This one pot rice dish is a staple for fall cooking in my home. Sauté onions and garlic, add in the other ingredients, cover, and let sit for 45 minutes. After that, all that’s left is to eat! The original version of this dish is based on this paella recipe but I’ve morphed it into a stove-top casserole dish as an easy adaptation. Rice and tomatoes cooked together can leave you with al dente rice but the secret is to make sure the rice is well coated with oil before adding the tomatoes. As a side note, our toddler also loves this one pot rice dish (as long as I use a mild curry powder)! Read more and see the recipe.
The post One Pot Rice and Curried Butternut Squash appeared first on Naturally Ella.
For the longest time, I did not like spaghetti squash. I loved the creaminess of the butternut squash and the earthy flavor of the acorn squash. I had a hard time getting past the stringy texture. Once I got past what it wasn’t, I fell in love with what it was. Roasted Spaghetti squash became a staple as a base for sauces, roasted vegetables, and everything in between. This particular version includes one of my favorite recipes- the crumble. It’s a mixture of brown rice, chickpeas, and pecans that I’ve found to be the perfect topping for salads, potatoes, and as one reader commented, stuffed cabbage. I typically make a larger batch than the recipe calls for to use throughout the week. Read more and see the recipe.
The post Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Thyme Butter appeared first on Naturally Ella.
As you read the title of this recipe, you might be thinking to yourself that the two main items, squash and spring rolls, don’t scream fast. Squash takes time to prepare and the wrapping of the spring rolls can be tedious. However, using delicata squash (no-peel, quick cooking) and a small batch of spring rolls means this meal can be ready in under 30 minutes. Read more and see the recipe.
| Disclosure: This recipe was created for Ancient Harvest. See below for more details. |
In the super market or farmers’ market, it might be easy to over look unfamiliar produce. It’s easy to gravitate towards the knowns such as broccoli, sweet potatoes, and butternut squash. However, when dealing with winter squash, there is abundance of varieties, each with their own flavor profile and perfect uses. Kabocha squash is known for a slightly sweeter flavor and, like the delicata and red kuri squash, it’s edible skin. However, because of the sweetness, my favorite way to prepare this squash is to roast then puree it into soup. The roasting plays on the already sweet squash and is the foundation for a wonderful soup without many ingredients. continue reading
If you’re still looking for a showstopper vegetarian main dish for your holiday meal, you’ve come to the right place. My family started off with quiche as an integral vegetarian holiday dish but I’ve since moved beyond to galettes. They’re beautifully rustic, easily filled with hearty vegetables, and in my mind, the perfect addition to any holiday table. I’ve made a lot of galettes over the years but this squash galette is by far my favorite. It’s one of the more labor/time intensive meals but most of it can be made ahead of time. In fact, I’ve gone so far to assemble it the day before and then bake it before serving. Also, in need of more holiday inspiration? I have a few more holiday meals up my sleeve. continue reading
I am not a meticulous person. I’m moving too fast, have too much on my mind, or just too many ideas swirling around. My attention to detail is mediocre at best and I’m okay with stopping at things that are good enough. With recipes, I know many could be even better if I took a lot of time/years to craft each ingredient and while some recipes organically do this, some I’ve been making the same way for a decade. If a recipe tastes good (even if it could taste better), I call it and if I really like it, I don’t think twice about improving it again. However, there are times that improvement, tweaking, and change are good.
Between M and I, we have very few repetitious patterns. On any given day, we fly by the seat of our pants. I think part of this is because neither of us have set times to be some place during the day, we work until we feel like we can wrap up the day, and now with Mack, no day ever looks the same. However, there is one thing we can both agree on (and I think Mack will love when he gets older), each week we have a pizza night. For us, pizza making is a communal activity- it’s such a great way to catch up from our days and spend time together.
Back in the summer, I was asked to be the guest chef at a restaurant here in Copenhagen for the upcoming fall season. But not just any restaurant: a hyper-local organic restaurant sourcing 95% of their ingredients from within 200 kilometers of their front door, and one that holds classes to educate and inspire city dwellers to eat sustainably all year round. Oh, just kind of up my alley. And it is run by a woman who I clicked with instantaneously, our first conversation touching on everything from mushroom foraging to manifesting one’s own reality through the power of positive thinking. I said yes because I was so moved by her ultimate mission, what the restaurant stood for, and not really taking into account that I hadn’t cooked in a professional kitchen in many years. But after giving me permission to call the event “The Grand Pumpkin Orgy”, how could I possibly say no?
