Saturday, December 5, 2009

Acorn Squash filled with Curried Rice with Cauliflower and Tomato



Yesterday was one of those days when I really wasn’t in the mood to cook. Yes, that does happen at our house. We all have days when we have so much to do that the kitchen doesn’t get much attention. Me not being in the mood to cook doesn’t mean we are skipping dinner though so I had to make something. This recipe requires very little work, which is why I made it. It is definitely a low involvement meal with the acorn squash roasting and rice cooking without my intervention.

As I often do I made something with turmeric for the anti-cancer properties. Additionally I cooked the turmeric in a little oil with black pepper to make the turmeric more easily absorbed. Instead of broccoli I combined cauliflower with tomato today. I assume since cauliflower is part of the cruciferous family it works like broccoli and when combined with tomato the health benefits are maximized. Here is what I made last night for dinner.

Acorn Squash filled with Curried Rice with Cauliflower and Tomato
Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 acorn squash, cut in half top to bottom and seeds removed
salt and pepper to taste
½ cup water
½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
¾ teaspoon turmeric
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup brown basmati rice
1 cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
2 cups water
½ cup yellow onion, peeled and diced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced (allow to stand 10 minutes before cooking so allicin can develop)
3 cups cauliflower florets, cut into small spears
14 ounces, canned diced tomato
2 tablespoons cashews for garnish
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Season the cut side of acorn squash with salt and pepper. Place the acorn squash on a half sheet pan cut side down. Pour the water into the pan and bake until the squash is tender. I used the convection setting on my oven and my squash was tender in about 30 minutes. To test the squash for doneness use the tip of a paring knife and pierce the squash throw the skin into the flesh. If the knife slides into the squash easily it is done. Remove the squash from the oven.

While the squash is baking cook the rice. Begin by sautéing the turmeric and black pepper for a minute, or until you smell the spices. Then add the rice and to the pan and stir to coat the rice with the spice and oil. Next add the water, cinnamon stick, and bay leaves and simmer the rice covered for 30 minutes.

After the rice has been cooking for 20 minutes water sauté the onion and garlic until tender. Add the cauliflower and tomato to the onion and cook to concentrate the tomato juice.

After the rice has been cooking for 30 minutes taste it for tenderness. It should be al dente at this point. If it is add it to the cauliflower and tomato and cook until it is tender, about another 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and cinnamon sticks when the rice is done.

Fill the squash with rice and serve more rice on the side. Top the rice with cashews and a little sprinkle of salt and pepper.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories -355.36
Calories From Fat (14%) - 48.3

Total Fat - 5.7g
Saturated Fat - 1.02g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 43.7mg
Potassium - 1386.03mg
Total Carbohydrates - 73.1g
Fiber - 10.39g
Sugar - 5.9g
Protein - 8.95g

Comments:

This was an easy dinner last night, but it was also a tasty meal. Both the hubby and I enjoyed this. We also had a big bowl of fresh California blueberries, raspberries and strawberries to finish off this meal.

Each serving of this recipe contains more than 1,600IU of vitamin A, 70mg of vitamin C, 160mg of calcium, 110mcg of folate, 310mg of phosphorus, 170mg of magnesium, and 13mcg of selenium. Not too shabby for 350 calories.

Unrelated note:

We woke up this morning to the first snow fall of the season. Having snow this early in the season if very usual weather for us. In the 29 years I have lived in Baltimore I don’t think we have ever had a white Christmas.

Since it is cold and snowy I will be staying home today. Baltimoreans are traditional Southerners when it comes to snow. Most of them have no idea how to drive in the snow and really should stay home. We will have a traditional run on the grocery store where people buy all the bread, milk and toilet paper they can get their hands on. Another one of the Baltimore traditions I have never understood, I might add.

I hope you all have a great day today. Since I am going to spend mine at home there may be a little more cooking than normal today.

