Butternut Mac N' Cheeze

Had some littles over for dinner halloween dinner the other night  and I made them some mac n' cheese.

Kinda, cause it wasn't really cheese. Let me explain. 

These particular littles are tough. Getting them to eat things that are not pizza, hot dogs, or some other crap is not always easy.(although they will always eat carrots) So whenever they come over, I try to feed them a healthier version of something that I know that they like,  like tofu dogs or homemade whole wheat pizzas. So this night, I though I would give my vegan mac and cheese and try.  I mean,what kid doesn't like it? But what kind is the question. If you ask them, its got to be boxed Kraft mac and cheese. I knew when I was making it that there was a great chance that I might have to make peanut butter banana sandwiches as well, but whatever These little littles need to stop being such picky crappy eaters and yeah. Even if that means I make them eat what why don't like or that on the ride home I tell them that any pizza that is not home made will probably end up killing them) So I try, and sometimes it works. 

So I made it, no cheese in sight and served it up. The verdict.... The mr, he loved it. My sister (she came too) she was into it as well. One little ate almost an entire bowl, and the other, well he spit it out, but he is more a hot dog guy then a mac and cheese guy so his opinion doesn't count. So to conclude, yes, this is a fantasic mac and cheese that just happened to be cheese less,  full of veggies, and damn tasty!

And serving suggestion DON"T LET THE LITTLE KNOW IT"S NOT REAL CHEESE!!! They don't need to know

To the mac!

The stuff. A small butternut squash, a potato, an onion, and a carrot. Also needed is nutritional yeast (the cheeze), garlic powder, olive oil, salt and pepper, and some water. And pasta.. don't forget the pasta. 

Start with the onion and carrot in a big pot with some oil. Stick that on the stove and turn on the heat, and when that's going, chop up the butternut sqauh and the potato and toss that into the pot too. Let the stuff cook for just a few minutes.

Pour in water (enough o submerge all the veggies)  and add in the garlic powder and some salt and pepper. Bring the water to a boil then turn heat down to medium and stick a lid on the pot.

Now is a good time to boil up your pasta situation (cook it the way the package says too)

When it's done, strain it. And if it happens that it is done a little before the sauce, it's cool, just drizzle it with a little oil so that the noodles don't all stick together and set aside.

Back to the sauce. Once the pot of veggies is all tender and falling apart, take it off the stove.

And blend the crap out of it with your blending method of choice (a hand o a regular blender)

Oh, and mix in the nutrioanl yeast (can add it in at the blending stage… I just forgot too) and season with any more salt and pepper if needed.

Grap the cooked noodles, dump them into the sauce and give a good mix.

golden deliciousness!

Scoop into food eating vessels,(handled coffee mugs are great for the littles.. and cute) Maybe sprinkle on some chopped green stuff(my people enjoyed the addition of chopped up kale) and serve right away!

Now you can eat all the mac n cheeze. 

Happy Thursday!

-C

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Butternut Mac N' Cheeze

Serve 6 or so people

• 1 lb macaroni noodles (any kind you like. vegan, gluten free, whole wheat) 
• half a small butternut squash (about 2 1/2 ish cups chopped)
• 1 medium white potato
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 1 large carrot
• 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• olive oil
• water

Chop up the onion and the carrot and stick into a large heavy bottom pot with a splash or two of olive oil and stick on the stove on medium heat. While that's  going on, chop up the butternut and potato into reasonable small chunks and toss that into the pot with the other stuff. Add in the garlic powder, season well with salt and pepper, and add enough water to full submerge the contents of the pot. Bring the water to a boil then reduce heat to medium and stick a cover on the pot.

While the veggies are boiling, boil the pasta up, slightly al denta (follow what the pasta people on the package tells you to do)

Once all the veggies in the pot are super tender, even falling apart (about 20 minutes) remove pot from heat and using your blending method of choice (hand or normal blender)  blend everything together until smooth and creamy and then add in the nutritional yeast. Taste and if you think it needs it, add more salt and  pepper. If you find that the sauce seems to thick, add in a splash or two of water.. to thin, stick back on stove and cook long to reduce. 

