Roasted Acorn Squash Polenta

Meatless Monday has been a tradition at the Church-Camp household for the last year. We try to eat meatless once a week, usually on Mondays. It doesn't always happen, but we try.

Tonight I had an Acorn Squash that I have been really wanting to use, so this is what I came up with: Roasted Acorn Squash Polenta.

It is a pretty intensive recipe for a week night, but it has tons of leftovers, which will be nice for lunches.

1 large Acorn Squash (about 3 lbs)
6 cloves garlic
5 t. rubbed sage
1 1/2 c slow cooking polenta
1c skim milk
1/4 c. pure maple syrup
1/2 stick butter
salt & pepper to taste
6 c. water.
olive oil spray

Preheat oven at 425
Cut squash in half and peel garlic. Put garlic in squash and sprinkle with 2 t. of rubbed sage and spray with olive oil.

Roast in oven for 45 minutes.

After done, puree in food processor until smooth.

(My polenta called for 4 cups of water, but I ended up with 6 cups and 1 cup milk. I like my polenta a little runny, but you could use less)

Bring water to boil with 1 t. of salt. Stir in polenta slowly. Then stir in milk. Bring down to a simmer. Cook for 25 minutes stirring often.

Then, stir in squash, butter, and sage and bring back to a simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often. Just before finishing, add maple syrup. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

It takes lots of salt, but it is a big pot. It is easily 6-8 servings.



This recipe, with the butter and syrup and all, is a great recipe for those of us on WeightWatchers and other diets. Lose the butter and milk (maybe add some soy milk) and it makes a great vegan recipe. This is great for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It would be good with a fried egg or with a tomato sauce.

Overall, a really great recipe.

Snapper Nuggets

Tonight, CJ helped out and we made Red Snapper Nuggets with polenta and asparagus (and a beer).

The snapper was dipped in veggie egg beaters then a mixture of cornmeal, paprika, salt and pepper and pan fried. The asparagus was steamed. The polenta was one of those weird tubes, with water, garlic, fresh rosemary and a pat of butter added.
Obviously, I've chosen to take a new approach with my blog. There are lots of reasons why, but one of them is that I love to cook. I'm hoping I will do a better job of keeping this up because it is about something I love.

I'd like to point out, I like to cook, not bake. I don't really know how to bake. I try and make boxed brownies sometimes, but I never know when they are done. I do know some great bakeries.

Well, that said, I know lots of great food places, both restaurants and food suppliers. This may also be a journey through them also, definitely through the CSA we just signed up for: Double Rabbit Farm.