Need ideas: butternut squash and/or leeks?

buzzcockgirl
buzzcockgirl Posts: 260 Member
edited January 9 in Recipes
Received my first 'Doorstep Farmers' box of produce this morning on my front porch... so excited. But... can anyone give me some ideas what to do with a large butternut squash?
Also got some leeks - what can I do with these? I'll search online, but would love some of your low cal ideas please?!

Replies

  • doctorcsims
    doctorcsims Posts: 5 Member
    tomato, spinach and squash curry serves 6 only 82 kcals

    1 large onion , halved and sliced
    oil
    2 sprays of fry light ( i used better than butter but you could use any)
    2 tbsp curry power
    1 small butternut squash , about 500g, cut into chunks
    1 tin chopped tomatoes
    200g spinach , frozen


    Bake the butter nut squash for 20 mins in a preheated 180 oven.

    In a large sauce pan fry the onions till soft and going slightly golden
    add the curry powder, chopped tomatoes and passata and simmer on the hob for 20 mins
    add the spinach and butternut squash simmer for 5 mins

    serve with boiled rice or on it's own great for a cold night

    enjoy.

    Leeks are great in mash potato adds to your veg and makes it more interesting.
  • alpine1994
    alpine1994 Posts: 1,915 Member
    I posted this earlier today. I make it at least 3X per month. So good! I put it into my recipes and for the whole pot it's about 500 cals (depending on size of your squash). I usually split it up into two servings and have a gigantic bowl for dinner and bring the rest for lunch the next day. :)

    Butternut Squash Soup
    Original recipe makes 4 servings

    1 1/2 tablespoons butter
    1/2 onion, sliced
    2 cloves garlic
    2 sprigs fresh thyme
    1/2 butternut squash - peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes
    4 cups chicken stock (use the low sodium and fat free one)
    1/2 cube chicken bouillon
    1 pinch ground cumin
    1 pinch ground allspice
    salt and ground black pepper to taste


    Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat; cook the onion, garlic, and thyme in the hot butter until the onion has softened, about 5 minutes. Add the squash and chicken stock; bring to a simmer and cook until the squash is tender, 10 to 15 minutes.

    Crumble the bouillon into the soup; season with cumin, allspice, salt, and pepper; remove from heat.

    Pour the soup into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway. Hold the lid of the blender in place with a kitchen towel and carefully start the blender using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree in batches until smooth and pour into a serving bowl. Alternately, you can use a stick blender and puree the soup in the pot.
  • buzzcockgirl
    buzzcockgirl Posts: 260 Member
    Thanks to both-- I do LOVE curry so I can try that. And I got a big bunch of spinach in the box as well, maybe I can incorporate that. Tired of my spinach in salads and smoothies. And someone mentioned making soup-- just never made a smooth blended soup before.
    As for leeks, the only thing that comes to mind is potato leek soup. So I picked up a couple of potatoes... I'll have to research on the internet.
    Anyone else?
  • rlmiller73190
    rlmiller73190 Posts: 342 Member
    Squash shepherd's pie! uses butternut squash as the topping instead of mashed potatoes.

    here's the recipe at the end of my blog :)

    http://undercoverdiva-asitcom.blogspot.com/2013/01/gettin-started.html
  • Christie0428
    Christie0428 Posts: 221 Member
    I made excellent butternut squash leek soup and it was really easy!

    kind of based on potato leek soup:

    cut leeks in half the long way and then in to 1/2" strips, rince well because they are sandy between the layers
    saute leeks in olive oil until transluend add salt & pepper
    add cubed, peeled butternut squash and enough chicken broth to just cover the squash
    simmer until squash is tender
    blend iwth a stick blender in the pot
    add cinnamon and just a dash of nutmeg and cayanne pepper
    and more S&P to taste if necessary
  • pastryari
    pastryari Posts: 8,646 Member
    http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/10/spaghetti-with-creamy-butternut-leek.html

    http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/winter-squash-soup-recipe/index.html

    http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/penne-with-butternut-squash-and-goat-cheese-recipe/index.html
  • PaytraB
    PaytraB Posts: 2,360 Member
    Leeks are great in a tomato-based sauce, so you could use them in a marinara sauce or a sauce with fish such as this one: http://lowfatcooking.about.com/od/fishdishes/r/codleeks.htm
  • buzzcockgirl
    buzzcockgirl Posts: 260 Member
    Squash shepherd's pie! uses butternut squash as the topping instead of mashed potatoes.

    here's the recipe at the end of my blog :)

    http://undercoverdiva-asitcom.blogspot.com/2013/01/gettin-started.html
    Thanks- I'll check it out! Me and my hubby have always loved Shep's pie... but I haven't made it in so long. Figured with the ground beef and gravy and mashed potatoes (and I sometimes top it with some cheese) that it would be WAAAAY out of my range. But I guess I could use ground turkey, a squash instead of mash - I'll check out your site and let you know if I make it! Thanks!!!
  • sofielein
    sofielein Posts: 539 Member
    My favourite thing with this using "fusion kitchen", i.e. the mixture of various European Cuisines' is as follows:

    - bake the butternut in oven until soft (possibly added thyme and rosemary leaves)

    - sautee leek circles on moderate amount of butter until soft

    - mix cooked whole grain pasta (e.g. fusilli or penne), chopped black olives, chopped greek feta cheese and the above butternut


    the end result is a fantastic leek-butternut-feta-olive pasta that reminds both of greek, italian and spanish kitchen and is irresistable due to the mixture of sweet (butternut) and salty (feta-olive) taste!

    sutotokos_penne_kesz.jpg
  • jmfj222
    jmfj222 Posts: 2
    I used chopped butternut squash in my filling for stuffed flounder last night mixed with sauteed onion and garlic, chopped fresh spinach, a tiny bit of gouda and grated parm and panko bread crumbs it was delicious, fast, filling and super low cal
  • buzzcockgirl
    buzzcockgirl Posts: 260 Member
    Also have bok choy in the box... maybe some kind of bok choy/leek/potato soup. And thanks for the butternut squash ideas... I've not had it in YEARS!
  • Mandamanda93
    Mandamanda93 Posts: 213 Member
    It's not low-cal at all, but if you find yourself having a noticeable number of calories that you can do whatever you feel like with... My favorite thing to do is make butternut squash ravioli using whole-grain wheat for the pasta. It's not low-cal, but it is fairly healthy in other regards.
  • laserturkey
    laserturkey Posts: 1,680 Member
    Squash: Peel, cube, roast in oven with olive oil. You can eat it roasted, or add broth and turn it into soup with a stick blender. I made some butternut/parsnip soup the other day that was divine!

    Leeks: potato leek soup is the first thing that comes to mind. They're also good with fennel, IMO. I'm sure there are many other great recipes for them but I am drawing a blank right now.
  • buzzcockgirl
    buzzcockgirl Posts: 260 Member
    http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/10/spaghetti-with-creamy-butternut-leek.html

    THIS LOOKS SO GOOD! Thanks for the recipe!
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