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Showing posts with label butternut squash. Show all posts
Showing posts with label butternut squash. Show all posts

January 18, 2011

Healthy Quinoa & Winter Squash

To get ready for Healthy Cooking Group tonight, I needed to find a healthy recipe to go with the theme of this month's gathering of Soups and Stews.  I didn't come up with a soup or stew recipe to try out but when I received an email newsletter from my past Boot Camp instructor, Carlos, with this winter squash and quinoa recipe, I just had to try it.  I did modify it just a bit from the original recipe.  Here's how it all went.......
















Here's what you need, along with parsley and pure maple syrup {not pictured}.













Dice the carrots, onions, celery and squash.  To save time I used pre-cut butternut squash that I bought at the grocery store earlier in the day.  Once everything is diced, mix all together in a bowl along with the olive oil and maple syrup.  Spread in a shallow baking dish, sprinkle lemon zest and salt and cover with foil and bake {recipe below}.


 When it's done, it looks like this and your house smells amazing!













While the squash is baking, boil your quinoa {recipe below}.













Mix all together and add in the lemon juice and parsley.  This can be eaten hot or cold as a salad.  This dish is so tasty, you will not be disappointed if you try it and it's healthy for you too!










Quinoa and Winter Squash Salad


This recipe is another great way to enjoy protein-filled quinoa. Winter squash combined with celery, onion and parsley makes a healthy and comforting side dish. Servings: 10

Here's what you need:

2 yellow onions, diced
4 celery stalks, diced
4 carrots, diced
2 cups diced squash, butternut or any other fall or winter squash
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon brown rice syrup {I used pure maple syrup}
dash of freshly ground sea salt
zest and juice from 1 lemon
2 cups filtered water
1 cup quinoa
4 sprigs of parsley, finely minced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the onions, celery, carrots and squash in a large bowl. Mix in the oil and syrup, then sprinkle the salt and lemon zest. Mix until well combined and then place on a shallow baking dish. Cover the dish and bake for 40 minutes. After 40 minutes remove cover and cook for another 15 minutes.

While the vegetables are in the oven, put the quinoa and water in a saucepan, cover and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook for about 25 minutes over low heat, until the water is absorbed.

Combine the vegetables and cooked quinoa together with the lemon juice and parsley. Serve warm or chilled.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 95 calories, 1g fat, 19g carbohydrate, 2.5g fiber, and 4g protein.

Feel free to share this healthy, tasty recipe!


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October 23, 2010

Cheese Tortellini with Butternut Squash Sauce

There are some days that I just want an easy, low key dinner....aka, something easy to heat up.  If you follow me on Twitter, you then know I was at CostCo yesterday.  I was sure to find something there.

Cheese tortellini is what I came up with.....just boil!  Can't get much more low key than that, right?


I was just going to use some typical marinara sauce with the tortellini, until I stumbled upon this!  Dave's Gourmet Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce.  I had never seen it before and I thought it sounded so good for a rainy Friday night.


















After reading the ingredients, I knew it would be a sure thing.  Anything with butter in the line-up is good in my book.  I just hoped the kids would go for it.













So I simmered the sauce,













boiled the tortellini,













plated it all up and shredded some fresh parmesan cheese over the top and was done.













This was super good!  I will definitely prepare this meal again.  The result, is a fresh tasting, creamy butternut squash sauce with a ton of flavor.  Sweet and savory at the same time.  I was really able to taste the red bell pepper, it added just enough spice to the mix but not too much to where my kids wouldn't like it.

Bryce, who complains about ANY pasta I make, even enjoyed it.  I think his comment was, "this is the best pasta ever!"  Paige was cranky - tired from staying out a little past her bed time from the night before when we attended the Fair Appreciation Dinner, she complained about everything at dinner, except her bread and butter.  Paige, being my pasta lover, will give this dish another try and I'm sure, love it as well.

This was the perfect autumnal meal !













Tonight's SF Giant's playoff game #6 .  We'll be staying in to watch the game.  It's rainy here in northern CA so something hearty and warm for dinner sounds good. 

What are you doing tonight?

Happy Saturday!
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