butternut squash

HEALTHY CHRISTMAS EVE BUTTERNUT SQUASH PASTA

December 23, 2015

One of my favorite things to do is to make recipes "Nikki-fied", which usually means, add a healthier kick to it. I do this all the time. It may be me being stubborn and a perfectionist, it may be me being a health nut, it may be me wanting a reason to make a new blog post, the world may ever know. However, I do know that I love butternut squash and pasta.


On Christmas Eve, my family likes to make Italian-style food. Perhaps it's because the food we eat on Christmas day is so Americanized. Perhaps it's because pasta food is such a comfort food for a cold December night. Either way, it's a tradition I don't mind. I found this recipe on Pinterest, and it instantly stuck out to me. Pasta, gorgonzola, bacon, butternut squash, pasta... it's all heavenly to me.

The first step was to make the sauce. The sauce is a rich butternut squash sauce. The first step is to roast the butternut squash with garlic.



When it was almost done, I started sizzling the pasta toppings in a sautee pan. I replaced bacon with turkey bacon, and added sun dried tomatoes.


After the squash and garlic were tender, I took it out. I don't love too much garlic, so I minced it after roasting. Then, I added both to a food processor. 


In a bowl, I whisked light cream instead of heavy cream, nonfat greek yogurt, diced tomatoes, 3/4 cup gorgonzola cheese, and low sodium chicken stock.

 

I got the squash processing away while adding my dairy mixture in through the tube.


Then, according to the recipe, I cooked the pasta according to bag instructions. My replacement here was organic linguine for regular linguine. The instructions called the save some pasta water to loosen up the sauce. However, since I used nonfat greek yogurt and my diced tomatoes were more watery, I didn't need to. 
I combined the pasta, sauce, and topping, and boom!



Ingredients:
  • 1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes
  • 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • 1/2 cup nonfat greek yogurt
  • 1/4 cup light cream
  • 1 1/4 cup gorgonzola cheese
  • 1 cup diced tomatoes
  • 1/2 medium-sized butternut squash, cut into chunks
  • 16 oz of linguine
  • 6 strips of turkey bacon
  • 3 tablespoons of olive oil 
Directions:
1. Roast the cubed butternut squash and garlic in an oven set to 375 for 40 minutes
2. Sautee 6 cut turkey bacon slices and 1/4 cup cut sun dried tomatoes in a sautee pan on medium 
3. Whisk light cream instead of heavy cream, nonfat greek yogurt, diced tomatoes, 3/4 cup gorgonzola cheese, and low sodium chicken stock in a bowl to make a thick liquid mixture.
4. When squash and garlic are done, put it in a food processor or hard blender.
5. While squash and garlic are processing, add in the liquid mixture through the tube.
6. Cook 16 oz organix linguini according to package instructions.
7. Mix together and garnish with more gorgonzola cheese.
8. Enjoy!

** note that sauce ingredients will make enough sauce for 3 pounds of pasta. Make it all and freeze for leftovers, or lower amounts**





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artisan

"THE BEST EVER" - My Favorite Pasta Dish

January 21, 2015

You may or may not be familiar with the new show on Food Network called "The Best Thing I Ever Ate." Each show is focused on a different category, or food, and famous TV chefs such as Ann Burrell, Guy Fieri, Bobby Flay, and Michael Symon are surveyed about the best food of that category that they've had. Each chef goes into detail about where the dish is made, and how it's made so that it's the best they've ever had. 
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Today, I was eating at my favorite restaurant, the Tuscan Kitchen, and I was eating my favorite dish. Are you ever consuming something - food, music, movies - and you think, "Wow, this is my favorite. If somebody asks me what my favorite "whatever" is, this will be my answer." I always get excited when I have that thought, because I feel like I always have a problem picking favorite things.
So, I decided that Tuscans was my new favorite restaurant. It's an artisan Italian eatery where everything, down to the pasta, is made fresh on site. Italian focaccia, limoncello tiramusu, honey glazed salmon, and fresh gnocchi. Can I just go back already? If you're around, there's two locations: Burlington, MA and Salem, NH.
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So, I figured why not play pretend that I'm a professional chef or foodie. If I had a spot on the "Best Thing I Ever Ate" panel, this is what I would say about my favorite pasta dish: the Tuscan Kitchen Cappellacci Salad.

