Braised Lentils with Roasted Butternut Squash

True story: for the first time in 4 years, I forgot to pick up my CSA veggies. Well, I remembered, but by then, I couldn't make it work. I guess Labor Day threw off my mental "what day is it today" track. The Colvins are very forgiving types, thank goodness. I think we're going to be able to work it out for me to get a box this weekend. So, I don't know if you will be getting butternut squash this weekend or not, but if you're like me, you may still have one or two lying around. I usually eat up the more perishable stuff first. Good thing because last night, I could still whip up a meal with CSA veggies!

This recipe is simple, but takes a bit of time to cook. It's delicious, too, despite the unassuming ingredient list. I'm not a huge fan of chunks of butternut squash; generally, I prefer the pureed recipes like our favorite Butternut Squash Soup. But the combination in this recipe works beautifully. I didn't think to take a picture of all the Colvin veggies that went into this recipe, but I used onions and garlic from them in addition to the squash! This works as a good side dish for sausage (smoked, flavored chicken, etc.) as well as a vegan/vegetarian main dish.

Braised Lentils with Roasted Butternut Squash
~adapted slightly from How to Cook Everything, 10th ann. edition

• 1 cup lentils, brown or green
• 1 small onion or 1/2 of a large one
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 c. peeled, cubed butternut squash (1/2-inch to 1-inch cubes) from a medium squash
• 2 T. olive oil plus extra
• 2 c. chicken or vegetable stock
• 1/2 c. red wine (can use white for a more subtle taste)
• 1 bay leaf
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Toss squash cubes with enough oil to coat and roast at 375 degrees until tender and caramelized (about 20 minutes or so). (I sprinkled some salt and pepper over the cubes as well.)
2. Meanwhile, in a medium pot, sauté onion over medium high heat until translucent. Add garlic and stir for a minute or so until garlic is fragrant. 
3. Add lentils, stock, wine, and bay leaf to pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, partially cover, and simmer for about 25 minutes.
4. Taste, adjust seasonings, and simmer until lentils are done to your liking. Removing the lid will help some of the excess liquid cook off (which I like). When lentils are just about done, gently stir in squash pieces to reheat.

~Serves 4-6

Everyday Okra

Now, we Southerners love us some okra. But my Yankee husband can't stand it. I'll eat it pickled, fried, in gumbo, in stir fries...but my favorite is this simple sautéed version. My boys like it this way, too, and when we're busy--this is the way I make it. We've been getting the perfect amount from the Colvins the past few weeks: just enough for me to indulge and to throw a pod or two to the boys.

Everyday Okra

Okra
salt
olive oil

Heat a skillet with a "pour" of olive oil in it over medium to medium high heat. In the meantime, slice the stems off the okra--if you slice right through that little black line that divides the pod from the stem, you can avoid some of the sliminess that folks find offensive. The seeds will remain covered and the pod will hold together better.

Throw in your okra and a touch of salt. Saute until pods are soft and some sides are dark brown/blackened.

This will take 10 minutes or so. Serve immediately!

Kale and Sweet Potato Saute

YUM. YUM. YUM.

This is amazing topped with a fried egg and eaten for breakfast. It reheats great. The sweetness of the potatoes contrasts perfectly with the taste of kale--and the Southwestern spices complement the whole mess beautifully. We get kale regularly from the Colvins, and, while I always enjoy it, this week I was desperately hoping they'd come through for me because I wanted to make this again! (And, thankfully, they did.) The author of this recipe notes that the mixture is also good topping a tostada (add queso fresco, cilantro, avocado cubes, etc.).

Kale and Sweet Potato Saute
~Brassicas

• 2 T. olive oil, divided
• 1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes (2 medium), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 3/4 t. kosher salt, divided
• 1 T. chili powder, divided
• 1 1/2 t. ground cumin, divided
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium bunch kale (about 10-ounces), center ribs and thick stems removed, leaves chopped and shredded
• 1 T. water--or more

1. Combine: 1/2 t. salt, 2 t. chili powder, and 1 t. cumin in a small bowl. Combine 1/4 t. salt, 1 t. chili powder, and 1/2 t. cumin in another small bowl.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet. If using a stainless steel skillet, you will need more oil. Add potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. When the potatoes have started to soften, stir in the first spice mixture (and more oil if the pan is too dry). Continue cooking and stirring until potatoes are golden brown and cooked through. This will take anywhere from 8-10 minutes if your potato chunks are pretty small to quite a bit longer if you just roughly chopped them like I did.... When cooked, transfer to a bowl.
3. Heat remaining oil and the garlic in the same skillet. When garlic sizzles, add kale a handful at a time (turning it over with tongs) until it all fits in the skillet. Stir in second spice mixture and water and cook for 5 minutes, until kale is wilted and tender. Add potatoes back to the pan and heat through.
4. Serve as is, or top with fried eggs for breakfast, or on top of tostadas for a light dinner.

