Butternut Squash Pancetta and Sage Pasta

Ingredients
1 medium (about 2 1/4 pounds) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
1/4 cup olive oil
Coarse salt
3/4 pound penne pasta
3 ounces pancetta, sliced 1/4 inch thick and finely chopped (bacon works, too)
2 shallots, thinly sliced crosswise (onions work just fine)
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
10 fresh sage leaves, coarsely chopped or torn (i didn't have sage on hand, but i did have some thyme and it worked well)
1/2 cup finely grated pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for serving (substituted with parm, and it was great)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place butternut squash on a rimmed baking sheet and toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil; season with salt. Transfer to oven and roast until squash is browned and tender, about 15 minutes.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Generously salt water and return to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, according to package directions. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Set pasta and reserved cooking liquid aside.

Meanwhile, heat remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add pancetta and cook until just crisp, 4 to 5 minutes. Add shallots, crushed red pepper, and sage. Cook until shallots are soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add penne and squash and toss gently, adding reserved pasta cooking liquid as necessary to moisten.

Add cheese and black pepper and cook, tossing gently, until pasta and squash are heated through. Serve immediately with more grated cheese, if desired.

Bean Wraps

This is the recipe that Angella requested. It's great cold or room temperature and makes a good dip for chips or wrapped in a tortilla.

2 cans black beans
2 cans kidney beans
2 cans 11 oz. mexi corn
bell pepper to taste (I usually do 1/2 a pepper)
3 green onions, chopped
1/4 to 1/2 c chopped cilantro (depending on how you feel about cilantro...)

Mix all together and then pour over the dressing and mix.

Dressing:
1 T oil
3 T apple cider vinegar
1/2 t cumin
1/4 t dry mustard
salt and pepper to taste
2 T honey
juice of one lime

This is also fine if you cut the recipe in half. I've been wanting to try mixing in tomatoes and avacadoes to makes more of a salsa. Let me know if anyone tries it before I do...

Pesto

3 cups fresh basil leaves
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
In a food processor, blend together basil leaves, nuts, garlic, and cheese. Pour in oil slowly while still mixing. Stir in salt and pepper. If you want to freeze some, add a bit of lemon juice to prevent it from browning.

Italian style pizza

We've been asked for this recipe from numerous people...it's the closest thing we can get to real Italian pizza here. Such a yummy and healthy way to eat pizza!

For the dough:
1 TBS sugar1 cup warm water
1 envelope yeast (I use 1 TBS)
3 1/4 cups semolina, or all-purpose flour (We sometimes do all white flour, and sometimes do half and half...I think my fav. is 1/2 and 1/2)
1/4 cup olive oil

In a small bowl dissolve the sugar in the warm water. Sprinkle the yeast over the water and stir gently until it dissolves, about 1 minute (it should be a smooth beige colored mixture, if it clumps togehter and the water stays clear, start over). Let it stand in a warm spot until a thin layer of foam covers the surface, about 5 minutes.
Combine 3 cups of flour with the salt in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the yeast mixture and the oil. Using a wooden spoon, vigorousely stir the flour into the well, beginning in the center and working towards the sides of the bowl, until the flour is incorporated and the soft dough begins to stick together. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for 5 mintes, gradually incorporating the remaining 1/4 cup of flour. Continue to knead the dough for 10-15 minutes or until it feels smooth and springy. Do not knead longer. After mixing and kneading the dough, place in a oiled bowl, cover, and let rise for 1- 1 1/2 hours in a warm draft free place.

Sauce:
Roll out and place diced tomatoes (5-6), garlic (a couple cloves minced), salt (to taste), and basil (5-6 sprigs of fresh) on top...then top with mozzarella cheese.

We used a mixer once and the dough didn't turn out quite as well...I would just do it by hand...I think it ended up being easier and better that way. We cook it at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes I think...we just kind of watch it. Timing is never quite as sure with gas ovens, and that is what I've had for the last couple years. The dough will be slightly browned and the cheese will be melted.

