A Fall Recipe: Spiced Butternut Squash and Chicken

One of the past times that I enjoy most is growing vegetables in my organic gardens.  It’s my morning getaway where I can meet with God in solitude and peace.

I’m with my kids all day long, so a couple hours alone, tending to my gardens, harvesting, praying, and singing along to worship music on my ipod feeds my soul.

Although I enjoy my time alone in my gardens, I also love spending time in them with my children.  My boys help me start our seedlings indoors, work our soil in the spring, plant, sow, and harvest.

I’ve really found that by putting ourselves in God’s creation and watching the miracles of how food is grown or raised brings us closer to Him – it reveals His character.  It allows my children and I to see that God is taking care of us, no matter the storm that we may be in.

This year, God has blessed us with a tremendous harvest that keeps on giving.

What I enjoy so much about the harvest is that it leads my kids and I into the kitchen.  It’s important to me to bless them with the life long skill of cooking.

We’re currently harvesting carrots, radishes, beets, swiss chard, and lettuces.

I’ve been making the most of our harvest and using a lot of my greens in wonderful fall dishes filled with spice like this recipe below.

A Fall Recipe: Spiced Butternut Squash and Chicken

For this meal, I used swiss chard from the garden and the spices of nutmeg, cardamom, and fresh thyme to infuse roasted butternut squash. I added a bit of raisins for sweetness and served it over white Basmati rice. It’s a simple dish to make and one that children will love for its sweetness.

Ingredients:

Butternut Squash and Chicken

• 1 Butternut Squash, peeled and chopped in 1” cubes
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp cardamom
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tbls thyme leaves
• 1 tbls extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped
• 3 boneless chicken thighs, cut into thin strips
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1 tbls balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp salt
• dash of pepper
• handful of raisins
• 1 large handfuls spinach

White Basmati Rice

• 2 cups white Basmati rice
• 4 cups chicken broth or water
• 1 tsp salt

Method:

Butternut Squash and Chicken

1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
2. In a baking dish, toss the butternut squash in the maple syrup, 1/2 tsp salt, cardamom, nutmeg, and thyme leaves. Cover the dish and roast for 30 minutes or until fork tender.
3. Once the squash is tender, remove from the oven and set aside.
4. In a large skillet or cast iron pan, gently heat 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil. Add the cut strips of chicken and saute until cooked through; 5-8 minutes. Add the onions to the chicken and saute until they just start to turn translucent; 3-5 minutes.
5. Add the chicken stock, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and raisins; simmer for 8-10 minutes.
6. Finally, add the butternut squash and spinach and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes.

White Basmati Rice

1. Bring 4 cups chicken broth or water to a boil in a large heavy bottomed sauce pan.
2. Add the rice and salt.
3. Return to a boil, lower the heat to low, cover, and cook for 20-25 minutes or until the rice is soft and cooked through.

Serve the fall spiced butternut squash and chicken over the white Basmati rice.

Do you enjoy gardening and cooking with your children? Please share in the comments below if you’d like to learn more about cooking and gardening with kids.

Have a blessed weekend,
Diana at My Humble Kitchen