Animal Writings

Squash
There are so many different kinds of squash. Yellow squash and zucchini are the easiest to work with, so let's start there.


Grilled Yellow Squash
This is your basic squash dish. It won't rock your world, but it's a nice side dish for just about anything. It's great on the grill, but you can use a frying pan, like I did. You can also cut this recipe in half or more, as well as cut back on the oil somewhat, especially if you're using a non-stick pan.

There's really not much to it. You can cut the squash horizontally, or a slightly on a slant. I heated the oil and threw in the minced garlic. Then I plopped in the squash slices, slid them around a little, and flipped them so both sides were coated with oil and garlic. From then on, I cooked them over medium heat—about 5 minutes on the first side, and about 3 minutes on the second side. I sprinkled a very small amount of salt and pepper on the whole thing just before serving.

As you might expect, squash is super-healthy. Really, if you can incorporate these vegetables into your diet, you'll be doing your body a great favor. Make them tasty and you're way ahead of the game.

Note: I'll be at the United Poultry Concerns conference tomorrow through Sunday. I'll see you all again Monday. Have a great Friday and weekend.

...I meant Tuesday :) The UPC conference was great. My head is filled with stimulating ideas, I talked with impassioned and knowledgeable animal advocates, and I got to meet the wonderful rescued chickens, turkeys, ducks, and peacocks at the UPC sanctuary. Time permitting, I'll share some thoughts from the conference shortly down the road. But first, back to food...


Grilled Summer Squash and Zucchini
Let's continue with easy grilling, kicking it up a tiny notch. Except for the squash, you might have all the ingredients on hand already. For the mustard, I think you can use any good-quality or fancy mustard. Details tonight!

Well, I liked this a little better than the previous dish, because, to me, the sauce made it more interesting. I used two yellow squash, so I multiplied everything else in the recipe by one-third. I used a skillet inside instead of a grill outside—but everything tastes better on a grill.

There's hardly any chopping with this recipe, since you cut the squash lengthwise down the middle. I cut each of the long slices in half, too; I just thought the pieces should be smaller.

Preparation is a snap, and so is cooking. I cooked the coated squash sections over medium heat, in a lightly oiled pan. Each piece of squash had sort of three sides; I flipped them to the right after about three minutes, and then about every two minutes thereafter, so each surface would get cooked evenly.

The sauce was simple. Proportionally, I used a little more mustard than called for; I like the taste of mustard in sauces and marinades.

Eventually, the squash was browned on all sides, and ready to eat. I poured some sauce over the squash, and then sprinkled some dried thyme, as suggested by one reviewer.

Again, this is probably not going to wow you, or convert a squash-hater, but it's a tasty and satisfying side dish that goes with just about anything.


Basic Boiled Butternut Squash
We could go on and on with yellow squash (and zucchini). It's so easy to find and easy to cook. Quick recipes for yellow squash abound on the Internet.

But let's move on to butternut squash. Butternut squash has a nice, rich, pumpkiny taste, and appearance. It may look imposing to cut up, but really it's pretty easy.

This first recipe is simple, but, to be honest, if you eschew cooking, it works best if you can find already cut-up squash. Luckily, more and more grocery stores are selling pre-cut squash pieces.


1. Boil a quart of water in a large pan.


2. Boil the squash (one squash's worth of pieces) for about 15-20 minutes, until tender.


3. Drain.


4. In the same pot (or a serving bowl) add about 2.5 tablespoons of Earth Balance and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar to the squash. Then add 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Mash the squash mixture until there are no more lumps. You don't have to get the squash to a puree state.


5. Serve. The squash should be sweet and creamy, but not too much of either.

This is another very tasty dish that goes with a huge variety of meals.


Basic Baked Butternut Squash
That last dish made a lot of squash, and we've been out a lot, hence the delay before getting to the next dish. Baking squash is easy, even if you never cook. Don't be intimidated by the relative monstrosity of some butternut squash specimens. Cutting them up for baking is way easier than you think; it takes a minute or so and requires no strength or skill.

Well, you do need one thing: a sharp, decent-sized knife. Carefully and unhurriedly cut lengthwise through the entire squash. Don't worry; you don't have to make the cut right in the center; it's ok if you end up with two unequal-sized halves.

Then scrape out the seeds, which are congregated in the fat end of the squash. I use a spoon and roughly scrape out the seeds and as many of the strings as I can get. I don't mind a few here and there. If I had one of those special grapefruit spoons, with the teeth on the end, that probably work even better.

You can bake the squash in a pre-heated 400° oven for 40 minutes or so. Or you can nuke it in the microwave for about 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the size of the squash and the power of your microwave.

Test the squash for doneness by poking the part you'll eat with a fork. It should be tender. I'd much rather overcook it than undercook it.

If the two halves of the squash are uneven in size, the smaller half will be done first. If you want, you can take it out when it's done and cook the larger half until it's ready.

I like to mash the squash up a little with a fork—your call.

Sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper on the squash. Maybe 1/8 teaspoon of each (distributed between the two halves). This is approximate; adjust to your taste. Then sprinkle about a tablespoon of brown sugar on each half. Then slather about a tablespoon of Earth Balance (or equivalent) on each half. Finally, add a thin coating of cinnamon, maybe 1/8 teaspoon per half.

Now you're ready for a super tasty and satisfying side dish. This really hits on the spot on a chilly autumn night—but it's good all year round.

Next: the final entrant in our vegetable sweepstakes. Plus special bonus sections.

To be continued...

Labels: cooking, diet, squash, vegetables