Smoothies are an easy way to cram more veggies into your day. A little fruit covers . . . → Read More: How to Make a Winter Smoothie with Local Ingredients]]> In the winter, I usually crave hot breakfasts. Oatmeal with applesauce and peanut butter, eggs of all sorts, or pancakes. Recently, I haven’t been eating particularly well, so I’ve been trying to get a little “insurance” at breakfast to make up for the Pad Thai at lunch and burger, fries, and a shake at dinner. Yep. That was yesterday.

Smoothies are an easy way to cram more veggies into your day. A little fruit covers up the healthy taste and if the green color bothers you, just avert your eyes. This has become my go-to recipe, but you can make some tweaks if it’s not sweet enough for you. Add a tablespoon of maple syrup or use a whole peach/banana instead of half.

We don’t have a fancy blender…although I really really really want one, I can’t justify the crazy price. There’s an easy technique for making a good smoothie with a normal blender. Check out this video from Good Eats – the technique info starts at about 4:22.

My blender has four speeds. I run it on the first until the vortex starts, then each higher speed for one minute. If a bubble forms, I turn off the blender, give it a little shake to encourage the “burp”, then turn the speed back up. It takes about 4 minutes of blending, but that’s enough time to put away the ingredients and make a cup of tea.

If you want to get crazy, add half an avocado to the mix. We ordered a box of them from California Avocados Direct, a responsible family farm, and were blown away.

Local Winter Smoothie

Makes 1 large smoothie

Directions

1. If you are organized and want to be like Alton Brown, prep your smoothie the night before. Put everything except the ice cubes into the blender (in order) and stash it in the fridge. In the morning, add the ice and blend, following the directions above. Make sure all the spinach/kale blends in. Sometimes a leaf or two will stick to the side. This is a great way to have a nice smoothie even on a busy morning.
2. If you, like me, are usually not that with it at bedtime, make your smoothie when you’re ready to eat it. Add all the ingredients to the blender (in order) and blend, following the directions above. It might take a little longer for the vortex to form, because the fruit is still frozen, but you can get it going by stopping the blender and smushing the spinach/kale down toward the blades. When you start up the blender again, the smoothie should start moving. It might take a couple of tries. If it’s really giving you trouble, add a little more water/juice/milk. It’ll thin out your smoothie, but usually does the trick.

This is part of the continuing series in which I alone have to deal with our CSA for a week, including planning, cooking, and eating. This is a recipe that I found to deal with the two acorn squash that I had been dealt by Red Fire Farm. We often stuff them, but I just didn’t feel like doing so. This recipe turned out to be a preferable alternative for me. It’s so tasty! . . . → Read More: How to Make Acorn Squash with an Herbed Cider Glaze]]>

This is part of the continuing series in which I alone have to deal with our CSA for a week, including planning, cooking, and eating. This is a recipe that I found to deal with the two acorn squash that I had been dealt by Red Fire Farm. We often stuff them, but I just didn’t feel like doing so. This recipe turned out to be a preferable alternative for me. It’s so tasty! And, after some real trial and error, once I learned how to peel these suckers, it wasn’t really difficult.

Acorn Squash with an Herbed Cider Glaze

Makes 3-4 servings

Directions

This is an extremely easy recipe except for one part:

Changing two of these…

… into this:

Luckily for you I tested of ways of tackling this trick task, one A LOT easier than the other!

1. Remove the seeds from the square, peel it, and cut it into cubes. Easier said than done.
   • Technique 1 (don’t bother, in fact, just skip to “Technique 2″. But, for the curious…): cut the squash in half from pole to pole. Use a large spoon to scoop the seeds out of each half and scrape the hole until you have clean flesh. Remove the stem by cutting a notch out around it. Then put the flat side on the cutting board, and using a sharp chef’s knife, peel the squash. Carefully work around the ridges, with the goal of removing as little of the flesh as possible and only removing the skin.

     It helps to cut down the slopes of each ridge from the peak to the valley. It really helps to have patience and a steady hand. Once the half-squash is peeled, cut it in to wedges along its ridges, then chop the wedges into approximately one-inch cubes.

     

   • Technique 2 (preferred): cut the squash in half from pole to pole. Use a large spoon to scoop the seeds out of each half and scrape the hole until you have clean flesh. Remove the stem by cutting a notch out around it. Then put the flat side on the cutting board. NOW cut it into wedges BEFORE peeling. Then peel each wedge with a vegetable peeler. Once the wedges are peeled, chop them into approximately one-inch cubes.

     

     If you’re extraordinarily unlucky and have a squash that is so large and/or thick-skinned that the peeler won’t work, rever to technique #1.

