Roasted Squash with Lemon-Tahini Dressing

I got an acorn squash and a delicata squash at the East Liberty farmer's market on Monday, so it was a good time to try out this Bon Appetit recipe! We really liked the lemon-tahini sauce. It was all of our first time trying delicata squash, and it's really good! You can eat the skin of the delicata but not the acorn squash. I made it for part of our dinner last night (Michelle made curried cauliflower and enchiladas!) and then ate it again today for lunch with cream of spinach soup.

ROASTED SQUASH WITH LEMON-TAHINI DRESSING

Adapted from Bon Appetit


1 acorn or kabocha squash, washed and chopped into 1" wedges
1 delicata squash, washed and chopped into 1" wedges
7 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp tahini
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
crushed red pepper flakes

1. Preheat to 425°. Place acorn or kabocha squash on a rimmed baking sheet and delicata on a second sheet. Divide 3 tablespoons oil and 1 1/4 teaspoons cayenne between sheets. Season squash with salt and pepper; toss. Roast for 25 minutes or until at least most of the pieces of squash are browned. When you take them out, combine them into one dish to serve. 

2. Meanwhile, whisk lemon juice, tahini, and Greek yogurt in a small bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in remaining 3 tablespoons oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Transfer squash to a platter. Drizzle tahini sauce over and sprinkle with crushed red pepper flakes.

Curry Roasted Cauliflower with Cilantro pesto

I've been dreaming about making this cauliflower all day at work. It's a perfect cool, fall day for roasting vegetables in the oven. This is a take on the traditional tandoori roasted cauliflower. I decided to not make my own tandoori spice mix because of a lack of time. Instead, I mixed a couple different spices together and slathered it on the cauliflower. On the side we had some cilantro pesto that I had made earlier and some pickled red onion.

For the Spice Rub:
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 tbsp curry powder
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 lemon, zested and juiced

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Trim the stem of the cauliflower so it lays flat on a baking sheet. Then mix the spices with the yogurt and lemon juice. Spread the mixture generously all over the head of cauliflower.

Bake for about 35-45 minutes until the cauliflower is tender. Baking times will vary based on your oven and the size of the vegetable.
To serve: Slice and garnish with cilantro pesto and pickled red onions. Laura also made a lemon tahini (plus yogurt) dressing to go with some squash. It goes really well on the cauliflower too.

Cilantro Pesto (I found this recipe in a magazine a couple years ago and I've been making it ever since):

1/3 cup cashews (raw or toasted)
1 tsp curry
1 large bunch cilantro, just the leaves and the tender parts of the stems
salt and pepper
olive oil

Place the cashews (I've even used hazlenuts) and the curry into a food processor until chopped. Then add the leaves and process again. Add enough olive oil to form a paste. Season with salt and pepper.

This recipe makes more than you need as a garnish. This pesto is great on some raw zucchini noodles or even cooked zucchini.

Croque-Monsieur

Basically fancy French grilled cheese! It's really quick to make and can serve a lot of people if you use a long loaf. 

CROQUE-MONSIEUR
From Martha Stewart Living, Nov. 2011

1 1/4 cups whole milk (I used half & half)
2 tbsp unsalted butter
3 tbsp flour
3 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, divided (I used rosemary)
Coarse salt & freshly ground pepper
1 long loaf rustic bread, such as Ciabatta (I used TJ's Rustic Loaf)
3 tbsp Dijon mustard
3/4 lb sliced ham
4 cups grated Gruyere cheese (8 oz)
1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

Cashew Milk

Recently, I've been making my own nut milks instead of buying them for smoothies. They are surprisingly easy to make. I've only made cashew and hemp milk so far, as they don't require straining. This recipe is from Cookie and Kate!

1 cup cashews

4 cups water

2 tablespoons maple syrup (or honey)

1 pinch sea salt

1 tsp vanilla extract or 1 pinch cinnamon (optional)

Let cashews soak in a bowl of water overnight. Rinse and strain. Add cashews to blender with 2 cups water. Blend until smooth. Add the rest of the water, salt, sweetener, and other additions. Keep in refrigerator for a couple days.