***My apologies for not posting on Monday.  My computer was de-fragmenting and going through a thorough scan for most of the day, and I wasn’t able to have access to it.  Thank you for your patience, as always.***

Before you scream, “eeeewwwww, that is so gross,” please know that Healthy Chow is not losing her mind.  Do you really think I would put seafood in a baked good?!  C’mon! Have a little faith in me, people!  The thought of biting into a sweet treat like a muffin and then tasting crustacean, would be awful.  But brussels sprouts?  Now we’re talkin’!

Hey, if it’s OK to put tofu in bars, pumpkin in lasagna and sweet potato in brownies, why not brussels sprouts in muffins?  I never thought blending spinach with a frozen banana would yield such an addicting smoothie (or such a lovable monster), but we all know by now how popular that turned out.  So, I figured sneaking in another green into another one of my beloved foods would be a great idea.  After all, a baked good is still a baked good, regardless if it’s filled with sugar or a nutritious little sprout from Brussels.

C.R.A.B. Muffins (Carrot. Raisin. Almond. Brussels sprout)
Makes 10 regular sized muffins

• 1/2 cup of dry oats, ground into oat flour (dry oats ground until they reach a flour-like consistency)
• 3/4 cup of whole wheat flour
• 1/3 cup of evaporated cane juice (I used Florida Crystals)
• 1/2 TBSP of cinnamon
• 1/4 of TSP of nutmeg
• 1/4 TSP of ground ginger
• 1 TSP of baking powder
• 1/4 TSP of baking soda
• 1/4 TSP of salt
• 1/2 cup of raw carrots, grated
• 1/4 cup raw brussels sprouts, minced
• 1.5 oz. of raisins
• 16 raw almonds, chopped (not sure why I selected ‘16′?)
• 1 TBSP of ground flax mixed with 3 TBSP of warm water
• 1/4 cup of lite silken tofu (I used Nasoya brand)
• 1/2 cup of Libby’s 100% Pure Pumpkin
• 1/4 cup of applesauce, unsweetened
• 1/2 TBSP of vanilla extract

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2) If you haven’t already done so, make the oat flour (I used my food chopper, but feel free to blend the oats in a food processor or blender until you reach a flour-like consistency).  Also, now would also be a good time to mix the ground flax with warm water.  Allow the flax mixture to sit for 5 minutes.

3) In a food processor or blender, add the ground flax mixture, tofu, pumpkin, applesauce, and vanilla.  Blend until everything is smooth.  Set aside.

4) In a large bowl, mix together the oat flour, whole wheat flour, evaporated cane juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Then, add in the carrots, brussels sprouts, almonds and raisins.  Finally, add in the flax/tofu/pumpkin mixture.  Mix until everything is just moistened.

5) In greased regular-sized muffin trays or paper-lined muffin trays, spoon in the batter filling the cups about 3/4 full.  Bake for 15 – 20 minutes, or until the tops start browning a bit and are still slightly ’springy’ to the touch.  Allow muffins to cool in the trays for 5 – 7 minutes before removing.

Hmmm, a baked good never tasted so healthy!  Similar to how zucchini seems to ‘disappear’ into muffins and/or breads, you couldn’t taste the brussels sprouts in this recipe.  In fact, all the brussels sprouts did was add a lovely fleck of green to the muffin, as well as a subtle crunch.  Because there were raisins, carrots, evaporated cane juice and pumpkin in this baked good, it was sweet and certainly not ‘veggie-esque’ in tasting.  In fact, the ground ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon gave this muffin a nice spicy kick.  Paired with a hot cup of coffee and a light schmear of buttery spread, this muffin made for a top notch breakfast.  You’ve got your vegetables, protein and omega 3’s all rolled into one little tasty treat.  Not to mention, this muffin doesn’t have any oil, eggs, dairy (it’s vegan friendly) or added fat.

So are you still thinking that adding brussels sprouts to muffins is a zany idea?  Well, yes, it just might be, but the taste will not only surprise you, but it will make you wonder what other vegetables you can sneak into your otherwise boring foods.   Now, I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with a chocolate chip muffin or fudge brownie, but when you make your baked goods multi-task for you in terms of tasting good, filling your tummy and pumping you with vitamins and nutrients, there’s nothing crazy about that.

What kind of food are you dying to try?  Or, what kind of food have you recently tried and loved/not-so-loved?

