Butternut squash casserole recipe

I was going to wait until I made this again and took a better picture (it seems to disappear before I can take the time for a good photo shoot), but I can't wait any longer to share this amazing recipe.  I first made this for my pre-Thanksgiving bash, and people literally scraped the dish clean.  I knew that I had to make this dish for real Thanksgiving, but it's great for non-holiday meals too.  This lends itself perfectly for advanced preparation, and all you have to do is pop it in the oven for an hour.

I'm a big fan of butternut squash by itself, but this takes it to a whole new level. (On an unrelated note, I just had a concoction of butternut squash, black-eyed peas, and swiss chard that was amazing. I don't know if it compares to this casserole, though.)  If you want to convert winter squash-haters, this is your dish.  I've already had more requests for this recipe than I've had for any other dish.  Seriously. Make it now.  Rebecca over at Ezra Pound Cake also suggests adding sausage or spinach, and I'm going to try one (or both!) next time.  Despite the bad picture, I'm submitting this to Weekend Herb Blogging to share my new favorite way to use winter squash.  Haalo from Cook (almost) Anything At Least Once organizes this event, and is hosting this week.

Butternut squash casserole (adapted from Ezra Pound Cake, and originally from The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook)
(Printable version)

2 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/4" slices
4 Tbsp butter
2 onions, chopped (about 3 cups)
1 cup buttermilk (I use 1 Tbsp vinegar and enough milk to make 1 cup)
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 cup gluten-free breadcrumbs (or crumbled crackers or pretzels if you don't have bread around)
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup toasted and chopped pecans, divided
1 1/2 cups freshly shredded cheddar cheese, divided

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add squash slices, and cook until squash is tender (about 8 min).  Drain squash and set it aside.  Add the butter to the pot, wait for it to melt, and then saute onions until tender.  Add squash back to the pot, mash it with the onions with a potato masher, and then add the buttermilk, eggs, thyme, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper, 1/4 cup pecans, and 1 cup cheese.  Blend well, and pour into a lightly oiled 9 x 13" baking pan (you can refrigerate or freeze it at this point).  Bake at 375 for 45 min, and then top with the remaining pecans and cheese and continue to bake for 15 min.  Serves 12.

Gluten-free pecan and almond cake recipe

If you're looking for a delicious gluten-free cake that is so amazing that you'll want to eat the entire thing, I have your answer.  My friend Laurel directed me to this recipe, and I'm so glad that she did. The combination of the nuts and honey is unbeatable, but it's not very sweet (which is exactly how I prefer my cake).  I was very impressed that the cake stayed very moist for several days, until we finally polished off every last morsel.

Almond and pecan cake (adapted from Eating Well)
(Printable version)

1 cup whole pecans, toasted*
1 cup whole almonds, toasted*
4 eggs at room temperature
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Process pecans and almonds in a blender or food processor until they are in a fine meal (don't overdo it here - you're not trying to make almond/pecan butter).  You want about 2 cups of meal, so add more nuts if necessary.  Separate the eggs, and beat the yolks with honey, vanilla, baking soda, and salt with an electric mixer until combined.  Add the pecan and almond meal, and continue to beat until well mixed.  Rinse and dry your beaters, and beat egg whites in a separate bowl for about a minute, until they're foamy and double in volume (but not to the point that they hold peaks).  Fold the egg whites into the nut meal mix, and pour this into a springform pan that has been lined with parchment paper on the bottom and lightly oiled.  Bake at 350 for about 30 min, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cool for 10 minutes, and then remove the sides of the pan.  Before serving, drizzle with a little bit of extra honey, if desired.  Serves 10.

* To toast nuts, heat them over medium heat in a large, dry skillet.  Stir frequently, until they begin to brown and are very fragrant (usually about 7-8 min).

Spinach and mushroom enchiladas with tomatillo sauce recipe

It's about time that I introduce you to December's cookbook of the month, Rick Bayless's Mexican Everyday.  It wasn't a hard decision this month, and I instantly knew that this book would quickly be making its appearance when I unwrapped it on my birthday.  As I've said before, I love Rick Bayless's Frontera Grill (and can't wait to try Topolobampo and Xoco), and this book will hopefully satisfy me between trips to Chicago.  When I was first flipping through the book, I was pleasantly surprised by the numerous variations on each recipe.  At a busy time of the year (when I may not want to deal with snow to get to the store), it's nice to have some ideas for ways to use what I have on hand.

I started with this spinach and mushroom enchilada recipe, and I wasn't disappointed.  This isn't your typical Tex-mex enchilada that's been slathered in cheese and baked to death (it is supposed to have cheese crumbled on top, but in the chaos of life, I totally forgot).  It has excellent flavor, particularly the sauce, and isn't heavy at all.  The sauce was so good that I found myself eating spoonfuls of it.  Next time I'll add cooked, shredded chicken to the spinach and mushroom filling (per Rick's suggestion) for a more filling meal, but I enjoyed it as is.  They're no substitute for Frontera, but they're better than any other Mexican food that I've had in a long time.

