Here is another dish with Moroccan flair, a vegetarian option to the Chicken & Butternut Squash Tagine. Couscous is incredible popular in Moroccan food, served as a compliment to a meal just as rice is in Asian cuisine. The spices are similar, though you can adjust to suit your tastes. You can also use chicken broth instead of vegetable stock.

As you will see in the picture below, I served this meal with rice. Rather than add it to the pot with the vegetables, I cooked the rice separately and stirred in some of the cooking liquid. I would have preferred couscous, but I did not have enough on hand and rice was a good substitute.  The recipe below includes the instructions for using couscous.

Butternut-Chickpea Couscous
adapted from Cooking Light

2 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/4 tsp salt, divided
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3 cups vegetable stock
1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 can (15 oz) petite diced tomatoes, do not drain
1 can (19 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup golden raisins
1 1/2 uncooked couscous
1/4 cup almond slivers (optional)

In a dutch oven or large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add onions and 1/4 tsp of salt and saute for 3-5 minutes until softened. Add garlic and saute 1 minute. Add remaining 1 tsp of salt, cinnamon, ginger, paprika, turmeric, cayenne pepper, and nutmeg. Saute for 1 minute, until very fragrant.

Stir in chicken stock, butternut squash, and tomatoes with liquid and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add chickpeas and simmer, covered, for an additional 5 minutes or until butternut squash is tender when pierced with a fork. Remove from heat and stir in golden raisins and couscous. Cover and let stand 5 minutes.

Stir well before serving, fluffing up the couscous. Top with almond slivers if desired.

A tagine (or tajine) is a traditional cooking vessel used in North Africa, especially in Moroccan cuisine. The top cover has a cone shape that encourages condensation to run back down into the bottom of the pan, allowing tough cuts of meat to braise over low temperatures. In Moroccan cuisine, tagine also refers to a slow-braised stew with vegetables and spices, including Ras el Hanout.

Since a tagine is not in my cooking arsenal, I used a dutch oven which is probably the closest western equivalent. When covered tightly, a dutch oven can serve a similar purpose in cooking. If you do not have chipotle chili powder, use regular chili powder or cayenne pepper. You can also used smoked or hot paprika. We served this dish with clementine oranges on the side (interestingly, our crate of clementines read “Product of Morocco,” so it seemed fitting).

Chicken & Butternut Squash Tagine
adapted from Cooking Light

Olive oil
2 onions, diced
1 sweet bell pepper, such as yellow, seeded and diced
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp chipotle chili powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/3 cup golden or regular raisins
hot cooked rice, for serving

Heat oil in a large dutch oven. Add onions and bell pepper, sauteing under tender, about 5 minutes. Add cumin, paprika, turmeric, salt, cinnamon, ginger, chili powder, and garlic. Saute 2-3 minutes, then add chicken.

Saute chicken until coated in the spice mixture, then add chicken stock and butternut squash. Scrap the bottom of the pan to loosen any browned bits. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until squash is tender when pierced with a fork. Remove from heat, stir in raisins, and let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving.

To serving, spoon tagine over hot cooked rice. Serve with orange slices if desired.

Here is one of my side dishes from Thanksgiving this year, full of seasonal root vegetables along with the flavors of fresh ginger and maple syrup. The vegetables can be prepped the night before, or during the day while the turkey is cooking.

While the turkey is cooking, prepare the dish and place it in the oven during the last 20 minutes of the turkey cooking time. Once you remove the turkey, increase the heat to 400F and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 20 more minutes. This gives you time to let the turkey rest and get the rest of the food ready, then pull out the vegetables right before serving.

When preparing the vegetables, cut everything to the same relative shape and size. This will ensure that all the vegetables cook at the same rate, and that way you don’t end up with mushy carrots and rock-hard sweet potatoes.

Ginger Roasted Root Vegetables w/ Pecans
adapted from Food & Wine magazine

1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut in 1 inch cubes
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in 1 inch cubes
2 large parsnips, peeled and sliced about 1 inch thick
4 medium to small carrots, peeled and sliced about 1 inch thick
1 container (8 oz) whole baby bella mushrooms, rinsed and halved
1 cup whole pecans
2 tbsp freshly grated ginger (about a 2 inch piece)
1/2 cup olive oil
1 /4 tsp ground nutmeg
Salt and pepper
1/3 cup maple syrup
Ground cinnamon, optional

Preheat the oven to 400F and brush a 13×9 inch baking dish with olive oil.

Combine the prepared vegetables in a large bowl along with the mushrooms and pecans. Add ginger, olive oil, nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste. Toss all of the ingredients, coating the vegetables.

Add vegetables to the prepared baking dish, then drizzle with maple syrup. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender when pierced with a fork. Sprinkle with a dash of cinnamon just before serving, if desired.

Muffin Madness continues with more Fall flavors! This recipe uses roasted butternut squash to keep the muffins moist. The combination of spices might seem overwhelming, but it balances well with the rich butternut and bright orange flavors. The orange here is subtle, though can be intensified by adding more zest if desired. The original recipe was for an 8×8 inch cake, though it adapted easily to muffins. I changed some of the amounts to ensure the muffins would “stick” together easily. These muffins will also rise quickly, so do not overfill the muffin tins.

Butternut Squash note: for 1 cup of butternut squash puree, buy the smallest butternut squash you can find (or, if available, but half of a squash). Halve the squash and scoop out the seeds. Place, peel side down, on a baking sheet and cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes, until tender. Allow squash to cool, scoop out the flesh, and mash with a fork. Reserve the remaining squash for another recipe (or another batch of muffins!).

Butternut-Orange Spice Muffins
adapted from Cooking Light

2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup butternut squash puree
zest and juice from one small orange (about 1 tsp zest and 1/4 cup juice)

Preheat oven to 325F and coat a 12-muffin tin with cooking spray.

In a medium size bowl, combine flour, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine brown sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla extract. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined. Add half of the flour mixture, beating just until combined. Add butternut puree, orange zest, juice, and the rest of the flour mixture, beat until just combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin pan, fill each tin about halfway. Bake for 25 minutes, until golden brown or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center.

Makes about 20 muffins.

Another adventure in Autumn’s produce, this soup combines rich butternut squash and tart Golden Delicious apples with a touch of curry and cinnamon. The produce used below was grown locally. There were several recipes online for this type of soup, but none really matched what I was looking for, so this is more of an original creation with a little help. Great for a rainy day! This is also going to be Turmeric-mania Recipe #8.

1 butternut squash, peeled and seeded, cut into 1-inch chunks
3-4 small or medium tart apples, peeled and cored, cut into 1-inch chunks
2 tbsp butter or oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 cups vegetable stock (chicken broth can be used instead)

In a large stockpot over medium heat, melt butter or heat oil and add onion and garlic. Saute 3-5 minutes until tender and fragrant. Add salt, curry powder, and cinnamon. Saute 2-3 additional minutes.

Add vegetable (or chicken) stock, butternut squash, and apples. Bring to a boil and simmer gently for 25-30 minutes, until squash and apples are tender.

Working in batches, puree soup in a blender or food processor until smooth. Reheat if necessary. Serve with roasted pumpkin seeds and a pinch of nutmeg (if desired).