In the winter we use canned tomatoes from Eliza's canning recipe:
for quart size: 1 teaspoon salt, big sprig of basil, 2 cloves garlic (put tomatoes in boiling water for 1 minute, pull out, rinse with cold water, peel, cut in half or quarters, then put in jars)...water bath for 45 minutesfor pint size: 1/2 teaspoon salt, small sprig of basil, 1 clove garlic (same directions as above), water bath for 35 minutes

Squash Souffle

This is much easier than the title would suggest and a wonderful way to use winter squash. I always buy a few in the fall to roast and puree, then I have them in convenient 2c blocks in my freezer for whenever I feel like a pie a souffle. You might be able to use a 15oz can of pumpkin for this, but I've never tried it. This is very popular with both my husband and daughter. If you want a light dinner for a small family, serve this with a salad, for a larger group it is a tasty and unexpected vegetable side dish.

1/2c butter
1/2c flour
1 1/2c half and half OR 12oz evaporated milk
2c cooked and pureed squash
6 eggs, separated
1/2t salt

In a saucepan, whisk butter and flour constantly over medium heat. Gradually whisk in half and half or evaporated milk. When thick and bubbly, remove from heat and whisk into squash, egg yolks and salt.

Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold into squash mixture. (Or if you have a kitchen aid with a whisk beater, beat whites in kitchen aid, and then beat in the squash just until everything is mixed)

Pour batter into a buttered 2qt souffle dish or casserole.

Bake at 350 for 1hr and serve promptly. The top will be golden brown and nicely puffed.

"Noodle Nests" with Peanut Sauce

This is a great way to use up leftover spaghetti (but fresh works well too). Mia even ate it. I haven't tried it, but I hear you can also do a similar thing with noodles and fresh basil and do a marinara-type dipping sauce...

Noodle Nests (I found the name is a good sell to kids)
1 to 3 t curry paste (depending on your feelings for curry)
4 eggs
6 oz (2/3 C) tofu diced in small cubes
1/4 to 1/2 C cilantro
6 green onions, chopped
1/2 t salt
4 C spaghetti noodles, cold

1 T sesame oil or olive oil in a pan

Turn on a frying pan to med high heat. Mix the eggs and curry paste together in a bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and mix with your hands so the noodles don't break. Put small circular piles of the noodle mixture in the pan (they keep their shape better if you use a circle shaped biscuit cutter as a mold). Make sure you get the tofu on there too because sometimes it sinks to the bottom of the bowl. Cook until golden brown on each side. Top with Peanut sauce or use sauce for dipping.

Peanut Sauce:
1/4 C honey (although you could probably leave this out if you use the PB w/sugar in it already)
1/4 C peanut butter
2 T rice vinegar
2 T olive oil
1 T sesame oil
2 t garlic
1 T ginger
1 t red pepper flakes (if you want a little kick)

Quinoa and Asparagus

Maybe some of you are ahead of us, but we are just discovering the beauty of quinoa at our house. A little background: it is a South American grain that is almost 20% protein. Unlike wheat or rice (which are low in lysine), quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it an unusually complete food. It is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is gluten free and considered easy to digest. Quinoa has a light, fluffy texture when cooked, and its mild, slightly nutty flavor makes it an alternative to white rice or couscous. For more see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinoa

So I've been experimenting a little bit with some quinoa recipes. This is the best one we've tried so far and makes a great protein-filled, meatless meal. Mia even ate it too...Oh ya, I buy quinoa in the bulk foods section of the store because it's cheaper. You can also find it sold in a box in the health food section.

2 cups white quinoa, rinsed well
4 scant cups water
2 tsp. chicken boullion
a few splashes of extra virgin olive oil
3 - 4 medium/large potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 large yellow onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 cup toasted nuts (walnuts, pine nuts, etc)
1-2 cups lightly cooked asparagus, cut into 1/2-inch segments
salt to taste
fresh parmesan to top (optional depending on your taste)


Mix the quinoa, water & boullion in a pan. Bring it to a boil then turn down to a simmer for 12-15 minutes. It's not supposed to be mushy, kind of like a firm, nutty rice. If there's any liquid at the end, drain it off.

Cook the potatoes, olive oil and onion in a large stir-fry type pan on medium heat until the potatoes are tender (it takes a good 1/2 hour or so of occasional stirring). Put the potatoes on a plate. To the already dirty pan add the garlic, (I added mushrooms because I had them in the fridge), pine nuts and asparagus. Cook until the asparagus is crunchy but tender. Combine the asparagus, potatoes & quinoa in the pan. Add salt and pepper to taste. Yum!