Honey who?
Honey whaa??
HoneyNUT! Squash.
I’m always down to try new (to me) fruits and veggies, so when I heard about honeynut squash I had to get my hands on one and incorporate it into a recipe.
Simply roasting it solo would be tasty, but I wanted to get a little more creative, you know?
And make this a whole cozy fall meal, because it certainly is fall in Seattle.
Plus, I finally feel excited about cranking up my oven and consuming all the piping hot stuff again.
Bring on a comfortable minor sweat, versus a drenched in sweat summertime roasting scenario.
Alas, here we are.
Creamy pots of polenta make my pulse quicken in the best way possible.
This bowl of autumn eats includes none other than pumpkin puree, along with 3 types of fall herbs and a bunch of other goods… let’s get right to it!
The dreamy polenta is comprised of low-sodium vegetable broth, convenient canned pure pumpkin, dry white wine (oh yes she did), my favorite pink sea salt, a generous scoop of polenta corn grits (not the quick-cooking variety this time), full-fat oat milk, savory nutritional yeast, fresh lemon juice, and cracked black pepper.
Fold in frothy, spiced herbed butter (we’re talking fresh sage, thyme, and rosemary), then plop the contents of your steaming pot of goodness into a deep bowl before topping with crispy roasted dino kale, tender honeynut squash, and an extra drizzle of that buttah.
Mmmm mmmm!
P.S. These are just basic instructions to go by—your oven, stove-top, pots, pans, and overall kitchen vibe will be different than mine, unless I invite you over, lucky you, so use your best judgement when cooking and adjust flavors/textures to suit your taste. If your polenta is looking dry sooner than expected, add more liquid. I won’t yell at you if you decide to add an extra glug of wine. Can’t find honeynut? Use butternut or delicata squash instead. Just don’t forget to salt and utilize plenty of zesty citrus to brighten the dish up.
P.P.S. Make sure your kale and herbs are DRY AF before roasting/cooking for the optimal texture. Sog is rarely what we’re going for. And if it is, I’ll let you know.
P.P.P.S. I finally got my SSL certificate ish figured out, so thanks for being patient and dealing with that scary warning message that was popping up when trying to access my site… don’t know why my safety certificate went MIA but she should be good to go now.
P.P.P.P.S. Ehhh I feel like I was going to share something else but my mind is in 23894239 places and I simply can’t recall. Enjoy!
Pumpkin Polenta with Honeynut Squash & Fall Herbs
Ingredients
Squash & Kale
- 1 cup medium-dice honeynut squash (pulp and skin removed)
- 1 packed cup dino kale, torn into bite-sized pieces (it will shrink when cooked)
- Avocado oil, enough to lightly coat vegetables
- Pink sea salt, to taste
Polenta
- 1 1/2 cups high-quality low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup pure pumpkin puree (I used canned pumpkin)
- 1/4 cup dry white wine (I used Hogue Sauvignon Blanc)
- Pink sea salt, to taste
- 1/2 cup polenta corn grits
- 1/2 cup original full-fat oat milk (I used Oatly)
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
- Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Herbs
- 2 tablespoons Miyokos vegan butter (or other high-quality, flavorful vegan butter)
- 2 teaspoons roughly chopped fresh sage
- 1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
- Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
Instructions
- Heat oven to 425. Line a rimmed large metal baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss the squash in enough avocado oil to lightly coat, spreading the squash in an even layer. Roast for 20 minutes, then flip and roast 10 minutes more. Push the squash to one side of the baking sheet, then carefully toss the kale on the baking sheet in enough avocado oil to lightly coat. Roast for 8 minutes or until the kale is starting to crisp. Remove the vegetables from the oven. Season with salt.
- Meanwhile, in a medium-small pot, whisk the broth, pumpkin, wine and salt until well-combined. Bring to a boil, then slowly whisk in the polenta. Reduce the heat to low and gently simmer for 10 minutes, partially covered, stirring occasionally. Stir in 1/4 cup oat milk, then cook for another 10 minutes. Stir in the remaining 1/4 cup oat milk, then cook for 10 minutes more, or until the polenta is creamy, and the individual grains are tender. Stir in the nutritional yeast, lemon juice, and black pepper.
- When the polenta has about 10 minutes left to cook, heat a medium-small pan over medium heat. Melt the butter, then cook the herbs over medium-low until sizzling and the butter is frothy, about 5 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes then cook one more minute. Fold the spiced butter and herbs into the cooked polenta, reserving about 1/2 teaspoon of butter in the pan to drizzle on top before serving. Add more salt to the polenta, if needed.
- Spoon the polenta in a bowl, then top with the roasted kale and squash. Drizzle the vegetables with the remaining butter.