Kuri Squash with Sausage and Rice

 

I am really enjoying the cooler weather that we are having in Maryland.  The leaves are slowly changing, our windows are open and the air smells clean.  

I remember hearing, as a kid, grown-ups say, "I can smell Fall in the air."  This always seemed like a strange saying to me.  As an adult I now know what it means.  I walk outside and the first thing I do is inhale a deep long breath of fresh air.  

The season is changing and it feels wonderful.

I went to Whole Foods last week and they have a huge display of squash.  I love seeing the varieties with all their own shapes, sizes and colors.  My eye was drawn to this bright orange Kuri Squash.  The orange is vivid.  The shape ranged from round to teardrop.  I chose the one pictured above. When I cut into it I was overcome with a flowery scent.  I could tell it was a squash but the aroma coming from the Kuri squash was strong.  I felt that it would work great with a filling of some kind.

I had some left over sausage from an earlier dish and thought it would make a good filling combined with some rice.  I made rice, added a few sauteed onions and the sausage.  

Simply delicious.  I scooped the squash pulp and sausage filling onto a platter and served it for lunch. We all thought it was a pleasant change from our favorite Acorn Squash.  The dish is subtle in flavor with a nice combination of texture from the soft squash, firm sausage pieces and confetti like rice. 

All in all, a wonderful Fall dish to add to your menu.  I hope that you can find Kuri Squash in your area. 

Kuri Squash with Sausage and Rice

Makes two halves.

1 whole Kuri Squash, cut in half and seeds removed

4 tablespoons of butter or Ghee (2 in each half)

salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons diced red onion

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2 teaspoons olive oil, for sauteeing onion and garlic

2 cups  COOKED rice

1 cup COOKED sausage (I use chicken sausage)

1/2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

4 tablespoons coconut milk (2 in each half)

1.  Preheat oven to 375.

2.  Prepare squash to be baked by cutting in half, removing seeds and placing in baking dish.  Add salt, pepper and 2 tablespoons of butter to each half.  The butter will melt and be used when you add the rice/sausage mix.

3.  Bake squash for 35 minutes.  Check the squash and see if it is still firm, if so, bake a bit longer.

4.  While squash is baking prepare the filling.  Saute the onion and garlic in olive oil.  Add the cooked rice and cooked sausage.  Taste mixture and salt and pepper accordingly.

5.  Remove baked squash from oven and fill the centers with the rice.  The butter that has melted should be soaked up by the rice.  Add the 2 tablespoons of coconut milk and sprinkle with the parsley flakes.

6.  Return to oven and bake for 10 minutes.  Serve scooped on a platter (see picture) or serve a half to each person.

Written by Sherron Watson

Baked Salmon with Capers, Herbs, and Lemon

I eat salmon at least once a week.  I am guilty of making salmon just to enjoy the crispy skin. It is like a huge potato chip to me.  It totally grosses my husband out;  he won't even try it to see if he likes it or not.  I think he would enjoy the crispy and salty taste of the perfectly fried skin.

It does not taste fishy in my opinion.  I fry the fish with the skin side down in a pool of olive oil that is very hot.  My cast iron pan is perfect for this part of the recipe.  It does the job quickly.  I turn it over and get a nice sear and then transfer the salmon to a baking dish to finish cooking in the oven.

I don't always do this two-step process but for this dish I did.  I removed the crispy skin and devoured it before my daughter could get wind of what I was doing in the kitchen.  She loves the crispy salmon skin too.  (For the most part I always share with her.  It's what Moms do.) The oven allows the mayonnaise, lemon and herbs to coat the salmon filets.  I take one large piece of salmon and cut it into two or three pieces and then top them with my desired ingredients.

Capers are heavenly in my opinion.  They are briny and add just the right punch to this dish.  I use them in everything these days. I love finding new ingredients.  Capers are an ingredient I see posted in recipes all the time. I just never started buying them until recently.  Not to sound to repetitive, but I am so glad I did.

This recipe calls for mayonnaise.  There are several options you have here.  You can make your own mayonnaise from scratch or use store bought.  I have used both with great success.  We have also used Vegannaise.  

Enjoy this easy baked salmon dish.  

Baked Salmon with Capers, Herbs, and Lemon
Serves 4

1.5 pounds of fresh, wild caught salmon (1 large filet or 4 smaller portions)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/2 cup of mayonnaise or Vegannaise
1 lemon, juice only
1 lemon, sliced thinly
4 sprigs each of fresh thyme and fresh dill
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
Jar of capers


1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare baking dish with a light coating of cooking spray.

2.  In a heavy duty frying pan heat oil.  Add salmon with the skin down and fry.  This takes about 3 minutes for the skin to get nice and crispy and to pull away from the salmon.  Flip salmon and fry again for 3 minutes.

