A nice variation on spaghetti squash, sent to me by my college roommate. The recipe comes from the Whole Foods website.
1 medium spaghetti squash
2 t olive or corn oil
1/2 c red onion, chopped
1 jalapeño chili, minced
1/2 c red pepper, chopped
1 c black beans, rinsed and drained well
1/2 c sweet corn, frozen or fresh
1 t chili powder
1/3 c cilantro, minced
1 T lime juice
1/4 c feta cheese
salt and pepper, to taste
1. Roast squash in a 375degrees F oven for 50 minutes, cut side down, until tender or cut squash in half and place in a microwave dish with 1/2 inch of water, lightly covered with plastic wrap for 20 minutes on high until tender. Set aside to cool. When cool, scoop flesh from squash halves (leaving the shell intact for stuffing, if you wish).
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large pan and sauté red onion, jalapeño chili and red pepper for 2minutes. Add beans, corn and chili powder; sauté 1 minute longer. Add cooked squash, cilantro, lime juice and salt, cook 1minute until heated through.
3. Serve with feta cheese.
Without the addition of the feta cheese, I felt the recipe was a little bland. You definitely don't need added salt with the cheese, a little pepper is nice though. The original recipe called for the jalapeño to be seeded, but you get more a kick leaving them in. You could also add some hot sauce or cayenne chili powder to kick it up a little more. Overall, a good variation on spaghetti squash.
Showing posts with label winter squash. Show all posts
Showing posts with label winter squash. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Sunday, January 1, 2012
New Year, New Food Creation
Butternut Squash, Kale, Mushrooms & Onions. I discovered a butternut squash in the fridge that needed to be cooked, as well as half a package of mushrooms. So I added a leftover onion chunk (diced) and some kale I had on hand, seasoned with some hot sauce, a teaspoon of honey and juice (and some pulp) of half an orange. A true "leftover" meal. And a pretty tasty one at that! =)
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Quinoa-Stuffed Acorn Squash
Yes, I am clearly on a squash kick. I love how local and available winter squash is these days. It’s so fresh and tasty! This recipe is no exception, super easy and very versatile. I got the idea from this Google-search result. Enjoy!
1 acorn squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
1 T butter
1 c quinoa
2 c water or vegetable broth (to cook quinoa)
1 T olive oil (for sautéing)
1/2 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c mushrooms, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 T parsley, chopped
1 T fresh lemon juice
1/2 c crumbled feta cheese
salt & pepper to taste
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Place squash cut-side up on a baking sheet and place 1/2 T butter into each half. Sprinkle with salt and paper and bake for 45 minutes, or until tender.
3. Meanwhile, cook quinoa with water or vegetable broth according to directions.
4. Use olive oil to sauté onion, garlic, mushrooms, carrots and celery about 10 minutes until slightly brown.
5. Add sautéed vegetables to quinoa and season with parsley, lemon juice and salt and pepper, to taste.
6. Once squash halves have cooled, spoon quinoa mixture into each half. There will be leftovers. Top with feta, serve warm.
The squash I used was on a small side, it still took 45 minutes to cook, but I served more of the “stuffing” on the side (there are still leftovers). You can sub all kinds of cool stuff as well. If you follow the link to the recipe I emulated, they used a couple different items, and the recipe they revised also has different ingredients. Be creative, use what you have in the house! And let me know how it goes.
1 acorn squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
1 T butter
1 c quinoa
2 c water or vegetable broth (to cook quinoa)
1 T olive oil (for sautéing)
1/2 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c mushrooms, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 T parsley, chopped
1 T fresh lemon juice
1/2 c crumbled feta cheese
salt & pepper to taste
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Place squash cut-side up on a baking sheet and place 1/2 T butter into each half. Sprinkle with salt and paper and bake for 45 minutes, or until tender.
3. Meanwhile, cook quinoa with water or vegetable broth according to directions.
4. Use olive oil to sauté onion, garlic, mushrooms, carrots and celery about 10 minutes until slightly brown.
5. Add sautéed vegetables to quinoa and season with parsley, lemon juice and salt and pepper, to taste.
6. Once squash halves have cooled, spoon quinoa mixture into each half. There will be leftovers. Top with feta, serve warm.
The squash I used was on a small side, it still took 45 minutes to cook, but I served more of the “stuffing” on the side (there are still leftovers). You can sub all kinds of cool stuff as well. If you follow the link to the recipe I emulated, they used a couple different items, and the recipe they revised also has different ingredients. Be creative, use what you have in the house! And let me know how it goes.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Spaghetti Squash
Our friend Steve introduced me to this recipe for spaghetti squash. I’ve made a couple variations of this, and never the recipe as it is below. It’s just a really good starting point. Enjoy!
