Giving thanks and giving squashThanksgiving is less than a week away. Maybe you're one to keep with tradition and use the same recipes over and over -OR- maybe you're looking to put a spin on a classic. If you fall into the later category, and would like to try something so simple and delicious, then look no further: Squash is the theme, and your family will certainly give thanks if you bring one of my favorite dishes, squash agrodolce (scroll down for recipe). This sweet-savory autumn specialty is one of my go-to recipes - requiring very little effort to make, and a short list of ingredients. First things firstBefore we get to the recipe, some things to say about winter squash: Evidence shows humans have been eating squash for over 12,000 years. Buttercup, butternut, delicata, hubbard, kabocha, pumpkin, and acorn (to name just a few) are the most notable winter squash varieties. But, here in the Midwest, we are especially blessed: We have a large selection of unique varieties like sweet dumpling, blue hokkaido, "Cinderella pumpkins" like rouge vif d'etampes and long island cheese, red kuri, turban, sugar pie, and white pumpkins. Whew, that's a lot. Rather than go into each flavor profile and use, I'll recommend you visit the Spruce Eats, as they do a lovely job explaining the differences and history. More squash facts Season: autumn - winter Taste: starchy to sweet once cooked, nutty Nutrition: mostly carbs (the healthier ones), some protein, and very little fat Volume: quiet to moderate Technique: bake, boil, braise, grill, pickle, puree roast, sauté, steam, stew, stuff Favorite Flavor combos: winter squash + ginger + pear + cinnamon winter squash + cashews + cilantro + coconut + curry winter squash + garlic + leeks + olive winter squash + thyme + garlic + olive + shallots winter squash + kale + red onion + apples Build your own recipes by using complimentary flavors from these foods: fruit: APPLES, including JUICE & CIDER, dates, fig, pear, quince, raisins beans (navy, black beans, garbanzo, butter, adzuki) butter spices: cardamom, cayenne, CINNAMON, cloves, coriander, CURRY, CUMIN, nutmeg, turmeric, GINGER nuts: cashews, chestnuts, walnut, pistachio, pecan veggies: cauliflower, celery, carrot, bell peppers, corn, fennel, kale, leeks, mushrooms mustard, greens, ONIONS, parsnip, radicchio, potatoes CHEESE, e.g. blue, cheddar, feta, fontina, Gruyère, mozzarella, Parmesan, pecorino, ricotta, Romano chiles herbs: cilantro, mint, parsley, tarragon, thyme, sage, rosemary COCONUT eggs GARLIC honey citrus: lemon, lime, orange maple syrup mirin miso olive seeds: flax, pumpkin, sesame soy sauce tofu |
rabbit food, served with European butter |
Like I always say: It's about moderation. You should enjoy the foods you love, just be mindful of how much you're eating |
I'm a dietitian and diabetic educator, but that doesn't mean I don't like OR don't eat the good stuff. European style butter is made from cultured cream and slight fermentation. This results in a unique flavor with a higher fat content than what you find from most American dairy farmers. There are many to choose from including, Kerrygold, Plugra, President, and Beurre de Baratte. You can order them online or find them at specialty grocers. The object of my desire from these is the Beurre de Baratte. It's made by a young cheese master, Rodolphe Le Meunier, a genuineMeilleur Ouvrier de France making butter the old-fashioned from churning. Everyone raves about this French Normandy butter because of it's unique nutty, umami flavor. It's even wrapped in a gold foil to give you that extra posh at a fancy dinner party. Better yet, it makes an excellent gift to that ultimate foodie friend of yours.
Sunday funday
It started out like most Sundays: Woke up, brewed a liter of French press coffee, read, and eventually pulled myself out of bed and into less-casual attire. It was time to 'adult'. You know, do the things you're required to do like laundry, pay bills, send important emails, and, if you're like me, run a business (which translates to always being busy). On this particular day, however, I decided to keep my adulting to a minimum and enjoy the rest of the lovely Sunday sun and do a bit of cooking before going on yet another food adventure.
But what to make for breakfast? Biscuits? Soft-boiled eggs? Swirled poppyseed Babka? Wild mushroom frittata? I searched my pantry and refrigerator for ingredients that might grab my attention: "Choose me. No, no me!" They said, "You know you can't resist my fresh, herbaceous charm." And how could I ignore the herbs? They that spoke the loudest of my ingredients, just begging to be used in my next meal. One by one, I reached for them all: one bunch cilantro, two bunches parsley, two limes, and jalapeño and garlic.
Into the blender the ingredients went with a pinch of smoked Hungarian paprika, toasted, ground coriander, just a pinch of citric acid (helps preserve the bright green color), a touch of kosher salt and cracked black Tellicherry peppercorn, and a large handful of toasted almonds. As I pulsed the ingredients to marry them in flavor, slowly streaming in the olive oil, I daydreamed of it's use as a dipping sauce for vegetables, accompaniment with mushroom, elk meatballs, and four bean salad.
