Sprinklin'

We moved to California when I was in 10th grade.   I remember looking out of the plane window as we approached and being struck by the fact that it seemed like every house had a pool in the backyard.  This was unusual to me.  Where I grew up, almost no one had a pool in their backyard. 

This made sense, given that a pool wouldn't be of much use for about half the year.  Instead summers were spent gathered around the community pool, or running through sprinklers in the backyard.

So when we got an invitation to a backyard sprinkler party from The Horse Whisperer, I immediately sent back my RSVP with a resounding YES!

Thatbaby wasn't too sure what to make of the sprinkler.  He didn't seem to hate it, but he didn't really love it either.  I think he viewed it as a necessary evil that stood between him and what he really wanted - a ball.  This kid loves balls.

The adults gathered around, eating homemade tamales and drinking beer and margaritas as we watched the little ones.  I'm so impressed that The Horse Whisperer makes her own tamales and I think I've convinced her to give me a lesson or two.  (And she sent us home with some extras.  I'm very lucky)

Never one to be left out of new food experiences, Thatbaby was introduced to yogurt covered pretzels.  He was a fan.

So much so, that the yogurt pretzels weren't safe on anyone's plate.

In my quest to make the most of summer produce, I brought home a bunch of zucchini and yellow squash from the supermarket.  And I'd had this recipe starred to make for a little bit now.  It's the perfect use for squash!  The Chinese 5 spice, along with the sugar, make this a surprisingly sweet dish. And the soy sauce balances that out.

Summer Squash Rice with Sausage (adapted from Bookcase Foodie)

6oz chicken sausage, sliced

2 cups cooked brown rice

2 cups chopped summer squash

1 1/2 cups cauliflower broken into small florets

4 scallions, snipped

3/4 red pepper, chopped

1/4 green pepper, chopped

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce

1 teaspoon 5 spice Chinese seasoning

2 tsp sugar

salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Brown sausage and remove from heat.
2. Place all the cauliflower in the pan and cook until tender crisp.
3. Place remaining vegetables in with the cauliflower.  Cook until tender.
4. Combine the soy sauce, sweet chili sauce, Chinese seasoning, sugar, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.  Pour over vegetables.
5. Stir rice and sausage into vegetables.  Heat through and serve. 

Not potatoes

Perhaps you've seen the latest trend to mash cauliflowers instead of potatoes.

"Sooo much healthier" (They say)
"Tastes just like potatoes!" (They say)
"You won't even notice!" (They say)

They lie.

I'm not a cauliflower fan to begin with.  I'll tolerate it roasted with garlic and parmesean, but I don't actively seek it out.  And I certainly don't use it as a substitute for creamy and comforting mashed potatoes. 

But I understand the basic philosophy behind it.  Potatoes are high in calories and carbohydrates - the white kind that goes straight to your thighs.  Cauliflower is lower in both  Unfortunately, it's also far lower on the taste spectrum.  So when I want a healthier mashed potato substitute, I turn to squash.  Lower in both calories and carbohydrates than potato it's also higher in fiber and contains beta carotene, vitamins B, C, and potassium.

I'm not going to try to pull a fast one on you - mashed squash does not taste like mashed potatoes.  But that's not necessarily a bad thing.  Squash has more complex flavor than potatoes which can - truth be told - be a little bland.  The texture of this however is perfect for cold winter nights.  It's just as creamy as mashed potatoes, and just as rich too. 

Mashed Squash

1 acorn or butternut squash

2 Tbsp butter

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 cup heavy cream

salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Cut the squash in half and remove seeds.  Sprinkle with salt and place cut side down on a baking sheet.  Bake for 45 minutes.
2. Scoop out the flesh of the squash and put in a bowl with butter, nutmeg, and cream. 
3. Mash with 2 forks until smooth and well blended.  Salt and pepper to taste.

My Sweeter Side

To hear me tell the story of my childhood you would think I was sorely abused.  We had no candy drawer.  For years my mother convinced me Ritz crackers were "cookies."  My brother and I clamored for Grape Nuts cereal because we were allowed to sprinkle a little sugar on top.  And squash was one of our favorite side dishes with dinner.

Baked squash.  Which my dad would sprinkle with cinnamon and brown sugar.  It was as close to candy as you could get on a non-holiday.  (Because on a holiday we would cover yams with marshmallows - another favorite.  Yipes...I'm beginning to understand myself so much better as I type this.)

The sweetness of the squash, the sweetness of the sugar - anyone still wondering how to get their kids to eat vegetables?  While this is surely not the healthiest way to eat squash, seconds of this isn't going to be nearly as detrimental to your waistline as a couple scoops of ice cream.

Most of you are already familiar with sweet winter squashes.  We eat pumpkin pie without ever once thinking about the fact that the pumpkin is a vegetable.  Squash pairs well with almost every kind of sweetener - molasses, brown sugar, even maple syrup.  Here I used maple syrup on hot baked squash.  If you're going to go this route, I heartily recommend using real maple syrup - not that stuff that is maple-syrup colored sugar.  The complexity of real maple syrup better complements the squash and makes it more interesting. Served alongside a nice cinnamon roasted pork and you won't even want dessert.

