acorn squash risotto

risotto. acorn squash. cheese. these are a few of my favorite things.

another one of my fave things is looking for some culinary inspiration… whether it’s a new ingredient, a new (to me) cooking technique, or a fantastic recipe posted by one of my fellow foodie bloggers. in this case, i was lucky enough to stumble upon two fabulous posts from two fabulous bloggers — the faux martha & lauren’s latest. and this was the culinary inspiration for today’s post.

on another note, i’ve been MIA on the blog for the past few weeks (thanks for your patience!), but i hope you’ve enjoyed following my tweets @yumyumyummers about my culinary adventures around alberta!

now, back to the risotto…

adapted from the faux martha & lauren’s latest

(tip: the first thing you’ll need to do is roast the acorn squash. however, finding some canned squash puree could work as a shortcut. if you don’t have time to roast. though my preference is fresh squash, since roasting veggies is relatively simple.)

roasted squash:
– preheat oven to 400F
– lightly grease oven-safe baking pan w/ extra-virgin olive oil (evoo) or line w/ cooking parchment paper
– place 2 acorn squash (halved, seeded, lightly greased w/ evoo) in baking pan (squash side down)
– roast in oven for approx 40-45min at 400F
– remove from oven and allow to cool before handling squash

the rice:
combine the following ingredients in large saucepan and bring to a boil:
– 1.5 cups organic arborio rice
– 3 cups water

– once boiling, reduce heat to medium & simmer for 10-12min.
– stir ingredients until water is absorbed and rice turns into a creamy consistency.

honey arugula & avocado pizza

avocado makes most things yummy. pizza is no exception. :)

i’m always on the lookout for inventive recipes that feature avocado. while i’ve infused avocado into many a culinary experiment, i thought it was about time i make this lovely tropical fruit a pizza topping. and i was so glad i did. :)

– preheat oven to 400F

prep the dough:
– sprinkle some whole-wheat flour on a clean surface before rolling out the fresh pizza dough (i bought some fresh from the bakery.)
– using a rolling pin, flatten out the dough into a thin, round pie
– sprinkle some more flour on the dough pie, flip over before applying the rolling pin again
– place the prepped dough pie on a pizza stone (at room temperature) or a lightly-greased, round baking pan

prep the toppings:
– 1 cup fresh organic arugula
– 1 haas avocado (peeled, pitted, sliced)
– 1/2 red bell pepper (pitted, thinly sliced)
– fresh light mozzarella (grated)

prep the pie:
– spread 2 tbsp plain, low-fat greek yogurt evenly on pizza dough
– lightly drizzle honey
– season w/ ground black peppercorns
– add a bed of fresh arugula, then add sliced avocado & peppers
– sprinkle mozzarella (grated) evenly over toppings
– season w/ ground black peppercorns

bake the pie:
– bake pizza at 400F for 20min, or until crust is golden brown
– remove from oven & allow to cool on rack before slicing

(tip: the drizzled honey may soften the dough a bit, so you may need to adjust the baking time by a few minutes longer, depending on your oven.) 

roasted carrot & broccoli quinoa

back on my quinoa kick… toasted with some vibrant veggies!

this is a simple way to repurpose leftover apple-glazed roasted carrots and use up that extra broccoli that’s been sitting in the crisper in your fridge. oh yeah, and quinoa is a fantastic way to add a little fiber boost to a dish.

prep veggies:
– chop leftover roasted carrots into thin sticks
– cut broccoli into small florets

the quinoa:
– bring to a boil: 1 cup (250mL) organic quinoa & 2 cups water in a small pot (no cover)
– then reduce to simmer, cover pot and cook until the water is absorbed into the grains (approx 10-12 min). it’s ready when the grain is translucent.
– allow to cool, then fluff with a fork

the stirfry:
while the quinoa is cooking, start stirfrying the veggies.
– add broccoli florets to a large wok on medium heat
– add 1/4 cup water to wok and blanch broccoli until it turns a vibrant green and slightly tender
– heat up 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil in a large wok
– add 1/4 white onion (peeled, rough chop) to wok

– add a dash of sea salt
– add chopped carrots to wok
– season w/ ground black peppercorns
– stirfry for a few minutes until veggies are warmed up
– add 1.5 cups cooked quinoa and toss with veggies in wok, until quinoa is slightly toasted