2. Chop the herbs and melt the butter in a large skillet (preferably one with a cover) over low heat. Once the butter has started to melt, add the herbs and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, until the butter starts to turn golden brown. Don’t be tempted into increasing the temperature to speed things up. This part needs to be taken slowly in order to not burn the butter or brown the herbs.

   

3. Add the squash, the apple cider, the water, the sherry vinegar, and a generous pinch of kosher salt. Stir. It will start out as a very wet mixture, almost like a soup. Raise the heat to medium (6 out of 10) and bring it to a boil. You can speed this by covering it temporarily, if your pot has a cover.

   Once you’ve reached a boil, remove the cover and find the level of heat that maintains a low boil. You want large bubbles, not just a simmer (small bubbles), but you want to maintain that boil on the lowest heat possible. Leaving the cover off is important because you need to moisture to evaporate out to reduce it to a glaze (I once made the mistake of leaving the cover on and wondering what was wrong).

   Now you can set a timer for 5 minutes and walk away (but don’t go far). Keep checking on it every five minutes to make sure it’s not boiling over. After 30 minutes, it should be finished. The squash should be tender, and the liquid should be reduced to a glaze. My test is to run my wooden spoon across the botton of the pan to part the liquid. If it takes a few seconds to ooze back and cover the bottom, you’re done.

   

4. Season with pepper and additional salt to taste (if necessary). Serve over rice.

   

This is going to be the first post in a series called “Husband Alone with the CSA.” Lindsay has been away for work for two weeks. I’ve been travelling 3 days a week as well. Although I’ve been trying to share our bounty with friends and neighbors, I still have had to cook my way out from under a big pile of produce each week. The biggest challenge has been the menu planning. I’m . . . → Read More: How to Make Roasted Squash with Chile Vinaigrette]]>

This is going to be the first post in a series called “Husband Alone with the CSA.” Lindsay has been away for work for two weeks. I’ve been travelling 3 days a week as well. Although I’ve been trying to share our bounty with friends and neighbors, I still have had to cook my way out from under a big pile of produce each week. The biggest challenge has been the menu planning. I’m a great soldier in the kitchen. I will chope, puree, brown, sear, mince, whatever. But Lindsay is usually the one giving the marching orders, or at least picking out the recipe. I had some Skype help, but a lot of the meals have been entirely my own doing .

On a side note, please forgive the relative lack of pictures in these posts. It’s difficult to keep up with this much produce on my own. It’s VERY difficult to do so and take pictures at the same time. I did my best. So, on to recipe #1…

Roasted Delicata Squash with Chile Vinaigrette

Makes 3-4 servings as a side or 2 as a main

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil (optional).
2. Cut the squash in half lengthwise. Cut off the top (stem end) and bottom of each half. Scoop out the seeds and scrape the cavity to clean out the “guts”.

   As you can see in the pictures, I waited too long to make this. Acorn squash can last for weeks on the counter, but with Delicata you need to move fast; you have no longer than a week to ten days. The bad news is that it’s thin-skinned compared to Acorn or Butternut. The flip side is that the skin is edible.

   By the time I cut out the pieces that were rotting, I lost a full third of the squash. But I was cooking it as a side for one, so all I lost was leftovers. I soldiered through!

   

3. Cut the squash lengthwise into 3/4 inch wedges.
4. In a large bowl, toss the wedges with the pepper, 3/4 of the salt, and 2 TBsp of olive oil. Place them on the sheet pan, flesh side (not skin side) down. Roast for 20 – 30 minutes. You want the wedges to be thoroughly roasted, but if it roasts too long the skin will become crunchy and inedible. If that does happen, simply remove the skin as you are eating it. It should peel away easily. If you are using Acorn squash, the skin will not be edible.
5. In the meantime, mince the garlic and mash it with the remaining salt into a paste. Finely chop the hot peppers, including the seeds (be careful to wash your hands thoroughly and don’t touch your eyes in the meantime!). Transfer the garlic paste and chopped peppers to a small bowl. Whisk in the lime juice and the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the cilantro to the mix. Depending on your taste, you may want to adjust the amount of oil vs. lime juice vs. hot peppers. This version is on the bright side (more lime and less oil) and hot side.
6. Plate the squash and drizzle with the vinaigrette.

