Brussels Sprouts and Butternut Squash Frittata

Ok, I get it that it's officially spring but as I made this one a couple days please humor me with one more squash recipe. This will serve four or make for some tasty leftovers the following day:)

Ingredients:
5 large whole eggs
1/2 cup egg whites
1/2 tsp sea salt, divided
1/8 tsp tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 1/2 tsp olive oil
4 oz Brussels sprouts, trimmed and quartered
2 1/2 oz white button mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 cup peeled and diced butternut squash (1/4 inch cubes)
1 large shallot, minced
1 spring fresh rosemary,  leaves minced
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 oz goat cheese, crumbled
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, egg whites, 1/4 tsp salt and pepper, set aside.
In a 10 inch nonstick ovenproof skillet, heat oil on medium. Add Brussels sprouts, mushrooms, squash, shallot, rosemary and remaining 1/4 tsp salt. Saute, stirring often, until mushrooms and squash are tender and Brussels sprouts are almost cooked through, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for 1 more minute. Arrange vegetables in an even layer in skillet.
Pour egg mixture over top and gently shake pan to distribute evenly. Sprinkle with goat cheese and Parmesan and cook undisturbed until edges set, about 3 minutes. Transfer to oven and cook until eggs are completely cooked through and cheese melts, 10 to 12 minutes. To serve, carefully invert into a plate.

Butternut Squash Enchiladas

If you follow my blog you know I love tortillas. So much so that I scoured the internet for a grain/gluten free recipe so I could continue to eat and cook with them. Of course you can use store bought tortillas which is much easier and requires less ingredients. They key here is the butternut squash (and the fact that they're meatless which vegetarians will appreciate:)
Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 cup red enchilada sauce
1 tsp olive oil
2 1/2 cups peeled and diced butternut squash
1 small onion, 3 cloves garlic diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
10 oz can tomatoes + green chilies
1 1/2 cups reduced sodium canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup cilantro (optional)
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
8 medium flour tortillas


1 cup reduced-fat shredded Mexican cheese
2 tbsp chopped scallions, for garnish
reduced-fat sour cream or greek yogurt, for serving (optional)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place 1/4 cup enchilada sauce on the bottom of a large baking dish.
Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in large skillet. Add onions, garlic, and jalapeno and cook 2-3 minutes until onions become translucent and garlic is fragrant. Add cubed butternut, tomatoes, black beans, water, cilantro, cumin and chili powder and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the squash is tender, about 30 to 35 minutes.Place about a generous 1/3 cup filling in the center of each tortilla and roll, place on the baking dish seam side down. Repeat with the remaining filling. Top with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese and bake, covered with foil until hot and the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes. Top with scallions and sour cream/greek yogurt.

Twice Baked Butternut Squash

I was looking to try something totally different when I chose this recipe but I now realize it's basically the same thing I've been doing with spaghetti squash and zucchini. Ha. Guess I've found myself in a bit of a squash phase. Luckily it's healthy and delicious. Especially this recipe which is so rich and decadent you'll feel like you're eating desert. (I finished less than half but as you can tell from the picture mine were HUGE.)

I should also add that I didn't actually bake my squash twice, at least not in the same night. I followed the instructions until the point at which you take the squash out of the oven and lower the temperature to 400. However, instead of lowering it I turned it off, wrapped the squash in foil, and put it in the fridge. Tonight I finished the job by scooping the squash out, mixing with the other ingredients, stuffing the shells and baking a second time. Easy and stress free :)

Ingredients: (Serves 4-8)

2 regular, or 4 small butternut squash

salt and pepper 

⅔ cup uncooked quinoa 

⅔ cup pecan halves roughly chopped 

2 tsp. olive oil 

1 small shallot minced 

½ tsp. dried oregano 

¼ tsp. salt 

¾ cups panko breadcrumbs 

3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted 

4 oz. (115g.) parmesan cheese 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Wash the outside of the squash. Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds using a spoon or mellon baller. Place the squash halves cut-side up in a large baking dish. Sprinkle the surface of the squash with salt and pepper. Pour ¼ inch of water in the bottom of the pan and cover the pan tightly with foil. Bake the squash until it is tender when pierced with a fork, 30-50 minutes depending on the size. 

Meanwhile, cook the quinoa by bringing 1 and ⅓ cup water to boil in a small pot. Add the quinoa, reduce to a simmer and put a lid on the pot. Simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Toast the pecans until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Set aside. In the same skillet over medium heat, combine the olive oil and shallots.  Cook, stirring frequently, until the shallots soften, about 5 minutes.

After squash is cooked, remove it from the oven, discard foil, and allow to cool. Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees F.* 

Using a spoon or an ice cream scoop, gently scrape the flesh out of the roasted squash halves, leaving a layer of about ¼ inch of squash remaining in the shell. (Leave the squash shells in the baking dish.) In a large bowl combine the squash, cooked quinoa, pecans, shallot, oregano, and salt. In another small bowl whisk together the panko breadcrumbs and butter. Finely grate the parmesan cheese. Add 2 Tbsp. of the cheese to the panko. Add the remaining parmesan to the squash mixture and stir to combine all of the ingredients. Gently spoon the squash mixture into the squash shells. Sprinkle the panko and parmesan over the top. Return squash to the oven and bake, uncovered, until the tops are golden brown, 20-25 minutes.**

*Or shut the oven off, wrap the squash in foil, and put it in the fridge.
** If the squash has been in the fridge it may need to be cooked longer.

