Cinnamon-Roasted Butternut Squash

 We had some cubed butternut squash and Stacy went looking for a unique recipe. This one was so good we knew we had to save it. The squash was the perfect tenderness and the flavors blended really well. This was a great find! --Mark

Ingredients

1 large butternut squash about 3 pounds, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes

1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt do not use table salt, or the recipe will be too salty (or reduce the amount and add a bit at the end as needed)

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

Directions

1. Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of your oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Generously coat two baking sheets with nonstick spray.

2.Place the squash cubes in a large bowl. Drizzle with the olive oil and maple syrup, then sprinkle the salt, cinnamon, and pepper over the top. Toss to coat, then divide between the two baking sheets, discarding any excess liquid with that collects at the bottom of the bowl. Spread the cubes in a single layer on the prepared baking sheets, taking care that they do not overlap.

3. Place the pans in the upper and lower thirds of your oven and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven, turn the cubes with a spatula, then return to the oven, switching the pans’ positions on the upper and lower racks. Continue baking until the squash is tender, about 10 to 15 additional minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the rosemary over the top. Serve warm.

Notes

https://www.wellplated.com/cinnamon-roasted-butternut-squash/

Cheesy Broccoli Soup

Fall is the time for soup, and cheesy soups are especially great. It's not hard to find good soup recipes, but when you find a really good one, you don't let it go.--Mark

Ingredients

3 cups water

2 T chicken bouillon granules

2 bunches of broccoli, chopped

1/2 onion, minced

2 cups milk

1/2 cups butter

5 T all-purpose flour

1 8 oz package of cream cheese

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

Bring water and chicken bouillon granules to a boil in a pot. Add broccoli and onion; cook at a boil until tender, 10 to 12 minutes.

Combine milk, margarine, flour, and cream cheese in a large pot over medium heat; cook and stir until the margarine melts and the mixture begins to thicken, about 5 minutes.

Stir Cheddar cheese into the milk mixture; cook and stir until the Cheddar melts completely.

Pour the broccoli mixture into the cheese mixture in the large pot; stir well.

Notes

Substitute vegetable bouillon to make it vegetarian.

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/220271/erins-cheesy-broccoli-soup/

Indian Spinach and Chickpeas (Chana Saag)

We've made this recipe A LOT and it's great. It's a pretty common side dish for us to make when we do an Indian meal. We've made it so much that the paper I printed it on is grease-stained, wrinkled, and just well worn. It's beyond time it made it here.  --Mark

Ingredients

1 T canola oil

1/4 medium red onion, thinly sliced

2 T finely chopped fresh ginger

1 T curry powder

2 tsp garam masala

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1 15-oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 14-1/2 oz can diced tomatoes

Kosher salt

7 oz (7 packed cups) baby spinach

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

Instructions

Heat the oil in a 12-inch saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions, ginger, curry powder, garam masala, and cayenne. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the chickpeas, tomatoes, and 1 1/2 tsp salt.

Add the spinach by the handful, stirring to wilt it as you go. Continue to cook, stirring often, until the spinach is completely wilted and the flavors have melded, 4 to 5 minutes more. Season to taste with more salt.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cilantro.

Spoon onto a platter, and serve with yogurt.

Notes

Fresh tomatoes work well in this recipe. We've also made this with frozen chopped spinach, but fresh is better.

Enchilada Soup

One day Stacy decided that she wanted some soup, Mexican soup. She didn't want to make one of our other recipes, and being the "Queen of Leftovers" she was able to put together several things we had in the house into a nice broth. Then she wondered what would happen if she added a can of enchilada sauce. Taste it and you'll see what happened. The fact that it is here on the blog tells you all you need to know. --Mark

Ingredients:

olive oil
1 medium onion
garlic to taste (optional)
1 can diced green chilies
1 quart chicken or vegetable stock
cooked chicken (or lentils)
1 can enchilada sauce

1 can of hominy
hot sauce (optional)

shredded cheese
shredded lettuce
sour cream
avocado
chips

Instructions:

Heat a small amount of oil in a pot and add the onions and garlic. Saute until soft. Add the green chilies and heat through.

Add stock and heat to a boil.

Add chicken (or lentils) and hominy,  and heat until ready to serve, or until the lentils are cooked.

Add hot sauce if desired.

Top with cheese, lettuce, sour cream, avocado, chips, or anything else that you would like.

Enjoy!

Notes:

You can add water if needed to dilute the flavor or increase the amount of soup desired.

Brown Rice and Lentil Casserole

Our son wanted to increase our vegetarian meals so we had to find some good ones. We love lentils and brown rice and this casserole was so much easier to make than we would have originally thought. So good. --Mark

Ingredients:

3 cups broth (chicken or vegetable)
3/4 cup lentils
1/2 cup brown rice
3/4 cup onion, chopped
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 cup grated cheese (cheddar or a cheddar blend is good)

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

2. Mix all ingredients except the cheese in a baking dish.

3. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes.

