Quinoa Stuffed Carnival Squash

(deliciouslivingmag.com)

Ingredients:

1 carnival squash

olive oil

salt

pepper

½ cup quinoa, rinsed and sorted

¾ cup broth

½ cup raisins

½ tsp cinnamon (or a cinnamon stick)

1/4 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted

¼ -1/2 cup gruyere (or parmesan or swiss)

Preparation:

1. Pre-heat oven to 375F.

2. Cut the squash in half through the stem and de-seed. Coat inside lightly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Put in a small pan/dish, cut side down, and fill with 1/4″ water. Put in oven for 25 minutes. (If also roasting baby sweet potatoes, put them in a separate dish and put in the oven at the same time.)

3. Heat broth, add quinoa and raisins and cook covered until broth is gone. Quinoa will be “al dente” not soft. While quinoa cooks, toast pine nuts and grate cheese.

4. When quinoa is done, mix in pine nuts and half of cheese. Mix to will integrated.

5. Squash should be nearly done at this point – a knife should enter the flesh easily and the water should be evaporated. Pull it out, fill with pilaf stuffing and top with remaining cheese. Return to oven for 5 minutes. (You’ll have extra stuffing to serve as a side or for leftovers.)

6. Put together a simple salad with vinaigrette* and plate it. Squash (and potatoes) will be ready to serve!

Note: standard vinaigrette is one part vinegar, one and a half parts oil, a squeeze of brown mustard, a couple shakes of salt, a couple grinds of pepper, and some oregano. If feeling spirited, add a small clove of garlic and a little honey.

Apple-Stuffed Carnival Squash

(deliciouslivingmag.com)

Ingredients:

2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

2 tsp pure maple syrup

½ tsp lemon juice

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

1 medium apple, peeled, cored, and chopped

1 carnival or acorn squash, halved and seeds removed

¼ cup chopped walnuts, toasted (optional)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375&deg. Combine butter, syrup, lemon juice, cinnamon, and apple in a bowl. Place mixture into the hollow of each squash half. Set in a baking dish and roast for about 45 minutes or until squash is soft (test with a fork). Sprinkle with chopped walnuts, if desired.

Fresh Mushroom and Parsley Salad

(foodnetwork.com)

Ingredients:

1 pound large button mushrooms, trimmed, cleaned and thinly sliced

1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2-ounce piece Parmesan

Preparation:

Serving suggestion: assorted French cheeses and Poilane Bakery-style breads

In a medium salad bowl, mix together the mushrooms and parsley.

In a small bowl, whisk together the oil and lemon juice until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Add the oil mixture to the salad bowl and toss until all the ingredients are coated. Using a vegetable peeler, shave the Parmesan on top and serve.

Mushroom Soup

Ingredients:

1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped

8 oz button mushrooms, chopped

½ pint vegetable stock

½ pint skimmed milk

3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed

salt, freshly ground black pepper

3 tbsp dry sherry (optional)

4 button mushrooms, thinly sliced, to garnish

Preparation:

1. Put the chopped onion, mushrooms, chicken stock, milk, parsley and garlic into a pan. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes.

2. Blend the soup in the liquidizer until smooth.

3. Put the soup into a saucepan and add salt and pepper to taste and the sherry; heat through.

4. Serve the soup garnished with sliced mushrooms.

Broiled Parsley Potatoes

(cooks.com)

Ingredients:

1 ½ lb (about 6 medium) boiled potatoes, peeled and cut in ½ inch slices

3-4 tbsp butter, melted

Salt and pepper to taste

2-3 tbsp minced parsley or parsley flakes

Preparation:

Place potatoes in single layer on greased cookie sheet (with sides). Brush generously with butter. Season with salt and pepper, then sprinkle with parsley. Broil about 6 inches from heat until light brown and heated through.

Mushroom Quiche Recipe

(simplyrecipes.com)

Ingredients:

1 recipe pie dough

2 tbsp olive oil

2 medium shallots, thinly sliced

1 pound assorted mushrooms, quartered or sliced

Salt and freshly ground pepper

½ cup milk

½ cup heavy cream

3 large eggs

Pinch nutmeg

1 ½ cups ounces Gruyère (or swiss) cheese, grated

Preparation:

On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 12-inch circle. Fit into a 10-by-1 1/2-inch round tart pan (with or without a removable bottom), pressing dough into corners. Transfer to freezer to chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°. Line pastry with parchment paper, wax paper, or aluminum foil, pressing into the corners and edges. Fill at least two-thirds with baking weights - dried beans, rice, or aluminum pie weights. Bake first for 15 minutes, remove from oven and let cool a few minutes. Carefully remove parchment paper and weights. Poke the bottom of the pie pan with the tongs of a fork and return to oven and bake an additional 10 minutes or until lightly golden. (Fork holes are for any air to escape.) Transfer to a wire rack to cool while making filling.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add shallots, and cook, stirring, until translucent but not brown, about 1 minute. Add mushrooms, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms first release their liquid and then liquid evaporates and mushrooms are dark golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes.

Place tart pan on a baking sheet to catch any run-off there might be (especially if you are using a pan with a removable bottom.) Sprinkle half the cheese evenly over the bottom of the crust. Spread mushrooms over the cheese and then top with remaining cheese. In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, cream, and eggs. Season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Pour over cheese. Transfer to oven, and bake until just set in the center, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes before slicing.

Parsley - Almond Pesto with New Potatoes

(cooks.com)

Ingredients:

1 cup parsley leaves, firmly packed

¾ cup sliced toasted almonds or pine nuts may be substituted

1 clove garlic, crushed

½ cup olive oil

2 tbsp lemon juice

Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

20-30 new potatoes, steamed

Preparation:

Process all ingredients except potatoes in a processor or blender to a coarse, paste-like texture. You may use a mortar and pestle. Toss on hot cooked potatoes and sprinkle with parsley. Mixture may be stored in refrigerator until needed.