1 spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
2 t vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 c tomatoes, chopped
3/4 c crumbled feta cheese
3 t black olives, sliced
2 t fresh basil, chopped
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place spaghetti squash cut sides down on a lightly greased baking sheet, and bake 30 minutes or until a sharp knife can be inserted with only a little resistance. Remove and set aside to cool enough to be easily handled.
2. In a pan over medium heat, saute onion in oil until tender. Add garlic, and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, and cook only until tomatoes are warm.
3. Use a large spoon to scoop the stringy pulp from the squash into a medium bowl. Toss with the sauteed vegetables, feta cheese, olives, and basil. Serve warm.
The first time I made this, I did it almost to the recipe, except I omitted the basil and went with a raw cheddar over the feta since it’s what I had. I also added a can of peas and carrots (because I was cleaning out the pantry…). It was tasty. The second time I made with chickpeas instead of black olives (and a whole lot of chickpeas at that) and parsley instead of basil and again with raw cheddar. I really liked the variation with chickpeas, the textures went well together. Chickpeas and feta cheese would probably be a perfect mix.
1 spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
2 t vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 c tomatoes, chopped
3/4 c crumbled feta cheese
3 t black olives, sliced
2 t fresh basil, chopped
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place spaghetti squash cut sides down on a lightly greased baking sheet, and bake 30 minutes or until a sharp knife can be inserted with only a little resistance. Remove and set aside to cool enough to be easily handled.
2. In a pan over medium heat, saute onion in oil until tender. Add garlic, and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, and cook only until tomatoes are warm.
3. Use a large spoon to scoop the stringy pulp from the squash into a medium bowl. Toss with the sauteed vegetables, feta cheese, olives, and basil. Serve warm.
The first time I made this, I did it almost to the recipe, except I omitted the basil and went with a raw cheddar over the feta since it’s what I had. I also added a can of peas and carrots (because I was cleaning out the pantry…). It was tasty. The second time I made with chickpeas instead of black olives (and a whole lot of chickpeas at that) and parsley instead of basil and again with raw cheddar. I really liked the variation with chickpeas, the textures went well together. Chickpeas and feta cheese would probably be a perfect mix.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Black Bean "Chili" with Winter Squash
It’s winter squash season! I found a recipe for “black bean chili with winter squash” on vegetariantimes.com (link) and created my own variation. It’s more of a stew with everything than chili, although you can add some kick to make it spicy like chili.
3-4 medium potatoes
1 medium acorn or butternut squash
1 onion
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 16oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 32oz. can diced tomatoes
1 16oz. can corn, drained and rinsed
1 t ground cumin
1 t cayenne pepper
salt & pepper
1. Peel and dice potatoes. Boil until easily pierced with a knife, drain and set aside.
2. Cut squash in half, scoop out seeds, and place in a microwave-safe container with 1/4 inch of water. Cover and microwave until tender, allowing 2 to 3 minutes per squash half. Remove squash and let cool, then peel and cut into chunks.
3. In a large pan, cook onion and garlic approximately 5 minutes over medium heat. Add black beans, diced tomatoes, corn, cooked potatoes and squash chunks. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper and simmer for 15 minutes. Serve warm.
I’ve made this once with acorn squash and once with butternut. Both are fantastic, but acorn is definitely more time consuming peeling since it’s such a weird shape. Just something to think about.
3-4 medium potatoes
1 medium acorn or butternut squash
1 onion
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 16oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 32oz. can diced tomatoes
1 16oz. can corn, drained and rinsed
1 t ground cumin
1 t cayenne pepper
salt & pepper
1. Peel and dice potatoes. Boil until easily pierced with a knife, drain and set aside.
2. Cut squash in half, scoop out seeds, and place in a microwave-safe container with 1/4 inch of water. Cover and microwave until tender, allowing 2 to 3 minutes per squash half. Remove squash and let cool, then peel and cut into chunks.
3. In a large pan, cook onion and garlic approximately 5 minutes over medium heat. Add black beans, diced tomatoes, corn, cooked potatoes and squash chunks. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper and simmer for 15 minutes. Serve warm.
I’ve made this once with acorn squash and once with butternut. Both are fantastic, but acorn is definitely more time consuming peeling since it’s such a weird shape. Just something to think about.
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