   

]]> http://eatlocal365.com/2012/09/18/how-to-make-roasted-squash-with-chile-vinaigrette/feed/ 1 http://eatlocal365.com/2011/02/25/roasted-squash-and-black-bean-salad/ http://eatlocal365.com/2011/02/25/roasted-squash-and-black-bean-salad/#comments Sat, 26 Feb 2011 00:42:46 +0000 Erik http://eatlocal365.com/?p=2734

For another one of our quick meals this past week we were fortunate to a have an unintended convergence of three ingredients:

At the prior week’s market, we had purchased some (actually too much) lovely Hubbard squash from Northshire Farm, and we needed to use it or lose it. At this week’s greenmarket, we were fortunate to find leafy greens, including spinach, being sold by Norwich Meadows. That’s completely out of season, but when . . . → Read More: Roasted Squash and Black Bean Salad]]>

For another one of our quick meals this past week we were fortunate to a have an unintended convergence of three ingredients:

1. At the prior week’s market, we had purchased some (actually too much) lovely Hubbard squash from Northshire Farm, and we needed to use it or lose it.
2. At this week’s greenmarket, we were fortunate to find leafy greens, including spinach, being sold by Norwich Meadows. That’s completely out of season, but when we asked them about they said that they had not suffered the same weather we had recently (they are in far western New York State) and that some of the heartier greens had pushed through recently and flourished due to favorable weather. We were craving greens, so we were feeling very receptive to that answer.
3. We still had a bunch of pre-cooked black beans in the freezer from when we made our Super Bowl dip.




Roasted Squash and Black Bean Salad

Ingredients:

Amount	Ingredient	Preparation	Where we bought it (* Union Sq. Greenmarket)
~1	Large squash (ours was a Hubbard)	Cubed using the pineapple method (see steps 1-5 here)	Northshire Farm *
1	Large red onion	Chopped	Paffenroth Gardens *
1 “can”	Black beans	Click here for how to cook and measure that using dried beans	Cayuga Pure Organics *
As desired	Spinach		Norwich Meadows Farm *
3	Fresh or slightly dried chili pepers	Gutted and diced	Northshire Farm *
1 clove	Garlic	Peeled	Keith’s Farm *
2 TBsp	Lime juice	~Juice of 2 limes
3 – 4 TBsp	Parsley or cilantro	Chopped to measure	We froze it so long ago we don’t remember
1/2 cup	Olive oil	Divided into 2 TBsp and remainder



Directions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Chop the onion and the squash (using the pineapple method outline in steps 1-5 here).
3. Spread the pieces of squash and onion over a sheet pan, drizzle with 2 TBsp of olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss it with your hands. Spread the mix out into a single layer on the pan.
4. Roast for 30 – 40 minutes, until the corners of the squash pieces begin to brown. Check on it occasionally and shift the pieces around so that none burn.
5. Cut the stem off the chili peppers, then cut them in half the long way. Use a small spoon to scoop out all of the seeds and scrape out the inside layer of flesh. This will remove most of the heat while leaving the flavor. Chop the gutted chilis into little pieces. You may want to wear rubber gloves for this process. At the very least be sure to wash your hands very thoroughly afterwards. I have, on a number of occasions, rubbed my eyes 4 hours later, resulting in excruciating optical pain.
6. Put the garlic clove, lime juice, remaining olive oil, parsley/cilantro, and some salt and pepper into a food processor (or a blender in a pinch). Blend / process the ingredients together into a dressing. If desired, you can add the chilis to this or sprinkle them over the salad at the end, which is helpful if not everyone likes chilis.
7. Wash the spinach, dry it (or spin it in a salad spinner), and if the leaves are large, tear it into pieces.
8. When the squash is done roasting, in a large bowl combine and toss the roasted squash mix, spinach, dressing, and beans. Optionally, you can first warm the beans for a minute in the microwave.





]]> http://eatlocal365.com/2011/02/25/roasted-squash-and-black-bean-salad/feed/ 1 http://eatlocal365.com/2011/01/23/how-to-make-stuffed-squash-mushroom-and-wild-rice-stuffing/ http://eatlocal365.com/2011/01/23/how-to-make-stuffed-squash-mushroom-and-wild-rice-stuffing/#comments Mon, 24 Jan 2011 02:21:46 +0000 Erik http://eatlocal365.com/?p=2169

Squash Stuffed with Mushrooms and Wild Rice, with Mushroom Gravy

Introduction / Methodology:

This recipe has five parts to it, plus an additional step to combine the parts. It would be easiest to explain by going through each part individually, but if you cooked it that way, it would take too long. So, I’ve rewritten the recipe to reflect the actual way that we cook it. This version jumps back and forth to achieve . . . → Read More: How to Make Stuffed Squash – Mushroom and Wild Rice Stuffing]]>

Squash Stuffed with Mushrooms and Wild Rice, with Mushroom Gravy

Introduction / Methodology:

This recipe has five parts to it, plus an additional step to combine the parts. It would be easiest to explain by going through each part individually, but if you cooked it that way, it would take too long. So, I’ve rewritten the recipe to reflect the actual way that we cook it. This version jumps back and forth to achieve the most efficient timing. I hope that it remains relatively easy to follow.

