acorn squash and brown rice with pomegranate, pistachio, and kale

Note: This post was previously published here as a part of my freelance work.

In fall we welcome comfort. Cooked soothing foods fill our stomachs with happiness and warmth on a crisp day. Acorn squash and spices like cinnamon evoke memories of a time when things were simpler, when all our cares drifted on a breeze with autumn’s falling leaves. This, is a dish to take you there.

Warm acorn squash mixed with fresh local yogurt provides a creamy earthy balance to this dish’s modern additions: pistachio, pomegranate, and kale. Seasoned with cinnamon and ginger, the spice-derived flavor allows it to be a healthy kickstart for your new season. No butter, no cheese, no large amounts of fat needed. Now how is that for comfort food?

Ingredients:

1 acorn squash

1 cup long grain brown rice

2.5-3 cups water

1 small white onion, chopped small

2 cups chopped kale

1 bouillon cube

1 cinnamon stick

1/2 inch peeled ginger

1/2 cup yogurt

1 lg. garlic clove, chopped into large pieces

1 pomegranate

1/2 cup shelled pistachios

1 tbs rice vinegar

olive oil for sautéing

salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Cut your squash in half, gut out the seeds, and set to roast. You can either roast it at 350F for approx. one hour, or if you’d rather set it and forget it, bake the squash at 200F for 3-4 hours. Remove and let cool.

2. In a small stock pot, sauté onions in olive oil. Once slightly see-through, add rice, and stir it around for a minute. Add 2 cups water, kale, bouillon cube, cinnamon stick, ginger, and garlic. Stir thoroughly, cover, and let cook.

3. In the meantime, gut out your squash and mix together with yogurt. I used Pequa Valley, a delicious local yogurt sold at Greensgrow. Cut open your pomegranate and remove seeds from the white flesh innards of the fruit. Set seeds aside.

4. As the rice cooks down, continue adding water until the grains become fully cooked. Once it is finished, let sit for 5-10 minutes.

5. Stir in squash, pomegranate seeds, pistachio, and vinegar, along with salt and pepper to taste. Let cool a bit more before serving to deliver fullest flavor.

fall quiche: winter squash, kale, and fresh ricotta on fillo dough

A recent farmer's market trip resulted in two winter squash, a bunch of kale, 4 shallots, a tub of fresh ricotta, and 10 million ideas as to what I could do with them. I hadn't made a quiche in a while, and settled on a trying a fall version with fillo dough and almond milk to make it healthier. It's such a beautiful, rustic, and down-home dish that I thought a skillet would be the perfect touch.

Ingredients:

4 Shallots (sliced)

1/2 Large Sweet Onion (sliced)

6 Stems of Kale (chopeed)

2 Winter Squash

1/2 Tsp Mustard Powder

2 Pinches of Dried Thyme

1 1/4 Cup Almond Milk - Unsweetened

1 1/2 Cup Fresh Ricotta

10 Fillo Dough Sheets

4 Eggs

Salt & Pepper

Olive Oil

Cast Iron Skillet

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F and thaw fillo dough sheets.

2. Peel and cube winter squash. Spread out cubes on a cooking sheet. Season with minimal olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme.

3. Saute onion and shallots until they being to appear see through. Add chopped kale with a dash of water to steam.

4. Line cast iron skillet with fillo dough sheets, basting with olive oil and alternating direction every two layers.

5. Beat together egg, almond milk, ricotta, mustard, salt, and pepper with a mixer.

6. First layer kale mixture into you pan, then squash, and then pour egg mixture over the top.

7. Stick you pan in the oven and bake for about an hour or until top turns crispy brown.