one-pan maple salmon with butternut squash & lemon-tahini sauce
+ announcing our october giveaway winner!
We’re 12 days deep as a family of four, and I think we’re doing well? I mean… we’re all clothed and fed and (surprisingly) well-slept(ish), so that’s something, right?
To be honest, it feels like we’re in the calm eye at the center of a hurricane. About two weeks ago, our lives changed in a whirlwind with the arrival of our sweet baby girl, but now we’ve settled into the blissful early newborn days, when grandmas are here helping with all the things, dad is still on paternity leave, and baby mostly sleeps and eats and sleeps some more. I know that in the coming weeks when Hudson starts to really wake up to the world (and when I’ll have fewer hands to help wrangle a baby + a rowdy toddler), we will exit this brief moment of calm and barrel towards a new phase of life filled with a *bit* more chaos.
So for now, I’m soaking up these fleeting hushed days, enjoying the moments when I can just hold this sleeping babe on my chest, feeling her breath softly and slowly rise and fall in my arms.
It’s also been THE most stunning week of autumnal weather – the leaves on the trees are just starting to turn, there’s zero humidity, the days are warm (but not too warm), and nights + mornings are deliciously chilly (but not too cold). We’re smack in the middle of a very small window of #peakfall weather, and I’m grateful that this year I have the time and space to soak it in before winter quickly descends.
PS – ICYMI, earlier this week I shared a post about how to grow garlic! Get the low-down on the different types of garlic and a step-by-step planting tutorial HERE.
PPS – This week’s recipe is a BEAUT… so keep reading to get the recipe for Maple Salmon with Butternut Squash & Lemon-Tahini Sauce.
PPPS – See below for even more recipes to eat like a farmer this week, plus I’m announcing the winner of our October paid subscriber giveaway. :)
CONGRATS Erica Hinchman, you’re the winner of our October giveaway, which is open each month to all my wonderful paid subscribers. :)
This month, I’m giving away a copy of one of my all-time favorite cookbooks, Dishing Up the Dirt by Andrea Bemis! Andrea is an Oregon-based farmer, cookbook author, mom of two, and all around badass, and her cookbook is one of the BEST guides for how to *really* eat like a farmer. Erica, I’ll be in touch directly to coordinate your cookbook delivery. :)
She’s quick, she’s colorful, she’s seasonal, and (bonus) she’s got minimal dishes to clean… she’s this week’s recipe, One-Pan Maple Salmon with Butternut Squash & Lemon-Tahini Sauce !
If you’ve been following along for a while, you know I love a good sheet pan dinner. This recipe is a new *fall fav* in our house, and it’s easy enough to whip up on a weeknight, but also feels special enough to serve at a dinner party.
PS – Don’t snooze on the lemon-tahini sauce! It’s a super simple ingredient sauce that packs a TON of flavor and kicks the whole dish up a notch… you may even want to double or triple the recipe so you can drizzle the sauce on anything and everything.
Happy cooking, good lookin!
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To get in on this deliciousness EVERY week, consider joining as a paid subscriber! You’ll also get access to my full recipe archive, gardening resource library, monthly giveaways, and you’ll be able to join our comment and chat sections.
One-Pan Maple Salmon with Butternut Squash & Lemon-Tahini Sauce
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
1 medium butternut squash (about 2lbs), peeled, seeded, and diced into 1/2” pieces (4-5 cups chopped) *make sure your pieces of squash aren’t cut too big, or else they will take too long to roast*
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 medium red onion, diced into 1” pieces
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
4 salmon filets (about 6 ounces each), skin on or off
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley
Lemon Tahini Sauce
¼ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
3 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
½ teaspoon kosher salt
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Combine the peeled and diced butternut squash, 1 can drained and rinsed chickpeas, 1 diced red onion on a rimmed baking sheet. Toss the vegetables directly on the baking sheet with 2 tablespoons olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Roast in the oven for 25 minutes, stirring everything halfway through cooking to ensure even roasting.
While the vegetables roast in the oven, make the salmon marinade. In a mason jar (or small bowl) combine the 2 remaining tablespoons of olive oil, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, 2 tablespoons whole grain mustard, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 1 minced garlic clove, and 1 teaspoon salt. Put a lid on the jar and shake vigorously until well emulsified (or if using a small bowl, just whisk everything together).
Take 4 salmon filets out of your fridge and place them in a bowl or 8x8 rimmed baking dish, then pour the marinade over the salmon. Set aside on your counter.
While the veggies are roasting, make the lemon tahini sauce – combine ¼ cup lemon juice, 3 tablespoons tahini, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 minced garlic clove, and ½ teaspoon kosher salt in a small bowl and whisk until smooth, taste and adjust seasoning as needed. For a thinner sauce, just add a bit of water until you get the consistency you’d like. A note that this sauce is on the punchy/lemony side, so if it’s too much acid for you, just add a bit more oil, tahini, or water to taste.
After the veggies have roasted for a total of 25 minutes, remove the baking sheet from the oven and scoot the veggies aside a bit to make room to nestle in the salmon filets onto the sheet pan (if skin is on, have the skin side facing down).
Return the baking sheet to the oven and roast for another 10-14 minutes, or until the salmon reaches 130°F internally. For more well done salmon, cook for a few extra minutes until internal temp is 145°F.
Serve the salmon alongside the roasted veggies, and top everything with a big handful of roughly chopped parsley and a hearty drizzle of the lemon tahini sauce before digging in.
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