Tag: Main Dish
Roasted Butternut Squash Salad
We’ll get to this delicious roasted butternut squash salad with maple-mustard dressing, I promise. But first, a little digression. Last Friday our family returned from five days in central Illinois for a fall break trip to visit family. We enjoyed some gorgeous fall colors,
a visit to Wildlife Prairie Park (a combination park/zoo/recreated prairie farmstead),
a daytrip to Chicago, where the kids and I explored the Field Museum,
quality time with grandparents and great-grandparents,
and a hike that dead-ended at this picturesque-but-creepy abandoned woodcutter’s cottage.
The weather was just what you’d idealize for fall–crisp but not too cold–and the kids behaved really well overall. Can’t ask for much more than that! If I could lodge just one complaint, though, it would be this: MEAT OVERLOAD. I had forgotten how much people in the Midwest eat meat, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This half-time vegetarian was not prepared for the amount of (especially red) meat that is standard on Midwestern menus. I enjoy a good burger as much as anyone else, but by the time we got home, I was ready to bathe myself in vegetables. So when I meal planned for this week, I made sure to include some uber-healthy vegetarian meals. Hence this butternut squash salad.
I had made this meal once before, but this time decided to tweak it a bit, and was delighted with the results. The mix of nutty butternut squash roasted with honey and spices, salty pepitas, sweet cranberries, and a maple-mustard dressing made for an awesome, hearty fall salad. For lunch today I had the leftovers and they were just as tasty as night before. How often does that happen with a salad?
Full disclosure, though: not everyone in our family loved this salad as much as I did. My 8-year-old, who apparently detests butternut squash with a level of intensity most people reserve for Donald Trump and dental work, gave us MAJOR grief over eating that part of the salad for dinner. When my husband told him he had to eat the squash before he could get dessert, my son shoved it in his mouth, and moments later…..vomited.
Yep. Vomited. He wasn’t sick; he just hates squash THAT MUCH.
So, word to the wise: if your kid as much as much loathing for butternut squash as mine does, you may want to shy away from this meal. On the other hand, if you’re a grown-up who enjoys healthy, flavorful food, allow me to introduce you to a new favorite fall salad.
Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Maple-Mustard Dressing
(Inspired by Two Peas and their Pod)
Ingredients:
For the salad:
12 oz. (about 1 small) butternut squash, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. honey
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. dried parsley
salt and pepper, to taste
8 c. spinach or mixed greens
1/2 c. roasted salted pepitas
3/4 c. crumbled feta cheese
1/2 c. dried cranberries
For the dressing:
1/4 c. maple syrup
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 Tbsp. + 2 tsp. cider vinegar
1 tsp. grainy mustard
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/3 c. canola oil
salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread butternut squash chunks on a large baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and honey. Sprinkle with nutmeg, parsley, salt, and pepper and toss to coat. Roast 25-30 minutes, stirring once halfway through cooking. Cool to room temperature.
- Meanwhile, prepare the rest of the salad: in a salad bowl or platter, toss spinach/salad greens with pepitas, feta, and cranberries. Add roasted squash.
- To make the dressing, combine maple syrup, garlic, cider vinegar, grainy mustard, and Dijon mustard in a measuring cup. Add canola oil and blend with an immersion blender until emulsified. (Alternatively, you could use a regular blender or food processor.) Serve on the side or tossed in the salad.
Serves 4 as a main dish.
Mediterranean-Style Meatloaf
I have a long personal history with meatloaf. (Or “meatload,” as my fingers always seem to want to type. Same thing, basically.) When I was a kid, my mom’s meatloaf served as a catch-all cloaking device for whatever bits and scraps remained in the refrigerator or pantry at the end of a given week (month? year?). It’s understandable when you realize that she was a single mom trying to make the best of a narrow budget, but as a child, I had no appreciation for this aspect of meatloaf-making. I just remember watching with mounting distaste as carrots, spinach, rhubarb–was that oatmeal?–disappeared into the mixing bowl, and wondering why a raw egg needed to be part of this process. Just observing the assembly of meatloaf had me convinced before my first bite that this was quite likely the most disgusting food ever invented. And then it came out of the oven–a craggy, rectangular meteorite from the part of space where they stare you down with unflinching meat-and-spinach eyes. I may have only been five years old, but I knew I was
NOT. GOING. TO. EAT. THAT.
