Roasted Root Veggies

Roasted Root Veggies

Ingredients:
Squash
Assorted root veggies (potatoes, yams, beets, carrots, onions, garlic, Jerusalem artichokes, etc)
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil
Nuts (walnuts, pecans) (optional)
Goat cheese (optional)
Spices (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F, grease roasting pan (I use coconut oil or butter).

Wash all veggies well. I buy organic and scrub them well because I don’t peel any of them (well, except the onion and garlic). Cut squash in half (or quarters), scoop out seeds, drizzle olive oil over flesh side. Place flesh side down (leave the skin/rind on) in a large roasting pan. Cube all other root veggies (except beets), place in large bowl, toss with olive oil and spices, toss to coat. Pour into roasting pan. Cube beets, place in same large bowl, drizzle with olive oil and spices, toss to coat. Pour into roasting pan. Sprinkle nuts (if using) throughout the mixture.

Bake, covered for 45 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle goat cheese throughout mixture (if using). Replace cover and return to oven for 15 minutes. Skin/rind will easily peel away from flesh of squash when done.

NOTE: William’s version of above recipe: Scrub all veggies. Cut squash in half, scoop out seeds, spread with olive oil, place flesh side down in greased roasting pan. Cube veggies directly into roasting pan, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover, cook in oven at 350F for 1 hour.

Both versions are delicious 

Pumpkin Guinness Gingerbread with Cream Cheese Frosting

I stumbled across this recipe on Babble while searching for an alternative to the traditional Pumpkin Pie for Thanksgiving. It's amazing. And, it is better if you make it a day (or two) ahead of time.

Pumpkin Guinness Gingerbread with Cream Cheese Frosting
1 cup Guinness
1/2 cup molasses
1 tsp. baking soda
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup canola or other vegetable oil
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. ground ginger
1 Tbsp. cocoa
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. salt

Cream Cheese Frosting (optional):
1/4 cup butter, softened
half an 8 oz. (250 g) pkg. regular or light cream cheese
2-3 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a Bundt pan really well with nonstick spray.
In a medium saucepan with room for the mixture to foam up, stir together the stout and molasses over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat and stir in the baking soda. Set aside until the foam subsides and the mixture cools slightly.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugars, oil, pumpkin puree, ginger and vanilla. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, ground ginger, cocoa, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice and salt.

Add about a third of the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and stir just until combined. Add half the molasses mixture, then another third of the dry ingredients, the rest of the molasses mixture and the rest of the dry ingredients, stirring after each addition just until combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for an hour, until the top is springy to the touch. Cool for a few minutes, then invert onto a wire rack while still warm. Cool completely before spreading with cream cheese frosting.

To make frosting: In a large bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add the icing sugar, milk and vanilla, beating until the mixture is creamy and well-blended. Add a little more sugar or milk if necessary to achieve a spreadable frosting.

NOTE: I used ground ginger in both places (adjusting the amount) and it was fine. I also used a different Stout (ie not Guinness) and it was great. You can also use something other than a Bundt pan.

Chewy Chocolate Mint Cookies

This recipe was gifted to me by a former co-worker's wife. Re-gifting to you!

Recipe:

3/4 cup of butter

1 1/2 cups of dark brown sugar

2 Tablespoons of water

2 cups of chocolate chips

2 eggs

1/4 teaspoon of salt (recipe says 1/2 t, but I always cut the salt)

1 1/4 teaspoons of baking soda

3 cups of all-purpose flour (recipe says 2 1/2 cups, but I bake at high altitude)

In a small sauce pan over low heat, stir butter, sugar and water until butter is melted. Add chocolate chips. When the chocolate chips are melted, remove from heat. Pour melted mixture into a mixing bowl to cool for 10 minutes. Beat two eggs into the chocolate mixture. Then add salt, baking soda and flour. Now chill your dough for an hour. Roll your chilled dough into balls and place 2" apart on a lined cookie sheet. Bake for 8 minutes at 350F. They may not seem done at 8 minutes, but trust me.
For decorating, you'll need mint candy wafers (look for them at a craft store). My friend always uses green mint candy wafers, but I only found white mint at Hobby Lobby. You can also use half of an Andes mint.

As soon as you remove the cookies from the oven and transfer the cookies to a cooling rack, gently press a candy mint wafer into the center of the warm cookie. The candy wafer will begin to melt. When the top of the wafer is shiny, the candy is melted and you can spread the candy with a spatula. Sprinkle with green colored sugar and/or chocolate sprinkles.

Or, you can skip spreading the candy and gently press holly leaves and berries (Wilton Holly Mix sprinkles) in the melted candy wafer for a really pretty finished look:

I started a blog that I use to pin things to Pinterest. I backdated posts of projects/recipes to keep as a reference. You can check it out here.

Butternut Squash Gnocchi with Maple Cinnamon Brown Butter Sauce

Butternut Squash Gnocchi with Maple Cinnamon Sage Brown Butter Sauce

I made this with sweet potatoes instead of squash a while back. It was good but I think I did something wrong because the recipe sounded better than it actually tasted. Doesn't the title make your mouth water?

