Have you ever found yourself with too much of a good thing? Recently I found myself with two huge butternut squashes. Since I wasn't ready to use them, my DOH, Tom, peeled and cubed them for me. Laying them in a single layer on two large cookie sheets and freezing them for a day or two netted me two large ZipLoc bags of ready to cook yumminess!

We supplement our dog's dry food with homemade goodness and butternut squash is perfect! So, I hear you asking what in the heck will we do with two gallons of butternut squash?
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• Some ideas for frozen butternut squash
• Butternut Squash Soup from Food and Wine magazine
• Butternut Squash Vegetable Soup from All Recipes
• Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Soup by Gimme Me Some Oven

​First, what is it? Wikipedia says, "Kimchi, a staple in Korean cuisine, is a traditional side dish of salted and fermented vegetables, such as napa cabbage and Korean radish, made with a widely varying selection of seasonings including gochugaru, spring onions, garlic, ginger, and jeotgal, etc. It is also used in a variety of soups."
It can be seriously spicy or mild depending on what you choose to purchase. I'm a wimp so I opted for the most mild I could find. I tried it as it is and I knew instantly that wasn't going to work for me! Yuk! I kept telling myself 'it's good for, it's good for you' ... yeah well, I didn't care. But, fermented foods, like kimchi, are great for the gut! I started looking for recipes I felt I could enjoy. I started with Kimchi Fried Rice and I'll have to admit, it was yummy!

Kimchi Fried Rice
​Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ​½ small onion, medium diced
• 1 cup roughly chopped kimchi (6 ounces)
• 2 tablespoons kimchi juice, or to taste
• ½ cup small-dice Spam, ham or leftover cooked meat (I used leftover pork)
• 2 cups cooked, cooled rice (preferably short-grain)
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil, or to taste
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
•  Salt to taste
• Crumbled or slivered nori (roasted seaweed) for garnish
• Sesame seeds for garnish

Directions

1. In a nonstick sauté pan or well-seasoned cast-iron skillet, melt butter over medium-low heat, and add onions. Cook, stirring, until the onions start to sizzle, about 2 minutes. Add kimchi and kimchi juice, and stir until it comes to a boil, about 3 minutes. Add Spam, and cook until sauce is nearly dried out, about 5 minutes.
2. Break up the rice in the pan with a spatula, and stir it to incorporate. Turn heat to medium. Cook, stirring, until the rice has absorbed the sauce and is very hot, about 5 minutes. Stir in soy sauce and sesame oil. Taste, and adjust with more soy sauce, sesame oil or kimchi juice. Turn heat down slightly, but let the rice continue to cook, untouched, to lightly brown while you cook the eggs.
3. Place a small nonstick sauté pan over medium heat, and add the vegetable oil. When it is hot, add eggs, season with salt and fry to your desired doneness. Serve rice topped with fried eggs, nori and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.

So, what's the big deal about eating anti-inflammatory foods? Well, apparently chronic inflammation has been linked to cancer, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, depression, and Alzheimer's. Yuk! 

But, I love hamburgers on a bun with a few potato chips? Am I doomed to never enjoy a burger again? I think not. However, I do believe moderation is key.

So, will a burger kill me? Maybe eventually, but I believe it you surround yourself with plenty of ANTI-inflammatory foods (see list below), a burger now and then won't hurt. What do you think?

Here's a list of anti-inflammatory foods to eat in abundance!

• Leafy greens ... you know like arugula, spinach, kale
• Berries - all kinds!
• Cherries
• Grapes
• Apples
• Pears
• Tomatoes (I pop a couple cherry tomatoes throughout the day)
• Peppers
• Zucchini
• Beets
• Onions
• Shallots
• Spring Onions
• Beans - all kinds (if you buy dried and cook your own, even better)
• Lentils
• Chickpeas
• Quinoa
  
• Rice - experiment with wild rice, brown rice, etc.
  
• Oats
• Nuts and Seeds - all kinds!
• Avocados
• Coconut - no sugar, please)
• Olives - woohoo ... black, green, Greek ... experiment!
• Dark Chocolate - an acquired taste for some but I love 97% cacao
• Fish - look for those high in Omega-3 like salmon, swordfish, mackeral, etc.
• Seafood
• Poultry
• Pork
• Herbs and spices - turmeric, cinnamon, nutmeg, cayenne

Sounds pretty easy, right? OK, so here is your no-no list ... if you must, seriously limit ...

• Processed meat
• Red meat
• Sugar
• Trans Fats
• Bread
• Pasta
• Vegetable Oil
• Processed Snacks and Desserts
• Carbs
• Alcohol