Namasté,
Nicole

***Thank you so much for your concern and well wishes for me and my car.  I can’t tell you how much your kind and sweet words mean to me.  You made a dismal week a brighter one, and further proved to me that no person can ever take away the things that truly matter most to me.  I am blessed!  Thank you!!!***

Growing up in my household, tofu was a family favorite at the dinner table.  My grandmother added it to soups, stir-fried it with vegetables and often times, it was served as one of the main entrées.  I love the silky texture of tofu and how it can be easily added to practically any dish.  It soaks up any flavor you add to it and can be prepared in so many different ways.  At our house, tofu was as common as sliced bread.  For that reason, I tend to assume that my husband everybody is as fond of tofu as me.  Yeah, not so much…

Image Credit – polyvore.com

But I like a challenge and I’m not one to give something just one try.  I was a woman on a mission.  After a few less-than-stellar attempts at eliciting an enthusiastic response from Patrick on my tofu,  I decided to try something completely different.  Instead of just stir-frying or sautéing the tofu in various sauces and seasonings, I realized I needed to go down a whole other route.  If Patrick wasn’t so keen on the taste of tofu, perhaps I should try to make the tofu taste more like something else?  But just what could I magically transform this brick of protein to taste like?

Spicy Flax-coated Peanut Tofu
Makes 10 slices (serves 3)

• 1 brick of extra firm or firm tofu (I used Trader Joe’s brand)
• 2 TBSP of peanut satay sauce (I used Trader Joe’s brand)
• 1/2 TSP of sesame oil
• 1/2 TSP of garlic powder
• 1/2 TSP of ground ginger
• 1 TSP of dried cilantro
• a dash of cayenne pepper (you can use as much or as little as you’d like)
• dash of white pepper
• 1 TSP of lime juice
• 1 TSP of soy sauce
• 1/3 cup of liquid egg whites
• 1/3 cup of ground flax

Getting ready for the tofu…

Ooops, I forgot to add these…

1) Drain the tofu after opening the package.  Pat dry the tofu and roll in paper towels.  Place the paper towel-wrapped tofu between two plates with something heavy on top.  I used a tea kettle filled with water.  You could use a heavy frying pan, a book, a bowl full of fruit, etc.  Let the tofu press between the two plates for about 20 minutes.

Right out of the package…

All wrapped up…

Pressing…

2) While your tofu is being pressed, combine the peanut satay sauce, sesame oil, garlic powder, ground ginger, dried cilantro, cayenne pepper, white pepper, lime juice and soy sauce in a medium-sized bowl.   Mix until well-blended.  Set aside.

The mix…

3) Once your tofu has been pressed and most of the liquid is gone, slice crosswise into 10 slices.

Sliced…

4) In a shallow bowl, add your egg whites.  In another shallow bowl, add your ground flax.  Line up your three bowls to create a dredging station.

5) Dip each piece of tofu in the egg whites, then the peanut satay mixture and finally, the ground flax.  Make sure each piece is well-coated.

6) Let the coated tofu sit and marinate in the fridge for about an hour.

7) Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.  Lightly cover an aluminum foil-covered baking sheet with cooking spray.  Place the tofu on the baking sheet in a single layer.

Oven ready…

Up close and personal…

8 ) Bake for 30 – 35 minutes, flipping your tofu about halfway through.  I cooked mine for 33 minutes and flipped after 18 minutes of cooking.  FYI, you don’t want to overcook your tofu.  Your tofu should still be somewhat soft to the touch when it’s done cooking.

They tend to puff out a bit while baking…

Baked to perfection!

My attempt at making a tofu dish, not taste like tofu, was a big success!  The ground flax coating gave the tofu an almost crispy fried taste and feel, without the grease and unhealthy fat.  The peanut satay sauce, along with the cayenne pepper and sesame oil, gave the tofu a unique spicy flavor.  There was a hint of spiciness, a bit of sweetness and then some savory all rolled into one.  The toasted ground flax gave this dish a nice subtle crunch and complemented the chewy texture that baked tofu tends to take on.  I really enjoyed the various textures in this recipe.  I think some are turned off by the mushiness of tofu, and baking tofu that has been previously pressed definitely removes this factor.  If you haven’t tried pressing your tofu before baking it, I highly recommend it.  It makes a huge difference!

Lotsa green with some protein!

