Asian Noodle Salad

Like the author of the blog where I found it, I love this salad. love. it. I crave asian flavors and this just does it all for me in one big bowl. There some work to be done in putting it together: washing, slicing, chopping, cooking the noodles, making the dressing, but once done, you have lunch for days and dinner too, if you're so inclined. And you get a bountiful serving of crunchy vegetables every time you dig in. It's vegetarian, if you want it to be, or you can slice up some cooked chicken or pork and add it in too. Make note though, I only make half a recipe and it is still a huge amount. This is also a great dish to consider bringing for a potluck since it makes a bunch and is a pleaser to all.

I always top ours with peanuts. And be careful not to just add all the dressing to the salad at first. You might not need it all. Save it in case you want to dress it a little more tomorrow. Highly recommend.

Squash Ravioli with Sherried Onion Sauce, Walnuts and Cranberries

Butternut squash ravioli is a favorite of mine and I'd eat it once a week if it weren't for the butter or cream-based sauce that usually tops it. So when I purchased some ravioli the other day, I went in search of a lighter alternative. This sauce is from Fine Cooking issue 35. The recipe includes instructions for making the ravioli too. But I think you can find really good quality frozen ravioli in the market so I used those and picked up on the recipe with the sauce. The ravioli I used are the 365 brand from Whole Foods.

I stock sherry in my fridge because I use it quite a bit with asian cooking. If you need to buy sherry, pick a dry one. It isn't expensive and will last a long time in your fridge. You'll detect no boozy flavor in the sauce once you cook it down, but there is a warm sweetness from the sherry and the long-cooked onions. The sauce does use some cream or you can make it with stock alone. I used mostly stock and finished with a splash of cream. The toasted walnuts and tart cranberries add texture and zing.

This is a really good recipe and one perfectly suited to a weeknight if you buy the ravioli. Take your time with the onions, low and slow as they say.

If the link won't give you the recipe (some are free access, some aren't) you can always e-mail me.

Stuffed squash

This recipe is from the current issue of Eating Well but I changed it quite a bit. The original is Acorn Squash Stuffed with Swiss Chard and White Beans. When I did mine I used some spiced up black beans instead. I think black beans and squash have a natural affinity for each other. And I was able to get a little more excited about this dish thinking in terms of mexican flavors.

The squash is cooked a bit first. I baked mine but the recipe says to microwave it. The filling is added and the squash are topped with bread crumbs and parmesan cheese. Then you run it under a broiler for barely a minute to toast the crumbs. Really yummy. Here's the original recipe. I'm pleased to say mine look just like those in the mag.



To season my beans, I added some cumin and chipotle powder to the sauteed onions and garlic. I let the spices cook a minute in the oil and then added the beans and continued with the recipe. Those with a trained eye.might recognize that I used a Carnivale instead of an Acorn squash.

You could go lots of places with this recipe. Even taking it out of the vegetarian realm and adding cooked sausage. A definite make again...