3.  Remove skin and set aside.  Add the whole filet of salmon or small salmon steaks to a baking dish.  Season fish with salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder.  Smear top with mayonnaise.  Sprinkle herbs, lemon slices and capers for the final touches. Cover with foil.

4.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Fish should be moist and flake with a fork.  Serve immediately. Store leftovers in refrigerator.

Written by Sherron Watson

Boneless Leg of Lamb with Herbs

Lamb has quickly become a family favorite.  We are trying to eat less pork and beef.  For a while I felt like this is all we ate.  My daughter and I started feeling unwell after we ate pork and decided to eliminate this from our diets. I feel so much better and she does too.

I was stumped as to what to replace the two meats with because so many of our family favorite recipes included beef and pork.   I know that lamb is a favorite but the price seems to steer me away to something a little bit cheaper or on sale.

I decided to just bite the bullet and buy a few lamb roasts.  I am so glad I did.  Lamb has a unique flavor.  It has added some great meals to our menu.  This roast is simple and can be customized to fit your family and their taste buds.  I usually have a selection of fresh herbs on hand.  For this recipe I grabbed a small handful of each, threw in some spices and added the parmesan cheese.  I believe it has created a nice texture and flavor profile to an already delicious cut of meat.

I guess you could also call this a one pot dish because I added some root vegetables to the roasting pan so that I didn't have to fuss with dirtying up additional dishes. 

Simple and tasty are two words I would use to describe this easy meal.

Boneless Leg of Lamb with Herbs 

Serves 6

1.5 pound lamb roast (boneless leg of lamb)
1/4 cup of fresh herbs: rosemary, thyme, parsley and basil
1 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of white pepper
1/4 cup of parmesan cheese, grated finely
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large rutabaga, peeled and cut into large diced squares

2 carrots, peeled and chopped into 1 inch pieces

olive oil, to toss vegetables in

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Prepare a baking dish with a light coating of cooking spray.

2.  In a shallow bowl combine all of the spices, herbs and parmesan cheese.  Coat the sides of the lamb roast with olive oil and then dip the sides into the spice/herb/cheese mixture.  The coating will be thick.  Place in the middle of the baking dish. 

3.  Add vegetables and drizzle with olive oil.  Sprinkle the remaining herb mixture over the vegetables.  Roast until internal temperature of lamb roast reaches 145 degree.  My roast took about an hour to achieve the desired internal temperature.  

4.  Remove roast, cover with foil and let rest for 5-10 minutes.  The lamb should be pink in the center.  The ends may be cooked more than the center.  Slice and serve with mint jelly.

Written by Sherron Watson

Apple Cranberry and Brussels Sprout Salad

I am so excited that it is finally officially Fall.  Our family has been on vacation this past week and the cooler weather made our touring and camping activities more bearable.  We have learned that in the Mid-Atlantic the months of September and October are reserved for all of our outdoor activities. The summers are just too hot and humid.

Cape Henlopen State Park, Delaware

We decided to do a "staycation".   It is our first time doing this but we found ourselves visiting sites in our state and surrounding states that are popular tourist attractions for lots of people outside of this area.  We were anxious to learn and see what was in our own back yards that drew so many people here each year.

Tuckahoe State Park, Maryland

Tuckahoe State Park, Maryland

Our fist day started with a trip to the National Zoo in DC. The zoo was perfect.  I felt the size was not too large.  The animals were very active on the day we arrived and this made Isabella happy.  We saw the baby panda, even though he is not quite the size of a baby anymore, and the baby tigers. They were great to sit and watch.  The lionesses (there were two) had their paws full with 6 baby tiger cubs.

The Maritime Museum was up next. I have been to St. Michael's many times. We always skip the museum because our thought was that it would be boring. I thought the kids would not enjoy learning about the history of the watermen and ship building history that we are surrounded with here in Annapolis. I am glad to admit that I was wrong. The museum is wonderful. They had plenty of hands on activities and toy structures for Isabella to climb on and explore. A lot of reading was done but they had so many exhibits that we were all intrigued with the processes of the history. I would highly recommend it for all families.

Our family loves to camp and this was what we decided to do the last few days.  We headed over to Delaware and had a pleasant day/night at Cape Henlopen State Park.  We made our way back into Maryland and camped for 3 nights at Tuckahoe State park.  I have to say that the state parks in our area are beautiful.  They have plenty of hiking trails to keep a young family busy.  We rented bikes and canoes too.

Overall our week was a success. We felt rested. The kids did great.

Vacations are important to our family and this was something that I needed. I have been a bit burned out lately with so much going on and this week allowed me to disconnect from technology and focus on the little kids without a lot of outside disturbances.

