The Taste Traveller

baked butternut squash macaroni and cheese

 

If you've been visiting me here for awhile, you might have gathered I love butternut squash. There's my risotto and even my beef stew featuring or including it, and then the post just simply on baked squash. So when I made my leaner, healthier, spinach-packed macaroni and cheese a little while ago I decided that butternut squash was going to feature on the next adaptation of macaroni and cheese I made. I was totally happy with the results on my first attempt, but wanted to have another go at it before posting the recipe. Then I ended up using this recipe for my Foodwhirl guest post, so wanted to wait before putting it on here! Finally, I am actually away this week as I mentioned in my More Tasty Oahu post. To add to these factors, we've put our house on the market, have been househunting and then just the last few days I've not been feeling quite myself - so, I needed a post for next week and had this one saved up! 

It's so smooth and seems even cheesier with the squash - but I assure you, this is still a leaner, lower fat version than your usual mac 'n' cheese would be. One third of the cheese measurement is cottage cheese - I used 2% but take it even leaner with 1% if you wish. There is no cream or butter - just a flour and milk mixture to make your cheese mixture thicker. 

In my version I bake the squash separately first - it's just my hands-down favourite way to cook this vegetable. Due to a missed nap (my one year old, not me) I ended up making this in stages, baking the squash earlier in the day, later cooking the macaroni, and finally making the cheese 'sauce' and bread crumb mixture and putting it all together. The baked squash takes about 45 minutes in the oven - so you could either do it the night before and have it ready to go for the night you put this dish together - or, if time allows, bake it when you get home from work - and while you prepare the rest of the dish and get the table ready or whatever else you need to do - it's baking away. In my instructions below I've assumed you will do everything on the same day or evening. Also, you could certainly do a speedier version by steaming or microwaving your butternut squash. 

This whole dish could be put together and refrigerated for a day or two - so if you had extra time on a Sunday afternoon it would be a perfect meal to put together for one of your busy week night meals. 

I have seen recipes that combine the squash with the cheese mixture and use broth as well. I did neither with my version - preferring to keep them separate and layer each in the casserole dish. Perhaps I'll try it the other way sometime and revisit this recipe then. 

The recipe below is almost identical to my previous recipe - with the exception of the squash replacing the spinach. I did not include roasted garlic in this version. You could certainly add some fresh herbs to this, or even dried, but I was keeping it as pared down as possible so did not add another other than the nutmeg, salt and pepper. 

One final note is that you could easily add more squash. The first time I made this I had about 2 cups (500 ml) worth of squash, but the squash I used this time was smaller - and I ended up with one cup (250 ml). Both were good and interestingly, the squash is very subtle with this dish - so even if you aren't a big fan - give it a go - you just might like it here! 

 Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups (300 ml) 1% or 2% milk
• 3 tablespoons (45 ml) all-purpose flour
• 2 cups (500 ml) grated cheddar cheese (medium or aged)
• 1 cup (250 ml) 1% or 2% cottage cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon (1 ml) salt, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) pepper, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) ground nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) dried oregano (optional)
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) dried basil (optional)
• 1 to 2 cups (250 ml to 500 ml) cooked butternut squash (baked or steamed)
• 1 cup (250 ml) plain, dry bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) paprika (or less if you prefer)
• 2 cups dry elbow macaroni (try whole wheat or vegetable)

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350⁰ F (180⁰ C). 

Slice the squash in half lengthwise and then across widthwise. Scoop out the seeds and place in a covered baking dish. 

Bake the butternut squash for about 45 minutes, until soft. 

Alternatively, steam or microwave the butternut squash until soft. Either peel or slice the squash beforehand (and most methods suggest placing the butternut squash cut side down). 

When the squash is cooked, and if it isn't already peeled, scoop the squash off of the skin (this should be very easy to do if it is cooked enough). Mash and set aside. 

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil. 

Preheat oven to 400⁰ F (200⁰ C) if you did not bake the squash, otherwise just turn the heat up. 

