***Happy Veterans Day to all of our troops and veterans.  Thank you for keeping us safe and for preserving our nation.***

***Thank you all for your well wishes and emails.  I’m feeling a little bit better today and thankfully, it wasn’t the flu of a pig-like nature.  I’m pretty sure it’s just the common cold.  But thank you so much for caring about Healthy Chow!***

Bet you’d never thought you’d hear those four words together, huh?  Well, I didn’t either until I decided after my previous posts on the kabocha/buttercup squash that my desire to cook more with this little blogosphere famous gourd just wasn’t satisfied yet.  And thus began my hunt for another recipe.  I saw many online for soups, purées and roasting and stuffing, which all sounded delicious, but didn’t really knock my socks off.  Finally, I stumbled upon a recipe for kabocha pie.  It looked just like a pumpkin pie (I guess it really is a pumpkin pie), but instead of it being sweet, it was savory.  I just had to give this a try.  I love quiches and pies, I love any kind of pumpkin and I love eating, so what other reason did I need to make this little yummy recipe? None.

That said, I began studying the recipe to see how I could ‘Healthy Chow-ify’ it.  When I say, ‘Healthy Chow-ify’, I mean make any substitutions that I’d prefer, do anything that would make the recipe simpler and use any ingredient that I have on hand versus having to buy new ones.  Why?  Because that’s how this girl rolls…

The kabocha pie recipe I found online called for a traditional pie crust.  Being that I’ve never made a real pie crust and those frozen ready-to-use ones sorta freak me out, I decided to make my own healthier version.  I figured since the kabocha would be pretty sturdy and not really watery/liquidy, the crust didn’t need to be too thick or ‘crusty’.  It just had to have some sort of a crunch and serve as a base for my beloved kabocha.  Sounds easy enough, right? Well, it was and it was actually one of the tastiest and easiest recipes I’ve made in quite some time.

Kabocha Tofu Zucchini Pie
Adapted from TheKitchn.com
Serves 6

For the crust:
From Bitsys Kitchen

• 1 3/4 cups of cooked brown rice (I used Lundberg’s Short Grain Brown Rice)
• 2 egg whites (or 1/3 cup of liquid egg whites)

1) Preheat the over to 350 degrees.

2) In a bowl, mix the cooked brown rice with the egg whites.  Then press the brown rice mixture into a pie plate that has been coated with cooking spray.

3) Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the rice starts getting crispy at the edges.

For the filling:

• 2 lbs. of kabocha, peeled, seeded, and cubed (about 4 cups)
• 1 TSP olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced (about 1 cup)
• 1 TBSP of garlic, minced
• 12 oz. of  firm tofu, mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 small-medium zucchini, sliced into half moon shapes
• 1 TBSP of fresh or 2 TSP of dried rosemary leaves, finely chopped
• few dashes of salt
• few dashes of white pepper
• few dashes of adobo powder
• few dashes of dried parsley
• 2 TBSP of cornstarch or arrowroot powder dissolved in 1 TBSP water (if necessary – I omitted this)
• 2 TBSP of agave nectar mixed with 1 TBSP of water (optional – I omitted this)

1) Keep the oven at 350 degrees after you’ve finished baking the crust.

2) Steam the squash until soft (about 15 minutes, you can do this while the crust is baking) and mash with a fork until you get the consistency of mashed potatoes.

3) In a large saucepan, begin heating the olive oil.  Add the onion and garlic and sauté for a few minutes or until the onion has softened and is translucent.

4) Add the steamed squash, tofu, zucchini, rosemary, adobo powder, dried parsley, salt, and white pepper and cook until heated through.  If you want your filling to be thicker, you can now add the dissolved arrowroot or cornstarch.

5) If you want a smoother texture for your filling, feel free to add the filling to a food processor or blender and purée.  I preferred a more rustic feel to my pie, so I left it as is.

6) Pour the filling into the pie crust.  Bake for 30 minutes or until the top of the pie starts to brown.  Optional: after 15 minutes in the oven, brush agave nectar and water mixture over the top of the pie to glaze.

7) Serve hot or warm.  But right out of the fridge isn’t so bad either!

