FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

Smashed Squash

by

I can’t tell you enough about my thoughts on white potatoes and how they, unless completely masked by butter, garlic, and milk, are a total waste of time.  Years ago, mashed cauliflower came into the picture as a low-cal alternative.  It dawned on people that an otherwise tasteless veggie can be whipped into oblivion with creamy goodness and will taste good.  Genius, right?

My question is…  Why hasn’t the obsession been with flavorful root veggies that need minimal “fats” to get them to a tasty place?  Tonight I used severely out of season butternut squash.  But why not beets, rutabaga, or one of the gazillion other varieties of squash out there?  Maybe I’m getting crazy here.  Or… maybe I’m not.

FoodFash Smashed Squash (yields 4 servings)

1 butternut squash, cubed

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk

2 tablespoons Earth Balance (or butter)

garlic salt & pepper to taste

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place squash cubes on a greased cookie sheet, lightly spray with olive oil cooking spray, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake for 30 minutes.  In a mixing bowl, add squash, coconut oil, and Earth Balance.  Use a stand or electric mixer and mix on medium until all of the ingredients are blended.  Mix on high for a couple minutes until the squash looks whipped.   Add garlic salt to taste and then stir in the fresh basil.

After sampling my first bite, I had one of those this-dish-could-totally-be-served-at-my-favorite-restaurant smiles.  I dug everything about it.  Dairy free, slightly sweet, savory but light, and fresh.  Scooch on over white potatoes, smashed squash is where it’s at!

2012 WILD HARVEST Blogger Recipe Contest

by

The best thing about the Healthy Living Summit 2012 (so far) is receiving a big box of goodies from SUPERVALU INC. and being encouraged to get my  bake-on, stat!  The Summit is nearly six weeks away and, already, there’s some bonding action going on among the attendees that opted to participate in the WILD HARVEST Recipe Contest.  I can’t wait to see what my blogging buds come up with, but in the meantime, this is what I’ve been working on!

The big ol’ box contained so, so many goodies!  Animal crackers, granola, raisins, peanut butter, apple sauce, spices, beans, salsa.  Upon opening the box, I immediately started snacking on animal crackers while brainstorming potential breakfast ideas.  Moments later, Courtney warned me via Instagram that the animal crackers were no jokin’ good and to beware.  It was too late,  half the bag was already gone!!

The basis of the contest is to create a fun, healthy breakfast using at least three of the provided ingredients.  My initial reaction was to bake some sort of protein cookie using the peanut butter, granola, and raisins.  But after further thought, that recipe wouldn’t be very me.  A more me recipe would be a savory, eggy breakfast.

A savory, eggy breakfast using using some of the leftover pie crust from last weekend!

FoodFash Black Bean Quiche with Mango Peach Salsa (yields 6 servings)

1 batch of your favorite pie crust

1 can of WILD HARVEST black beans, drained and rinsed

1 bunch of green onions, finely sliced

2 packed tablespoons of chopped, fresh cilantro

3 eggs

1 cup of milk

1/2 to 1 teaspoon of WILD HARVEST cayenne pepper

salt to taste

serve with WILD HARVEST mango peach salsa

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Fill an uncooked pie shell with black beans, green onions, and cilantro.  Add eggs, milk, cayenne pepper, and salt into a blender and blend until slightly frothy.  Pour egg mixture over beans, making sure that most of the filling is covered with egg.  Bake for 50 minutes, rotating quiche once mid-way through baking.  Let quiche stand for 15 minutes before serving.  Serve with WILD HARVEST mango peach salsa and enjoy!

Man oh man am I happy I went the savory route.  The cayenne pepper adds that kick (that I find so necessary) and the mango peach salsa satisfies that sweet/salty craving that is so appropriate for brunch.  And not only is this breakfast such a weekend treat, it’s also filled with loads of protein and fiber – the perfect fuel for a weekend adventure!

*SUPERVALU INC. provided the above WILD HARVEST products for free for the purpose of this blog entry and the 2012 WILD HARVEST Blogger Recipe Contest.

Spicy Little Devils

by

In addition to tart and tasty lemon meringue pie, I also brought spicy sriracha deviled eggs to the lake house on Sunday.  Deviled eggs and pie?  Though not exactly coordinated in any way, shape, or form…  Nobody seemed to mind.

I had a huge fear that this batch of freshly bought eggs was going to give me trouble when it came to peeling, but they didn’t give me much trouble at all.  I added eggs, a splash of white vinegar, and a pinch of salt to a big ol’ pot of water, brought to a boil over high heat, then covered and reduced heat to low for 12 minutes.

FoodFash Sriracha Deviled Eggs

1 dozen boiled eggs, cooled

4 tablespoons mayonaise

2 tablespoons white vinegar

sriracha to taste

salt to taste

smoked paprika for garnish

Slice eggs in half and dump yolks into a medium-sized bowl.  Add mayo and vinegar and then whip until smooth.  Add sriracha to taste.  I ended up doing two rounds of squiggles (technical term), which added flavor without being too, too spicy.  Add salt to taste.  Stuff each egg with yolk filling and then sprinkle with smoked paprika.

I’ve come to the conclusion that social gatherings and deviled eggs should go hand in hand.  They are so super easy, so super delicious, and they make people crazy-like excited!

I’ve Missed You

by

Due to my recent obsession with cooking all things seafood, my kitchen and I have completely neglected tofu.  Who would have ever though fish would trump veg in the convenience department?  But even though that’s totally the case, I’ve been missing that little, white block of curd.

I forgot to press the tofu the night before, but pressing for an hour proved to be enough time.  I sliced the block in half and then made larger chunks than usual in an honest attempt to recreate yet another Whole Foods salad bar favorite.

Parchment paper.  Olive oil spray.  400 degree oven for 25 minutes on each side.  Perfection.

Soak up any excess grease with a paper towel, coat with some sawce, and put it in the fridge for tomorrow’s lunch.  I topped leftover garlicky kale with this tahini and white balsamic covered tofu and let me just tell ya, it was like going to the Whole Foods salad bar minus the gynorm line or expense.