Acorn Squash

1 acorn squash

salt

1 Tbsp butter

maple syrup

1. Preheat oven to 400.  Cut squash in half and remove the seeds.  Sprinkle the cut sides with salt and place cut side down in baking dish.  Bake 45 minutes.
2. Place 1/2 Tbsp of butter on each half and drizzle with maple syrup. 

A Healthy Eating Break

It's funny.  Starting in October it's all downhill.  First comes Halloween with the bags of candy left over from trick-or-treaters.  Which you swear you'll bring in to your coworkers, and yet somehow that bowl never leaves your counter.

November follows quickly on it's heels.  It's hard not to end up as stuffed as the Thanksgiving turkey.  Because of course you don't want to offend your Great Aunt Mildred by refusing that second piece of pumpkin pie.

December brings with it a whole extra slew of holiday desserts.  I mean, they're not called "Christmas Cookies" for nothing.  But that's okay, because at the end of the month it's New Year's Eve.  Where everyone vows to eat in a more healthy light now that the holidays are over.

And this vow lasts allllllllllllll the way to the first weekend in February, Superbowl weekend.

All of a sudden all that healthy eating gets thrown out the window for nachos, chili, wings, dip, beer and other delicious treats.  We're no better in Thathouse.  The Superbowl is one of the two days a year we order pizza in - a tradition that is so valuable to Thatboy he turns down every invitation to Superbowl parties. 

But after the Superbowl it's back on the wagon for most of us.  At least until next week when Valentine's Day chocolates show that the true meaning of "love" can be found in butter and sugar.  (Like there was ever any doubt.)

For the interim, let's focus on some lighter, healthier options.  I'll ease you into it slowly.  We'll begin with a vegetable dish that's so creamy you'll swear it must be loaded with fat.  Between you and I?  It's not.  I mean, sure there's an egg in there, but no butter, no cream, and you won't even miss it.

Although technically a summer squash, zucchini can be found year-round and I haven't noticed it to be lacking in the winter the way many summer vegetables are.  It's a versatile vegetable that works well sauteed, roasted, and in this case, even mashed.  It works well with a number of seasonings and other vegetables.  Zucchini certainly plays well with others.  Here I pair it's bright green with the vibrant orange of cooked carrots. 

Zucchini Casserole

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

1 zucchini, cooked and mashed

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp marjoram

1 Tbsp grated onion

1 egg

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Butter a casserole dish and sprinkle the breadcrumbs on the inside.
2. Combine the zucchini, salt, marjoram, onion, and eggs.  Spoon the zucchini mixture into the casserole dish.  Bake for 40 minutes.

Sneaking in Summer

 

The weather has been unseasonably warm this past week.  Warm enough where I have to remind myself it's January.  

This period of sunshine and warmth makes me crave summer vegetables.  I think this is a natural reaction to the winter.  Being deprived of the best of the summer bounty naturally makes you crave the bright rich flavors.  Sunday night we had a giant salad for dinner.  Loaded with mustard greens, tomatoes, and avocados.  I've also been picking up squash from the supermarket.  The great thing about squash is that as a "food group" it's always seasonal.  There are both summer squashes and winter squashes.  And I love them both. 

To celebrate the sunshine I did a switch from my typical winter squash (we've been doing a lot of pumpkin lately) to some yellow crooked-necks.  And then I topped them with some fresh herbs.  None of this is especially seasonal for January, but when it's warm outside, sometimes you do crazy things. 

Sauteed Squash and Herbs

1 Tbsp butter

1/2 lb squash (I used 2 crooked neck squash), sliced

1 Tbsp parsley, chopped

1 Tbsp basil, chopped

salt and pepper

1. Melt the butter in a skillet.  Add the squash and cook 10 minutes, stirring and tossing so they are coated in butter.
2. Sprinkle with the chopped herbs, salt and pepper to taste.

I return to me

I waited 3 weeks before jumping back in the game. But really, it had to be done. Especially since training in earnest begins in 2 weeks.

Yesterday morning, after his "breakfast feeding" (which interprets to the time we decide that we've gotten enough sleep and can get up for the day) I passed off Thatbaby to Thatboy and headed out for a run. Things I noticed:
1) I didn't think I had any swelling during pregnancy, but my vibrams slip on so much easier now.
2) I started out slow, just the 2 miles I was doing before I had the baby, BUT now I don't need to walk up the especially big hills. Which means I can run the entire thing!
3) And as far as running the entire thing, I'm doing a 13 minute mile, which isn't very speedy but is SO much faster than I was running during the pregnancy. And I totally credit that with not carrying a baby anymore (and being below my prepregnancy weight at this point in time.)

The only downside to being faster is that the run was over far too early. But I don't want to push it too fast too soon, so I'll keep up with a couple more 2 milers this week before starting to increase my distance next week. And I know that speed comes with time, so I'm not going to worry about that at all. After all, I have until January before my next half.

