Tropical meets comfort

When I think of island vacation getaways, I think of coconuts.  When I think of winter comfort cooking, my mind goes to butternut squash.  So why not combine the two? 

Oh yes I did.

The base of the dish was made and then frozen nearly a month ago…back when my friend gave me two cases of butternut squash.

I used the slow cooker, adding an entire butternut squash (cubed) and a box of Vita Coco coconut water and leaving it alone for 4 hours to do it’s thang. 

Before and after.

Then I tupperwared it up, threw it in the freezer, and forgot about it for a few months.

Cut to the other day…

I took the coconut squash out of the freezer and submerged it in a warm water bath in the sink to thaw.  When it had reached a semi-liquefied state, I put it in the slower cooker to both finish thawing and start cooking.  

After a couple of hours the formerly cubed squash chunks started to puree on their own from simply being cooked for so long. 

At this point I added in a can of chickpeas and 1/2 cup coconut flour and let it cook for another hour.  The flour thickened up the squash and absorbed the excess liquid perfectly.

Had I planned ahead (or known where I was going with the dish), I would have cooked the pasta in the crock-pot, too.  Oh well. 

I cooked them separately, then combined them in a casserole dish afterwards.

Coconut & Butternut Pasta Casserole

Ingredients:

• 1 butternut squash, chopped
• 1 1/2 cup pasta shells (dry)
• 1 can (15 oz.) chickpeas
• 1 cup coconut water
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• salt (to taste)

*note: I may add in broccoli next time for a contrasting color/texture

This pasta bake was a surprising success.  Most casseroles use cheese to hold the ingredients together, but in this case, the butternut squash did the trick. 

Kyle was the first to dig in, taking a little scoop before heading off to a dinner meeting.  He doesn’t even like squash on it’s own, and he liked the dish so that says a lot.

The squash almost seems cheesy (a good way to sneak in veggies for those who may have trouble fitting in all the recommended servings).  Plus, the healthy vitamins, minerals, and fiber of squash certainly trumps the nutritional profile of cheese.  When combined with chickpeas and durum wheat shells, the stats of this vegan dish are beyond impressive – all macronutrients accounted for. 

I served my portion up alongside a spinach and Bragg’s salad.

The subtle coconut notes were the best part of the dish.  Seriously yum.  I had a second serving that was even more generous than my first.  I’m pretty sure this is the perfect way to ring in spring. 

Before I go, I wanted to spread the word about a donation rally raising funds for the American Red Cross’ Japan-related relief efforts.  The Blogging for a Change Donation Rally will be going all week and 100% of of proceeds will go straight to the Red Cross to help Japan rebuild!

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Lent Can Be A Healthy Tool

Thanks for the triathlon encouragement!  I’m pretty excited to be checking off another bucket list item…plus doing it with my dad is one of the best parts about it.  To be honest, I haven’t so much as dipped my toe in a pool (or any body of water for that matter) in several years.  [Insert nervous laughter]  Yes, I did swim team growing up, but still.  I definitely don’t have a cap or goggles (or non-bikini suit?) currently.  So it will be an interesting “training” period to say the least.  My dad, on the other hand, has already done a sprint tri, so he’s not exactly starting from scratch.  Speaking of hippie pops…

Here’s my dad with another guest post on using Lent to improve your health:

Growing up Catholic leaves many lifelong impressions.  I was raised Catholic, including the full religious training, serving as an altar boy (with Latin recitations, no less) and 8 years of grammar school.  One prominent part of the church year is the season of Lent.  For the unfamiliar, Lent is the 6-week period of atonement leading up to Easter.  In the 1960’s when I was in my formative years, we were encouraged to make a Lenten commitment.  This usually meant committing to give up something.  Something that you liked and/or something you did that was “bad”; something that was difficult to give up.  Like candy.  Or swearing.  Or (for adults) smoking or alcohol.  It was supposed to be a challenge, to help strengthen one’s soul.  The debate at the time that I recall centered on the positive vs. the negative Lenten commitment.  The negative meant not doing something bad; the positive meant doing something good.

