Tag: Butternut Squash

Salads

Three Sisters Salad

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During our vacation in California these past 4 weeks, I had time to go through a friends stack of cooking magazines (which is one of my favorite things to do) and ended up taking a armload of them to make copies! So I came home with lots of new recipes that are on my “to make” lists. Thanks Dee for all the new recipes! This one came in a book from Southern Living: New Fall Recipes

1 (2 lb) butternut squash (about 2 cups chopped, which I now see at Trader Joe’s and other grocery stores already cubed in a bag)

2 tables olive oil

1 (15.5 oz) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

2 cups fresh corn kernels

1/3 small red onion, chopped

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

3 cups loosely packed arugula

Balsamic Vinaigrette

Preheat oven to 400. Peel and seed butternut squash and cut into 3/4″ cubes. Toss squash with olive oil to coat. Place in a single layer in a lightly greased aluminum foil-lined jelly roll pan. Bake 20 minutes or until squash is just tender and begins to brown. Do not overcook, stirring once after 10 minutes. Cool completely after baking 20 minutes, total.

Toss together cannellini beans and next 3 ingredients with squash in a large bowl. Add the Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing and cover and chill about 2-4 hours. Toss with arugula just before serving.

Balsamic Vinaigrette

Whish together 2 tables balsamic vinegar, 1 large shallot, minced. Add 1 teas minced garlic, 1/2 Tables light brown sugar, 1/4 teas sea salt and 1/4 teas seasoned pepper. Gradually add 1/4 cup canola or olive oil in a slow steady stream. Whisking until well blended. This can be made a day ahead and allowed to stand, covered in fridge.

Casseroles · Starches · Vegetables

Butternut Squash & Spinach Lasagna

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While on the road the past 3 weeks going between California and Arizona, we discovered quite a few mom & pop joints (and yes they were joints, as they are the type of places that you would probably drive right past, but being married to Mr. Adventure, we usually don’t just drive by, we stop and eat), we had a ball talking with people that we would not come across in our normal daily routine. It was exciting to hear people’s stories and to learn different recipes that we had not yet tasted. Since we were in our adventure mode, I even thumbed through magazines at the doctor’s office while in California.  One of the recipes that I found was this lasagna. Since we are trying to be good and not eat as much meat, this one caught my eye.

2 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed

1 1/2 cups whole milk, divided

2 tables butter

2 tables flour

4 oz Fontina cheese, shredded

1 (15 oz) container whole milk ricotta

1 large egg white

2 teas fresh sage, minced

1/2 teas black pepper

2 cups shredded fresh spinach

1/2 cup scallions, minced

9 lasagna noodles

2 oz mozzarella cheese

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add squash and cook until tender, about 12-15 min. Drain and puree in a food processor.

Preheat oven to 375. In a pot, heat butter over medium heat. Stir in flour and cook one min more. Whisk in 1 cup milk,  stirring constantly to avoid lumping and starts to thicken.

Add the butternut squash puree and continue to cook until mixture has thickened and then stir in Fontina cheese, to complete the béchamel sauce. Whip together ricotta, egg white, sage and black pepper in a bowl.  In a separate bowl, mix spinach and scallions. Cook noodles according to directions on box or use no-boil noodles.

To assemble lasagna layers, pour 1/4 of the béchamel sauce into bottom of a 9×9 baking dish, which has been lightly greased. Layer 3 noodles in the bottom and top with spinach mixture, then another 1/4 sauce. Repeat once more and finish with the 3 remaining noodles and pour remaining sauce over the top. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over top and bake until the cheese is completely melted and lightly golden. About 30-35 min.k