Butternut Jewels (Naturally Gluten, Dairy and Nut Free)

Winter squash has always been one of my favorites. My hubby's too. For years, I made roasted acorn squash halves with a pat of butter and a little brown sugar in the cavity. If I was feeling adventurous, I'd add a pinch of cinnamon. Boy was I boring! 


It's not that this traditional approach isn't good, it's just that it isn't the best way to feature winter squash. I'd like to offer this variation for a time when you're in the mood to change it up a bit and see what winter squash can really be about!


Any winter squash can be used in this preparation, but by far my favorite is butternut. It's not that I don't like the other varieties of winter squash, it's just that the butternut is so good that I have a hard time appreciating the variations that come with the others. So, use what you like and is available, and most importantly on sale! 


What I love about this preparation is that, when perfectly roasted, the squash becomes tender, the color intensifies and the caramel bits that form are absolutely delicious. On it's own, it's heavenly! Sweet and better than any candy you've ever eaten. And, it's versatile as you can also use it as a featured ingredient in a number of other dishes. Ina Garten has a salad that features roasted butternut squash with a cider dressing. There are a number of chefs with television shows who make winter squash risotto. In fact, this past weekend, we were at an upscale seafood restaurant in downtown Indy and butternut risotto was featured on their. I've also seen it used as an ingredient in various soups from a number of culinary cultures as well as an unexpected addition to savory dishes, like enchiladas. Whatever way you choose to enjoy these little gems, just make sure you do. It's something you won't want to miss!


Butternut Jewels (a.k.a., roasted butternut squash chunks)

• 1 butternut squash, washed and dried with paper towels
• olive oil, not EVOO
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 425. Set aside a 11x17 baking pan. Depending on the size of your squash, you may need two. 

Begin by placing the squash on it's side on a cutting board. With a heavy, sharp knife, remove the stem from the top and the belly button from the bottom. Next, cut the squash in half where the neck meets the bulb so that you have a long thinner neck piece and a round bulb piece. 

Using a vegetable peeler, begin with the neck of the squash and remove all of the peel from the outside of the squash. Once you have a clean squash neck, go back to your knife and use it to cut the neck in half lengthwise so that you have 2 long pieces of squash. Cut each piece in half again lengthwise and each length into 1.5 to 2" chunks. Move the chunks to the baking pan. 

To clean the bulb end of the squash, begin by removing all of the peel. Then use your large knife to cut the bulb in half from "top to bottom". Now you have a choice, you can use a grapefruit spoon to scrape out the seeds, or you can cut the two halves into smaller chunks and remove the seeds and insides by cutting them away with your knife. Until recently, I used the scraping method, but I have come to appreciate the quick ease of the knife approach. Choose the method with which you are most comfortable. Move the chunks of squash to the baking pan.


Take a moment to assess whether you need a second pan to cook all of the squash. It's better to err on the side of caution in this case as too much squash on a single baking sheet will not caramelized, but rather steam... and, well, if you want steamed squash, there's a much faster way!

Pour a generous drizzle of olive oil over the mound of squash chunks on your baking pan (4-6 tbsp). Don't skimp on the oil as it serves a dual purpose. First, it helps to season the squash. Second, it keep the squash from sticking to the pan. Sprinkle the mound of squash with salt and add a few grinds of pepper. Using clean hands, "stir" the squash around and over top one another to ensure that the oil and spices are evenly distributed. 

Place the squash pieces in a single layer on the baking pan. I find that when I take time to ensure that the chunks of squash are in a single layer and evenly distributed, I get a much better product in the end as all of the chunks are cooked to perfection so avoiding any underdone or overdone chunks.

Place the baking pan on the middle rack in the oven and allow to cook for 35-45 minutes. Check squash after 25 minutes to stir and determine the length of cooking time that remains. 

When the squash is caramelized and a fork indicates the squash is tender, remove the baking pan from the oven and allow to cool a bit before serving or using as an ingredient in the dish.

~Enjoy!

Grandma's Spaghetti

I recently watched a PBS cooking show titled "Heritage Cooking". It was on during one of my usual PBS slots, so our DVR recorded it in error. You know me though, if it's a cooking show I'm going to give it a try, at least once, and boy am I glad I did. What an interesting show, all about family traditions in the kitchen and around the table and the value of passing those traditions down through the generations. The hosts also made some yummy looking recipes. 


As a result, I have been thinking about my own family's recipes and handing those down to our precious toddler, who already likes to be in the kitchen with me. So, I was inspired to share one of my own here.


