Maple Glazed Vegetables

Given enough time between the end of The Day Job and supper time, I would roast root vegetables and squash just about every day. I had been half-heartedly looking for something new and a bit different to do with my roasted veggies when I came across a recipe in Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson that included an intriguing glaze: a combination of maple syrup, garlic, olive oil, and spicy red pepper.

And, yow!, was this fabulous! Never mind that winter squash cubes are already sweet on their own, they’re wildly enhanced by this wonderfully flavorful glaze. I also happened to have some purple potatoes from the CSA, so I made my glazed vegetable roast with roughly equal parts squash and potatoes. You could use a variety of winter vegetables, but I do think that balancing some of the sweeter ones with something mild like potatoes would keep this less cloying. Something sharper like rutabaga might be good, too.

I was concerned about so much sugar in the glaze burning before the vegetables were cooked, so I started the vegetables with just salt, pepper, and olive oil at a higher temperature. I reduced the temperature after pouring on about ¾ of the glaze to cook the vegetables the rest of the way and give them a somewhat sticky, caramelized glaze. When all was done, I tossed the glazed vegetables with the rest of the glaze mixture to give them even more flavor.

Yes, the results here are sweet, but the somewhat exotic combination of maple and garlic is really quite lovely. The extra pop from some chile pepper makes it even more exciting (although you could leave it out if you don’t want the spice). The sort of caramel-y coating on the vegetables is taken to the savory side in just the right, if slightly unexpected, way.

This style of roasting a vegetable or two is really a winner, and I’m quite excited about it. I plan to vary the vegetables, and perhaps even add some complexity with other favorite flavors - I’m thinking soy sauce, rice vinegar, maybe something smoky. I’m almost happy that winter will be around for quite a while yet, so I have plenty of time to make and enjoy more servings of this delightful dish.

Maple Glazed Winter Squash and Potatoes

Based on a recipe in Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson

You can use any winter squash here, such as butternut, buttercup, Hubbard, or Red Kuri. You also could use any kind of potato, or use different winter vegetables altogether, such as sweet potatoes and rutabaga.

4 cups peeled, cubed winter squash (about 1 pound of squash)

4 cups cubed potatoes (no need to peel if skins are well-scrubbed)

5 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 teaspoon coarse salt, divided

A few grinds of black pepper

3 cloves garlic, peeled

1/3 cup maple syrup

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Place the squash and potato cubes in a large bowl. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and ½ teaspoon salt. Toss together to coat the vegetables well.

2. Transfer the vegetables to a roasting pan or baking sheet. Roast at 400 F for 15 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, coarsely chop the garlic cloves. Sprinkle the remaining salt on top of the garlic on the cutting board. Continue chopping and scraping the salt and garlic together with the side of the knife to make a paste. (This method is described in this post.)

4. Transfer the garlic paste to a small bowl, scraping all of it up from the cutting board. Add the maple syrup, crushed red pepper flakes, and the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil. Whisk together to combine well.

5. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 F. Pour about ¾ of the garlic-maple mixture over the squash and potatoes and stir well to coat. Continue to roast at 350 F, turning once or twice, for about 30-45 minutes, or until the vegetables are very tender, and the coating is sticky and beginning to caramelize. If at any point the glaze seems to be burning, discontinue cooking.

6. Pour the remaining glaze mixture over the hot vegetables and stir to coat. Serve hot.

Makes about 6 side-dish servings.

Other recipes like this one: Broccoli with Sweet and Spicy Almond Sauce, Roasted Vegetables, Roasted Winter Vegetables and Sausage (great with chickpeas in place of the sausage), Roasted Autumn Vegetable Salad with Molasses Mustard Vinaigrette

Spaghetti with Squash and Spinach

Pasta tossed with seasonal vegetables is weeknight cooking at its best. I’ve posted countless spring and summer versions of this on The Messy Apron, but not so many of the fall and winter variety. That’s where this simple and delicious recipe comes in.

This pasta toss is loaded with roasted winter squash, spinach sautéed with garlic, and a handful of walnuts. I like the sweetness of the squash combined with the earthiness of the spinach and crunchy walnuts. I also put in a splash of cider vinegar, but lemon juice, which was in the original inspiration recipe, might be even better.

In order for this dish to be utterly simple to throw together, the squash needs to be handled ahead of time. The way I managed it was to peel and cube the squash one day, roast it with olive oil and salt another day, and keep it in the refrigerator until I was ready to make pasta. This requires some planning ahead, but that’s the only way I can get just about anything interesting going. 

There are lots of ways to vary this, of course. I used a red kuri squash, but butternut would be even easier to peel and cut, and Hubbard or other similar sweet winter squash would be great, too. You could replace the spinach with kale or chard, or with any greens you like. I love the walnuts here, but they don’t need to be there if you don’t want them, or you could replace them with something like pine nuts or pumpkin seeds. I added a garnish of parmesan cheese to each serving of my spaghetti, but you could easily make it vegan by just leaving it off.

