Baked Eggs with Roasted Acorn Squash & Kale

You're likely prepping the ingredients for your Christmas dinner today and not thinking beyond those turkey leftovers. That's good. Turkey leftovers go a long way after Christmas. If you do however, need a meal to bridge some of the gaps in your holiday menu, I'd suggest this baked egg recipe. It's a nice light, vegetarian meal that is cozy and filling, but that also offers a refreshing change from one's usually heavy holiday menu.

I wasn't the chef for this meal. It was prepared for me by another, sometimes reluctant chef. He knocked this out of the park so I'm keen to attempt it myself in the new year. If you need a little filler to go with this recipe, I'd suggest roasted potatoes to serve with the eggs along with some additional Pecorino on the potatoes to tie the two items together.

Adapted from: http://www.travelynneats.com

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 large Acorn squash, sliced and de-seeded/hollowed
• 1 tsp each Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 T olive oil and some to drizzle over the squash
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bunch of kale, cut into thin ribbons with bulky parts of the stems removed
• 1 t Herbes de Provence
• 1/4 t chile powder
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• 1/4 cup pecan pieces
• 1/2 cup of shaved Pecorino

Method

Preheat the oven to 410F. While the oven is heating, slice your squash horizontally, scooping the seeds out of the centre of each slice. Brush the slices with the olive oil and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Lay the squash on a tin foil-lined baking sheet, baking for 12 minutes each side.

Heat a skillet on medium heat with two tablespoons of olive oil added. Add the onions, sautéing for 10 minutes, or until softened. Toss in the garlic for another 2 minutes, until it is fragrant. Add the kale in 2-3 batches and combine well with the onions. Once the first batch softens, add the next and combine with the existing onion mixture. Add the spices and broth and let simmer for 4 minutes or until the kale softens. Add the pecans and set aside.

With the squash baked and out of the oven, turn the oven to broil (high).  Move the rack about 6 inches from the top of the oven. Add the squash to the skillet and crack an egg into each of the squash slices. Sprinkle half of the Pecorino over the entire skillet and broil for about 5 minutes or until the whites of the eggs are set. Remove from oven and serve, sprinkling the remaining cheese overtop of each serving.

Winter Panzanella & Roasted Red Pepper & Lentil Soup

A belated happy new year to you! May your pots not stick and your belly be full. That is as wise a saying as I could come up with.

I am, like everybody else, back on the good-for-you-food bandwagon. I have traded my party shoes for runners and swapped trips to the wine bar with trips to the yoga studio. Actually I still hit the bar, but after yoga.

This year however, my partner in crime, Ruedi has gone walkabout for six months and while I'm excited for him,  I am missing my food Hoover. Nobody can suck back leftovers like Ruedi. In my haste to get groceries this week, I neglected to downsize these first recipes of the year in consideration of his absence. I should have known when the original recipe for the salad below called for six, count 'em, six freaking beets that I would wind up with way too much food!

So...while I was able to freeze the soup, I will never make the panzanella again. I ate this dish a total of eight times this week. It was great the first time, lovely the second time and doable the third time. After that, I felt like I was just choking it down to rid myself of the leftovers. I know Ruedi will be surprised that I ate all of the leftovers, because I rarely eat an item more than three times after I've made it. Well Ruedi, I did it. 

So, enjoy these lovely dishes, because despite the fact that I'm over them, they are great recipes and healthy ones at that. The panzanella has so many options for variation. If I was to make it again, I'd play around with different kind of vegetables, throw in some roasted cashews or seeds and cheese would of course make a good addition too. When doesn't it?

As for the soup, the tanginess of the peppers combined with pesto gives it a zing I really enjoyed. The original recipe calls for basil, but I couldn't find any nearby. I had loads of pesto on hand, so I opted to throw that into the soup instead.

Winter Panzanella

From: http://blog.kj.com


Ingredients

• 6 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
• 6 medium beets. peeled and cubed
• 2 fennel bulbs, chopped
• 2 cups butternut squash chopped
• 1 shallot minced
• 4 cups bread, cubed
• 2 cups kale, finely chopped
• 1 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 apple, thinly sliced
• balsamic vinegar
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

Method

Preheat oven to 350F. Toss the bread cubes with a generous amount of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Place them on a cookie sheet and bake them for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Combine the carrots, fennel, beets and squash in a bowl and toss with more olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Place the vegetables on another baking sheet and roast them for about 30 minutes or until the edges are browned.

