizza would have been cool.

This crust needs to be pre baked so stick it in the oven.It should take about 20ish minutes.

            You can do this pre crust or at the same time, but roast your sliced squash. Place single layers squash on an oiled pan, salt and pepper, then into the oven. It should take 10 minutes on each side.

     

You got the crust in, the squash in, now we need to caramelize the onions. You may be thinking that 2 onions is a lot, and it kind of is, but you want a lot. A tiny bit of oil into a skillet and all the onions. medium low heat with a lid, string on occasion. When the onions start to caramelize, add the mushrooms and cook until onions are nice and soft and the mushrooms are no longer raw.  By the time you done with this task…everything should be ready….time to assemble!

    

First marinara…then the roasted squash.

      I Sprinkle a layer of parmesan cheese and pile on those onions and mushrooms,. Sprinkle with a little more cheese.  ( use vegan cheese or no cheese if you want it vegan) Back into the  oven for another 15 minutes to give everything some time to crisp and melt.  Remove from oven and appreciate…That is one good looking pizza. I took  a long spatial and run under the crust just to make sure if wasn't stuck. I also found that if you let it  cool for a few minutes before serving, the polenta gets a little stiffer and easier to handle, but not necessary.

Its time to eat!   And I know that it was a success. This is my gauge for how good it was…I stopped by the next day to drop a xmas tree stand off to her(again, look at how nice I am) and she was eating lunch…the left over pizza. That might not seem like anything to you but to me… She doesn't eat leftovers. Sure, she will stick them in the fridge, but that's where they stay until she tosses into the garbage. The pizza was leftover good….That is good!

Polenta Delicata Caramelized Onions and Mushroom Pizza

Ingredients

• 1 cup polenta (Cornmeal)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for the pan
• 2  1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan(omit if making vegan)
•  1/2 of Marinara sauce
• 1 small delicata squash
• 2 medium onions
• 8-10 mushrooms
• 2 gloves garlic

Directions

Pre heat oven to 425

In a medium saucepan, bring 2¼ cups water to a boil. Whisking constantly, slowly add the cornmeal while constantly whisking. Once full incorporated, turn to low and stir for a few minutes until the polenta starts to thicken and pull away from the sides. Stir in 1/4 cup of parmesan (if using). Salt and pepper to taste. Genously oil a pizza sheet to a cookie sheet and spread the polenta mixture  about a 1/2 thick. Place into oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until crust is a nice golden brown.

While the crust is cooking, place thinly sliced squash on an oiled baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in oven at the same time as crust, flipping squash after 10 minutes. Cook until fork tender, about 20 minutes.

While the crust and squash is baking, caramelize the onions. In a large skillet with a bit of oil. toss in onions and a little salt.  Cook on medium low heat with a  lid, giving them a good stir every now and then. Once onions are nicely cooked down, toss in the mushrooms. Continue to cook unit mushrooms are no longer raw.

Remove crust  and squash from oven and let cool for a minute. Now just pile stuff on. Spread  marinara sauce evenly around crust. Add squash and top with cheese. Dump the onions and mushroom on top and sprinkle with a bit more cheese.(Again, use vegan or no cheese to keep it vegan) Place back into oven for another 20 minutes.

Remove and let cool for a few minutes………..and then eat eat eat!!!

A good side dish for this pizza…a nice light arugula salad. Hey, you could even just toss some greens right on top of this pie, that would be fantastic too!

Enjoy and be awesome!

Lentil stuffed Delicata rounds of Awesome

I know, it's just so good. I will eat lentils all day, everyday, plan or with vinegar…Curried or with mustard.The same with squash, I am always going to the fridge to scoop a bit of acorn or pumpkin into my mouth. Whoa now,  Just last night I accidentally ate my lunch for today, an entire ball jar of lentils mixed with pumpkin puree… oops…..kinda.

What we have here are chopped up veggies mixed with lentils, a splash of vinegar, and stuffed into the holes of delicate squash. What, that's not right… What we have here is AMAZING!!! We are talking the absolute perfect dish. These tight little packages are everything that I want in a food and can be eaten hot or cold, with a fork or with your fingers, on a plate with some rice or quinoa, or in my case, standing in front of the refrigerator.(At least I had the decency to close the door while I was standing there!)