So you got you cooked pasta and you sauce. Mix it all together. And wa la… Mac N' Cheeze

serve right away and eat it all. But any left overs can be refrigerated. Tastes great  the next day warmed in a skillet with a little oil. 

Butternut Apple and Onion Galette

Fall is all up in here!. The air is so nice and crisp and the leaves are changing to the prettiest colors. I gots my pumpkins, an abundance of apples and squashes (our table is forverver overflowing with some type of squash) and am wearing all of my favorite sweaters. 

I am a happy lady here!

And this happy lady just wants to sit on her butt and knit.

But first, dinner. And my thought are. "What to do that doesn't include doing much of anything (especially dishes) and maybe even has the oven on for a little extra warmth?" See here, I am a thinker. I knew I  had a single pie dough in the freezer (you should always have a pie dough in the freezer), a table full of the loveliest produce. So this happened. And the mr ate it, and he was all like "Whoa".  And I was like,"yeah dude, I know."

A Ssuper fall galette.. and I still had time for my knitting and my butt. 

Like Whoa!

The stuff. A single crust pie dough, a butternut squash, an onion, and a honey crisp apple.(there are 2 shown, but I only needed on1)  Also going to need a tiny bit if olive oil and a pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 375.

Roll your chilled dough out  on a lightly floured surface and place onto a large baking sheet. Stick it in the fridge to rest for a few minutes.

Grab your pretty things

And slice them up into 1/4 inch-ish thick srounds.

Time to compile… A layer of overlapping squash. (Make sure to leave inch-ish boarder)  Then a layer of the apples, and lastly the onion, which I think looks so pretty as ringlets, but you could keep in rounds if you wanted. 

Fold the sides and pinching dough to keep it secure. Drizzle the top, and the crust, with a tiny bit of olive oil and sprinkle with a picnh of salt.

Now into the oven it goes!

And  after about 45 minutes when the dust is perfectly golden and the stuff inside is nice and tender. Remove (turn off the oven) and let cool

And there you have it.. A ode to fall in flavors and colors..

Have a great day… Eat lots of fall food!

-C

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Butternut Apple and Onion Galette

• 1 single pie dough (recipe here)
• 1 small butternut squash
• 1 medium sweet onion
• 1 large honey crisp apple
• olive oil
• salt

Preheat oven to 375.

Roll out chilled pie dough  on a lightly floured surface to about a 12-14 inch round (ish) and place on a large baking sheet and stick in the fridge.

Grab the squash and cut the neck off the bottom. Save the bottom for later (maybe soup?) and slice up the neck into 1/4 inch thick rounds.  Now take the onion and apple and slice those into 1/4 inch thick rounds too. (the seeds and the stem will just fall our.. but if they don't, just poke them out with a knife)

Grab the dough from fridge and start to layer. First a layer of squash, leaving around an 1.5 inch boarder. You want the pieces to overlap,but don't double layer. Next the apples go on top of the squash, again overlapping. Finally the onion. I liked the look of the individual ringlets… but you can do thick rounds if you want. Fold over the sides of the dough, pinching it in wherever it needs to be pinch until all the stuff is snug. Drizzle with a tiny bit of olive oil  and rub a little oil on the outside crust as well. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and stick into oven.

Bake for about 45 minutes or until crust is a nice light golden brown and the stuff inside is tender.

Remove, let cool for a few minutes and eat your heart out.

Tarragon Butternut Squash and Onions

I know that it it spring, but I still have a winter farm share for another month and will be cooking and eating roots and squash until the summer share starts in early June. And I am good with that cause I love me some root veggies and butternut squash.  But, yes, it is spring and my body isn't craving the super hearty, rich foods that it was just a few short weeks ago (more like last week) When the temperatures first start to go up, I usually want my food to not feel as heavy or my spices to be quite at warming (I am still all over curries and hot hot hot sauces in the summer). It's like I have said before, I tend to change up my spices with the seasons.  