"It's like my two favorite things combined - desert and pizza. Cinnamon butternut squash stuffed in a handmade cappellacci. It's the perfect chewy consistency. It's sweet and savory. It's heavenly. 

These little pillows of pasta can be served as a dish itself or on a salad. The salad over spring green includes: Pan Seared Butternut Squash Cappellacci, Caramelized Seasonal Fruit, Spiced Walnuts, Goat Cheese over mixed greens. I like the salad as a healthier option."

If I was a famous foodie, that's what I'd say about the dish, plus the behind-the-scenes shots in the restaurant kitchen (Guy Fieri style). Here's what my family and I ate at the restaurant: 

My mother and I split the cappellacci salad for an appetizer.


I got a roasted rosemary half chicken with butternut squash, and spinach with walnuts and pancetta.


My mother got cod over a risotto and a walnut misto.


My dad went hard, not home. He a pizza with beef meatballs, roasted chicken, ricotta cheese, and onions.

What's the best dish you've ever eaten?

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butternut squash

LIFESTYLE: TWO EASY, HEALTHY HOLIDAY SIDE DISHES

December 12, 2014

 What side dishes do your family make for the holidays? For me, it's pretty basic, besides a few Brazilian staples mixed in. We have instant mashed potatoes, boxed stuffing, frozen squash, frozen vegetables, rolls, gravy, cranberry sauce, and Brazillian rice to go alongside our turkey. However, because of my wandering eye on pinterest and foodie blogs, I've been craving different side dishes such as sweet potato and butternut squash. Thankfully, I like to cook, so I don't mind whipping up some different side dishes to bring to my Uncle's. It's rude to show up empty handed anyway, right?

Here's a recipe for two healthy and different side dishes to bring to your celebration this holiday. My first recipe is roasted butternut squash!



You can be an overachiever and peel/cut your own butternut squash. However, I'm lazy and just bought the pre-cut version at the store. 


No matter what method you choose, make sure you but the squash in the microwave for 5-10 minutes with some water to soften it up.


Next, add your spices (which are listed below), then bake for 20 minutes.

The toppings made the squash taste just like the holidays should - spicy and sweet!

Roasted Butternut Squash
Ingredients:

  • 1 butternut, about 1 and 1/2 lbs
  • 1 tbsp butter, melted
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • freshly ground pepper to taste
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup
Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 375, place a ceramic or glass baking dish in the oven to preheat.
2. If squash is not aready chopped, microwave it in a bowl for 3 minutes to soften. Remove the seeds and skin.
3. Toss the pepper, salt, butter, cinnamon, and nutmeg with the butternut squash.
4.Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
5. Mix in the apples and maple syrup.
6. Bake for another 10 minutes.
7. Let cool and enjoy!
My next recipe is guilt-free creamed spinach. It's safe to say that spinach is my favorite vegetable. It's not only nutrient-dense, but it's also versatile and delicious! Runners leave so much on the line and lose so much through exercise, we need all that iron back in us. Cheese is also one of my favorite things, and that's in this recipe, too!


This recipe also requires defrosting, because it calls for frozen spinach.


It defrosted easier than I thought! Look at how dark the color is... mmm so many vitamins and minerals! There goes the health nut showing through in me.


Here's the light and delicious cream forming in a saucepan on low heat. So much potential!


Ta-da!

 Low Fat Creamed Spinach

 Ingredients:

  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1/2 cup shallots minced
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • 1 1/2 cup fat free milk
  • 2 tbsp parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp fresh pepper
  • salt to taste
  • 4.4 oz Boursin Light

Steps:
1. Defrost the spinach
2. In a large saucepan, melt the butter.
3. Mix in the shallots, cook for 5 minutes
4. Mix in the flour for one more minute.
5. Reduce the heat to low, and slowly add milk, whisking well.
6. Add parmesan cheese, nutmeg, salt, and pepper while mixing well. 
7. Add boursin light and mix until smooth.
8. Add spinach and combine well with the sauce, cook for one minute.
9. Adjust if necessary.
10. Enjoy!



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