Falling for Squash

I love fall.  I love the smell of fall.  I love Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas (but not until AFTER Thanksgiving, people!).  I love cooking chili and soup, and all those other cold weather things that smell up the house.  I especially love fall because of squash.

Before becoming the main food preparer in the family, the main way I got squash was mashed.  And that's OK.  But then I discovered squash and how incredibly versatile it is.  My mom and I made this Texas Beef Brisket Chili Recipe and it has squash in it!  It's from Bon Appetit, so really how could it not be good? (And its good, really good)

At the local San Luis Obispo Farmer's Market, I decided to get a butternut squash.  Instead of boiling and mashing it, I diced it up into cubes, tossed it in some olive oil, sprinkled some salt and pepper on it and roasted it in the oven like I do potatoes.  Suddenly, a whole new world of squash opened up!  Another time I sliced it up into little fry shapes and made them a little southwest with some chili pepper and cumin.  Who knew the sweetness of a Butternut Squash would go so well with a little spice!  Roasted squash is also a nice addition to chili.  It's a great vegetable to throw in at the end.  The sweetness can sometimes cut some of the spice and add some low calorie filler! Needless to say, I don't remember the last time we had mashed squash.  Now if only I could get Ryan to eat it!

Acorn squash is another fall favorite, but as far as I'm concerned, it should be mashed.  I make it like my mom did, face down in a pan of water.  Then flip it, fill it's little concavity with butter and brown sugar and enjoy!

Summer is a great time for squash too.  Zucchini and those cute little yellow summer squashes make a great saute with some onion.  I use about 3 Tbsp of the Land O' Lakes Light butter and it makes a fantasticly buttery sauce.

Similar to squash are sweet potatoes.  (If you're wondering the difference between sweet potatoes and yams like I did, go here)  What Thanksgiving dinner is complete without sweet potatoes?  Ok, maybe they are complete here in California, but not in the South.  My sister especially likes the sweet potato casserole with the brown sugar and marshmallows on top.

Inspired by a Lean Cuisine called Beef Barbacoa, I made a slow cooked beef in a spicy sauce and on a separate occasion, I made the chipotle sweet potatoes that accompany it in the frozen meal.  With the beef, I made a "clean out the fridge" type casserole that had in it... you guessed it, squash!

Spicy Adobe Beef
2-3 lb Tri-tip or pot roast
1 can tomato sauce
1 can tomatoes with green chilis (also called Rotel)
1 can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1 Tbsp chopped garlic (about 2-3 cloves)
1/2 large onion, diced

Throw it all in the crock pot and cook it on low for 6-8 hours.  A warning about the chilis!  I used the whole can and it was HOT.  I like it hot, but if you don't, scrape out the seeds inside, or just use 1 chili per pound of meat.  And use the adobo sauce.

Black Bean and Rice Casserole

1/2 cup uncooked brown rice
1 can black beans
1 cup frozen corn
2 cups diced, roasted butternut squash
1/2 cup (or so) Spicy Adobe Beef juice
1 cup Mexican Blend shredded cheese (or whatever you've got)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook the rice. Combine all the ingredients in a casserole dish.  Sprinkle cheese on top.  Cover for first 20 minutes and then uncover for last 10 minutes for 30 minutes of total cooking time.  Makes about 6-8 servings.

When you serve these, put the beef and the sauce on top.  It is so good!  It has a kick though, so the rice casserole helps to calm that down.

If you'd rather try the Chipotle Sweet Potatoes:

Chipotle Sweet Potatoes
1 lb uncooked sweet potato, cut into cubes
2 Tbsp Land O' Lakes Light Butter
2 Tbsp Fat Free Milk
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin

Cook the sweet potatoes in salted, boiling water until tender.  Drain and transfer to bowl.  Add the Butter and milk and combine until creamy.  Add the chili powder and cumin.  Salt to taste.

So as a reminder, add some squash to your next meal.  You might find it a nice addition to chili, casseroles, or just as a great side dish.  Happy Fall!

Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better

I don't remember if it was Chili's or Applebee's (because honestly, who can tell the difference between the two), but I remember watching TV and seeing a commercial for Bruschetta Chicken and thinking, wow that looks good.  And my next thought was, hey, I can make that!

When Aaron and I began our weight loss journey, which happened to coincide with having a child and realizing that going out to eat all the time was pretty ridiculous, one of the things we gave up was going out to dinner unless it was worth going out for.  That pretty much meant that we needed to go out for dinner for things that we couldn't get at home or things that were really good.  Woodstock's Pizza, for one.  Chinese food, Sushi, those kinds of things.  But we didn't want mediocre, so we have our favorites and once a week or so we hit those restaurants.

One of the things that helped me realize how much I love too cook is finding things I like and making them myself.  So after watching this commercial, I decided to do just that.

Bruschetta is delicious   It's great on little toasts as an appetizer, or in this recipe just slap it on some grilled chicken, add pasta, and enjoy!

I never did get a chance to try that Bruschetta Chicken that I saw on the TV, but this has become a really tasty and healthy favorite in my house.

Bruschetta Chicken

Bruschetta Chicken with Penne Pasta and grilled Squash

2 boneless, skinnless chicken breasts
4 oz. whole grain spaghetti
2-3 cups bruschetta (recipe follows)

Season the chicken breast with salt and pepper then place on grill (I like my George Foreman for this for easy clean up, but the grill outside works too!).  Cook the spaghetti and divide into two servings.  Should be approximately 4.25 oz of cooked spaghetti.  Slice chicken and place on pasta.  Divide Bruschetta in half and spoon it on.  You can really have as much of the Bruschetta as you like.  Enjoy!

My homemade Bruschetta with Basil from my garden!

Bruschetta:
4-6 Whole Roma Tomatoes
1/2 cup of Fresh Basil (or so)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 tsp kosher salt (or so)
1/2 tsp fresh black pepper

Dice the tomatoes, chop the basil and throw it with all the other ingredients in a bowl together.  For best results let it marinate for a few hours before serving the chicken.  The measurements are approximate because I am really bad about measuring, so play around with it and just make sure it tastes good!

I really like this recipe for a light dinner.  The biggest things to watch for is not to serve yourself too much pasta!  One serving is 2 oz of uncooked pasta and most of the time, that is enough.  Serve a nice salad or steamed broccoli on the side.  If you're grilling outside, corn, squash, zucchini, or anything else grillable can go on right with your chicken!

I have a few more copycat recipes coming.  One is Lean Cuisine's Chili Lime Chicken and the other one is their Ranchero Braised Beef.  Don't be afraid of copying, they say that it is the sincerest form of flattery.  Plus you can save money and tons of calories by making it at home!