This week's creations

Most of my leftovers were gone by the end of the weekend, so on Monday I got back into the kitchen.  I found an interesting recipe for Quinoa and Beef Picadillo in my new whole grains cookbook, so I went for it.  Basically you saute onions, garlic, green pepper, cumin, and ground beef, then add diced tomatoes and green chiles, raisins, and spices (oregano, chili powder, and cinnamon) and let it simmer for a while.  Then you add in cooked quinoa.  I love the interesting blend of the spices, and once again the raisins work even though I had my doubts.  It is definitely more of an authentic mexican dish than the usual tex-mex fare.  I'm really excited to try more recipes from this book because there's a lot of variety and this one really hit the spot!

I also roasted a turkey breast on Monday so that I could make some sandwiches this week.  I didn't do much to it - just rubbed a little bit of olive oil on it and sprinkled some thyme on top, then roasted it at 350 for a while (I think it took about an hour and 15 min).  I love turkey (and haven't had any for a while), so I'm really enjoying it.  There's nothing new or exciting about it, but all I wanted was some good simple turkey.

And finally, today I roasted a butternut squash.  Coincidentally, I made this much like the turkey.  I cut it into small cubes, drizzled olive oil and thyme on it, mixed it together, then spread it out in a pan and roasted it at 450 for about 35 min (stirring once).  It's delicious and simple.  After not venturing much into the winter squashes before, I'm really enjoying them now.  They're so easy, and there isn't a rush to use them since they last so long.  I still have a spaghetti and acorn on the counter, but I'm wishing I would have filled my apartment with them before the farmers' market closed.