Winter Toast, 3 Ways

In my fourth and final contribution to Terrain's blog, I talk toast. More specifically, I talk about how it can actually be part of a whole foods diet. (In case you missed the other three posts, you can see them here, here, and here.) We're wired to think of bread and bad, just like we're wired to think of pasta as bad. But, I'm here to show you that one, life's to short to say no to bread—good bread, that is—and two, the health factor of your toast all depends on what you're topping your bread with. 

I'm most definitely a peanut butter and banana fan, and I love a coconut butter and avocado toast, but I also love layering on vegetables for a nutritious kick. I don't need to tell you that there's something so satisfying about biting into a piece of perfectly toasted bread. But if you're someone who eschews toast because of its carb count, etc. I want you to just start to think about how it may not be so bad after all. That sugar spike that comes with eating bread is diminished when it's a nutty whole grain bread and when it's topped with healthy fats and fiber-rich foods. 

For some inspiration on how to do toast in this last month of winter, head over to Terrain's blog to check out the recipes! 

What are some of your favorite ways to do toast?

Butternut Squash and Chickpea Baked Spanish Rice

Another butternut squash recipe, you ask? I know, I know. You see, I had one lonely butternut squash to use up and wanted to maximize it's use before I would not see it again for another 6-9 months. As much as I love butternut squash and all those other hearty winter squashes, I am ready to move on to new vegetables as warmer weather sets in. So, this will be my last recipe for butternut squash for a long while.

This recipe borrows from one of my favorite summer-time recipes, the Paella with Tomatoes from Mark Bittman I had found in the New York Times a few years ago, and a Curried Butternut Squash Brown Rice Skillet recipe from Erin of Naturally Ella. It is a simple recipe, but one that is comforting, nourishing, and tastes much more complex than the simple steps suggest. You start it on the stove top and then pop it in the oven for almost an hour to finish. Your kitchen will fill with toasty, smoky aromas. Top it with a tangy sour cream, yogurt, or even an egg, poached or fried preferably so that the yolk can run all over it.

The secret ingredients here, or rather the ingredients that contribute the most to this dish, are the smoked paprika, or Spanish pimentón, and the saffron. Regular sweet paprika does not have the same effect, so it is best to invest in a tin of smoked paprika. Regular paprika will do in a pinch, but I promise you will put smoked paprika to very good use. Saffron is one pricey and unique spice. It is magically floral and produces a beautiful sunset yellow-orange hue to any dish to which it is added. You can skip it if you would like, knowing that the flavor will be a little less floral but still delicious. I suggest adding a 1/2 teaspoon turmeric to achieve a earthy flavor and golden hue. Also, a note on the rice. It is important to get short-grain brown rice to achieve the best texture. It has a hint of stickiness that I find most satisfying, and it gets crunchy and toasty on the top and bottom.

Butternut Squash and Chickpea Spanish Baked Rice

1 1/2 T. olive oil, divided
1/2 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
3/4 t. smoked paprika or Spanish pimentón
1/4 t. ground cumin
pinch of ground cinnamon
pinch of saffron or 1/2 t. ground turmeric
1 T. tomato paste
zest of 1/2 lemon
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 c. short-grain brown rice
1/3 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and chopped in 1/2-inch pieces (about 1/2 lb. or 2 c. chopped)
1/2 c. cooked chickpeas
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 c. water
Sour cream or plain yogurt (at least 2 % fat), for serving

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. In an 8" cast iron skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until beginning to soften and turn translucent for about 5-7 minutes. Add the smoked paprika, cumin, cinnamon, saffron, and tomato paste and stir to coat the vegetables. Cook for 1 minute or until spices become aromatic. Add the zest of 1/2 lemon and the juice of 1/2 lemon, stirring to loosen any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add the brown rice, butternut squash, chickpeas, and scant 1/2 teaspoon salt, and cook for 2-3 minutes or until everything is evenly coated and the rice begins to toast just a little. Add the water. The water will come up just short of the edge of the pan. Stir very carefully. Drizzle 1/2 T. of olive oil over the top- where it will help the dish toast in the final minutes of cooking.

Carefully place the pan in the middle rack of the oven. Allow to cook for 50-55 minutes. The liquid should be fully absorbed, and the top beginning to brown ever so slightly. The rice should be tender. If not, add a little more liquid if no liquid remains, and continue to cook for 10 minutes. Remove the rice from the oven. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with sour cream or plain yogurt, at least 2% is preferred. Enjoy! Serves 2.

Butternut Squash and Black Bean Tacos with Pickled Onions and Pimentón Chimichurri

If I could sum up the majority of my eats in Southern California, it would be....tacos. Fish tacos, chicken tacos, chicken and mole tacos, even mini Wagyu beef and tuna tartare tacos. And I enjoyed each and every one of them. But tacos do not always have to come with fish, chicken, or meat to make them delicious. Nor do they have to be stuffed with just beans and rice to make a passable vegetarian option. I have stuffed these corn tortillas with slices of slightly sweet roasted butternut squash, a creamy schmear of black beans, quick pickled red onions, plump avocado, and drizzled it all with a bright, spiced sauce reminiscent of chimichurri.

