Holiday recap, part 2: eat your veggies!
Holiday dinners usually focus on the turkey, or in our case, the tofurky. That’s great, except one cannot survive on protein alone! We knew we’d need some delicious vegetable dishes to round out our meal.
We decided we wanted to stay away from some of the typical stuff we’d been served growing up. This meant that mashed potatoes, brussel sprouts and sweet potatoes were out, but anything else was fair game. Deciding we wanted to try to use something semi-seasonal, we chose a roasted butternut squash dish. But then we needed something green, so I suggested a garlicky green beans recipe.
The squash was so, so good. Roasting it almost gave it a candied effect, it was so sweet and delicious, with slightly crispy edges. Flavoured with thyme and bay leaf, it was the perfect accompaniment to the tofurky (which had stuffing already in it, by the way) and gravy.
The green beans? Well, those were just ok. They were nice and crisp and plenty garlicky, but I think if we did this meal again, I might try roasting more vegetables. Broccoli? Asparagus? I have almost a year to decide. Hmmm…
Roasted Butternut Squash
* 1 butternut squash, about 1 pound/450 g
* 1 tbsp olive oil
* Salt and pepper
* A few fresh thyme sprigs
* A few bay leaves
Heat the oven to 400°F. Slice the squash into 3/8-inch/3/4-cm half moons. Toss with the olive oil to coat. Arrange in slightly overlapping rows on a baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper. Scatter over the thyme and bay. Bake for 20 minutes, then turn and bake an additional 20 minutes, until the squash is soft with slightly candied brown edges.
Garlicky Green Beans
* 3 lb. green beans, trimmed
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 4 cloves garlic, minced
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
* 1/4 tsp salt
* 1/4 tsp pepper
In a large saucepan of boiling water, cook the green beans for 5 to 8 minutes or until tender-crisp. Drain well.
In large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Cook the garlic, stirring often, for 2 minutes. Add the beans and toss to coat, then cover and cook, tossing twice, for about 8 minutes or until hot.
Add parsley and salt and pepper, then serve.