4. Remove the foil, add the cheese, and bake for an additional 20 minutes.

Notes:

We usually use a quart of broth and then increase the lentils to one full cup and brown rice to about 3/4 cup.

Cream of Pumpkin Soup

Stacy does a great job of whipping up soup on a whim. I came home one morning for lunch and she was in the middle of making this awesome soup. Fall means pumpkin, which means cream of pumpkin soup. The croutons made the meal, though. --Mark

Ingredients:

3 T butter, softened
1 T brown sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
4 slices whole wheat bread
1 cup chopped onion
2 T butter, melted
2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken (or vegetable) broth
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F(200 degrees C). Combine butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Spread butter mixture evenly over one side of each bread slice. Place bread, buttered side up, on a baking sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until bread is crisp and topping is bubbly. Cut each slice of bread into 8 small triangles or squares.

Saute onion in butter in a medium saucepan until tender. Add 1 can chicken broth; stir well. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes.

Transfer broth mixture into the container of a blender or processor. Process until smooth.

Return mixture to saucepan. Add remaining can of broth, pumpkin, salt, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, and ground pepper; stir well. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally..

Stir in whipping cream and heat through. Do not boil. Ladle into individual soup bowls. Top each serving with Cinnamon Croutons.

Notes:

Add brown sugar, cayenne pepper, a smidge of nutmeg and cloves . . . SO good.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cream-of-Pumpkin-Soup/Detail.aspx

Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas

We love standard quesadillas, but these are definitely a step up. I would consider them restaurant quality and they are not that hard to make. Enjoy! --Mark

Ingredients:

2 tsp olive oil
3 T finely chopped onion
1 (15.5 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (10 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 T brown sugar
1/4 cup salsa
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 T butter, divided
8 (8 inch) flour tortillas
1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided

Instructions:

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in onion, and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in beans and corn, then add sugar, salsa, and pepper flakes; mix well. Cook until heated through, about 3 minutes.

Melt 2 teaspoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Place a tortilla in the skillet, sprinkle evenly with cheese, then top with some of the bean mixture. Place another tortilla on top, cook until golden, then flip and cook on the other side. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Black-Bean-and-Corn-Quesadillas/Detail.aspx

Hot and Spicy Tofu

Tofu can be an acquired taste, but this recipe is a good place to start. The flavor is so great and there is a lot of kick to it. The tofu takes on all the flavors so well, and if you do it right, it gets a little brown and crispy as well. --Mark

Ingredients:

3 T peanut oil
1 pound firm tofu, cubed
1 red onion, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 green chile pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/3 cup hot water
3 T white vinegar
3 T soy sauce
1 T brown sugar
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Instructions:

Heat peanut oil in a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Toss the tofu into the oil, and cook until browned on all sides. Once browned, toss in onion, bell pepper, chile pepper, and garlic; cook until just tender, about 5 minutes.

In a small bowl, whisk together the hot water, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, cornstarch, and red pepper flakes. Pour over tofu and vegetables, toss to coat, and simmer 3 to 5 minutes, or until sauce thickens slightly.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Hot-and-Spicy-Tofu/Detail.aspx

California Casserole

This is one of the recipes Stacy got in the recipe exchange at her temp job in college. It's filling and delicious and has lots of room for improvisation. --Mark

Ingredients:

4 cups cooked rice

1/4 cup butter

1 cup chopped onion

2 cups sour cream

1 cup cottage cheese

1 large bay leaf

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

3 cans green chilies (4 oz.), drained

2 cups cheddar cheese, grated

parsley

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375. Saute onion in butter until golden. Remove from heat and stir in rice, sour cream, cottage cheese, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Lightly mix. Layer 1/2 the rice mixture in buttered baking dish. Sprinkle with 1/2 the chilies and cheddar cheese. Repeat. Bake 30 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley.

Pita Sandwiches

Stacy created these one time, probably trying to imitate D'Angelo's veggie pocket. I've got to say that it worked pretty well. This is a nice lunch for sure. --Mark

Ingredients:

Pita bread, cut in halves

green peppers

red peppers

mushrooms, sliced

onions, sliced

mozzarella cheese

Instructions:

Saute vegetables over low heat until soft. Add in cheese and stir until melted. Stuff in a pita.

Sopa de Ervilha (Pea Soup)

This is a recipe Stacy picked up in Portugal and it is more typical of Continental cooking. It is very tasty, even if you aren't a big pea fan. --Mark

Ingredients:

peas

potatoes

onion

2 cups chicken (or vegetable) broth

1 pint cream

Instructions:

Cook and puree the first 3 ingredients. Add in broth, and cream. Add water as necessary.

