March 2, 2010: Christmas Limas and Butternut Squash

Happy March 2010!

This morning the sun was out, and I went for an enjoyable walk of 33 blocks.  I walked all the way down to Whole Foods to pick up some fresh greens, and nuts. Unfortunately, by the time I got back home, the clouds were inching their way in to form a gray blanket over the sun...
But, I did not allow that to stop me from making a fabulously healthy lunch and blogging about it.



When is spring going to come? It's warm outside today, yet snow is in the forecast for tomorrow. After a day and a quarter of sunshine, I was beginning to fantasize about spring coming to New York City. In my mind's eye I was seeing green grass poke through the last patches of snow in Central Park, of baby birds chirping on my window sill, and squirrels playing on my Harlem fire escape.  I saw 125th street teeming with Harlemites out shopping for the newest wardrobe of the season, and neighborhood kids not in school at 11 am simply because it's Spring Break.  Despite the fact that it isn't spring yet in New York City, I'm keeping the feeling of fresh air and springtime's creative pulse inside me. Before we know it, it will be 60 degrees out, and the flowers and leaves will be popping out of trees; and when summer hits us, we'll wonder, what happened to the cool air of spring. 

I was waiting for the right time to use my Butternut Squash. I bought it 2 or 3 weeks ago, and only got one because they're too heavy to lug home with my other groceries. As you know, Butternut Squash is a Winter Squash, key word...WINTER. That means they wont be around much longer. So basically I wanted to use my squash in the right meal.
It hit me! I've got Christmas Lima Beans from Rancho Gordo waiting to be opened and loved, and Butternut Squash is a wintery Christmasy food (for some*), and ohhh, why not use some Swiss Chard, it has Christmas colors...

So I came up with this simple Christmas Lima & Squash Recipe. It combines sauteed Swiss Chard and Christmas Limas with Roasted Butternut Squash and crunchy Rosemary Croutons.
Maybe this is my goodbye to winter, spring will officially arrive in 18 days.

Christmas Limas and Butternut Squash 

2 cups of cooked Lima Beans (I cooked my  Christmas Limas with about 1/2 cup of Yellow Indian Woman thrown in the mix*) 

1 medium Butternut Squash, peeled and diced

1 head of Swiss Chard, thoroughly washed and chopped

1/2 - whole Medium Yellow Onion

1 Shallot

1 cup Croutons (optional: I made some with my stale Rosemary Bread, and they added a nice crunch to this dish)

2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

1 tsp Honey

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Sea Salt

Fresh Ground Pepper

Red Pepper Flakes

Begin by preheating the oven to 425 degrees. Peel and dice the Butternut Squash, then toss in a large bowl with Olive Oil and a dash of Sea Salt. Spread the Squash onto a baking pan and sprinkle Freshly Ground Black Pepper on top. Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until soft, not mush.

While the Squash is Roasting, heat 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil in a large pan or skillet over medium to high heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion and shallot, turn the heat down to medium, and saute about 4 minutes, then add Lima Beans. Allow to cook for a minute then add Swiss Chard.  Add 1/2 Teaspoon of Sea Salt, Balsamic Vinegar, and Honey, and cook on low/medium heat until greens are tender.  

When the greens are tender add more salt if needed, and a couple dashes of Red Pepper Flakes for spice appeal. 

When the Butternut Squash is finished roasting, serve the Squash over a bed of the hot Swiss Chard and Lima saute. Add the croutons to complete, then dig in! Its so good, with just the right amount of sweetness :)