unlikely ingredient: pattypan squash pie

It's squash season. My mom has been making squash in every way she knows how: steamed, sauteed, casseroled, sliced thin, fried.... You name it, she's tried it.

And she gave me a tip one day after sending me home with a few pounds of pattypan squash--the white summer squash that look like flying saucers (and some of them are tall, resembling white versions of the ghosts from PacMan, no joke). "I think your grandmother used to make pie with these. Call and ask for her recipe."

So I did. My grandmother said she'd run out of apples one day, and turned to the white squash instead. They have a very mild flavor and can really adapt to any dish, even sugary pie laced with cinnamon and streusel.

The first time I made this dish, I treated it like an apple betty: a crustless version of baked apples with a buttery streusel on top. It was good, but those of us tasting it decided it'd be better with a crust.

Turning to my all-butter crust success, I decided to make a bottom crust for the pie. The pressure was on, though: this particular pie was headed to a dinner party.

Funky-Bottom Pattypan Pie Betty
For the crust:
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
3/4 cup flour
1 tbls sugar
dash salt
1/4 cup ice water

For the filling:
4-5 pattypan squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
1/4 cup orange juice

For the streusel topping:
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
3/4 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
dash nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 350. Make the pie crust following my directions here, or use your favorite pie crust recipe. Blind bake the crust for about 7 minutes. 

Meanwhile, peel the pattypan squash (we found it easiest to trim off the nubs first, then peel with a vegetable peeler), cut it in half, and remove the seeds. Then slice it into 1/4-inch-thick pieces, and in a separate bowl, toss with the orange juice. 

Once the crust is blind-baked, add the squash. 

In a separate bowl, using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut together the streusel ingredients until the mixture resembles a coarse meal (with little pea-sized, sugar-coated bits of butter...yum). Sprinkle the streusel on top of the pie and bake, uncovered, at 350 for approximately 40 minutes, or until streusel is browned and squash is very tender. 

Note: I had a little trouble achieving a nice brown on the streusel, so I bumped it up to broil in the oven for about 5 minutes, which finished the job quite nicely. 

~*~*~

The pie was a hit at the dinner party; I asked folks to guess what could possibly be in it and nobody believed that it was squash! The dash of nutmeg had us all pining for fall, which is seemingly years away as we mark our 60-some-odd day of 100-plus degree temperatures here in Austin... 

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better than kraft mac n cheese

I'll admit, I might be using the title of this post to get some good Google hits. Fingers crossed.

But truly, this is better than anything you'll make out of a box. It's almost better than anything that'll come out of the oven. 

It's a revolution, which is exactly what the author of this particular recipe exclaimed on her blog. Let me introduce you to White on Rice Couple, a blog that I've recently fallen in love with. 

And then when I read this recipe, well... Let's just say that I made secret plans to pull off a whole-wheat (possibly organic) version once I got home. I picked up pasta and milk at the store and made it home to Ryan, who wanted salmon and veggies. 

"Why don't we split a salmon fillet and have broccoli... and this super-healthy pasta recipe I'm going to make?"

"Healthy? Doesn't it have cheese all over it?"

"But I'm making it with whole-wheat pasta, low-fat organic milk, local butter (and just one tablespoon at that!), and a mixture of colby, parm, and chevre! YUM!"

I think it was splitting the salmon fillet (we each had about three ounces of healthy and sustainably harvested Omega 3s that night) that got him. Without the pasta side, there wouldn't have been enough dinner to sustain us. 

This stovetop mac-n-cheese is phenomenal. In fact, I made it twice in twelve hours; once for us, and once for a potluck at Ryan's office. The second batch I made at 6:45 a.m. And then I scooped out a spoonful for breakfast (shhhh, don't tell his colleagues). 

So, a big thank you to White on Rice for this one-pot stovetop creamier-than-you-can-imagine-and-even-pretty-healthy version of macaroni and cheese. I followed the recipe almost to a T; I used whole-wheat pasta instead of its white flour counterpart, and a mixture of colby, crumbled chevre, and parmesan--because that's what I had in the fridge. 

This one is going straight to the cheesey file as a quick one-pot dish that satisfies all my pasta cravings. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to go make some more... 

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the ultimate healthy banana bread

Let me start off by saying, yesterday afternoon was a perfect Sunday afternoon. Saw family and friends, baked bread, drank some wine, did laundry, saw a movie with the man... And best of all, listened to the rain fall--for the first time in months. 

But let's get on with it, shall we? Lately, things have been changing around here. Doing the laundry and the dishes is starting to look a little different these days.

Since Ryan and I have both been making efforts to live healthier (we're eating better, he's pumping iron, and I'm training for a triathlon), we're watching more and more workout clothes go through the wash... And there are always at least three water bottles in use at any given time, meaning they're making a cycle through the dishwasher a couple of times a week.

When I started Sustainable Diet, I had every intention of foodie stardom a la Julie Powell or Molly Wizenberg: I wanted this to be a platform to try new recipes and, hopefully, someday, incite a publisher to ask me to, you know, write a book.

And don't get me wrong, I still want that (in fact, I have a new recipe to share with you today, so publishers take note!).

But here's the thing: sustainability does not stop at a diet. That's not to say that I'm changing my focus here; food is my green agenda VIP. Everything we eat is scrutinized, and more so by the day. Is it organic? Is it local? Is it ethically and sustainably produced?

Sustaining a healthy diet (for our bodies and for the earth) isn't just about cooking with whole wheat flour and replacing fats and eating pesticide-free produce. It's also about maintaining a healthy outlook on life. Which is where this whole exercise part comes in.

Yes, I'm advocating exercise. And lots of it.