~Serves 4

Citrus-Asian Slaw

Another slaw recipe from Weight Watchers that is delicious and uses up our CSA veggies nicely. Yes, this is the same picture of produce from my last slaw recipe, but I promise the resulting taste is different. Bonus: this recipe also uses jalapeños AND it specifically calls for radishes (which I added in extra to the last recipe). Add some sliced chicken or cooked shrimp on top for a crunchy salad lunch!

Citrus-Asian Slaw
~Weight Watchers

• 2 c. shredded carrots (white or orange)
• 2 c. shredded cabbage (red or green)
• 1 c. sliced fresh radishes (or less--use what you have!)
• 1 c. jicama, shredded or cut into matchsticks (cucumber makes a fantastic sub)
• 1/3 c. minced scallions or red onion (or even white!)
• 3 T. minced leaves--this is a lot, so leave out if you're not a mint fan
• 2 jalapeños, seeded and minced (or other hot peppers)
• 2 T. orange marmalade
• 4 t. rice wine vinegar
• 2 t. toasted sesame oil
• 2 T. sesame seeds, toasted

1. Combine carrots through jalapeños. 
2. Combine marmalade through seeds. Pour dressing over slaw mix.
3. Eat right away or store up to a few hours (cabbage will soften slightly as it sits--which might make this more appealing to tentative cabbage eaters).

~Serves 4-6 as a side dish; 2-3 as a main topped with chicken/shrimp

Everyday Kale

Back in the day, when I was a kale rookie, I doctored it up in various recipes, meticulously cut the stems off, cut the leaves in neat strips, and measured precisely.

Now that I'm a kale junkie (thanks for getting me to this point, Colvins!), my approach is much more casual:
I rip the leaves off the stems,

pile them on a cutting board,

and just slice/chop. It ain't pretty, but it's quick and effective for a weeknight meal. The process is the same whether I'm cooking it or making up a wilted salad. I don't even have a picture of the final cooked product since I do this quickly and serve it up when I'm not thinking "blog recipe." Here's my weeknight cooking method….

Everyday Kale

• kale (remember, greens cook down significantly!! Don't be afraid of a large amount)
• salt and pepper (or, better yet, Paula Deen's House Seasoning)
• lemon
• splash olive oil

1. Prep the kale: wash it, rip stems off, roughly chop.
2. Heat a skillet, drizzle oil in if it's not nonstick, and dump in kale. Stir once or twice, pour in some water (not a lot--just enough to keep it from burning), cover skillet, and cook. I think this is roughly medium heat….
3. When kale is done to your liking, season it with salt and pepper and a squirt of lemon juice. Do not squirt lemon juice over it until you're ready to serve it; it can discolor the kale slightly. Kale is pretty sturdy and can sit a bit off heat until the rest of your dinner is ready.

Southwestern Succotash Salad

Our CSA pick-ups begin this week from the Colvins!! My fridge is nice and empty after being at the beach last week, and I'm avoiding buying much until we get our first veggie box in a few days. This pretty salad was born of the need for a healthy side dish for our cheese and (frozen) bell pepper quesadillas… and my freezer and pantry contributed all the ingredients. It's a little on the mild side--add some jalapeños if you have them. But, as it is, it makes a pretty good quesadilla filling along with some cheese…or a nice side salad for spicy Mexican food…or a good salad with lettuce and some salsa as a dressing .... Our kids actually ate theirs in quesadilla form--even knowing there were bell peppers in the mix.

Southwestern Succotash Salad
~inspired by this salad

• 1 cup frozen baby lima beans, cooked and drained
• 1 can black beans, drained
• ~1-2 cups frozen corn, thawed
• 1 small red onion, finely minced
• 1-1 1/2 cups chopped bell peppers*
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 t. cumin
• 1/2 T. olive oil
• 2 T. white wine vinegar

*my bell peppers were the tri-colored frozen variety

Combine all in a bowl and stir well (I did not make the dressing separately--just dumped it all in a bowl and stirred). Enjoy right away or after a day or two in the fridge!

