Fall Cooking: Collards & Butternut Squash

They looked so orange-y and fall-ish, so I bought a 2-lb container of diced butternut squash.  Disregard the fact that I wasn't sure what it tasted like or how to cook it.

I also bought a big bag of cut collard greens because I forgot that I already had a bag at home and I decided I had a taste for greens.  So I found myself with butternut squash and collards and no plans for either.  I don’t like to let food go to waste, so I figured I could somehow cook them together in one pot.  It felt like my own, personal episode of Chopped!

I checked my pantry and found a bag of lentils and figured, since there were no definite plans for that either, I’d throw that in the mix, too.  And let me tell you – it all came together deliciously. It took about an hour and a half, but only about 20 minutes of active, standing at the stove time. The rest of the time you can wash dishes, fold clothes, or go catch up on The Voice.  And since it’s all pre-cut, there’s very little prep. (You can of course, use a whole squash or cut your collards, if you’d like.)

Here you go.  I wish I was better at coming up with names for stuff, but I’m not, so it's just...

Collards & Butternut Squash

Ingredients

Butter

½ onion, diced

½ bag lentils

1 lb diced butternut squash

1 lb chopped collard greens

Vegetable bouillon cube

Water

Seasoning: black pepper, salt, red pepper flakes, coriander

Note: Add seasonings through-out to taste.  Feel free to leave out the red pepper if you don’t like pepper-y food.

Cook

In a large stock pot, melt a tablespoon of butter.

Add lentils. Stir and keep an eye on it, for about 5 minutes, until they get an almost nutty scent.

Add chopped onions, mix together, then continue to cook while onions soften.

Add the squash and seasoning, mix together and let cook a few minutes.

Add greens, mix into other ingredients.

Add bouillon cube and mix in with ingredients until dissolved.  Add seasoning.

Pour in 6 cups of water and stir all together.

Let cook on medium flame for about an hour or until squash is soft.

Serve as a side-dish or as a standalone meal, over rice or with naan or other flatbread. 

Enjoy!

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Coke or Pepsi? Meat or Veggies?

In the battle between Coke and Pepsi, I'm a Pepsi girl, 100%. I don't drink regular Coke or diet Coke or Cherry Coke.  None, ever, not even with Bacardi.  Ever since I was a kid - Pepsi. My mother would buy Pepsi, Coke, and root beer (something else I don't drink, ever).  My brother was not as picky and would drink anything.  And what would he drink first? The Pepsi.  Then when they were all gone, that would leave him with 2 other choices and me and my picky self with nothing but water.  This would irritate the heck out of me. I always felt he should not drink the Pepsi, ever, because he had other options.

Skip years and years forward.  I'm a vegetarian now; actually, a pescetarian.  When I cook for my family or have folks over to my own home, I cook carnivore options and vegetarian/pescetarian options.  Fajitas? Steak, chicken, and shrimp.  BBQ?  Ribs, chicken, fish.  Pork chops and tofu.  When I go to an event, I look for the veggie or fish options.  So, what is it that irritates me?  (Go back to the Pepsi/Coke thing if you haven't figured it out). Yes, when carnivores eat up all the fish and veggies first, leaving me with a pile of lettuce leaves and cauliflower.  I recently went to an event with a buffet of munchies - mini cheesesteak subs, burger sliders, crabcakes.  Guess which went first?  And no, I am not going to believe that there were a room full of vegetarians who ate all the crabcakes before I got there.

I'll admit, maybe in my pre-pescetarian days, I did the same thing.  But now I'm going to tell you, on behalf of the vegetarians - stop it.  If you are a carnivore, eat the meat.  Yes, I get it that you like fish and shrimp, too.  Every now and then, you'd rather take the pasta dish rather than the chicken plate at the convention center/hotel dinner.  But that's not for you. It's for folks who don't eat the chicken plate.  It's unfair for you to take our only option for a meal.

Now when we get to dessert....well, if you like chocolate, you should try to get your plate before me.

In a house of carnivores

"What do you eat?"  "What do you feed your family?"

These are the questions I get when someone finds out that I'm on a different diet than the rest of my family.  Its a common question, in fact  have the same reaction when someone says they're a vegan.  I'm the only vegetarian - pescatarian, to be accurate - and the rest of my family are carnivores.  I never intended on being a vegetarian, it was actually supposed to be just a few days, but upon realizing the health benefits, its lasted a few years.

For mothers, in particular, its a bit of a challenge to be on a different food plan than your family.  I say "food plan" because diet seems to imply weight-loss; but the case is the same whether for weight-loss, general health, or life-style.  You have to fix your own food and feed your family, as well.  Cooking one meal is bad enough, right?  Who wants to have to make a special meal for individual tastes, even your own?  Over those years, I've adapted to making two meals without a lot of extra work.  In case anyone else is planning on becoming a vegetarian in a house of carnivores, here's a few ideas.

- What's good for the goose... There's no reason your family can't eat whatever you are fixing for yourself.  I fix fish for the family regularly.  Sometimes I have a couple of varieties on the table, because of preferences - but they are all fixed the same.  For instance, we may have salmon and tilapia, but they are both baked.  I also do whole fish now that my children have surprised me by liking it and getting pretty adept at picking out the bones.

- Adjust family favorites so that you can enjoy them, too.  (No-one will mind!)  One of my favorite dishes is a hot, spicy jambalaya.  Traditionally, this is made with ham and chicken and sausage and whatever else kind of meat the cook decides to throw in.  It requires a lot of chopping and slicing and stirring the pot.  And I don't like doing all that work and missing out on the food.  I now make a seafood version - fish, shrimp, clams - its delicious.

- Add meat on the side.  Prepare fully nutritional, vegetarian foods, and serve with meat.  An easy example - if I want spaghetti, I don't deprive myself because the kids want meat sauce.  Make a sauce and serve meatballs on the side.

- Add meat in a separate pot/dish/pan.  A friend once gave me a delicious vegetarian soup recipe that I instantly thought would be great with some tender cubes of lamb in it.  If I am making something that I would like and that I think the family would like with meat, I begin with making enough for us all and cooking until the point of adding meat.  I take out a portion for myself and finish the two variations.  Works great for chili, soup, and lasagne.

- Explore other cultures.  The American diet is heavily based on meat, but some other cultures, especially island and coastal cuisines, rely less on beef, and more on fish and vegetables.  Sometimes I can't think of what I want to eat, then I remember - oh, yeah - I could eat Korean food!  Rice, kimchi, tofu, fish - I'm set.

- Serve a buffet of options.  This one is a little more work intensive than the others, but the kids enjoy it.     I cook a little bit of different foods and everyone can choose what they want.  Works well for fajitas (chicken, beef, fish, shrimp) and stir-fry.  (And, well, the less-work version - this is also great for all those leftovers in the fridge.)

These are just a few things that have worked for me.  If you have anything else to add, please leave a comment.

Check my In The Kitchen page for recipes for carnivores & vegetarians.

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