Anything but 'Leftovers'...

I am not a fan of the term leftovers. "We are having leftovers for dinner." ugh, takes the wind right outta my sails. I like to use the term reconstitute or revived or renewed, resurrected even! Am I getting carried away? Ok, the point is leftovers don't have to be boring or even taste the same as the day before. I know what your thinking, "... this is for my baby, are they really gonna notice?!" absolutely. Olive (my daughter) used to love sweet potatoes, until she OD'D on them..

So yesterday I made a simple roasted acorn squash. I peeled and gutted a medium size squash, cut into small cubes, tossed in a small amount of EVOO, salt, pepper, oregano and a very tiny pinch of red pepper flake~ for flavor not heat. The trick to peeling an acorn squash is choosing one that is relatively smooth or as close as you can find. I usually cut the top and bottom off and cut away the shell  with my knife. If you have a sturdy vegetable peeler with a good blade on it that would be easiest. Arrange the cubes on a cookie sheet and bake at 400 until tender, about 20 min. 

I had about half if not more (a cup to cup and 1/4).. remaining.. in the fridge today. I popped the cold squash into the food processor with about a cup of raw spinach, 1/4 cup pine nuts, salt, pepper and pureed with just enough hot water to make a paste ( the consistency of hummus). I made some organic brown rice (2cups) and had some.. residual.. organic black beans in the fridge (1/4-1/2 cup). Fold all components together and test the temperature. Because most of these ingredients came straight from the fridge you may want to heat up depending on what your little one prefers. Personally I really liked the taste the pine nuts gave, almost pesto-esque, unlike pesto because the liquid in this recipe is water not oil so it is less heavy and almost fat free. Mommy and Daddy can also use with dinner vegan or not. Pair it with some chicken or pork. For vegans use as a main dish accompanied with a salad.