Roasted Buttercup Squash, Knekkebrød and Other Delights

Honey & Balsamic Glazed, Roasted Buttercup Squash and Apples
Long complicated title for a simple and delicious dish!  

Yes, that's Buttercup Squash, completely different than Butternut Squash, although they are both Winter squashes.

1-1/2 lbs Buttercup Squash, peeled and cubed (about half of one medium squash)
2 small or medium Red Apples (I used Honeycrisp), chopped large
Honey
Balsamic Vinegar
optional Walnuts

Preheat oven to 400F.

Toss the squash and apples (and walnuts if using) to combine in a 9x9 baking dish.  Drizzle with honey and balsamic.  Roast for 15 minutes.  Toss.  Drizzle again with honey and balsamic.  Roast an additional 15 minutes, until the squash chunks are fork tender.  Serve as a main or side dish.


Knekkebrød -- Norwegian Crispbread
This is what Ryvitatm and Wasatm want to be when they grow up!  Tasty and inexpensive to make.    In spite of the size and shape these are "bread", not "crackers".  Why??  I dunno, and I haven't been able to find out.  Where does a thin flatbread stop and a cracker start?

Anyway, Sally came back from Norway raving about the good crispbread they had been served as a base for snacks or what in England is called a Plowman's lunch --  cheese, fruit, and bread.  So naturally I went searching for recipes to make some of these seedy, crispy treats at home.  You can use any combination or proportion of seeds, but you do want a mixture of small and large seeds.  The ones below are readily available in your local megamart.  Make two sheet pans of crispbreads.

1 cup Rye Flour
1 cup Quick Oats
1/2 cup Sesame Seeds
1/2 cup unsalted Sunflower Seeds
1/2 cup unsalted Pumpkin Seeds
1 Tbsp Honey
Pinch of Salt
2-1/2 cups Water

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Cover two sheet pans with parchment paper or other nonstick baking paper.

Warm the honey and stir it into the water.

In a large mixing bowl combine all the dry and seed ingredients.

Slowly add the honey-water and stir/fold things with a baking spoon until a thick, wet dough forms.  The water to be absorbed into the flour, oats, etc. so take your time.

Put half the mixture in the center of each sheet pan, and spread evenly and thinly, spreading out the dough to the edges.  Thin?  You want this to be about 1/8" thin!  I used a wet spatula to spread and smooth the dough, trying for an even thinness.  Trust me, you don't want thicker or you'll break your teeth trying to bite into one!

Place both pans in the oven, and bake for 10 minutes.  Take them out and using a pizza cutter or knife, score the dough into rectangles.  This makes them easier to separate once fully baked.

Return the pans to the over and bake an additional 50 minutes (total of 60 minutes).  At the halfway point switch the pans from top to bottom shelf.

When done, break the breads apart and cool completely on wire racks before storing in tight plastic or tin containers.

They'll stay crisp for a couple weeks, even in Florida's soggy clime.


Chana Dal Dinner
I make Chana Dal fairly frequently.  That's a mixture of lentils, tomato, onion, and I usually add chickpeas, together with Chana Masala, an Indian spice blend specifically for this dish, that I get at the local Indian market.

I cook the lentils (about 2 dry cups) in my rice cooker, with a teaspoon or two of the Chana Masala.  Then I saute a diced white onion a few minutes in a skillet before adding a chopped beefsteak tomato, the lentils and maybe 3/4 cup of canned, cooked chickpeas.  I add more spice to get to the level of flavor and heat that I'm looking for, before serving.

For dinner the other night I added thick slices of roasted butternut squash spiced with Amchur (dried green mango) Powder, for something different.


Tropical Oatmeal
For breakfast the other morning I made Sally something I call Tropical Oatmeal.  A simple bowl of oatmeal taken to a whole new plateau with the addition of a filet of mango!

Can you say yyyyyuuuuummmmmmmmm????  I knew you could.


Quick Dessert
A good meal deserves a good dessert to finish it off.    Yesterday for Lunch with Mum, I made some exceptional Black Bean Rissoles (see recipe, Feb 12, 2018).

So for dessert I made quick but tasty cups of sliced strawberries in syrup, topped with a scoop of my Mango FroYo!  What a sweet conclusion to dinner.... and this post!