Posts made in September, 2016

Bready or Not: Butternut Squash and Quinoa Salad

Posted by on Sep 28, 2016 in Blog, Bready or Not, cheese galore, gluten-free, healthier, main dish, side dish | Comments Off on Bready or Not: Butternut Squash and Quinoa Salad

Bready or Not has featured a whole lot of sweets in recent weeks. Let’s switch to something delicious and healthy instead: Butternut Squash and Quinoa Salad.

Bready or Not: Butternut Squash and Quinoa Salad

This still has a little bit of sweetness going on. Butternut squash is naturally awesome that way, and a sprinkling of cranberries adds some extra oomph. Add some pecans for crunch and feta because CHEESE, and this creates a bowl of happiness. The quinoa adds protein and kinda enjoys the ride along with all the other flavors.

Bready or Not: Butternut Squash and Quinoa Salad

I cobbled this together from several other recipes. I wanted something that I could invest some time in and then use as a quick-fix dinner for several more days. I parcel it into three or four containers, depending on the size of the squash, and my meals are set! Or, you could use this as a gluten-free main dish or side dish to feed a group.

Bready or Not: Butternut Squash and Quinoa Salad

I can offer a few useful tips, too. I cook quinoa in my Zojirushi rice cooker. One cup of uncooked quinoa makes a LOT once its cooked, more than my salad recipe requires, but cooked quinoa keeps well in the fridge and can also be frozen and thawed weeks later without any issue.

Bready or Not: Butternut Squash and Quinoa Salad

If you’re intimidated by cutting butternut squash, there is a safe and easy way to do it!

Next week’s Bready or Not officially kicks off my October-November tradition of pumpkin and autumn-themed recipes! Time to bust out the stretchy pants.

Bready or Not: Butternut Squash and Quinoa Salad

A Bready or Not Original! This salad takes some initial work to assemble, but it creates a big bowl of autumnal deliciousness! Serve as a main dish or side dish for a crowd, or use it as a solo meal over several days. This is gluten-free, healthy, and full of happiness.
Course: Main Course, Side Dish
Keyword: cheese, gluten free, vegetable
Author: Beth Cato

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 pounds butternut squash
  • olive oil or avocado oil
  • sprinkle pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 cup cooked quinoa
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/2 cup pecans chopped
  • feta cheese

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven at 425-F.
  • Line a rimmed cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Spread out the chopped squash and drizzle with oil. Sprinkle spices of choice and some salt. Roast squash for 20 minutes.
  • While the squash is roasting, measure out the cranberries and place in a small bowl. Cover the cranberries with water and let them soak. Measure out the pecans.
  • When the 20 minutes is up, toss the squash in the pan. Drain the water from the cranberries, discarding water. Add the plumped cranberries and pecans to the squash, and season more, if desired. Cook another 10 minutes or so, until butternut squash is fork tender with roasted coloration.
  • Transfer the pan's contents to a large bowl. Gently stir in the quinoa. Serve hot or stash in fridge for later, and heat with microwave. Add sprinkle of feta just before serving.
  • OM NOM NOM!

 

Bready or Not: Butternut Squash and Quinoa Salad

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Sunday Quote thinks this is great advice

Posted by on Sep 25, 2016 in Blog, Quote | Comments Off on Sunday Quote thinks this is great advice

“In a time of destruction, create something.”
~ Maxine Hong Kingston

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Sign Up for the Cato Log Newsletter: Book News + Recipes!

Posted by on Sep 24, 2016 in Blog, public speaking | 2 comments

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I am starting a newsletter called the Cato Log (it’s a pun for catalog, get it?). I aim to send out at least one newsletter a month–which will include all of the newest Bready or Not links in one spot–plus more emails if there’s an ebook sale or other big news. In other words, I solemnly swear to never spam you, unless it’s a recipe that includes Spam (which isn’t very likely).

There’s a sign up link on the right side of BethCato.com or just plug in your address below!


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Book news plus the latest recipes!

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Bready or Not: Maple Pear Galette

Posted by on Sep 21, 2016 in Blog, Bready or Not, breakfast, maple, pie | Comments Off on Bready or Not: Maple Pear Galette

It’s my husband’s birthday, so I’m sharing a dessert that he looooves.

Bready or Not: Maple Pear Galette

This recipe laces maple sugar into every layer: the galette dough, the thick maple paste for the pears, and as a golden accent and perfect crunch for the top of the galette.

Maple Pear Galette9_sm

This is remarkably easy to make, too. Peeling and coring the pears is the biggest hassle. I made the dough a day ahead of time, which made the assembly part go pretty fast.

Bready or Not: Maple Pear Galette

I modified this recipe from one found in this incredible cookbook called Maple by Katie Webster. Seriously, if you love maple used in dishes for any meal of the day, get this cookbook!

This galette is one of the three recipes I melded together to create my Maple Apple Pie (aka Voltron Pie). Specifically, I tweaked the maple-lemon paste for the filling and ported it over. I’m pretty certain that such a potent maple mix can improve anything. Maybe it can inspire world peace. I dunno.

Bready or Not: Maple Pear Galette

In the case of this galette, though, I say give a piece a chance.

 

Bready or Not: Maple Pear Galette

This pear galette is maple-infused majesty, a pie without a pie pan! Modified from the fantastic cookbook MAPLE by Katie Webster.
Course: Appetizer, Dessert, Snack
Keyword: lemon, maple, pear, pie
Author: Beth Cato

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups plus 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour divided, plus more for dusting
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons maple sugar divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3 - 6 Tablespoons ice water
  • 1 vanilla bean split open and scraped out, or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
  • 3 ripe pears peeled, cored, and cut into wedges
  • 1 egg lightly beaten

Instructions

  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the 1 1/4 cups flour, 1 tablespoon maple sugar, and salt. Add butter and work into dough so that the butter is down to pea-sized chunks. Add just enough water to incorporate as dough, smearing butter chunks in the process. Shape dough into a disk and shroud in plastic wrap; refrigerate for 30 minutes, or overnight.
  • Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Place parchment paper on a large rimmed baking sheet.
  • In a large bowl, gently stir together the vanilla (bean or extract), lemon juice, 2 tablespoons flour, and 1/2 cup maple sugar; it will form a thick paste. Gently stir in the pears to coat. Expect the mixture to become more liquid as it sits with the pears in it.
  • Use flour to lightly dust a large work surface. Roll out the dough to at least a foot diameter circle. Transfer it to the prepared parchment paper on baking sheet; the dough might hang over the edges for now, but that's okay.
  • Arrange the pears in a circular pattern in the center; leave a 2.5 to 3-inch border. Scrape the rest of the maple paste over the pears. Fold the dough inward, with the center still exposed. Brush the egg over the top and sprinkle on the maple sugar.
  • Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the crust is golden and the filling bubbles. Let cool before cutting.
  • OM NOM NOM!

 

Bready or Not: Maple Pear Galette

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At Novelocity: 5 Ways the Great British Bake Off Teaches You To Be a Better Writer

Posted by on Sep 20, 2016 in Blog, novelocity | Comments Off on At Novelocity: 5 Ways the Great British Bake Off Teaches You To Be a Better Writer

I am rather… fond of the Great British Bake Off. Therefore, it’s only right that I use the show as the basis for some writing advice in a post online over at Novelocity.

Find out how GBBO teaches you how to be a better writer, and always be wary of soggy bottoms.

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soggybottomalert

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