Butternut Squash Risotto

Mmm...Butternut squash is one of my favorite fall comfort foods, and this risotto did not disappoint. You could serve it as a main dish (makes about 4 servings), or a side, but be warned - you may want to eat the whole pan...



Ingredients:

1 medium-sized butternut squash

2 tbsp butter

1 small onion, chopped

1 1/4 cup Arborio rice

1/2 cup dry white wine, separated (I used a Chardonnay)

2 1/2 cups chicken stock, divided

5 oz. Proscuitto, cooked and cubed

1 1/2 tbsp fresh sage, chopped

1 1/2 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped

1 tbsp garlic powder

1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Carefully cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds.

Place face down on a cooking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 30 minutes at 425 degrees.

Once the squash has cooled, peel off the skin and mash in a bowl.

Saute onion in butter and 1/4 cup wine in a deep saute pan over medium-high heat until the onions begin to get soft. Stir in the rice, and continue to saute until the onion begins to brown.

Reduce heat to medium and pour in remaining 1/4 cup wine, and stir until all liquid is absorbed. 

Add 1/2 cup stock, 1/3 of the mashed squash, and garlic powder. Continue the cycle of stirring until liquid is absorbed and adding the stock in 1/2 cup increments and adding in the squash each time. When you add in the last of the squash, also add in the Proscuitto, sage, and thyme.

*Note - Before adding the last 1/2 cup of stock, do a quick taste test to see if the rice is done. You may not need the full 3 cups.

Continue to stir until all liquid is absorbed and the risotto is creamy. Mix in Parmesan, and add salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Source: Adapted from a recipe I found on allrecipes.com

Potato, Leek, and Feta Tart

Great as a side or as a stand-alone dish, this tart is a great addition to my recipe collection. I followed the original recipe (see end of post for source) exactly, and I have to say that there isn't much I would really change about it. You could, though, take the concept and play around with different veggies/fillings. Either way, this one's a keeper!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

2 leeks, cut into semi-circles (use both white and green parts)

2 small zucchini, cut into semi-circles

salt and pepper

1/2 cup crumbled Feta (I used fat-free)

2 tbsp chopped fresh dill

8 oz. red potatoes, thinly sliced
1 pie crust (can use the pre-made refrigerated kind from the grocery store)
Parchment paper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the leeks, zucchini, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper.

 

Stir occasionally, cooking until just tender. Stir in the feta and dill. Add the potatoes, and toss to combine all the ingredients.

Lay a piece of parchment paper on the counter. Using a rolling pin, roll the pie crust to about a 12-inch diameter. Slide the paper and the crust onto a baking sheet.

 

Leaving about a 2-inch border around the edges, scoop the veggie mixture onto the pie crust. Fold the edges in over the mixture.

Bake until the pie crust is golden brown and the potatoes are fully cooked, about 50-60 minutes. If the top starts to get too dark, you can cover it with foil. Remove from oven, cool, slice and serve.

Source: Real Simple recipe

Clay's Stuffed Peppers

This was one of the first dinners Clay made for me when we started dating. Needless to say, this recipe carries some sentimental value, but it also is just plain yummy. Over the years, we've made different variations, but so far I think this one is our favorite.

 Ingredients:
6 large bell peppers (any color)
1/2 medium red onion, diced
1 jalapeño pepper, diced
1 cup cooked rice (we used a wild rice mix)
1 1/4 cup diced tomatoes
10 oz. lean ground turkey breast
7 oz spicy Italian sausage
Barbecue Sauce (we used Sweet Baby Ray's)
1/2 reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese
Sriracha hot chile sauce (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cook rice according to package directions. While the rice is cooking, cut the top of the peppers off and emptying out the inside. Save half of the tops though as they will become part of the stuffing. Dice tops of peppers, jalapeño and onion.

Cook turkey and sausage together in a pan. When meat is about halfway cooked, add in onion, jalapeño and the diced pepper tops. Mix together and cook for about one minute. Mix in tomatoes.

Poke holes with a toothpick in the bottom of the peppers (3-4 per pepper). Fill each pepper halfway with meat/veggie mixture.

