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Posts Tagged healthy side dish

Stuffed Kabocha Squash

Mar 19

Posted by Shari B. in Cooking, Recipes, vegan, Vegetarian | 5 Comments

Good morning friends!

I was a busy bee in the kitchen yesterday, trying some recipes that I want to freeze for later use.  One of the things I made I just couldn’t resist eating for dinner.

I roasted a kabocha squash then stuffed it with a revised version of my Indian Spiced Quinoa.  Because I was using what I had on hand, I substituted dried plums and basil for the dates and mint in the original version.

Stuffed Kabocha Squash with Indian Spiced Quinoa

Makes 2-4 servings (2 as a meal, 4 as a side dish)

  • 1/2 cup quinoa (measured dry)
  • 1 kabocha squash, halved and seeds removed
  • 3/4 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 1 small shallot, minced
  • 1 yellow pepper, chopped and seeds removed
  • 1 small finger of ginger, peeled and minced
  • ½  teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala
  • sprinkle of sea salt
  • 1 cup vegetable broth
  • 3 dried plums, finely chopped
  • 3-5 fresh basil leaves, chopped
  • ½  teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Directions

Soak quinoa for 30-60 minutes prior to cooking.  Rinse well, drain and set aside.

After quinoa is done soaking, preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place halved, deseeded kabocha squash face down on a lightly greased baking sheet.  Roast for 30-35 minutes or until flesh is fork tender.

While kabocha is roasting, melt coconut oil over medium heat.  Add shallots, pepper, garlic, ginger, garam masala and a pinch of sea salt, stirring often until peppers soften, about 5 minutes.

Add quinoa and stir well to coat with spice mixture.

Add vegetable broth.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until quinoa begins to look fluffy and liquid has absorbed into the grains.

Allow quinoa to sit uncovered for 3-5 minutes.  Using a fork, mix in plums and basil leaves.  Divide mixture in two and stuff into the kabocha cavities.  Drizzle each very lightly with balsamic vinegar to finish.

If you are serving the squash as the entree, serve the full half like this:

If you are using it as a side dish you can serve cut into quarters (or even slice through into half-circles):

I did put half in the freezer because I’m curious how the textures and flavors will react with freezing and thawing.  I’ll come back out and update this post when I take that one out of the freezer.

Enjoy your Saturday and the LAST DAY of WINTER!  It’s definitely going to feel like spring here this weekend!  In the 70s!  Nice!

– Shari B. =)

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Purple Potato Eater

Jan 31

Posted by Shari B. in Cooking | 7 Comments

Hi FitFeat friends!

I ran across some purple potatoes at the store recently and I couldn’t wait to get them home and eat them!

Aren’t they pretty when they’re sliced?

They even bleed purple juice…!

I melted a little coconut oil to rub on them, then sprinkled them with sea salt and herbes de Provence.  In my opinion they were just asking for the lavender mixed in that spice blend.

I spread them out on a baking sheet and roasted them in a 375 degree oven.

Apparently, they cook really fast compared to white potatoes.  I actually went a little too long at 15 minutes, so keep your eye on these to keep them from getting TOO done.

Crispy and delicious!

And the best part about PURPLE potatoes is that in addition to the great things like fiber and potassium that you’d usually get from a white potato, you ALSO get the added benefit of anthocyanin - the phytonutrient found in darker fruits and veggies (Greek origin “anthos” meaning flower and “kyanos” meaning blue) – which is a potent antioxidant, as well as being anti-inflammatory and a cancer fighter.

If you’re interested, you can click on purple potatoes and anthocyanins for some further reading.

It’s always beneficial to our health to eat a wide array of bright colors (since each color is associated with different phytonutrients) as well as enjoying a varied diet to stave off food boredom.

Have you tried some “new to you” foods lately? If not, I encourage you to visit the produce section and pick two new items that you’ve never tried.  It makes cooking more interesting when you pick something new, then go home and look up ways to prepare it and learn about the health benefits.

– Shari B.  =)

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Cilantro Lime Rice

Jun 9

Posted by Shari B. in Recipes | 6 Comments

Hi again friends!  Have some more time in front of the computer so getting the recipe out there for the cilantro lime rice from the Mexi-Que menu!

This is one that I have tried a number of different ways because it is one of MSP’s favorites. (He’s a big Chipotle fan and they have Cilantro Lime rice.)  I’ve tried white rice, brown rice, basmati rice, chicken broth, veggie broth, etc.  Here is the way that I think it turns out the best.

  • 2 tsp oil of choice (just enough to barely coat the bottom of the pan you’ll be using)
  • 1 tsp minced garlic (I used the pre-minced jarred kind; 1 tsp is about 2 cloves)
  • 1 cup basmati rice
  • 3/4 cup chicken broth (or veggie broth) preferably low sodium
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 2 oz fresh lime juice (or jarred not-from-concentrate)
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • lime zest
  • 1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped (rinsed and thoroughly dried first)

Add the oil to your pot over medium to low heat.  Add the garlic and rice, then stir around to coat the rice well for about 2 minutes.  Keep the rice moving.

Add the broth, water, lime juice and salt.

Turn heat to high and bring to a boil.   Then cover, reduce heat to a low simmer for 20 minutes.  CAREFULLY remove the lid (open away from your face) after 20 minutes to the check the rice.  If you like the “doneness” level (I like fluffy rice) set the lid aside and turn off the heat.

Zest one lime right into the pot, using care not to zest too far into the white (pith).

NOTE: when zesting, aim to use organic fruit so that you aren’t grating pesticides right into your food.  If you can’t find organic, at the very least wash your fruit well.  WF didn’t have organic limes the day I was shopping, so this lime was washed with soap and warm water the same way I wash my hands.

Add your finally chopped cilantro to the pot.

Stir until the cilantro is evenly distributed.  You can serve this immediately OR you can make it ahead, refrigerate it and reheat when  you are ready for it.  I also like this rice served cold too.  You can eat it on the side, or you can stuff it into a burrito.

The finished product:

You can play around with the levels of lime in this.  I LOVE lime so I add a lot of zest and a lot of the juice.  However, if you would prefer to tone it down you may want to cut the lime juice in half or not even add the zest.  Totally up to you!  Make it your own!

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