Chile-Lime Acorn Squash

Chile-Lime Acorn Squash 
Adapted from Gourmet

When it comes to entrees, maybe 1 out of every 3 we make come out really well.  But vegetables, one of America's most unpopular food categories, knock my socks off nearly every time.  Despite popular opinion, vegetables taste freaking awesome.  I mean, no, not those steamed-in-bag frozen ones, or almost anything steamed, really, but well cooked vegetables steal the show on our plates more often than not.  I'm pretty convinced that roasting + oil + salt is God's gift to produce.  Just that much will produce a pretty delectable result every time.  But then there's recipes like this one that will really blow your mind.  Acorn squash is usually prepared with butter and brown sugar (delicious), but this out-of-the-box preparation is outrageously good.  I had it as a snack the other day, but it would make a great side to a Mexican or Asian meat dish.


Ingredients

• 1 acorn squash
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 3/4 tsp coarse salt, divided
• 4 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 1/2 Tbsp lime juice
• 1 tsp Sambal Oelek, or another red chile sauce (Sambal Oelek is amazing, and pretty easy to find in the Asian section of your grocery store)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Halve squash lengthwise, then cut off and discard the stem end.  Scoop seeds and stringy flesh out.  Slice along the ribs to create wedges.
3. Toss wedges with pepper, 1/2 tsp salt, and 2 tablespoons oil.
4. Arrange squash on their sides on a baking sheet.  Roast for 20-25 minutes, or until tender and golden brown.
5. While squash roasts, make vinaigrette.  Mince garlic.  Place 1/4 teaspoon salt on the cutting board with the garlic and use the flat side of your knife to mash into a paste.
6. In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic-salt mash, remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and chile sauce.
7. Transfer roasted squash to plates and drizzle with vinaigrette.
8. Side note, extensive Googling has led me to believe you should not eat the skin of winter squash, including acorn.  I just peeled it off as I ate.

Serves 4 as a side (I ate 2/3 of it as a snack).

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Jalapeno Butternut Squash Soup

Jalapeno Butternut Squash Soup
From Derek Clayton 

If you've been keeping up with the HMK since the beginning, you may be thinking "geez, they make a LOT of soup!"  Ironically, our pre-blog soup consumption was pretty exclusively Campbell's based.  I've always loved soup and there's been a few ill-fated attempts a making it over the years, but I was never able to produce anything as creamy and comforting as the old Campbell's can (sad, I know).  Usually my attempts involved an immersion blender that I had a brief love affair with.  If you have one, you know that they're super fun to use and hold the promise of being quick, easy, and low mess.  But what they don't offer is creamy.  All my soups were oddly chunky and mealy, and after a particularly off-putting batch of lentil soup, John put a moratorium on the soup making.

Then the KitchenAid 5-Speed KSB560 blender came into our lives. 


That's right, a basic blender that we got as a wedding gift changed everything.  We finally gave into the potential mess and started using our shiny new toy to blend soups.  We hit puree and walk away.  In just 2 minutes, beautiful velvety smooth soup is born.  Now we make every creamy soup that crosses our paths, and we haven't looked back.


Ingredients

• 1 butternut squash (about 3 pounds)
• olive oil
• coarse salt
• 1 tsp butter, melted
• 2 pinches cayenne pepper
• 1 pinch ground cinnamon
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 yellow onions, finely chopped
• 2 medium carrots, chopped
• 2 medium celery ribs, chopped
• ½ jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped (we left the seeds in...and it was HOT.  your call)
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 4 cups chicken stock (store bought is totally fine, but if you're feeling overzealous, make your own!)
• ½ cup heavy cream
• cider vinegar, to taste
• salt, to taste
• 1 Granny Smith apple, thinly sliced into matchsticks, optional
• ½ cup cilantro leaves, chopped, optional

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Slice the squash in half lengthwise.  Scoop out the seeds and fibrous pulp, reserving the seeds.
3. Use a sharp knife to score the neck portion of the squash flesh several times.  Rub the flesh with olive oil and season with coarse salt.
4. Place the squash on a parchment lined baking sheet, cut side down.  Roast for 1 hour.
5. Remove from oven, allow to cool slightly, and scrape flesh from skin.  Set aside.
6. Rinse the seeds in a colander and dry with paper towels.
7. Place the seeds on a baking sheet and toast at 400 degrees for 7 minutes, or until golden and fragrant.
8. In a small bowl, whisk together melted butter, cayenne pepper, cinnamon and a large pinch of salt.  Toss with seeds and set aside.
9. Heat vegetable oil in a medium stockpot over medium heat.
10. Add the onions, carrots, celery and jalapeno.  Cook, stirring often, until tender, about 10 minutes.
11. Add the maple syrup and cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes.
12. Add squash, chicken stock, and cream.  Simmer for 10 minutes.
13. Transfer soup to blender and puree until velvety smooth.
14. Return to pot over low heat and season to taste with cider vinegar and salt.
15. Serve hot, garnished with seeds, apple, and cilantro.

Serves 6.

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Moroccan Spiced Spaghetti Squash with Chickpeas

Moroccan Spiced Spaghetti Squash with Chickpeas
From Smitten Kitchen and Fearless Homemaker 

Poor spaghetti squash, you are so misunderstood.  Countless people throughout time have brought one of these beauties home with images of low cal, low carb pasta miracles dancing in their heads.  They cook it, string it, dump marinara sauce on it, and proceed to be super bummed.  I vaguely remember my mom and I conducting one such experiment years ago and I've never had spaghetti squash since.

But every fall I become enthralled with trying all the great seasonal squashes, and this year I decided it was time to revive the spaghetti squash.  John was skeptical when I proposed squash as our dinner, but considering we'd feasted on chicken wings for lunch that day, it seemed like a healthful choice.

I learned from my mistakes and steered clear of all marinara-based recipes, or any recipe likening squash to pasta, for that matter.  I found this recipe on one of my go-to blogs, Smitten Kitchen.  A little Googling got me to Fearless Homemaker's adaptation with chickpeas which seemed hearty enough for dinner.  The result: fantastic!  It's warm, fragrant, and really celebrates fall produce.  Keep it in mind for a light dinner or side dish, and if you have leftovers it reheats quite well for lunch the next day.


Ingredients

• 1 (3.5-4 lb) spaghetti squash
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 3 garlic cloves, smashed and minced
• 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp cayenne
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp parsley, chopped

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cut spaghetti squash in half, long ways (so you have two long pieces).
3. Scrape out seeds.
4. Brush cut sides of squash with olive oil.
5. Roast squash, cut side down, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper for 50 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
7. Add garlic and chickpeas.  Saute, stirring often, until garlic is just golden.
8. Stir in cumin and next 5 ingredients (through salt) and saute 2 more minutes.  Remove from heat.
9. Remove squash from oven and use a fork to pull out spaghetti strands.  If you over cook it, they may be mushy, so if your squash is smaller consider lowering the cook time and checking the consistency.
10. Toss squash with spiced butter and chickpeas.
11. Garnish with parsley.

Serves 4 as a main course or 8 as a side dish.

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