Spinach and mushroom enchiladas with tomatillo sauce (adapted from Mexican Everyday)
(Printable version)

2 garlic cloves
1/2 jalapeno (remove seeds if you don't like spicy food)
5 medium tomatillos
1/2 cup cilantro
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1 cup veggie broth
1 1/2 Tbsp plain yogurt
salt to taste
6 oz button mushrooms, sliced thinly
1/2 red onion, sliced thinly
6 oz fresh spinach
6 corn tortillas
1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco (optional)

Combine garlic, jalapeno, tomatillos, and cilantro in a blender, and blend until smooth.  Heat half of the oil over medium-high in a small saucepan.  Add tomatillo sauce, and cook about 10 min, stirring frequently.  Add the broth, reduce heat to medium, and continue to cook another 10 min (this is a good time to prepare the filling and tortillas).  Add a spoonful of the sauce to the yogurt, and then stir this mixture back into the sauce.  Season with salt.

Heat the remaining oil in a large skillet over medium high.  Add the mushrooms, and cook until they start to turn brown (a few minutes), stirring frequently.  Add the onion (reserving a few slices for garnish, if you want), and continue to cook for another few minutes.  Stir in spinach, and cook until the spinach wilts.

While everything else is cooking, lightly oil the tortillas, lay them out on a baking sheet (it's ok to double them up), and bake at 350 for about 3 min.  Dip each tortilla into sauce, and add about 1/4 cup spinach and mushroom mixture in the middle.  Roll them up and top with sauce.  Sprinkle with cheese, if you remember, and garnish with onion slices.  Serves 2-3.

Wild rice, pecan, and cranberry salad recipe

I now present my favorite dish that I made for Thanksgiving #1.  The best part of this salad is that it's good warm, room temp, or cold, so you can make it whenever you feel like it.  I started cooking my rice about the time the turkey went in the oven, then prepared the rest whenever I had a few minutes to spare.  I loved the combination of rices, pecans, and cranberries, and the dressing was subtle enough to let the other flavors shine through.  Quality nuts do make a big difference - I used ones from the new crop of south Georgia pecans that my mom picked up a few weeks ago.  I love them so much that I put pecans in just about everything I made for both Thanksgivings (and quite a few sneaked into my mouth during preparation).

Wild rice, pecan, and cranberry salad (adapted from Simply Recipes)
(Printable version)

2 cups brown and wild rice mix (I used Lundberg Wild Blend)
4 cups water (or more, depending on rice directions or if you're using a lot of wild rice)
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp butter or oil
1 cup dried cranberries (I prefer the ones sweetened only with fruit juice)
1 cup toasted pecans, chopped
3 green onions, chopped
juice of 1 lemon
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp honey
zest of 1 orange
salt and pepper to taste

Combine rice, water, salt, and butter in a large saucepan.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and let simmer for 50 min.  Remove pan from heat and let sit an additional 10 min (or more, if you're not ready to assemble the salad).  Stir rice, cranberries, pecans, and green onions together.  In a small bowl, combine lemon juice, oil, honey, and orange zest, and season with salt and pepper.  Toss this dressing with the rice mixture.  Serves 8.

Millet and sweet potato burgers recipe

Well, it's about time to wrap up November's cookbook of the month, The Whole Foods Market Cookbook.  The book has an entire section dedicated to burgers, patties, and griddlecakes, and I wanted to try at least one.  I ended up picking these because millet and sweet potatoes are two of my favorite foods, and I almost always have them around. 

They were good, and despite all of the ingredients, I appreciate that you could taste the millet and sweet potato.  They have a lot of different textures, with the sunflower seeds providing a particularly distinctive crunch.  They definitely do not resemble hamburgers (or those veggie burgers that try to imitate meat), but it's great for an alternative burger.  This recipe was supposed to only make 3 burgers, and I would hate to see the mouth of the person who could fit one of those in.  Overall, this book is pretty good.  I LOVED the King Ranch casserole (though I made a few big changes), and I really enjoyed the lentil and sausage soup, parsnip mashed potatoes, and these burgers.  I also made a red beans and rice dish that was only so-so.  I'm sure I'll open this book from time to time, but it's hard to compare it to the previous cookbook of the month, Vegetarian Planet.

Millet and sweet potato burgers (adapted from The Whole Foods Market Cookbook)
(Printable version)

1/2 cup millet
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cubed into 1/2" cubes
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup cooked chickpeas
1 Tbsp soy sauce (use wheat-free tamari for gluten-free)
1/2 tsp olive oil
1 carrot, grated
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 Tbsp potato starch
2 Tbsp parsley, minced
salt and pepper to taste

Combine millet, sweet potatoes, and water in a medium saucepan.  Bring the water to a boil, and then cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 30 min, or until the water is completely absorbed.  Add the chickpeas and mash with a potato masher or the back of a spoon.  Stir in the remaining ingredients and season with salt and pepper.  Divide into 6 equal patties and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Spray patties with olive oil and bake at 400 for 20-30 min, until patties are golden brown and firm.  Serves 6.