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The Most Versatile
Vegetable?
by Dana Jacobi
for The American Institute for Cancer Research |
Butternut squash is one of
the handiest and healthiest vegetables you can serve. It might
win the vegetable versatility award, as you can bake or roast
it, steam or boil it, use it in stews or a stir-fry. Butternut
squash is good in soups, main dishes, as a side dish, and even
for dessert, where it can take the place of pumpkin or sweet
potato as a pie filling.
The slightly sweet, nutty flavor
of butternut squash is enhanced by a wide range of seasonings.
In America we tend to stick to cinnamon and nutmeg, but butternut
squash also turns up in highly spiced North African stews, chile
pepper-spiked Latin dishes and in incendiary Thai curries. It
is even delicious seasoned with Mediterranean herbs such as thyme
and oregano. The texture of butternut squash is flexible enough
to be served in hearty chunks, or finely chopped and mixed into
risotto, or whirled into a creamy puree that is delicious presented
as a soup or a side dish.
Nutritionally, butternut squash
has more vitamin C and beta-carotene than any other winter squash.
It is also easier to use than its harder shelled cousins like
acorn and spaghetti squash. In fact, you can simply boil or steam
the squash, then slip the skin off using a knife run just under
the surface. The seeds scoop out just as easily. If you want
to cut down on prep time even more, you can buy butternut squash
already cut up and ready to cook.
Some foods immediately call
to mind an ideal partner, like rice and beans, peanut butter
and jelly, or tomatoes and basil. For butternut squash, though,
the list of happy pairings is almost endless. In winter, I particularly
like combining it with apples, chestnuts, and almost any bean,
from green snap beans to dried Tuscan white or canned, velvety
pintos.
Unlike other winter squashes,
butternut is generally available year-round. Since bigger squashes
tend to be sweeter, buy a nice hefty one and use it to make these
enchiladas.
Butternut
Squash Enchiladas with Salsa Verde - Makes 8 servings.
- 1 package (16 oz.) diced peeled
butternut squash, or 1 1/4 lb. squash, seeded, peeled and diced
- Canola oil spray
- 1 can (15.5 oz.) pinto beans,
rinsed and drained
- 3/4 cup (3 oz.) crumbled reduced-fat
feta cheese, divided
- 8 large (about 7-inch) corn
tortillas
- 1 jar (16 oz.) salsa verde
- Salt and freshly ground black
pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
leaves, for garnish (optional)
Place squash in medium saucepan.
Add 1 cup water. Cover pot tightly, and place over medium-high
heat. Cook until squash is tender but not mushy, 12-15 minutes,
depending on size of cubes. Drain squash, and set aside.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to
350 degrees. Select a baking dish just large enough to hold the
eight tortillas, folded over and slightly overlapping, so that
they fit snuggly in the dish. (You may want to “test”
and see if the baking dish is the proper size by arranging unfilled,
folded tortillas in it, as they would be once filled and ready
to bake.) using the canola oil spray, lightly coat the interior
of the baking dish and set aside.
Place beans in mixing bowl.
Using fork, partially mash beans. Add squash and blend, leaving
mixture coarsely mashed, with some beans still whole. Mix in
1/2 cup of the cheese. Season filling to taste with salt and
pepper.
Coat a tortilla on both sides
with cooking spray. Lay it on a plate. Spoon 3/4 cup of filling
on one half of the tortilla. Fold tortilla in half over filling.
Set it at one end of the baking dish. Repeat, placing filled
tortillas so they overlap, filling baking dish tightly. Pour
puréed sauce over assembled enchiladas. Sprinkle remaining
cheese over sauce. Cover pan with foil.
Bake enchiladas about 30 minutes,
until they are heated through and tortillas are soft. Uncover
and serve garnished with cilantro, accompanied by cooked brown
rice, if desired.
Per serving: 180 calories, 2 g. total fat (1 g.
saturated fat), 33 g. carbohydrate, 8 g. protein, 7 g. dietary
fiber, 479 g. sodium.
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AUTHOR: |
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“Something Different” is written for the American Institute
for Cancer Research (AICR) by Dana Jacobi, author of The Joy
of Soy, and recipe creator for AICR’s Stopping Cancer Before
It Starts.
AICR offers a Nutrition
Hotline (1-800-843-8114)
from Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET. This free service allows
you to ask a registered dietitian questions regarding diet, nutrition
and cancer. AICR is the only major cancer charity focusing exclusively
on the link between diet, nutrition and cancer. It provides a
wide range of consumer education programs that have helped millions
of Americans learn to make changes for lower cancer risk. AICR
also supports innovative research in cancer prevention and treatment
at universities, hospitals and research centers across the U.S.
It has provided more than $65 million in funding for research
in diet, nutrition and cancer. AICR 's Web address is www.aicr.org. |
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RECIPE POSTED NOVEMBER 16, 2003 |
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