Gnocchi:
1 cup butternut squash allowed to drain for 2+ hours (also pat w/ paper towels)
1/3 cup part skim ricotta
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
Brown Butter Sauce:
2 tbsp butter
10 fresh sage leaves
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/4-1/2 tsp salt (your preference)
1/8 tsp/pinch black pepper

Cut butternut squash in half and rub with olive oil. Bake cut side down on a foil covered cookie sheet at 350 for 45 min. Scoop out the flesh and mash the squash. Keep 1 cup for this recipe.

Put squash in colander or strainer for a minimum of 2 hrs (can do this in fridge overnight as well).

Transfer the mashed squash to a large bowl. Add the ricotta cheese, salt, cinnamon, and pepper and blend until well mixed.

Add the flour, 1/2 cup at a time until a soft dough forms. Lightly flour a work surface and place the dough in a ball on the work surface.
Divide the dough into 3 equal balls. Roll out each ball into a 1-inch wide rope. Cut each rope into 1-inch pieces.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the gnocchi in 2 batches and cook until gnocchi float to the surface, stirring occasionally. Drain the gnocchi using a slotted spoon.

For the Brown Butter sauce: While the gnocchi are cooking melt the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. When the butter has melted add the sage leaves. Continue to cook, swirling the butter occasionally, until the foam subsides and the milk solids begin to brown. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the cinnamon, maple syrup, salt, and pepper. Careful, the mixture will bubble up.

Gently stir the mixture. When the bubbles subside, toss the cooked gnocchi in the brown butter. Serve immediately.

Nutrition Facts
1 serving (approx. 15 gnocchi): 425 cal, 12.75 fat, 6 fiber, 11.75 protein

This recipe is from tastebook.com

Summer Squash Gratin Recipe

Be sure to slice your potatoes as thin as possible. They get all melty and creamy. Slice them too thick and you'll have trouble cooking them through because the zucchini cooks up more quickly. I use a box grater to shred the cheese here (as opposed to a micro-plane) - you get heartier, less whispy pieces of cheese which is what you want here. I'd also strongly recommend homemade bread crumbs here (see asterisk below).

zest of one lemon

1 1/2 pounds summer squash or zucchini, cut into 1/6th-inch slices

1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

1/4 cup fresh oregano leaves

1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley

1 large garlic clove, chopped

1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

pinch of red pepper flakes

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup unsalted butter

2 cups fresh whole wheat bread crumbs*

1/2 pound waxy potatoes, sliced transparently thin

3/4 cup grated Gruyere cheese, grated on a box grater (or feta might be good!)

Preheat oven to 400F degrees and place a rack in the middle. Rub a 9x9 gratin pan (or equivalent baking dish) with a bit of olive oil, sprinkle with lemon zest, and set aside.

Place the zucchini slices into a colander placed over a sink, toss with the sea salt and set aside for 10-15 minutes (to drain a bit) and go on to prepare the oregano sauce and bread crumbs.

Make the sauce by pureeing the oregano, parsley, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, red pepper flakes, and olive oil in a food processor or using a hand blender. Set aside.

Make the breadcrumbs by melting the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook for a few minutes until the butter is wonderfully fragrant, and has turned brown. Wait two minutes, then stir the breadcrumbs into the browned butter.

Transfer the squash to a large mixing bowl. Add the potatoes and two-thirds of the oregano sauce. Toss until everything is well coated. Add the cheese and half of the bread crumbs and toss again. Taste one of the zucchini pieces and add more seasoning (salt or red pepper) if needed.

Transfer the squash to the lemon-zested pan, top with the remaining crumbs, and bake for somewhere between 40 and 50 minutes - it will really depend on how thinly you sliced the squash and potatoes - and how much moisture was still in them. You don't want the zucchini to go to mush, but you need to be sure the potatoes are fully baked. If the breadcrumbs start to get a little dark, take a fork and rake them just a bit, that will uncover some of the blonder bits. Remove from oven, and drizzle with the remaining oregano sauce.

Serves about 8 as a side.

*To make breadcrumbs cut the crust off 2-3 day old artisan bread. Tear into pieces the size of your thumb, and give a quick whirl in the food processor. I don't like my breadcrumbs too fine - and tend to leave the pieces on the large size - more like little pebbles than grains of sand.

SLACKERS!

You are all slackers.  Every one of you.  S.L.A.C.K.E.R.S.

There.  I said it.  I feel much better now.

I am giving you all an assignment.  I will continue to give assignments until I see you all have STOPPED SLACKING.

Assignment 1.  Due November 30, 2011.

Create at least one blog post.  Your topic is: creative and fabulous uses for Squash.

Yes, this is slightly self serving, as I have signed up for a fall CSA membership, and I get a BIG box of random squash each week.  So now I am assigning you all to figure out what I should do with it.  Deal.

Now POST!