Halloween Butternut Squash

Autumn is finally upon us. Apart from the cold mornings the weather continues to be glorious. Walking my furry friend across the fields, the early morning mist creates an eerie atmosphere & evokes memories of smoky bonfires, leaves rustling underfoot and of course Halloween.

Here at TRUFFLEicious, we are preparing for the closure of Great Chalfield Manor for this year & concentrating on our winter activities.  Writing my recipe book  TRUFFLEicious, Nutritious, Nutrition is one of my projects for the winter months & continuing to retail my homemade Gluten free Cakes, Spelt & Rye Breads & of course, Chocolate Truffles (Full details on my website www.truffleicious.org) is another.

Right enough waffling back to Halloween with its Pumpkins & Gourds.  This month’s recipe is vegetarian, for the carnivores amongst you, some spicy sausages or chicken, would make a great addition. You can also make double the amount & serve one half hot & save the rest to have as a salad for the next day.

Oriental Butternut Squash, Black Kale & Spelt with Sesame & Pomegranate Dressing

Serves 6.  Low Fodmap. DF, V, Vegan.  Oven heat 180c, 350f, Gas 4

INGREDIENTS:

2 Medium Butternut Squash, Halved, seeds removed & chopped into large cubes.

1 Large Bag of fresh Black Kale. Shredded.

2 Red Onions, Peeled & quarted.

2 Red Peppers. Deseeded & cut into chunks.

Seasoning

4 Tbspns. Rape Seed Oil.

Sesame Oil to taste.

For the dressing:  Put all ingredients in a screw top jar. Shake to emulsify.  Adjust to taste.

100ml. Cider Vinegar.

tspns Lemon Grass Paste

2 Crushed Cloves Garlic

2 tspns Clear Honey.

50ml. Low Salt. Vegan Soy Sauce

Ground Black Pepper

200ml. Rape Seed Oil.

150g Brown Spelt. Cooked to packet instructions.

METHOD:

Preheat the oven.

Place the oil in a large roasting tray.  Add the Squash, onion, peppers, season well with salt & pepper.

Toss everything together to coat veg with the oil. Roast for 15 – 20 mins, until cooked but not mushy.

While the veg are roasting make the dressing & quickly stir fry the black kale in a large Wok.

Using a slotted spoon, place cooked veg in a large serving dish; add the drained spelt & kale.

Toss together, drizzle with Sesame Oil, to taste & serve either on its own with crusty bread or with grilled halloumi.

If you are having a Halloween or Bonfire party, this dish looks brilliant served in a pumpkin shell or individual halved, different coloured gourd shells.

Enjoy.

Waste not. Want not.

LEFT OVER TURKEY OR VEGETABLE SPICY STIR FRY.

This recipe is ideal for using up left overs from the Christmas table. Any left over meat will do.  If you prefer vegetarian leave out the meat & see suggestions below.

A plump juicy bird.

Add left over meat at the end of the recipe

Serves 2.    Time taken Prep 20mins Cooking 10mins, Gluten & Dairy Free. Vegetarian if you replace the meat with, cooked pulses (chickpeas) or add chopped aubergine chunks (salted for 20mins & drained) with the onion.  ALLERGENS IN BOLD

INGREDIENTS.

Leftover Turkey, Pork etc sliced into thin strips.

1, Red Onion Peeled & Thinly sliced.

4, Celery Stalks, Thinly sliced.

1, small fresh chilli, finely chopped

1/2inch Fresh Ginger,finely chopped

1, Stalk of Lemon Grass, Outer removed & finely chopped.

1, Large Red Pepper, deseeded & cut into strips

2, cloves of smoked Garlic, peeled & crushed

1, tbspn Curry Powder

2, tbspns Sweet Chilli Jam. (Pot of What, Homemade in the Cotswolds is to die for www.potofwhat.co.uk )

1, Vegetable Stock Cube.

3, tbspns Unsalted Cashew Nuts

2, tbspns Flame raisins. (May contain sulphites)

METHOD.

1.  In a large wok heat 2tbspns Ground Nut or Rapeseed Oil.

2.  ( If you are omitting the meat stir fry the Aubergine)

3.  Lower the heat slightly add the lemongrass, ginger, chilli, celery & onion. Continue to stir fry for 2mins.

4.  Stir in the curry powder & crumbled stock cube, fry 1min. If using cooked leftovers add now.)

5.  Add the Chilli jam, smoked garlic, nuts, sultanas, & red pepper. Continue to stir fry for a further 2 mins until piping hot.

NOTE: If you like a more moist dish, add a couple of tablespoons of boiling water.

Serve with wholegrain basmati rice, noodles, pearled spelt or as a filling for baked Sweet Potatoes.

Get creative cookies. Let me know how it goes, leave a comment or ask a question.