Last-minute meal

Likely because law school is taking so much of my brainpower, I somehow convinced myself that I’d picked up a spaghetti squash at the store a week ago. Since then, my husband had gotten the rest of ingredients for what was supposed to be our dinner a few nights ago. It was getting late when I discovered the missing ingredient, but a quick Google search saved us from takeout. We had a butternut squash, some bacon and one sheet of Trader Joe’s puff pastry, which managed to create a delicious (although not too healthy) meal in 30 minutes. 

Butternut Squash, Bacon and Carmelized Onion “Pizza,” adapted from epicurious

One-half large butternut squash or one small one, peeled and diced
1 sheet puff pastry, thawed for 10 minutes and rolled out slightly
6 slices center-cut bacon
1/2 large onion
1 tablespoon rosemary, minced
8 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 450. Boil squash in salted water for about 10 minutes or until soft. Drain, cool slightly and mash. Working with puff pastry, score around edges a half-inch from edge. Poke interior all over with tines of fork. Bake pastry for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Cook bacon in skillet. Once done, remove and set aside to drain on paper towels. Chop. In skillet, cook onions until soft and slightly browned. Put mashed squash on puff pastry and top with remaining ingredients. Cook 5-10 minutes or until heated through and pastry is browned.

Crowder pea hummus

When I picked up our vegetables this week, there was a different type of pea in it than the purple hull we’ve been getting. One of the farmers said they were crowder peas, and gave me a few ideas to use them, including hummus. That turned out to be great advice since they were pretty similar to chickpeas. The color isn’t pretty, but the recipe I adapted from gave it a nice flavor.

Now for one of the worst pictures to appear on my blog (granted, the screen has totally died on our camera, so I’m shooting rather blindly):

Crowder Pea Hummus, adapted from this recipe

2 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 small or one large clove garlic
3-4 cups crowder peas, simmered about 30 minutes until tender
1/4 cup olive oil
1/8-1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/8-1/4 cup cold water
Salt and pepper to taste

Strip rosemary leaves from stems, discard stems, and place leaves in the bowl of a food processor. Add garlic and pulse until finely chopped. Pour in the peas and a little water; process until evenly blended.
With food processor running, slowly pour in the olive oil, scraping sides of the bowl as necessary. Pour in balsamic vinegar and process until evenly blended. Taste, and add more vinegar, 1 tablespoon at a time, as desired. Pour in the water and process to make a spreadable consistency. Add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, if necessary. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Chill before serving.

Tomato tart

Tomato season is going strong here in Georgia, and we got just one short of a dozen in our CSA box this week. 

We were half gone on watermelon lemonade by the time we sat down to eat, but we thought this tomato tart was Amazing. It’s very similar to a caprese salad, but I served it hot instead of cold. I’m sure it would be delicious either way. You can’t really go wrong with a homemade pastry shell, fresh basil, fresh mozzarella and ripe, red tomatoes. I love summer!

Click below for recipe

Runza redo

Before I met my husband, I had never heard of a runza, let alone the popular chain restaurant of the same name that is all over Nebraska. On a trip to Lincoln last year, I asked him about the restaurant, but he said he wasn’t a fan of the beef and cabbage pies. I was intrigued, but I never got to try one. So when I ran across a recipe in Cooking Light that was based on a runza, but used Asian flavors, my curiosity got the best of me. I have no idea what a traditional runza tastes like, but these are delicious. I modified the recipe to use a whole head of cabbage, and that meant we had plenty of leftovers to stick in the freezer for later.

Click below for recipe