Four Bean Salad

Another great vegetarian find from Stacy's roommate, Julia. This is a great summer salad and is as simple as it is tasty. --Mark

Ingredients:

1 can green beans, drained

1 can yellow wax beans, drained

1 can kidney beans, drained

1 can garbanzo beans, drained

1 red onion, thinly sliced

2 T snipped parsley

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

1 cup wine vinegar

1/2 tsp dry mustard

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 tsp crushed tarragon

1/2 tsp basil leaves

Instructions:

Place first 5 ingredients in a bowl. Combine the rest separately and pour over the beans. Cover and marinate overnight, stirring one or two times.

Spinach Zucchini Lasagna

This is a great vegetarian dish and a good way to use all that zucchini out of the garden without resorted to 400 loaves of bread. Seriously! What's the deal with the overgrowth of zucchini in home gardens? --Mark

Ingredients:

1 package frozen spinach, cooked and drained

2 cups mozzarella cheese, grated

2 beaten eggs

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1 jar spaghetti sauce

4 medium zucchini

Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

Mix spinach, mozzarella cheese, yogurt, eggs, salt, and pepper. Slice zucchini thinly . Spread sauce in a baking dish and form a layer of zucchini slices. Spread spinach mixture and then more sauce. Repeat layer of zucchini, spinach mixture, and sauce. Top with cheese. Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes.

Calzones

This is a great dough recipe for the bread machine, and then they are easy to fill and bake. I'm a big calzone person, more so than pizza, so this is a hit. --Mark

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup water

2 T olive oil

2 tsp salt

2 tsp sugar

4 cups flour

4 tsp yeast

Instructions:

Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature. Add as instructed by your bread machine directions. Use the dough setting. Separate dough into separate balls and roll out to your own liking. Fill and bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes.

Notes:

You can fill these with anything you'd like. We like veggies and mozzarella cheese. A pepperoni pizza calzone would be good, too. Be creative.

Taco Salad

Tim's taco salad is a great and easy meal to make. It also works well as an appetizer or serious snacking temptation sitting in your refrigerator. --Mark

Ingredients:

refried beans

1 pint sour cream

1 packet taco seasoning

shredded lettuce

diced tomatoes

shredded cheese

diced onions

chopped green onions

sliced olives

salsa

guacamole

tortilla chips

Instructions:

Spread beans on a large platter. Mix taco seasoning and sour cream. Layer over the beans. Spread guacamole on next layer. Cover with lettuce. Sprinkle tomatoes, olives, and onions. Cover with shredded cheese. Place spoonfuls of salsa around the salad. Serve with chips.

Notes:

Play with different ingredients until you find the exact right amount of everything.

Tex-Mex Corn Chowder

In our quest for more soups this winter, we found this excellent Mexican soup. It is tasty and filling and burns to the bottom of the pan very easily so be careful. --Mark

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups onion, chopped
2 T butter
1 T flour
1 T chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1 package (16 oz.) frozen corn, thawed
2 cups medium salsa
1 can (14.5 oz.) chicken (or vegetable) broth
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup milk

Instructions:

In a large saucepan, saute onions in butter. Stir in flour, chili powder, and cumin. Add corn, salsa, and broth. Bring to a boil; remove from heat. Gradually add 1/4 cup of the mixture to teh cream cheese in a small bowl. Stir until blended. Add cream cheese mixture and milk to saucepan, stirring until well blended. heat through but do not boil. Serve immediately.

Notes:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Tex-Mex-Corn-Chowder/Detail.aspx

Potato Gnocchi

This recipe is one of the few good things to come out of Facebook. Our little gnocchi lover (Maxim) absolutely loved these, so they passed the test. --Mark

Ingredients:

2 1/2 lb russet potatoes (do not substitute)
2 cups flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. salt

Instructions:

Wash potatoes, place them directly on the oven rack, and bake at 400 degrees for about 1 hour until tender. Peel potatoes and use a potato masher or ricer to break them up. Do not beat them as this will cause the gluten and startch to change the consistency.

Place mashed potatoes and 1 cup of flour on a work surface. Sprinkle with salt and drizzle egg mixture on top. Using a scraper or flat-sided spatula, start working the mixture into a loose dough. Continue adding flour until the second cup has been added and the dough is able to be rolled into a ball. Do not overwork the dough or the gnocchi will become dense. You want them light.

When the dough can be handled, cut into small sections and roll into a snake about 3/4 inches thick. Using a sharp knife or scraper, cut into small nuggets. Place the gnocchi on a floured baking sheet.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Place gnocchi in the boiling water and cook for a few minutes until the gnocchi rise to the top of the water.

Drain and serve with desired sauce.

Notes:

This is well worth the work, but it is very messy. Just be prepared for it. Freeze them on a cookie sheet so they don't squish together. Once they are frozen you can put them in a Ziploc bag. Even boiling them from frozen doesn't take long at all.