First, let’s review the five component parts:

1. Cooking wild rice in vegetable broth
2. Preparing and roasting the squash
3. Sautéing mushrooms, shallots, and garlic for the stuffing
4. Sautéing mushrooms and onions for the sauce
5. Making the sauce

In each step below, I’ve indicated which part you are working on in order to help make it more clear. The component parts use a lot of the same ingredients. To make it easy to prepare a shopping list, I’ve combined any repeating occurrences into a single measurement (with the exception of the soy sauce; adding 1.5 teaspoons to 0.5 cups would result in something unmeasurable). In the “preparation” section I’ve noted the necessary splits that you need to make to fit with the multiple uses in the recipe.

One nice thing about this recipe is that other than the sauce, you don’t have to worry about the timing of the components other than trying to get them started in the right order to get them done as quickly as possible. If something is finished early, you can just set it aside because the final step is to combine everything and reheat for 15 minutes in the oven. The exception is the sauce, which you should aim to have finished as written, just as the reheated stuffed squash are coming out of the oven.

Equipment:

• Silicone brush or pasty brush
• A good knife and cutting board
• Metal whisk
• Stock pot, dutch oven, or any decently thick large pot with lid that will distribute heat evenly
• Sauté pan
• Sauce pan
• Pyrex or other baking dish

Ingredients:

Amount	Ingredient	Preparation	Where we bought it (* Union Square Greenmarket)
1 quart	Vegetable broth		From a box or see here
1.5 cups	Wild rice	Rinsed	Lindsay’s mom sent from Minnesota
Pinch and to taste	Kosher salt
2 – 4	Winter squash (carnival, acorn, or delicata)	See notes in recipe	Oak Grove Plantation *
7 tsp	Olive oil	Split into 1 tsp, 1 tsp, 2 tsp, and 3 tsp	The Filling Station
3 TBsp	(Real) maple syrup		Deep Mountain Maple *
1 tsp	Ground cinnamon
0.75 lbs	Mushrooms (we used crimini)	Split into 0.5 lbs sliced and 0.25 lbs finely chopped	Bulich Mushrooms *
3	Large shallots	Chopped (coarsely)	Paffenroth Gardens *
1 large	Yellow or white onion	Diced / finely chopped (about 2 cups diced)	Paffenroth Gardens *
3 cloves	Garlic	Minced (finely)	Keith’s Farm *
0.5 cups plus 1.5 tsp	Soy sauce, preferably Shoyu or Tamari	Split to 0.5 cups and 1.5 tsp
0.5 tsp	Dried thyme
0.5 cups	All-purpose flour		Cayuga Pure Organics *
1.5 tsp	Dried sage
3 tsp	Herbs de Provence
To taste	Black pepper	Freshly ground

Directions:

1. Roasted squash: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Wild Rice: Start with the wild rice because this component takes the longest. Pour the vegetable broth into a stock pot or dutch oven. On the stove top, put the broth on high heat and bring to a boil. Put the lid on the pot to accelerate the process.
3. Wild Rice: Add the wild rice and pinch of kosher salt, replace the lid, and bring it back to a boil, which shouldn’t take long. Reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for about 40 minutes, or until most of the water is absorbed. You may want to check on it and stir it 2 or 3 times during the process. Once it’s done, turn the heat off and/or move the pot off the stove.

   

4. Roasted squash: The reason this recipe calls for “2 – 4″ squash is because you can use a few different types and size can vary. With the smaller carnival squash that we used, we needed four in order to use up all of the stuffing. If you buy larger acorn squash, you may need only two.

   With smaller squash you want to cut the tops off and stuff the whole squash (like we did). With larger squash you want to cut them in half vertically and stuff each half separately. Either way, it should make four servings.

   If you want two servings, just roast half of the squash and leave the other half raw. This recipe makes great leftovers; see the end of the post for details.

   

5. Roasted squash: Per above, if using small squash like ours, cut the tops off. If using larger squash, remove the stem area and then cut in half vertically. Using a metal spoon, scoop out the seeds and stringy bits of pulp. If you have time while waiting for the broth to come to a boil in step 1, you may want to get a head start on this step.