My mother made spaghetti on a regular basis during my childhood. It's a pretty simple recipe and very much an Americanized version of the dish. However, since I grew up eating it, it's the epitome of comfort food. Even my darling hubby, who grew up eating the homemade pasta of his Italian immigrant grandmother and mother, has come to enjoy it. When I made it this evening for dinner - by the way, it's national spaghetti day, so I felt like we had to have spaghetti for dinner tonight! - I told our toddler that someday I would teach her to make "grandma's spaghetti". In the meantime, I'll post it here so that you can make it as well.


Just a couple of notes about the ingredients. One, the ground beef. Use what you like. I've used everything from plain old grocery store labeled "ground beef" to certified angus and ground bison. I've also used ground turkey and it works as well. I haven't tried ground chicken, but you can use it too and see what you think. 


Two, the spaghetti. No fancy imported noodles required here, again, use what you like or have on hand. I use a Gluten Free spaghetti noodle now, but have used plain old grocery store brand noodles in the past with excellent results. 


Finally, this dish is meant to be saucy, as opposed to spaghetti dishes you might find in an Italian restaurant where the sauce just lightly coats the pasta. This dish is downright soupy in comparison, but that's part of the charm of the dish. This makes it perfect for dunking chunks of warm garlic bread, or frankly soft white sandwich bread with butter, into the saucy goodness. What can I say, more comfort food from my childhood! 


Grandma's Spaghetti
1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
Olive Oil
1 15/16 oz can diced tomatoes
3-4 cups tomato juice
1 package spaghetti noodles - 
2 large pinches dried oregano
Red pepper flakes, to taste
salt and pepper to taste


Place a large pot of water on high heat and allow to come to the boil while you begin making the sauce. When the water comes to a boil, add enough salt to flavor your pasta - chefs say that your pasta water should taste like the ocean, but I think this is personal preference. Cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain the noodles and return them to the pot. Add a little olive oil and stir to coat the noodles.


To make the sauce, in a heavy bottom pot over medium heat, add a couple of tablespoons of olive or vegetable oil - not extra virgin, you want the oil, but not a predominant flavor from it - to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the ground beef, breaking it up with a spoon or spatula into small chunks. Add salt and pepper to flavor the meat, stirring to distribute the seasoning. When the meat is no longer pink, drain the meat in a colander and return it to the pan. 


Add the onion, pepper flakes and oregano, crushing it in your hand to get the full flavor of the spice, to the meat and stir to distribute. Allow the meat/onion mixture to cook until the onions are translucent and soft. Add the tomato product and stir to combine. Allow the sauce to come to a simmer, stirring frequently to prevent scorching. Allow sauce to simmer for a few minutes then taste for seasoning to determine if adjustment is needed. If your sauce becomes "salty" to the taste, add a bit of sugar. Sugar will also balance the acid in tomatoes so if the taste is off, add sugar 1/2 tsp at a time until you achieve a flavor you like.


Combine pasta and sauce by ladling over a bit of sauce and stir to combine. Add a little sauce at a time until you have a well sauced pot of spaghetti. Serve as is or with a grating of parmesan cheese. No green cans please!


~Enjoy

The Gluten vs. Gluten Free Delimma

A friend recently asked if it's difficult to go gluten free and singled me out as one of the people to answer her question. I suspect this is because I've been pretty verbal about my own experience (no surprise there if you know me at all) and because I tend to post a lot about what I'm cooking in my newly GF kitchen. I was out of town at the time she posted her question, so I've had a few days to think about it.

Before going any further in this conversation, I believe that one should consider the reason behind making such a change. Is it because you suspect you have a gluten sensitivity? Is it because you received some test results from your doctor that indicates you have a gluten intolerance? Is it because you've heard that it's one way to lose weight? Is it because you have friends who are GF and you've seen the change in their health and want to experience that for yourself? Knowing the reason and what you want to get from this change, I think, is a necessary first step.

I, personally, do not advocate doing it for weight loss reasons. Like most "diets" using a GF approach to eating is only going to be as successful as any other diet, and since most people jump from diet to diet, then you will likely find the same results with GF as with any other. If, however, you have any of the other reasons I've listed above as your catalyst for looking into the GF lifestyle, then I advocate giving it a try!

That said, here's my answer, based on my own experiences, to my friend's question:  I think the level of difficulty in making this change depends on a couple of things. 

