Thursday, October 1, 2009

Butternut Squash Polenta

The Farmers Markets here in Illinois are quite awesome. Don't get me wrong, I love my New England ones, but the sheer amount of food you can purchase here is almost overwhelming. And everyone's so darn friendly!

This weekend I picked up a butternut squash, but I was looking for something to do with it other than roasting or pureeing. So after a little search on epicurious, I discovered this. It is a great, hearty side dish that's even good as a breakfast porridge! I adapted mine from theirs, making it dairy free and using fresh butternut squash, so here it is:

Butternut Squash Polenta

(gluten-free, dairy-free)

1 medium sized butternut squash, cut in half and roasted at 375 for about an hour, then pureed
1 medium sized onion, chopped
3 T Earth Balance (or butter)
2 1/2 cups water
2 cups dairy free beverage (I use So Delicious Coconut Milk)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup cornmeal
fresh sage to garnish
( 3/4 cup of Parmesan cheese is optional)

Saute the onion in the Earth Balance for at least five minutes. Add the squash and saute for another few minutes. Add both the "milk" and water in a large sauce pot and bring to a boil. Add the cornmeal slowly, salt and pepper and whisk as you go. Turn the heat to a simmer and cook about fifteen minutes, or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Then, add the squash mixture, nutmeg and cinnamon and combine. Cook another five to ten minutes and serve.

8 comments:

Julie said...

How did you know I was looking for ways to use this butternut squash I have sitting on my counter AND the So Delicious Coconut Milk Beverage sitting in my fridge? This looks delicious! Thank you!!!!

Rhoda Maurer said...

This looks delicious. Thanks for sharing the idea!

Ricki said...

Fabulous idea for using squash in a new way! Can't wait to try it. :)

CinnamonQuill said...

Brilliant way to use squash! I'd never thought of this.

Marlow said...

Love this recipe! Also, I forgot to comment on the pic of Henry below. Sadness! It broke my heart!! I know Cesar (dog whisperer) says we shouldn't humanize our dogs, but I think that if he met Max and Henry he would totally change his mind!

Allie said...

yum! great idea! just bought a butternut squash yesterday

Linda said...

That sounds interesting, in a good way. I can see eating it for breakfast. This week's theme of my What can I eat that's GF carnival is breakfast. You should add your link.

No pressure though. I'm definitely going to give this a try sometime.

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