   

6. Roasted squash: In a small bowl, combine the 2 tsp of olive oil with the maple syrup. Brush the rim and hollowed interior of the squash with the mixture, and sprinkle-over with cinnamon. Place the squash in the baking pan (Pyrex will work best) and roast in the oven until the flesh is tender and can be pulled away from the skin easily with a fork (20 – 30 minutes). When it’s done, take it out of the oven and place it aside on a trivet. Leave the oven at 350 because you will use the oven again shortly.
7. Chopping for the stuffing and sauce: It makes sense to do all this chopping at the same time, but the mushrooms have to be chopped in two different ways. For the stuffing you want thin but complete slices. For the sauce you want tiny bits. The same goes for the shallots/onions.

   Take 2/3 of the mushrooms (0.5 lbs) and slice thinly (left). Place these into one bowl. Chop the remaining mushrooms (0.25 lbs) as finely as you can tolerate (right). I probably should have chopped them a bit finer. Place these into a second bowl.

   

8. Chopping for the stuffing and sauce: Chop the shallots and mince the garlic. You can put these directly into your sauté pan.

   

9. Chopping for the stuffing and sauce: Peel the onions and dice them into small pieces. Set them aside in yet another bowl.
10. Sautéing for the stuffing: Pour the the 1 tsp of olive oil into the sauté with the shallots and garlic. Put the pan over medium heat. Once things start to sizzle, turn the heat down to a medium/low and sauté for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the shallots and garlic are browned and caramelized.
11. Sautéing for the stuffing:Add the sliced mushrooms to the pan and continue to sauté, stirring occasionally. If the pan gets too dry you can add a small amount of additional olive oil at a time. The mushrooms will eventually release their water into the pan. Once this happens and the mushrooms “shrink”, add the 1.5 tsp of soy sauce / Shoyu, the dried thyme, and pepper to taste. Cook while stirring until the liquid is mostly evaporated.

    

12. Sautéing for the stuffing: By now, the wild rice has probably been finished for some time. Transfer the contents of the sauté pan into the pot with the wild rice. Mix it up and set it aside until the squash is finished roasting. This is your stuffing.
13. Roasted squash: Whenever the squash is finished roasting, remove the pan from the oven and place it on a trivet or an oven burner. Carefully spoon stuffing into each squash until it is filled to the top, plus a bit more. Put the squash pan back in the oven for 15 minutes.
14. Sautéing for the sauce: Put 1 tsp of olive oil back into the (dirty) sauté pan. Heat it over medium heat. Once it is hot, lower the heat a little and add the onion and finely chopped mushrooms. Sauté for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. In the meantime, move immediately on to the next step (do steps 14 and 15 simultaneously).

    

15. Making the sauce: In a sauce pan, heat 3 tsp of olive out over low heat. Whisk in the flour, a little at a time, then add 2 cups of water. To get technical, you are making a roux. When I did it, there was too much flour and it made a paste. If this happens, add a little bit of water at a time, whisking constantly, until it loosens into a sauce. Be careful when adding water, though, because it is easier to add additional water than it is to evaporate it out if you add too much.
16. Making the sauce: Once you get the roux to the right consistency, add the remaining soy sauce / Shoyu, the sage, and the herbs de Provence. Mix well with the whisk. Raise the heat to medium and bring it all to a boil, then lower the heat and let it simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened to the consistency shown below.

    

17. Making the sauce: Add the contents of the sauté pan to sauce pan. Mix together over low heat until warmed-through. If the sauce is too thick, add 1 tsp of water at a time and mix, until you get to your desired consistency.
18. Finishing up: The 15 minute re-warm of the stuffed squash should be done around the same time that the sauce is finished. Transfer the squash to your plates and spoon sauce over the top. We also added a nice dollop of sauce on the side. Enjoy!

    

    Lindsay ate hers very carefully out of the skin. I tore into mine with a knife and fork, making an absolute mess, cutting away the skin as I ate my way through. Both methods were delicious, but Lindsay’s gave us one last picture to add to the end of this post.

Leftover Instructions:

If you only made two servings and left the other half of your squash raw and intact, refrigerate the leftover stuffing and sauce in separate containers. To prepare the leftovers, repeat steps 5 and 6 with the remaining raw squash. Stuff with the leftover stuffing and repeat step 13. Reheat the sauce and repeat step 18. It might be a little more work than your normal leftovers, but the good news is that for once, the leftovers are every bit as good as the first-run.

You will get a better result if you reheat the sauce in a pot on the stove over low heat. If you want to microwave it, do so for 30 seconds, stir in a little water to counter-act the fact that the microwave dries food, and heat for another 30 seconds.

It’s complicated to explain, and the first time you make it be sure to give yourself some time, but we absolutely love this meal.

Yum!



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