Are you hosting a Fall/Halloween party and looking for some easy-peasy starter recipes? Here is a unique recipe made with fresh seasonal produce -Pan Grilled Apple and Butternut Squash with Pumpkin Spice. Yes, I am combining a fruit, veggie and a protein – paneer / Indian cottage cheese with pumpkin spice and paprika to make this delicious appetizer. This pan-grilled apple and butternut squash with pumpkin spice is a perfect appetizer for any party.
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #PrepSealSave #CollectiveBias
Check out how to make this delightful starter with step-wise pictures and also how to save the remaining paneer and butternut squash with FoodSaver® FM3941 Vacuum Sealing System and FoodSaver® Bags and Rolls Value Pack. And yeah and some food saving tips and weekend meal prep ideas.
Why do we need to save food?
Ok, before diving into the recipe, I wanted to talk about saving food. Wondering why? We know food is one of the three necessities of life. But guess what, food is the most wasted item too. Food is precious. We work hard and spend a lot of money on food so why to waste it? Let’s plan and use the food efficiently and smartly so that we can save money and in-turn protect the environment by reducing the food wastage.
Food Saving with FoodSaver® FM3941:
We buy groceries for a week but do we use it all? We throw when the veggies and fruits are not fresh. We throw the food when it is stale and not fresh. How to reduce that and how to keep the food fresh? FoodSaver® is the solution, and it is the number 1 Vacuum Sealing solution in the US.
FoodSaver® Vacuum Sealing System includes vacuum seal bags, vacuum zipper bags, and containers designed to work together with vacuum sealers for optimal performance. The system removes air from bags and creates an air-tight seal to lock in freshness and protect food from spoiling.
How does it work?
The built-in features help to preserve food in the freezer or refrigerator easily, and with a simple button press, you can easily save the meal.
To Make a FoodSaver® Bag and Vaccum Seal:
- Making and cutting bags is easy with dedicated roll storage and a built-in cutter.
- Turn the latch to the “Open” position and open the FoodSaver® lid.
- Then place the roll inside the allotted space. Pull enough bag material to the edge until it is on top of the sealing strip. Close the lid now.
- Move the latch to the “On” position. Power on the indicator light and the green light indicates that the unit is ready.
- Now press the seal button and it will turn red.
- Wait till it turns off and move the latch to open position and open the lid.
- Pull out enough bag and cut it using the cutter.
- Fill it with the veggies and leave about a 3-inch space between the contents and the open end.
- Place the open end of the bag into the vacuum channel and close the lid and seal it.
- Now remove the bag. Refrigerate or store as need.
- For vacuum seal, instead of pressing the seal button press the vacuum seal and cut it.
Isn’t that easy? No more food wastage. For more ideas, check out their Facebook Page or Instagram Page.
Save! Save! Save!
Guess what, the FoodSaver® FM3941 Vacuum Sealing System and FoodSaver® Bags and Rolls Value Pack are now available at Costco – my favorite go-to retailer.
With your Costco membership, the FM3941 Vacuum Sealing System will be $40 OFF, and FoodSaver® Bags and Rolls Value Pack will be $10 OFF in November. These FoodSaver® Bags and Rolls Value Packs are best for long-term freezer storage, blocking out air and helping to prevent freezer burn.
Benefits of FoodSaver®:
Save Food:
FoodSaver® keeps food fresh up to 5X longer than the ordinary storage methods. I chop all my veggies for the week during the weekends. Earlier I was storing in containers, and toward the weekend they always lose the freshness. But now with FoodSaver®, I don’t have that issue. I chop and store them in the FoodSaver® vacuum seal bags and don’t worry about the freshness.
Save Money:
I always worry about food preservation and hesitate to buy food in bulk. Every time I see that huge paneer pack in COSTCO, I always wanted to grab but storing after opening was a big concern and I avoid it even though I know I can save money by buying that bulk pack. Now with FoodSaver®, I don’t need to worry about it, and I can happily get food in bulk and save. You can now keep your leftovers and seal its freshness and don’t worry about wasting it. Take, for example, this recipe where I am using paneer and butternut squash; I can use only the required amount for the recipe and store the remaining without any worry. Or I can marinate and save for later use, or I can make it in bulk and use it later.