As my training has "progressed" this summer (we'll go ahead and call it that), I'm finding that more and more, I'm enjoying the act of following up what I eat with doing something else good for my body.

So here we are. I'm off my soapbox and you're ready for a recipe.

With that in mind (and a swim clinic under my belt and three over-ripe bananas in the fridge), I set out to make a breakfast pastry I could feel good about. The catch? No fats and no sugar. Like any drunk-on-a-rain-shower home cook would do, using a few good proportions, I came up with my own recipe.

And it's actually good.

Instead of fats and sugar, I used a combination of low-fat organic vanilla yogurt, local honey, and organic unsweetened applesauce:

And to be sure we got plenty of whole grains with each bite, I used organic whole-wheat bread flour:

The Ultimate Healthy Banana Bread

1 1/2 cups whole-wheat bread flour (or all purpose, or spelt, or something)

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/3 cup low-fat vanilla or plain yogurt

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/3 cup honey or maple syrup

3/4 tsp lemon zest

2 large eggs, beaten

2-3 very ripe bananas, mashed

Preheat the oven to 350. Prepare an 8x5 loaf pan or muffin tins. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. With a standing mixer or in a large bowl, beat together the yogurt, applesauce, and honey until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, making sure to beat well after each addition. Add in the mashed bananas and beat until combined. In thirds, add the flour mixture.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan or tins and bake for one hour (loaf) or 35-40 minutes (muffins), or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Cool completely before slicing.

Unless you're like us and MUST try a bite before it's cooled at all. Hence the missing piece:

I'll admit, even I was skeptical at first. But this is a low-fat, low-sugar alternative to a breakfast muffin and you wanna know what else? It's delicious. Topped with a little bit of jam, or a side of berries, this is the perfect way to start the day, guilt-free.

The texture is a little different (not bad, just different), but I'm not a food science whiz so I'm not sure whether that's because of the substituted ingredients or some other reason (maybe it needed to bake just 5 more minutes, but we had a movie to get to)... But it's tasty nonetheless. The tang of the lemon zest is evident but not overwhelming, and the cinnamon adds just a faint spice to the bread. Next time I think I'll add some oat flour to the mix and see what happens.

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spicy, decadent squash casserole

It's been another deadline week at work, which normally means I cook a lot less and we eat out a lot more, especially since I've started tri training and my energy level for cooking has mainly been relegated to weekends. Often the immediate craving is for burgers. 

And where would I turn for burgers? 

Well, TEXAS MONTHLY's 50 Best Burgers in Texas List, of course. 

I've been staring at the Burgers cover for more than a month, and incidentally have been highly persuadable to ditch my dine-at-home plans and go for a mouthwatering monster-sized meat patty smothered in all the best fixins. I can personally vouch for #2 on the list: The Counter Cafe offers up one delectable plate of burger heaven. And Cover 3 (#12) gets me every time with their fries... 

Oh, and this fits in with sustainability because a lot of the places that made the list offer grass-fed or even organic beef and local veggies. Can I get a what what? (Eileen, I hope you're happy. Now I want a cheeseburger. And have possibly alienated both of my readers.) But ENOUGH with the burgers, because I have a real down-home dinner to share with you.

You're still thinking of a burger, aren't you? 

Traitor.

Anyway, armed with another delivery of summer squash from my mom, and making an under-budget grocery run on Monday night ($75 for a weeks' worth of organics, including all-natural chicken and Clif bars), I have been trying to stretch my dollar. So far, we've done a great job eating at home this week.

 

Ryan's on a new diet, which means he's interested in lean proteins and lots of plain-jane veggies. I, however, cannot help that most of my grocery list involves dairy items (I counted 5 on the last list), one of which was heavy cream. Which I downgraded to half-and-half, but...still. 

So when I decided to whip up a one-pot version of the Homesick Texan's Tex-Mex Squash Casserole, I had to check with my better half. I emailed him the recipe and timidly approached the subject of a side dish that would very easily top off the day's calorie intake.

"If I make this whole casserole, will you eat it?" 

"Doesn't it have heavy cream in it?"

"No, it calls for half-and-half. And non-fat sour cream."

"But isn't it smothered in cheese?"

"Yeah, but, well, it's got lots of fresh veggies in it!"

"I might try a bite."

Considering that all the "permission" I needed to whip up a casserole big enough to feed six (aka, dirty up the still perfectly clean kitchen), I went along my merry little way. 

I modified Lisa's recipe by forgetting to drain the tomatoes (is that a real "modification? I think so.) and leaving out the tortilla chips, which did two things. It of course made for a runnier casserole (oops), but also made it a one-dish meal. 

The goal of making a one-dish meal is to keep the kitchen cleaner. I would have achieved exactly this, except for the fact that when I started, I thought everything would fit in the 9-inch cast-iron skillet. 

Go ahead. Laugh and think to yourself, I'd never make such a foolish mistake. 

Of course, it didn't; halfway through I transferred everything to the Dutch oven. If I'd started with the Dutch oven, this would have been a very successful one-dish meal. But c'mon. You know that me in the kitchen very rarely involves the phrase very successful, right?

Nonetheless, this decadent summer casserole came out of the oven and had me drooling for its bubbly cheesiness. Cheeeeeese. I'm a huge fan of squash, and it turns out that squash and cheese and jalapenos get along just dandy.

I thought it might benefit from a little sweet corn, and maybe black beans, but Ryan pointed out that then, it would almost be... King Ranch Casserole, sub the chicken for squash. Which I'm not opposed to by any means. The addition of the protein would make it a full one-dish meal. And one that I wouldn't mind eating, not one bit!

You could also put it on a burger. 

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