Fast forward a few months to a couple weeks ago. I am standing at the cutting board preparing vegetables for soup. The soup to be served at the restaurant, which will be full of guests, all there to eat my food. I feel confident and excited, using all of my pumpkin comprehension to develop a menu of stellar proportions, and not letting the true weightiness of the event bog me down. Once cooked, everything goes into the blender. I puree it. I taste it. And it’s delicious. Without any major adjustments at all, it is exactly what I wanted it to be: clean and pure and tasting of the ingredients it is made with, only better.
Then the doubt creeps in. Wait a second. That was easy. Is this really good enough? How can I serve such a simple dish to all these people with undoubtedly high expectations of what this dinner is supposed to be? Why did I ever think I could do this in the first place?! BAH!
I brought my recipes in for the chef to review, sheepishly handing them over as if there was something wrong with them; not impressive enough, flashy or complex – just what I believed to be delicious. After a raised eyebrow, he said that he wasn’t sure apple and butternut squash would go together. I gulped, but told him as confidently as I could that I believe in the intelligence of the season, and trust that whatever grows together, goes together. Right?
The soup was a hit. Clean and pure and tasting of the ingredients it was made with, only better. Not only was the chef impressed (and later excused himself for judging my soup before making it himself), but the guests as well. As I went around to the tables asking everyone how it was, they all reaffirmed my belief that my instincts are not completely out of whack, and that, quite simply, good ingredients make great food. After several years eating locally-grown, seasonal produce I’ve learned that you can pretty much step back and let the ingredients do the work for you, since true deliciousness needs little intervention. Cooking like a pro, to me, means respecting the ingredients and doing as little as possible to bring out their tastiness.
So, this soup is that soup. The one I served at the restaurant to all of those people that scared me, but also reminded me that simple is best. It is a deep and delicious love song to autumn. The ingredients are inexpensive, widely available and the process is foolproof. It’s an oven soup! That’s right: everything cooked together right on a baking sheet so there isn’t even a pot to wash. Me likey.
Butternut Squsah: the Nutrient Storage Facility
Winter squash rocks because it is a virtual storehouse of nutrients. Unlike summer squash (re: zucchini, crooknecks, pattypans), winter squash has had a lot more time to develop and pump itself full of vitamins and minerals throughout its lengthy life on the stem. We’re talking oodles more vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene), vitamin C, manganese, potassium, and even some extra dietary fiber thrown in. This combination of nutrients spells good news for asthma sufferers, those with heart disease, elevated cholesterol, or inflammatory conditions such a rheumatoid and osteoarthritis.
Nature designed summer squash to be rather delicate, with a high water content for those hot summer days when we need a cool down. Naturally, their shelf life is rather short during our abundant harvest season when produce is plentiful. On the flip side, winter squash has a tough outer skin and lower water content, which allows it to be stored for a very long time – some varieties up to six months. This means that we can keep these vitamin bombs around for a long time after the first frost to provide our bodies with the nutrition we need to see us through the long months of winter when there is nothing fresh in sight.
Put that in your oven and roast it!
The Garlicky Rye Bread Croutons, although an additional element to create, are the crowning glory of the dish, and really make it special. If you’re not into bread, try toasting some pumpkin seeds for the top, or something else crunchy to add contrast to the silky smooth soup.
It begs mentioning that the apple cider vinegar in this recipe is not optional. Why? Because it adds acidity. Acidity is the one thing missing in almost every home cook’s food because, well, we are never really taught about its importance. If you read the introduction in my cookbook, I have a section called “The Holy Trinity of Flavour” explaining that salt, sugar and acid are the three foundation flavours of any successful dish. Adding just a touch of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice to almost anything you make (no kidding!) heightens and brightens the other flavours and creates a surprising balance of tastes. Try it and see for yourself.
Butternut Squash, Leek and Apple Soup with Garlicky Rye Bread Croutons Makes at least 2 quarts / 2 liters, Serves 4-6
Ingredients: 2 Tbsp. melted coconut oil (or ghee) 3 leeks 1 medium onion 5 cloves garlic 1 large butternut squash (mine was about 2 lbs. / 1 kg) 1 large, tart apple 4 – 6 cups / 1-1½ liters vegetable broth, as needed 1 tsp. fine grain sea salt 1 tsp. ground cumin ½ tsp. ground cardamom ½ tsp. ground star anise apple cider vinegar to taste (start with ½ tsp. up to 1 Tbsp.) 1 batch Garlicky Rye Bread Crouton (recipe to follow)
Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 400°F / 200°C.