Add two tablespoons barbecue sauce, and then fill the rest of the way with meat mixture.

 Place peppers on a cooking rack on top of a pan to catch any drippings (or a roasting pan if you have one...mine seems to be MIA at the moment)

Bake peppers in the oven for 45 minutes on your lowest oven rack. Take them out and top each with 1 tbsp barbecue sauce and an even amount of cheese.

Bake for 10 minutes more, or until cheese is melted. Serve with extra barbecue sauce and Sriracha for dipping. (If you haven't had Sriracha before, a little bit goes a LONG way. If you don't like spicy food, I would definitely leave this out.)

Source: Lauren & Clay's kitchen!

Teriyaki Pork and Pineapple Skewers

Just a heads up - this recipe is best when the pork can marinate for about 2 hours. Trust me - it will be worth it!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup mirin (sweet rice wine - I found at Whole Foods in the international aisle)

1/2 cup sake (also found at Whole Foods)

1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce, plus 2 tbsp

1 lb pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into 24 pieces

1 medium red onion, cut into 1-inch pieces

24 cubes pineapple (I used one half of a pineapple)

2 tbsp corn starch

To make the marinade, combine the mirin, sake, and 1/4 cup soy sauce in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Continue to cook for about 10 minutes, or until reduced to about 2/3 to 1 cup. Remove from heat and let cool completely.

Place cubed pork into a bowl. Pour cooled marinade over top of the meat. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

 

Once meat has marinated for 2 hours, preheat grill to medium high heat. If you're going to be using wooden skewers, don't forget to soak them in water before using. Thread pieces of pork, pineapple, and onion on your skewers. Make sure you save the leftover marinade - it will become the sauce.

Grill the skewers over medium high heat until the meat is cooked throughout. (As luck would have it, it was raining when I made this recipe, so I actually ended up baking them on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray...hence the lack of grill pictures)

Now for the leftover marinade. While the skewers are cooking, pour the remaining marinade back into your sauce pan over medium-high heat. In a small bowl, whisk 2 tbsp corn starch into 2 tbsp soy sauce. Stir into marinade. Continue to heat and stir until the marinade turns into a thick glaze.

Serve pork, pineapple, and onion on or off the skewers, topped with leftover marinade glaze.

Source: Adapted from a Cooking Light recipe

Roasted Corn and Red Potato Salad with Jalapeño Vinaigrette

I made this potato salad for a tailgate this past weekend, and it was a hit! It's simple to make, and travels easily. Surprisingly, even with two jalapeños, it wasn't super spicy. If you like a little more of a kick, I would use 3 or even 4 jalapeños, depending on how much heat you want.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
6 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp pepper
3/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
2 jalapeño chiles, seeded and finely chopped
3 lbs red potatoes
4 ears of corn, with the husks still on

Preparation:
Preheat the broiler to roast the corn. Start boiling the potatoes (whole) in a pot of salted water until tender, about 20 minutes. Once cooked, remove from the pot and cool completely.

 Place corn, in husks, directly on the oven rack and broil, turning every few minutes until all sides are charred. Remove from the oven and let cool.

 
While the potatoes and corn are cooling, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper. Mix in the chiles and onions.

Once the potatoes and corn have cooled, chop the potatoes into bite-sized pieces and place in a large bowl. Remove the corn kernels from the cob and add to potatoes. Pour the vinaigrette over top and mix together. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Source: Every Day with Rachael Ray Magazine

Herbed Tuna Tomatoes

Ingredients:
2 large tomatoes
2 5oz cans of tuna in water, drained
2 tbsp capers
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 tbsp lemon zest
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp spicy mustard
1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp feta cheese

To begin, remove the tomato stems. Cut a wide circular opening in the top of the tomatoes and use a spoon to carefully scoop the insides of the tomato into a bowl.

Break apart any large tomato pieces, and pour into a colander to drain any extra juice. Make sure the tuna is well drained and add into the mixture. Mix in all of the remaining ingredients.

Spoon the mixture into the tomatoes, and sprinkle with a little bit of feta, if desired. These would also be great as appetizers - just use cherry tomatoes instead of the large ones.

Source: Adapted from a Real Simple recipe, found here.