Southwestern Butternut Squash Sauté

 I think I’ve mentioned before I’m somewhat of a Thanksgiving traditionalist. I don’t waiver much from the normal Thanksgiving fare, but I appreciate those who can and do. My friend Sandy made cioppino last year for Thanksgiving, and I give her high marks for bucking tradition.

For me, bucking tradition might be to serve this butternut squash dish for Thanksgiving. If you have a more non-traditional Thanksgiving, or if you have room for another dish on your table, Southwestern Butternut Squash Sauté would be a great addition to the Thanksgiving menu.

The southwestern flavors blend nicely with the butternut squash to make a spicy sweet side dish that would be delicious with turkey, ham or anything else you are serving. By all means, don’t relegate this delicious side dish to Thanksgiving only, it goes nicely anytime of the year, and it tasted great with the grilled chicken I served it with recently.  

Southwestern Butternut Squash Sauté
Adapted from Fast, Fresh & Green by Susie Middleton  
Printable Recipe
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound peeled and seeded butternut squash, cut into ½ inch dice
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
¼ teaspoon ground coriander
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
2 teaspoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons toasted pepitas

Heat olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Add the squash, onions and ¾ teaspoon of salt. Toss the squash mixture to thoroughly coat. Cook, stirring gently with a silicone spatula occasionally at first and them more frequently as the vegetables brown. Cook until the squash is tender and lightly browned and the onion is well browned, about 20 to 22 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Meanwhile in a small saucepan, melt the butter over low heat, and add the coriander, cumin, chile powder and the remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt. Cook stirring for one minute or two to bloom the spices. Add the maple syrup and simmer for about 30 seconds. Remove from heat, and stir in the lime juice.

Drizzle the butter mixture over the squash and stir thoroughly but gently with the silicone spatula. Stir in the cilantro. Transfer the squash to a serving dish and top with the pepitas.

Serves 4

Butternut Squash and Red Bean Stew

I really wanted to post a few vegan recipes during Lent this year, but I’m guess I’m just going to have to admit I'm a slacker during Lent. I have been cooking plenty of delicious vegan recipes, but I just haven’t been photographing them or blogging them. Maybe someday!

I'll just have to be satisfied with posting this recipe for Butternut Squash and Red Bean Stew along with the Vegan Muffelatta Sandwich I posted last month to represent my Lenten vegan cooking this year.

Butternut Squash and Red Bean Stew is another delicious recipe adapted from Bean by Bean Cookbook by Crescent Drangonwagon. The flavors in this stew are rich and filling. You won’t even miss the meat. Les and I enjoyed Butternut Squash and Red Bean Stew for dinner one night, and then I packed it for lunch all week, and it got better with age.

Butternut Squash and Red Bean Stew 
Adapted from Bean by Bean Cookbook by Crescent Dragonwagon
Printable Recipe
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
2 serrano peppers, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can unsweetened coconut milk (regular or light)
2 teaspoons agave nectar
1 Roasted Butternut Squash (recipe follows)

Heat the canola oil in a Dutch oven and add the onions and cook until the onions are translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the Serrano pepper, turmeric, cumin, coriander, smoked paprika and 1 teaspoon kosher salt and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Lower the heat and add the beans, tomatoes, coconut milk, agave nectar and roasted butternut squash. Heat for about 10 minutes or until the mixture has thickened slightly, stirring occasionally. Serve with brown rice, and garnish with chopped fresh cilantro and sliced green onions.  

Roasted Butternut Squash 
1 (1½ - 2 lb) Butternut Squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1 inch cubes
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon salt
pinch of freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the butternut squash in a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Drizzle the squash with olive and bake until the squash is golden brown and tender, about 15 minutes.

Butternut Squash Soup with Chipotle Sour Cream

I’ve been on a butternut squash kick lately.  Les and my daughter loved the Winter Vegetable Stew with Moroccan Spices, and I made some butternut squash soup with the leftover squash. Then I bought another butternut squash from the store a few weeks ago.  I had intentions of making something new with it, but as sometimes happens, I didn’t get around to using the squash that week.  It sat forgotten and ignored on my counter waiting for me to use it.

I hate to throw out food, so I was glad when my boss told me about some butternut squash soup with chipotle peppers she’d had.  I was inspired!  I could use my sad and lonely squash, and I had everything else I needed in the pantry.  I could make dinner without going to the store.  I love when I don’t have to go to the store!