Coat 8-inch square or other suitable baking dish with oil. I prefer to sprinkle several drops of olive or vegetable oil into the dish and spread with a small piece of paper towel. 

Whisk 1/4 cup of the milk and the flour together in a small bowl or measuring cup. You will end up with a fairly thick, smooth mixture. 

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan heat the rest of the milk (1 1/2 cups) over medium heat, until steaming. Stir frequently. Add the flour milk mixture and stir or whisk as it thickens. This will take 3 to 5 minutes approximately. Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the grated cheddar cheese. Stir until melted. Add the cottage cheese, stir until melted. Add the salt, pepper, other herbs (if using) and nutmeg. Stir. 

In a small bowl, mix together bread crumbs, oil and paprika. 

Add macaroni to boiling water, stirring to prevent it from sticking. Cook, stirring frequently for 4 to 5 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water and drain again. 

Add the macaroni to the saucepan with the cheese mixture if the saucepan is large enough. Otherwise mix the macaroni and the cheese mixture in a large bowl. Add the chopped roasted garlic to this mixture. Use a spatula to mix evenly and thoroughly. 

Spread half of the macaroni cheese mixture evenly in the baking dish. Spread the mashed or pureed squash over the macaroni cheese mixture. Add the second half of the macaroni cheese mixture. Sprinkle the paprika breadcrumb mixture on top. Add some freshly grated pepper.

At this point you could cover and refrigerate the dish overnight or for a day. 

Cover the baking dish with a lid or foil and place in the center of the preheated oven. Bake for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake for a further 5 minutes, until the bread crumb mixture is crispy. You may want to adjust the timing according to your preference to have the dish more liquidy or drier. The second time I made this I removed the cover after 30 minutes and let it bake the final ten minutes uncovered. 

Remove from oven and serve. 

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lentil and vegetable soup

There are so many things you can do with soup. It can really be a catch-all for your leftovers, made up of entirely fresh ingredients, or a mixture of both. It can be bright and a bit crunchy, thick or thin, chunky or smooth, puréed or left alone. 

This soup isn't a knock your socks off sort of creation, just a simple, good, nourishing bit of comfort in a bowl. I almost questioned telling you about it. But, why not? 

So, here it is. I'd made coq au vin the night before (that'll be a post another time) and wanted to get everything I could out of all of that flavour. So, after we finished eating I simmered the carcass and bones for a bit, strained them out, and put the broth in the fridge overnight. In the morning I skimmed off a lot of the chicken fat that had risen and hardened a bit on the surface. A bit more broth, some water, lentils, and some freshly chopped vegetables and there you have it! Oh, I also added some small egg noodles, but rice, barley or some other noodle or pasta would do nicely. You could certainly add fresh garlic, some chili, or more fresh or dried herbs. I simply added some seasoning in the form of oregano, salt and pepper and that was it. Run with it! 

Roughly, here's what I used and what I did:

Ingredients:

• Several cups of chicken or vegetable broth (in this case, some of the real stuff and some from a carton). I was only making enough soup for one or two lunches - but you could easily expand this into a big batch.
• 1/2 to 1 cup (250 ml) green (or other) lentils, split peas or similar (green lentils and even more so Puy lentils hold their shape well)
• about 1 cup (250 ml) of water
• 2 to 3 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 stalks of celery, chopped
• a sprinkle or oregano or other herb of your choice
• 1/2 to 1 cup (125 to 250 ml) of small egg noodles or other pasta or grain of your choice (if you're wanting to make this quickly you'll want to choose something fairly quick-cooking or add an already cooked grain or pasta)
• salt and pepper to taste

Just a few other ideas:

freshly chopped garlic and/or ginger, onion or any sort, frozen or canned corn, chopped tomatos (fresh or canned).

Method:

Add the lentils to the broth and bring to a high simmer. Depending on the type of lentil, you'll want to allow for cooking time and not put the other ingredients in too early. I added enough broth and water to allow for this simmering - which was about 25 minutes. Some lentils require more cooking time. You could also cook the lentils separately first and then just drain them and add them to the other ingredients near the end of their cooking time. 

