Butternut Chicken Curry

Butternut Chicken Curry

1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced
1 (14 oz) can unsweetened coconut milk, lite or regular
1 heaping T mild Indian curry paste (such as Patak's)
1 medium onion, diced
3-4 chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
1 T brown sugar
1 T Thai fish sauce

Place squash in a microwave-safe dish and add enough water to just cover bottom of dish.  Cover and microwave for several minutes until squash is very tender.  Drain water.  Mash squash slightly and set aside.

Bring 1/2 C of coconut milk and curry paste to a simmer in a large skillet over medium heat, whisking constantly. Add onion and saute for 5 minutes.  Stir in remaining coconut milk, sugar and fish sauce.  Then add chicken and squash.  Simmer until chicken is cooked through, stirring often, 6-8 minutes.  Serve over rice, couscous or pilaf.

**I used quinoa, my grain of choice.  I absolutely love this meal.  A meal all in one bowl makes me happy, it feels like fall!
**From Keeping Up Cookbook
**PS. Rock was thrilled that his dinner was the one photographed...cute guy.

Spicy Mexican Squash Stew

Spicy Mexican Squash Stew

1 1/2 T olive oil
2 C chopped onions
6 cloves minced garlic
1/2 t salt
1 butternut squash
1/2 small jalapeno
1/2 t cinnamon (I put in a little more, closer to a t)
2 t ground cumin
1/4 C brown sugar
3 C vegetable stock or broth
2 C chopped fresh tomatoes
2 C chopped red, yellow or orange bell peppers
2 C frozen sweet white corn
salt and black pepper to taste
sour cream and grated cheese for serving

Place the oil, onions, garlic, and salt in a nonreactive soup pot. Cover and cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes.  Stirring often, until the onions are translucent.

Meanwhile, halve and peel the squash, scoop out and discard the seeds, and dice into 1/2 inch cubes (if it's 5 Cor more, you made need to add more stock). Add squash, jalapeno, cinnamon, cumin, and water to the soup pot and simmer for 5-10 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and bell peppers.  Cook for 10-15 minutes or until all of the vegetables are tender.  Stir in the corn and return to a simmer.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve each bowl topped with a dollop of sour cream and cheese if desired!

***My awesome friend Higgy gave me this recipe from a Vegetarian restaurant, but I changed it up a bit!

Butternut Pot Pie

Butternut Pot Pie

1/2 of small butternut squash - seeded, peeled and thinly sliced
3 T butter, melted
1/2 t Pumpkin Pie Seasoning
2 T Honey
2 T Maple Syrup
Salt
Pepper
1/2 Spanish Sweet Onion, sliced
1 large Portobello mushroom, grilled and sliced
1/4 cup chopped Pecans
2 T butter
1/3 - 1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola
Slice of white cheese - Havarti or Swiss
2 9-inch refrigerated pie crusts (Or homemade pie crust for double crust pie)

Mix 3 T melted butter, pumpkin pie seasoning, honey, maple syrup, salt, and pepper together. Pour over sliced squash and set aside to cool.

Saute onion in 1 T butter until carmelized. Remove from pan.

Add remaining 1 T butter to pan and saute mushrooms and chopped pecans over low heat for 5 minutes. Mix with onion and cool.

Assembly:

Place sheet of parchment paper onto large, flat pan (pizza pan, cookie sheet, etc) and sprinkle lightly with flour. Place one pie crust on paper.
Drain sweetened and sliced butternut squash and arrange on top of dough, leaving a 1-inch border.
Sprinkle squash with layer of Gorgonzola cheese, then cover with onion mixture.
Fold outside edge in over filling, pleating and pinching dough about every 2 inches. Place white cheese slice in center of hole. Using second crust, decorate pot pie using shapes, pastry "roses", etc.
Whisk one egg yolk and 2 T water. Brush over entire crust.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool to slightly warm before cutting.