Roasted Vegetable Pasta with Garlic Yogurt Cream Sauce

Every once in a while, my random, thrown-together dinners turn out awesome. Tonight was one of those nights. I think it was the inspiration of the CSA produce we got today, which included some beautiful sweet peppers, broccoli, yellow squash, red onion, and green onions. I immediately wanted to get those onions caramelizing and roast up the rest, and once I got that started, I decided to toss it with some whole wheat pasta. I wanted a light, creamy sauce, and so I decided to try adding some yogurt and a bit of butter.

I think it turned out pretty amazing-- a mixture of textures and flavors, spicy and sweet and a little tangy all at once. Plus, it was filling and nutritious without being too heavy. I hope you like it, too.

1 head of broccoli
2 small sweet peppers
1 small yellow squash
1 red onion
3-4 green onions
2 cups whole wheat pasta, cooked and drained
1 tbsp butter, divided
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
1/4 cup yogurt
1/4 tsp garlic, divided
1/8 tsp basil
1/8 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp kosher salt, divided
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
parmesan cheese, for sprinkling (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash and slice peppers, broccoli, and squash into bite-sized pieces. Toss with 2 tbsp olive oil, a pinch of garlic and salt, and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through.
2. Meanwhile, melt 1/2 tsp butter into the remaining olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Slice the red onion thinly and saute until caramelized, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Optional: add in green onions and saute for an additional 3-4 minutes.
3. Toss pasta with remaining butter, spices, and yogurt. Add in onions and roasted vegetables, and toss again.

Serves two to three, dusted with parmesan cheese.

Did I get it all?

Vegetable Pancakes

I love potato pancakes. Maybe it's my German blood, or maybe it's because they're so darn tasty and crispy and lovely. But last Hanukkah, my family decided to make two versions: traditional potato latkes, and one with carrots and parsnips mixed in, for a healthier take. Everyone except my dad found the mixed veggie potatoes tastier, and so I resolved to make them this way from now on.

Enter the following recipe, originally published here. I whipped it out a few days ago, since recently we've had more sweet potatoes than we know what to do with. I shredded a sweet potato and a zucchini in my food processor, which made about four cups, so I decided not to add any regular potatoes at all. They came out really tasty, and even a little nutty since I was short an egg and used a flax seed mixture instead. This dish is vegetarian, but could be made vegan by swapping out all of the eggs this way.

2 cups shredded veggies
2 eggs
1 Tbsp whole-wheat flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/6 tsp onion powder
dash of nutmeg and/or cayenne pepper (optional)
fresh black pepper, to taste
Olive oil for cooking
Applesauce (garnish)

1. Combine the shredded veggies with the eggs, flour, and spices. Mix thoroughly.
2. Heat a thin layer of olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. It is important that the heat is the right temperature because you want the pancakes to cook all the way through the middle by the time they are brown on the outside.
3. Once the oil has heated up, add dollops of the veggie mixture into the pan. Cook for several minutes, until the bottom starts to brown. Then flip and repeat.
4. Transfer cooked pancakes to a plate lined with paper towels.
5. Garnish with applesauce and serve warm.

Serves 2–3 as a side (double the recipe to make enough for two as an entree).

Hey! Where's our panca-- ooh, dreidel!

Squash, Kale, and Potatoes

I don't remember where I found this recipe, but when prepping for grocery-buying this week, I came across it in my increasingly growing "Cooking" bookmarks folder. I already had kale and some little red potatoes, so I grabbed a kabocha squash (they didn't have any delicata, which is what the recipe calls for) and some green onions (no leeks, either-- sad day) and got started. I also subbed in green cabbage for radicchio because I had some in the fridge I needed to use, but I'm leaving the radicchio in the recipe for next time.

Despite my situational substitutions, this dish is still nutrient-packed, and I'm definitely going to make it again. It was also fairly low-maintenance, other than the squash-slicing, since it's all oven-roasting. It's also pretty versatile, apparently, since the modifications I ended up making still produced a tasty dish.

1 lb winter squash, sliced in half and seeded
1 lb small potatoes (such as fingerling or red bliss), washed
1 cup kale, washed and chopped into 1" ribbons
1 cup radicchio, washed and chopped into 1" ribbons
1 medium leek, halved and chopped into half moons (can sub. green onions)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp white wine or balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp fresh rosemary, washed and chopped
sea salt and fresh black pepper, to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

2. Cut the squash into 1/2" slices and arrange in a large baking dish. I left the skin on mine, but some varieties do not allow for that.

3. Cut the potatoes into quarters or eighths (depending on the size), leaving the skin on. Toss the leek, garlic, and potatoes in with the squash with 2 tbsp olive oil, then season with salt and pepper.
4. Roast for 30-35 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are fork tender and the squash has begun to brown.
5. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar and rosemary.
6. When the squash and potatoes are done, remove the baking pan from the oven and add the kale and radicchio into the pan with the roasted veggies.
8. Drizzle with the dressing and toss thoroughly.
9. Let stand for 10 minutes. This allows the greens to wilt in the heat from the pan.
10. Taste and adjust the seasoning/add more vinaigrette as necessary.

Serves three to four.

It's all about the kale.

Stuffed Acorn Squash

This recipe was inspired by one of Tessa's favorite dishes from the Dream Cafe in Dallas, unfortunately no longer on their menu because they changed chefs. The other day, Tessa asked me to make something like it, and so I did.

I got as close as I could, and she said, had I used a difference cheese (parmesan was all I had-- I recommend goat cheese or feta), it would have been better than the Dream Cafe's. Quite a compliment! It takes some time to cook, but most of it is just baking time, and trust me, it's worth it. It's also quite filling (as a complete meal), acorn squash is in season, and, in honor of Halloween, shaped like a pumpkin! You can swap out the veggies if you'd prefer something else; I just used, again, what I had on hand. Plus, if you omit the cheese, it's vegan.

2 whole acorn squash
2 cups cooked whole grain brown rice
1/4 cup chopped carrot
1/4 cup peas (or vegetable of your choice)
1/4 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/8 cup goat cheese crumbles
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp chopped sage
1/8 tsp garlic
sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper
1 cup broth or stock, divided

1. Cut off the top inch of each acorn squash. Keep the top, but scoop out and discard the seeds. If the squash won't stand up on its own, cut off a piece from the bottom to flatten it. Set the squash, including the top, aside, on a baking sheet.
2. Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the vegetables and spices, and saute until the begin to soften. At this point, mix in the cooked rice, then add 3/4 cup of the stock/broth a little at a time, so that the rice absorbs it.
3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
4. Once all but a few teaspoons of the stock has been incorporated, stir in the walnuts, cranberries, and parmesan. Remove from heat, and spoon into each squash. Place the tops back on the squash, and the remaining rice mixture in an oven-safe dish.
5. Bake the squash for 1 hour. When 20 minutes remain, pour the remaining stock/broth over the leftover rice mixture, cover, and put it in the oven with the squash.

Serves two.

Happy Halloween!

Butternut Squash Risotto

This was my maiden voyage making risotto, a food I'm actually not as familiar with as I'd like to be. The recipe, apparently originally by Gordon Ramsey, Tessa got from a tweet by her friend Christina (@t0astbandit) and emailed to me so that I would make it. We both love butternut squash, so I gave it a whirl. I also found the most perfect local butternut squash I have ever seen. It was beautiful.

I usually post recipes with fairly quick/easy preparations, but this one is a little more complex. It took me about an hour and a half, start to finish, although about half of that time all I was doing was roasting the squash and prepping the rice.

It turned out lovely, though-- on the sweet side but still savory, nicely spiced, bright, complex flavor. It was also filling-- really stuck to my ribs-- and the cheese added a touch of richness that filled it out perfectly. Tessa will tell you, I was still remarking on the flavor of dinner two hours after we were done eating it. The only thing I would modify is that I would add the lemon juice more slowly, mixing and tasting as I go-- the batch I made yesterday was a tiny bit too lemony.

I've made two modifications to the recipe-- it calls for shallots, I used leeks instead, and I used whole grain brown rice as my base. The brown rice is for nutrition; the leeks are because I love them. Definitely a good fall dish. Vegetarian, too.

3 cups vegetable or chicken stock/broth.
1 1/4 cups whole grain brown rice
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large leek, finely chopped (or 2 shallots)
1 butternut squash
1 bunch of thyme sprigs

4 tbsp butter
1 cup dry white wine
2 tbsp mascarpone cheese
4-5 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
12 sage leaves, finely sliced
Juice of 1 lemon

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Lay it on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the thyme springs evenly on top and place in the oven. 

2. Roast for about 45 minutes, until they are fully cooked, soft so that a knife can easily go through the squash. If they start to colour too much, cover with aluminum foil and return to oven. 

3. Once the squash is cooked, it remove from the oven set aside and allow to cool. Scoop out the baked flesh of the butternut squash, discarding the skins, and puree. (I used a hand mixer to puree since I'd made smoothies in the food processor-- this worked fine and the puree was still velvety.)
4. Pour 1 cup chicken or vegetable stock/broth in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Add the rice, return the stock to the boil and cook for 4 minutes, adding more broth/stock if necessary so that the rice is covered. Drain well.
5. In a medium saucepan, gently sauté the leeks/shallots in the remaining olive oil until soft. Add the wine, and cook until the alcohol has evaporated and the liquid has almost completely reduced. 

6. Heat the remaining stock to the boiling point. Add the rice to the shallots, then begin to add the stock, a ladleful at a time, making sure that each addition has been absorbed before adding any more. Continue until the rice grains are tender.
7. Add the cold butter, then quickly stir in the butternut squash puree and allow to heat through. Then turn off the heat and add the parmesan, mascarpone, chopped sage and lemon. (Be careful with the lemon-- as I said above, mine came out a little overpowering.) Stir until all the dairy is incorporated, so that the risotto is creamy. If it becomes too dry, add a spoon or two of water, and adjust the seasoning. 

Serves four, topped with fresh-shaved Parmesan.

Gordon Ramsay Kitten says: "Shut it down!"

Roasted Summer Squash

Tessa and I are huge fans of squash, and why not? It's both nutritious and scrumptious. I've tried cooking summer squash several ways, but none come out as delectably as this recipe, modified from one I stumbled across when looking for a new way to cook the crooknecks I'd gotten from our local farmer's market. It was an instant favorite. The squash just melts in your mouth, and it's also quite simple to make. This recipe works well with yellow squash, zucchini, and crookneck, so pick what looks good or mix and match.

2-3 fresh summer squashes

freshly ground black pepper

sea salt

cooking spray

1. Preheat the oven to 425.

2. Trim the stems off the squash. If the squash has a slender neck (as a crookneck does), cut it off and slice it in half. Otherwise, cut the squash from end to end into long slices no more than half an inch thick.

3. Lightly coat a sheet pan or the bottom of a glass casserole dish with cooking spray. Lay the squash slices in the pan. Do not layer.

4. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the bottoms of the squash have begun to brown. Season with fresh cracked black pepper and sea salt, then turn each piece over. 

5. Continue baking for about 15 more minutes, until the bottoms are browned.

Serves two alongside chicken, pasta, or just about anything.

Mmm... squashy.