I'm currently on my third double chocolate cookie despite having all sorts of recipe testing leftovers in the fridge I could cobble into a more nutritious lunch. Can cookies be lunch? I could swipe almond butter on top for protein. Why didn't I give these away like I said I would? 'Tis the season I suppose; always makes me feel like baking, it's getting the baked goods out the door that appears to be the challenge. So in between, there are easy dinners. I have been asked three times for a butternut squash soup recipe by different friends or readers and I realize we only have this stew to reference. I generally prefer my soups chunky, but let's add a pureed one to the archives for good measure. I saw this one while flipping through Melissa Clarks' recent book and it sounded too perfectly simple and spiced not to try. Plus, I had all the ingredients. I swapped in a little curry powder for some of the cumin, added ginger at the end and garnished it with a bit of cilantro and toasted coconut. Optional changes, of course. Cheers to easy dinners, and cookies too, of course.
I find soup thickness to be a matter of taste. You can always add more broth at the end to thin it, but it's tough to go the other way. Start with the yields below, and you can thin it out after if need be.
3 Tbsp. ghee or coconut oil 1 yellow onion, peeled and chopped 4 cloves garlic, chopped 2 Tbsp. tomato paste 1 tsp. cumin 1 tsp. curry powder pinch of cayenne 3/4 tsp. sea salt fresh black pepper 1 cup red lentils 12 ounces peeled and chopped butternut squash (about one medium squash) 1 qt. low sodium vegetable or chicken broth 13.5 ounce can of coconut milk fresh ginger, to taste fresh lime juice, to taste
cilantro and toasted coconut, for garnish
In a large dutch oven over medium heat, warm the ghee or coconut oil. Add the onion and garlic and saute until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the tomato paste, cumin, curry powder, cayenne, salt and pepper to taste. Cook another minute. Add the lentils, squash, broth and bring it up to a simmer. Turn the heat down to low and cook, partially covered, for 30 minutes until the squash is tender. Stir in the coconut milk to warm through and add grated ginger and fresh lime juice to taste (I used about a 2" nub of ginger and 1 whole lime). Use a blender or immersion blender to make a chunky puree. Season to taste. It probably needs a bit more salt but that is to your discretion.
Garnish to fresh cilantro and toasted coconut. Leftovers will keep covered in the fridge for a week.
I know they get overdone but I love a good gift guide. I think I end up buying more things for myself than I do for other people, but they serve their purpose for sure. You get new ideas from sites and brands you otherwise may not have heard of and I just like them. So in no particular order, are a few things we've either really enjoyed this year, or wish we can enjoy in the future or will be gifting to someone else. Hugh's recommendations are marked with an (H). Thanks!
Donations
We hosted a few dinners this year to benefit the International Rescue Committee. You can read more about them on their site. If you are looking to make some year end donations yourself, or give on behalf of someone else as a gift. We have done some research (Charity Watch helps you look further into the details of specific charities) and are also giving to International Justice Mission and A21.
We spend a lot of time at the beach. After finally wearing through a fairly useless umbrella we had for years, we replaced her with the most well made umbrella I've ever seen. They have all metal hardware, a solid wood stand, the fabric is sturdy and not to mention absolutely beautiful. We have one of the beach tents that the kids settle into as their special fort, but the umbrellas are a little easier set up and I'm certain it will outlive me. They are even offering you lovely people a 20% code! Use SPROUTED20 at checkout.
First off, the packaging is simple and smart. Second, this stuff is delicious. The spicy honey with cheese is perfect and I've roasted Brussels with the spicy maple and oil. Hugh lacquered some of his bacon in the coffee maple before baking and still talks about it. You get free shipping when you order three things and I see no reason why you would not.
(Speaking of other food gifts, loving this Central Coast Family Farm pretty olive oil for special cocasions)
I know this is limited to the West Coast and Chicago at this time, but they're expanding! So hear me out. If you've been following along here for awhile, I've been a long time proponent of a local CSA box program. I took a break from them for a couple seasons because I was getting burnt out of the same things and lack of flexibility, but have recently been into Imperfect Produce. It's a weekly produce box, with the option of customization (brilliant!) so I can opt out of the potatoes if we still have some from last week, and add more squash, for example. They offer gift certificates, and while this may only be a gift for the right kind of person (read:me), our pediatrician once wisely suggested that it is better to gift a family healthy food above more plastic. Merrrrrry Christmas, kids ;)
I am actually not a big essential oils gal (though I do have this diffuser on my list because I want my house to smell nice), HOWEVER, I rub the sleep and immunity rollers on my kids every night because... why not? Does my son still wake up at 5am before the sun? Yes, yes he does, but at least he smells dreamy.
As his biggest fan, I understand my bias here, but I think these photos are beautiful. The thing about Hugh's talent, is that as his work lies largely in weddings and food, we miss where his heart and eyes are most drawn to: the ocean, waves, a quiet desert landscape, the beauty of the world around us. He takes in so much visually, things I wouldn't have noticed; to experience his photos is to see a piece of him. He just started a print shop and will be adding to it slowly. A super generous Santa brought him a drone this year, so stay tuned for more aerial images as well. For the rest of this month, you can use the code SK20 for 20% off your order. It is too late for framing, but if you order by December 12th, they will arrive by Christmas.