11 comments:

  1. We are on our third or fourth straight day of snow (northern Great Lakes Region) and I'm ready for spring! lol! I look forward to seeing what you cook. The last few posts have looked delicious (especially the truffles!) but I've been too rushed to comment much. I have three acorn squash from our garden sitting on the counter. Perhaps I will take some inspiration from this recipe, although there is no cauliflower in the house. Thank you for the inspiration! :)

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  2. That looks delicious and very colorful. Thanks for dropping by at my blog.You have a wonderful collection of recipes. I love the fact that you have the nutritional information for every recipe. I'll be following you. Enjoy your first white Christmas.

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  3. Aisling,

    I grew up on Lake Michigan so I remember those many days/weeks of snow. We were in the region that always got lake effect snow and being on the lake it would drift 4 feet up the windows on the side of the house. I don't miss all that snow, although it is beautiful to look at (from in the house).

    My hubby is really enjoying the truffles, probably a little too much. I may have to hide them in the freezer to slow him down a little. He tends to think healthy means he can eat as many as he wants. Men!

    Do you have broccoli, cabbage or brussels sprouts? I would sub any of those for cauliflower.

    Stay warm and dry.

    Dolly,

    Thanks for stopping by, following and commenting.

    I love Indian food so I felt right at home at your blog. My best friend from college was from Madras so I have been eating Indian food longer than most Americans. After Italian it is my favorite cuisine.

    I use a cookbook program called "Living Cookbook" for the nutritional info. It is reasonably priced on-line if you are interested. I think it was under $35. It is also very easy to use.

    Alicia

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  4. We get Lake Michigan lake effect snow here. I think that's what today is. The storm moved through earlier in the week, and now we're in for several days of lake effect. You're right: it's pretty from inside the house.

    A good tool I found for nutritional information is Fitday.com You can put in what you ate (or plan to eat) for the day, and it analyzes the nutritional content. The reason I appreciate it, is that it includes vitamins and minerals in the analysis. So, I can find out if I am lacking in zinc, for example.

    I think I have some broccoli in the freezer and perhaps some left over roasted brussels sprouts from a few days ago. Thanks again for the ideas!

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  5. Aisling,

    Thanks for the tip on Fitday. I have looked at it before. It seems like a good tool. I do the same thing with my cookbook program and excel but others may find this very helpful! Thanks again for mentioning it.

    Enjoy your time in the kitchen today. I know I am not venturing out until this stops and the roads are clear. In Baltimore one inch can be a "snow emergency", literally the city government delcares an emergency. When I first moved here it was the craziest thing to me.

    Alicia

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  6. This sounds great; I love the way the cauliflower and cashews are sitting in the rice.

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  7. Rose,

    Thanks! I thought it was a pretty dish too.

    talk to you soon,
    Alicia

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  8. Hi, there. What a pretty dish. I've been gone all day to children's soccer tournaments and just got in to catch up on your last few posts. Okay, I vote for another blog to veganize a cookbook - I love to do that, too! Also, coincidentally, I had planned to make nachos tonight for the girls after their games! So, that's kinda funny. Anyhow, all the food looks yummy :).

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  9. Blessedmama,

    Thanks! I hope the girls did well in the soccer tournaments.

    Since most of my cooking, and cookbooks was omni that is naturally where I turn for inspiration. I find it fun to make omni food vegan. I find it harder to make low fat and not use sugar and restrict flour than it is to make vegan.

    Thanks for weighing in on the blog question.

    Are you going to post your nacho cheese recipe? I would love to see your sauce recipe if you get a chance to post it.

    talk to you later,
    Alicia

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  10. Hi, Alicia,

    Yes, I was planning on posting the recipe. I do my big shopping on Fridays, so I usually plan a post between Saturday and Monday. Let us know what you decide on the blog issue. I'll check back. :)

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  11. Blessedmama,

    Great! I can't wait to see the recipe. I am always looking for ideas on how to tweak my recipes.

    talk to you again soon,
    Alicia

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