A Scavenged Squash

I have accidentally developed a new hobby and acquired a nickname: the scavenger.  It started out innocent enough.  Leftovers from a catered meeting at the office were abandoned in the break room, and I made a lunch out of it.  I went back later and there were still plenty of leftovers.  Hmm, I have a Tupperware in my desk; I could fill it up and have lunch tomorrow too.  Not so crazy, right?  That's two lunches I'm getting for free!  I got a little rush from the money I was saving.

Then, it escalated...no food left unattended is safe.  When people leave food in the break room, I take it without shame.  Once there was a sandwich platter and a "fixings" platter with lettuce and tomato.  All the sandwiches were gone, but I took the lettuce and tomato home and made a salad for dinner.  I've gone a full week without paying for a single lunch through catered meetings and leftovers in the break room.  I wouldn't necessarily call it an obsession but my friends and family have definitely noticed and have dubbed me "The Scavenger".

While I'm grateful that it's not necessary for me to scavenge to stay full, I'm admittedly frugal and it's fun to see how much I can scavenge.  One would think this translates to a lower grocery bill, so I was so excited to compare my grocery bills at the end of the month.  After saving a whopping $12.22 in a month, I was a bit disenchanted with my scavenging hobby.  However, I'm still at it, so guard your food well.

This brings me to a scavenged meal I made for Holt.  This is one of our favorite dishes.  I found the original recipe on Sparkrecipes.com, but I usually mix it up based on what I've got.
A roommate of mine was planning to go out of town for the weekend.  She asked if I wanted her butternut squash.  Umm, duh!  Butternut squash is one of our favorite veggies, and I immediately thought of this recipe.

Spicy Chicken with Dates and Butternut Squash

The "spicy" refers to seasonings, not heat.  We prefer to add a little heat to it, so this time I threw in a chipotle pepper while it was stewing and took it out before serving.  We've also simmered the broth with red pepper flakes then strained the broth to remove the flakes.  You could always just toss in a dash of cayenne or your favorite heat.
If you don't cook often, this recipe may require a bit of a spice investment.  Once you have the spices, they'll last a long time, and then this meal is pretty cheap to make.

You'll need a butternut squash, olive oil, chicken (breast or thigh, I prefer thigh for this meal), an onion, dried pitted dates (also scavenged, from my aunt's house), a bay leaf, cinnamon stick, cumin, coriander, flour, chicken stock, and cilantro.  My coriander disappeared so I used cardamom.  I know that's not a lateral substitution, but it goes with the flavor well.

Peel the squash, cut in half, scrape out the seeds, and chop into chunks.  Drizzle these with EVOO and season with salt and pepper.  Pop them into the oven at 400 for about 30-45 minutes, stirring them half way.  This is a wonderful side dish by itself.  The edges get a little crusty and the inside is sweet, fleshy deliciousness.

While the squash is roasting, cook chicken in 4 tbs EVOO with salt and pepper.  Add onion, 12 chopped dates, spices, bay leaf, and cinnamon stick.  When onion is tender, add 3 tbs flour, and cook another minute.
Add stock (we used a coconut Thai stock this time, but I think I prefer chicken), and bring to a bubble.  Simmer until curry thickens and dates plump (5-6 min).

Remove bay leaf and cinnamon stick.  Stir in roasted squash, sprinkle with cilantro, and serve over rice or couscous.  

Not the prettiest dish, but definitely tasty!

Since I scavenged the squash and dates and already had the spices, this meal cost me an onion and a bag of chicken thighs, which comes out to about a dollar per serving. Here's the printable version of the original recipe:

Spicy Chicken with Dates & Butternut Squash

1 Butternut squash
4 TBS EVOO
2 1/2 lbs Chicken (breast or thigh)
1 lg onion
12 dry pitted dates, coarsely chopped
1 Tbs Cumin
1 Tbs Coriander (powder)
1 bay leaf
1 Cinnamon Stick
3 Tbs Flour
3 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup cilantro roughly chopped

Preheat Oven to 400 F
Cut squash into cubes, place in baking dish, and drizzle EVOO over it. Season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat.  Place in oven for about 30-45 mins, or until tender.
Cook chicken in EVOO with salt & pepper.
Add onions, dates, spices, bay leaf, & cinnamon stick into pan. When onion is tender add flour, cook about 1 min.
Add stock, bring to a bubble. Simmer until curry thickens and dates plump. (5-6 mins)
Remove bay leaf and Cinnamon stick
Stir in roasted squash

Makes 6 servings.