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.

Another Meatless Monday

A nice vegan meal for us on this Meatless Monday.

The main is roasted butternut squash with toasted walnuts and lentils. It is topped with a squeeze of lime (and cilantro that I forgot for the picture) which really makes the flavors pop. The rice is spiced with saffron, cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon. The spinach is plain sauteed spinach.

Good, easy, and cheap, just how we like it.

I am a Slacker

Sorry about the weeks of not posting. It wasn't that I haven't been cooking, I have. It is just that I didn't get pics of everything and that I'm lazy.

So, here you go, a big long list of things I've made recently, with some pics.

1) Roasted chicken- One of CJ's favorites. Super easy and real tasty.
2) Split pea soup
How I love split pea soup. I made a whole bunch last week, froze some, and have been eating it for a few days.
3) Squash- Sauteed with some onions, one of my favorites.
4) Pumpkin Spice Muffins
Ugly, but good.
5) Fava beans and tomatoes- I threw this together real quick one night, and it turned out good. By real quick, I mean under 3 minutes.
6) Homemade applesauce


7) Carnitas

These were really good. Take a couple pounds of pork shoulder and cut into cubes. Add enough water to cover, the juice from a small lime, and a couple pinches of salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for 40 minutes on medium low covered. Uncover once tender and let water boil off. When it does, it will start frying itself in its own fat.

We ate it as we do tacos. It was really good. REALLY GOOD. The recipe came from my new cookbook, The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters. The cookbook is also great. If you are interested in learning to cook real food, it is a great starter. She does the basics, then goes on to other things, all which look excellent and simple.

Made Dinner Anyway

The damn CSA folded, but I still made a great dinner with some seasonal, locally produced veggies and meat.

Pattypan squash, stuffed with tomatoes, rice, and peppers. Locally raised pork chop. Corn on the cob.