Roasted Butternut Squash and Brussel Sprouts on Spelt with Sunflower Butter Sauce

Roasted veggies of any kind can get this girl in trouble. Place a sheet pan meant for many full of roasted veggies and watch out, I will probably eat them all. I can’t stop, won’t stop and you know what, I am not sorry, especially if its roasted brussel sprouts and squash.l I am grabbing at every last bit, especially all the really crispy, almost burnt pieces. Burnt food is one of my favorite flavors.

This dish is pretty basic, but also not. A slightly overlooked grain, spelt, makes for a hearty backdrop to the magic of roasted sprouts and squash, covered with a sunflower butter sauce which is a nice spin on a traditional peanut sauce. It’s pretty easy to make and pretty to look at as well. A nice hearty and warming meal for all of those cold winter nights. And it’s not going to make you feel heavy or gross, like if you sat and ate an entire lasagna. No, you will feel full and fantastic and ready for a cookie (it is the holidays after all).

The ingredients in this dish are mainly inspired by the half eaten jar of sunflower butter a friend of mine gave me at the gym, plus the fact that I have been getting a few stocks of brussel sprouts each week at farm share so we are eating them at ever meal, (plus I LOVE brussel sprouts) and me trying to use up all of the grains and such in the pantry before restocking anything more or new. A dish of convenience sure, but also a damn delicious one at that. With this being said, if you had a different grain you wanted to use, or an abundance of some other veggies that you have or prefer, well go ahead and use them. You do you my friend.

And really, I was thinking of you when I made this dish. Sometimes at this time of year people tend to forget to eat, or tend to eat on the not so healthy side. This grain bowl situation is just what your body is in need of. Simple delicious nourishment.

The stuff. Spelt that has been soaking in water for a while, half a butternut squash, brussel sprouts, a red onion. Also sunflower butter, a few cloves garlic, a lime, soy sauce, a touch of maple, salt and pepper, and olive oil.

The spelt will probably take the longest so get it on the stove. Strain away the soaking water and place into with fresh water. Bring to boil then reduce heat to a simmer. Place a lid on pot ans let it go.

Next, get to the veggies. Halve the big sprouts (small ones can stay whole) chop onion into chunks and cube the squash.

A drizzle of oil, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and a good toss around and it ready for the oven.

Meanwhile, make the sunflower butter sauce. Its pretty basic. The sunflower butter, minced garlic, soy, maple, and juice of the lime all into a vessel that can hold it. Add a couple tablespoons of warm water to thin it out and done. Sunflower butter sauce. Easy Peasy.

After about an hour, your slept should be cooked (that sounds aggressive to me) Tender and chewy and just right.

The veggies should be roasted and done too. Crisp as you like ( I actually like mine even darker, but the mr does not so I went a light roast this time)

And it’s all ready for you to eat.

Roasted butternut squash and brussel sprouts on a warm bed of spelt covered in sunflower butter sauce. Living the good life here.

Take care of yourself this week, and always for that matter. Eat some good food. Your body will be happy for it.

Bye.

-C

---

Roasted Butternut Squash and Brussel Sprouts on Spelt with Sunflower Butter Sauce

Serves 2-3

• 1 cup spelt berries (soaked in water overnight if you remember)

• 3 cups water

• about 1/2 of a butternut squash

• about a pound of Brussel sprouts

• a medium red onion

• 1/4 cup sunflower seed butter (unsalted and unsweetened)

• 2 tablespoons liquid amionos or soy

• 1 teaspoon maple or honey

• 1 lime

• 2 cloves garlic

• salt and pepper

• olive oil

Preheat oven to 425

Place soaked spelt berries in a pot with water and a pinch of salt. Bring a boil then reduce heat, place a lid on pot and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour or until spelt berries are tender and all the water has been absorbed.

While spelt is cooking, cut sprouts in half (unless they are very small), cube the butternut into pieces about an inch big, and chop the onion up into chunks. Place all that you just chopped onto a baking sheet, drizzle with a teaspoon or two of olive oil and toss around. Sprinkle the veggies with a pinch or so of salt and pepper and pop into the hot oven. Roast for 40-45 minutes or until roasted to your desired doneness. (I like things a lot darker then the mr so I would leave my veggies in for closer to an hour)

For the sunflower butter sauce. Mince garlic and place into bowl or cup with the sunflower butter. Add in the maple, soy, and the juice of the lime. Mix together and add in a 2 tablespoons of warm water to thin out. Add more water if needed to get to a thick but pourable consistency.

Once the spelt is cooked, the veggies are roasted and the sauce is made, well you can assemble and eat. Spelt in a bowl, toss on some roasted veggies, and cover in the sauce. And then you eat it.

