These take a bit more work than usual for something as humble as a muffin, but it’s worth it.  I’ve made them twice now in the space of a week.

Delicata squash is my favorite winter squash for its sweet taste and relatively petite size.  We like to slice them in half and roast them as a perfectly portioned side dish.   A bit of butter or Earth Balance and a sprinkle of brown sugar is all they need.  But Thanksgiving seems to produce a national compulsion to turn orange vegetables into sweet treats, and I could no longer resist the urge to transform a few sugary delicatas into muffins.

Winter squash can be difficult to peel, but delicatas have fairly smooth skins and I find I can make quick work of it with an Oxo swivel peeler.  Some people claim it’s easier to peel a squash if you microwave it for a few minutes first.  Full disclosure:  I wanted to try this for you but chickened out before 2 minutes, convinced that the squash was going to explode all over the microwave.  If you really just don’t want to deal with the peel,  halve or quarter the squash, scoop out the seeds and roast it with the peel on.  You won’t get as much caramelization, but you can just scoop out the flesh and mash away.

Caramelized Delicata Squash Muffins
12 muffins

Caramelized Squash
2-3 lbs delicata squash (2 lbs is probably enough, but extras are nice)
1 T brown sugar
1 T vegetable oil
1 T maple syrup
1/4 tsp salt

Muffins
1/4 C sorghum flour
1/4 C brown rice flour
1/2 C corn flour
1/2 C almond meal
1/2 C tapioca starch
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 C brown sugar
1 T EnerG egg replacer
1/4 C warm water
3/4 C orange juice
1/4 C canola oil
1/2 C raisins
1-2 T raw sugar and/or toasted squash seeds*

Peel squash and cut in half lengthwise.  Scrape out the seeds and goo.  Cut squash into chunks about 3/4-inch long. Put chunks in large bowl and add sugar, oil, syrup and salt. Toss to coat.  Spread in a single layer on a baking pan lined with foil or parchment. Bake at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes, stirring once or twice, until browned and tender. Cool on pan for 5 minutes, then remove squash to a bowl.  Mash enough squash to yield 1 C.  Any remaining squash can enjoyed as a side dish.

Reduce the oven to 350 degrees and grease a twelve cup muffin pan.

Combine dry ingredients (sorghum flour through brown sugar) in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk egg replacer with 1/4 C warm water until frothy. Add orange juice, oil and 1 C of the mashed squash. Stir to combine, then add to dry ingredients. Stir well, then fold in raisins.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin pan. Sprinkle each muffin with a bit of raw sugar and/or some toasted squash seeds.

Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, until tops are brown and toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove pan to a wire rack. Cool for 5 minutes, then remove muffins from cups to finish cooling on rack.

*To toast the seeds, remove as much of the squash goo as possible and rinse the seeds well.  Dry them on paper towels, then toss with a bit of olive oil and salt and roast at 300 degrees for about 15 minutes, tossing occasionally.  I really like the salty flavor of the seeds on the sweet muffins, but the hulls are pretty tough.   Shelled, roasted and salted pumpkin seeds might be a better bet.

I have one of those in-between colds.  I’m sick enough to feel lousy, but not sick enough to just retreat under the covers and sleep.  The cold is starting to feel like a houseguest who demands my constant attention and does nothing in return but be irritating.  And like most difficult houseguests, it won’t leave.  Maybe that’s because I’m feeding it too well.

The meals I planned for this week are comfort foods that don’t require too much time in the kitchen. Cooking a simple meal is about at the limit of my energy level right now, but it feels awfully good to accomplish something, and even better to nourish myself with the results.

Menu Monday 11/30/09

Beef & Tomato Sauce (from Jane Brody’s Good Food Book)
Served over creamy polenta

Chickpea-Tomato Soup with Fresh Rosemary
Spinach Salad

Grilled Chicken & Sundried Tomato Sausage
Potatoes Gribiche
Broccolini

Vegetarian Black Bean Chili (from The Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook)

I’m getting off easy for Thanksgiving this year.  Friends on Bainbridge Island invited us to join them for the big meal.  We’ll just be bringing mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie and wine (and Daisy, lucky girl).  My husband is the pie guy around here, so I really just have to make the potatoes.  The rest of the week is busy, so I’m relying on some quick favorites for dinner the other nights.