As a reward for my successful planning and preparations, I also have the rest of my squash all ready to go for another recipe. I’m thinking of this Squash and Pinto Bean Chili from the archives for some warm comfort as these autumn nights get colder. Mmmmm…..good eating this week!

Spaghetti with Winter Squash, Spinach, and Walnuts

Based on a recipe from Lazy Cat Kitchen

2 cups cubed (about 1-inch), peeled winter squash

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 teaspoon coarse salt, divided, plus more for the pasta water

½ pound spaghetti or other long pasta

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

¼ teaspoon crushed chile flakes

4 cups fresh spinach, chopped if leaves are large

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

½ cup chopped walnuts

Chopped fresh parsley and grated parmesan for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Combine the squash, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and ½ teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Toss together to coat the squash well. Transfer to a roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet. Roast at 400 F until tender and lightly browned, about 20-25 minutes, stirring once or twice. Remove from the oven and set aside. (This can be done ahead of time. Cover and chill until ready to use.)

2. Cook the spaghetti in boiling salted water until it is as tender as you like to eat it. Drain and keep warm.

3. In a large saute pan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, about 1 minute, or until fragrant and just beginning to brown. Add the crushed chile flakes and cook about 15 seconds more.

4. Add the spinach and remaining ½ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring frequently, until the spinach is completely wilted. Stir in the cooked squash. Add the cooked spaghetti and cider vinegar and toss to combine well.

5. Stir in the walnuts and remove from the heat. Garnish each serving with parsley and parmesan if desired.

Makes about 4 main dish servings.

Other recipes like this one: Pasta with Shredded Winter Vegetables, Tortellini with Pumpkin Alfredo Sauce

Wheat Berry and Squash Salad

My diet has been a bit wonky lately. I like to eat healthfully without getting neurotic about it (there is this thing called dessert after all). I like to center that healthful diet on homemade food with whole ingredients. Sometimes, much to my regret (and not a little shame), however, homemade healthy food just doesn’t happen. Packaged food happens. Ugh!

And then I get a little inspiration and I figure out how to split tasks into reasonable pieces to fit into the time that I have. And something wonderful like this salad happens. Oh, hooray!

It’s a simple combination of cooked wheat berries, roasted butternut squash, and the seeds I happened to have in the cupboard (pepitas and sunflower seeds). I tossed all this with some fresh sage and a vinaigrette based on a locally-produced sunflower oil and cider vinegar, and sweetened with honey.

I loved this salad! I loved the crunch of the onion and the seeds alongside the chewy wheat berries and almost creamy squash. I loved the sweetness of the dressing with the sweet roasted squash. I loved the overall nuttiness of the wheat berries, sunflower seeds, and pepitas. I loved the earthy zing of the fresh sage throughout. This was so good when I made it for supper (accompanied by this black bean soup), and I think it was even better in my lunch the next day. This is one of the best recipes I tried this year!

While I used that delicious locally-produced, cold-expeller pressed sunflower oil, olive oil or walnut oil would be good, too. I had originally planned to use walnuts before I remembered the seeds I had in the pantry, and I still think they would be good. You could make the salad vegan by replacing the honey with maple syrup or agave nectar. You also could use a different kind of winter squash. You could make this all at one time or, like me, you could break up the tasks. For example, cook the wheat berries when you have time; roast and chill the squash another day; etc.

There are too many recipes out there that will casually state the need for peeled and chopped butternut or other winter squash, without any mention of just how much time and effort it takes to peel and cut up a squash. This site does not tolerate such pretense. I find peeling and chopping winter squash to be grueling labor. I delay making great stuff like this just because I know how long it’s going to take me to get my squash in this edible state. In the case of this salad, however, it was all worth it! Delicious!

Wheat Berry and Squash Salad with Seeds and Sage

2 cups peeled butternut squash, cut into ½ - 1 inch cubes

5 tablespoons sunflower or olive oil, divided

1 teaspoon coarse (kosher) salt, divided

2 cups cooked wheat berries

½ cup finely chopped onion

½ cup pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds)

½ cup sunflower seeds

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

2 tablespoons honey

A few grinds black pepper

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Combine the cubed squash, 2 tablespoons olive oil and ½ teaspoon salt in a roasting pan or on a large sheet pan. Toss to coat the squash well. Roast at 400 F for about 30 minutes or until the squash is soft, but still holding its shape. Remove from the oven and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine the wheat berries, pepitas, sunflower seeds, sage and cooked squash.

3. In a small bowl, combine the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil, remaining ½ teaspoon salt, vinegar, honey, black pepper and Dijon mustard. Whisk together until smooth. Pour over the wheat berry mixture and gently toss to coat, being careful not to mash up the squash. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Serve at room temperature or chilled. Cover and chill leftovers, which will last a few days.

Makes about 6 side-dish servings.

Other recipes like this one: Wheat Berry Salad with Roasted Vegetables and Maple Walnut Vinaigrette, Farro and Apple Salad with Craisins, Farro and White Bean Salad with Fennel and Walnuts