Eventually, after a classic parent-child battle of the wills involving sitting at the dinner table until almost bedtime, I grudgingly accepted defeat and picked up a piece of (now cold) brown meteorite and willed myself to eat it. And it was indeed wretched. (Sorry, Mom! You make lots of other delicious things!) Meatloaf quickly rocketed to the top of my Least Favorite Foods list.
And stayed there until I tried this recipe.
This Mediterranean-Style Meatloaf comes from one of my favorite cookbooks, The Cleaner Plate Club, which focuses on helping kids eat healthier. (A little ironic, considering my meatloaf backstory. Also, I now want to start a band called “Meatloaf Backstory.”) Having made several other recipes from this cookbook that were all excellent, a few years ago I decided to loosen my meatloaf boycott and try this out. After all, how could you go wrong with ingredients like fresh herbs, garlic, roasted tomatoes, and parmesan cheese mixed into what amounts to a giant meatball? You can’t! This recipe turned out to be a true delight. It has become a signature dish at our house. Isn’t it amazing how much our opinions can change when we decide to re-think long-held beliefs? It almost seems like meatload–er, meatloaf–has taught me a life lesson.
Mediterranean-Style Meatloaf
(Adapted from The Cleaner Plate Club)
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/4 c. mixed fresh herbs–mostly basil, with rosemary and/or thyme
1/4 c. roasted tomatoes or sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and chopped
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 c. dry bread crumbs or Panko bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 Tbsp. ketchup
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef, bison, or a mix
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Saute the onion and garlic until soft and light golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl, add all remaining ingredients, and mix until thoroughly combined.
- Spray a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Spread meat mixture evenly in the pan. Bake uncovered for 60 minutes.
Serves 4-6.
Turkey Bean Chili {Stovetop or Crock Pot}
This fall semester is–woohoo!!–my last semester of classes for my nutrition program. I’m currently enrolled in one semi-blowoff online class (I have to take it to cross off a checklist), and Anatomy and Physiology in person. Taking A & P has been truly awesome so far. As a person of faith, every lecture and lab is a chance to marvel at God’s incredible attention to detail in creating our bodies, and how every little piece of them is orchestrated for our benefit. (Latest meditation: isn’t it amazing that we have butts? I mean, to sit on? Like, what would we do if we had a pointy, metallic triangle there instead of a nice, fleshy cushion? THERE WOULD BE PROBLEMS.) So I have been altogether enjoying this class. When I leave lecture on Thursday, I think, I can’t believe I have to wait until Tuesday to do this again. The only problem is…….those Tuesdays. I happen to have a break of about an hour and a half between my lecture and the corresponding lab, meaning I generally rush home and try to get stuff done AND shove some lunch down my throat before heading back to campus again. Which is what happened this week.
Having ridden my bike to school, I was naturally sweaty and disgusting by the time I got home. So in the hour I had at home, I knew I had to 1.) Shower, 2.) Study for my upcoming lab exam, and 3.) Get dinner pre-made for my family. (It was a craaaaazy afternoon and evening, so there was no time later.) Mmmm, yeah, that’s a lot to get done in an hour. Thankfully, I had this chili recipe to rely on! In 15 minutes, this went from a hodgepodge of ingredients to rocking it in the Crock Pot. I’ve made this recipe several times before, so I knew–or at least hoped–that that’s about all the time it would take. Annnnd success! I stripped off my sweaty biking clothes and made this in my underwear (don’t tell my family) before hopping in the shower. There was even time to do a little anatomy and physiology studying. And that evening, when we were pressed for time, I didn’t have to worry about how to get dinner on the table. Turkey bean chili for the win!
