butternut squash – Simply Splendid Food

Ingredients

1 small butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)

1/2 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt

5 garlic cloves (1 finely grated, 4 chopped)

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided

Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling

1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed, patted dry

1 medium onion, chopped

2 tablespoons of curry powder/paste or vadouvan

2 radishes, trimmed, very thinly sliced (optional)

1 cup parsley, mint, and/or cilantro leaves8

2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds (optional)

Roasted WHOLE Butternut Squash

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425°F. Roast squash directly on oven rack until a paring knife poked through skin easily slides through flesh, 50–65 minutes. Let squash cool until you can handle. Trim ends, halve lengthwise, and scoop out seeds. Tear or cut squash into large pieces; discard skin (it will come off easily as you tear).

Meanwhile, mix yogurt, grated garlic, and 1 Tbsp. lemon juice in a medium bowl; season with salt and pepper.

Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium-high. Cook chickpeas, shaking skillet often, until starting to brown and crisp, about 5 minutes. Add onion and chopped garlic and cook, stirring often, until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle in vadouvan (curry powder) and cook, stirring, until chickpeas and onion are coated and mixture is fragrant, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a medium bowl. Wipe out skillet.

Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in same skillet over medium-high. Cook squash pieces, cut side down, undisturbed, until browned and caramelized, about 5 minutes. Turn pieces over, remove from heat, and season with salt and pepper. Spoon chickpea mixture over squash, then dollop reserved lemon-garlic yogurt around.

Optional: Toss radishes, herbs, and pomegranate seeds, with remaining 1 Tbsp. lemon juice in a small bowl; drizzle with a splash of oil and season with salt and pepper. Scatter over squash and chickpeas. Finish with a grind or two of pepper.

(Optional) Pomegranate and Pistachio Nuts …you will be glad you added the pomegranate!

**LEMON GARLIC YOGURT TOPPING**: Can Be Served On The Side ( No Pomegranate here).

VARIATIONS

Add greens, kale ships, collard greens, swiss chard, etc. Cranberries are a good ubstitute for pomegranate. Add leftover quinoa or feta cheese cubes. Serve as a veggie tacos. ‘Squash’ Burgers (see below). Lightly mash squash to biuld your burger. If you have more people at the table, add spinach to the mix to extend your dish

VEGGIE BURGER: Curry / Squash/ Chick Peas/ Pomegranate/ Cilantro/ Parsley

There is a wonderful supply of beautiful squashes, pumpkins and other gourds available now. Every upscale restaurant seems to have butternut squash soup on their menu. I started experimenting with different flavours for my squash soup and liked the slight bite when I added lemongrass and ginger. Not to mention the health benefits! I added an apple to give this soup a lightness. And, it can easily be served before a main course without feeling too full. It is especially good with homemade crackers (see instructions below).

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INGREDIENTS
4 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
a 2 1/2 lb. squash, peeled and cubed
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 ribs celery, coarsely chopped
1 carrot, coarsely chopped
1 large apple peeled and coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 tablespoons finely chopped ginger (divided)
1 tablespoon finely chopped lemongrass
Salt and pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven and add onions and carrots. Cook stirring until tender and the onions translucent, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the squash, celery, and apple and cook another 5 minutes. Add the ancho chile, 1 tablespoon of ginger, lemongrass and pinch of salt and stir into the mixture.
3. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Then ~ Reduce heat, cover and simmer another 45 minutes.
4. Add the final tablespoon of the ginger for that extra “bite” of flavour. (optional)
Puree the soup using an immersion blender right in the pot. Or, blend in batches, using a blender or food processor.
~ Add salt and pepper to taste.~
Note: If you are serving this soup to children, then you may want to leave out the “spicy” ginger.

EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT EVERY TYPE OF SQUASH
Butternut, acorn , spaghetti, delicata and kabocha squash all belong to the winter squash family though most start to pop up at grocery store and farmer’s markets in the early fall. Edible pumpkins also belong to this group, along with less familiar squash varieties like hubbard, turban, sweet dumpling, banana and buttercup. While each squash has its own unique taste and texture, these are versatile vegetable. Most can be used interchangeable and they can be baked, roasted, steamed, sauteed or microwaved. When shopping for squash, look for squash that’s firm and heavy for its size. You may be able to buy squash that’s already peeled and cut up. This will be more expensive than whole squash but can be a real time saver.

Shop for pumpkins grown for eating rather than carving. These include sugar pumpkins, pie pumpkins, sweet pumpkins, cheese pumpkins and heirloom varieties. Store winter squash in the refrigerator or in a cool dry place. They will keep for weeks or a month or longer.

ACORN and delicata squash have edible skin and indeed much of the nutrients are just under the skin so it is advantageous to eat the skin. Butternut squash can be peeled with a vegetable peeler. Squash with harder skin should be cooked as is and the flesh scooped out later.
SQUASH SEEDS can be scooped out before cooking and most are edible as well as nutritious. Rinse the seeds, pat them dry and bake them with salt and olive oil at 300F (150C), stirring occasionally for 20 minutes. When you think of a seed having the power to grow a plant, think of the nutrition value they can impart.

PASTA REPLACEMENT: After spaghetti squash is cooked it’s flesh can be pulled out in spaghetti-like strands. This is a wonderful no carb gluten free replacement for pasta as well as a good vegetarian filling for tacos and other dishes.
Ginger helps to reduce nausea from many causes; pregnancy, postoperative nausea and more. Ginger reduces inflammation and possibly lessen arthritis pain. Some studies have shown that ginger was more effective that the over-the-counter drug Dramamine for treating motion sickness!

Ginger extract has been used by osteoarthritis patients to relieve pain.

“TASTY” GOURMET CRACKERS
I have admired the appearance and flavour of those lovely crackers on the restaurant tables. You can buy them for a pricey sum at gourmet food shops. I decided to make my own GOURMET CRACKERS and used tortilla wrappers as well as pita bread. You can get rice tortillas at a whole foods store. Other options are whole wheat, spinach flavoured or other flavoured wraps.
DO IT YOURSELF (DIY): Slice the wraps with a knife as pictured below. Brush the wraps with olive oil and sprinkled with sesame seeds, steak seasoning, or salt, herbs (fresh or dried) and/or spices and baked at 375F for 10 minutes, these are yummy crackers for soups, dips or snacking! Your kids will love them too!