In my recipe index, you’ll find foods that most people buy processed and packaged today: crackers, bread, broths, nut milk, hummus, ginger beer, yogurt, ketchup, vinegar, tahini, pickles, pickled peppers, pasta—those difficult-to-find foods for anyone trying to reduce their plastic footprint.
I also include many recipes for ingredients that would otherwise go to waste—scrap vinegar made from fruit peels and cores, candied citrus peels, watermelon rind pickles, vegetable broth from bits and pieces left over from food prep, fried potato peels, various baked goods made from unfed sourdough starter…you get the idea.
So I don’t usually post recipes for something like a vegetable side dish. You can cook that without waste easily enough—buy some loose vegetables to roast, steam, toss in a salad…
In this post, however, I want to prove Julia Child’s point. To cook delicious food:
You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces—just good food from fresh ingredients.
Max and Jeremy of Chasing Tomorrow, two delightful French documentary film makers focused on sustainability, came shopping with me yesterday at the farmers market in Palo Alto. The duo travel the globe to—in their words—“document the pioneers shaping the world, for our tomorrow.” Check out their YouTube channel here. They do incredible work.

After we shopped, we headed to my place where they interviewed me (does this make me a pioneer?), snacked on kimchi, ate sourdough bread (we polished it off), sampled kombucha, and drank mead. I don’t like to brag, but French people raved about my food. Jeremy said he could eat my bread all day long and Max said my mead was the best drink he’d ever tasted (!).

After the interview, Max and Jeremy prepped and roasted the small honey nut squash we picked out at the market—this week’s new-to-me food (every week I look for one).

The squash tasted fabulous—caramelized with an intensified flavor, chewy on the outside and soft and creamy on the inside. I made more last night using a small butternut squash and MY DAUGHTER C ATE IT! She loathes squash.
As a baby, my daughter MK turned orange from eating so many carotene-rich foods like squash, sweet potatoes and carrots. I love this dish so much, I think the same thing might happen to me.
Roasted Squash with Garlic, Thyme and Cumin
Ingredients
- 2 small honey nut or butternut squash (about 1 pound each)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
- Salt to taste
Directions
1. Peel the squash and cut lengthwise into slices a scant 1/4 inch thick. Remove the seeds. Arrange the slices in a single layer in a glass baking dish.
2. Drizzle with the olive oil. Flip the slices over to evenly coat by swirling them around in the oil. Flip over to evenly coat the other side.
3. Sprinkle on the finely chopped garlic, thyme, cumin seeds and salt.
4. Roast at 350ºF for about 40 minutes or until browned and tender.
To cook delicious food, you also don’t have to be French. But it can’t hurt 😉
Bon appétit!
The squash sounds great, and this line cracked me up: “French people raved about my food”. Good for you!
Hahaha. Thank you, Donnalee. I took it as a huge compliment! ~ Anne Marie
That roasted squash really does look like it would melt in your mouth! Yum! We love roasted veggies in our house. We bake them twice a week and keep them in the fridge to quickly add to work lunches in the morning.
Hi Lisa, It did melt in my mouth! That’s really smart to have roasted vegetables on hand for lunches. Saves time and tastes delicious. ~ Anne Marie
That looks really yummy……you’ve inspired me to add squash to my next grocery list! Great post!
Great! It’s so simple and yet so tasty. Enjoy!
I did something to this idea for dinner last week then with the leftovers made wraps of roast veg and hummus in a tortilla reheated in a sandwich press. So good it has now gone into rotation as a dinner meal. As I am doing it again tonight I think I will add some cumin seeds with the thyme (did Rosemary last time) and see how it goes. I often am finding that simple side dishes are turning into winning main meals.
:O That sounds delicious! And so healthy. I cook this way now too. I look at what I have and that determines dinner, rather than searching for recipes and shopping for a bunch of new ingredients. Saves money and prevents food waste.
I think you should feel proud to be a pioneer. I feel proud to be following a pioneer! Great job and thanks for leading the way. Can’t wait for the documentary.
Thank you so much Kristi Alison 🙂 I will post a link to the interview when it’s up. It will be a few months and includes several zero waste blogger types. ~ Anne Marie
I love butternut, but how do you successfully slice it to 1/4 inch? Sharp knife and nerves of steel?