butternut squash croquettes. with creamy yogurt sauce.

These little croquettes are super tasty--packed with flavor. They are inspired by sweet potato croquettes we ate at a great vegetarian cafe, City o' City in Denver, CO.  These are perfect for an appetizer, or for lunch like we did yesterday.

butternut squash croquettes. 
serves 4-6

1 roasted butternut squash, diced & cooled*

1/4 cup Pecorino, grated

1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 TBl rice flour or all-purpose, plus some for dusting

2 cloves garlic, peeled

1 red chili, quartered (deseeded if you want less spice)

sea salt & cracked pepper

olive oil

3-4 big handfuls of greens (spinach or arugula), roughly chopped

1/2 cup green olives, pitted & halved

1 lemon, cut into wedges

1. Add garlic, chili & parsley into a food processor. Give it a quick blitz. Add cooled squash, cheese, flour, & seasoning. Blitz until smooth (some bits are good though), about 15-20 seconds. 
2. On a large platter or on a baking sheet spread a some flour on the bottom. Using your hands form small patties with the squash and lay on the flour. This might be a little messy, but no worries. 
3. Sprinkle a little more flour over the patties & let rest for about 15 minutes (or up to overnight), in the refrigerator.
4. In a skillet heat about 1/4 cup of olive oil over medium-high heat. When it hot, gently add the patties.  You may have to do this in batches because you don't want to over crowd the patties. It makes it harder to flip them. Let cook for about 5-6 minutes. Flip. Cook another 5 minutes & put on paper towels or paper bags to soak up the oil. 
5. Serve on a bed of greens, with olives on the side, a dollop of yogurt sauce, & a squeeze of lemon. 

creamy yogurt sauce.

This sauce is also great as a sour cream replacement in tacos or on nachos.

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (I use 0% fat)

1 clove garlic, grated

juice of 1/2 lemon

2 TBL olive oil, plus some for drizzling on top 

sea salt & cracked pepper

1. Whisk together.

*Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Add squash (skin on is fine) to a foil or parchment lined baking sheet & toss with olive oil & sea salt & cracked pepper. Bake for about 25-30 minutes until there are little caramelized bits on the squash & it is tender when pierced with a fork.

happy eatings & cheers!