In these Winter Months, we are grateful for good food! The good food that comes from the land that we tend to and which nourishes us and keeps us strong. Here's a more recipes that we weren't quite able to fit into our Winter Newsletter!

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Recipes from Melissa Davis:

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Melissa Davis is a chef, nutrition educator, and food activist, passionate about local, sustainable food. A longtime volunteer with GRuB, she enjoys nourishing our community with farm dinners and supporting youth in the Food Crew.

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Hasselback Butternut Squash with Maple-Brown Butter Sauce

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Ingredients:

1 butternut squash

1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar

3 teaspoons fresh sage, chopped

¼ cup maple syrup

¼ cup butter

salt and pepper

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425℉.

Peel butternut squash down to the bright orange flesh. Cut top and bottom off, then cut down the middle to form two halves. Scoop out the seeds and discard.

Coat sheet pan with oil. Place squash halves face down. Rub oil over squash, and sprinkle with of salt and pepper.

Roast squash for 15 minutes.

While squash is roasting, combine Dijon, vinegar, sage, maple syrup, and ¼ tsp each of salt and pepper in a small bowl.

Remove squash from oven, and place halves on a cutting board, cut-side down. Carefully slice the flesh into ¼ inch slices, taking care not to cut through to the bottom. Return to oven and bake another 20 minutes.

Place butter into a saucepan and heat gently until it is browned. Whisk butter into mustard and vinegar mixture.

Remove squash from oven and drizzle with half of the butter sauce. Return to oven. Roast for a final 15 minutes, or until tender in the center, remove squash and drizzle with remaining mixture. Sprinkle with sage. Serve warm.

Stuffed Delicata with Kale, Feta, Cranberry and Pecan

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Ingredients:

1 medium delicata squash

2 tablespoons olive oil or butter

salt and pepper, to taste

3 kale leaves, chopped

2 Tablespoons breadcrumbs

¼ cup pecans

2 Tablespoons dried cranberries

¼ cup feta cheese, crumbled

Fresh herb garnish: minced chives or parsley

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400° F.

Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Rub the skin and flesh of the squash with oil or butter. Sprinkle the inside with a little salt and pepper. Lay the squash face side down on the baking sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until tender.

Heat a tablespoon of oil or butter over medium heat in a large skillet. Add kale, and sauté until the greens are wilted.

Add remaining ingredients to the skillet, except feta, and continue to sauté for about 2-3 more minutes. Add feta and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Spoon the stuffing mixture into the roasted delicata squash and press down to stuff. Return the squash to the oven and continue to bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the top is slightly browned.

Garnish with fresh herbs. Serve as a main course or cut in half for a side.

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Roasted Squash

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Ingredients:

1 small butternut squash, or other squash like delicata or kabocha

1 Tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper

A few fresh thyme sprigs, sage or rosemary

1-2 tablespoons butter

Instructions:

Heat the oven to 400°F. 

Wash and trim squash, cut in half and remove seeds.

Lay flat on cutting board and slice into ¼-inch half-moons. 

Toss with the olive oil to coat. 

Arrange flat on a baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper. Scatter over the thyme and dot with butter. 

Bake, turning after 5-10 minutes, when the bottom starts to get colored edges. 

Continue baking until the squash is soft with slightly candied brown edges, about 10 more minutes.

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White Lasagna with Butternut Squash, Chicken and Sage

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

2 clove garlic, minced

2 cups chicken stock, divided

2 cups diced butternut squash, cut into 1/2-inch pieces 

4 tsp chopped fresh sage

1 cup milk

salt and pepper

dry lasagna noodles 

2-3 cups diced or shredded cooked chicken

1 cup ricotta cheese

2 cup mozzarella cheese, grated

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 375 F. 

In a large skillet over medium heat, add the oil and onion and sauté until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté another minute. Add ½ cup of the chicken stock and stir in the squash and sage. Bring to a simmer, cooking loosely covered until the squash is tender, about 12 minutes. Set aside.

In saucepan over medium heat, prepare the white sauce by adding 2 tablespoons oil or butter, melting and then adding 3 tablespoons flour. Whisk to combine and let cook for a couple minutes.  Slowly add the remaining chicken broth, little by little, whisking well to avoid lumps.  Add milk and continue to cook to thicken the sauce. Salt and pepper to taste.

