Roasted Butternut Squash Pepper Tart with Arugula & Pomegranate Dressing

individuale/individual

Count down to the Blogger Brunch/ treat-cookie swap. I am excited to see Maria and Kalyn again, finally meet Holly, as well as Barbara, and several other gals. I believe we will all be taking a lot of pictures of the group and yummies…so stay tuned. We meet Friday! Then, I head over to my first cooking outing for the RMHC house on Sunday. It is going to be a great week! Can’t wait.

Oh, and did I mention I will be going with short hair? Yup. I cut off (are you sitting) a foot of hair. Yup! 12-inches into an A-line cut. Holy Moly! I can't believe I took the time to grow it, only to cut it all off. All the color from highlights 3 years ago are finally gone now, which is cool. I like it! So much lighter, which will help with my chronic headaches. I really think the headaches are/were because my hair is so thick and heavy. Wearing my curly mop on top of my head all the time takes its toll. (I hope.)

Okay...today's food. I have yet to make my originally planned Thanksgiving meal, which I am going to try to do today. The sea bass keeps calling my name! And, if the autumn couscous I envision in my head comes out the way I plan…yum!! It will include some of my favorites, including butternut squash. So, in anticipation, I thought I would finally post a tart I made ions ago that I saw in Nourish and adapted slightly.

Roasted Butternut Squash Pepper Tart with Arugula & Pomegranate Dressing
Adapted from Nourish

Crust
1 cup flaxseed meal
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp. salt
1 cup water
½ egg whites

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine dry ingredients. Add water and stir until a ball forms. Roll out, on lightly floured surface into a 12-inch circle (or a large enough circle to cut out mini-circles if that what you choose). Place in a 10-inch tart pan and lightly press to hold. Lightly brush with egg white and bake for 7-10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside. Increase oven temp to 400 degrees F.

Tart Filling
2 ½ lbs butternut squash, peeled & cubed
1 medium yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
1 medium red onion, chopped
¼ cup cilantro, chopped
2 Tbsp. Spice Mix (below)
3 Tbsp. lime juice
8 egg yolks

Spray a large baking sheet with canola or vegetable spray. Spread squash, peppers, and onions on the sheet and roast for 25 minutes, or until golden. Let cool.

Combine roasted vegetables, cilantro, spice mix, lime juice, and yolks in the food processor or blender and process until finely diced and mixed together. Fill the prepared crust with the mixture. Bake for 30 – 40 minutes. Let cool slightly and cut into 16 slices. Serve with ½ cup arugula and 1 Tbsp. pomegranate dressing (recipe below).

Spice Mix
2 Tbsp. ground pepper
3 Tbsp. ground coriander
3 Tbsp. ground cumin
1 Tbsp. sea salt
3 pkgs (~ 3 tsp.) Stevia

Mix all ingredients and store in an airtight container.

Pomegranate Dressing
½ cup shallots, roasted and minced
¾ cup pomegranate concentrate
¼ cup lime juice
8 cups baby arugula, washed

Notes:

Overall meal: I made 16 mini tarts because the individual tarts made for easier distribution to the crew. I also added grilled chicken seasoned with the Spice Mix.

Tart Crust: I cannot use all-purpose flour for work. So, my crust, while tasty, was very tough and needs some work.

Spice Mix: The original recipe called for evaporated cane juice. I chose to use Stevia. I believe sugar would work, just grind it in a coffee grinder or with a mortar and pestle to bring it to a fine powder.

Dressing: I could only find pomegranate-cherry, but I think the juice would be fine.

An aside....check out my post on Alternative Proteins on my work blog! ;)

Pork Roast with Balsamic Thyme Fig Sauce

Porchetta/Pork Roast

It has been a totally weird week. But, some of the highlights? I baked and decorated over 100 cookies during my own personal me, myself, and I Drop In & Decorate® party. Come to find out, RMHC’s have changed their policy and do not accept freshly made foods anymore, unless they have been prepared in a commercial kitchen. While I know I prepare using appropriate measures, I completely understand why an organization like that, dealing with such horrific illnesses, would put a rule into effect like that. But, what a bummer! All these cookies! Luckily, Road Home graciously accepted them.

(What I forgot to include last week was my attempt at chocolate candy modeling clay. Ha! That was interestingly easy…so I made turkeys to go with the cookies.)

Made clay, roll tummies...

Create the foundation/back/spine for the tummies

add belly

fill in feathers

Add espresso bean face and candy beak

add chocolate eyes and wattle and Gobble Gobble!

Even though my cookies went somewhere other than RMHC, the ladies were so, so lovely and were very eager to let me know I could prepare in their kitchens. Really? Well, the house I went to has up to 40 families and the kitchen is really big…with 3 or four ovens. Do you know how many cookies I can make in there? Anyway, they showed me a sign up sheet for when volunteers come in and cook for the families. What fun! I chose to begin on a Sunday, when the numbers are a bit smaller, for Breakfast and sack lunches. The director told me to plan on 15-18. What? No prob! I do that for work. Piece of cake. Dinners are for a larger number, anywhere from 40-60. I will work my way up to that one.

