Roasted Butternut Squash Wild Rice with Crispy Chard

Throughout the fall/winter I’m partnering with Local Roots NYC to create locally inspired eats. Many of the ingredients used in this recipe are sourced from local farms included in their community supported agriculture (CSA) program. Check out their Fall CSA that provides a weekly pick-up through December 6th! PLUS they are doing a super cool Thanksgiving CSA pop-up! Get in your orders by November 6th. 

 

Roasted Butternut Squash Wild Rice with Crispy Chard

¼ cup wild rice
¼ cup long grain brown rice
1 cup water
1 cup chicken broth
1 tsp salt
½ cup onion – minced
1 cup butternut squash – cubed
1 tsp cooking fat (lard or coconut oil)
1 bunch fresh chard – stems removed
freshly ground black pepper to taste


Soak both rices in one cup water overnight or at least one hour before cooking.
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Drain water from rice.

In a medium sized pot, saute the onion over medium heat with one tablespoon of chicken broth for 3 minutes. Add the rice, remaining chicken broth and ¼ tsp salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cover for 20 minutes until all broth is absorbed into rice.

Toss the butternut squash in a ½ teaspoon cooking fat and ¼ teaspoon salt. Spread evenly onto a roasting pan.

Then lightly coat the chard leaves with ½ teaspoon cooking fat. Line a roasting pan with parchment paper and spread out the chard leaves. Sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt.

Roast the butternut squash and chard simultaneously. The chard will be done in five minutes. The squash will take 20 minutes.

Toss the squash with the rice and then crumble in the crispy chard. Add remaining salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

Roasted Butternut Squash Wild Rice with Crispy Chard
For a bigger flavor, drizzle your favorite dressing over the rice dish. I love the mix of sage, garlic and maple syrup in this Maple Sage Miso Vinaigrette.

 

Maple Sage Miso Vinaigrette
by Local Roots NYC member, Lee Harman

1 bunch fresh sage
¼ cup rice vinegar
1 tbsp mellow white miso
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 – 2 cloves garlic (fresh or roasted)
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ c neutral oil (canola, vegetable, avocado, etc)

Pick sage off stems.  You can save the stems for stock or discard; they are too tough to blend and may make your dressing bitter.  Add sage, vinegar, miso, mustard, maple syrup, and garlic to blender or food processor.  Purée until it’s as smooth as you can get it. Slowly pour in the oils.  Going slow is key here, because if you go too quickly the dressing will ‘break’ and separate.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  The dressing is ready to use right away, and can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Miso sage vinaigrette goes great on a salad with Local Roots NYC seasonal veggies or your local farmers’ market picks. Local Roots NYC builds a vibrant community around local food through a network of full diet CSAs and connect thousands of New Yorkers with local, sustainable produce. 

 Roasted Butternut Squash Wild Rice with Crispy Chard

Roasted Butternut Squash Wild Rice with Crispy Chard
Serves 4
Yummy, savory fall side dish with wild rice, butternut squash and crispy chard.
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Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
35 min
Total Time
40 min
Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
35 min
Total Time
40 min
Ingredients
  1. ¼ cup wild rice
  2. ¼ cup long grain brown rice
  3. 1 cup water
  4. 1 cup chicken broth
  5. 1 tsp salt
  6. ½ cup onion - minced
  7. 1 cup butternut squash - cubed
  8. 1 tsp cooking fat (lard or coconut oil)
  9. 1 bunch fresh chard - stems removed
  10. freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Soak both rices in one cup water overnight or at least one hour before cooking.
  2. Preheat oven to 400°F.
  3. Drain water from rice.
  4. In a medium sized pot, saute the onion over medium heat with one tablespoon of chicken broth for 3 minutes. Add the rice, remaining chicken broth and ¼ tsp salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cover for 20 minutes until all broth is absorbed into rice.
  5. Toss the butternut squash in a ½ teaspoon cooking fat and ¼ teaspoon salt. Spread evenly onto a roasting pan.
  6. Then lightly coat the chard leaves with ½ teaspoon cooking fat. Line a roasting pan with parchment paper and spread out the chard leaves. Sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt.
  7. Roast the butternut squash and chard simultaneously. The chard will be done in five minutes. The squash will take 20 minutes.
  8. Toss the squash with the rice and then crumble in the crispy chard. Add remaining salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
  9. Enjoy!
Sparkle Kitchen https://sparklekitchen.com/

 Roasted Butternut Squash Wild Rice with Crispy Chard

Fall Spice Pumpkin Chili

 Fall Spice Pumpkin Chili

On Sunday, I made my annual trip to the pumpkin patch and we came home with bushels of produce! There are still so many pumpkin recipes in the works and it was perfect inspiration. The best part is that the farm we visited uses organic standards for everything they grow. Hooray for no pesticides in our food!

