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Sweet Roasted Carrots

Sweet Roasted Carrots | Gather & Dine

I do most of the cooking in our family, but occasionally Ryan steps in and decides to take over the kitchen.  When he does this, he goes all out and researches his recipes in his very engineering sort of way.  He likes to understand the science behind everything he makes so no surprise that one of his favorite cooking publications is Cook’s Illustrated.    He once used the Cook’s Illustrated method to make these roasted carrots and they were the best roasted carrots I’d ever had.  They were perfectly browned, tender, and intensely sweet.  

Cook’s Illustrated recommends covering the carrots with foil during the first 15 minutes of roasting to “precook” the carrots.  Skipping this step would allow the release of too much water thus resulting in tiny little shriveled carrots.  I slightly reduced the amount of butter and added in some olive oil because I found that the carrots were a little too heavily soaked with butter in the original recipe.  I used rainbow carrots just for fun, but I think they make all the difference, don’t you?  Roasted carrots make a  simple and beautiful addition to warm fall dinners.

Sweet Roasted Carrots | Gather & Dine

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Sweet Roasted Carrots
 
Ingredients
  • 1½ pounds carrots, peeled
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
  • ½ tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 425. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
  2. Cut carrots in half crosswise, and then cut lengthwise to make even sized pieces.
  3. In a large bowl, combine carrots with butter, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Transfer carrots to prepared baking sheet and spread into a single layer. Cover baking sheet tightly with foil.
  4. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and continue to roast for 30 minutes, until carrots are well-browned and tender. Use a metal spatula to flip the carrots once or twice during the roasting. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper.
Notes
slightly adapted from Cook's Illustrated

 

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Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash

Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash | Gather & Dine

Rough morning today because I woke up grumpy and crabby for no apparent reason.  How does this happen to me?!  Even in the midst of having an infinity number of reasons  to be thankful, my heart was not focusing on them.  I really wanted to curl up and go back to bed, but I was determined to finish preparing dinner in the morning so that I could move on to some work that had been piling up on me later in the afternoon.  After I threw the acorn squash in the oven and quickly put together this quinoa pilaf, I made a cup of hot tea and spent a few quiet moments with God.  The sweet autumn smell of roasted acorn squash began to fill the house and my heart began to soften and slowly fill up with gratitude once again.

This quinoa stuffed acorn squash has an abundance of flavors and textures.  Crunchy hazelnuts and pumpkin seeds, earthy oregano and swiss chard, and sweet dried cherries are all mixed together with quinoa and piled in a golden roasted squash.  And guess what?  I have the best tip ever for cutting raw squash.  Microwave the whole squash for 30 seconds to 1 minute, depending on the size of the squash and strength of the microwave.  The squash will soften ever so slightly and it will now be much easier to cut in half.  No more struggling trying to get that knife through a rock hard squash ever again.  The best squash tip ever, right?  You are welcome.

This makes double the amount of quinoa pilaf needed to fill one squash so you can either use it for another squash or it is also excellent on its own. Even though I made this ahead of time in the morning, the hazelnuts and pumpkin seeds lose a bit of their crunch after a few hours, so I think it is best served immediately after it is prepared.  Stuffed squash can be a festive side dish (hello Thanksgiving!) or it can be a nice lighter vegetarian main course.  Hope you enjoy!

Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash | Gather & Dine

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Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash
 
Ingredients
  • 1 acorn squash
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil, plus more for brushing on squash and oiling pan
  • ½ cup quinoa, uncooked (I used half red, half white quinoa)
  • 1 cup finely chopped yellow onion, about 1 medium
  • 3 cups lightly packed chopped swiss chard
  • 1 tablespoon fresh oregano
  • ¼ cup toasted hazelnuts, chopped
  • ½ cup roasted pumpkin seeds
  • ¼ cup dried tart cherries, chopped
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • additional chopped hazelnuts and oregano for garnish
  • additional salt and pepper for seasoning squash
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly oil a large baking sheet with olive oil. Cut acorn squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Brush olive oil on both cut sides of the squash and season with salt and pepper. Place halves face down on the baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Turn halves cut side up and bake for another 10-15 minutes, until squash is tender.
  2. In a medium pot, boil 3-4 cups of water over high heat. Rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer. When the water is boiling, slowly add the quinoa and boil uncovered for 11-14 minutes. After 10 minutes, start checking the quinoa for doneness. The quinoa is done when the "dot" in the middle of the quinoa starts to disappear and when some of the white filaments start to come off the seeds. Drain the quinoa over a fine mesh strainer.
  3. In a saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until onions start to become translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Add the oregano and swiss chard and continue to cook for another minute. Add the cooked quinoa, hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds, cherries, salt, and pepper and continue to cook until the mixture is warmed through. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper.
  4. Spoon quinoa mixture into the acorn squash and garnish with some additional oregano and chopped hazelnuts.
Notes
adapted from The Spicy RD

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Summer Squash Casserole

Summer Squash Casserole | Gather & Dine

We love our neighborhood.  Everyday we get to hear the beautiful sounds of birds and the quiet rustling of leaves.  We are surrounded by nature trails and we have a nearby swimming pond.  We have witnessed baby robins hatching out of their eggs, little fawns splashing in the water, and red foxes running across our yard.  I am so incredibly thankful for all of these things.  I can honestly say, however, that the neighbors are the very best part about living in our neighborhood.  We have been blessed with the most wonderful neighbors I could ever ask for.

One of our neighbors stopped by last week to share some beautiful zucchini and summer squash they had grown in a local community garden.  What a gift, knowing that they had thought of us and wanted to take time out of their busy schedules to bring us these fresh vegetables.  Such little acts of kindness and thoughtfulness can mean so much.

After receiving the garden-fresh produce, I knew exactly what I wanted to make.  This Summer Squash Casserole is the perfect way to dress up summer squash and zucchini.  The vegetables are lightly sautéed and tossed with manchego and parmesan, and then baked with eggs and a crunchy bread crumb topping.  It makes a great brunch dish or can also be used as an accompaniment to some grilled meat or fish.  I hope you enjoy this colorful summer dish as much as I do.

Summer Squash Casserole | Gather & Dine

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Summer Squash Casserole
Serves: 6-8 side portions
 
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons butter, divided
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup finely chopped onion, about 1 medium onion
  • 1 medium zucchini (1 pound), medium diced
  • 1 medium yellow summer squash (1 pound), medium diced
  • 1 small tomato, seeded and medium diced
  • ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 cup grated manchego cheese, divided
  • 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs, divided*
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375. Lightly coat an 8x8-inch or similar size baking dish with olive oil.
  2. In a skillet, melt the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until onion softens and starts to become translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the zucchini, summer squash, and tomato and continue sautéing until zucchini and summer squash begin to soften, about 7-8 minutes. Allow the squash mixture to cool for 10 minutes.
  3. Stir in the parmesan, ¾ cup manchego, and ½ cup of breadcrumbs. Add the eggs, salt, and pepper and stir again. Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish.
  4. In a small bowl, mix together the remaining ¼ cup manchego and ½ cup bread crumbs. Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and drizzle over the breadcrumbs, tossing to ensure breadcrumbs are coated evenly. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs mixture over the summer squash mixture.
  5. Bake for 30 minutes, until the top becomes crisp and golden brown.
Notes
adapted from The Blackberry Farm Cookbook

*To make fresh bread crumbs, cut some day old bread into cubes and pulse in the food processor until bread becomes crumbly.

 


 

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