Save Time:
Chopping vegetables and making some sauces/chutney over the weekend will definitely help during the busy weekdays. I make pasta sauces; rice mixes so that I can pack our lunch without any stress during the weekdays. I need to make sure I store them properly in air-tight containers. Thanks to FoodSaver® vacuum seal bags, it is now a breeze.
Now without any further delay, here is the recipe.
Detailed Pan Grilled Apple and Butternut Squash with Pumpkin Spice Recipe with Step-Wise Pictures:
Ingredients:
- Apple cubes – 10
- Butternut Squash cubes – 10
- Paneer / Indian Cottage Cheese cubes – 10
- Paprika – ½ tsp
- Pumpkin Spice – ¼ tsp
- Salt – ½ tsp
- Oil – ½ tbsp + ½ tbsp
Prep-Wok:
- Chop the apples, butternut squash, and paneer into small cubes like below.
- Check how to save and store the remaining using the foodsaver above.
Steps:
- Take the apple, butternut squash and paneer cubes in a mixing bowl.
- Add in ½ tbsp oil, paprika, salt, and pumpkin spice.
- Toss/mix them thoroughly and make sure the spices are evenly coated.
- Now take one 4-inch bamboo skewer and insert one butternut squash cube, paneer cube, and apple cube in any order you prefer.
- In the same order insert all of them in the skewers. You should have ten now.
- Heat a grill pan and add the ½ tbsp oil.
- When the pan is hot, place the skewers carefully on the pan.
- Grill them over medium heat for 12 minutes turning the sides every three minutes.
- That’s it. The pan-grilled apple and butternut squash starter is ready.
- Serve warm with your favorite sauce.
Recipe Notes:
- You can bake/roast the produce in the oven too and also pan grill them first and insert it into the skewers. You can make it in your preferred way.
- Please check the post for how to prep and store the veggies well ahead.
- Instead of paprika + pumpkin spice, you can use spices of your choice like zaatar, Indian chaat masala or just paprika.
- Adjust the spice and salt measure according to your preference.
More Fall Recipes From my Archives:
- Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
- Butternut Squash Soup with Coconut Milk
- Eggless Pumpkin Cupcakes
- Pumpkin Pie Spiced Date and Nut Balls
- Eggless Pumpkin Cookies
📖 Recipe
Pan Grilled Apple and Butternut Squash with Pumpkin Spice
Ingredients
Instructions
Prep-Wok:
- Chop the apples, butternut squash, and paneer into small cubes like below.
- Check how to save and store the remaining using foodsaver above.
Steps:
- Take the apple, butternut squash and paneer cubes in a mixing bowl.
- Add in ½ tbsp oil, paprika, salt, and pumpkin spice.
- Toss/mix them thoroughly and make sure the spices are evenly coated.
- Now take one 4-inch bamboo skewer and insert one butternut squash cube, paneer cube, and apple cube in any order you prefer.
- In the same order insert all of them in the skewers. You should have ten now.
- Heat a grill pan and add the ½ tbsp oil.
- When the pan is hot, place the skewers carefully on the pan.
- Grill them over medium heat for 12 minutes turning the sides for every three minutes.
- That's it. The pan grilled apple and butternut squash starter is ready.
- Serve warm with your favorite sauce.
Notes
- You can bake/roast the produce in the oven too and also pan grill them first and insert into the skewers. You can make it in your preferred way.
- Please check the post for how to prep and store the veggies well ahead. Instead of paprika + pumpkin spice, you can use spices of your choice like zaatar, Indian chaat masala or just paprika.
- Adjust the spice and salt measure according to your preference.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.
Is the Foodsaver bag recyclable?
Unfortunately no. :-(