Last year I discovered my devotion to all things butternut squash. I turned my nose up to all other types of winter squash and dedicated all of my time and energy to the butternut. This year has been the year of delicata, kabocha, kuri, and even a few acorns--it appears that I have turned my back on my old friend butternut. Isa reminded me what I have been missing without butternut in my life with this essential dish. Yes, essential. Butternut Rancheros are where it's at, made complete by a big pile of sauteed collard greens. Seriously, eat this.
This exact time last week I was busy roasting and pureeing butternut squash, baking maple glazed pecans, and "carving" tofu turkeys to try to get ahead of the game on the dishes I was bringing to Thanksgiving dinner the next day.
This is my first Thanksgiving since I joined the food blogging community, and I found myself overwhelmed with inspiration. While I usually bring one dish to my family dinner, I brought three this year (four if you count the gravy). There was so much more that I wanted to make, it made me wish that I was hosting the meal myself.
My favorite (and obviously cutest!) was the Cider Marinated Tofu Turkeys and Cider Gravy, created by Hannah over at BitterSweet. I was particularly excited about bringing these alternative birds for more than just the obvious reasons. This was the first Thanksgiving as vegetarians for my aunt and her husband, and what a great way to celebrate their decision to not partake in the turkey! These were so tasty, that even my turkey-loving father was impressed. (Oh, and these turkeys are not actually carved, it's a cookie cutter).
I had my eye on this butternut squash lasagna for months now, but it isn't a practical dish to make for just a couple of people. I knew Thanksgiving would be the perfect excuse to make this. Loads of roasted butternut squash puree smeared between layers of noodles, freshly shredded mozzarella and a creamy basil sauce. So delicious!
Lastly, I made this Brussels Sprout Slaw with Mustard Dressing and Maple Glazed Pecans. The word slaw has negative connotations to many, because it is usually associated with mayonnaise drenched cabbage. Well, there is no mayonnaise in this recipe. Who would have thought that brussels sprouts based salads would be so amazing? Well, I'm not the only one doing it, so don't just take my word for it!
Well Thanksgiving is over and hopefully you got lots of rest, because I don't need to remind you of what is right around the corner!
I got the tree up on Sunday, and the kitties took an immediate liking to it. They arranged themselves this way beneath the tree on their own and sat there for ages while I clicked away with the camera!
I am submitting this photo of Arnold and Evie under the tree to this month's No Croutons Required event, hosted by Jacqueline. This month they are taking a break from the normal soup and salad challenge and inviting bloggers to submit festive photos instead. What? An excuse to make people look at pictures of my kitties? Sign me up!
po⋅so⋅le/poʊˈsoʊleɪ, pɒ-; Sp. pɔˈsɔlɛ/ Show Spelled Pronuncia[poh-soh-ley, po-; Sp. paw-saw-le] –noun Mexican Cookery. a thick, stewlike soup of pork or chicken, hominy, mild chili peppers, and coriander leaves: traditionally served at Christmas and often favored as a hangover remedy. (from dictionary.com)
My only exposure to posole was back in college. My roommate Laura had gone home for the weekend and came back with a big container of it. She talked about spending an entire day working on it with her boyfriend's Hispanic grandmother. They started out with pork, hominy, fresh tomatoes and chili peppers, and they simmered, simmered, and simmered some more. She was kind enough to share some of the leftovers, and I was instantly in love (obviously my pre-veggie days). I can still remember the complex flavors -- smokey and spicy, strewn with tasty kernels of hominy. Since then I have wanted to meet an Hispanic grandmother that could teach me how to make this traditional stew.
Fast forward six years, and I'm waist deep in food blogs when I randomly find a meatless version of this stew by The Vegan Mouse, and my tasty memories came flooding back to me. The book that she found the recipe in featured butternut squash, but she opted to use the zucchini that she had on hand. You know how much I love butternut squash so I wanted to revert back to that, but without access to the original recipe I came up with my own. I did follow in her footsteps with the addition of collard greens and red bell pepper, which rounded out this stew perfectly.
I've made this stew twice, and the first time I used 2 tbsp fresh jalapenos, but the second go around I decided to go with guajillo chiles. Guajillo chiles are very common in Mexico and are also one of the more mild of the hot chiles, so I deducted that this chile has most likely been used in many of the authentic-grandma-simmered versions of this stew. That I cannot confirm, but I can tell you that it was delicious. It is a little more work, so if you are short on time go for the jalapenos, which are also delicious. (If you decide to go with jalapenos, dice them and add them into the pot at the same time as the onion and garlic.)