National Zoo with the whole family.  Drake and Rye still had school and work so they were able to do only a few of the planned events with us for the week. I will take what I can get. 

This salad was something that I could throw together and pack in the cooler while we were camping. I served it with our favorite marinated flank steak recipe.

I use a mandolin to cut the apples, celery and brussels sprout thinly. This is not required to make the dish it just made it easier for me. You can use a sharp knife to cut everything too.  I like that the salad is filled with thinly slices vegetables and the apple.  The presentation is pretty.

The dressing is light. You can tell from the pictures that it is not thick and creamy. If you want it to be this way then add more mayonnaise or double the dressing recipe. We just prefer it to be lightly dressed.

Apple Cranberry and Brussels Sprout Salad

Serves 4-6

10-12 brussels sprouts, sliced or shaved very thinly

1 small apple, sliced thin

1 celery rib, sliced thin

3 thin slices of red onion, diced small

small handful of cranberries

Dressing:

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

zest from one lime

1/2 lime, juice only

pinch of salt

1 teaspoon of maple syrup for sweetness (add more if needed)

1.  Combine the salad ingredients in a medium bowl.

2.  Blend the dressing ingredients in a small bowl.

3.  Combine and mix well.  Serve immediately or should be kept in the refrigerator.

Written by Sherron Watson

Slow Cooker Skirt Steak Salad

Easy dinners are in full swing at our home.  I am utilizing our slow cooker as often as I can.   I like having the steak ready and feeling like I put very little effort into an amazing meal.

The steak can be shredded or pulled apart and used in tacos, on top of salads (like the picture above), eaten with a side dish or shoved between two pieces of your favorite bread and grilled,

This steak recipe is versatile.  I like that and I think you will too.

Slow Cook Skirt Steak Salad
Recipe adapted from Louanne's Kitchen

2 lbs skirt steak
2 teaspoons of garlic powder or 3 cloves minced
1.5 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Italian Seasonings
 1 teaspoon of black pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
2 large onions, sliced thin
1/2 cup of water

1.  Combine skirt steak and seasonings in a large storage bag and marinate over night.

2.  Cut onions thin.  I used my spiralizer to thinly slice the onions.  Place onions in the bottom of a large slow cooker.  Lay steak on top of onions.  Add cup of water.  Cover.

3.   Cook on low for 8 hours.  Remove steak, shred or pull apart and serve.  I served the onions and the steak on a platter and let my family decide if they wanted a salad or to use it in some gluten free tortillas I had on hand.  If served with the tortillas then make sure and have some yummy toppings too.

Written by Sherron Watson

Green Bean Casserole #glutenfree

Green Bean Casserole used to be my favorite dish of all time as a kid.  I was a strange kid because I loved green beans.  I would turn my nose up at cooked carrots and little bowls of peas but gleefuly welcome a green bean with open arms.

This summer I worked on a version that my family could enjoy. I didn't need to worry about making two dishes: one for them and one for me.  I am pretty sure I succeeded and this is the resulting recipe.
First I had to find a way to make the crunchy onion topping.  I sometimes wonder if this is why I loved the Green Bean Casserole so much. Was it truly the green beans or the crispy onion topping?

I think it was both.  I succeeded in making the onion straws.  That recipe can be found here.

The next hurdle was making the creamy sauce that is usually made with canned soup. I don't use any canned soup and I haven't in almost 5 years.  I don't like the flavor, they are not gluten free and are often filled with a ton of extra ingredients that add to an odd flavor profile.

I use a basic white sauce recipe but use gluten free flours instead of the recommended all purpose flour.  I use a chicken stock paste to add a rich flavor along with a few seasonings of my choice.  It is not a heavy sauce or an "in your face" sauce.  It takes a back seat to the real star of the dish: the green beans.

With each bite you taste the green beans as they are coated in a rich white sauce and then topped with crunchy onions.  That is a perfect bite in my opinion.

I went a bit crazy with my green beans and decided to cut them all at an angle to achieve the French Style Green Bean.  UM, pretty sure it's not necessary.  Also it took up a lot of time.  I don't mind doing that once in a while but I think using whole or cut green beans will work just fine.  I won't tell you to use only fresh green beans.  I did and I thought it was great.  The flavor was amazing.  I would encourage you to use them with the hope that you have the same experience as I did.

FYI--they sell a little kitchen tool that I am know makes the French-ing (pretty sure this is not a word but I am going to use it anyways) of the bean much easier and faster.  Oh the things we find out after the fact.  LOL

This is an easy dish to make.  I know the canned and frozen version is easier and I understand that sometimes we need to cook this way but I will always encourage you to take a few extra steps and make your meals from scratch.