In a large bowl, combine the bread and roasted vegetables with the kale, shallots, parsley and apple and pour a generous amount of balsamic vinegar and olive oil over the mix. Add some coarse salt and fresh ground pepper and toss the salad well. Serve immediately.





Roasted Red Pepper & Lentil Soup

Note that you'll need to prepare the roasted red pepper sauce as part of this soup recipe. It can be made a day in advance if needed.

Adapted From: http://cali-zona.com


Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

• 4 large bell peppers
• 2 large tomatoes
• 1/2 white onion, diced
• 1 small shallot, diced
• 1/4 cup red wine
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 T pesto
• 2 T lemon juice
• 1/4 t cayenne pepper
• 1/2 t paprika

Method

Preheat oven to 400F. Cut the peppers in half and remove their seeds. Place them face down on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for about 25 minutes or until the skin begins to blacken and bubble. When cooled, peel the skin off of the peppers.

Blanch the tomatoes by dropping them in a pot of boiling water for about a minute. Once removed and cooled, peel the skins from the flesh.

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a saucepan on medium heat. Add the garlic and let it flavour the oil for a few seconds. Follow with the onion and shallots, sautéing until translucent. Add the wine and simmer until reduced and syrupy in texture.

In a food processor or blender, combine the peppers, tomatoes, onion mixture and pesto and puree the ingredients. Pour the mixture back into the pan and add the lemon juice, pepper and paprika. Allow the sauce to simmer for about ten minutes and season to taste with coarse salt.

The Soup

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups red lentils
• 1 batch roasted pepper sauce (recipe above) 
• 8 cups water
• 2 large tomatoes, diced
• 1 T balsamic vinegar
• 1 T Worcestershire sauce
• 1 t hot paprika
• salt and pepper to taste

Method

In a strainer, rinse the lentils well. Add them to a large pot with the eight cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium to allow the lentils to cook for 25 minutes. Once the lentils are soft add the remaining ingredients and allow to cook on medium heat for another 5-10 minutes.

Roasted Cauliflower Gratin with Butternut Squash

Flipping through my past entries, one can only assume I have a squash fetish. It has been regurgitated over the last year in a million different formats and with a myriad of ingredients. The truth is, squash is just that good. When baked, its smokey sweetness is hard not to love.  I feel like I'm nourishing my body when I eat it, as opposed to simply making a meal. As a great source of Vitamins A & B and a solid fiber provider, you too can fall in love. 

This particular dish is a great one for a meatless Monday. Nuts, cheese and veggies make this an almost complete dish. Adding legumes, quinoa, and/or seasoned couscous would complete it for sure. The most notable flavour from this combo is the vinegar-infused cauliflower. Adding a few tablespoons to this veg prior to baking it gave it an unexpected twist. Adding a little chopped rosemary seemed to soften this acidity.


From: http://www.eatlifewhole.com

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 2 cups roasted cauliflower
• 2 cups squash
• 5 T olive oil (3 for the squash and 2 for the cauliflower)
• 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
• 1 1/2 cups of Gruyere, grated
• 1/3 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
• 1 T fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• 2 T apple cider vinegar
• Salt & pepper to taste

Method

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

 Prepare the cauliflower as follows:

Cut the cauliflower florets into bite-size pieces. Add the pieces to a large bowl and toss well with 3 tablespoons of olive oil & the cider vinegar. Generously season the mixture with salt & pepper. Move the cauliflower to parchment-lined baking sheets (you will probably need two sheets to avoid overcrowding). Roast in the middle of the oven until the cauliflower starts to soften and brown, about 20 minutes.