About 15 minutes into the simmering of the lentils and broth, add the chopped carrots and celery and any dried herbs you like. 

About 5 minutes later or more, add the egg noodles. Simmer for an additional 7 to 10 minutes or until the lentils, carrots and celery are tender but not too soft. The egg noodles should be done by now too. Adjust to suit your taste or choice of ingredients. 

Add salt and pepper to taste and serve hot! 

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easy turkey meatballs

 
Turkey meatballs. Sounds pretty basic and not very interesting, right? Well, think again. These little numbers are not only fun and easy to make, but extra healthy and loaded with flavour. As always I like to figure out ways to get some extra nutritional boost into my recipes. It's my thing when it comes to baking and cooking. So, these turkey meatballs are low fat, and even healthier with added vegetables and ground flax seeds. Ground flax seeds? That's right. With this addition you've got some omega-3s (and added moisture) from the flax seeds for good measure, plus soluble and insoluble fibre. With the carrot you have extra vitamins (vitamin A in particular), and of course the turkey is a lean protein. How about a little zing? Fresh squeezed lemon juice will do nicely. Why not add a little cheese? Finely grated parmesan cheese does the trick. A mixture of fresh and dried herbs and fresh garlic add texture and extra flavour too. Yum. 

These would be great as little appetizers, but I served them with a light (also vegetable-filled) tomato sauce over pasta.  

Kid's Stuff: If you have babies or kids these are a great way to give them something fun to eat that is loaded with tasty, healthy ingredients. I sliced them up for my one year old for lunch the next day and she loved them. For older kids you could give the meatballs to them whole obviously. Grate a little extra parmesan or romano on top to make it even tastier for them (or you for that matter). 

Here's what I did with some extra ideas noted below:

Makes at least a dozen (12) meatballs, depending on what size you make them. I got about 15 out of my mixture. 

Preparation time: about 1/2 hour - give or take a little and depending on how fast a chopper you are! 

Cooking time: 10 to 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 lb/500 g ground turkey (approximately)  
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive or vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) flax seeds (about 1.5 tablespoons whole seeds). I like to leave some of the seeds whole for added texture. 
• 1 cup (250 ml) fresh bread crumbs (about 2 slices of toast)
• 1/2 cup (75 ml) onion (about 1/2 medium sized onion), finely chopped
• 1/2 cup (75 ml) carrot (about 1/2 medium sized carrot), finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) dried basil
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Other ingredient ideas:

• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
• more freshly grated parmesan cheese
• freshly grated romano cheese

Method:

Put the ground turkey in a large mixing bowl. Take a fork or spoon and break it up.

Finely chop the carrot, onion, garlic. Add to the bowl with the ground turkey

Toast two slices of bread and grind in a food processor or coffee grinder (I have one I use just for this and flax seeds). Add to the bowl with the ground turkey, carrot, onion and garlic. 

Grind the flax seeds. Add to the bowl with the other ingredients

Chop the rosemary. Add this and the other herbs to the bowl with the other ingredients. 

Grate the parmesan cheese and add to the bowl with the other ingredients. . 

Squeeze the juice of one lemon into the bowl with the other ingredients. 

Add the egg to the bowl with the other ingredients. . 

Add a pinch of salt and a few grinds of fresh pepper to the mixture. 

Take a fork or spoon and mix all of the ingredients together. When well mixed, form the mixture into little balls with your hands. I formed mine into about 1.5 inch (3 cm) balls - they would be great slightly smaller or bigger I am sure. 

In a suitably sized saucepan (non-stick or well-seasoned cast iron), over medium high heat, with the olive oil or vegetable oil added to the saucepan, lightly brown the meatballs all over and then cook until cooked through. I cut one in half to check for doneness. I also find it helps to keep them moist if you add a splash of water and cover the saucepan to basically steam them until cooked (after browning). 

Serve as an appetizer or with your favourite pasta dish. 

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