I hope no one is offended with me taking a little culinary and poetic license and calling this a chimichurri. It may seem like a far cry from the herby green steak condiment of Latin America, but believe me when I say it packs a similar punch. Traditional chimichurri is practically a vinaigrette with a base of oil and vinegar and lots of garlic and herbs like oregano, parsley, and sometimes even cilantro. I borrow from that concept, swapping smoked paprika for parsley and being generous with the cilantro. I happen to love the combination of smoked paprika and butternut squash, and think this works quite well in these little tacos. I think you may even find other uses for this addicting sauce. Let me know what you end up pouring it on.

The pickled onions that I include here are easy to make and will add new dimensions to many of your favorite dishes. Toss them on sandwiches, chop them and add them to your grainy salads, or garnish a burger or sausage with them.

These tacos are vegetarian as written, but can easily be made vegan by substituting a plain vegan yogurt for the sour cream. If you just must have meat, any simply grilled meat could work, and be generous with the chimichurri. I'm also wishing I would have had some queso fresco slices to add in there to really up the ante.

Served alongside thinly sliced cabbage tossed with salt, olive oil, and a hint of lime juice, these tacos will change your idea of what vegetarian tacos have to be.

Butternut Squash and Black Bean Tacos with Pickled Onions and Pimentón Chimichurri

Tacos:
1/3 medium butternut squash, peeled and seeded and sliced in 1/4 inch slices
2 t. olive oil
1 14.5-ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 T. sour cream
1 lime, zested and juiced
1/2 t. ground cumin
scant 1/2 t. salt
1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced into 1/4-inch slices
Handful fresh cilantro, rinsed to remove any sand and dried, and leaves separated
1 recipe Quick Pickled Red Onions, recipe below
1 recipe Pimentón Chimichurri, recipe below
8 of your favorite corn tortillas

Roast the squash. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper. Toss the butternut squash with 2 teaspoons of olive oil and a sprinkling of salt and arrange slices in single layer on baking sheet. Roast for about 25-30 minutes or until tender and a little brown around the edges. Remove from oven and set aside.

In the meantime, prepare the black beans. Place the drained and rinsed black beans in a bowl. Add the sour cream, zest and juice of 1 lime, the ground cumin, and salt. Mash the beans with a fork to your liking. I like mine a little chunky, but you can mash them to a smoother puree if you like.

Get all of your ingredients ready. Warm and soften the tortillas by wrapping them in a moist paper towel and microwaving them for 20-30 seconds. Begin assembling the tacos. Smear the black bean mixture on the tortilla, top with a few slices of butternut squash, then avocado, the pickled onion, drizzle with chimichurri, a few cilantro leaves, and drizzle with more chimichurri if desired. Enjoy! Serves 3-4 people.

Quick Pickled Onions
1 red onion, peeled and sliced thinly
1/2 c. apple cider vinegar
1/2 c. water, microwaved for about a minute
1 T. honey
1 1/2 t. salt

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl, stirring to coat evenly. Allow the onions to pickle and slightly wilt for at least 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. This makes a lot more than you need for these tacos, but these onions should last about a week in the fridge so you can find some new uses for them.

Pimentón Chimichurri
3 garlic cloves
1 c. loosely packed cilantro, washed and dried to remove any sand (some stems are fine!)
1 1/2 t. smoked paprika
1 1/2 t. dried oregano
1/4 t. red chili flakes
1/2 t. salt
3 T apple cider vinegar
3 T. extra-virgin olive oil

Combine all ingredients in a mini food processor or blender and blend until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Makes about 1/2 cup.

Butternut Squash and Kale Pesto Grilled Cheese

Supposedly April is Grilled Cheese Month. I'm not quite sure what qualifies April to be deemed as such, but I will roll with it. This grilled cheese is a good bridge between winter and spring. It combines a hearty winter vegetable with a spring green vegetable pesto, and of course a rich, melty cheese.

As I have gotten more and more involved in the kitchen, I felt my culinary arsenal expand. I started to realize which flavor combinations work well, which work really well, and along the way, I also found out what really does NOT work. Peanut butter and banana, tomato and basil, and potato and egg were some really familiar ones to me at first. Then I branched out, recognizing the complementary nature of such pairings as goat cheese and figs, peas and mint, and avocado and grapefruit. Kale and butternut squash is a vegetable combo that just works. It works in pasta dishes, in salads, on pizza, and in this case, an irresistible grilled cheese. The sweetness of the butternut squash balances the bitter kale. And the squash provides a toothsome bite and fiber, of course, to make it a bit more filling and nutritious.

