Kabocha Squash

Squash is one of my favorite things to make for a number of reasons including: 1) it is usually inexpensive, 2) it contains many nutrients while being delicious, and 3) cooking it in the oven warms up my apartment. When it comes to buying squash though I typically stick with butternut or acorn. Well, when I was at Whole Foods in Louisville I saw a sign for "kabocha squash". I figured it was time to live on the edge and go beyond my narrow scoped squash repertoire. Plus the sign advertised its taste as a combination between a pumpkin and a sweet potato...after reading that I was definitely sold.

Simple Kabocha Squash

1 Kabocha Squash, washed, seeds removed, and cut into chunks

extra virgin olive oil

kosher salt

black pepper

cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place aluminum foil on 13 X 9 pan and smear with oil.

Take squash chunks and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and cinnamon then mix well. Spread onto prepared pan. Bake until a fork tender

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread Pudding

I wish I could take credit for being the mastermind behind this delicious creation. All it took was one bite to convince me that this will be listed in my "fall recipe favorites" category.

Here's the link to the recipe.



I followed the recipe above but instead of sweet potatoes I used Libby's canned pumpkin. I also used granulated instead of brown sugar and cinnamon instead of pumpkin pie spice (based on what I had at home), almond milk instead of skim milk (because lately anything dairy makes me sick), and cinnamon raisin english muffins instead of bread.

Balsamic Vinaigrette

Out of all the vinegars I must say that balsamic is my favorite. So it is only proper that it be the star in this homemade salad finisher.

Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette

Here is what you will need:

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 lemon juice

3 garlic cloves, minced

~1 T. Dijon mustard

1/2 t. kosher salt

1/4 t. black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk.

Sweet Chili Glazed Tofu

One day I noticed some sweet chili sauce hanging out in my parents refrigerator. Considering it had been there for a while and my mom didn't care, I brought it back with me to Lexington and turned it into something fabulous. For those who have never tried tofu this may just be all you need to fall in love with this vegetarian staple.

Sweet Chili Glazed Tofu

1/3 cup sweet chili sauce

1/4 t. cayenne pepper

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 pkg. (usually 14 oz.) extra firm tofu, pressed and drained

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Combine the first three ingredients in a squre bowl/plate.

Place aluminum foil on a 13 x 9 pan and drizzle with some oil

Slice tofu into 5 thick pieces

Place in sauce mixture, then place on prepared pan. Spoon leftover sauce over each piece.

Bake for about 15-20 minutes.

Pimento Cheese

This is one of my favorite things I have ever put between two pieces of bread. Enough said.

Pimento Cheese, Gourmet

I used the above recipe more as a guide because I didn't measure anything. I also substituted 2 diced and seeded jalapenos for the cayenne pepper.

Quinoa with Jazzed Up Tomato Sauce

I love quinoa and just recently made it at home for the first time. It was a winner for the fact that it was simple to prepare, very reasonably priced, cooked quickly, and tasted delicious.

Quinoa with Jazzed Up Tomato Sauce

For the Quinoa
1 c. dried quinoa
Kosher Salt

For the Jazzed Up Tomato Sauce
5 carrots, finely chopped
5 stalks celery, finely chopped
2 small zucchini, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
~2 t. Worchestershire sauce
~2 t. Balsamic Vinegar
Kosher Salt & Black Pepper
1 14oz. can Hunt's Crushed Tomatoes

1. Rinse the dry quinoa well. Bring a pot of water to a boil, season it with kosher salt, add the quinoa, cover, and let cook for 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile heat a medium sized pan over medium-high heat. Add enough extra virgin olive oil to cover the pan. Add the carrots, celery, and zucchini. Let cook for approximately 3 minutes. Add the garlic, stir. Then add the can of crushed tomatoes, combine well with the vegetables. Add the Worchestershire sauce and balsamic vinegar. Season with black pepper and salt (if needed) Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 5 minutes.

3. Combine the quinoa with the sauce.


And if your like me, top with some goat cheese.

Stuffed Mushrooms

When I was at the grocery store the other day I found a container of organic mushrooms marked down to the ridiculously cheap price of .99 cents. Now I am not one to turn down a good deal so I sort of impulsively put them in my cart and vowed to find some way to use them for dinner.

Well fast-forward a few hours later that evening and this is what I came up with based on the other ingredients I already had on hand:

Stuffed Mushrooms with Spinach and Blue Cheese

The ingredients:




1 T. extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion chopped
stems from the mushrooms, chopped
handful fresh spinach, chopped
1/8 c. breadcrumbs ( I used panko because that is all I had on hand)
1/4 c. bleu cheese
Kosher salt and ground pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line a cookie sheet with foil (this makes clean-up a breeze) and place mushroom cups upside down like so

3. Heat oil in a medium sized sauce pan over medium heat and add the chopped onion and mushroom stems. When onions start to brown add the garlic and bread crumbs (if it looks dry add just a drizzle more oil). Then add the spinach and wilt and finally the bleu cheese. Stir to combine. Remove the mixture from heat. Add salt and pepper to taste. It should look something like this:


4. Now take a spoon and fill up those caps

5. Bake in the oven until cheese starts to melt and mushrooms warm through