Friday has rolled around again and I am quite happy about this. Is anyone else a fan of Fridays? No? Haha, just kidding! I know you love Fridays just as much as I do :). The main reason why I enjoy Friday is pretty obvious- it means we are super close to the weekend and several days away from the working world. Another reason why Fridays are so great, though, is because so many bloggers share some of their favorite recipes from around the blogging community on this day. It is a great way to discover and save (as if I need to collect any more ;)) recipes to try. While I don’t participate in this Friday theme every Friday, I love it when I have enough recipes that I have tried and deemed “favorite worthy” to share with all of you. Today is one of those Fridays!
Friday Foodie Favorites: November 8, 2013
Are you sick of squash yet? No? Good, because I have a couple of squash recipes to share with you today!
Butternut Squash and Lentil Curry Stew
Now I know this doesn’t look like it should be a favorite of mine (who am I kidding, lentils never ever look good), but it definitely tastes good enough to be one of my most recent favorite dinners. I cooked up Becky’s Butternut Squash and Lentil Curry Stew and served them over cauliflower “rice.” These babies are so delicious. I am a big-time lentil fan, and I absolutely adore the flavors of curry. Combine the two and I am one happy lady. I followed Becky’s recipe exactly, except I used coconut flavored almond milk in place of the coconut milk. I think the results were absolutely fabulous :).
Apple Dijon Vinaigrette Salad Dressing
A miracle has happened. I have officially ditched the bottled salad dressings for homemade dressings. I have been saying for months and months that I was going to start making my own salad dressings, but it was all talk…until a few weeks ago. I am now religiously making my own because, let’s face it, they are much healthier and I actually know exactly which ingredients (whole, at that) are in them. I made Hillary’s Apple Dijon Vinaigrette Dressing a week ago (and again this past weekend) and have been loving it. I am a big time fan of Dijon mustard, so this dressing is right up my alley. I will say that you definitely must like the flavor of apple cider vinegar as it is quite prominent, and if you do then you will surely enjoy this. Oh, and I can’t forget to mention how easy this is to make. It literally came together in under three minutes. No more excuses for using those bottled dressings for me (unless it’s an emergency ;))!
Butternut Squash Salad with Orange Maple Cinnamon Dressing
Last Thursday evening I made an adapted version of Alexis’s recipe for Butternut Squash Salad with Orange Maple Cinnamon Dressing. Instead of salad mix, I tossed the dressing in chopped kale and spinach. I am majorly hooked on all things kale right now, so it just made sense. I topped my salad off with roasted butternut squash as Alexis recommended, and replaced the pecans and cranberries with raisins and teriyaki rice twists from my Healthy Living Summit swag bag (those babies are delicious!). The dressing on this salad is super delicious, especially when combined with the dark leafy greens, the sweetness of the squash and raisins, and the saltiness from the rice twists. This is definitely going to be one of my go-to fall/winter salad recipes!
Sauteed Greens
And finally, while this is not a recipe from around the blogging world, I have to share my current favorite side dish that I have been cooking up lately:
A large number of my side dishes the past couple of weeks have consisted of sauteed greens. My go-tos are either kale, rainbow chard, or collared greens sauteed in a little bit of vegetable broth with onions, peppers, and/or mushrooms, and seasoned with salt, pepper, and a pinch of garam masala. This isn’t much of a recipe, but that is the beauty of this side dish. It is easy peasy!
I hope you like squash and greens because that was pretty much all that this post consisted of. If not, then get with it! 😉
Have a great Friday bloggy friends! I’m off to Des Moines for a weekend with my mama. We are going to do a little shopping, eating, and then singing at the Keith Urban concert!
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I would love to try to make my own dressing! Great idea!
You definitely should! It’s super easy! 🙂
I really like the sound of that orange maple salad dressing. I’ll have to check it out! Have a great weekend!
You definitely should! It is SO good!
Yum, that Butternut Squash Salad with Orange Maple Cinnamon Dressing looks delicious!! Saving this one for dinner sometime soon!
