Vegetables

Mashed Butternut Squash

October 9, 2013 by Erica

Mashed squash may not be the most romantic-sounding dish. This I know. But trust me, it is up there with the tastiest!

Each week for my CSA, I get an email containing a few recipes for this week’s ingredients. This was one such recipe, and I knew immediately I had to try it. It sounded quite similar to the spiced butternut squash soup I made last winter – one of my favorites. Butternut squash, onions, apples and spices in yet another spoonable form? Yes please!

These are the squashy version of mashed potatoes. And if you like mashed potatoes, let me tell you how you will feel about mashed squash: you will FREAK OUT. Unlike potatoes, with butternut squash there’s no need to add cream (just a little bit of butter!), because it already has plenty of moisture. Instead, the focus is on flavor. Apples and onions and maple syrup, oh my! Plus a hint of warm spices to round out the dish and make it absolutely heavenly. Seriously. I swoon every time I reheat a serving of these. They are just THAT good.

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Quinoa-Stuffed Acorn Squash with Figs and Sage

September 25, 2013 by Erica

Quinoa-Stuffed Acorn Squash with Figs and Sage

Don’t you love the crossover seasons? When you can drive with your seat heater on and the windows down, wear boots with no jacket, and stuff winter squash with figs. It’s the best of both worlds!

Quinoa-Stuffed Acorn Squash with Figs and Sage

I didn’t really discover figs until this year. Previously, despite my childhood love of Fig Newtons, I thought that fresh figs had 1) a scary texture and 2) a scary price. I liked them only when caramelized to a juicy perfection on top of a pizza at the aptly named Figs, my favorite pizza place in Boston. Then, naturally, I discovered that the blogosphere goes crazy over figs just at the same time that Whole Foods had a giant gorgeous display of them… on sale. Whole Foods 1, Erica 0. More like Whole Foods 20,000, Erica 0 when you calculate the amount I’ve probably spent there this year. In any case, I bought them, was introduced to the glory of fresh figs, and have never looked back.

Quinoa-Stuffed Acorn Squash with Figs and Sage

A few of the ways I’ve been loving figs are:

– Just taking bites out of them! Usually right when I get home from the grocery store :)

– On my oatmeal with cinnamon and honey

– On pizza (although mine will never be as good as Figs’…)

– And finally, sauteed with onions and celery, mixed with quinoa and fresh sage, and stuffed into these adorable little squash bowls.

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Roasted Cauliflower with Truffle Oil, Mint and Almonds

July 3, 2013 by Erica

Roasted Cauliflower with Truffle Oil, Mint and Almonds

We have a great tradition at work of going out to lunch on Fridays. Our office is a few miles from downtown Salt Lake, and without a lot of options nearby, lunches out aren’t really an option everyday. Plus, with all the food I cook, I could hardly justify that! But on Fridays, we’re in the habit of venturing downtown (or to other neighborhoods) for long lunches. It’s a great way to start off the weekend, and a great way to find new favorite restaurants.

This simple dish is inspired by an appetizer I had recently at Vinto, one of my favorite casual Salt Lake spots. We ordered it as an afterthought during one of our Friday lunches, mostly because I’m unable to pass up any dish with truffle oil. The flavor combination was just as interesting as it sounded, and being so simple, I knew I had to recreate it for you immediately.

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Simple Cucumber Salad

May 24, 2013 by Erica

Simple Cucumber Salad

I looove cucumbers.

There was a whole summer during college when my dinner almost every night consisted of pasta with olive oil and parmesan and a side of peeled, sliced cucumbers. It was the most “cooking” I could handle as a 19-year-old. Possibly not the most nutritious meal, but totally delicious. If I ever find myself eating that these days, it immediately takes me back. And then I hurry to add a beer or glass of wine to my meal, for old time’s sake. The summer I’m talking about was spent in Berlin, after all.

Simple Cucumber Salad

Given my love of plain cucumbers, it’s no surprise that I’ve always loved this simple cucumber salad, which my mom has made for as long as I can remember. It’s easy, tasty, and refreshing… and does anyone else think cucumbers are kind of fun to slice? It’s the perfect side dish for a Memorial Day barbecue or picnic.

And dare I say that it tastes amazing with steak tips?

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Roasted Vegetable Poutine

April 5, 2013 by Erica

Roasted Vegetable Poutine

Can I convince you to turn on your oven just a few more times before it gets too warm?

Roasted Vegetable Poutine

If you’ve ever had poutine, I don’t think I’ll have to try too hard to convince you. If all you have are the visuals, on the other hand, I probably have my work cut out for me. (Do you remember the Modern Family clip where Mitch and Cam serve poutine and Jay says “Well it looks like vomit, and I’m not poutine it in my mouth.”? So grumpy… so funny.)

Roasted Vegetable Poutine

Yes, poutine has a reputation for looking rather unappetizing. But didn’t your mama ever tell you not to judge a book by its cover? Potatoes, cheese curds, and gravy: Let’s think about those three ingredients, and how unbelievably hard it would be to go wrong with them. They make the ideal comfort food.

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