Menu Monday 11/23/09

Curried Lentil Soup with Cilantro
Roasted Delicata Squash

Caramelized Tofu with Brussels Sprouts

Pork Tenderloin Stir Fry with Tangerines & Chili Sauce
Steamed Rice

Cumin-Cayenne Mashed Potatoes with Caramelized Onions

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie

Cranberry Orange Quinoa Muffins

You wouldn’t know it from looking at them, but these muffins started out as waffles.

Contemplating a carton of orange juice and a bag of dried cranberries one morning, I decided they’d combine nicely for a winter morning waffle.  They were delicious, but the texture wasn’t quite right . . . too cakey.  The next morning I reworked the ingredients into a muffin batter.

The result was a winner.  These not-too-sweet little beauties have a lovely crumb and a subtle orange flavor.  The cranberries give them some jaunty flair, making them perfect for breakfast on a holiday morning.

Cranberry Orange Quinoa Muffins
10-12 muffins

1/4 C sorghum flour
1/4 C brown rice flour
1/2 C corn flour
1/2 C quinoa flakes
1/2 C almond meal
1/2 C tapioca starch
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp powdered ginger
1/2 C brown sugar
1 T grated orange zest
1 T Ener-G egg replacer
1/4 C warm water
1 C orange juice
1/4 C canola oil
1/4 C applesauce
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 C dried, sweetened cranberries
1-2 T raw sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a twelve cup muffin pan.

Combine dry ingredients (sorghum flour through orange zest) in a large bowl.  Whisk egg replacer with 1/4 C warm water until frothy.  Add to dry ingredients, followed by orange juice, oil, applesauce and vanilla.  Stir well to combine.  Fold in dried cranberries.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin pan.  Sprinkle each muffin with a bit of raw sugar.

Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until tops are brown and toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.  Remove pan to a  wire rack.  Cool for 5 minutes, then remove muffins from cups to finish cooling on rack.

I’m one of those people who think that the real star of so-called Turkey Day is mashed potatoes and gravy, so I’m by nature reluctant to mess with the simplicity of plain potatoes, milk, butter and salt.  My dairy allergies have forced me to try to replicate this perfection with non-dairy options and some of the results have been quite good, but in preparation for this Thanksgiving, I decided to test a different approach.

Oh my, that was a delicious decision.

I don’t usually post recipes as-is from other sources.  I’d rather use this space for my own ideas and adaptations. But this recipe from the November/December 2009 issue of Vegetarian Times is too good to keep to myself.   My only change was to substitute some dried basil for the fresh thyme.  I do have thyme in my garden, but just couldn’t face venturing out into the wet, windy Seattle night to pick it.

I whisked some vegan sour cream into a portion of the finished potatoes and liked the creamier texture, but felt that it muted the taste.  If serving the potatoes with an assertively flavored main dish, consider the sour cream variation, but otherwise I recommend letting the warm spices and sweet onion shine through.

One more thing – the recipe claims to serve 6.  Maybe as part of a full Thanksgiving meal, but on a normal day there’s no way I could eat that small a portion of something this good.  I’ve adjusted it to read 4-6.

Cumin-Cayenne Mashed Potatoes with Caramelized Onions
Serves 4-6

2 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 large onion, diced (2 C)
5 T olive oil
2 T ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 C unflavored rice milk
2 T minced fresh thyme

Boil potatoes in enough water to cover, about 20 minutes or until soft.

Meanwhile, saute onion, oil, cumin, salt and cayenne in skillet over medium-low heat for 30 minutes, or until browned.  Stir in rice milk and thyme.

Drain potatoes and mash.  Whisk onion mixture into potatoes.  Season with salt and pepper