You MUST make it! It’s delicious and SO perfect for this time of year!
I need to try Becky’s Butternut Squash and Lentil Curry Stew… glad it turned out delish for you! I also STILL haven’t made cauliflower rice (I know, I know, kill me), so I am hoping to try that out at the same time. I do make my own dressings when I make salad at home, but never enough to have a ton of leftovers in the fridge- I should really try making a batch to keep though.
You definitely need to try the stew..it’s SO good! AND you can finally try cauliflower “rice” and serve it with the stew! 😉
I love making my own salad dressngs and this one looks fantastic, thanks for sharing!
No problem! It is a tasty one and definitely share-worthy!
Seeing recaps like this makes me feel SO guilty for never making any of the recipes I pin. I have every intention to try them, but somehow always seem to resort to the tried and true when meal time rolls around. That butternut salad, though — holy.wow does that look good.
These posts help me get through all of my bookmarked recipes…or at least attempt to! 😉 And that salad is a MUST make..it’s so perfect for this time of year!
I love the idea of making homemade salad dressings! I hate buying a dressing and not liking it or only using it a few times. I usually throw out a bottle or two when I clean out the fridge. My go-to is usually olive oil and little bit of balsamic, but I’m sure the possibilities are endless.
I hear ya. I am totally known for letting them go bad and then having to throw them out. And I HATE wasting food! 🙁
I’m so glad you tried that stew! And I agree, lentils never look pretty but they taste so good 🙂
They so do! They are one of my favorites foods. They are SO tasty with the curry flavors. I loved this one :).
That dressing sounds so so good! I’ve ditched bottled dressings too and definitely prefer making my own especially using nutritional yeast.
Surprisingly, I have never used nutritional yeast in mine, but that sounds SO good! What all do you put in yours?
Oo you def need to try it out! I use Apple Cider Vinegar, Nutritional Yeast, Dijon Mustard, salt, pepper and a dash of water and mix together. Recipe is from Powercakes blog 🙂
Definitely going to try that out!
everything looks so good!
And I know what you mean about more recipes…I have so many stockpiled on pinterest, in folders on my computer, in cookbooks in my kitchen, and even on scraps of paper stuck to my fridge…it’s kind of a crazy (fun) addiction, isn’t it?!
It really is fun!! I will never EVER run out of recipes to try!! 😉
Thanks for the love! I love that you added rice crisps for some crunch. And that lentil dish sounds UH-MAZING!
It was TOTALLY share-worthy. People need to know how tasty it is! 🙂
NOT sick of squash LOL!! I for one HATE fridays…..haha KIDDING. Have a great weekend!
Don’t you be joking about hating Fridays you silly girl!! 😉
I have GOT to try that dressing!! Im a huge Dijon fan as well, and always have an issue with bottled dressings. I just can never find one that I really love! Ill be saving that recipe for sure!
Yes, you really should try it! It is SO simple and easy to make!
That salad dressing looks SO good!! Thanks for all of the yummy recipes! Love your blog!
Aw, thanks so much!! I really appreciate that :).
First off, I hope you had a blast at the Keith Urban concert!!! How fun!! All of these meals look delicious. I love how you used the Teriyaki Twists as a salad topper. I still have about 1/2 a bag left and I’m going to do the exact same thing!
I LOVE those Teriyaki Twists, especially on salads! Mine, unfortunately, are gone :(.
Yum, I love that you added the salty rice twists to that kale and butternut squash mix! Sometimes a little crunch is all you need to make a salad or other recipe perfection.
They were SUCH a good addition! I like the salty/sweet combo A LOT!
so jealous of your weekend!! Hope it was awesome – can’t wait to hear about it!!!
It was so great! You can read all about it tomorrow in my Treat Yourself Tuesday post! 🙂
Thanks for linking up this week! Enjoyed reading all of your recipes. I’ll have to give the lentil stew a go!
You definitely should! It is fantastic :).