Holy yum! This was ah.may.zing!  While this was supposed to be a savory dish, the kabocha kept this pie sweet, but definitely in a favorable way.  The tofu added some heft (and protein) to the recipe without adding any grease or an excess amount of fat.  I added the sliced zucchini because I wanted to add some vegetables to this recipe and because I thought it would taste and look good…and I was right on! However, the highlight of this dish had to be the rosemary.  While I used dried rosemary, the flavor was still quite apparent and paired ever so wonderfully with the kabocha.  It truly made the recipe!  I also used white pepper because I like the unique spice it brings to food and also because I didn’t want black specs in my pie (hey, presentation is key, right?).  The brown rice pie crust was a great complement to the kabocha tofu filling.  While a traditional pie crust would have been thicker and flakier and would have given the pie a more buttery taste, I liked the brown rice because it was heartier and gave the recipe an earthier feel.  And of course the brown rice was a healthier and lighter option.  The brown rice crust also held up quite well in the oven and didn’t break when I sliced the cooked pie.  Now that I know a brown rice crust is a great substitute for a savory pie, I can’t wait to do some more experimenting.  *Hint – look for more recipes like this on my blog in the near future

I’m so glad I decided to give another kabocha recipe a try.  This surely was a winner and came together quite easily.  The flavors from the various ingredients and seasonings played together so well and resulted in a great comfort food meal.  In addition, this pie was even better as a leftover as the flavors seemed to sink deeper into the kabocha overnight.  I almost forgot to mention that one slice was pretty filling (no pun intended) and was a nice quick dinner paired with a side salad.  Can you tell that I’m really digging this recipe?  Whenever I can find a recipe that’s healthy, inexpensive to make, delicious and unique, it’s truly a keeper. Now that’s truly a slice o’ heaven!

What’s your favorite spice or seasoning?  And how do you store your fresh herbs?  I love them but I can’t seem to use them fast enough before they go bad – any suggestions?

Namasté,
Nicole

I grew up on the eastern side of Massachusetts.  To get to Boston by car from my house, it would take you about 15 minutes.  All of my family lived within 30 minutes from my childhood home.  I attended college in Boston; it was about a ten minute drive from my house.  My first job after I graduated was in Waltham, another 15 minute drive from Boston.  And now I live in Boston.  Needless to say, Healthy Chow likes Massachusetts and the Boston area.  And why wouldn’t I?  Boston is a great place to be.  Suffice it to say, I never strayed too far from home.

However, when I met Patrick, I ‘discovered’ there was another side to Massachusetts.  Patrick is from Springfield, which is in western Massachusetts.  Perhaps I grew up in a box or I was just too ignorant to realize there was more to Massachusetts than what was within Route 128, but I had never been to western Massachusetts until I met my husband.  It’s a whole other world out there!  Where had I been?  What else was I missing out on?  Now whenever I go to Springfield or any other part of western Massachusetts, it’s like a pure adventure for me.  Instead of it being the other side of the state to me, I think of western Massachusetts as being the side of the state that needs to be explored.

Last Saturday when the sun was shining and the temperature was still warm enough where a coat was not needed, we decided on taking a day trip to visit Patrick’s parents.  Springfield is less than an hour and a half away from Boston and since we didn’t have much on our plate (notice the food reference) that afternoon, we figured it was the perfect time to make the trip out west.

For the car trip, I figured the most important thing other than gas was snacks (but I guess that’s gas for our bodies).  Since we were meeting Patrick’s parents for a late lunch/early dinner and I didn’t want to spoil my appetite, I only brought a few emergency essentials.

But of course as soon as we started driving by all the various rest stops along the highway and I kept seeing the signs for all the fast food restaurants, I started getting a hunger pang and immediately wanted something to eat.  Plus, since I hadn’t had my morning coffee, I knew that that was going to be on my agenda.  As we began pulling off the highway and onto the rest area to ‘rest’, I saw the most unusual thing.  It was a farmers market! Of course I jumped at the chance to go shopping (and take pics) and thus, jumped out of the car to check it out.  While the farmers market was a small one, they sold things such as locally preserved jams, raw honey, bee pollen, locally grown vegetables and fruits, flowers, fresh herbs and my personal favorite, honey crisp apples.

I really enjoyed both my coffee and fruit and yogurt parfait from Mickey D’s.  While it’s always tempting to be lured in by a hot and cheesy Egg McMuffin, I managed to stick to my guns and ordered a lighter, but still enjoyable meal.  It definitely hit the spot.  Plus, my refueling gave me the much needed energy to gaze at the beautiful scenery along the highway.  While it’s still a bit early for official leaf peeping, the trees and leaves were breathtaking and definitely ready for fall (or ‘to fall’).