Looks just like chicken…

Not only did I think my tofu recipe was pretty tasty, but Patrick really enjoyed it as well.  I served it with steamed spinach and broccoli and used honey mustard as a dipping sauce (in hindsight, I think a sauce made of Greek yogurt,  fresh cilantro, lime and garlic would have been fabulous!  There’s always next time…).  I didn’t tell Patrick what we were eating until after he took a bite.  He said it tasted good and wanted to know what he was eating.  When I told Patrick it was tofu, he laughed and said it tasted nothing like it.  He could hardly believe that it was baked, and not fried, and that he wasn’t consuming meat.  In fact the most memorable line of the night from Patrick was, “Wow, this is amazing!  They taste just like Wendy’s chicken tenders!”  Hahaha!  I’m not sure if I should take that as a compliment or as an insult, but if Patrick’s happy, then I’m happy!

Do you have any recipes or tricks for making certain foods taste like other foods?  I like being ‘fooled’ by food! Do you have a favorite tofu recipe?

Namasté,
Nicole

While I’m doing well finding my way around the kitchen, there are still some things that ‘freak’ me out a bit.  Among those things are baking my own bread with yeast, boiling a live lobster, deep frying anything (I don’t like splatter.  TWSS!), fileting a fish, making my own cheese and cooking a very large piece of meat (whole chicken or turkey, ham, prime rib, etc.).  I’m not sure why I have these nutty fears over such silly little food-related things (maybe I’m just cray-cray?)  But a few weeks ago, I decided that I had enough of being scared and decided I was going to conquer one of my fears head-on.  And what better time to bite the bullet than on a big holiday?  Healthy Chow says there isn’t any!

That said, when my brother-in-law announced that he was going to be holding Christmas Eve dinner at his apartment, the rest of the family volunteered to pitch-in and help out with the menu for the evening.  Since my mother-in-law was bringing a lasagna, my sister-in-law was bringing an appetizer, a vegetable dish and dessert, and my brother-in-law was supplying an array of finger food, the thing that was missing was a main entrée.  Ding, ding, ding, ding!!!  Do you hear the bell?  It’s telling Healthy Chow to buck up and make the main course.  And being that it was Christmas Eve, a traditional baked ham would be the perfect idea.  Take a deep breath, Healthy Chow, the plane is at the perfect altitude and it’s time to jump…

Baked Ham with Tangy Honey Citrus Glaze
Adapted from Allrecipes.com and Cooksham.com

• 1 (10 lb.) fully-cooked, bone-in ham, spiral-cut (I used a Cook’s ham)
• 1 3/4 cups packed light brown sugar
• 2/3 cup pineapple juice (reserved juice from the canned pineapple – I used Dole brand)
• 1/2 cup honey (I used Nature’s Promise brand)
• 1/2 medium orange, juiced and zested and 1 medium orange sliced
• 1/3 cup of orange juice
• 2 1/2 TBSP Dijon mustard (I used Grey Poupon)
• 1/4 TSP ground cloves (I omitted these, but I’m sure they would be delish)
• 1/4 TSP of ground ginger
• 1/4 TSP of cinnamon
• 2 TSP of cornstarch mixed in 1/4 cup of warm water(to thicken glaze)
• 3  20 oz. cans of pineapple rings, in pineapple juice (for covering ham while baking and for garnish)
• toothpicks
• 1 lb. bag of carrots (for a make-shift roasting rack)
• fresh parsley for garnish
• meat thermometer

1) Make sure to take your ham out of the fridge to let it sit at room temperature two hours prior to cooking.  This will help to ensure even cooking.

2) Take the wrapping off of the ham and discard the glaze (you’re going to be making your own!).  Give it a quick rinse and gently pat dry with paper towels.

3) Preheat oven to 275.  Since I don’t own a large roasting pan or roasting rack, I used a disposable aluminum pan and lined the bottom of the pan with carrots.  The carrots acted as a mechanism to lift the ham from the bottom of the pan.

Mighty carrots!

4) Place the ham in the roasting pan, face down on the carrots.  Cover the ham with pineapple rings by inserting the toothpick into the ham and then letting the pineapple ring suspend from the toothpick.  Cover as much of the ham with the pineapple rings as possible.

A big hunk o’ meat!

Ain’t she festive?

5) Cover the pineapple-covered ham loosely, but not entirely, with an aluminum foil tent without letting the foil touch the ham.  I poked a hole in the foil with a toothpick to prevent this from happening.

The ham in playing peek-a-boo with me!

