Pumpkin, it’s time to step up your game.  You may be the quintessential fall food, but butternut squash just hit it out of the park.

I’m craving fall flavors like crazy right now.  This dish was exactly what I needed.

It all started with this humble trio…

I sliced ye olde butternut in half…

Scooped out the seeds (don’t throw those away, that’s the best part!)…

And cut up the other half for another day.

The squash got coated in olive oil and salt, then baked cut-side down for 50 minutes at 375 degrees.

Next: the quinoa.  I boiled 2 cups of vegetable stock and threw in 1 cup of quinoa, then turned the heat down to low and let it go for 15 minutes covered.

While that was cooking I washed and dried the squash seeds…

Here’s the roasted squash, all soft and smelling awesome…

I scooped spoonfuls of it directly into the cooked quinoa and added one can of rinsed chickpeas. I also put in some cumin, turmeric, paprika, garlic powder, and cinnamon.  I didn’t really measure, just eyeballed it and tasted often. 😉

Here is the finished product topped off with a few of the toasted butternut seeds.

Just place the seeds on a sprayed baking sheet and toss with a little salt.  Bake low at about 300 degrees and take em out when the edges are just slightly golden.

I intended to make this just to take to work tomorrow and eat as a side dish over the weekend, but it was so good that it ended up being my dinner too!

Sorry about the crappy pictures, the lighting in our entire apartment is bad, but the kitchen is just abysmal.

And here’s a little sneak-peak at an upcoming project of mine…

These are some practice materials for a trial run making my first ever wedding cake!  My brother-in-law is getting married in the spring.  I’m very excited to make a cake for he and his wonderful fiance.  I’ll probably make my own fondant or buy some from a bakery when the time comes to make the real cake, but this is fine to practice with.

I’ll post a how-to video after my trail run for any of you aspiring bakers out there.  Wish me luck!

September 23, 2010 Alayna Recipes Comments Off on Quinoa with chickpeas and butternut squash

Dinner tonight was a total surprise, I had no idea what I was making until it was on the plate.  Every once in a while something just magically comes together out of completely humble beginnings.

I started by cutting up two small sweet potatoes and roasting them in olive oil at 400 degrees (more on that later.)  Then I pressed the extra liquid out of a block of extra firm tofu and crumbled it into a hot pan with sesame oil.

While it browned, I contemplated my next move.

I chopped up a handful of shiitakes…

…and started sauteing them with the nearly finished tofu.

Then I added this…

About this much of it….

Which turned the mixture into this glistening pan of yumminess.

By that time the sweet potatoes were all crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.

I put the tofu mixture on top of the potatoes and topped it all with some fresh avocado and toasted sesame seeds.

Wow.  This was all my favorite flavors on one plate!  Jeff and I kept looking at each other trying to figure out if it was “good unusual” or “bad unusual.”  Judging by the number of “mmmmm’s” uttered during dinner, I’d say it was a success.

This one goes into the “make again” category for dinner experiments!

September 15, 2010 Alayna Recipes Comments Off on Tofu in black bean sauce

I am so bad about remembering to take photos of the prep work that goes into making a dish.  You’ll just have to trust me when I say that it wouldn’t have been that interesting anyway.  This recipe is so easy that I don’t even really consider it cooking, it’s more of…assembly.

What would have proceded these finished dishes full of ready-for-baking enchiladas was really just a bowl full of mashed beans, a stack of tortillas, and a jar of pickled jalapenos.

Assemble, pour on enchilada sauce, sprinkle on cheese, and bake til bubbly.  It really is that simple.

Our cat Liam is an infamous cheese-nabber, so I was surprised to see him begin to lick his lips even before the cheese made an appearance!…

Check out the lip smackin' going on here!

I left a few of them cheese-less for myself…

Got a little cheese under my nail though, better take care of that…

And here’s the finished product…enough enchiladas to feed us for weeks.  I made so many so that Jeff could take some to work for lunches and so that I could freeze a few portions for some future night when I just couldn’t stand the thought of cooking something.

This is Jeffs’ cheesy plate, with avocado and extra sour cream, cuz he could seriously eat the stuff straight out of the tub.

And this is Lucas when the realization hits him that he’s not getting any…

Mr. Pissy-Pants

After dinner we were both in the mood for an adult beverage, so we cracked open a beer to share…

Hitachino Nest Nipponia

We both really enjoy Hitachinos’ line of beers.  This one, Nipponia, was extremely flavorful for being so light in color- really reminded me of an Octoberfest style, which is exactly what I’m in the mood for these days.

So how does beer fit into a healthy lifestyle, you ask?  Well, for one thing, we don’t drink every day.  We also don’t overindulge like we used to years ago.  Also, I feel like sometimes the guilt produced by consuming “less healthful” things can be more destructive than the food itself.

Jeff and I get a lot of pleasure out of patroning bars, learning about beer, sampling beer, and collecting bottles for special occasions-very much in the same way that many people do with wine.  We don’t just guzzle beer to get a buzz, we want to savor and enjoy each glass and learn something about the brewery or style in the process.

I’ve read before that one theory for why many of the French are able to consume a high fat diet and remain at a normal body weight is partly due to the fact that they simply don’t feel guilty about the pleasurable foods they consume.  I’m sure there are many other factors, but it is well established that stress can contribute to weight gain.

So, I do consume a mostly healthy diet, but when I do eat or drink something that isn’t as healthful, I try to allow myself to truly enjoy that rare pleasure.  I don’t want to ruin the joy of sipping on a dark, sticky, Belgian beer with anxiety and guilt.

I also don’t want to just put off the guilt until later- by restricting my diet the next day.  If these indulgences really are consumed only rarely, then there is no reason to have to make up for them later-and that can be a dangerous habit to get into anyway.

Are there any “less healthful” foods that you just can’t live without? How do you deal with any negative feelings you may have when you consume these foods, or are you able to just let it go?

September 14, 2010 Alayna Discussion, Recipes Comments Off on Black Bean Enchiladas