I like surprises. And changing things up every now and then. I also love butternut squash. It’s one of those fall foods that I never seem to get enough of and am always looking for new ways to devour. Butternut squash is creamy, colorful, grounding, warming, and (ful)filling. My normal tendency is to use it in a soup, but sometimes a girl just doesn’t want to make soup! So I searched around a little and found an old Gourmet magazine recipe I needed to try.
This week, a group of us are also detoxing together. So far, so good! We’re not fasting, we’re eating only whole foods–no sugars, white flours, or processed foods. In fact, we’re eating recipes a lot like this Mediterranean Butternut Squash. Soups, stir-frys, curries, whole grains, legumes, and greens are all part of the package. I know I am feeling pretty great from it! If you are detoxing with me, make sure you use a whole wheat couscous, quinoa, short grain brown rice, or some other whole grain instead of the Israeli Couscous. Israeli couscous, while delicious and a favorite of mine, is ultimately made out of white flour. However, if you are just making this for the good eats, go for it! Or mix it up a little and try a different grain that you like.
I loved this dish because all the flavors are present: salty, sour, sweet, pungent, bitter, and astringent. It is bright, not only in color, but in flavor and smell. Bright smells like lemon and parsley, bring out the flavors of the more subtle foods like the butternut squash and grains. The golden raisins bring together everything in perfect taste-harmony. It’s different, it’s fresh, it’s delicious, and it is even healthy. Enjoy!
Mediterranean Butternut Squash, via Epicurious
1 preserved lemon (or, I used just one regular fresh lemon and it came out great–just zest the entire thing and use all of it’s juice) 1 1/2 pound butternut squash, peeled and seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch dice 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 large onion, chopped 1 3/4 cups Israeli couscous or acini di pepe (tiny peppercorn-shaped pasta), about 1 pound 1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick 1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted 1/2 cup golden raisins 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Preheat oven to 475°F.
Halve lemons and scoop out flesh, keeping both flesh and peel. Cut enough peel into 1/4-inch dice to measure 1/4 cup. Put lemon flesh in a sieve set over a bowl and press with back of a spoon to extract juice.
Toss squash with 1 tablespoon oil and salt to taste in a large shallow baking pan and spread in 1 layer. Roast in upper third of oven 15 minutes, or until squash is just tender, and transfer to a large bowl.
Cook onion in 1 tablespoon oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until just beginning to turn golden. Add to squash.
Cook couscous with cinnamon stick in a large pot of boiling salted water 10 minutes, or until just tender, and drain in a colander (do not rinse). Add couscous to vegetables and toss with 2 tablespoon oil to coat.
Add lemon peel and juice, parsley, nuts, raisins, ground cinnamon, and salt to taste. Toss to mix well.
My love of quinoa is official. At first, I admit, I was a skeptic. What’s all the fuss about this grain anyway? I would think after hearing a friend go through the list of praises. My first taste of it left me less than impressed–it was dull, mushy, and a little bit sad. There was no flavor! But in retrospect, any whole grain just cooked up, without some jazz added to it, is exactley that–dull, kinda chewy and not to it’s full potential awesomeness, that’s for sure. Earlier this summer, I made this Basil, Corn Quinoa Salad and it rocked my socks right off. Whoa! Now this is more like it! I think I even yelled that out loud upon my first bite of it, ha.
I was content, happy even, with my small victory with the quinoa basil salad. So when I came across this recipe I thought that it could be just as good. I was wrong. It is BETTER. If you are a skeptic, go ahead and try it. If you can’t find red quinoa around, just use the regular good stuff, it’ll do the same trick. The ginger and coconut flavors just hint at an Indian influence, but the apples and peas make it classic. Yes, that’s right, this is a classy quinoa salad. When you taste it, you’ll know what I mean. Cheers!
Red Quinoa Salad with Apples, Coconut, Peas, and Ginger recipe adapted from Vegetarian Times *Vegetable juice gives this grain salad a gorgeous color, a hint of flavor, and a hefty boost of vitamin C and beta-carotene. However, I’ve used vegetable broth with great success too–the flavor is still incredible. 1/3 cup chopped almonds (1 1/2 oz.) 2 tsp. olive oil 1/2 cup chopped onion 2 Tbs. minced fresh ginger 1 cup red quinoa 1 1/2 cups beet-carrot or carrot juice OR vegetable broth 1 cup frozen peas 1 medium apple, diced 1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1. Toast almonds in saucepan over medium heat 3 to 5 minutes, or until fragrant and beginning to brown, stirring often. Cool.