While we’re on the subject, let’s also just establish the point that everybody knows how they like their chili, and it’s probably a little different for every person. Well, every American, probably. I’m not sure if, say, Pakistanis or the French are real particular about their chili. I know I am very persnickety about what I look for in the perfect chili. Here’s how I like mine: more like a stew, with enough liquid to savor, plenty of spices, and more beans than meat. That’s what you’ll find in this bad boy. But whether you crank it together on the stovetop or let it simmer for hours in a slow cooker, I think everyone can find something to enjoy about this recipe–if only the fact that it’s so quick and easy to prepare. As cooler weather (hopefully) and tailgating season (inevitably) are upon us, I hope you’ll agree this chili is the one to beat!
Turkey Bean Chili
(Adapted from Real Simple)
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lb. ground turkey
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 heaping tsp. cumin
2 heaping tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
pinch paprika
pinch ground red pepper
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 28-oz. can diced tomatoes
1/2 c. chicken or vegetable broth
1 15-oz. can kidney beans
1 15-oz. can black beans
shredded cheddar and/or sour cream for serving
Stovetop Directions:
- Heat olive oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 4-6 minutes.
- Add the turkey and cook, breaking up with a spoon, until no longer pink, 3-5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and all spices (cumin through black pepper) and cook an additional 1 minute.
- Add tomatoes and their juices, broth, and beans. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, 12-15 minutes. Garnish with shredded cheese and sour cream, if desired, and serve.
Crock Pot Directions:
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 4-6 minutes.
- Add the turkey and cook, breaking up with a spoon, until no longer pink, 3-5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and all spices (cumin through black pepper) and cook an additional 1 minute.
- While turkey cooks, pour tomatoes and their juices, broth, and beans into Crock Pot. Add turkey-onion mixture to Crock Pot and stir to combine.
- Cook on Low about 6 hours or High about 3 hours. Garnish with shredded cheese and sour cream, if desired, and serve.
Tomato-Corn Risotto with Shrimp
Yesterday on my A Love Letter to Food Facebook page, I got a notification that read something like this: “You haven’t posted anything in five days. That means your followers haven’t heard from you in almost a week! Post now!!! (Or your readers will start to riot in the streets! Or jump off of bridges! Or you’ll be forever cast upon the trash heap of their minds!)” I may have embellished that last part. But it really kinda stressed me out. Like social media pressure has become the new peer pressure…and it’s not even from real people–it’s just a Facebook robot. “Keeping up with the blogging Joneses.” Thaaaaaaaanks, Facebook.
Anyway, this post is not a response to that nudge. (Or maybe, subconsciously, it is?) I’ve been wanting to share this summery risotto recipe for awhile. I knew it was good when my husband suggested I create a sidebar on the blog called “Husband-Approved Favorites” and put this on it. The man doesn’t even like shrimp and he literally ate the leftovers of this for breakfast. I was shocked. But I had to agree it was delicious–the mix of corn, tomato, and basil offering the flavor package of summer in a bowl. (The good kind of summer, like running-through-the-sprinklers-with-a-4th-of July-parade-rolling-by, not the get-me-out-of-this-face-melting-inferno kind we experience in Phoenix.)
So perhaps the timing of posting this risotto now is serendipitous, because it reminds me in the wake of Facebook robot peer pressure that, like risotto, good things take time. I’ve been on a blogging roll last month, but it’s probably not sustainable. I’m never going to be the kind of food blogger who posts five times a week. (Let’s face it, I can’t get my family to NOT eat that many things long enough to take pictures of them.) As much as I enjoy food blogging, I’m not ready for it to take over my life. There are more important things in life than giving to the pressures of Facebook/Pinterest/Twitter/OtherFoodBloggersAreCoolerThanYou.com. I can stand to go five days without posting on Facebook, and so can my (small group of) readers. So thanks for reading, whoever you may be, and give this recipe a try when you’re feeling summery–in a good way.
Tomato-Corn Risotto with Shrimp
Ingredients:
6 c. vegetable broth, low-sodium preferred
2 Tbsp. butter
1 small onion, diced
1 1/2 c. arborio rice
1/2 c. dry white wine
1 1/2 c. frozen corn, thawed
shrimp
1 1/2 c. grape tomatoes, quartered
3 Tbsp. fresh basil, chiffonaded
1 Tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 Tbsp. heavy cream
Directions:
1. In a saucepan, heat vegetable broth over medium-low heat until warm.
2. Meanwhile, melt butter in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté about 3 minutes until translucent. Add rice and stir to coat with the butter. Pour in the wine and cook, stirring, until liquid is absorbed, about 1 minute.