2. Prepare all vegetables: chop leeks and onions, peel garlic (but leave it whole), peel butternut and cut into cubes, chop apple.
3. Place all vegetables on a baking sheet with the coconut oil, toss to coat, and set in the oven to roast for 25-35 minutes until tender.
4. Transfer roasted vegetables to a blender and add the spices and hot vegetable stock (you may need to work in batches). Blend on high until completely smooth. Taste, then add salt and apple cider vinegar, blend and taste again. Adjust seasoning to your taste, and add stock until the desired consistency is reached: I like mine quite thin so I use the full 6 cups / 1½ liters of stock.
5. Transfer soup to a large cooking pot over medium heat to warm, if necessary. Divide soup equally among bowls and serve with the Garlicky Rye Bread Croutons and freshly cracked black pepper.
Garlicky Rye Bread Croutons Serves 4
Ingredients: 2 cups / 200g stale dark sourdough, cut into generous cubes (any bread here would work, but make a healthy choice) 1 Tbsp. coconut oil or ghee (ghee is definitely the tastiest) 2 fat cloves garlic, finely minced or grated on a microplane a couple pinches flaky sea salt
Directions: 1. Melt oil in a small saucepan over low heat. When it is melted, add the garlic and stir to combine. Cook just until the garlic starts to simmer, immediately remove from heat and let cool slightly. Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C.
2. Cut bread into generous cubes and place in a medium sized bowl. Pour the garlic oil over the top and toss to coat, using your hands to squish the oil into the bread. Spread out bread cubes on a cookie sheet, sprinkle with salt and place in the oven. Toast for 15-20 minutes, tossing a couple times during cooking. Croutons are ready when they are crisp and golden around the edges. Once cool, store leftovers in an airtight container for up to three days.
You guys. I’m making app! It’s almost ready! I can’t wait!
The My New Roots iOS app will include your favourites from the blog, plus 5 exclusive app-only holiday recipes, perfect for the upcoming season. Click the link below to go to the App site where you can sign up to be notified when the app is out (soon, I promise!) and receive my brand-new recipe for Crispy Sweet Potato Shoe String Fries with Miso Tahini Gravy, like right now.
Thank you for all for encouraging me to do this, and your ongoing support. I like you very much.
For whatever reason, I nearly always cube my butternut squash before cooking (whether it be roasting, steaming, or pan frying). It’s rare that I cook the squash whole. I think it’s because in my mind, the whole squash takes longer to cook but in the end, it’s less preparation and really, not much more time. However, when I do cook the whole squash, I steam roasted squash (putting cut side down in a roasting pan with 1/4″ of water). It’s how I saw my mother always cook acorn squash and so it stuck with me. It leaves the squash really nice and soft, perfect for a sauce!
Last year my dear friend Karly mentioned that she started seeing a business coach. She was struggling to find balance with her quickly growing career while juggling a busy personal life, and found some much needed support and accountability with a coach. Consider me intrigued! I admire her for taking the initiative to get outside help with running her own business, and for gently planting the seed in my own mind. As I wrote in my last post, asking for help has never been my forte, but I’m lucky to be surrounded by many self employed friends who are always eager to share their sanity-saving tips.
Life got busier than ever with our new family and work. The business coach idea fell off my radar, as I didn’t think I could add one more thing to an already full plate. Looking back, it probably would’ve helped me more than it didn’t, but recently, it was as if the universe was giving me a gentle nudge to go for it. Don’t you love when that happens? First, our friend Chris mentioned his business coach, and what a great experience he’s had over the years. Then, I saw Karly recently and she told me she’s been seeing her coach for over a year now with amazing success (and I’ve noticed the positive changes, too). Well, that was it. In the words of my girl crush Mindy Kaling, Why not me?! I decided right then and there that I would make time to give it a shot.
Our first session started with an exploratory exercise. My coach presented me with “The Wheel of Life”. It has various labels on it like “career”, “fun”, “personal growth”, “money”, “significant other”, “health”, “friends/family”, etc. Then I rated each one on a numerical scale from least to most satisfaction. The poor little wheel was so imbalanced by the time I was finished. I wasn’t the least bit surprised since I’ve felt like a wagon with 3 wheels for a while now, but this exercise helped me decide on a few areas to improve. Even though my original intent was to focus on business, I realized that personal growth, or lack thereof, impacts every single area of my life. I think it makes sense to start with this area as I’m sure it’ll have a positive impact on all the other areas too. I’m in my early thirties, but I occasionally feel like my personal growth is stuck in the last decade (or on bad days, maybe my first decade of life, hah). Is this just me, or can you relate to that feeling?