2. Wipe out saucepan; add oil and onion. Sauté onion 2 to 3 minutes, or until translucent, stirring occasionally.
3. Stir in ginger, quinoa, and juice, and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 15 to 20 minutes, or until all liquid is absorbed.
4. Remove from heat, and scatter peas over cooked quinoa. Cover, and let stand 10 minutes, until peas are thawed.
5. Stir apple, coconut, and almonds into salad. Serve warm or at room temperature.
When it gets hot out, I like to have good things ready and waiting for me in the kitchen. Fresh fruits, cold fresh veggies, some dips (like hummus or salsa), and a variety of summer salads. Making things in bulk is key for me–the hot days make me less inclined to turn on my oven or stove. Chopping extra carrot sticks or making extra salad, it really is a life saver when you sweat just thinking about the afternoon sun. We don’t have air conditioning which in the temperate Portland climate is fine for 50 out of the 52 weeks of the year. But it’s those scorcher weeks that make me want to do nothing but sit in the shade and sip icy cool mint water (ah, to dream!).
Last night I made another great summer salad and knew I had to share it with you. This salad was RE-FRESH-ING–and freshness, in it’s many forms, is something we all search for especially when we’re feeling overheated. The spicy coolness of the fresh basil mixed with the sweet crunch of fresh corn from the cob was a combination I hadn’t tried before, and it was delicious. I’m originally from the Washington DC area and summers there are, well, ridiculous. Many of my family and friends still there haven’t actually enjoyed the summer because it is TOO hot; they stay indoors where their air conditioners make it bearable from the 107 degrees F and 98% humidity–and I don’t blame them, that’s hot. Over the course of the past ten years, they’ve reached record highs in temperature–and it keeps getting hotter! As a kid, I remember the city would code the days: code orange, red, and purple, and they would highly advise to keep children and the elderly inside on those days. But my friends and I still road our bikes to the pool because staying inside was just not an option! (I wonder if they’ve created a code black day for today’s standards, because that was over 15 years ago.) However, the intensity of the weather there certainly has brought me pause. Summer, I believe, is a time to be enjoyed. But with people being trapped in their air conditioning because it keeps getting hotter each year, I wonder how the next generation will fare with “enjoying” the summer months. Not the shade, nor icy cool mint drinks brings people respite from that kind of oppressive heat when just 20 years ago, it did. Keeping cool and fresh in the summer means different things for us all depending on where we live–and I think every little thing you can do to take care of yourself during these hot days can do wonders for both your body and overall mood. After all, isn’t life about the little things? 
Quinoa Basil and Fresh Corn Salad, recipe adapted from Vegetarian Times 1 1/2 cups uncooked quinoa, rinsed well 1 tsp. salt 2 cups fresh (about 4 ears) or frozen corn 1 cup tightly packed basil leaves, finely chopped 1/2 cup diced sun dried tomatoes (soaked in hot water for 15 minutes prior to slicing) 1/2 cup diced red onion 2 Tbs. olive oil 3 to 5 Tbs. fresh lemon juice (1 to 2 lemons)
In medium saucepan, combine quinoa, salt and 3 cups water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer 12 minutes. Add corn, cover and cook until quinoa is tender but still a little crunchy, about 3 minutes. Drain quinoa mixture and transfer to large serving bowl. Toss well with fork, fluffing quinoa. Set aside to cool slightly. Add basil, peppers and onion. Stir in oil and enough lemon juice to give salad a distinct lemony edge. Adjust seasonings to taste and serve. Serves about 6, enjoy!
On another note, I was featured on a fantastic blog called Copycat Mashup. The premise is where two artists are taken and “mashed up” to create a totally new project, inspired by the original artists work. Who knew I could be mashed up with sculptor and mobile artist Alexander Calder? Check it out–I hope they enter a pie next year in Pietopia!
I also wanted to introduce you to my friend and very talented photographer Abbey Hepner. All of her photos are pure magic and simply stunning. She did a small photo shoot for me last month and they turned out better than I had even imagined! Check out the rest of her work on her website and her blog.