6)  In a medium saucepan, combine brown sugar, pineapple juice, honey, freshly squeezed orange juice, orange zest, orange juice, Dijon mustard, ground ginger and ground cinnamon.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Set aside.

Not sure why my Dijon wouldn’t dissolve?

7) Bake ham in preheated oven for 2 hours.  Remove ham from oven, and brush with glaze (after 1 hour and 15 minutes of cooking).  Bake for an additional 45 minutes, brushing ham with glaze every 10 minutes.  When glazing, make sure to cover the entire ham; don’t be afraid to get into the crevices of the pineapple rings and ham.  You want the glaze coating everything!

Gettin’ all glaze-y!

Healthy Chow in action!

8 ) When it’s done (thermometer says 140 degrees), take the ham out and let sit on counter for a few minutes.  Baste one more time with glaze and cover with foil until serving.

All done!

9) Heat the remaining glaze on medium heat and stir in the cornstarch mixture.  Keep stirring until the glaze begins to thicken.  Once thickened to your liking, remove from heat.

10) When you are ready to serve your ham, remove the pineapple and toothpicks (I discarded the pineapple).  Garnish your platter with the orange slices and parsley.

The garnish is ready…!

11) Since this ham is pre-sliced, it’s easy to cut and ready to eat!  Drizzle the glaze over the ham and serve with pineapple rings.

Technically, this isn’t actually ‘baking’ a ham.  Since this ham is already pre-cooked, it’s more like ‘reheating’.  Thus, you don’t have to be afraid of the ham being undercooked.  It still will take about two hours to reheat the ham thoroughly (for a 10 lb. fully cooked, bone-in ham) and there is preparation for the glaze.  Therefore, in my opinion, this IS cooking.  I know hams often times come with their own glaze, but I wanted to make mine from scratch.  This glaze recipe had just the right amount of citrus, tang and sweetness.  I also liked the flavor the Dijon mustard added to the glaze – it gave it a unique kick.  It was a delicious glaze to use on the ham while baking and it was just as good as a gravy.  Trust me, it may seem like a ton of glaze, but you will want to have more than enough on hand for leftovers.  The tenting method of the aluminum foil helped to cause a steaming effect while the ham baked.  It wasn’t dry at all and in fact, was really moist.  The pineapple rings covered in the glaze helped to nicely caramelize the ham.  The saltiness of the ham combined with the sweetness from the glaze and pineapple created the ultimate sweet and savory combination.  It was a definite hit!

Image Credit – happierhomes.com

Adding the garnish of the orange slices and parsley definitely probably wasn’t necessary, but in my mind, presentation is key.  I like garnishing dishes with an ingredient that’s in the dish.  Thus, the orange slices fulfilled that goal and added a nice punch of color, along with the fresh parsley, to the platter.  Don’t forget, we do tend to eat with our eyes!  And while our eyes were happy seeing the ham, our stomachs were even happier with this dish in them.  I made more than enough ham (and glaze) for our Christmas Eve dinner, but having leftovers certainly wasn’t a problem.  We made ham and cheese sandwiches, ham and spinach omelets and of course, cold ham straight out of the fridge was a popular choice.  It was another gift that kept on giving!

If you can’t already tell, I was more than pleased with my baked (reheated) ham.  My fear of cooking a big piece of meat was one that was conquered and one that is now just a fleeting memory.  I can’t believe I was so intimidated?  But when you do your research, are prepared and realize that this is only as hard as you make it, it’s not so bad.  Actually, it was pretty damn great, if I do say so myself.  That said and my new found cooking confidence in me, you just might see some of my other cooking fears being conquered on this blog.  Now, who’s in the mood for some deep-fried Oreos with a loaf of homemade sourdough?  Hmmm….

Do you like to research and review recipes (I’m a fan of reading the readers’ comments) before making something or do you just like to wing it?

Namasté,
Nicole

If you read yesterday’s post, you’ll know I met a new orange gourd, fell in love and now we are running off and having a gang of gorgeous gourd-y babies.  Hehehe, I don’t know, but sometimes I think Healthy Chow is losing her mind! Anyway, I recently prepped and baked a kabocha and with the cooked and well-seasoned pieces, I made some meals that were reminiscent of these posts.  If convenience is king (or queen), then I’m a huge fan of the Royal Family.  You really can’t beat whipping up a fantastic tasting and healthy meal in under 30 minutes.  Hey, no wonder that Rachael Ray is so dang popular (I promise I won’t say ‘ee-vee-oh-oh’ or ‘into the hot tub these kiddies go’ in this post)!