So to give a lighter feel to a heartier squash, I busted out one of my favorite spices, the oh so lovely tarragon. It has a sweet, light, fruity and floral taste that pairs beautifully with the squash and onions. It give the dish a nice spring like flavor that will leave you feeling satisfied without wanting to move directly onto the couch and hide under a blanket. This is a eat and ride you bike kind of dish ( you don't actually have to go for a bike ride if you don't want to)

Note. If I had a grill, I would definitely cook this dish on it. As of now, I don't own one so I am left to cook on the stove. But by all means, if you have a grill, do it up!

Half of a medium sized butternut squash (or use a whole one.. I had a half in the fridge that was waiting to be cooked)  and one whole onion (two if you use a whole squash)  Apple cider vinegar, olive oil, salt , pepper, garlic powder, and, last but not least, the oh so fragrant and tasty, tarragon. 

Chop the onion  and the squash into big chunks. If you don't like the skin of the squash, you can peel it, but I like it so I don't peel. Drizzle olive oil in a pan or a baking sheet, toss the veggies in and add the garlic powder, tarragon, salt and pepper and a few splashes of apple cider vinegar. Toss around. Stick into oven at 425 degrees for about 30-40 minutes. When the squash is tender and the onions are cooked, remove from oven.  

I am pretty sure you can figure out the rest.

Happy day!

-C

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Tarragon Butternut and Onions

• Half of Medium Butternut Squash
• 1 Large Onion
• 1 Tablespoon Dried Tarragon (use fresh if you have it.. 2 tablespoons)
• 2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
• Salt ans Pepper
• Olive Oil

Chop squash and onions into similar size pieces. Toss in a skillet or on a oiled baking sheet and add the rest of the ingredients. Toss around and place into a 425 degree oven for about 30-40 minutes or until squash is fork tender.  

Remove from oven and eat.

 Make as a side dish or add to a salad. Eat as a light lunch, or a midnight snack… eat it however you want.

Butternut Broccoli Soup

Happy Friday!

A simple post for the simplest of soups. Minimal ingredients, no fuss, fast to make but can be left all day to simmer……. And oh so very very good. 

This has been one of my go to soups this winter. Warming, hardy, comforting….every kind of soft cozy feeling that I need when I can't leave my house because it's so cold out that all I want to do is sit on the couch wrapped up in a blanket, with a book, and eat hot soup. (That's the my plan for the weekend) But it's also good for any type of weekend activities you might have… it't kind of the perfect soup.

The Stuff. A medium sized butternut squash, seeded and diced (no need to peel, but go for it if you want) About a pound of broccoli, (fresh or frozen) and a few shallots. Salt, pepper and a few cups of water. 

Note.. I didn't add any spices to this batch because I really love the flavor without anything. With that being said, I have made this same soup with sage, rosemary, turmeric, even curry. Almost any flavor works in this soup. 

    The chopped squash and broccoli go into a big pot with about 2-3 cups of water. Add about a tablespoon of salt and pepper. Lid up the pot and place on medium low heat for about a half hour, or unitl squash and broccoli is fork tender. Now blend together with either a emulsion stick blender or place in a blender for 3-5 minutes until completely smooth. Add enough water to keep things moving. Add more water if you want a thinner soup, less for a thicker soup. Season with more salt and pepper to taste. Once blended, place back in pot on simmer until ready to serve. 

When the soup is simmering, thinly slice the shallots and toss into a pan. Sauté until soft and fragrant. 

 Finish off with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and top with the  sautéed shallots.

Soup and a spoon. So simple, so good.

Have a great weekend…..Try and stay warm!