So, my first cooking outing for the RMHC is December 6th. I can not wait!!! What better way to give back?

Thanksgiving was interesting. There have only been a couple of holidays in the last decade with which I have spent them members of my family. This year, I chose to stay in Utah. Admittedly, had I known my housemates would act as they did, I might have chose differently. Nonetheless, I did go on an invigorating hike in the morning. There is still snow on the ground here from the “dusting” we received that week and the crisp day made for a fun walk.

I didn’t cook because my housemates’ family was all here for several hrs. So, no Thanksgiving recipe to share. I did indulge in some chick flicks, diet coke, and pizza. Yum! I know, you’re thinking pizza? Look, as I mentioned in this post on Thanksgiving/Holiday Tips, “Select reasonable-sized portions of favorite foods you don’t have year ‘round. Why waste your calories on foods that you eat all the time?” I eat turkey and winter squashes often. I don’t eat desserts, really. What don’t I eat because it’s a calorie buster? Pizza! That’s the food I chose to eat, my favorite food I don’t eat year round (anymore). Unfortunately, the housemates are having something tonight, too. So, my sea bass and autumn couscous I planned will have to wait for another evening.

In the meantime, here is a Pork Roast with Balsamic Thyme Fig Sauce I made for the crew one Sunday evening.

It came out awesome! And a "Seriously?" might have slipped when one of the clients didn't even try the sauce and went right for the hot sauce. I think it actually hurt my heart! The fig sauce was delish! Anyway...I love the digital meat thermometer we have here. I haven’t messed up a meat protein since I began using it. Very exciting.

Enjoy!

Pork Roast with Balsamic Thyme Fig Sauce

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Blend together 1 tablespoon (combined) of dried spices of your choice. (I chose rosemary, thyme, & oregano.) Add about ½ teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of freshly ground pepper. (I like the random chunks of pepper when it comes from the grinder.) Lastly, add ½ tablespoon of minced garlic. Mix spice rub together with a little olive oil, just enough to make a paste. Then, rub it all over the pork roast.

Transfer the roast onto a rack, then into a pan. If you don’t have a roasting rack, consider using twigs of herbs, like rosemary, thyme, sage…whatever matches your rub. Roast the pork for 10 minutes to golden. Reduce oven temperature to 250 -300 degrees. Continue cooking for about 50-80 minutes (until the meat registers 150 degrees). Cooking times will vary depending on the shape of your roast.

Remove the roast from the oven and set on a cutting board. Cover the meat with tin foil and let it rest for about 15 minutes before slicing it. The temperature of the roast will continue to rise about another 5 degrees.

Meanwhile, to prepare the Fig Sauce, gather the following:

2 cup chicken broth
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
3 cup diced fresh figs
1 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
1 Tbsp. brown sugar (optional)
1 Tbsp. arrowroot dissolved in a small amount of water

Add chicken broth, thyme, and figs into a deep skillet. Bring to a boil, then lower to medium heat, add arrowroot, and cook for 5-10 minutes (or as long as needed), stirring often until the sauce is thickened. Use the spoon to mush the figs while stirring. (or an emulsion blender works fabulously!) * You may need to adjust the ingredients a bit for your preferred thickness/consistency.

* Substitute arrowroot for cornstarch on a 2-to-3 basis; 2 teaspoons of arrowroot equals 1 tablespoon (3 teaspoons) of cornstarch.

Giving Thanks...

Thanks to all my visitors, regular and new, who continue to support me and Mele Cotte. Wishing all of you a blessed day.

3 Bean Loaf

Vegetariano/vegetarian

I realize my baking has increased lately (as I cheer silently and do a little dance). And, it will continue to do so since the time is coming to make Christmas cookies again. (Please check my December ’07 archives for my 12 Days of Cookies and my December ’08 archives for my Piatto Dulce/Dessert Plate).

But, even with the baking, I have been eating more than just egg whites and cottage cheese for breakfast. There have been two other meals in the day I consume. While cleaning out the pantry this weekend, I decided to try my hand at a meatless loaf. Yup. Meat loaf, minus the meat! It was a lot easier than I thought, didn't require me using tofu, and the end result was an awesome bean loaf. (if I do say so myself) The combination of flavors with the coriander and cumin reminded me of eating a quite meal in a small local restaurant in the city. (Okay, why did Memories just pop in my head???) Next time, I might go less with the black beans, though.

Because I “threw” in items as I went, I didn’t think about what to serve with the loaf. Next time, I believe a taziki or dill sauce will do fabulously! In fact, the “batter” appeared really versatile. Making tiny patties, topping with a tomato slice, with the sauce would be an awesome appetizer. Or, cut the loaf in cubes and do the same thing. Cutting the loaf might compromise the outside crunch a free handed mold creates, though. Hmmmm…all these thoughts are coming to my head as I write this. I am glad I have leftovers to practice with this week!

