Spiced Squash Muffins

It's time again for Secret Recipe Club reveal!  My secret blog assignment this month is Burnt Apple.  The name of the blog makes me think of this Cinnamon Apple Dutch Baby I made for a previous SRC post - slightly darker than it should have been but still yummy.  However, on this blog, the term refers to recipe fails, where it all started.  And who hasn't had a good recipe fail?  But since that first brick muffin that went through a wall, the busy cook behind Burnt Apple has come a long way - from someone who could not cook to save her life to "master recipe manipulator", adapting favorite recipes and the fun foods kids want to eat to make them more healthy - all using regular ingredients and even possible on a strict budget.

Traci works, goes to school, has three kids to keep up with, and still somehow finds time to make some yummy (and usually healthy) food and share her recipes.  Her blog focuses on healthy, budget friendly and delicious recipes, with just enough sweet treats thrown in for good measure. (She had a bit of a deprived childhood, so there's some making up to be done.) I especially love the Burnt Apple recipe index which clearly indicates the recipes that have been adapted and offer variations for different dietary needs.

Suddenly it's October, and the weather is beginning to cool down so of course it's time for recipes that say Fall.   There are plenty of apple recipes, lots of pumpkin recipes - she's kind of obsessed with pumpkin this time of year - and she's a big fan of anything with cranberries (me, too!), so if you're looking for recipes that scream Fall, be sure to check out Burnt Apple.

Of course, there are lots of amazing sounding recipes for all the other seasons, too.  Here's my short list of recipes to try:

• KFC Healthy Fried Chicken
• 30 Minute Apple Pie Pretzels
• Cranberry Pecan Steel Cut Oats
• Coconut Pineapple Lime Ice Cream (!!!)
• Homemade Horchata
• Sausage, Eggplant, and Feta Penne

Spiced Squash Muffins
from Burnt Apple

Ingredients:

• Topping:
  * 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  * 2 T oats
  * 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
  * 2 T cold butter
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated cane sugar
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup butternut squash puree
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.  Lightly grease muffin tin.  (12-15 muffins)
2. In a small bowl mix together the topping ingredients until crumbly. Set aside.
3. In a mixing bowl, mix together the yogurt and sugar until smooth. Stir in the eggs and butternut squash and mix until smooth; add milk.
4. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Stir into wet ingredients, mixing just until combined.
5. Pour batter into prepared muffin cups, filling 2/3 of the way full. Sprinkle 1-2 teaspoons of topping over the top of each muffin.
6. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to sit for five minutes in the muffin tins before moving to a cooling rack to finish cooling completely.

Measure flour and the rest of the dry ingredients on top of wet ingredients,
then lightly mix them together before stirring them in.

These are the perfect muffins for Fall! (They most definitely are not bricks.)  All those spices are so perfect, and that topping is to die for.  It was hard not just nibbling that off the top of all the muffins when they came out of the oven.  I kind of overfilled my muffin tins - the recipe said 12 muffins, so I made my batter all fit - so the muffins overflowed a bit and there were bits of topping to be picked off the muffin tins once I took the muffins out of them.  It's a tough job...

I would suggest greasing the cups for 12 muffins and having another smaller muffin tin standing by and just grease the cups you may need based on the amount of batter and how it fits.  These are just a bit too full...

Store any leftover muffins in the refrigerator because they are very moist, and then just heat them up in the toaster oven for about 5 minutes (or 15-30 seconds in the microwave if you use one) to enjoy.  And since they're healthy, it's OK to have more than one!  Right?

An InLinkz Link-up

Butternut Squash, Sausage, and Pasta Skillet

I had half a butternut squash and a bunch of spinach that really needed used before we went away for several days in December.  I really don't like throwing away food that I spent good money on, and, while the butternut would be fine, I didn't think the spinach would be any good by the time we got back.  So, I went searching for a recipe to use it and found this one.

We loved it!  My husband says we should have this on a regular basis, and my son liked it so much he wanted the recipe so he could make it for himself.  I'd say that's a success.  Even better, it's really simple and all cooks together in one skillet.

Butternut Squash, Sausage, and Pasta Skillet
adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Ingredients:

• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 pound chicken or turkey sausage
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 cups chicken or turkey broth
• 8 ounces penne pasta
• 2 cups peeled and diced butternut squash
• 1 bunch fresh spinach, torn
• 1/4 teaspoon dried sage, more or less to taste
• 1 cup (about 4 ounces) shredded Mozzarella cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a large 12-inch nonstick skillet, combine the onion, garlic, sausage, salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat, breaking up the meat into small pieces, and cooking until the sausage is cooked through, 5-7 minutes. Scrape the mixture onto a plate and return the skillet back to the heat.
2. Add the broth and pasta to the skillet and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer, and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the squash and simmer 8-10 minutes longer, or until the squash and pasta are both tender. As the squash breaks down, it will help bring a creaminess to the sauce and pasta. If the mixture begins to seem too dry, you can add more liquid as needed.
3. Stir in the spinach and sage and cook for 1-2 minutes until the spinach is wilted. Add the sausage mixture back to the skillet and stir in the Mozzarella cheese.  Add salt & pepper to taste.
4. Remove skillet from heat, cover and let the pasta sit for 5-10 minutes. Give it a good stir and serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.