I made the butternut squash soup last Saturday night for dinner, and I don’t recommend the following technique (at least the part my husband helped with), but it's how I tested the soup.  I started the soup a little late Saturday afternoon, and after the step where I boiled the vegetables until they were tender, I took the soup off the heat, and and set it aside.  My son and I rushed off to mass where he was was altar serving that evening.  Les came home from work while we were at church, and I guess he was hungry, because when we got home he confessed he’d had a bowl of the soup that was on the stove.  Really!?!  The soup wasn’t finished.  It was really chunky, and it wasn't seasoned correctly.  Les said he liked the soup the way it was.  I completed the soup with his portion missing from the pot.  The soup was delicious despite the change.

Butternut Squash Soup with Chipotle Sour Cream is silky smooth with rich flavor from the chicken broth and chipotle peppers.  I made the soup as written with chicken broth (it’s what I had on hand), but I think it would be delicious with vegetable broth too.  Les said he liked his extra chunky soup, but I know he liked the smooth, and properly seasoned soup better.

Butternut Squash Soup with Chipotle Sour Cream

Adapted from foodnetwork.com

Printable Recipe

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 medium butternut squash, washed, halved lengthwise and seeded

Kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 medium onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 medium carrots, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

6 cups chicken broth, divided

2 teaspoons minced chipotle peppers in adobo

Chipotle Sour Cream

1 teaspoon minced chipotle peppers in adobo

1/2 cup sour cream

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400°F.  Arrange the squash cut side up on a baking sheet.  Brush the cut side of the squash with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast squash until browned and very tender, about 45 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let cool.

In a Dutch oven over medium heat add the remaining olive oil, onion, celery and carrot.  Season the mixture with a pinch of salt.  Cook the vegetables until they start to soften, about 10 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Using a spoon, scoop the flesh of the butternut squash away from the skin, and add it to the softened vegetables.  Add 4 cups of the chicken broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer until the vegetables are very tender, about 30 minutes.

Take the soup off the heat and blend it with an immersion blender until it is completely blended and smooth.  Add the remaining chicken broth to achieve the desired consistency.  Mix in 2 teaspoons of the chipotle pepper and adjust the seasoning by adding salt and pepper to taste.

In a small bowl, mix together 1 teaspoon of chipotle pepper and the sour cream.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve the soup with a dollop of chipotle sour cream on top.

Winter Vegetable Stew with Moroccan Flavors

Do you have a favorite cookbook?  I collect cookbooks, and if you had asked me the same question a couple of months ago, I probably would have chosen one of my slick cookbooks with fancy pictures on each page.  I’m fond of William Sonoma cookbooks (mostly for the pictures).  But, I’ll tell you a secret.  I usually only try a couple of recipes out of any cookbook.  I lose interest in a cookbook before trying more than one or two recipes.  With all the recipes from books, magazines and online, I’m not very loyal to any one source. 

All this changed when I purchased Fast & Fresh Vegetarian by Marie Simmons.  I’ve shared Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Black Bean Chili and White Bean and FennelCrostini, but I’ve made 10 other recipes from this book, and I’ve liked them all (this has to be a record for me). 

My favorite recipe so far, has to be Winter Vegetable Stew with Moroccan Flavors.  The stew is filling and tasty.  The sweetness of the butternut squash and the root vegetables marry nicely with the Moroccan spice mixture.  The cinnamon and cayenne pepper add a nice heat to the stew.  I served the stew over some quinoa.  My son didn’t eat it (he has an aversion to the texture of squash), but Les and my daughter have been asking for it again. 

If you are looking for some delicious vegetarian recipes or are just trying to find some new vegetable side dish recipes, you should check out Fast & Fresh Vegetarian.  By the way, there aren’t many pictures in this book, but it doesn’t bother me because the recipes speak for themselves.

Winter Vegetable Stew with Moroccan Flavors

Adapted from Fast & Fresh Vegetarian by Marie Simmons

Printable Recipe

¼ extra virgin olive oil

2 cups diced (½ inch) onions

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon cumin

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground cardamom

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon ground allspice

¼ teaspoon ground turmeric

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

freshly ground black pepper

2 cups chopped (½ inch) peeled butternut squash

1 cup chopped (½ inch) carrot

1 cup chopped  (½ inch) turnip

1 cup chopped (½ inch) parsnip

1 cup coarsely chopped fresh tomatoes

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 fresh lemon cut into 4 wedges

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium low heat and add onions.  Cook until the onions are golden, about 10 minutes.  Add the garlic and the spices including the salt and a good grinding of black pepper.  Cook, stirring for 1 minute.

Add the squash, carrot, turnip, parsnip, tomatoes and ½ cup of water.  Cover and cook over medium low heat until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes, adding more water if the mixture looks dry.  Taste and add more salt if needed.  Add the cilantro.  Serve with the lemon wedges.  Serves 4.