Enjoy!

3 Bean Loaf

1 14-ounce can garbanzo beans, rinsed
1 14-ounce can red kidney beans, rinsed

1 14-ounce can black beans, rinsed
1 ½ cup whole wheat bread crumbs

½ cup golden raisins

1 cup water

½ cup chopped onion

1 ½ cup chopped celery
2 carrots, chopped

2 tablespoons grape seed (olive or sesame works as well)

2 eggs
2 tablespoons (no salt) ketchup (Heinz has a no salt in stores)
2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon each of salt, ground coriander, cumin, & chili pepper

freshly ground pepper to taste
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Line a 9X5 loaf pan with foil and spray with vegetable spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Sauté onions, celery, and carrots until fork tender.
In the meantime, puree the beans, crumbs and eggs using a food processor. Add water as needed. (It okay I it doesn’t all get blended. Chunkiness is good!)Transfer into a large bowl. Add sautéed vegetables, cheese, ketchup, tomato paste and seasonings. Mix well, adding more bread crumbs if too wet. (I use my hands for this part.)Transfer into loaf pan (Or, free-form 1 loaf or several mini-loaves. The first picture is free-form.) and bake at 350 for 40 minutes until browned and firm. Yields 4-6

Create Smiles with Drop In & Decorate®!

Hopefully, you’re all aware of Drop In & Decorate®, a tax-exempt nonprofit organization, founded by the fabulous Lydia of The Perfect Pantry. To quote Lydia “The idea behind Drop In & Decorate® is simple: bake some cookies; gather a group of family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, your worship group or book group to decorate the cookies together; donate the cookies to a nonprofit agency serving basic human needs in your own community.”

Pillsbury and Wilton even recognizes this event! Pretty cool, huh? It really is a fun thing to do. Lydia has made very easy and stress free but offering a guide with all the need-to-know about hosting a lil’ get together. Just head over to her site.

I have participated twice, now. Two years ago was my first party (cookies donated to Woodland Ridge Assisted Living & Memory Care), as well as last year (with cookies going to the Ronald McDonald Gatewood House, the same house to which I brought the cake and cookies.). The parties were a great way to give back, and get the newbie teachers together at my school for some grown up time. Since I have moved 1900 miles from my home in Atlanta, it will be kind of hard to have the girls over again for a third time. My solution (with not knowing anyone here)? A three person party, me, myself, and I. I was by myself this weekend, as my housemates took off somewhere. What better time to take advantage of bringing myself back to some former form of normalcy than to bake?

After beginning my morning with breakfast (a few tasty eggs whites and a banana – ugh), a load of laundry and the gym, my workout was cut short when I dropped off a 45 lb. grip weight on my toe. And, can I say, Wow!?!?!? Or Ow works, too! Those things hurt a lot more than a 45 lb. child stepping on my toe!

Once home, I decided to get my Drop In & Decorate® on. I used the same cookie recipe as always. It truly is no-fail. I love, love, LOVE this recipe.

Okay, every once in a while, a baked cookie falls to its doom. So, I had to observe the 5 second rule and take a nibble.

But even before the tasting party...The dough comes together beautifully and rolls out so smooth! All it needs is a little smoosh with the fingers to bring the dough scraps back together. And, with the refrigeration, the cookies don't expand a lot at all from its orginal shape after baking.

The icing recipe I used was a little different. My cookie decorating skills are to be desired and, rather than follow my regular pattern of slapping some fondant on the cookies, I used an icing recipe that called for corn syrup. I liked it much, much better and am pleased (for the most part) about how the cookies came out. But, like many others things I do, the more tired I get, the less detailed and care I take. Also, the icing takes a lot longer to harden because of the corn syrup...a good 24-48 hrs. depending on how much is on each cookie. I bagged some too soon. Whoops!

I am not sure which house I am donating to, but will let you know ASAP! There are three in SLC. Whichever one I head to, I ended up with about 100 cookies. So, I think that's pretty good for a days work.

In the meantime, I want you to plan your own party! This is a great way to get friends together. Or, grandparent/grandchild fun. Why not have your kids host a party? Kids need to know how to give back, too!

Last year worked best for me. As host, and knowing many were non-bakers, I issued a few sheets of parchment paper and cookie cutters to borrow with the invite. Everyone showed with a cooked batch of cookies ready to go! This made less work for me! All I did was the icing, and provided the decorating sugars, etc. Fun, eh?

Listen, I know Thanksgiving is in a few days. But, December 4 is National Cookie Day. Yes, there really is a National Cookie Day. And, it falls in perfect timing to rope in the fam, don’t you think? Did I mention that Drop In & Decorate® and National Cookie Day both pose as a great preamble to Shortbread Day on January 6 and National Pfeffernuesse Day, December 23? Uh huh! See! Wait… Pfeffernuesse…. hmmmm I recall….(insert flashback thought bubble here.) Ha!

Have a great week, everyone!