Posole Stew with Butternut Squash and Collard Greens
(6-8 servings)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 tbsp cumin
1-1/2 tbsp oregano
1-1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
2 bay leaves
4 cups butternut squash, peeled and chopped into large bite sized pieces
4 leaves of collard greens, center rib removed and chopped
3 14oz cans hominy
6 cups water
3 tbsp guajillo chile paste*
6 tbsp tomato paste
2 Not-Beef bouillon
juice of 1/2 lime
salt and pepper to taste
Heat olive oil in large soup pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and bell pepper and saute for about 10 minutes, or until the onions and peppers have softened. Stir in spices and saute for another minute stirring constantly.
Next stir in squash, greens, hominy, and water and turn up heat to bring to a boil. Once boiling lower heat to medium low and stir in chile paste, tomato paste, bouillon cubes and stir until well incorporated. Simmer for 20 minutes or until the squash is just tender, or to your liking (check it often, you don't want mushy squash).
Remove bay leaves. Stir in lime juice, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with chopped cilantro.
*Start with dried guajillo chiles, and make your own paste. Great instructions can be found here.
I have been taking full advantage of winter squashes since they started to appear in September, and this fall, squash of the butternut variety has been frequenting my meals more than any other. I love the smooth texture and how versatile it is. This quinoa dish is a perfect example of this squashes' versatility. It starts by roasting bite sized pieces of squash with lemon juice and ends by simmering the roasted squash pieces in the pot alongside the quinoa while it cooks. The quinoa and squash meet with the flavors of lemon, garlic, shallots, and thyme, and is finished off with a sprinkling of toasted pine nuts and chives. Simple and delicious!
10 ounces butternut squash (about 2 cups) 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1 cup quinoa 1/4 cup chopped shallots 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon dried thyme 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste 2 tablespoons (about 7/10 ounce) lightly toasted pine nuts (optional) 1 teaspoon minced fresh chives (optional)
Preheat oven to 400F. Cut the squash in half and scrape out the seeds and strings (using a grapefruit spoon makes this easier). Peel and cut into 1/2-inch cubes and toss with the 1 teaspoon of lemon juice. Place them on a non-stick baking sheet (or silicone mat), sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, and bake for 15 minutes, stirring halfway through.
Place the quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer and rinse it well and allow to drain. Heat a deep, non-stick pot. Add shallots and garlic and cook, stirring, until shallots soften slightly. Add the quinoa and toast it until it has dried out and begins to exude a toasty aroma. Add the squash along with the thyme and vegetable broth. Reduce the heat to low and cover. Cook, stirring once or twice, until all broth is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Stir in the lemon peel and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and add more lemon juice if needed.
Serve with toasted pine nuts and chives sprinkled on top.
And now onto the star of my 3 day long soup cooking spree -- Chunky Carrot & Squash Soup with Coconut & Red Pepper Flakes. Unfortunately I can't take the credit for this gem, it is a creation of Jacqueline's from Tinned Tomatoes.
This soup is the perfect marriage of spicy, creamy, and chunky. I seriously cannot praise this soup enough, and neither can several other people that got a crack at the two different batches I made this week. I am definitely guarding the last couple of servings of leftovers with my life. The only thing that I changed is that the original recipe called for 1/2 cup coconut milk and I used 1 cup to make mine extra creamy. Also, it seems that a hand blender would serve well for the light blending needed at the end of the process, but I don't have one so I used a potato masher and this worked great.
Chunky Carrot & Squash Soup with Coconut & Red Pepper Flakes
(from Tinned Tomatoes)
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tsp ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 onion, finely sliced
1/2 medium butternut squash, cubed
3 potatoes, diced
6 carrots, diced
1 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp ground coriander
6 cups vegetable stock
1 cup coconut milk
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Heat the olive oilin a large pan. Saute the onion, garlic and ginger until softened. Next add the carrots, squash and potatoes and saute for 5 - 10 minutes before adding the herbs and spices. Pour in the stock and cook covered at a simmer for 30 minutes. It is ready once the vegetable are tender. Blend the soup a little, but leave enough vegetables whole for a chunky soup. Stir through the coconut milk and cilantro, and season to taste.
leɪ, pɒ-; Sp. pɔˈsɔ