So good! I adjusted the recipe slightly since I didn't have as much butternut as the original recipe called for. (I used the other half of the squash in this yummy Butternut and Potato Bake)  I just used a bit less sausage, broth, and pasta, but I used my whole bunch of spinach.  I used 3 homemade sausage patties which were actually part beef and part chicken and already cooked.  I just thawed them, cut them up and browned them with the onion and garlic. I didn't really weigh them to see how much sausage I was actually using, but the balance was pretty good.  I think you can use anywhere between 1/2 lb. to 1 lb. depending on your preference and what you have on hand.

Be sure to dice the butternut small so that it cooks quickly, in the time it takes the pasta to cook.  You want it to get nice and soft, and then it thickens the sauce nicely.  I did not think this needed any additional salt and pepper at the end, but that may depend on the sausage and/or broth you use, so just taste and judge for yourself.  I did put a little fresh ground pepper on mine along with some Parmesan, and that was perfect.

Now I need to buy some more butternut squash and spinach!

Butternut Chicken Chili

I took this for a potluck this weekend, and everyone really liked it.

I was going to make my Corn Lover's Veg Stew - which I love - but followed a link to Butternut Chicken Stew on Simple Daily Recipes and decided to make a version of that.  I will be making this again!

 Butternut Chicken Chili

Ingredients: 

• 2 T olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cubed 
• 1/2 small butternut squash, peeled & cubed
• 1 small bell pepper, chopped (can use frozen)
• 1-1/2 tsp Chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 can cooked red beans (or kidney beans)
• 1 (14.5oz) can tomatoes
• 1 T tomato paste
• 2 cups beef broth
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup frozen corn

Directions:

1. Over medium high heat, saute onion and garlic in olive oil until onion begins to soften.
2. Add boneless skinless chicken thighs and cook until no longer pink, adding the peppers when chicken is almost cooked.
3. Lower heat to medium and add seasonings.  Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, while peeling and cubing the butternut squash.  Add squash as you get it cubed and stir to coat with oil and seasonings.
4. Once all the squash has been added, add beans, tomatoes, tomato paste, and broth.
5. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for about an hour or until squash is soft, stirring occasionally.  Add corn during the last 15 minutes.
6. Enjoy!

I made cornbread muffins to go with it, and it was amazing!

As with any soup, stew, or chili, feel free to adjust any ingredients to use what you have on hand or to suit your preferences.  Substitute chicken breasts or pre-cooked chicken (maybe from a rotisserie chicken), add more tomatoes or more beans, less broth, all chicken broth - it's up to you!

Butternut and Potato Bake

This is so good and so easy.  I don't really know what I should call it - it needs a creative name.  Anyway, my mother-in-law was the one who got me started making this.  Before that I always thought of Butternut squash as a sweet thing, for pies or to be baked with brown sugar and cinnamon.  This is better!  Or as good, in a different way.

Butternut and Potato Bake

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb. ground beef
• chopped onion
• chopped green pepper
• Butternut squash (cubed)
• Potatoes (peeled and cubed)
• olive oil
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 can (14 oz.) diced tomatoes, with juice

Directions:

1. Brown ground beef with onion and pepper; drain fat.
2. Grease a 13x9" pan and add the squash and potatoes.  Note, there are no real measurements here; just throw in whatever looks good.
3. Add browned beef, drizzle with some olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.
4. Spread tomatoes on top and bake at 375° for an hour or more, stirring once or twice, until squash and potatoes are soft.
5. Enjoy!

Cook this for at least an hour.  Longer, and the potatoes and squash get browned and roasted and yummy, which I really like.  It all depends on what you like and how much time you have.
 

Corn Lover's Veg Stew

Corn Lovers Veg Stew

Ingredients: 2-1/2 cups vegetable or chicken broth 1 medium onion, thinly sliced 2 cloves garlic, minced 4 cups cubed, peeled butternut squash 15-oz can diced peeled tomatoes 1-1/4 cups fresh or thawed frozen corn kernels or 15-1/4 oz can whole kernel corn, drained

1 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme or 1 tsp. dried 1 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. pepper 15-oz can kidney beans, rinsed and drained 1 medium green pepper, cut into 1-inch squares

Directions:
In Dutch oven or large saucepan, bring 1/2 cup of broth to a boil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring often, until onion softens, about 5 minutes. Add squash, tomatoes, corn, thyme, salt, pepper and remaining 2 cups broth; stir to blend. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes. Add kidney beans and green pepper and return to a simmer. Cover and simmer until squash and bell pepper are tender, about an hour or so. (The original recipe said cook 10 minutes, until squash and bell pepper are tender but not mushy.  However, I like my squash mushy, so I cook it longer.)  Serve warm. 

Source: Vegetarian Times

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I usually eat this one by myself, but that's OK because I love it. It's best if you cook it one day and reheat the next - and it gets better every time you reheat.

I recently found a recipe for Butternut Chicken Stew over at Simple Daily Recipes, and everyone loved that one. Though they're not exactly the same, they are similar. Maybe next time I make this, they'll give it a try.

Update: The recipe for Butternut Chicken Stew has been published in this cookbook - Simple Daily Recipes Reader's Favorite Dinners - along with a lot of other yummy recipes.