-C

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Butternut Broccoli Soup

The Stuff 

• 1 medium butternut squash 
• 1 pound of broccoli (crown and stem and can use frozen)
• 4 shallots
• Balsamic Vinegar
• salt and pepper

Split squash in half, remove seeds, and dice into chunks.  Place in big pot. Chop up broccoli and add to pot. (or just add frozen chopped broccoli) Add water until stuff is about half way summered. Place a lid on the pot and cook on medium low heat for about 30 minutes or  until squash and broccoli are fork tender. Blend together with either a stick blender or place in a blender. Add enough water to keep things moving. Add more water if you want a thinner soup, less for a thicker soup. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Once blended, place back in pot on simmer until ready to serve. 

When the soup is on simmer, thinly slice the shallots and place in a pan to sautee until soft and fragrant.  

To serve, ladle soup into bowl, drizzle with balsamic vinegar, and top with sautéed shallot.

Eat with a spoon

Warm Winter Salad

Lets kick the weekend off right, with a nice warm and hardy salad. Not a frilly little salad, but a salad that fills you up and leaves you feeling warm and cozy.   A salad with a lot of squash! So here's the thing, I eat a lot of winter squash, maybe 4 plus a week. Because I eat so many, I store a good amount in a cold storage area outside of the little warm living space we call home. Last week we had a drastic temperature change and  a good few of the my butternut and spaghetti squash froze.. then started to de-thaw. Not good. That was the second bad food experience of the day….. Earlier that day I had bought about 2 dozen super ripe bananas that I had been planing on freezing and what not. There were four bunches and each bunch was wrapped in plastic and were in a bag that I left near the back door. The thought crossed my mind, but I hastily brushed it away. Washer won't eat those….. Well guess what? The shit ate half of my freaking bananas…plastic and all. Needless to say, I was kind of pissed already so finding my squash on the way out really set me off. I was not about to let more food go to waste.(or be eaten by the dog) I went into rescue mode..Chop chop and dice…boil, roast and steam…and eat eat eat…. and eat. I have been eating butternut for breakfast, lunch and dinner for the past week and that's ok with me cause man it does taste oh so tasty. But for some people in my life, eating mashed squash out of a jar all day long does not hold the same appeal so I have been sneaking it in where ere I can.  

So some of that diced squash tuned into this lovely warm salad. Even the mister liked it and he is not a fan of warm salads(he says he is not, but I think he actually is, as long as I don't call them "salads") Any who…This salad hits all the marks…. Fantastically filling, super delicious, fast and healthy.  Check, check, and check! I am so good. 

Easy peasy….

Diced butternut squash, half a vilalia onion,  prepared lentils and a bunch of kale… Nothin else.(salt and pepper, but they don't count)

Diced butternut and a mediumly sliced onion..(mediumly is a new cooking term) Spritz a bit of oil in a pan and toss the squash and onion in there and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Shove into the hot oven and roast until squash and onion are tender and tasty.

Remove the pan from the oven and toss in finely chopped kale and a big scoop of lentil… Mix it up and let the sit in hot pan for a few minutes…it will make the kale get soft and warm.

Plate it and eat eat… I drizzled a little balsamic vinegar on mine…Nick like his straight up. Do what you will cause either way, it's going to be awesome!!!!

Hooray for Friday and for winter squash!!!!

-C

Warm Winter Salad

Ingredients (This made one good sized salad…and exact measurements were not used so feel free to add greater or lesser amounts of any of the ingredients)

• 1 1/2 cup Diced Butternut squash
• 1/2 Vidalia Onion(or any variety you like)
• 3-4 large Kale leaves
• 1/2 cup Precooked Lentils
• salt and pepper to taste
• Balsamic Vinegar 
• drizzle of oil for pan

In a 425 degree oven,  place diced squash and sliced onions in a slightly oiled pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast for about 20 minutes until tender. Remove pan from oven and toss in chopped kale and lentils and let sit in hot pan for a few minutes… Plate and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.