Diet Friendly Fast Food

My name is Kalyn and I am a butternut squash addict!  I inherited this butternut squash infatuation from my Grandma Denny; every fall Grandma would hack apart giant butternut squashes from her garden, scrape out the seeds, and wrap pieces in foil and bake them in the oven.  When it was done we'd eat the squash mashed up with lots of butter, salt, and pepper.  Now I'm more likely to cut the squash in cubes and roast it with olive oil, but pretty much any way you cook it, I love the savory flavor of butternut squash.  Whether you're already a confirmed fan of this most popular of winter squashes or trying it for the first time, you can't go wrong with one of these Ten Easy and Amazing Vegetarian Recipes Using Butternut Squash.  (And if you have more good recipe ideas for butternut, let us know about them in the comments.)

How do you feel about Quinoa?  First of all, it's pronounced keen-wah, just in case you're not that familiar with this little seed that's cooked like rice and eaten as a grain.  Quinoa has become increasingly popular over the last few years, partly because it's high in protein and gluten-free and partly because it's tasty and can be used in a variety of ways.

I confess, I was a little slow to embrace Quinoa, and it was only when my Costco started carrying this huge bag of True Roots Organic Quinoa and I suddenly had 4 pounds of quinoa in the freezer that I started experimenting with it regularly.  Since then I've come to love quinoa as a side dish or the base for a salad, and I've gone through several of these big bags since I first bought one.  When I bought another one recently (for $9.99; what a bargain!) I decided it was time to add this product to my list of Kalyn's Kitchen Picks, where I spotlight things I love and happily buy over and over.  If I've convinced you to try quinoa, or just to eat it more often, keep reading to see some of my personal favorite recipes using it, plus more quinoa recipes from my food blogging friends.