Squashed!

Posted by Natalie on December 21, 2009 - Posted in Recipes There are 11 comments, Add yours!

Lately I’ve been strolling through the produce aisle and my attention will be drawn to a miscelaneous display of squash.  I’ll circle the display...move away...move back.  I contemplate the oddly shaped, exotically colored vegetable, and more oft then I not I will throw one in my cart...no particlular selection process...whichever one happens to speak to me.  However at some point I’ll think “What the heck do I do with this?!”.  So I’ll toss it back on the pile and grab some standard boring veggie and be on my way.  Don’t be intimidated!  Grab a sqaush and get cooking.

I’ve been motivated to experiment with squash after reading an article in Women’s Fitness and discovering that there are so many different flavors to play with---I can’t believe I haven’t been eating these vegetables!  Over the next few weeks I am going to provide cooking tips and a recipe for a few of the more common types of squash that we have in our grocery stores.  The picture above shows Butternut, Kabocha, Speghetti, and Acrorn.  I’ll start with the spegetti squash because it is so versatile--and the intimidation factor is pretty low!  It can be used in place of pasta or rice--and adds a nutty flavor to any recipe.

Start by trimming the ends and slicing the squash in half.  Use a sharp knife--and cut carefully--it can be a slippery job!.  Scoop out the inner seeds and place in a baking dish with a 1/2 inch of water.  Cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 10-15 minutes.  Let cool, then use your fork to shred the squash away from the skin.  You can use this anytime a recipe calls for pasta! Pour on you favorite sauce and top with protein...just as quick as boiling pasta!

Here is another great recipe I found in Women’s Health--it suggested serving this over brown rice--and it was great over the speghetti squash instead.

Chili Chicken and Basil
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
2 serrano chilies
3 gloves garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp Tamari or Soy sauce
1/2 tbsp red-chili past (look for gluten free)
1 tbsp fish sauce (look for gluten free)
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp cracked pepper
2 cups loosely packed fresh basil

Finely chop the garlic and chilies, then use the side of your knife to press them together into a rough paste (add a pinch of salt).  Preheat a sautee pan over med-high and add oil and garlic-chili paste that you just made.  Cook for 2-3 minutes (careful not to burn the garlic).  Add the cubed chicken and cook til lightly browned (3-4 mintues).  Add the tamari sauce, red-chili paste, and sugar, and continue to cook until the chicken is done all the way through (another 3-4 minutes).  Add the cracked peper and basil and cook until the basil is just wilted, about 2 minutes.  Serve immediately over speghetti squash.