I guess my picture taking and scene gazing really kept me busy because we made it to Springfield in no time.  And as we arrived at the door, we were greeted by a friendly face.  Lexi is my in-laws’ French Bulldog.  She’s only about a year and a half old (in human years) and is quite the energetic dog.  Don’t you just love that little face?

Because my mother-in-law is an avid reader and loves to clip out articles of interest from various newspapers and magazines for her children and children-in-law, Healthy Chow was armed with a healthy stack of good reading.  You know I love my recycled magazines and all those recipes you save me, El!  If you get a stack of reading material from this woman, you know she likes you.  By the looks of my stack, Ellen must really love me.  Thank you!  You’re the best, Ellie!  And no trip back to my in-laws’ would be the same if I didn’t get to check out some family photos.  I definitely found some good ones

Look at Patrick the studly soccer jock!

Awww, young love at the beach

While the sun was still shining, Ellen and I decided to take a short drive over to this newly developed shopping area in the neighboring town.  We visited a family member who works at Ann Taylor and chatted it up with her for a bit.   And then continued walking the shops and enjoying our day out in the sun.  It was such a fun afternoon and a lovely shopping area.  I’m glad I had the chance to visit.  Before we knew it, it was close to 5 pm and the ‘boys’ were at home waiting for us to have dinner.  Patrick went to watch his father referee a football game and what a perfect day it was for it.  There was not a cloud in the sky, nor a hint of a cool breeze.  It’s days like this where you cherish both the weather and the company you’re fortunate enough to keep.

My stomach was growling by the time we made it home to Patrick’s parents’ house.  So we quickly decided on one of our favorite places to go when we’re in the area.  We went to Ginger Blossom, a Chinese-American food restaurant a few minutes up the road.  It’s a cute little place that serves your standard Chinese-American cuisine, as well as sushi.  While Patrick and his dad ordered the sample appetizer platter (it was huge!) along with beef teriyaki and chicken fried rice for their entrée.  My mother-in-law and I shared some ‘lighter’ fare and opted for steamed shrimp with mixed vegetables and a lite ginger sauce on the side with brown rice.  Everything was sooooo good! I sampled a few items from the sampler platter and each bite was divine.  It’s always fun when the table shares their entrées and we can eat ‘family style’.  And my family certainly loves to share.  I’m truly blessed with having such wonderful people in my life!

Because it was still light out and we needed wanted to burn off some of the food we had just savored, we decided to go for a ride to Randall’s Farm and Greenhouse in Ludlow.  This place was so amazing!  I had no idea this place even existed.  It’s essentially a large farm stand/marketplace with a bakery, a deli, a greenhouse selling plants and flowers, a huge produce section, a grocery aisle with various gourmet and gluten-free items, a large selection of beer and wine and my personal favorite, the creamery.  The creamery was Randall’s spot to get ice cream and frozen yogurt.  They had picnic tables set-up outside but because it was now dark and the temperature was no longer ‘Indian summer-esque’, we decided to take our dessert inside.  We found an open table in the greenhouse and had some of the best ice cream I’ve ever tasted.  I didn’t order my own ice cream, instead I helped myself to shared everyone else’s dessert.  That way, I was able to get the best of everyone’s world (sorry, at this point my camera battery decided to go nighty-night.  So, you’ll have to envision some gorgeous ice cream and a gorgeous girl eating it (that would be me!) ).

What a great day it truly was!  Again, I had the opportunity to visit the ‘other side’ of the state and experience some of the things I would have missed if I had not made the choice to venture out.  I was able to spend time with my in-laws, have a lovely time shopping with my mother-in-law, enjoy some yummy food (and dessert) and visit both a farmers market and farm.  It was one of those glorious days that just sort of piece together by chance.  Who says you have to travel far in order to have a mini adventure?  If you can stay at home and have a ’stay-cation’, then you can certainly visit another part of your state or hometown and make it an ‘explor-stay-tion’.

This was a little sign I saw being sold at Randall’s Farm.  I thought it was such an appropriate notion with which to end our wonderful day…

Do you like seasonal flavored foods like the pumpkin and spiced apple flavored ice cream at Randall’s?  If so, what is your favorite?

***I just wanted to wish my mother a happy birthday!  Happy birthday, Mom!  I love you and I hope you have an amazing day!  I love you!***

Namasté,
Nicole