Saturday, March 23, 2013

om nom nom : butternut squash side dish (and bonus dessert)

I made a delicious side dish last night.  It was adapted from this recipe.  I found it really tasty, and even my picky husband ate it.  Here's what I needed and what I did.

ingredients:
  • brown rice (1 cup dry)
  • butternut squash
  • olive oil
  • s&p
  • spinach leaves
  • walnuts

do this:
  • Cook the brown rice.  I dump mine in the rice cooker in a 1:3 rice to water ratio (Husband like mushy rice.  Decrease to 1:2.25 if you like it crunchier). 
  • Prepare the squash
    • Use a peeler to peel the outside skin off - peel til you see orange
    • Spoon out the side and pulpy stuff - this isn't easy on these things, but stick with it.   
    • Dice the squash into little cubes - I did about 1cm.  They will shrink when cooked.
    • Put in a bowl and coat with olive oil and some s&p.  (Til it looks right, use your judgement)
    • Throw in a 400*F oven for about 30 minutes, tossing them around once in a while. (I put some parchment on my cookie sheet because I don't like doing dishes.  Should be fine on a plain cookie sheet though, just keep an eye on them and spray on some extra olive oil if the squash sticks)
  • When the rice is done, put a few handfuls of spinach on top and put the lid back on, letting the spinach wilt down a little.  
  • Chop up 1/4 cup of walnuts and add to the pot. 
  • When your squash is soft and browned a little, add it to the pot (I didn't end up adding the whole squash to mine.  How squashy do you want it?)
  • Stir.
  • Serve.
  • Watch husband's face to see if he actually likes it or is pretending so he won't hurt your feelings but ultimately won't take any more on leftover night and make you eat it all.
 Sounds delish? It is.  The recipe site says it works out to 345 calories for 1/4 of the recipe, but that's using quinoa which is higher in calories than brown rice.  I'm going to take a stab and say it's about 250 calories for 3/4 cup.  Enjoy!

Bonus: I made this and it's amazing.  Be patient with the blending/food processing - it takes a minute but it goes! 

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