OK, so let’s recap what I already made with my first ever kabocha.  After baking the cubed kabocha in olive oil and a ton of spices and seasonings, I made a simple whole wheat pasta dish with baby spinach, cannellini beans and ricotta cheese.  And, with almost the same ingredients I used in the pasta dish, I converted the recipe into omelet form.  But what else can one do with a squash? Hold onto your socks and I will show you…

Wrapped Up with Kabocha

If you like pressed sammies, paninis, wraps or toasty burritos, then this little delight is for you.  On a Joseph’s Flax, Oatbran and Whole Wheat Flour Tortilla, I spread 2 tablespoons of Cedar’s Roasted Red Pepper Hummus along with a Laughing Cow Light Original Swiss cheese wedge.  Then, I layered a handful of baby spinach and a few cubes of my cooked kabocha.  I rolled it up in a burrito-style fashion and toasted it on my panini press for a few minutes until the top started getting all roasty toasty.  Once the cheese starts oozing out and sizzling on the panini press (actually, don’t wait for that!), remove your wrap and cut in half to allow some of the heat to escape.  Once cooled, it’s time to devour! Oh me, oh my!  The warmed kabocha against the creamy hummus and swiss cheese was sensational.  I didn’t think a wrap as simple as this could taste so extraordinary.  Plus, how can you not love those colors together?

Everything in the Pot Kabocha Stir-Fry

With my last remaining pieces of kabocha (sniff, sniff), I decided to not only polish off my orange fibrous gourd, but I also decided to use up the remnants of anything else I could find in my fridge, freezer and cupboards.  That said, I began my hunt for anything that would taste good (fingers crossed) with my kabocha in a stir-fry.  I found about 4 oz. of Trader Joe’s firm tofu, about a cup and a half of Trader Joe’s frozen broccoli (thawed), some sliced white mushrooms, some raisins and a macoun apple.  In a large frying pan, I heated up 2 teaspoons of Smart Balance Light.  Once melted, I added my macoun apple, which I chopped into bite-sized pieces.  I then added some more spices and seasonings (it couldn’t hurt, right?): ground ginger, cinnamon, cumin, nutmeg, white pepper, curry powder and dried cilantro.  Once the apple pieces began softening and drowning browning in the pool of spices and seasonings, I added the mushrooms.  Once those cooked up a bit, I added the rest of my ingredients.  After everything has been stirred together and warmed, it’s done.  If you could have only smelled the cooked apple with cinnamon, nutmeg and curry – to.die.for.  And was this ‘everything-but-the-kitchen-sink’ stir-fry a success?  Uh, hell to the yeah! It was everything I could ask for in my final kabocha dish.  What a way to go out!  Gangstah!

Roasty Toasty Kabocha Seeds

And finally, do you remember the mess of kabocha seeds and pulp I had from my prepping experience?  Well, those teeny babies did not go to waste.  Healthy Chow has issues with wasting food (sound familiar, Allie? ) and thus, decided to make use of every bit of her kabocha.  You should see what I did with the green peel…I made a really groovy hat.  Just kidding, folks! But let’s get back to biz’nis, shall we? After rinsing the seeds and getting rid of all the stringy pulp, I used the same tray (and aluminum foil) that my kabocha pieces were cooked on and spread out my seeds in a single layer.  I sprayed the seeds with some cooking spray (you could use olive oil) and sprinkled them with salt.  Then, since the oven was still hot, I turned down the temperature to 325 degrees and cooked my kabocha seeds for 10 minutes.  And if you forget to take your seeds out of the oven (like me), have no fear because they start popping like popcorn kernels and will scare the bejeezus out of you.  Once they are cooled, you are free to eat.  They are great as is or feel free to use them as a topping for your oatmeal, soup or yogurt.  Just store them in an air-tight container and they should keep for quite some time, if they make it that long!

I know that from one kabocha I was able to make quite a few meals.  However, I was actually wishing there was more once my last bite of this delicious squash was gone.  The tender texture and sweet taste of my new found love was more than mildly addicting (OK, that sounded weird).  I’m just so happy that I took the time needed to properly prepare and cook my gourd.  After reading some of the instructions online, I was worried that this krazy little thing called kabocha was not going to be worth the trouble.  Boy, was I wrong! I guess if you just take the time to learn about something and are patient during the learning process, good things will come your way.  But the first step is to try.  Besides, I think when you make something on your own, it has the tendency to taste better – even if you aren’t a Food Network star.