Yesterday also marked my return to the kitchen. We are officially out of freezer meals! As I cooked up dinner Thatboy informed me that he was really excited for dinner because it smelled like "life before baby." Hot meals that take a little bit of love and time to prepare. And I'm sure he appreciated being off the hook for dinner since the last three weeks he's the one prepping all meals. Now he's got breakfast and lunch and I take care of dinner.

Thatboy and I have been walking to the grocery store on an "as needed" basis, so obviously with the advent of cooking dinners it was "needed." I saw these colorful carnival squash and decided to plan dinner around them.

Have you ever cooked with carnival squash? I hadn't. But I decided to do what I always do with a new ingredient -treat it like an old one! And I had seen a recipe in this month's Food Network Magazine for Gnocchi with Butternut Squash and Kale. Gnocchi is definitely my favorite pasta and the idea of gnocchi, squash, and a dark leafy green was almost irresistible. This cooks up in one pan making cleanup extra easy on people who are waiting for a baby to cry at any minute as they eat dinner. Thatboy adored this dish. He continued to rub his belly and tell me how much he enjoyed it all evening long. And jumped up to clean to show his appreciation. And was eager to have the leftovers for lunch today!

I have to say as good as dinner was, it was missing one key ingredient. I bet this dish would be perfect with some creamy goat cheese mixed in. Think about it, squash, kale, gnocchi and goat cheese? Next time.

Never one to leave a good thing alone, I wanted to add a nice side to the pasta. I know a lot of people ask what kind of side to serve with pasta and I'm of the mind that you can't go wrong with a nice dark green vegetable sauteed with garlic. This works with zucchini, broccoli, green beans, spinach, etc. I would have loved to use broccoli rabe as a side, but my market didn't have, so instead I grabbed some baby broccoli. Totally different flavor, but I love the longer thinner pieces for aesthetic purposes and it sautes up a little quicker than broccoli.

If you're cooking a green veggie with a thicker stem - like broccoli or asparagus, the key is to give it a quick boil first. (Longer than a blanche, not long enough to fully cook). Because you don't want to leave it sauteing long enough to fully cook it or it'll become oil-logged. A short hot water bath fixes this problem and leaves you with a veggie that still has some crisp to it, a gorgeous green color, and tasting more of garlic than oil.

Broccolini

1 lb broccolini

2 cloves minced garlic

3 Tbsp canola oil

salt and pepper

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Wash the broccolini and cut of stems. Boil them for 5 minutes and drain.
2. Heat the oil in a pan over medium-low heat and add garlic. Saute for for a minute - but don't let the garlic brown.
3. Add the broccolini and stir until tender. Season with salt and pepper.

AVM: An End In Sight

When I told Thatboy I was picking up Animal, Vegetable, Miracle again, Thatboy was less than pleased. He hasn't been impressed with most of the recipes, and although he's a good sport, it doesn't mean he's quiet about it.

"Just a couple more recipes" I promised. And with that, I bring you the end of Animal Vegetable Miracle recipes. Unfortunately Thatboy was right and more of these were bad then were good. Maybe that's what happens when you get into winter recipes. Because although Kingsolver raves about how easy it is to eat in the winter, it could be because they were so desperate they would have eaten ANYTHING. And so I leave you with the good, the okay, and the bad.

First, the good:

Vegetarian Chili (recipe can be found at animalvegetablemiracle.com)

"It's chili!" I said. "You can't mess up chili!" But Thatboy disagreed. I was happy to prove him wrong. I did tweak the recipe a bit, using fresh peppers instead of frozen, and canned tomatoes with chili peppers to give it some kick. But overall? Someone and I'm not going to mention names, but someone went back for seconds.

The okay:

Braised Winter Squash (recipe can be found at animalvegetablemiracle.com)
I really liked this at first. The vinegar, the apple cider, and it couldn't be easier to make. Unfortunately that sweetness from the cider gets a little overpowering after the first few bites.

And the bad:

Sweet Potato Quesadilla (recipe can be found at animalvegetablemiracle.com)
- I had SUCH high hopes for this. Even the clerk at Trader Joes thought it sounded delicious. (Seriously, why can't we get fresh tortillas at the Farmer's Market? We're less than an hour from Mexico!) Brie, sweet potato, flour tortillas. Unfortunately they were a total miss.

Butternut Bean Soup (recipe can be found at animalvegetablemiracle.com)
This one killed me. KILLED ME. I was planning on using it to enter Branny's Souper Bowl. Because I love butternut soup! But then I read the recipe and thought. Okay, it's bean soup in a butternut bowl. I could do that. Still soup. DO YOU SEE THAT PICTURE? That is not soup! That is beans. Beans in a squash. Not soup. Under no definition of soup would you find the above dish. And so I am BEGGING you readers. Pick up where I left off and make a soup and submit it to Branny's souper bowl. Do it for me. Do it for Branny. Do it to show Ms. Kingsolver and her family what soup should look like.