Farro with Balsamic Roasted Mushrooms Onions and Spinach

I made the decision to not go grocery shopping for the rest of the week so I can completely empty out and unplug the fridge while we are on our adventures. Why? Well if I unplug it, I won't have to de-ice it when we get back and that would be great. Plus why use electricity when were are not here to enjoy it? But yesterday I realized, we don't really keep a lot of food in the fridge. No that's not true. When I go grocery shopping, I buy a shit ton of veggies. like 5 lbs of greens 10 lbs of carrots, and 5 lbs more of other veggies... and it's gone within 4 to 5 days.  So yesterday when I opened the fridge, it was basically already empty besides the few condiments that I keep in there like mustard, soy sauce and pickle juice (all of which can be left out of the fridge when we are gone). What I did have were a few mushrooms. and a little bit of spinach. It was really sad. So I went grocery shopping. A big, fill the fridge with tons of veggies shop. And I will probably will have to do it one more time before we leave so I am going to stop worrying about emptying the fridge. It empties out pretty fast already.

What can I say, I like me some veggies.

Putting the grocery hall away, the last of the mushrooms and the spinach came out first to be consumed. I have a bunch of onions that I need actually do need to be eaten before we leave and it close to dinner time.. So I grab that stuff and some farro. Yup, farro, a kinda hardy wheat grain that all the cool kids are eating right now. I figured that I should be a cool kid too and make a farro bowl with those veggies. Roasted stuff tossed with balsamic vinegar and cooked farro, served in a pretty bowl. So good. so cool.

What do you think of farro?  I am curious because I am totally into it (me being a cool kid) But the mr, not so much.  I though for sure he would love it, but no. He said it was too chewy and too seedy and just not great. I think that maybe if he wasn't a cranker butt last night that he might have actually liked it, but whatever. You win some you lose some. I consider this a win cause I get to eat it all myself. Like all the cool kids.

The stuff. A onion, a bunch of crimini mushrooms, and a few handfuls of baby spinach. And we also have some farro, balsamic vinegar, water salt, pepper, ans a bit of olive oil.

Get the farro going by dumping it into a pot with water ans a pinch of salt and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, stick a lid on it and turn heat down to low and let it simmer.

Now chop up the onion and mushrooms and toss in to a oven safe skillet or baking sheet with a drizzle of olive oil and some salt ans pepper

Stick into the oven to roast.

After a good 20-25minutes of so, the mushroom onion mixture is all nice and roasted. Remove from the oven for a sec, dump in some balsamic vinegar, mix to coast everything and stick the skillet back into the oven for few more minutes until all the liquid has absorbed and the vinegar starts to caramelized. (but not burn)

Remove it again from the oven and now toss in the spinach.

And the farro should be done by now too(It should be soft but still a bit chewy.) If there is any extra liquid left in the pot, just strain it out.

Then mix he cooked farro into the roasted stuff.

Serve into a bow with a little more vinegar if you want and pepper. Lots of cracker pepper.

Now eat it and serve some to your boyfriend who says he doesn't like it, then eat his too!

Happy day to you

-C

---

Farro with Balsamic Roasted Mushrooms Onions and Spinach

serves 2

• 1 cup dried farro
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1 medium onion
• 6-7 crimini mushrooms
• 2 big handfuls of baby spinach
• 4-5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• salt and pepper
• olive oil

Preheat oven to 400

Combine the water ans farro into a pot, sprinkle in a pinch of salt and place on the stove top on high heat. Bring to a boil then place a lid on pot ans turn heat to low. Let farro simmer for about 30 minutes or until tender but still slightly chewy.

Once you have the farro on the stove, chop the onion into 1/2 inch chunks and dice the mushrooms into smaller sized pieces. Place on a baking sheet or cast iron skillet, toss with a drizzle of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place into oven and roast for about 20 minutes or until the mushrooms and onion are nicely browned and yummy looking. Remove from oven and mix in the balsamic vinegar. Place back into over for another 6-8 minutes or until all the vinegar has been absorbed. Take back out of oven and mix together with the spinach and the cooked farro.(If farro is cooked but there is still liquid left, just strain it out.)

Serve with a cracked pepper and a splash more of vinegar if your feelin it.

Also tastes great at room temperature of cold out of the fridge.

happy bits

 This week was good.  Two days in a row the front door was open, the window was open and the heater was off, which pretty much made me that happiest person in the world. My spring cleaning brain has kicked in and I want to clean everything (even the walls). I even spent a good part of an afternoon moving and rearranging furniture. (The house ended up basically the same as when I started) And one of the best parts of the week….most of the snow melted! I am getting super hyped to start raking, cleaning, planting and weeding and and just getting really dirty! Oh how I love the spring!

Here are a few internet things from the week

- Ancient Grains are new again About time!

- This article about the chemistry of cookies is a good one….

- Oooohh pretty.  String art

-How to Do Fishtail or Herringbone Braids Step by Step  I need to start doing something with my hair besides a really sloppy pony tail that I don't take out for days on end. 

-I think I want to make this Honeycomb shelves.

And  some real life happy Oh Intervale Community Farm..I love you. I picked up my farm share and was especially pumped  for another gigantic kohlrabi and some locally grown, locally milled wheat flour.

  The trees, they are a budding

 The perfect ripeness, destined for naner ice-cream!

My sister and I took this little for a sled ride through the wood where there was snow (but it was 45 degrees!) The hike ended up with me  pulling her through a field of mud. It was fantastic. 

One year ago today. Dinner with my favorite people. 

Hope your weeks was awesome and warm..Spring is just about here to stay!

Have a great week!

-C