What’s the biggest disaster you’ve ever had in your kitchen?  How did you react?  What did you do to recover?

Namasté,
Nicole

Remember that scary moment a few weeks ago when there was that pumpkin shortage?  Well, thankfully, that rough patch is over and Libby is back!  Life can now resume, as well as fall baking.

However, when the shortage was still going on in full force, I became desperate and decided I was going to look for another gourd to gussy up my gastrointestinal goings-on (how’d you like that one, Sarah?).  I had read so much about the kabocha squash in the blogoshere like here, here, here and here, that I knew I just had to try it.  I love me some gourd and orange fiber, so I knew this was going to be right up my alley.  Plus, if I didn’t end up eating it, it was a super cute fall decoration for my home.  Resourceful (or ‘ree-zource-full’ as I heard someone saying the other day), eh?

But just finding this darn thang was a project in itself!  I looked at various grocery stores, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and Russo’s and I could not find this squash.  I saw some things that resembled the kabocha, but none were actually called ‘kabocha’.  Then, I was enlightened by the ever so lovely and intelligent, Katharina, who mentioned to me that kabocha is also referred to as ‘buttercup’ squash and that if I was having trouble finding kabocha, the buttercup is a very close cousin and tastes pretty much the same.  DUH!  I think I’ve seen the buttercup at just about every store I visited and never once did I think they were the same.  Jeezums.

After purchasing my squash-y and bringing it home, I realized that I had to cut it before I could have the chance to savor its sweetness.  But just how do you cut into this tough skin?  I mean, I have some good knives (OK, they probably could be better), but I’m not sure if they could handle cutting through this harder-than-diamonds outer shell.  Armed with the help of my friend (aka Google), I believe I found the easiest way to tackle a kabocha.  You can read about it here.  Or watch it live (not really) here:

Kutting and Kleaning a Kabocha:

1) Wash the green guy thoroughly.  I used my trusty Veggie Wash and sprayed it generously all over the kabocha.  Then, I massaged the kabocha and gave it a good rub down for about 30 seconds.  Once cleaned, I gave it a good rinse and dried it off.

2) Using the tip of a sharp knife or a large and sharp fork, begin making several cuts/stabs/pricks all over the kabocha.  This will help to allow steam out of the kabocha while cooking and will help to avoid an explosion in your microwave.

3) Once covered in small punctures, place the kabocha in the microwave and microwave on high in increments of two minutes.  I cooked mine for a total time of six minutes.  It’s ready when the skin can be easily pierced with the tip of a knife.

4) Be careful when you take the kabocha out of the microwave.  It’s going to be very hot!  I put on my oven mitts after trying to be a hero and grabbing the kabocha bare-handed and failing miserably.  Or, you could be patient and wait for the kabocha to cool down before handling it.

5) Once cooled, cut the kabocha.  You can cut it in half or be like me, and cut it into thirds (I’m not quite sure why I did this).

6) With a spoon, scoop out the seeds and the fibrous stringy pulp.  You can toss the seeds if you want, but they are divine in their own right and can be a scrumptious snack.  Start cutting the now softened green skin off from the lovely orange flesh (imagine what you’d do with a butterNUT squash).  Or, you could leave the skin on, as some like to eat the skin as it is highly nutritious.

7) You can then slice your kabocha into whatever shape you would like.  I chose to cube mine since I wanted small, bite-sized pieces.  You could also cut it into crescent moon shapes (think cantaloupe smiles).

8 ) You are now free to do whatever you want with your kabocha.  Imagine that?  To see what I did with my kabocha, keep reading…

Spiced and Roasted Kabocha

1) After my kabocha was kut, kleaned and kubed (did you see what I did just there?), I coated all the pieces in about a tablespoon of olive oil.

2) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  In a big bowl, I mixed together a million few spices and seasonings.  I used a generous amount (lotsa shakes) of the following: cumin, nutmeg, cinnamon, dried cilantro, ground ginger, onion powder, paprika and ground black pepper.  And a pinch of brown sugar and sea salt.

3) Mix the olive oil coated kabocha pieces in your spice/season mixture.  Make sure the pieces are evenly coated with the mixture.  Then, on a baking sheet covered in aluminum foil (spray the foil with cooking spray), spread out your kabocha in a single layer.