I can’t even tell you how many insights I had in our first session. We set some goals in a few categories, and I came up with some potential solutions to issues. Before we met, I decided that I wasn’t going to sugar coat things or make excuses for myself; as a result, our conversation was authentic, passionate, real, and inspiring. One thing I love is the accountability that I now have to follow though with goals. Rather than simply saying, “oh I’d love to hire a team some day…”, I’m actively moving forward with the goal! I don’t want to stand in my own way anymore. It’s amazing how much we can hold ourselves back by telling ourselves the same stories each day. The question is – what would YOU do if you got out of your own way?
This is my favourite method for cooking butternut squash – chopping it into small cubes, and roasting until it’s browned and slightly caramelized. I have to exercise some serious restraint not to eat the whole pan straight from the oven! I also include an easy recipe suggestion if you’d like to create a very simple fall salad. Roasted cubes of butternut squash are layered on a base of fluffy quinoa, and topped with creamy chopped avocado, sea salt, and a squeeze of lemon or lime juice. It’s simple, but delightful. Thank you to my friend Karly for inspiring this recipe. She brought this salad to a recent get together, and I knew I had to try recreating it at home. Lastly, my biggest tip for this dish is to make sure you season it properly. Quinoa and roasted squash will fall flat without a generous seasoning of sea salt, so don’t be shy. I also like to keep some Herbamare on hand when serving so others can season with additional salt if desired. Be sure to see my tips below on the many ways that you can change up this salad!
Yield 4-6 servings
Prep Time 25 Minutes
Cook time 50 Minutes
Total Time 1 Hour, 15 Minutes
Ingredients:
For the roasted butternut squash:
1 large butternut squash (about 3-3.5lb) peeled, seeded, and diced (1/2-inch cubes, 8-9 cups chopped)
2 tablespoons melted coconut oil, or oil of choice
Fine sea salt, to taste
For the salad:
1 cup uncooked quinoa
1 large avocado, pitted and chopped
Fresh lemon or lime juice, to taste
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions:
For the squash: Preheat the oven to 400F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Spread the chopped squash onto the baking sheets and drizzle on 1 tablespoon of oil over top each. Toss to coat. Spread the squash into an even layer, being careful not to overcrowd the squash, and garnish with a few pinches of sea salt.
Roast the squash until the bottoms are just starting to brown. For my oven, this takes about 50 minutes, but your time may vary. I recommend checking on it after 30 minutes, and then every 5-10 minutes after that. I don’t bother flipping it halfway through, but I do rotate the pans once half way through roasting as I have a hot spot in my oven. I find the squash tastes best when the bottoms are slightly browned (more than the photo shows).
For the salad: Prepare the quinoa once you have about 25 minutes left of roasting the squash. Rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh sieve and transfer to a medium pot. Add 1 3/4 cups water and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and cook for 13-16 minutes, until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is tender and fluffy. Once cooked, fluff with a fork and remove from heat. Season the quinoa to taste with a generous amount of salt and pepper and stir to combine. Keep the lid on until ready to use so it stays warm.
Pit and chop the avocado and have it ready to go just before assembly.
When the squash is finished cooking, spread the warm quinoa onto a platter (or you can simply combine everything in a large bowl). Top the quinoa with all of the (hot out of the oven) roasted squash, and finally the chopped avocado. Garnish with a couple more pinches of salt, and a small amount of fresh lemon juice (or lime juice) drizzled over top (or you can try lemon or lime zest for a twist). I use a light touch with lemon juice as it can quickly overwhelm the other flavors. Serve immediately.
Want to change this dish up? Here are some ideas on how you can create a new dish!
– Add some minced garlic to the cooked quinoa for a subtle garlic flavour
– Sprinkle on some garlic powder or nutritional yeast
– Add black beans, chickpeas, or any bean of choice for a boost of protein
– Try experimenting with spices like cumin + chili powder + cayenne; cinnamon + nutmeg; curry powder + coriander, etc.
– Switch it up and use lemon juice instead of lime juice, and vice versa
– Try sprinkling fresh minced herbs to finish, such as parsley or cilantro
– Switch up the grains – I think a small amount of rice would pair really well here
– Skip the avocado and sprinkle on my pecan parmesan for a nutty crunch
– Add finely shredded kale, chard, or spinach for a boost of green power
