Winter Food: Roasted Butternut Squash and Kale with Lemon Brown Rice

Don and I arrived for our sojourn in San Francisco in the fall of 2007.  The difference between how we had been eating in Cincinnati- and how we learned to eat in San Francisco was drastic!  It was if we suddenly lived in a different world!  After just a few months we had each lost over 20 pounds - and this while indulging ourselves on a daily basis.  We were now living in "food" heaven!  There is the obvious difference in "portion" size when we dined at restaurants.  In San Francisco I usually finished all the food on my plate- in Cincinnati I seldom do.  In fact I sometimes think that a "serving" size in Cincinnati is really portioned for a family of 4!  And then of course since you couldn't possible find a place to park we walked most everywhere.  And of course this being San Francisco this included a lot of hills!  


San Francisco is also the birthplace of the "locavore"!  The word locavore was coined on Earth Day in San Francisco in 2005 and found it's legitimacy in the Oxford Dictionary in 2007.  To be a locavore one must eat food from local sources rather than eating foods from far off places. While living in San Francisco eating locally was certainly no challenge given the climate with its long, long, long growing season.  But Cincinnati is NOT San Francisco.  We have winter- a long winter- and not much grows in the winter.  It was about this time that Barbara Kingsolver wrote a book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life about the experience of her family eating almost exclusively local foods (they made exceptions for coffee and chocolate!) for an entire year.  Ms. Kingsolver and her family lived on a small farm in northern Virginia.  This climate is not a lot different from ours in Cincinnati.  In this book was the truth of what "eating winter food" would be in Cincinnati- rather than in California with it's year round growing season


If you wander into any produce department in Cincinnati (or any other place for that matter) you'll be immediately shocked with the abundance of choices during these bleak winter months.  

A field trip to Whole Food suggests that perhaps winter isn't so bleak after all.  But here's the catch- this food isn't local- this food is shipped in- often from places as far away as South America or even Asia.  


So what choices might we have if we're eating "local" in Cincinnati. To begin with, there are all the foods that are harvested in late fall and "keep" in a cellar to be used during the winter.  These include all the potatoes, the winter squash (butternut, acorn, spaghetti), onions, turnips, beets to name a few.  But there is one vegetable that actually likes to GROW in the winter climate.  KALE!  Until the middle ages it was actually the most common green vegetable eaten- and was nicknamed the "hungry gap" because it thrives in the cold climate.  In fact it tastes sweeter if it's a bit "nipped" by the frost!  


The argument for eating "local" is three pronged.  Food that is grown- and harvested- closer to where it is actually eaten tastes better.  Eating" local" food supports small businesses- the small farms that grow this "local" fare rather than industrial farms with their heavy use of pesticides and dismal working conditions (think here- "illegal immigrants"). And finally eating "local" reduces the use of fossil fuels in transporting foods from places so far away.  I would certainly be remiss if I suggested that Don and I eat mostly "local"- we don't. That said when given choices, we most often reach for foods that are more "seasonable" for our table.


Time for a bit of self disclosure here- Don does not like Kale- not a bit- in fact he eats around it so most of his Kale eventually goes to our dog Brutus after the table is cleared!  But I do like Kale- And I thought having a "food blog" would be the perfect excuse to prepare and eat all the foods I love with only "nods" in Don's direction when it suits my fancy- don't tell Don.


So gather the ingredients and let's get cooking!

Roasted Butternut Squash and Kale with Lemon Brown Rice


Ingredients:
1 Butternut Squash- This is really the hardest part- peel and slice the butternut squash- takes REAL MUSCLES!
1 Bunch of Kale- Tear the leaves off the stalks and tear into smaller pieces- Rinse!
4 Shallots- Sliced
10 Cloves of Garlic- Leave the cloves whole.
2 Lemons- Zest both Lemons and then juice- Zest from one lemon will be used in the rice.


2 Tbsp of Coriander Seeds -may substitute 1 1/2 tsp of ground coriander
1 1/2 Tsp of Cumin Seeds- may substitute 3/4 tsp of ground cumin
1/4 Tsp of ground Allspice
1/4 Tsp of ground Cloves
4 Cinnamon Sticks
4 tablespoons of Olive Oil


Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Toss Butternut Squash with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and seasonings. Place on edged cookie sheet - I cover the pan with aluminum foil.  Roast for 40 minutes, turning every 10 minutes


Toss Kale with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, zest and juice from one lemon.

Roast Kale for 15-20 minutes- toss after 10 minutes.  It's okay if it gets slightly brown on the edges. 


Combine squash and kale (with seasonings) in large bowl.  Toss with juice from second lemon.
Note: You may substitute sweet potatoes for squash (easier to peel and cube) and may also substitute Swiss chard or spinach (sauteed rather than roasted- only kale is a green sturdy enough for roasting) for the kale if you have a "Don" in your house.

Lemon Brown Rice


Ingredients:
1 cup of brown rice
2 cups of broth- I use vegetable broth but chicken would work as well.
Zest from one lemon
2 tablespoons of olive oil


Directions:
Heat olive oil over medium high heat until hot.  Add brown rice and cook until begins to "pop".  Add in lemon zest and then the 2 cups of broth.
Bring to boil and then lower temperature until very soft simmer.
Cook until all the liquid is gone and rice is "dry".


ENJOY!