Many devoted Catholics I know still make commitments for Lent.  I have not made one in decades (not surprising since I am not what one would call a devoted Catholic).  But this year I thought I would.  Not for a religious reason, but for the sake of the health of my body.  I was going to have a specific plan to add something healthful and/or remove something unhealthy from my diet.  The sense of accomplishment I will feel upon achieving my goal on Easter Sunday is a side benefit.  Originally, I was going to re-enter the old realm with a grand plan, but I struggled with the specifics about how to eat healthier.  At first reflection, this would seem to be a lame or easy thing, something that I should “just do” anyway, and not truly worthy of a Lenten commitment.  But for me to make a real change, I need structure.  The formality of a Lenten commitment lends a certain seriousness, such that breaking the commitment is a failure of sorts, like I’m letting myself down (or, in the guilty Catholic’s mind, letting God down).  So, whether I chose a negative commitment (giving up desserts or making a specific meat restriction were leading candidates) or a positive one (e.g., eating salad every day), my goal was to modify my behavior over a long enough period of time to possibly continue a meaningful change even after Easter.  One year I think I ate all the candy on Easter that I had given up during the entire 6 weeks of Lent – I’m hoping to avoid that this time.

So here is what I came up with – not monumental, but the most consistent improvements often are incremental.  I went with the negative: I gave up soda, and I am not eating meat twice a week.

We all know that soda is not good.  In recent years, going with the “most things in moderation are OK” idea, I have reduced my soda intake but I still drank a fair amount of it.  Lately, my decision has been a trade-off between the nastiness and calories of HFCS or the strange and mysterious artificial sweeteners in diet soda.  Often I would ask for a mix of real Coke and diet Coke at a restaurant.  Strange logic not based in any science.  Most recently I’ve read about the toxicity of the caramel coloring in brown sodas such as Coke (diet or regular) and am even more turned off.  So, as hard as it can be to find something healthy to drink for lunch or a mid-day break, I’ve committed not to drink soda for Lent.

My other commitment is a little easier and isn’t a big change.  With the support of Melinda and Elise, I’ve already reduced my meat intake in the past year or so.  But for Lent, I’ve added the specific goal of eliminating meat completely two days per week.  I’ve been a little surprised how easy this is, due to the availability of tasty and healthy vegetarian food options in California and the cooperation and support of my wife who loves to garden and cook.

So I guess my next question is what will happen after Easter.  Will I wash down 12 steaks with a 6-pack of Coke that first week?  Unlikely, because my goal is “bite-size” and something I think I can continue.  It feels strange and kinda good to reprise Lent after all these years, especially with this new twist.

Thanks for another great post dad.

Who else gave something up for Lent? I personally didn’t.  I’m not sure why.  In general though, I’m more of a fan of making a positive change for an improved lifestyle (as opposed to eliminating something perceived as a negative).  When it comes to habits, I’m all about the “add first, subtract later” mantra.

When my parents were in town, they went to lunch at True Food Kitchen (sadly I couldn’t join because I was working).

The restaurant has a few locations, in CA and AZ, with a Santa Monica branch opening soon.  Sweet!

My parents went to the Fashion Island location and (at my request) were nice enough to take photos of their meals to review…like my personal taste testers.  🙂

The menu looks delightful – with veg options aplenty – and offers everything from quinoa tabbouleh to spaghetti squash casserole to grass fed bison burgers.  The prices are completely reasonable as well.

Grilled Flatbread ~ Smoked Garlic, Caramelized Onions, Black Fig and Gorgonzola

Halibut Tacos ~ Avocado, Cotija Cheese, Tomatillo Salsa, Sour Cream and Pickled Onion

 

And look!  A non-soda drink 🙂  Well done, dad.  Can’t wait ‘til I can try True Food Kitchen for myself at Santa Monica Place.

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