Spent the better part of the day up to my elbows in pumpkins! A few had started to rot, but none of them were beyond reclamation. After cleaning, slicing, scooping, and baking, scraping and mashing, I have probably 20 cups of pumpkin puree ready to freeze! I also searched online for other ways to serve this abundant squash. For dinner we enjoyed roasted autumn vegetables with chicken. Not every member of my family was a fan, but I loved it! Give it a try and tell me what you think.
Here's the general idea:
Spread a tad of olive oil in the bottom of a casserole pan and place chicken breasts in it. Sprinkle each piece with salt, dried rosemary and dried parsley. Put in the oven at 350.
Chop red potatoes into small cubes. Cube fresh pumpkin, likewise. (Just chop however much you think you need!) Quarter a red onion. Combine in a bowl and drizzle with the following mixture:
1/4 c. Olive oil
1/4 c. Lemon juice
2 tablespoons Brown sugar
1 teaspoon cumin seed
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
Salt & pepper
I allowed the chicken to bake for a bit (25-45 min) before adding the vegatables to the dish. Then they needed about another 30-40min. (It will depend on the amount and the size of your meat and pumpkin and potato chunks)
Once the chicken was done and the vegetables were tender, I moved the pan to the top rack and set the oven to high broil for another 4 minutes. I think this is key to crispy, roasted yumminess!
So set your table, gather your family around and pat yourself on the back for creating a delicious, healthy meal! (And ignore anyone who wrinkles their nose, rolls their eyes, or makes any disparaging remarks about dinner. Gourmet chefs are not always appreciated under their own roofs ;-)
I love pumpkin and other winter squash. It's such a comfort food for me. Logan is our nose wrinkler. The only way I've made it that everybody goes nuts for is pureeing it completely in soup. I've never tried this though. Now I'll have to.
ReplyDelete