~Serves 4-6

Pumpkin Waffles (Dairy- and Egg- Free/Vegan)

First of all, whether or not you have any dietary restrictions or preferences that keep you from eating eggs and/or dairy, these are DELICIOUS and very nourishing. And they're good at room temperature. And they freeze just fine. And, should you, um, spread Nutella on top (which would bump them from vegan-status), before topping them with bananas, well, you will suddenly eat them for any meal of the day.

Virtues aside, my children each have friends and classmates with various allergies. Dairy and egg allergies can be hard to work around, especially if you're hosting a sleepover. But these waffles will please all the kiddos at the table and will work for dairy- and egg-free/vegan folks.

Pumpkin Waffles (Dairy- and Egg-Free/Vegan)
~from Simple Vegan! Delicious Meat-free, Dairy-Free Recipes Every Family Will Love

• 1/3 c. oats (quick-cooking or regular)
• 1 1/2 c. flour
• 1 c. whole-wheat flour
• 1/4 c. packed brown sugar
• 1 T. baking powder
• 1 t. pumpkin pie spice (or sub 1/2 t. cinnamon, 1/4 t. cloves, 1/4 t. ginger, 1/4 t. nutmeg or similar)
• 3/4 t. baking soda
• 1/2 t. salt
• 2 c. plain, unsweetened non-dairy milk (soy, almond)
• 1 can (15-oz) solid pack pumpkin (NOT pumpkin-pie mix/filling)
• 1/4 c. canola oil
• 1 t. vanilla

1. Blend oats in food processor or blender until finely ground. 
2. Mix dry ingredients (including oats) in a large bowl.
3. Whisk together wet ingredients, including pumpkin, in a smaller bowl.
4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, stirring just until blended.
5. Preheat waffle iron; spray if necessary. Pour or spoon batter onto waffle iron; my waffle iron (4-5 inch squares) took a scant 1/4 cup per waffle.
6. Cook until crisp and browned--mine took a bit longer than usual for the waffles to cook all the way.
7. You can keep these warm in a 200 degree oven or serve right away!

Makes about 18-20 (4-inch) waffles

Easy Roasted Carrots

updated 6 years after first posting--we're still eating these but now we use our CSA carrots!

Try these for a nice change from glazed carrot dishes. They're also an alternative for recalcitrant carrot eaters--they look and taste similar to roasted sweet potatoes. Plan these for a night when you'll have the oven on at 400 degrees for something else (cornbread, muffins, whatever). You can also roast them at 450 degrees, and they'll be done in less time. The picture shows the lovely white carrots I get in my CSA box from the Colvins. Yum!

Easy Roasted Carrots
From Joy of Cooking (1997 ed.)

• 1 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled (can leave whole or chop into equal size pieces)
• olive oil
• thyme
• salt and pepper

Place carrots in 13X9-inch baking pan. Drizzle with olive oil. Toss to coat lightly. Sprinkle with thyme, salt, and pepper. Roast at 400 degrees for about an hour, or until carrots are tender. Stir them once in a while; carrots will blacken in some areas like other roasted vegetables.

Serves 4

Easy Roasted Potatoes

Updated 7/21/14

This original recipe posted 6 years ago, and we've been roasting potatoes ever since--especially since we get them frequently in our CSA boxes from the Colvins. We've grown quite careless with amounts and just toss together what looks good. Rosemary is delicious, but plain salt and pepper yield great results, too. Super easy, tasty, and a flexible oven temperature=perfect side dish. I use a different sized pan, not as much oil, and estimate the spices, but I'm keeping the original recipe below for reference. I also don't cover the pan anymore--just stir on occasion. (Covering helps eliminate need for stirring in case you need that freedom.)

Leftovers are delicious for breakfast and topped with a fried egg.

Easy Roasted Potatoes
Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook, 11th edition.

• 3 medium potatoes (1 pound), quartered, or 10 to 12 whole tiny new potatoes (1 pound), quartered
• 2 tablespoons olive oil or margarine or butter, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon paprika

Place potatoes in a greased 9x9x2-inch baking pan. Combine oil and seasonings. Drizzle over potatoes, tossing to coat. Bake, covered, in a 325 degree oven 45 minutes. Stir potatoes. Bake, uncovered, 10 to 20 minutes more or till potatoes are tender and brown on edges. (Cookbook notes that potatoes may also be roasted for 30 minutes at 450 degrees, stirring occasionally.)

Makes 4 servings.