Blue Cayenne

Roasted Butternut Squash With Lentils and Stilton

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Ingredients

• 1 large butternut squash (peeled and cut into wedges)
• 2 red onions (peeled and cut into wedges)
• 3 T. olive oil
• 1/2 C. fresh sage leaves
• Salt and black pepper
• 3 C. cooked lentils (I used Beluga but the recipe called for Puy)
• 1 large lemon (zested to get 2 t. zest and juiced to get 2 t. juice)
• 1 garlic clove (crushed)
• 1/4 C. parsley leaves (roughly chopped)
• 14 C. mint leaves (roughly chopped)
• 1/2 C. tarragon leaves (roughly chopped)
• Garnish with crumbled Stilton or gorgonzola cheese
• Garnish with chopped parsley and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Prepare squash and onions and toss together with 2 T. olive oil, sage leaves, 3/4 t. salt and pepper in a large bowl. (I substituted a generous pinch of dried sage leaves.) Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the squash/onion mixture out on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast vegetables for 25 to 30 minutes or until the squash is tender and beginning to brown. Remove from oven and allow the mixture to cool.
3. If you are going to use dried lentils, rinse them and add them to a pan of water to cover. Bring the water to a boil. Once the water is at a boil, lower the stove temperature to medium and simmer the lentils until they are tender but not mushy. This will take around 20 minutes. Drain and set the lentils aside to cool slightly. Alternatively, you can buy prepared lentils at markets like Trader Joe's.
4. In a large bowl, mix the lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, parsley, mint, tarragon and remaining 1 T. oil. (I didn't have fresh tarragon and omitted it.) Salt to taste. Add the cooked lentils to the bowl and mix. Add the squash/onion mixture to the lentils and stir gently.
5. Arrange the squash/lentil salad attractively on a serving plate. Sprinkle crumbled cheese over the salad and drizzle with a bit of extra-virgin olive oil. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Nutrition

Calories

2269 cal

Fat

56 g

Carbs

342 g

Protein

125 g

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Chocolate Macaroon Cake

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Ingredients

For the cake
• 1 C. virgin coconut oil (melted, cooled-- plus more for the pan)
• 1/4 C. unsweetened cocoa powder (plus more for dusting the pan)
• 1 C. skin-on almonds
• 8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (chopped)
• 1 t. kosher salt
• 1/2 C. unsweetened shredded coconut
• 6 large eggs at room temperature
• 1/2 C. granulated sugar
• 1/2 C. (Packed)light brown sugar
• 2 t. vanilla extract
For the ganache and the assembly
• 4 ounces semisweet chocolate (chopped)
• 1 T. plus 1 t. maple syrup
• Pinch of kosher salt
• 1/2 C. unsweetened coconut milk (well shaken from a 13.5 ounce can)
• 2 T. unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1 T. sliced almonds
• 1 t. granulated sugar
• Raspberries for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Prepare pan. Use a 10-inch cake pan. Lightly brush the bottom and sides of the pan with coconut oil. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment. Brush the parchment with coconut oil. Dust the sides of the pan with cocoa powder and tap the pan to remove the excess.
3. Toast almonds in the oven on a rimmed baking sheet for 8-10 minutes until they are fragrant and begin to darken. Remove from the oven and let the nuts cool.
4. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
5. Put chocolate and 1 cup coconut oil in a heatproof bowl or double boiler. Set the chocolate and coconut oil over simmering water (don't let the bowl touch the water) and, stirring often, let the mixture melt until it is smooth. Remove the chocolate from the heat and set aside.
6. Using your food processor, process the toasted almonds with salt and 1/4 C. cocoa powder. You want the nuts to be finely ground but you need to be careful not to over-process the nuts or they will turn into nut butter. Add the shredded coconut to the processor bowl and pulse a couple of times until the nut and coconut mixture is combined. Set aside.
7. Beat the room-temperature eggs in the bowl of your stand mixer using the whisk attachment. You will want to beat the eggs for about 20 seconds until they are well-beaten and no longer streaky. Add the brown sugar and the granulated sugar to the mixer bowl along with the vanilla. Turn the mixer speed to high and beat until the egg mixture is pale and thick and until the egg starts to hold the marks of the whisk. This will take about 2 minutes.
8. Change your mixer attachment to the paddle attachment. On low speed, gradually add the melted chocolate mixture to the bowl containing the egg mixture. Beat to incorporate. Add the almond mixture. Now, fold the batter several times using a rubber spatula. Remember to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.
9. Scrape the batter into your prepared cake pan. Smooth the top.
10. Bake cake for 35-45 minutes until the cake is firm to the touch and a cake tester comes out clean but a little greasy.
11. When cake is done, remove it from the oven and cool it on a wire rack for 15-20 minutes. To remove the cake from the pan, run a paring knife around the edges of the cake. Invert the cake onto the rack. Carefully remove the parchment paper from the cake and let the cake cool completely.
12. To prepare your ganache, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine chocolate, maple syrup and salt in a medium bowl.
13. Put coconut milk in a small saucepan on your stove over low heat and heat it until it simmers. Pour the simmering coconut milk over the chocolate mixture and let the mixture sit for about 5 minutes until the chocolate is melted. Stir.
14. While you are waiting for the chocolate to melt, toss the coconut flakes with the almonds, sugar and remaining 1 t. maple syrup. Pour this mixture on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet and toast it in your oven for about 4 minutes until it is golden. Remove the almond-coconut mixture from the oven and let it cool. Then, break the almond-coconut mixture into small clusters.
15. Use a hand-held electric mixer set on medium speed to beat the chocolate mixture until it has lost its sheen and is thick enough to hold soft peaks. The original recipe said to beat for 6-8 minutes but I found that the thickening didn't take place until 10-12 minutes of beating.
16. To frost the cake, scrape the ganache onto the top of the cake and spread to the edges. Use a small offset spatula or knife for this.
17. Arrange the almond clusters on top of the cake and serve. You can garnish with berries if you wish.

Nutrition

Calories

9710 cal

Fat

588 g

Carbs

657 g

Protein

100 g

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Cauliflower, Potato and Cheese Soup

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Ingredients

• 2 T. salted butter
• 2 whole cloves garlic (peeled and minced)
• 3 C. diced onions
• 1 C. diced celery
• 2 heads of cauliflower (separated into florets)
• 3 Yukon Gold potatoes (peeled and cut into chunks) or equivalent amount of russett potatoes
• 10 C. vegetable stock
• 4 C. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 2 C. light cream
• 1 t. ground nutmeg
• 1 t. dry mustard
• 3 t. Worcestershire sauce (optional)
• 6 dashes Tabasco sauce
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Garnish with parsley

Instructions

1. Melt the butter in your soup pot over medium-high heat and saute the garlic, onions, celery, cauliflower florets and potatoes. Be careful not to let the garlic burn. Saute for about 10 minutes and then add the stock to cover the vegetables. Bring the stock to a boil and then lower the heat to medium and simmer the soup for 30 to 35 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Remove the soup from the heat and stir in cheese (small handfuls at a time), cream, nutmeg, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, salt and pepper.
2. Puree he soup in batches. I used a hand blender but you could also use a regular blender for this job. Garnish soup with parsley. I added a small heart-shaped piece of roasted red pepper for color.

Nutrition

Calories

5171 cal

Fat

286 g

Carbs

498 g

Protein

161 g

Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info