But what to make for breakfast? Biscuits? Soft-boiled eggs? Swirled poppyseed Babka? Wild mushroom frittata? I searched my pantry and refrigerator for ingredients that might grab my attention: "Choose me. No, no me!" They said, "You know you can't resist my fresh, herbaceous charm." And how could I ignore the herbs? They that spoke the loudest of my ingredients, just begging to be used in my next meal. One by one, I reached for them all: one bunch cilantro, two bunches parsley, two limes, and jalapeño and garlic.
Into the blender the ingredients went with a pinch of smoked Hungarian paprika, toasted, ground coriander, just a pinch of citric acid (helps preserve the bright green color), a touch of kosher salt and cracked black Tellicherry peppercorn, and a large handful of toasted almonds. As I pulsed the ingredients to marry them in flavor, slowly streaming in the olive oil, I daydreamed of it's use as a dipping sauce for vegetables, accompaniment with mushroom, elk meatballs, and four bean salad.
I call this creation: Green Romesco
If you're a romesco purist, I know I have you squawking, "This can't be romesco! Where's the tomato and red bell pepper?" True, there aren't any of those ingredients, but I can't help but think of this as it's younger, spicier sister. You can easily swap out one sauce for another, and it's good to challenge your palate. Sometimes, I'll even add mint, or other hot green peppers -poblano, say- to this recipe to further its complex flavor profile. Regardless, you'll end up drizzling, draping, dashing this sauce on just about anything - from meats to fish to vegetables, and everything in between.
Prepares 2 cups.
Ingredients:
1 bunch cilantro
2 bunches parsley
1 lime, freshly juiced
4 garlic cloves
1 tsp Hungarian smoked paprika
1 tsp toasted, ground coriander
pinch citric acid
1 whole jalapeño (seeds can be removed)
kosher salt and cracked black pepper to taste
1/3 cup almonds, toasted
1/4 cup olive oil
water
Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients into a blender and slowly add oil and water until you've reached desired consistency.
Prepares 2 cups.
Ingredients:
1 bunch cilantro
2 bunches parsley
1 lime, freshly juiced
4 garlic cloves
1 tsp Hungarian smoked paprika
1 tsp toasted, ground coriander
pinch citric acid
1 whole jalapeño (seeds can be removed)
kosher salt and cracked black pepper to taste
1/3 cup almonds, toasted
1/4 cup olive oil
water
Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients into a blender and slowly add oil and water until you've reached desired consistency.
growing up
Even though I'm no longer five, I still enjoy my classic peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, or, even more nostalgic ants on a log as a snack. I'm sure you do it as well, but wouldn't it be nice to jazz it up a bit? After all, food is fun, meant to be enjoyed by you and more importantly, your taste buds.
(Some of you may remember my 2017 experiments with peanut sauce here: Peanut Sauce)
I've put together a list of my favorite recipes that use nut butter spreads made with atypical ingredients (i.e. not only peanuts). Feel free to mix and match: There are endless nut and seed spreads available for purchase now in local grocery stores, and my hope is that these recipes will expand the way you view the application of them. You can, and should, play around and swap out the 'vehicles' as well, i.e. instead of endive leaves as the base, try apple or cucumber slices.
Let's get nutty:
(Some of you may remember my 2017 experiments with peanut sauce here: Peanut Sauce)
I've put together a list of my favorite recipes that use nut butter spreads made with atypical ingredients (i.e. not only peanuts). Feel free to mix and match: There are endless nut and seed spreads available for purchase now in local grocery stores, and my hope is that these recipes will expand the way you view the application of them. You can, and should, play around and swap out the 'vehicles' as well, i.e. instead of endive leaves as the base, try apple or cucumber slices.
Let's get nutty:
nut butter series
Peanut Butter Bites
Ingredients:
½ cup peanut butter
1 tablespoon five spice powder
½ cup apple, small dice
4 celery stalks cut into 4” ‘logs’
1 tablespoon celery leaves minced
Directions:
1. In a small bowl, mix peanut butter and five spice. If it’s too thick to stir, you can add water to thin it out, adding drop by drop.
2. Assembly: on each celery, spread peanut butter leaving enough room to top with apple and optional minced celery leaves.
Sunflower Butter Bites
Ingredients:
½ cup sunflower butter
1 pear, cut thinly into matchsticks
4 radish, pickled or fresh, cut thinly into matchsticks
1 tsp black sesame
25 rice crackers
Directions:
1. In a bowl, mix pear and radish with black sesame.
2. Assembly: on each rice cracker, apply sunflower butter, then the pear/radish mix.
Almond Butter Bites
Ingredients:
½ cup almond butter
½ cup shredded carrot
¼ tsp cinnamon
2 tablespoons raisins
20 endive leaves
Directions:
1. Mix almond butter in a bowl with a couple tablespoons of water if too thick and add cinnamon.
2. Assembly: On each endive leaf, spread almond butter and top with shredded carrot and few raisins.
Ingredients:
½ cup peanut butter
1 tablespoon five spice powder
½ cup apple, small dice
4 celery stalks cut into 4” ‘logs’
1 tablespoon celery leaves minced
Directions:
1. In a small bowl, mix peanut butter and five spice. If it’s too thick to stir, you can add water to thin it out, adding drop by drop.