I chose a semi-hard sheep's milk cheese called Ossau-Iraty that is nutty, buttery, with a complex finish. Butternut squash pairs well with nuts such as walnuts and hazelnuts, so this cheese serves that purpose. If you cannot find Ossau-Iraty, some good substitutions are Manchego, Dubliner, or even a Swiss cheese. For the bread, I love a nutty, mulit-grain loaf or a sour, chewy Miche.

Butternut Squash and Kale Pesto Grilled Cheese

2 slices multigrain or sourdough bread
2 T. kale pesto
4-5 slices roasted butternut squash (I had some leftover, but if making new, follow instructions here)
1/3 c. grated semi-hard sheep's milk cheese, such as Ossau-Iraty, but see notes for substitutions
Butter or olive oil for grilling

Spread 1 tablespoon kale pesto on one side of each slice of bread. Top one slice with squash and cheese, and place other half atop filling. Smear each bread half with a thin layer of butter or drizzle lightly with olive oil.

If using a panini press, preheat panini press on medium. Grill sandwich for 4-5 minutes total or until cheese has melted but is not oozing out over the sides.

If using a skillet, preheat the skillet over medium heat. Cook the sandwich 4-5 minutes per side or until bread is golden and cheese has melted.

Allow the sandwich to cool for a minute or two before slicing and serving. Enjoy!
Makes 1 sandwich.

Winter Einkorn Bowls with Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Squash, Tempeh, and Lemon Tahini Drizzle

I tend to eat a lot of bowls, bowls of nourishing goodness. Sara Forte, from Sprouted Kitchen, writes a beautiful post on the subject of "bowl foods" that you can find here and is even coming out with a cookbook devoted to the topic. For me, bowl foods are usually born out of a necessity to use up bits and pieces of leftover raw or cooked ingredients, especially grains, legumes, and vegetables. I love all of the different textures that come together and honestly, I love the satisfaction of using up all of my leftovers and not having anything go to waste. It's also a fun challenge to use up a hodgepodge of ingredients in my fridge and to resurrect them into something yummy and cohesive. This bowl in particular was once born out of a necessity to use up leftovers, but since then, I have made this combo many times intentionally because the flavors just worked so well together. The earthy Brussels sprouts are balanced by the sweet winter squash. The walnuts provide a buttery crunch, and the einkorn and tempeh provide bulk and protein. The lemon tahini sauce brings it all together.

Einkorn, also known as farro piccolo, is an heirloom wheat berry that is very similar to the spelt berry in both taste and texture; it's chewy, slightly sweet, and very satiating. It's also a terrific source of protein, iron, and B vitamins. You can find it at your local Whole Foods or online at Jovial Foods. If you cannot readily purchase einkorn, feel free to substitute any grain of your choice or even brown rice, being sure to follow the cooking instructions on the package.

Winter Einkorn Bowls with Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Squash, Tempeh, and Lemon Tahini Drizzle

Tempeh:
1 8oz. package tempeh, sliced into 1/4-inch slices
1 T. dijon mustard
1 1/2 T. maple syrup
1 t. low sodium tamari or soy sauce
2 T. extra-virgin olive oil

Vegetables:
1 lb. Brussels sprouts, bottoms removed and quartered
1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
2 T. extra-virgin olive oil

Einkorn:
1 c. einkorn
2 c. water
salt

Lemon Tahini Drizzle:
2 T. tahini
2 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 T. water
salt, to taste

Garnish:
1/2 c. walnuts

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Make sure that two oven racks are placed towards the middle of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. On one baking sheet, spread tempeh pieces out in single layer. In a small bowl, mix the marinade ingredients together. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the marinade and set aside. Brush the remaining marinade evenly over the tempeh. Set pan aside.

On the other baking sheet, spread Brussels sprout quarters on one half and butternut squash pieces on the other half. Drizzle all with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and toss each half separately. Try to get all of the vegetables in a single layer to maximize their roasting. Place vegetable pan and tempeh pan in the oven, and bake for 25-30 minutes, flipping pan positions halfway through and tossing vegetables around so they can roast evenly.

Meanwhile, make the einkorn. Place the water in a pot and bring to boil. Add the einkorn and a sprinkle of salt, and reduce heat to simmer. Cook for 30-35 minutes or until the grain is tender and the water has been absorbed.

As the vegetables roast and the einkorn cooks, prepare the lemon tahini drizzle. In a small bowl, mix the tahini, lemon juice, water, and reserved 1 tablespoon of the tempeh marinade. Set aside.

Toast the walnuts over medium-low heat on the stove top for 8-10 minutes or in a small pan or skillet in the oven for 8-10 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit or until golden brown. Roughly chop and set aside.

When all of the components are ready, assemble the bowls--grains + vegetables + tempeh + walnuts + lemon tahini drizzle. You're welcome to do it individually, which can be nice when you're having people over, or I've also mixed everything together in a bowl, so that I have a ready-to-pack lunch for the busy week. Serves 4.