4) Bake your kabocha for 20-25 minutes, turning half way through the cooking time, or until your kabocha starts browning at the edges.  Enjoy the orange goodness!

The baked kabocha comes out sweet and soft, quite similar to a butternut squash, but has a more earthy, nutty taste.  It also seems to hold its shape better than a butternut during the baking process and has a less fibrous (stringy) texture.  I absolutely loved it!  While I had a hard time stopping myself from munching on the cooked pieces straight off the baking sheet, I managed to save some for some future meals and dishes.  BTW, cooked kabocha tastes great cold right out of the fridge.  It’s almost like a dessert…a healthy and low calorie dessert!  In addition to it being a cold and sweet treat, I used my cooked kabocha in a series of fast and convenient dishes.  Wanna know how?  Keep reading…

Kreamy Kabocha Pasta

After cooking and draining about 2 cups of whole wheat pasta (and reserving a cup of the pasta water), I added a big handful of baby spinach to the pot with my cooked pasta.  Once the spinach cooked down, I mixed in about a 1/3 of a cup of nonfat ricotta cheese.  Because the pasta seemed a bit dry, I added a few splashes of the reserved pasta water to loosen it up.  Then, I added a 1/2 of a cup of cannellini beans, salt, cracked black pepper, garlic powder and dried parsley.  I mixed that together until well-blended and then added some of my cooked kabocha.  Since the kabocha is already cooked, it just needs to be warmed.  Once everything has been warmed together, serve immediately and top with parmesan cheese.  Hmmm, hmmm, good!

‘Omelet’ the Kabocha Take Over

If you liked the pasta dish but don’t want to be weighed down with all those extra carbs, why not try making the same dish in omelet form?  I made my omelet by pouring a 1/2 of a cup of egg whites onto a small heated frying pan.  Once the egg whites started bubbling, I added a few dashes of salt, cracked black pepper and adobo powder.  Then, I dropped down a handful of baby spinach and a few of tablespoons of nonfat ricotta cheese.  As soon as the spinach started wilting down, I added a few cubes of my cooked kabocha.  Once everything was heated through, I folded over my egg whites.  After another few minutes of cooking, the omelet is done.  Transfer to a plate and top with some salsa.  Ta dah! Kabocha with some added protein, minus the extra carbs.  This is great for breakfast, lunch or dinner.  I loved it!

Hooray! I finally did it!  I am so glad that I finally tried the kabocha squash and was successful at prepping it and cooking it.  I have a tendency to shy away from the things people rave about and the things that seem to be the latest trend (remember this post?).  However, kabocha was just too good to resist (sorta like Justin Timberlake IMHO).  I love the versatility of this squash and the fact that with or without the seasonings and spices, it still is wonderful (just like Justin).  Perhaps opening up a can of Libby’s is a bit more konvenient than kleaning, kutting and kooking up your own gourd, but then again who wants konvenience when you can have kabocha?!

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post when I show you part II of My Little Buttercup, the Kabocha…

Have you tried kabocha squash yet?  If so, what is your favorite way to prepare it?

Namasté,
Nicole

So the other day after my 108, I came home pretty well spent.  While I never broke a sweat while we were saluting the sun outside on the Common, my arms were pretty weak and my back felt a tad sore.  But because it was such a lovely day and I was filled with so much energy, gratitude and accomplishment for myself, I just couldn’t go home immediately.  Instead, I putzed around Newbury and Boylston Streets for the next 2.5 hours and then walked home.  This normally would not have been a problem, but I also had my yoga mat with me along with my Yogitoes towel, as well a bag filled with my personal items and a full water bottle.  To say the least, I was a bit weighed down.  But I felt like a warrior and taking the T home would have been a cop out to me.  Thus, I trekked in the balmy mid-September weather until I arrived home like a sack of jelly with arms and legs made of mashed potatoes at 4pm.

Needless to say, when it was time for dinner, I barely had the strength to do anything, let alone make a dinner worthy of my achievements for the day.  But somehow ordering a pizza or having a bowl of cereal just didn’t seem fitting.  So, I dove into my fridge and started seeing what I could piece together for a healthy and hearty meal.  Being that we were honoring the autumnal equinox, that I was craving carbs, that I had recently been inspired by Lauren’s post on roasted sweet potato risotto and that I had two zucchini in my fridge that were looking more like pickles (bumpy with various shades of green), I came up with this fast, yummy and satisfying dish.

