Pumpkin Sage Polenta

Okay, I'm pumpkin obsessed.  This autumnal side dish is just one more piece of evidence... and it won't be the last.  I served this pumpkin sage polenta with Cider Glazed Pork with Apple Bacon Compote and it was a hit at my father's birthday dinner.  It would make an awesome addition to your Thanksgiving spread as well :)
Pumpkin Sage Polenta

• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• salt and pepper to taste
• 5 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 1/2 tsp freshy ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp rubbed dried sage
• 1 cup polenta
• 1/2 cup romano cheese, grated
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter

1. In a large saucepan on medium heat, bring the stock, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and dried sage to a boil. 
2. Add the polenta, by a slow stream, whisking constantly (or it will clump). 
3. Reduce the heat to very low and whisk for 5 minutes, so it thickens
4. After 20 minutes add the pumpkin
5. Right before you are going to serve it add the cheese and butter

Light Caramelized Onion, Zucchini, Goat Cheese Scramble

Want a low calorie breakfast that is big on flavor and low on guilt?? Then this Caramelized Onion, Zucchini, Goat Cheese Scramble is perfect for you.  

I hate raw onions, but a sweet, caramelized onion is like bacon: it makes everything better.  It smelled so good in my dorm kitchen that multiple kids stopped in asking what I was making and said "I didn't know you cooked Chinese food."  I explained to them the onions were not lo-mein noodles, but for those of us who love noodles but can't always splurge on them, zucchini strands and onions make great substitutes!

Crumbled goat cheese you can find packaged in the dairy aisle is ideal to use for a recipe such as this one.  It is a lot less messy than goat cheese logs and sharing fridges can already be quite messy in college! I like to keep things as sealed as possible!  The key to using goat cheese in hot recipes is to add it at the very end.  Cooking it too long makes goat cheese lose its lovely flavor.  Enjoy this light breakfast after those late night pizza runs and you will feel light on your feet :)

Light Caramelized Onion, Zucchini, Goat Cheese Scramble

• 3 egg whites
• 1/2 onion julienned (cut into ribbons or thin slices)
• 1/2 zucchini chopped finely
• A sprinkle of crumbled goat cheese
• Olive oil spray
• Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Sautée onions in a pan with the olive oil spray over medium-high heat until brown and caramelized, about 15 minutes
2. Add the zucchini and cook for 7 more minutes
3. Remove vegetables and set aside
4. Add the egg whites to the same pan and let cook for about 30 seconds
5. Add vegetables and scramble with with spatula
6. Cook eggs to your liking (for fluffy egg whites cook about 15 seconds more after adding vegetables)
7. Put on a plate, add the goat cheese on top, then salt and pepper to taste

Double Roasted Red Peppers

Roasted red peppers are like candy. 

Literally if they were packaged by Hershey I would not blink twice.  They are maybe my favorite vegetable snack.  When roasted, the fresh acidic bell pepper becomes sweet and caramelized, with a soft and tender flesh. 

To top it all off, they go with EVERYTHING.  You can add them to salads, soups, toasts, cheese, hummus, salsas... the possibilities are infinite. And they keep well in the fridge!  So escape the can and roast them yourself, it is incredibly easy and cheap too. Here's how:

Double Roasted Red Peppers:

• 5 red bell peppers
• Olive Oil or Olive Oil Spray
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Cut red peppers into thin slices
2. Spray with olive oil
3. Place on George Foreman grill for 15 minutes, closing lid
4. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
5. Remove charred peppers and place into a roasting dish
6. Spray with a little more oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper
7. Place in oven and cook for 30 minutes
8. Take out of oven and place cloth over roasting dish and seal by tying a ribbon or rubber band around it
9. Let sit for one hour
10. Remove skins