2. Assembly: on each celery, spread peanut butter leaving enough room to top with apple and optional minced celery leaves.
Sunflower Butter Bites
Ingredients:
½ cup sunflower butter
1 pear, cut thinly into matchsticks
4 radish, pickled or fresh, cut thinly into matchsticks
1 tsp black sesame
25 rice crackers
Directions:
1. In a bowl, mix pear and radish with black sesame.
2. Assembly: on each rice cracker, apply sunflower butter, then the pear/radish mix.
Almond Butter Bites
Ingredients:
½ cup almond butter
½ cup shredded carrot
¼ tsp cinnamon
2 tablespoons raisins
20 endive leaves
Directions:
1. Mix almond butter in a bowl with a couple tablespoons of water if too thick and add cinnamon.
2. Assembly: On each endive leaf, spread almond butter and top with shredded carrot and few raisins.
What do you make with nut butter? I'd love to hear your ideas! Leave a comment below with your favorite nut butter variations, and don't forget to share this with your friends so they can add their voice to the conversation as well.
Preparing food for my extended family has always been a challenge. I'm faced with many picky, meat/potato eaters who don't like many vegetables or foods with 'interesting' flavours. If I want to sneak in veggies or introduce them to a new ingredient, I know I need to be clever or make it similar to foods they typically eat.
This past fourth of July holiday was no different. I knew that if I made something for the family, it couldn't be too bold, had to be approachable, and that I'd need to find out if there were any foods of absolute dislike.
My brother was planning to make brisket in the Green Egg (see below pic) and he was craving a black bean salad to accompany the beef. In the interest of my brothers hankering, I thought why not; it'd be easy to assemble at the lake for a large group of people.
Being over zealous about my salad, I purchased too many vegetables and unknowingly included ingredients the family detested, tomatoes and radish. Remembering my audience, I omitted the unfavorable ingredients and starting prepping. The radish and tomatoes would be better eaten while boating on the lake anyway -healthy treat for me-
Family Conclusion: they absolutely loved it! The salad was versatile and was best enjoyed over a bed of greens -per the ladies of the north- and as a topping to the beef -per the gents-
Many said they were keen to try making it at home, BONUS.
This brought me such joy, knowing I was able to nourish my family with something they truly enjoyed eating.
spicy black bean salad
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 poblano, small diced
1 jalapeno, minced
1 red bell pepper, small diced
1 yellow bell pepper, small diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp sriracha or hot sauce (optional)
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 medium red onion, small dice
2- 15 oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 corn cobs, cleaned corn (see pic for a visual of a simple technique)
2 limes, freshly squeezed juice
1 small bunch cilantro, cleaned and chopped
1/2 cup Cotija cheese (optional garnish)
s & p*
Directions:
1. In a sauté pan, heat olive oil and add poblano, jalapeño, bell peppers, garlic, hot sauce, cumin and coriander. Cook for 5-7 minutes and allow to cool while prepping the rest.
2. In a large bowl, combine red onion, black beans, corn, lime juice, and cilantro.
3. Mix all ingredients together and allow to marinate for at least 30-60 minutes.
4. Add garnish and serve.
Recipe: to make this recipe even quicker with less clean-up, don't bother to sauté the garlic and peppers. I knew my family wouldn't like the raw garlicky flavor, so I opted to cook out some of the bitterness.
Cotija cheese is a semi-hard, cow's milk cheese originating from Mexico.
s & p = salt and pepper
Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 poblano, small diced
1 jalapeno, minced
1 red bell pepper, small diced
1 yellow bell pepper, small diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp sriracha or hot sauce (optional)
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 medium red onion, small dice
2- 15 oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 corn cobs, cleaned corn (see pic for a visual of a simple technique)
2 limes, freshly squeezed juice
1 small bunch cilantro, cleaned and chopped
1/2 cup Cotija cheese (optional garnish)
s & p*
Directions:
1. In a sauté pan, heat olive oil and add poblano, jalapeño, bell peppers, garlic, hot sauce, cumin and coriander. Cook for 5-7 minutes and allow to cool while prepping the rest.
2. In a large bowl, combine red onion, black beans, corn, lime juice, and cilantro.
3. Mix all ingredients together and allow to marinate for at least 30-60 minutes.
4. Add garnish and serve.
Recipe: to make this recipe even quicker with less clean-up, don't bother to sauté the garlic and peppers. I knew my family wouldn't like the raw garlicky flavor, so I opted to cook out some of the bitterness.
Cotija cheese is a semi-hard, cow's milk cheese originating from Mexico.
s & p = salt and pepper
If you're interested in learning about bean/legume nutrition with cook times for each variety, click here. Simply scroll down to Beans and Pulses.
Next up
Most Popular
Categories
All
Backpacking
Dough & Noodle
Main
Nosh
Sauce Or Spread
Skin
Soups & Stews
Spices
Sweets
Follow
Copyright © 2015 Ranelle Kirchner - All Rights Reserved - Designed by papers.media