Kale Salad with Sage Roasted Butternut Squash

It is noon-ish here in McCall, Idaho—our stomping grounds for the week—and the thermometer on the porch has yet to reach the 40°F mark. We roasted a full chicken (maple butter chicken, to be exact), made enchilada soup (adapted this recipe), and even ate freshly baked pumpkin pie in front of the fireplace… for most of the US though, I know, it is not winter yet. This sage-butter butternut squash salad is what I was making while still at home, and will probably return to making when we get back.

I forgot one key ingredient for the photoshoot of this recipe: parmesan cheese! It went on shortly after. Butternut squash, pecans, and parm make this salad quite hearty. Capers might seem like a curve ball ingredient, but since butternut squash, pecans, and currants are all a tad sweet, the capers add a necessary salty, brine-y pop.

Kale Salad with Sage Roasted Butternut Squash

Published October 2, 2019 by Caitlin Sherwood

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Serves: 2 (as a meal) or 4 (as a side)   |    Active Time: 30 minutes

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Ingredients:

For the butternut squash:

2 cups peeled, seeded, and cubed (1/2-inch cubes) butternut squash

2 tablespoons butter

10 sage leaves

A few cracks black pepper

1-2 three-finger pinches of salt

For the salad:

1 bunch green curly kale, chopped (optionally, remove stems)

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 three-finger pinch of salt

1/3 cup currants

1/3 cup toasted pecans

1/3 cup shredded Parmesan Reggiano

2-3 tablespoons capers, strained

Additional ground black pepper to taste

For the vinaigrette:

1 clove minced garlic

1 tablespoon white balsamic

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/4 teaspoon dijon mustard

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

1/2 teaspoon maple syrup

Directions:

1. Cook the squash: heat 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat in a 10-inch skillet. Swirl the pan to coat the bottom in butter. When butter is melted and starts to bubble, place butternut squash in pan. Cook, without stirring, for about 7 minutes. Add sage, and stir gently. Cook for 7-10 more minutes, stirring very occasionally, until butternut squash is golden on the edges and tender all the way through. Season with black pepper and salt to taste. Remove from heat.
2. Meanwhile, prep the salad. Place chopped kale in large salad bowl and drizzle very lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Using your hands, rub the oil and salt into the kale leaves until they are tender and bright green (this makes them softer—better for eating). Divide kale among serving bowls, if using. Top with currants, toasted pecans, capers, and parmesan. Add butternut squash.
3. Make vinaigrette: place all vinaigrette in a jar with a lid and shake to emulsify. Drizzle dressing to taste over salad.
4. Serve salad immediately, season with black pepper to taste, and toss.

Gluten-Free Sage & Honey Corn Bread

Our sage plant went CRAZY this summer before suddenly wilting. While the leaves were still in good shape, I picked tons, and brainstormed all the ways to use them while they were still fresh. This is what lead to this discovery: sage corn bread. 

Before, I'd put hatch chilies in corn bread, jalapeños, fresh corn kernels, and even sautéd red onion, but never sage. Sage is one of my favorite herbs that lends such a distinct flavors to roasts and I love the way it smells. Adding in a bit of honey balances it out — sweet and savory, together.

It is the middle of summer, so I baked this in our toaster oven (affiliate link!), in the garage, to keep the house nice and cool. I do this all the time — love keeping the house a bit cooler!

Warm, with a pat butter, this corn bread makes for an absolutely delicious side served with chili, soups, or even barbeque beans! I'll eat it with a fried egg for breakfast, too. You could also bake each loaf in a mini-loaf pan, topped with a single sage leaf, and gift them to friends and neighbors. 

The whole recipe is gluten-free (I find that I never miss the wheat in corn bread, it’s so so good and moist with just corn meal!)

If you grow your own sage, or know someone that does, this recipe is a must-make in late summer or early fall, and it turns out so pretty! 