While the cauliflower is in the oven, prepare the squash for roasting.  Slice off both ends and peel completely.  Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds with a spoon.  Continue cutting into bite-size pieces. Add the cut squash to a bowl.  Coat the squash with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  Generously sprinkle with salt & pepper.  Move to a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Roast the squash until it is cooked through but not mushy; about 30 minutes. While the cauliflower and squash are cooking, caramelize the onions.  Heat a tablespoon of olive oil over low heat in a medium-sized sauté pan.  Add the onions and stir until they are well coated with oil. Stir the onions occasionally until they are soft; about 25-30 minutes. When done roasting, remove the cauliflower and squash from the oven.  Set aside to cool.

Coat a medium cast-iron skillet or casserole dish with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil.  Cover the bottom with 1/2 of the squash and 1/2 of the cauliflower, followed by the onions.  Add the remaining cauliflower and squash.  Top with the cheese, followed by the walnuts and the rosemary. Reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees.  Put the gratin to the oven to cook until the cheese has melted and started to brown; about 20 minutes.

Warm Squash Salad & Winter Squash Dip

I seem to be blessed when it comes to squash: there is always one lying around the kitchen ready to inspire me. This week I had two and a hankering to transform them into something new.  Enter the winter squash dip recipe. Actually this was well timed since the Superbowl is fast approaching and this dip would please any snacker. Those with dairy intolerances, watch out! This dip contains enough cream cheese, sour cream, Parmesan and butter to shock any cow.

The salad was not only the healthier option, but another lunch idea. It served me well this week. Lentils, goat cheese and a few walnuts make this a complete meal.  

Warm Squash Salad

Source: My head, although I'm sure I've seen versions of this while perusing through other food blogs.

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1 Head green leaf lettuce, washed and torn into pieces
• 5 oz Goat cheese, crumbled
• 1 Whole squash of your choice (I had a Hubbard Squash..I think)
• 1/4 cup Chopped walnuts
• 3/4 cup French lentils, cooked

Dressing

• 3 T Balsamic vinegar
• 1 T Dijon Mustard
• 3 T Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Method

To prepare the squash, preheat over to 400F. Cut the squash into wedges, scooping out and discarding the seeds and stringy flesh. Brush the squash with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 45 minutes or until flesh is brown on the surface. Remove from oven and slice the skin from the flesh. Chop into 1 inch cubes.

Combine salad ingredients and set aside.  Combine the dressing ingredients and mix well with a fork or whisk. I would suggest adding a little water to the dressing to thin it. Toss the dressing with the salad and serve.

Winter Squash Dip

From: Martha Stewart Living Magazine. October 2007. p 242

Serves 12

Ingredients

• 1 Squash (this one was a Kabocha)
• 2 Garlic heads with tops cut off 
• 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 10 T unsalted butter
• 8 green onions, white and pale green parts only, sliced 1/4'' thick
• 2 Chipotle chili (canned in adobo sauce)
• 2 cups sour cream
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 4 t lemon juice
• Roasted pumpkin seeds for garnish

Method

Preheat oven to 400F. Place squash on a baking sheet. Brush with oil, season with salt and pepper and toss. Spread squash in a single layer. Place garlic on a piece of parchment-lined foil. Drizzle with oil and wrap loosely. Place on baking sheet with squash. Bake until squash is soft and golden brown, about 45 minutes. Let cool slightly.

Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes. 

Scoop flesh from squash and transfer to a food processor. Squeeze garlic from skins and add to squash. Add onion and chipotles and pulse until smooth. Add remaining 6 tablespoons of butter, the sour cream, cream cheese, Parmesan and lemon juice and pulse until combined but not smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve in a hollowed-out squash or dish and top with pumpkin seeds. I chose warm pita wedges as my accompaniment of choice. 

Rocking Squash

Buttercup, butternut, acorn, scallop, ambercup, banana, delicata... the list goes on. I was introduced to the kaboche squash over Christmas and got my first glimpse of how truly unique a flavour it is. Similar to a buttercup squash, when grilled, this veggie is smoky in flavour and filling. Ruedi's mom nailed it's flavour: it tastes like a roasted chestnut. We've been slicing up various squashes over the summer and throwing them on the barbeque for about 25 minutes at medium heat. This is the kind of experiment I live for. I little salt and pepper after they've been pulled from the heat seals the deal.