I can't believe this item hadn't made it into previous years gift guides at any point... we use this every day, multiple times a day. Coffee. Tea. Give it to me faster and at a more precise temperature and at the push of a button AND without me having to manage the target temperature. And keep it there for up to an hour for when I get distracted. This thing is worth every penny.
More coffee gear? Ok. Sara got me this grinder for my birthday this year and I love it. We primarily brew pour over around here so the primary bottleneck in quality has always been the grinder. I've slowly upgraded grinders over the years and always been slightly disappointed that I couldn't quite get the cup of coffee I knew was possible because I was skimping (even after dishing out for relatively expensive machines, like our previous Virtuoso) on the grinder. Anyway, this grinder finally unlocked the potential of that cup of pour over. Cheers.
Curran (3.5) actually got these last Christmas, by recommendation of my sister is law, and they are great. I can't say there are many toys that he is happy to play with on his own. All sides are magnetic, so they're a little easier to build than traditional blocks. They also make a 100 piece set if you're wanting to invest deeper into the set, but either way, I would swear by these for any kid over 3.
Books:
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat I don'd think I've waxed poetic enough about how much I love this book. I haven't tried too many of the recipes to be honest, but Samins' writing is so charming, easy to read and helpful. It's unlike any other food related book I own and I think it'd make a great gift for both a beginner cook or just someone who loves to learn from another perspective.
This was a surprisingly engaging read. Speculative fiction often times demands too much suspension of disbelief for my taste, but something about the character's plight in this story hooked me. It's a fast paced romp through the multiverse (or at least a small part of a Many Worlds version... ok good talk).
If you're familiar with the Liturgists Podcast, this author's name may look familiar. This may not be for everybody on your shopping list, but this title claimed my prestigious "Most Underlined and Dogeared Book" award for the year. I mean, a cover blurb from Richard Rohr is pretty cool too, I guess.
Lastly, if you're still looking for more ideas, you can take a peek at our previous gift guides:
We've talked potatoes and pumpkin pie to death so let's move on to solving dinner problems for all other days of the year. I would take one of these lasagna squashes over a majorly brown thanksgiving plate any day. Sorry, bah humbug. Last year, I had dinner with some of my dearest college girlfriends at Malibu Farms (have you seen their cookbook? It's beautiful and casual and colorful) and I still think of this spaghetti squash dish we shared. It was creamy, but not overly so, could be ordered vegetarian or not, tasted like comfort food but didn't sit in your gut as such. I know in the season of cooking and romantically long prep time with your glass of wine and holiday tunes, this recipe may come off as old news, but a simple dinner is what I am more interested in in the long term. I made four, and my kids mostly poked at it. They saves well and can handle a reheat the following day or perhaps you have another couple over to share. I made a few notes in the headnote on meal suggestions. Grateful for this space - that my life and cooking may grow and change and these pages reflect the process of such. Happy belated Thanksgiving to you, lovelies.
LASAGNA STYLE SPAGHETTI SQUASH // Serves 4 I served this with a simple arugula salad on the side. If you have animal-protein-hungry people in your life, brown some ground turkey or beef and add it to the marinara layer. The squash can be roasted in advance to get ahead and everything else comes together pretty quickly. No dairy? Kite Hill makes a fabulous almond based ricotta if you can find it (try Whole Foods) and maybe you can top it with some toasted breadcrumbs or pine nuts to give it the richness it will lack from the other cheeses. Trader Joes also started carrying a premade, vegan cashew pesto in the fridge section that I imagine would be lovely mixed in with the shredded squash layer. I trust you can make adjustments where needed.
2 small spaghetti squash extra virgin olive oil salt and pepper 1/2 a yellow onion, chopped 3 cloves garlic, sliced thin 8-10 oz baby spinach or kale 8 oz./ 1 cup ricotta 1 tsp. dried Italian herbs (or dried oregano or fennel seeds if that's what you have) 4 oz. / 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella, plus more for topping 1/3 cup parmesan, divided juice of half a lemon 2 cups homemade or your favorite store-bought marinara fresh parsley, for garnish
Preheat the oven to 400'. Halve your squash and scoop out the seeds. Rub all sides with a thin coat of oil and roast the squash, cut side down, for about 45 minutes, or until the squash shreds easily. Let them cool for 15 minutes and then carefully shred all the strands into a bowl, keeping the squash shell intact. Reserve squash shells. Squeeze them with a dishtowel to remove some of the moisture if the squash looks soggy. Warm a generous tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions along with a pinch of salt and saute for a few minutes until fragrant and softened. Add the garlic and saute another minute. Add the baby spinach and saute until just wilted, about 1-2 minutes. Add the spinach to the bowl of squash, along with the ricotta, dried herbs, mozzarella, half of the parmesan and the juice of half a lemon. Stir everything to mix. Taste for salt and pepper, it will likely need both. Line the bottoms of the squash shells with marinara and sort of push it up the sides. Add the cooked ground meat here, if using. Be generous on the sauce, it needs the acid to balance the creaminess. Distribute the squash mixture on top. Sprinkle the tops with a little extra mozzarella and parmesan. Line a baking tray with parchment and bake the squash for 20 minutes to warm through. Broil them for a couple minutes at the end to finish and brown the tops. Garnish the tops with fresh parsley and serve warm.