To assemble, pull out a rectangle baking dish, 8”x13”. Spread the bottom of the dish with a generous amount of sauce. Add dry pasta and top with ½ of the squash. Continue layering with more pasta, ½ of the chicken, spoonfuls of ricotta and a handful of mozzarella. Top with pasta, sauce and the remaining squash. Continue layering with remaining chicken and ricotta. Top with sauce and mozzarella, and bake 45-50 minutes, or until the top is golden and melted and the filling is bubbling around the sides. Let the lasagna cool for 10 minutes before scooping or slicing to serve.

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Butternut Squash and Kale Quesadillas

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp olive oil

½ butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp chili powder 

black pepper

1 bunch kale, chopped

8 medium flour tortillas

1 ¼ cups grated Monterey Jack 

Instructions:

Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter and the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the squash and sprinkle with the salt, chili powder and pepper. Cook for several minutes, turning gently with a spatula, until the squash is deep golden brown and tender (but not falling apart). Remove to a plate and set aside.

In the same skillet, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high heat and add in the kale. Toss it around with tongs and cook it for 3 to 4 minutes. Add in the cooked squash and gently toss together.

Build the quesadillas one by one starting with a tortilla, adding a layer of the cheeses and a layer of the squash/kale mixture and ending with a second tortilla. You'll have four quesadillas when you're done.

Brown each quesadilla on both sides, adding more butter to the pan to make sure the tortillas are nice and golden. When the cheese is melted, remove each quesadilla from the skillet and cut it into wedges.

** To make this a complete meal, add black bean, pinto or refried beans.

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Baked Pumpkin and Sour Cream Pudding

Ingredients:

1 ¾ cups pumpkin puree 

½ cup sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

1 cup whole milk

½ cup heavy cream

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon sugar

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

The quickest method: In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the pudding ingredients. For creamier, silkier pudding: Combine pumpkin, sugar, salt and spices in a food processor and blend for 30 seconds. Mix in eggs, milk and cream until smooth.

Both methods: Divide between 7 to 8 ovenproof 6-ounce pudding cups or ramekins on a baking sheet. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until puddings barely jiggle when shimmied and/or a knife tip inserted into the center of puddings comes out clean. Try not to overbake.

While they bake, combine topping ingredients in a small bowl. When the puddings are cooked through, transfer to a cooling rack on the counter and leave oven on. Spoon 2 tablespoons of sour cream mixture onto first pudding and spread it over the top of the first pudding. Repeat with remaining puddings.

Return puddings to oven for 5 more minutes, then cool completely at room temperature, about 1 to 2 hours. Chill until ready to serve.

—Melissa Davis

Recipes from Lynne Glore:

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Meet Super-Volunteer Lynn Glore, pictured here with her dog. “As a recent retiree, I am having the adventure of a life-time: tending to my organic garden, keeping a few laying hens, canning, hiking/backpacking, mushrooming, couch-surfing (pre-covid), doing meaningful volunteer work, cooking and entertaining family, and friends. Living the good life. My association with GRuB has been long and meaningful. For several years, I worked with the kids, weeding and planting and learning so much from them. Then I gradually shifted to preparing mid- day meals, helping to occasionally build raised beds and donate to the auction. There are SO many ways to be involved in this wonderful organization. And the kids and staff are always so appreciative!”

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Loaded Baked Potato Soup

(Don't actually use baked potatoes!)

Ingredients:

8 slices bacon, chopped

3 pounds (about 6 medium) russet potatoes, scrubbed

1 large onion, chopped

2 medium garlic cloves, minced (about 2 teaspoons)

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

4 cups vegetable stock

1 cup heavy cream

1 sprig fresh thyme (or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme)

1 pound sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (plus extra for garnish, if desired)

1 cup sour cream (plus extra for garnish, if desired)

3 scallions, sliced thin (for garnish, if desired)

Instructions:

Peel the potatoes in wide strips and set skins aside. Chop the peeled potatoes.

In a Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Transfer crisp bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Add potato skins to the pot and cook in the hot oil until they are crisp, about 8 minutes.

Transfer the skins to the plate with the bacon. Add the onion to the remaining fat in the pot and cook until golden, about 6 minutes. Stir in the garlic and flour and cook for about 1 minute, until the garlic is fragrant.

Gradually add the vegetable stock and cream to the pot, whisking constantly. Add the thyme and potatoes.

Bring to a boil over high heat then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pot, and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 7 minutes.

Remove the thyme sprig from the pot. For a smoother soup, purée everything. Stir in the cheese until completely melted, then add the sour cream.

Season the soup with salt, pepper and garnish with reserved bacon, potato skins, scallions, cheese, and sour cream.

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—Lynn Glore