Tag Archives: butternut squash

Butternut Squash and Kale Risotto in the Instant Pot

  By |
Leave a comment


Ingredients

  • 1.5 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons vegan butter
  • 1 medium yellow onion or 3 shallots, finely chopped
  • 4-8 cloves garlic
  • 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary and/or 2 tbsp sage chopped (optional)
  • 3 cups short-grained white rice
  • 1 cup white wine
  • 1 large butternut squash, peeled and cubed 
  • 1 medium bunch of kale, de-stemmed and chopped
  • 6 ½ cups veg broth 
  • 1 cup vegan parmesan cheese grated, about 2 ounces
  • Lemon juice (optional)
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Sauté the shallots or onion in the oil and butter for about 5 minutes. 
  2. Add garlic and cook for about 1 minute. You can add rosemary or sage here if you wish.
  3. Add the wine, using it to deglaze the pan, and allow it to come to a simmer.
  4. Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly, until the wine is absorbed. 
  5. Stir in the broth, kale, and squash.
  6. Pressure cook the risotto at high pressure for 6 minutes, then quick release. 
  7. If there is some liquid on top, gently stir it in.
  8. Add salt and pepper, cheese, parsley/sage, and lemon juice.
  9. Serve!

Spiced Butternut Squash

  By |
Leave a comment

I made fried tofu chicken last night. It was good, but I’m still tinkering with the recipe, so that’s not today’s post. On the side, we had this yummy butternut squash.

If you find butternut a hassle to prep, here is what I suggest.

Peel the outside with your favorite peeler. You don’t need to go all the way down the dark orange. Cut off the top and bottom either before peeling or after.

Slice the “neck” of the squash off. Now you have 2 pieces. The neck is pretty much ready for slicing and cubing.

For the bulb section, cut it in half and use a spoon to clean out the seeds. Now it’s also ready for slicing and cubing.

Preheat oven to 450*

Toss the squash in 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil per squash.

Add sea salt and pepper to taste. Then add 2 tablespoons brown sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon per squash. Toss and add about 1 teaspoon of fresh rosemary.

Arrange on your baking sheet. If you can give it more room it will roast faster. I had too much in the oven to use two baking sheets, so…

Mega Beta Carotene Soup

  By | ,
4 Comments

This is pretty similar to my pumpkin coconut curry soup, so I was going to skip posting it, but for posterity, and as an indicator of the flexibility of that recipe, here it is! Last night, this started because I had 1 cup of leftover pumpkin and several large sweet potatoes that had been roasted a few days ago. As I pondered them, I noticed a butternut squash on the counter and was off to the races!


1 butternut squash
3 large sweet potatoes
1 cup pureed pumpkin (you can leave this out)
4 cloves garlic minced
1 medium onion diced
2 T olive oil
5-7 cups faux or real chicken broth
1 can coconut milk
2-3 T curry powder
1 T red pepper
Salt to taste

Bake sweet potatoes and squash whole (slice a few holes in the squash) until soft. Saute the onions and garlic in the oil until translucent. Scoop the meat from the potatoes and squash into your pan with the onion and garlic mixture. Add the pumpkin, broth, and seasonings. Using a stick blender, puree the soup mixture. Allow to simmer over a low/medium heat 15 minutes. Add coconut milk. Here you can put in additional broth if needed. Heat another 5 minutes to let it warm through.

Serve alone or with a dollop of sour cream (real or vegan).