Butternut Squash Tots

Though potatoes aren't technically grain they have the same starchy, "carby" qualities as grain so if you're following a no or low grain diet you should try to avoid them. Now if you have been drinking all night, say for example at your wedding, and your husband orders hashbrowns from room service you can make an exception. Otherwise there are many much healthier substitutions you can make. 

Obviously the mashed cauliflower featured a couple days ago is a great substitution. Another is beet or zucchini chips instead of potato chips (I plan to feature a recipe for these in the near future.) However the one I'm most excited about is this tater tot substitution as I am an absolute sucker for those fried chunks of goodness.

The recipe I used called for kabocha squash, which is hard to find, and required quite a bit of prep work. So i substituted the prepackaged, precubed pieces of butternut squash available at Trader Joes and saved myself a ton of time and trouble. This might be one of the easiest recipes you'll find on this blog. 

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 package cut butternut squash 

Coconut oil

Sea salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss the squash with oil, sprinkle with sea and spread on a roasting pan. Roast the squash for 15 minutes, remove from oven to toss, then roast for another 10-15 minutes. 

Butternut Squash and Quinoa Casserole

It may still be in the 90s in Los Angeles but I've already transitioned to "fall" foods like pumpkin spice lattes and butternut squash.

Butternut squash contains many of the same health benefits as zucchini even though it is technically a fruit. It is high in fiber which aids in digestion, potassium which is important for bone health, and caretenoids which protect against heart disease. Is is also full of antioxidants which have anti inflammatory effects and can improve conditions such as asthma, arthritis and acne.

As if the health benefits weren't motivation enough, this recipe is a casserole which means less cooking during the week! I'm packing the leftovers for lunch at this very moment...

Ingredients:
3 tbsp olive oil, divided

1 large onion, diced
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp paprika
2 1/2 tsp ground cumin, divided
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp ground allspice
2 18-ounce cans chickpeas, rinsed
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
2 cups frozen chopped spinach
1 cup quinoa or whole wheat couscous
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 cup water
1/2 tsp salt, divided
2 10-12 ounce boxes frozen pureed squash, thawed*
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees
Heat two tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally until tender and browned, 9 to 11 minutes. Add garlic, paprika, 2 tbsp cumin, coriander, cayenne, and allspice and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in chickpeas, tomatoes, spinach, quinoa (or couscous), raisins, water and 1/4 tsp salt. Cook, stirring for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
If thawed squash is watery, place in a fine-mesh sieve and gently press to extract excess liquid. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in the remaining 1 tbsp oil, 1/2 tsp cumin and 1/4 tsp salt.
Transfer chickpea mixture to a baking dish and cover with squash. Cover the dish and bake until steaming hot, about 45 minutes for quinoa (15 mins for couscous). Let cool for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro if you insist.

*I couldn't find pureed squash at Trader Joes so I bought two fresh butternut squash. I sliced each down the middle vertically, placed cut side down on a slightly greased baking sheet and cooked for 45 minutes at 400 degrees. Once the squash cooled I scooped the meat into a large bowl and used an immersion blender to puree.

Butternut squash, spinach and goat cheese pizza

If you've been following my journey over the past year you know I've completely eliminated starch from my diet. Add to that my recent post about the amount of sugar contained in store bought marinara sauce and you may be a little surprised to see me endorsing a pizza recipe. But this pizza is both the healthiest AND the most delicious I've ever tasted and contains neither white flour nor marinara sauce!

Low in fat, butternut squash delivers an ample dose of dietary fiber, making it a very heart-friendly choice. It provides significant amounts of potassium (bone health), vitamin B6 (immune system), and carotenoids (shown to protect against heart disease.) In addition it contains very high levels of beta-carotene (converted by the body to vitamin A) which is a deterrent against breast cancer and age-related macular degeneration. What's more, each 1-cup serving contains nearly half the recommended daily dose of antioxidant-rich vitamin C.

Double the recipe below and you can eat it for lunch all week. It microwaves surprisingly well (and even better in the toaster oven.)

Ingredients: (all purchased at Trader Joes)
2 cups cubed butternut squash (1/2-inch pieces)

1 tablespoon plus 1 tsp olive oil, divided 

1/4 teaspoon salt, divided 

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided 

1 medium red onion, halved and thinly sliced 

1/4 cup whole wheat flour 

1 ball (16 oz) store-bought whole-wheat pizza dough, at room temperature

2 cups chopped fresh baby spinach 

4 oz crumbled goat cheese
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Directions:
Heat oven to 400°. Toss squash with 1 tsp oil, 1/8 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper. On a baking sheet, cook squash until soft and lightly browned, 25 minutes, stirring halfway through; set aside. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat remaining 1 tbsp oil. Cook onion (season with remaining 1/8 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper), stirring, until light brown, 10 minutes. Add 2 tbsp water; cook, stirring, until brown, 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Turn oven up to 450°. Sprinkle flour on 15-inch circle or 10" x 16" rectangle. Press dough into it. Top with squash, onion, spinach, cheese and thyme. Bake until crust is crispy and cheese melts, 10 to 12 minutes.