Positively Butternut Squash Pizza

 
At  a local pizzeria I get  what they call a Positano Pizza.  What does Positano mean?  Its a city along the Amalfi Coast.  I am sure that whoever named this pizza had some specific reason why he or she named the Positano.  In my mind, when I ordered the Positano (ah hem a couple of different times, at different visits) , I would think in my head, now, what was that pizza, oh yes, Positano. I know the name because it is "positively" good for you with its butternut squash all over it.  Isn't it funny how I can fool myself into believing a pizza is good for me?  Ha!

It is delicious!  I tried to make it home the way they did before but it just didn't come out to my liking.  This time however, I think I got it right.  Its not exactly what they do but it was delicious to me! I think I nailed it! My pizza picky husband agreed.

Positively Butternut Pizza

1/4 cup Gorgonzola cheese
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup butternut squash that has been cubed and roasted
Aleppo Pepper or Crushed Red Pepper
crushed black pepper
basil leaves
pepperoni

If you want a crispy pizza, there is all kinds of ways to go about it but here I took the easy route.  I used an air bake pan.  It worked perfectly.  I sprayed with pam and spread my dough on it.

Curried Butternut Squash Soup

Butternut squash soup like a certain beloved restaurant.  Ah hem, Panera's.  While I love Panera, it is one of the few chain restaurants I frequent, I do like to use local food and cook at home.

Curried Butternut Squash Soup
If you have never had Garam Masala, it is one of the more milder curry blends.  You can easily make your own Garam Masala*.

1 large butternut squash, diced in large chunks and roasted
1 small pie pumpkin 

2 tablespoons butter
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons Garam Masala
6 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
2 Granny Smith Apples, peeled and sliced
8 cups vegetable broth
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
freshly ground black pepper

Roast squash and pumpkin at 400 F for about 30 minutes.
Sauté onions in butter.  When tender add in garlic.  Cook one minute more.  Add in broth, garam masala, apples, pumpkin, butternut squash, salt and black pepper. Cover and cook for 40 minutes.  Stir in yogurt and serve.

*For a small amount of garam masala: In a grinder blend 2 teaspoons coriander seeds, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon peppercorns, 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds.  Grind.  Add in pinch of ground cloves and 2 teaspoons turmeric. Done

Roasted Autumn Vegetables With Rosemary

I love this kind of dish in the Fall! Comforting autumn vegetables roasted with rosemary.  A-mazing! The house was filled with wonderful aromas.  The thing that really makes this dish pop for me, is the apples and the rosemary.  I loved having a fork with a piece of an apple and a piece of the squash.  Apples and butternut squash go so good together. With the potatoes, a nice chunk of garlic.

Roasted Autumn Vegetables
You can adjust your amounts of vegetables.  I have a huge baking sheet that I like to fill up.

2 cups of chopped butternut squash
5 medium sized red potatoes
3 Granny Smith apples
5 cloves garlic, halved
2 cups of chopped pumpkin
5 carrots, sliced in chunks
2-3 tablespoons rosemary
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon Kosher salt

In a large bowl, toss the vegetables and apples with rosemary, olive oil and salt.  Roast in a 375F oven until lightly golden.  Stir about 20 minutes in.  The total time is around 40 minutes.  More time if you have a lot of vegetables.

Butternut Squash Bread

I didn't realize I froze so much squash.  I must have found a bargain on kabocha squash last summer.  What to do with it if you are sick of mashed squash.  Make some sweet bread of course.  This would also be great poured into muffin tins.  I was in a hurry though and about to leave for a trip.  It makes two loaves so I took one with me for my cousin who graciously let us stay with her.

Just wanted to share some pics of our weekend at my cousins.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH BREAD

You could definitely sub pumpkin for the butternut squash!

2 3/4 cups sugar
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons baking soda
3 1⁄2 cups flour
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2⁄3 cup water (I used 1/3 water and 1/3 buttermilk)
2 cups butternut squash, cooked and mashed

Preheat oven to 350F.

Combine all the wet ingredients and stir in the sugar.  Combine remaining dry ingredients and mix into the wet ingredients.

Pour batter into two 9 x 5 loaf pans. Bake for about an hour or until a tester comes out clean.

Roasted Butternut Squash with Bacon

This pic taken without natural light but so creamy looking because it just made- piping hot!

My friend at the Farmers Market gave me this recipe.  It is from My Recipes.  It is very creamy and tastes like it is all butter and cream.  It is rich and delicious.  On a scale of 1 to 10, I would give it a 7.  I say a 7 because I am not that crazy big into sweeter dishes with butternut squash or even red bell peppper.  These vegetables are so sweet that they make whatever dish a little too sweet for me.  I need to balance it out with something acidy or salty.  Here, the bacon helps a lot and I think the rosemary does too.  But I think a little tomato in there would be a better taste for me.

My husband gave it a 10 though.  Apparently, he is okay with that.  And my daughter, who would not usually touch butternut squash with a ten foot pole- ate it and liked it!  Wow! Thats cause to make it in and of itself.

ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH WITH BACON

Karen Levin, March 2004.  Original recipe found here at My Recipes.