These rounds are a quick and easy and just happen to be a perfect Thanksgiving dish. Not to  big, unlike the over used stuffed acorn squash where you have to really commit and eat the entire thing. No, people can take one nice little rounds and it doesn't cover their entire plate Or take three cause they are that good. The colors are bright, the presentation is simple and flavor really bring out the happy in my Thanksgiving. You bring these to the table and people with think you are awesome. They will think you are beautiful. So smart and intelligent.. You really can't go wrong here with this one. No..You really can't.

To start, grab the dried lentils. If you have never cooked lentils, you are stupid. No, wait, you are not stupid, but if you don't start cooking them after this, then you are stupid. Lentils are the most delicious, nutritious , not to mention cheap food. They are fuss free and fast…You now have no excuse. Now, rinse and check for the stray stone, In a heavier bottom pot, mix one part lentils  to about 2 parts water. Exact measuring is not needed, just don't let you lentils dry out and burn. If you think you need more water, them add a bi more. Add a sprinkle of salt and bring to a boil for a minute. Turn heat to low and let simmer unit done to you preference, about 15 minute. I suggest a little on the al-dente side.

You have your lentils on the stove, now is the time to get those squash rounds in the oven.. All you need to do is cut the delicata into 1 inch rounds, scoop the seeds and roast in oven for 10 on each side..This is a really easy squash, easy to cut, minimal seeds and oh so pretty.

  

While the lentils are cooking and the squash is a-roastin finely chop a small red onion, a small red bell pepper, and 2 medium sized mushrooms. Throw them in a pan on medium heat with a tiny splash of oil just so the veggies don't stick. Cook until fragrant and tender, but not mushy. Finely chop the kale and either finely chop or grate carrot. Put the carrot and kale into a big bowl. The addition of the hot lentils and veggies will wilt the kale down to just right and the carrots will be that nice little crunch crunch crunch in the mixture.

Add the cooked down veggies to the bowl of kale and carrots. Mix in about 2 cups of cooked lentils, a sprinkle of salt and pepper and a splash of red wine vinegar or balsamic. The squash should be done and ready to fill.

Now here is the tricky part.. Dont eat the entire bowl of the lentil mixture. I am not saying that I did, but I am not saying that I didn't. All I know is that I might have had to make another batch…

Anyways.. Let the squash cool a bit on the pan or sheet, just enough so you don't burn your hands when your handling it. You have squash with holes, you have lentil mixture…Stuff the lentils mixtures into the holes. Dont just scoop a little, really stuff and overflow those babies. Stick them back into the oven for another 6-8 minutes, just to let everything cook and marinate together.

Remove from oven and OOh and AAAH.. To finish, drizzle a tiny bit of vinegar on top of each round. Trust that you want it. Not a lot, just a drizzle

You have done it! Now serve and eat…Or, let cool completely on pan, cover with foil and stick in the fridge for the next day. All you need to do is pop them back in the oven for 15 minutes until hot all the way through.  Fast, easy, and can be made ahead… Its ok, you can stop applauding me, I know I am Awesome!

ENJOY!!!!!!!!!

RECIPE

This recipe makes 12-14 one inch rounds

• 2 Delicata Squash
• 2 cups prepared lentils
• 1 small red onion
• 1 small red pepper
• 2 mushrooms..(I used white button)
• 1 small carrot
• a few kale leaves
• salt and pepper
• Red wine Vinegar. (Balsamic Vinegar works too)

Directions.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Wash squash and cut into 1- 1/2 inch rounds. Remove the seed and guts..(Set aside for roasting). Place rounds on a very lightly oiled or parchment lined  baking sheet. Place in oven, letting round bake for about 20 minutes, flipping each round after about 10 minutes. Squash is done when just fork tender..

While squash is baking, finely dice the onion, pepper,and mushrooms. Place in a skillet with a splash of oil on medium low heat until veggies are soft and fragrant, Finely chop kale and carrots and place in a large bowl. Once veggie mixture is done, transfer to bowl with ale and carrots. Add 2 cups of lentils.. Mix with salt and pepper and a teaspoon of vinegar.

Once the delicata is cooked and cooled enough to handle, Scoop a generous amount of the lentil mixture into each round, slightly packing the mixture in. Place back in oven for another 6-8 minutes or, you can let them completely cool, wrap the baking sheet in foil and stick in fridge until you need them.When ready to serve, reheat for 10-15 minutes in oven at 400 degrees.  Remove from oven and serve with a drizzle of vinegar on each round,