Thursday, November 11, 2010

Butternut Squash Pasta & Another Salad Invention!

My camera(s) are still broken, so I don't have any pretty photos of my lovely new recipe creations! :(

However, these are both super yummy (trust me), and would make for a lovely well-rounded vegetarian meal. And, they're very autumn-themed! Even though it's snowing in Denver right now.... wowza!

Beth's super delicious salad (I'm running out of names here...)

- Arugula & romaine lettuce (or whatever other greens you like)
- 1 fresh pear (diced)
- brie cheese (cubed), about 1 cup
- candied cashews (I just got these in bulk at Whole Foods), about 1/2 cup
- 1/2 medium red onion (sliced into strips)
- old red wine (or red wine vinegar)
- dijon mustard
- honey or agave nectar

Sautee the onion in some olive oil until they begin to caramelize (about 8 minutes), then add a splash of old red wine. Let it cook off for about a minute, and set aside to cool.

Assemble the salad with lettuce, pear, brie, and cashews - then top with red onion. Put equal parts of dijon mustard and honey into a container and shake to combine. I added some water to thin the consistency (and to make it easier to soak into my salad). Dump dressing on salad and enjoy!


Roasted Butternut Squash Pasta
I made this one up the other day when I had cooked up a butternut squash I bought at the Farmer's Market, then had no idea what to do with it.

- 1 small butternut squash (peeled, seeds & strings removed, and diced)
- about 1 1/2 - 2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
- about 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 1 16oz package linguine (or any other kind of pasta you like)
- Butter / spray oil
- Salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place diced butternut squash on a cookie sheet, spray liberally with oil, and lightly season with salt. Bake in the oven until tender, turning once or twice - this will take about 20-30 minutes. (This can be done ahead of time - mine was ready to go before I even started!)

Cook linguine according to package directions. Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts in a small pan over medium heat. Be sure to watch these babies - they will burn in an instant! Keep them moving constantly and DO NOT leave them to get distracted by something else. Trust me, if I had a dime for every time I've burned pine nuts....

Drain the linguine and transfer to a bowl. Add the roasted butternut squash, Parmesan cheese, pine nuts, and a few tablespoons of butter. Season with salt & pepper, and toss to combine.


Enjoy!!

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