I created this pumpkin chili recipe in anticipation of chilly fall evenings around the corner. The ingredients are simple and I like to load it up with veggies to up the antioxidant benefits. Pumpkin adds creaminess and also balances out the acidity of the tomatoes.  Since I generally only cook for two, I froze more than half to whip out on a lazy week night. The flavors will only enhance the longer it sits so it’s an excellent freezer meal.In this dish, the pumpkin grabs your attention but the beef is the star of the show. Make sure your beef is the best quality you can buy. You want beef from grass-fed cows, raised humanely. Not only will the flavor be quite different from conventional meat, the nutritional benefits far exceed it. If you’re still on the fence about eating red meat, have no fear and read Chris Kresser’s post, Red Meat: It Does a Body Good!Fall Spice Pumpkin Chili
Grass-fed v. Conventional Beef (Grain-fed)

♦ Grass-fed has 2-5 times more omega 3s.
♦ Grass-fed contains higher amounts of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which  has potent antioxidant activity.
♦ Cows create Vitamin K2 when they consume grass. Our bodies easily absorb this when we eat beef, which has incredible benefits. K2 is responsible for distributing calcium throughout the body leading to improved bone density.
♦ Grass-fed are typically raised on pasture and under humane practices.
♦ Grass-fed cows receive little to no antibiotics and no growth hormones.
The list of environmental benefits for grass-fed is numerous. NRDC created a Top 10 List.
♦ Conventional farming methods feed cows grain, which they cannot digest. This inability to digest leads to illness and the intake of antibiotics. Beef adds to our over-exposure of antibiotics.
Antibiotics used in food animals can result in resistant Salmonella. A report from the Pew Charitable Trust calls out,  “recognizing that antibiotic resistance is a threat to Americans’ health and economic and national security from within and beyond our borders.”
♦ Beef from conventionally raised cows are more susceptible to E-Coli infection.


Tips for Buying Grass-Fed 

♦ Get to know your local farmers and frequent your farmers market.
♦ Ask your friends to split a cow share with you and invest in a deep freezer.
♦ How to buy and store a side of beef: http://pods.dasnr.okstate.edu/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-2059/F-3401web.pdf
♦ For sources of grass-fed beef: http://www.grasslandbeef.com/StoreFront.bok
http://www.eatwild.com/PRODUCTS/index.html

♦ How to find a local rancher: http://www.eatwild.com/PRODUCTS/index.html

Resources:

Red Meat It Does a Body Good! http://chriskresser.com/red-meat-it-does-a-body-good

Why Grass Fed Trumps Grain Fed http://chriskresser.com/why-grass-fed-trumps-grain-fed

Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations http://www.marksdailyapple.com/concentrated-animal-feeding-operations/#axzz3EhQyWw7t

Why Vitamin K2 is Important and How to Get It http://www.mamanatural.com/why-vitamin-k2-is-important-and-how-to-get-it/

National Strategy for Combating Antibiotic Resistance http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/about/news-room/news/2014/09/25/summary-of-the-national-strategy-for-combating-antibiotic-resistance

Grass Fed Beef and Heart Disease http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-disease/expert-answers/grass-fed-beef/faq-20058059

The Controversy Over Added Hormones in Meat and Dairy http://www.med.nyu.edu/content?ChunkIID=90869

Fall Spice Pumpkin Chili

Makes 6 servings.

1.5 lbs grass-fed ground beef
1 medium onion – chopped
3 cloves garlic – minced
3 carrots – chopped
five turnips with greens – chopped
2 tsp salt
4 cups baby heirloom tomatoes – sliced in half
1 cup beef broth
1 cup water
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp chili powder

​1 cup pumpkin puree

►In an 8 quart dutch oven over medium-high heat, brown ground beef for 6 minutes until medium doneness.
►Remove meat from pot with a slotted spoon to leave the fat remaining. Over medium heat, saute onion and garlic in beef fat for 3 minutes. Then add in carrots, turnips, greens and 1 tsp salt. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring throughout.
►Add tomatoes, beef broth, water, cinnamon, chili powder, and remaining salt. Stir to combine. Cover and cook for 15 minutes.
►Bring heat to medium-high. Stir in pumpkin and beef, then cook for 8 more minutes.
►Remove from heat and ladle into bowls. Top with mini heirloom tomatoes and a dash of cinnamon.