Enjoy!

Green Bean Casserole
4-6 side dish servings

2.5-3 cups of fresh green beans, cut anyway you want to make them
1/2 stick of grass fed butter
2 cups of dairy: use buttermilk, whole milk or coconut milk (paleo)
1 tablespoon of tapioca starch (use 1 teaspoon of arrowroot for paleo version)
1 teaspoon of chicken stock granules or paste
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
salt, to taste
1 batch of crispy onion straws


NOTE:  Arrowroot takes just a little bit to make a sauce thicken.  I have learned through experience to reduce the amount used and not make a 1:1 trade.  If the sauce is not thick enough after 1 teaspoon then add a little bit more.  If too much is added the sauce will be thick and gluey.


1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Cut green beans according to your preferences.  Bring a large stock pot of water to a rolling boil and blanch green beans for 2-3 minutes.  They should be wilted, not too soft.

3. In a medium sauce pan melt butter. Stir in tapioca starch and then add dairy.  Stir until sauce thickens.  Add chicken stock paste and seasonings.  Stir and taste.

4.  Drain green beans and add to a baking dish.  I used an oval variation which measured about 10 inches by 7.  Add white sauce to green beans and stir.

5.  Top with crispy onion straws and bake 30 minutes or until bubbly.  Let set for a few minutes before serving.  Sauce will thicken as it cools.  Refrigerate any leftovers.

Written by Sherron Watson

Ham and Vegetable Lentil Soup

A chill is in the air. Our mornings are greeted with the smell of the great outdoors as we bust open our windows and take in the fresh morning breeze.  Inhaling the change that is on its way.  We sense that Fall is here.  It is gently knocking at the door.  We are listening.  We are desiring it.  I want the cool days of autumn to consume our afternoons with visits to the beach and the park.

My family has always found the turning of the seasons to be a refreshing change.  Fall is by far our favorite.  Change is good.  The summer season is remembered fondly as we embrace the cool breezes, the changing leaves and the anticipation of what the next few months have in store for our family.

Fall is the time that we visit local attractions, go camping more often and ride our bikes with such vigor that we wish this time of year would last forever.  Until it gets colder and the air is heavy with the impending snow that will soon fall.  The anticipation of even colder weather is almost too much for my kids to endure with the anticipation of snow angels and missed school days.

Now.  We must enjoy what we have now.  Now our weather is perfect.  Have I mentioned it is my favorite time of year?

With the chill in the air I find us yearning for soup.  Hearty, rustic soup that comforts our empty stomachs and warms our freezing hands.  Soup that gives you a fleeting thought of summer as bright vegetables float to the top, fighting for their chance to be seen and showcased.

I love soup that simmers all day on the stovetop. I welcome the smell in our home.  It is one more reminder that the weather is cooling and change is fresh in the air.

My suggestion for this soup is to use a meaty ham hock.  I saved ours from this summer and froze it. I left plenty of meat on the bone.  I knew that I would use it in a soup and wanted there to be a piece of meat in every spoonful.

I start the soup early in the morning and let it slowly simmer all day.  I occasionally taste it as the water reduces and becomes richer in flavor. I add the necessary seasonings to make it just right for my family.  I try and let the stock reduce by half.  This may take 8-10 hours depending on how you have your stove set.  I am home all day so I can watch it all day to make sure the stock is not simmered away leaving you with a dry pot.  Adjust the recipe to fit the desires of your family.  Omit the vegetables you do not like but add in the vegetables you have on hand or enjoy the most.

This type of soup is one that you can give and take from.  I like having these types of recipes in my collection.  They are good basic recipes that you can fiddle with based on the ingredients you have on hand.

Enjoy the change of the season in your own area.  Do you welcome the change from summer into fall with such glee as we do?

I would love to hear from you.


Ham and Vegetable Lentil Soup 
Serves 4-6 people

1 meaty ham hock (see note above)
10-12 cups of water
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
2 celery ribs, sliced
1 small zucchini, diced into medium pieces
1 cup of green beans, whole or cut into 1" pieces
1 1/2 cup black lentils or any color that you have on hand
1 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
salt, to taste
pinch of fennel seed
2 teaspoons fresh basil, finely chopped
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, finely chopped


1.  In a large stock pot add all ingredients.  Turn stove to medium high to bring water to a boil.

2.  Reduce heat to low and simmer all day for 8 to 10 hours or until stock has been reduced by half.

3.  Stir and taste soup periodically and adjust with more salt if needed.  Lentils should be very soft and add to the thickness of the soup base.

4.  Serve soup immediately or portion for lunches and quick dinners for the week.

Written by Sherron Watson