Keen on Quinoa and Yes to Yam Risot-no

Serves 4 (as a side dish) or 2 (as a main dish)

• 1/2 cup of uncooked quinoa (I used Trader Joe’s Organic Quinoa)
• 1 cup chicken broth (I used Trader Joe’s Organic Low-Sodium Chicken Broth)
• 1/4 cup of nonfat ricotta cheese (you could use part-skim or whole)
• 1 small-medium sized yam or sweet potato
• 2 small zucchini
• 1 TSP of dried cumin
• 1 TSP of ground ginger
• few dashes of garlic powder
• s&p
• 2 TBSP of fresh chopped cilantro, plus a few extra sprigs for garnish

Was late to the class photo…

1) Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

2) Peel your yam with a veggie peeler and chop into bite-sized chunks.

3) Wash and cut your zucchini into half moons.

4) Spray your aluminum foil lined baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray.

5) Place your chopped vegetables on your baking sheet and spray lightly with olive oil cooking spray.  Sprinkle the vegetables with salt and pepper.

6) Roast your vegetables for 30 minutes, while turning over halfway through the cooking time (keep an eye on your zucchini – mine started to get a little crunchy).

5) While your veggies are roasting, rinse and clean your quinoa.  To clean your quinoa, just run some cold water over your quinoa and rub between your hands.  Keep doing this until the entire bowl is clean.  Dump the water, being careful not to lose any quinoa down the sink, and rinse and drain again.  Make sure to get out as much of the water as you can.  You can use a fine mesh sieve, but I just used my hand cupped over one side of the bowl to drain the water.  Once cleaned, add it to a medium-sized pot with your chicken broth and cook on high until it starts to boil.  Once your quinoa and chicken broth begin to boil, turn your heat down to a simmer and drop a lid onto your pot.  Let that simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the liquid has absorbed.

6) Once your vegetables are done roasting, take out of the oven.  Set aside.

7) Keep your stove on low heat.  Add the ricotta cheese to your cooked quinoa.  Give it a good, but gentle stir in order to get the ricotta cheese blended in.

8 ) Add your cumin, ground ginger, garlic powder, salt and pepper.  Stir again gently to blend.

9) Add your roasted veggies to the pot.  And you guessed it, give it another gentle stir to get the vegetables integrated with the quinoa.

10) Add your chopped cilantro to the pot and gently (obvi) stir in.  Scoop onto your bowl or plate and if you wish, garnish with a few sprigs of cilantro.  Serve immediately.

I really didn’t know how this dish was going to turn out.  I just went with my gut and threw in some ingredients I had on hand and hoped for the best.  Well, the best is what I got (hi Patrick!)!  I loved how the sweet yam, which got even sweeter after being roasted, tasted against the garlic powder and nutty quinoa.  Plus, the creamy ricotta cheese, which served as a less rich and healthier cheese/cream sauce, gave the quinoa a smooth and silky texture.  And the cumin and ground ginger only enhanced the flavor of the yam.  I wasn’t exactly sure how the zucchini was going to taste in this recipe, but like the yam, the roasting drew out the sweetness from the zucchini.  It worked perfectly in this dish.  At first I was going to sauté the zucchini and steam the yam.  Fortunately, I did not as I don’t think the sweetness would have been as apparent from either vegetable.  In addition, I was glad to have some fresh cilantro on hand.  It really does make a huge difference in recipes when fresh herbs are used versus dried.  I know that’s probably obvious, but this dish wouldn’t have been the same without the fresh cilantro.  If cilantro is not your thang or if you think it tastes like soap, you could also substitute it with parsley.  Just be sure that it’s fresh and not dried!

In addition, when the cooked quinoa is paired with the ricotta, the texture of the quinoa almost becomes like that of a risotto or porridge.  However, it’s just not as ’soupy’.  I’m not sure what else to call it but ’sheer comfort’.  While my muscles ached and my eyes were heavy with drowsiness, this was something that helped to bring me back.  There’s just nothing like a bowl of hot carbs to immediately make me feel at ease.  My heart and mind were full with so much good energy and feeling from earlier that day and finally, my stomach was able to match.

What’s your favorite herb (no, not that one)?  Or, what’s your favorite way to ‘healthify’ a comfort food?

Namasté,
Nicole