1 cup brown or white rice
1 tbsp butter or olive oil
2 tsp crumbled dried sage
2-3 cups coarsely grated butternut squash or other winter squash
salt and pepper
2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup grated Gruyere or Fontina cheese

Bechamel Sauce
1/4 cup minced shallot or onion
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp nutmeg
salt and pepper

Cook the shallot in the butter in a small saucepan over low heat until soft. Pour in milk and heat. In a small bowl mix cornstarch with 1 tbsp water and stir until smooth. Just before milk is at the boiling point, whisk in the cornstarch slurry and continue whisking until mixture boils and is thickened. Turn off heat and season with nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste.

For the Casserole:
Make the rice (unless using leftovers) and the sauce. Heat the butter with the sage in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the squash, 1/2 tsp salt, and saute until the squash begins to brown in places, about 8 minutes. Toward the end, stir in the garlic and parsley. Combine the rice, sauce, squash and cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Turn into a casserole dish and bake at 400 degrees until hot and beginning to form a crust on top, about 30 minutes

Today I had a craving for French onion dip and chips. I looked in my cupboard and found that I no longer had a stash of Lipton French onion dip mix. Instead of giving up on my craving I got out the nonfat plain yogurt and a little mayonnaise and put together a yummy onion and vegetable dip that is a healthier version of the old favorite. It contains plenty of onions which contain quercetin, a natural antihistamine, great for helping to fight off those nasty colds this time of the year.

1 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp garlic powder
salt to taste
1/2 cup finely chopped red onions
1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
Chopped parsley or chives (optional)

Stir mayonnaise and yogurt together until smooth. Salt this mixture to suit your taste and then add the garlic powder stirring thoroughly. Incorporate the vegetables and herbs, if using. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve or enjoy some immediately. Serve with vegetable chips or baked potato chips.

1 large butternut squash, peeled, cut into large pieces
2 large onions, peeled, sliced thin
6-8 apples, peeled, sliced thin
1/4 cup butter and/or olive oil, melted

In a large bowl toss the squash with enough of the melted butter or oil (or a mixture of the two) to coat. Place squash in a glass baking dish and roast in oven at 450 degrees, stirring about every 10-15 minutes or so until squash is soft. Heat a large frying pan over high heat, add about 2 tbsp butter or oil (butter works best for caramelizing onions) and add sliced onions. Cover the pan for about 10 minutes to soften then remove, stir and turn down the heat to med-low. Continue to cook onions, stirring every few minutes, until they are lightly browned and caramelized, about 30 minutes or so. At this point, turn up the heat and add the apple slices to the pan with the onions, combining. Cook on high heat, stirring constantly, until apples have browned and are soft. When squash is done roasting, add the apples and onions to the glass baking dish, stir to combine, and season with salt. Cover and place back in oven at 350 until ready to serve. Also can be frozen to enjoy at a later time.

This recipe is also great mixed together with pasta and a white sauce:

1 1/2 tbsp butter or margarine
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

Or it can be blended with chicken stock to make a yummy butternut squash soup!

1 quart chicken stock, heated
dash cayenne pepper
2-3 tbsp heavy cream, optional

Combine heated stock with butternut squash/apple/onion mixture and ladle into blender. Blend until smooth and transfer into a pot. Heat and season if desired with cayenne pepper and a few tablespoons heavy cream. This soup freezes very well.

1 tsp chili oil (more or less depending on how spicy you want it)
2 tsp olive oil or sesame oil
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 head thinly sliced cabbage
2 large carrots, shredded
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup chopped scallions
3-4 cloves garlic
1 tsp fresh grated ginger

In a large frying pan, heat oil and saute onions, stirring, until they start to brown. Add cabbage and carrots to pan along with soy sauce, vinegar, and water. Cover and turn heat to medium allowing vegetables to soften for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. At this point add the garlic, ginger, and scallions stirring them in, leaving the pan uncovered allowing the liquid to reduce. When liquid is reduced and pan is just about dry taste for seasonings adding salt and pepper if desired. This is a basic filling for spring rolls and can be frozen at this point. Tofu, baby shrimp, shredded chicken, bamboo shoots, sauteed mushrooms and bean sprouts could also be added just before filling the rolls. Follow spring roll wrapper package directions for softening, rolling, frying (if desired).

To make dipping sauce:
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 cloves pressed garlic
pinch red pepper flakes, optional

Mix all ingredients in a pan and heat gently until it just starts to simmer. Turn off heat and let sauce sit about 10 minutes or so. If a thicker sauce is preferred, add 1 tbsp cornstarch, mixed with enough water to make a smooth slurry, to the pan just before it starts to simmer. Whisk constantly, while mixture is simmering, until thick. Remove from heat and cool. Just before serving sesame seeds or fresh sliced or chopped scallions can be added.