Gluten-Free Sage & Honey Corn Bread

Published August 30, 2018 by Caitlin Sherwood

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Serves: 6   |    Active Time: 30-40 minutes

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Ingredients:

2 cups yellow corn meal

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1-1/2 cups whole milk yogurt

1/4 cup melted butter, cooled + 1 pat of butter for greasing pan

1 egg

1/4 cup honey

2 tablespoon fresh sage, minced plus 6 whole sage leaves for top of bread

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Place 1 pat of butter in the a 10-inch pan (a pie pan, an oven-safe cast iron skillet, or a baking dish) and place in oven while it preheats.
2. In a medium size mixing bowl, stir together the corn meal, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
3. Add yogurt, butter, egg, and honey, and stir using a rubber spatula until a batter forms. Fold in minced sage.
4. Using oven mitts, pull baking pan from oven. Tilt it back and forth to grease the pan evenly. Pour batter into pan, spreading into even layer with a spatula. Arrange the 6 whole sage leaves on top as desired.
5. Place pan in preheated oven and bake for 20-30 minutes (shorter time is needed for a cast iron pan — more for a glass dish). Test doneness by inserting a toothpick into the middle. The toothpick should come out clean, and the top of the bread should be golden. Allow to cool 5 minutes and serve with butter and honey.

Parsnip & Apple Sauté

Parsnips have never been my favorite. I believe the first time I tried them I was already in my twenties, and their sweetness took me by surprise. I wanted desperately for them to taste a bit more savory, even when roasted. But there is something else I can't quite put my finger on when it comes to parsnips. Is it the Earthy tones? But I love beets, which even I admit can taste like dirt. I've heard parsnips described as "spiced," like nutmeg and cinnamon, but I can't say that's ever come to mind when I bit into one. Maybe that means my tastebuds just aren't quite on the parsnip game, but either way, there are still only a few ways I like to eat parsnips. 

1. Cauliflower Parsnip Soup with Caramelized Onions and Apples (this is my favorite way to eat parsnips)

2. Roasted like french fries (yes, it's true! 😳)

3. This. Sautéd with apples and sage and eaten like a sweet-n-savory hash

And I wouldn't even have known about the third one if it wasn't for a serendipitous day when I waked in the grocery store and there was a big table of samples from the deli. What were they serving? Latkes topped with parsnip apple sauté. And of course the latke was good (fried potatoes, duh), but I was also taken aback by how much I liked that parsnip apple sauté. And rather than trying to convince the clerk to give me five more free samples, I figured I'd come up with my own rendition.

Really I'd say this is the sort of dish you might serve as a side at dinner, next to a roast chicken, or naturally, on a latke, but I ended up eating for breakfast a few days in row, polishing off the pan every time. It's a bit like a hash, but apples don't get the same sort of crisp as potatoes might, which is why I'm calling it a "sauté." And if you're thinking the parsnips and the apples make this dish sweet, you're right... but, minced garlic, onion, sage, black pepper and a pinch of salt also go into the pan, making it over all much more complex and truly a special combination. 

Parsnips are also an ideal thing to make through out the winter. Did you know that they can be stored for six months after harvest and their flavors will remain just about the same? Apples, when stored properly, have a similar shelf life. So whether you're into eating seasonally or not, you can buy the ingredients for this dish basically throughout the entire year, and they'll still taste great. 

P.S. I am in love with this bowl. I happened upon it at TJ Maxx--it was the only one of it's kind- and have since found all sorts of ways to use it. I've never thought of sage as a blue color, but I love how this bowl echoes that colors of sage. 😍

Parsnip & Apple Sauté

Published January 11, 2018 by Caitlin Sherwood

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Serves: 3   |    Total Time: 20 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 4 medium parsnips
• 1 medium apple
• 1 medium sweet yellow onion 
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil  
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh sage
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• Salt to taste 

Directions:

1. Finely dice the onion. Then, peel and dice the parsnips into 1/2 inch cubes, and dice the apple removing the core (I leave the peel on the apple, but you may peel it if you prefer).
2. Heat coconut oil in a medium-sized skillet over medium heat. When the oil glistens, add the onion and minced garlic to the pan, sautéing until the onion is transparent.
3. Add the parsnips and apples to the pan, and stir. Sauté, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, or until the edges begin to brown and the parsnips are tender.
4. Mince the sage, and add it to the pan, along with the pepper and salt to taste. Cook for 2 more minutes, stirring occasionally, and then serve hot.