Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Buttercup?

So I've had butternut squash before, but I've never had butterCUP squash before. I saw it in the pile o squash at the Giant this weekend as I reached for some acorn squash. Figured, eh...why not try something different? Allow me to introduce you to my first buttercup squash:
Oh, hello there little buttercup.

I cut this baby up and roasted it with some olive oil, salt and pepper for 20 minutes before tossing it with some thinly sliced shallot:
And while that got going, I boiled some chicken broth and a couple teaspoons of the Hungarian paprika sauce for some Trader Joe's Harvest Grains Blend and marinated some butterflied chicken breasts in a mixture of Fage 0% Total Yogurt, POM Wonderful Pomegranate Juice, minced garlic, salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar and garlic powder:
Yeah, a bit of a random combination, but we've got tons of pomegranate juice I want to experiment with and there wasn't quite enough yogurt for 1 serving and I didn't want it to go to waste :\

Once the grain blend was finished cooking, I mixed in the squash and shallot mixture:
I really do love the different textures in this dish - the baby garbanzos in the grain blend are a bit tender so it's a fun texture change from the squash and couscous. I also think that the paprika sauce is my new favorite condiment haha.

Cooked the chicken quickly in a super hot pan while I troasted some asparagus and ta daaaa! Dinner was ready in about 45 minutes!
I couldn't decide on a picture
so I'm putting all three up ;)
The chicken didn't have as much flavor as I wanted it to, but it was definitely tender. Next time around (translation: better planning), I'd marinate the chicken overnight.

I also snacked on one of these:
UM, hello! New favorite treat! I grabbed this bag because there was a buy one, get one free special and it looked interesting. It was a chewy and not too sweet surprise...plus it had these random chunks of dark chocolate...AMAZING. You should definitely track these down and give them a try!!

Speaking of trying new things...

I'm trying really hard to rest and not run...it's really hard since the weather is finally cooling down. This is my favorite time to run, but per the latest advice I've received from my athletic trainer friend, it's best that I ease up this week and get checked out by a doctor. *sigh* Back to the frozen soup...

After reading one of Paige's posts, I was tempted to try a Honeycrisp apple...YUUUHHHHMMMM! First of all, they looked a little shinier than the rest of the apples. Second of all, they are perfectly crisp and juicy! Sort of like my favorite Pink Lady apples, but not as tart. I'll be a repeat buyer! :)

Do you have a favorite type of apple? Did you realize there were so many different varieties?? I sure didn't (at least not beyond Gala, Fuji, Braeburn, Pink Lady, Jazz <-wtf is that, McIntosh, Granny Smith, Golden Delicious <-which I don't think are that delicious, and Red Delicious)...

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love honey crisp! Can't wait to go apple picking to get some! Love the Pom marinade. I am working on a Pom shrimp recipe. Good stuff!

Anonymous said...

I have yet to try the Honey crisp...I can't find any in my area! I like Fuji a lot, though.
I tried buttercup before, but they can't compare to kabocha...or maybe I got a dud?

I GOT MY TICKET to Foodbuzz fest today! I hope to see you again! :D

NiamhNIMROD said...

There's no honeycrisp in Ireland. Supposidly they're called Honeycrunch here but I've never seen them. I really want to try them.

My favorites are Jazz, Pink Lady & Sundowner, though I have been known to munch on the odd Granny Smith here and there. Oddly enough I don't like Fuji at all!

Rosey Rebecca said...

I love Mcintosh Apples. They're so yummy and Granny Smith apples are amazing too. I've never had a honey crisp apple!! I need to try one!

I love that you're cooking with Pom. I have been sick so I haven't been able to experiment so much with the package they sent me. You're giving me some fantastic ideas!

Angharad said...

I like the harrelson apples we get here but honeycrisp are delicious too!
That squash is pure autumnal comfort food.

Paige@ Running Around Normal said...

I can't keep up with all the different squashes/gords they have out right now! I've never heard of a buttercup! sounds cute, though? haha

I'm so glad you liked the honeycrisp apple. I just had one today! TDF.

Anonymous said...

I don't find the "delicious" varieties particularly delicious. I love tart and crisp apples, I tend to stick with Granny Smith ones a lot. But I should branch out more!

And I love squashes... sadly, my husband hates them all! I roasted an acorn squash yesterday (technically I guess I "troasted") to mark the first day of fall-like weather we've had.