salmon bake w/ maple roasted squash & brussels sprouts

maple roasted buttercup squash

serves 4 as a small side dish

1 (2 pound) buttercup squash, halved and seeded, sliced into 2 inch chunks

(the rind should become tender enough to eat, but if you use a different winter squash the rind might be tough, like this carnival squash...it is really easy to just scoop the flesh off with your fork while eating & it looks much prettier with the rind in tact)

2-3 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1 tablespoon olive oil or unsalted butter

1/2 tsp coarse sea salt, to taste

preheat oven to 450*

in large bowl, toss squash with syrup, oil & salt. transfer to a large baking dish and roast, uncovered, for 35 - 45 minutes until fork tender. stir every ten minutes to ensure even browning.

meanwhile, prep your salmon and brussels sprouts. I used a large roasting pan and when the squash was pretty much done i made room for the salmon in the same pan and just baked it in there for 10 - 15 minutes ~ only needing to clean up one pan!

Salmon Bake

serves two

2 tbls melted butter

1 1/5 tbls dijon mustard

1 tbls honey

2 tbls bread crumbs

2 tbls finely chopped pecans

2 tbls minced flat leaf parsley

1 salmon fillet about 1/2 a pound (we eat 4 oz servings of fish)

salt & fresh ground pepper

keep oven at 450*

stir together the butter, mustard & honey in a small pan & set aside.

in another bowl, combine bread crumbs, parsley & pecans.

lightly season salmon with salt & pepper and set the fish skin side down on a lightly greased baking pan (or alongside your squash that has been baking for 35 minutes already) Spread the honey mixture on the top and sprinkle on the bread crumb topping. Bake for 10 - 15 minutes.

while baking the salmon, prepare your brussels sprouts:

Brussels Sprouts with Fennel Seed

serves 2 as a side dish

1 tbls evoo

1/2 tsp fennel seeds (also help in digestion)

1/2 pound brussels sprouts, trimmed, halved and thinly sliced

2 tbls water

1/2 tsp coarse sea salt

cider vinegar

fresh ground pepper

in a wide saute pan over medium heat, warm the oil. add the fennel seeds and toast for one minute. add the sprouts, water & salt. raise the heat for a minute or so, then cover and remove from heat. let sit for 5 minutes, covered. Then toss with a little cider vin. & pepper. serve

vegetarian tikka masala

serves 2 - 4

for the tikka ~

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/4 tsp cayenne

1/2 tsp salt

1 pound packaged seitan

1/2 cup whole milk plain yogurt (do not use low fat)

1 tbls vegetable oil

1 medium clove garlic, minced

1/2 tbls grated fresh garlic

for the masala ~

1 1/2 tbls veg oil

1 small onion, finely diced

1 medium garlic clove, minced

1 tsp freshly grated ginger

1 serrano chili, seeded & minced

1/2 tbls tomato paste

1/2 tbls garam masala

1 (14 oz) can crushed tomatoes

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup heavy cream

chopped fresh cilantro

1. combine cumin, coriander, cayene & salt in small bowl. mix the seitan into the spices to adhere to sides, pressing gently. cover with wrap & refridgerate for 30 - 60 minutes. In a large bowl, whisk yogurt, oil, garlic & ginger and set aside.

2. Heat oil in large dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook for 8 - 10 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, chili, tom. paste & garam masala; cook, stirring often until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, sugar & salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to med-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cream and return to simmer. Remove pan from heat and keep covered to stay warm.

3. while sauce is simmering, adjust oven rack to upper middle position and heat broiler. Using your fingers or tongs, completely dip the seitan in the yogurt mixture & coat with a thick layer (using whole milk cream top yogurt helps) and arrange on a wire rack set over foil on a baking sheet or broiler pan. Broil seitan for about 10 - 15 minutes, until lightly charred in spots.

4. Let seitan rest out of oven for a few moments. Stir cilantro into sauce and serve over basmati rice, topped with seitan.