Up first is what you're currently eating. If your current diet is high in products that are made from wheat, rye and barley - then, yeah, it's going to be hard. If, however, you eat a variety of foods from all of the food groups (like most people today), then it will likely be easier.

Second, your own expectations about what being GF is like plays a huge role in how difficult the change will be. I've purchased a number of GF cookbooks and found that they're mostly about how to create GF versions of traditional gluten foods. I will admit that having a few "go to" recipes for GF versions of some traditional items is a good thing, and I'll happily share with you those that we've come to love at our house. However, I don't think it's absolutely necessary to try to "replace" the foods you're avoiding. In fact, sometimes I think it makes it harder because your taste buds expect to have something that tastes like what you used to eat and, well, wheat tastes like wheat. 

An approach that I've found to be easier is to identify those foods that I ate before that are naturally GF. For example, meat/fish, veggies, fruit, legumes, nuts and dairy, in their natural state, are always GF, as are (most) potato chips and even, much of the time, ice cream -  the cookie dough varieties and some others that include "mix-ins" like sugar cone, of course are not. Once you figure out which foods you already eat that fit into the GF lifestyle, then you can actively continue to buy and eat those items. This makes the transition much easier.

Eating on the go was also a specific concern of my friend. And, as a busy working mom of an energetic toddler who eats frequently, I feel I'm able to answer this question with a bit of authority (smile). I have learned that eating GF on the go takes just a bit of planning and, maybe, purchasing different "convenience" products than I may have before. Some of the things that I regularly carry around with me or pack for my toddler include:  cheese sticks, fresh fruits that travel well (oranges, apples, bananas and most berries do, pears do not, strawberries in whole form do not, but if you slice them they do quite well), dried fruit, nuts, yogurt, rice cakes, a little container with both PB and Jelly (for the rice cakes), and veggeis like celery and carrot sticks. All of these are gluten free and, if you choose wisely, also healthy.

Another factor can also be whether you already make many of your meals and snacks at home or tend to go the fast food route. The truth is that there aren't many fast food items that are GF. Wendy's chili is a good choice as is their baked potato. Hardee's low carb burgers work for me in a pinch. Taco Bell goes so far as to say on their site that their menu is not appropriate for a GF lifestyle. So if you want to include fast food in your GF diet, you'll have to do some research. 

Instead of fast food, I try to rely on batch cooking and convenience equipment, like my crock pot, to make eating GF easier during a busy week. Up first batch cooking, this is simply making enough of whatever you're cooking to have GFGF lasagna (made with GF lasagna noodles) and enchiladas (made with my hubby's GF crepes) are another freezer staple. So, with a little planning and cooking in batches, you can stash a variety of GF items in your freezer to make life more simple on a regular basis. 

Next up, the crock pot. I have a couple of different sizes and would like to have even one more. In my large crock pot (6 qt) I can roast a whole chicken for dinner. There's even room for potatoes and carrots in the bottom to cook in those lovely juices. Same for a roast - pork or beef - or a small ham. I also use my large crockpot to make batches of soup or spaghetti sauce for the freezer.

I reserve my smaller crockpot (4 qt) for those things that don't require as much cooking room or that I make in smaller batches. Beans are a great example. One small bag of dried beans yields at least 3 servings for my small family of three. So, cook once, and freeze one or two servings for later use. If you don't have a crock pot, I strongly recommend you get one. There are tons of GF friendly crock pot uses!

So, in the end, I'd say that going GF is no more difficult than any change in eating style. Dieting requires you to, say, put down the twinkie and pick up a carrot. Going GF is much the same.

• You learn to read the ingredient list, you find the brands and products you like and you gradually buy them over and over until they become a staple in your pantry, lunch box or cooler for a family vacation. 

• You figure out what meals your family loves that either, as you make them today, are GF (e.g., your Sunday roast with carrots and potatoes is most likely already GF), or you find easy ways to tweak your family's favorites so that they become GF (e.g., use potato starch instead of AP flour to make a white sauce, or pair Quinoa pasta with Grandma's meat sauce for a family spaghetti dinner). 

• You learn what snacks you actually eat when you pack them along and those that you avoid eating even though it's right there with you. 

• You figure out whether you can eat a Hardee's low carb burger (burger with the fixins, sans the bun) instead of a Big Mac and that Wendy's chili is already GF. 

In the end, the real thing you figure out is whether you feel better being GF. I found out after a couple of months that I certainly did. I have more energy, am able to get more done and, in general, feel better. So, for me it was worth it. Anyone considering going GF should at least give it a try and then make your own decision based on how you feel.