3. Ladle about 2 c. of the warmed broth into the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is absorbed, about 3-5 minutes. Continue ladling broth into rice mixture about 3/4 c. at a time, cooking 3-5 minutes after each addition and continuing to stir occasionally, until liquid is absorbed. Add corn and shrimp to the skillet with the final addition of broth.
4. While the rice is simmering, combine grape tomatoes, olive oil, basil, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
5. After final addition of broth is absorbed, add Parmesan and cream to the skillet and stir until cheese is melted. Remove from heat and fold in the tomato-basil mixture. Top with any additional basil and serve immediately.
Serves 5.
Orange Beef Stir-Fry with Onion and Snow Peas
You know how they say the first rule of effective grocery shopping is to never go when you’re hungry? I think the same should be said of food blogging. It’s shortly after 5:00 P.M. and I’m sitting here with my stomach growling as I look at pictures of this orange beef stir-fry, remembering how delicious it was when we had it recently. If I had a genie in a bottle right now, I think I would make a foolish choice of fairy-tale proportions and wish I had some in my kitchen. It was that good. And I am that hungry.
This recipe comes from Cook’s Illustrated Science of Good Cooking. After taking chemistry over the summer, I figured maybe my brain has been science-ified enough to understand something about how cooking works from a scientific perspective, so I checked this hefty tome out from the library. Plus, I’ve heard Cook’s Illustrated recipes are some of the best around–after all, they tinker with them in a food lab the size of my house (America’s Test Kitchen) to make sure everything comes out as deliciously as possible. According to The Science of Good Cooking, this high-heat stir-fry works so well because high heat develops flavor. Essentially, a high temperature enables a reaction between amino acids and sugars in the meat, developing a flavorful layer of compounds on its surface. This came as a bit of a surprise to me, as I tend to have a fear-the-reaper attitude toward cranking the heat on my stove all the way up to High. In cooking this meal, I was sure it would be too much. The meat would be too tough. It would burn. Nope! I should have known to believe the army of chefs and food testers who work at this full-time. High heat seared the beef to stir-fry perfection, and the sweet citrus sauce made an excellent complement to its savoriness. Throw some steaming rice and crisp-tender veggies in the mix and the whole thing becomes a succulent one-dish dinner.
And now please excuse me. I need to go eat something so I don’t start munching on my computer screen.
Orange Beef Stir-Fry with Onion and Snow Peas
(Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated: The Science of Good Cooking)
Ingredients:
Sauce:
3/4 c. fresh-squeezed orange juice
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. packed light brown sugar
1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
1 tsp. cornstarch
Stir-Fry:
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. packed light brown sugar
12 oz. thin-sliced flank steak
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger (or 1/4 tsp. ground ginger)
1 Tbsp. Hoisin sauce
1 tsp. grated orange zest
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 large onion, halved and cut into 1/2 inch wedges
10 oz. snow peas, strings removed
2 Tbsp. water
4 c. cooked white rice
Directions:
1. Make the sauce: whisk all sauce ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.
2. Combine soy sauce and brown sugar in a shallow dish or large Ziploc bag. Add beef, toss well, and marinate for at least 10 minutes or up to 1 hour, stirring once. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine garlic, ginger, Hoisin sauce, orange zest, red pepper flakes, and 1 tsp. vegetable oil.
3. Drain beef and discard liquid. Heat 2 tsp. vegetable oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add beef and cook until browned, about 2 minutes. Transfer beef to a clean bowl. Rinse skillet clean and dry with paper towels.
4. Add remaining 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil to skillet and heat until just smoking. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until beginning to brown, about 3-5 minutes. Add snow peas and continue to cook until brown in spots, about 2 more minutes. Add 2 Tbsp. water and cook until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Clear the center of the skillet, add the garlic mixture, and cook, mashing the mixture into the pan, until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Stir mixture into vegetables. Return beef and any accumulated juices to skillet and stir to combine. Whisk orange juice-soy sauce mixture and add to the skillet, stirring constantly about 30 seconds, until thickened. Serve over rice.
Serves 4.