3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash
Cooking spray
6 sweet hickory-smoked bacon cooked and drained
1 cup chopped onion
8 ounces uncooked orechette
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded sharp provolone cheese
1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350°. Bake bacon, turning after it has browned a little.  Place on paper towels and let drain.

Increase oven temp to 425°. Combine 1/4 teaspoon salt, rosemary, and pepper. Place squash and onion on a foil-lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with salt mixture. Bake at 425° for 45 minutes or until tender and lightly browned.


Cook pasta according to the package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain well.

Combine flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly with a whisk; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until slightly thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add provolone, stirring until cheese melts. Add pasta to cheese mixture, tossing well to combine.

Spoon pasta mixture into an 9 x 12 inch baking dish lightly coated with cooking spray; top with squash mixture. Sprinkle evenly with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes or until cheese melts and begins to brown.

Calories: 469
Calories from fat: 28%
Fat: 14.4g
Saturated fat: 7.3g
Monounsaturated fat: 4.4g
Polyunsaturated fat: 0.9g
Protein: 22.1g
Carbohydrate: 66.6g
Fiber: 6.8g
Cholesterol: 40mg
Iron: 3.5mg
Sodium: 849mg
Calcium: 443mg

Next day- reheated- still good but better fresh.

Sweet Potato and Garbanzo Bean Salad

This is one of those times when something doesn't stay long enough to set up a good shot to show you how freaking amazing something was.  It is at these times you should say to yourself- it must have been real good.  Oh yes, it was real good.  This is one of those salads, that like my rocket and asparagus salad will be showing up on our table over and over again.  Its just that good.

Lets talk about allspice.  Allspice may be that longer forgotten friend in your spice cabinet.  Don't sell it short if it is.  When used in small quantities, like in this dish or tomato anything (salad, sauce...) it adds something.  Something you cant quite get your finger on but its good- real good.  I add it to tomato salad all the time.  It was during a Daring Cooks Challenge when I led it for stuffed grape leaves.  See the post here.  I thought, allspice, in tomato salad?  Seriously, this is going to ruin my wonderful tomatoes.  Ah, wrong.  Sooo good.

Sweet Potato and Garbanzo Bean Salad
Printable here.

2 sweet potatoes, butternut squash, or pumpkin, diced
1 small purple onion, sweet onion, or shallot
1 can chick peas or 2 cups if you soak and boil your own
3 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste)
2 tablespoons water
3 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
pinch of sea salt
crushed black pepper
1 garlic clove minced
1/2 teaspoon allspice

If you have time roast your sweet potato, if not a quick boil is fine.  Heat until tender.

Meanwhile, chop onion.  If you are using a purple onion you can tone down its bite by placing in a small bowl and pouring some hot water over it.  Leave it in the hot water while you prepare everything else and you will find it is quite mellow when done.

In your serving bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, water, tahini, garlic, salt and pepper and allspince.  Add to it the garbanzo beans, onion, sweet potato and cilantro.

Butternut Squash Soup with Apples and Gouda

Wanted to share with you some great soup.  Very simple.  Very delicious.  Pick the best ingredients because this soup totally relies on the ingredients being the best.

We were on our Anniversary trip to Cape Cod when I made this soup.  I did not have a blender to puree it but it didn't matter, it totally was delicious.

It was a bit chilly that day so it felt like warmth being breathed into our bodies, right to our core. We had it first while we waited to dig into our lobster.  It was truly a magical evening and the soup was no exception.

Butternut Squash Soup with Apples and Gouda
printer ready copy here

1 butternut squash, cleaned and chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1 quart chicken stock*
1 Crispin apple or Granny Smith, skinned and chopped
8 ounces smoked gouda, divided
s and p to taste

In soup pot, sauté onion in butter until lightly golden.  Add butternut squash and cook in butter and onion for about five minutes.  Add in stock and apples.  Cook for twenty minutes.  Blend.  Place in serving bowls and divide cheese among bowls.

*Traders Joe's Free Range Broth.

Butternut Squash with Red Lentils

Easy, healthy and delicious.  Those are some key words for dinner ideas this time of year.  The last thing I want to do is be in the kitchen anymore than I have to.  Lots of Holiday baking.  This year and really last year I havent really done a lot of holiday baking.  So easy to eat too many cookies.  At least for me.  And the more decadent the cookie, the harder it is for me to resist.  Gingerbread cookies, while I love them are a little easier for me to resist then say chocolate mint crinkles. Goodness gracious.

Strategy:  Make less holiday cookies.  The ones I do make, bake them, eat two and freeze them right away.

On to the healthy food of the day.  Butternut Squash and Lentils, Ethiopian style.

This is niter kibbeh. Oh yeah!

Red Lentils and Butternut Squash 
The hardest part about this delicious Ethiopian style recipe is cutting the butternut squash.  Once you get that done, the meal will cook up in under 30 minutes. 

3 cups butternut squash, cubed
3 cups water
1 cup red lentils
2 tablespoons flavored niter kibbeh, find that recipe here or butter
1 medium onion
1 inch ginger, grated
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon turmeric


Saute onions in 1 tablespoon ghee until translucent.  Add garlic, cook one minute more.  Add water, lentils and spices. When the mixture comes to a boil add the squash.  Cover and cook until squash is tender.  Stir in remaining tablespoon of butter and serve.