Acorn squash and chickpea salad

Nights are getting cooler and the pumpkins are rolling in. So last night, I whipped up a 3 step dish with help from Smitten Kitchen and 101 Cookbooks. It consists of the salad, dressing and the garnish that taste best when assembled right before serving.

Makes 4 sides
For the salad:~
1 small acorn squash, seeded, peeled and cubed into 1inch pieces (save the seeds)
1 15 oz. can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped
1 medium clove of garlic, minced
a little more than a 1/4 of a red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup of chopped coriander and mint leaves
2 tbsp of olive oil
Salt to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400 deg.
2. Toss cubed squash with 1 tbsp of olive oil, jalapeno peppers, garlic, salt and 1 tbsp of chopped red onions.
3. Roast in the oven for about 20-25 mins until the squash is soft but not squishy like mine turned out because I let it overcook.
4. Once done, transfer to a salad bowl and let cool. Mix in the rest of the ingredients. Gently toss to mix.

For the dressing:~
1 medium clove of garlic, minced
Juice of 1 large lime
3 tbsp of tahini, well mixed
2-3 tbsp of water
2 tbsp olive oil, I used oil infused with red pepper

1. Beat all the ingredients together until its smooth. You might want to add a bit more water to adjust consistency.

For the garnish:~
Saved seeds from squash, de-stringed (is this a word?) and rinsed
1 egg white
2 tsp of salt and pepper
1 tsp paprika

1. In a small bowl, beat the egg white with salt, pepper and paprika.
2. Bath the seeds in the egg mixture to coat evenly. I used my sieve to rescue the seeds.
3. Spread them on a oiled baking sheet and roast in the oven at 375 deg for 30 mins or until the seeds are golden-reddish-brown.

Before serving, Add a couple of tbsps of the dressing to a bowl of salad and garnish with crispysquash seeds. Enjoy!

Roasted winter veggies and Kale soup

Back in January when I had enough of the ample winter squash supply in my CSA share - I chopped half of them up into cubes and roasted the rest with soy sauce. Then froze them in ziploc bags and pyrex containers. I used roasted squash for this soup. Serves 4

1/2 squash, halved, drizzled with soy sauce, wrapped in aluminum foil anf roasted at 425 deg until you can easily pierce it with a blunt knife
2 carrots, roughly cubed
1 potato, cubed
1 large red onion, cubed
1 turnip, cubed
1 bunch of kale, stemmed and chopped in strips
3 springs of fresh thyme leaves
2 crushed red pepper
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
Salt and pepper

1. Preheat oevn to 375 deg. In a baking, add potato, carrots, onion, turnip, crushed red pepper, garlic, salt, pepper and a healthy glug of olive oil to coat.
2. Roast uncovered until potatoes are cooked through and onions have caramelized at the edges.
3. Process roasted veggies along with the squash pulp until a few chunks remain.
4. In a soup pot combine processed veggies, kale and thyme. Add 1 1/2 cups of water and bring to a boil.
5. Lower the heat, cover and cook until Kale is done, about 20 mins.
6. Taste and adjust for salt.

Spicy bean and squash soup

Serves 6

1 medium onion, chopped
1 can diced fire roasted tomato
2 can cooked red beans
1/2 winter squash
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and lightly crushed, leave it whole
1/2 ancho chilli
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp ground coriander
salt to taste
3-4 whole peppercorns

1. Preheat oven to 400 deg. Halve a winter squash and scoop out the seeds. Season each half with salt and pepper. Cover each half completely with aluminum foil and place it cut side down in a baking dish. Roast for 20 mins or until it's easy to insert a knife through.
2. Let cool and scoop out the flesh. Use half for this recipe and save the rest for another recipe later (this freezes well).
3. In a pot, heat 2 tbsp of olive oil. Add cumin seeds and half a minute later add onions and peppercorns.
4. Cook until onions are translucent. Add garlic, tomatoes, ancho chilli, salt, ground coriander and roasted winter squash. Cook for 10 mins until tomatoes are cooked.
5. Add red beans, give it a stir to heat through.
6. Process contents in a food processor until its lightly blended. I liked this soup a little chunky.
7. Garnish with toasted sliced almonds and fresh coriander.

Butternut squash pasta

I am back from a much needed vacation. I made this before I left in an attempt to use up the last of the squash I had lying around.

Serves 4

1 lb of butternut squash, peeled and seeded

2 tbsp butter

1 lb pasta

1/2 tsp roasted, ground cumin

1 tsp sugar

1 small bunch chopped sage leaves

1/2 cup grated parmesan reggiano

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Process chunks of squash until shredded.
2. In a broad based skillet, heat butter and add squash, salt, pepper, sugar and cumin. Cook until squash is cooked. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking and add a few tbsps of water as needed. Make sure its not soupy.
3. Once the squash begins to cook, add the sage and cook overlow heat. Begin cooking the pasta.
4. When the pasta is done, reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water and toss the pasta with the squash in the skillet. Use the pasta water if the mixture seems too dry.
5. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Toss in the cheese and serve.

Winter Squash Soup

Source: Modifications from Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients:

1 acorn squash
1 butternut squash
1 leek, chopped
4 cups chicken stock
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp fresh sage
salt
pepper
olive oil
some whipping cream

To prepare squash, peel skin, remove seeds and chop into cubes. Easier said than done! I struggled with the endeavor for 5 minutes, realized it was futile. Instead (as suggested by Deb), I halved the squash, deseeded them and then laid them on a baking sheet to bake for 20-30 minutes at 425F. They were cooked perfectly, and I could scoop the pulp out from the skin.

In a pan, heat 2tbsp oil and add leeks and chopped garlic. Saute for 10 minutes until leeks are cooked. Add the cooked squash, chicken broth, cumin, ginger, and herbs. Bring to a boil and simmer for 3-5 minutes. When cooled, puree in a blender.

Return the soup to the stove, add a little whipping cream and pepper. The original recipe asked for sugar, but I thought the soup was perfectly sweet and so skipped it.

The soup was filling and perfect for the autumn chill that has descended on Chicago!