Crowd-Pleasing

SIDE DISHES

Spicy Kale And Chipotle Chickpea And Roasted Butternut Squash Salad

From ASaucyKitchen.com

Yield: 4 servings Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 40 minutes Total Time: 50 minutes

Chipotle roasted chickpeas and butternut squash salad over a bed of massaged kale and topped with a handful of pumpkin seeds. Enjoy warm or cold

Ingredients

Salad
1 very large bunch of kale, ribs removed and chopped
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 can chickpeas, 400 grams, rinsed and drained
1 medium butternut squash, about 2 pounds, sliced into ¾-inch cubes
1/4 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds without the shell)

Chipotle Sauce
1 tablespoon chipotle paste
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large clove garlic or 1 teaspoon crushed
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 pinch red chili pepper flakes
1 tablespoon lime juice, about half a lime

Instructions

Chipotle Sauce
To make the dressing add all of the ingredients to a small bowl or jar and whisk until combined.
Chickpeas & Squash
Preheat oven to 420°F/ 215°C.
Add the diced butternut squash and chickpeas to a medium sized bowl and pour the chipotle sauce over the top. Use a spoon to mix it all together until everything is evenly coated. Spread the squash chickpeas in a single layer out on a large baking sheet and place in the oven to roast for 35-40 minutes or until the squash is tender and caramelize on the outside. Halfway through roasting take turn the tray around in the oven and give everything a quick stir.
When the squash and chickpeas are almost done in the oven get the kale ready. Place the chopped kale in a big salad bowl. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle a small pinch of the sea salt over the kale and massage the leaves with your hands by lightly scrunching big handfuls at a time. This should take about 30 seconds before the leaves grow darker in color and fragrant.
After you have removed the squash and chickpeas from the oven, let cool for about 5 minutes before adding to the kale. Top with the pepitas and toss everything to combine and enjoy.

Green Beans Toasted Cashews

Photo Credit: Wolf189

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 pounds green beans
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium shallots, thinly sliced
Freshly ground black pepper
¼ C chopped cashews
¼ C. sliced dried apricots

DIRECTIONS:

Add green beans to lightly salted boiling water and cook until they just start to get tender but remain quite crunchy, 3 – 5 minutes, depending on8 

the size of the beans.Drain the beans and immediately plunge them into the ice water. Let them sit for a minute to cool thoroughly, then drain them.Put the oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter melts, add the shallots and cook, stirring once or twice, until they’re golden brown and crisp, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer the shallots to a plate lined with paper towels. Leave the fat in the pan.Add green beans to the skillet, sprinkle with salt and pepper, stirring occasionally, until the beans are crisp-tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning and serve hot or warm with the shallots on top and almonds sprinkled on top.

SERVINGS: 4

SERVING SIZE: 1 cup

Raw Brussels Sprouts Salad

Recipe from: LaurenCarisCooks.com

PREP TIME 20 minutes
SERVINGS 4

235.67 g Brussels sprouts
150.67 g) Almonds
57 g) Dried Cranberries
6.67 Sun Dried Tomatoes
0.67 small handful parsley
Avocados optional

Dressing
2 tbsp olive oil
1.33 tbsp Lemon Juice
1.33 tsp Dijon Mustard
2.67 tsp Maple Syrup
salt and pepper for seasoning

INSTRUCTIONS
Wash the brussels sprouts and remove any outer leaves if necessary. Then, using a mandolin, or a slicer attatchment on a food processor, slice the brussels sprouts into thin shreds. Place into a large bowl and set aside.
Roughly chop the almonds into whatever size chunks you like. I did mine fairly small, but it’s really up to you. Add these to the brussels sprouts, along with the dried berries. Then finely slice the sundried tomatoes and parsley and add these too.
Whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing and pour over the brussels sprouts. Mix everything together well.
If you want to serve the salad in an avocado, preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Cut the avocado in half and remove the stone. Bake on a flat baking tray for around 15 minutes, then spoon the salad into the avocado halves and eat while it’s warm!
RECIPE NOTES
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days, best eaten fresh on the day it is prepared.

Butternut Squash with Cranberry Quinoa Stuffing

Recipe from: OneIngredientChef.com

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

Step One
Preheat the oven to 400º F. Slice the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Then, fill a large baking dish with an inch of water and place the squash face down in the water. Pop these in the oven for about 25-35 minutes, or until the skins start to brown. This is technically braising and the combo of dry heat + water will tenderize the squash while retaining all its moisture. It’s the only way to cook butternut squash in my book.

Step Two
Meanwhile, cook some white quinoa until fluffy. To get the 4 cups, start with about 1.5 cups of dry quinoa and 3 cups of water. Simmer for about 20 minutes until the water is absorbed, then fluff with a fork and allow to cool.

Step Three
Chop a yellow onion. Mince some garlic. Chop some celery. Add all of these into a pan over medium heat with a splash of olive oil. Allow them to soften for 5-8 minutes until the onions turn translucent.

Step Four
Back to the quinoa, transfer to a large bowl and throw in the lemon juice, parsley, sage, cumin, onion celery garlic mixture, cranberries, toasted pine nuts, and some salt & pepper to taste. Then toss until well mixed. Voila: quinoa stuffing! Give it a taste and feel free to adjust any ingredients or spices as needed.

Step Five
The squash should be coming along nicely at this point. Remove from the oven and carefully take the squash out of the water, taking care not to splash any of the boiling water. Then, turn them right side up and fill the center with a mound of the stuffing. Transfer them to a baking sheet and return to the oven for about 10-15 minutes, until the quinoa just starts to brown on top.

Allow to cool slightly, then plate by adding the squash halves on a bed of the quinoa stuffing: