Squashed...

I made Roasted Acorn Squash with Squash Risotto last night, it's a recipe I found in the Whole Foods recipe database (actually, I have the WF Recipe app on my phone). I love the Whole Foods recipe database, you should check it out http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/advanced-search.php You can find all kinds of recipes, for all kinds of occasions and dietary preferences. Here is the recipe from last night...

ROASTED ACORN SQUASH WITH SQUASH RISOTTO

• 4 acorn squash
• 3 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Salt to taste
• 6 cups water or gluten-free vegetable broth
• 1 cup finely chopped leeks
• 2 1/2 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash
• 2 cups uncooked Arborio rice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon finely chopped sage, divided
• 2/3 cup pine nuts
• 1/2 teaspoon finely chopped thyme

Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut each acorn squash lengthwise in half (from tip to stem) then scoop out and discard any seeds and stringy flesh. Brush insides of acorn squash with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the oil and season with salt. Place acorn squash, cut side down, in a baking pan and roast until tender but still firm, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, start the risotto by bringing the broth just to a simmer in a small pot over medium high heat. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a heavy 3-quart pot over medium heat. Add leeks and cook, stirring often, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add butternut squash and cook for 3 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until grains are fragrant. Add wine and stir constantly until almost completely absorbed, about 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of the hot broth to rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is almost completely absorbed. Continue adding broth, 1/2 cup at a time, making sure that most of the liquid is absorbed before adding more. Continue until rice is almost tender, but still firm to the bite, about 20 to 25 minutes total. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the sage and season with salt.

Meanwhile, put pine nuts into a food processor and pulse until coarsely ground. Stir in thyme, remaining 1/2 teaspoon sage and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Set aside. When acorn squash is cooked, remove from oven. Reduce heat to 300°F. Carefully turn squash over and fill each cavity with about 1/2 cup of the risotto. Gently press about 2 tablespoons of the pine nut mixture on top of the risotto in each squash half. Return squash to oven and bake until topping begins to brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer to plates and serve.

I have to admit I was a little nervous at the thought of making this recipe, I get like that when I'm about to try something new. I mean, what if I don't like acorn squash? But it turned out great, very tasty...also, I left out the pine nuts, but used the herbs. This would be a great vegetarian alternative for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. Here's the nutritional values (values include pine nuts)...

Per serving: 330 calories (130 from fat), 14g total fat, 1.5g saturated fat, 6g protein, 48g total carbohydrate (7g dietary fiber, 9g sugar), 0mg cholesterol, 430mg sodium

P.S...I now know I like acorn squash!

In the Navy.....

Last night for dinner I made Navy Bean soup and Corn Muffins...such a simple meal, but so good and filling...not to mention healthy! Here's the recipe for the vegan version, whatever you do don't leave the ketchup out! Its's the secret ingredient and adds lots of FLAVOR...for those of you who eat meat use real ham instead of my vegan replacement. The muffins are vegan too...if you want you can use 2 eggs in place of the 1/2 cup of soy yogurt. Enjoy!

Navy Bean Soup

• 1 lb. of navy beans, rinsed and soaked over night
• 2 cups chopped carrots
• 2 cups chopped celery, I only use organic celery...only because I can taste the chemicals in conventionally grown celery
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 4 cups broth, I used No-Chicken Broth
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• salt
• pepper
• garlic powder
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 cups water
• 1 package Yves Meatless Canadian Bacon, chopped

Place all ingredients in crock pot, still well to mix and cover. Cook on high 4 hours, and then reduce to low heat and cook an additional 4 hours.



Dairy-Free Corn Bread

• 1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 6 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups plain soy milk or rice milk
• 1/2 cup Plain soy yogurt
• 1/2 cup corn oil

Preheat oven to 400°F. Oil a (9-inch) square baking pan or muffin pan and set it aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a second large bowl, whisk together soy milk, yogurt and oil. Add milk mixture to cornmeal mixture and stir until just combined.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes (15 minutes for muffins).

Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater....

I'm a BIG fan of pumpkin. It's so versatile and can be used in both sweet and savory recipes. This (sweet) recipe is one of the best I've ever made...the muffins are moist, dense and full of flavor. The crumb-cake topping is actually from another recipe but goes so well with these that I add it to the top of the muffins right before baking! The smell coming from my kitchen is one of fall, warmth and comfort! Enjoy!

Pumpkin Crumb-Cake Muffins

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground or freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 cup pureed pumpkin (Fresh or from a can; do not use pumpkin pie mix)
• 1/2 cup soy milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons molasses

For topping:

• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 t ground cinnamon
• 1/4 t ground allspice
• Pinch of salt
• 3 T canola or olive oil

Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a twelve-muffin tin.

Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices. In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin, soy milk, oil, and molasses. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix.

Prepare the topping by mixing all the dry topping ingredients together in a small bowl. Drizzle the oil while mixing with your fingertips until crumbs form. Set aside.

Fill the muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick or knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

It's October....

I love October. It's my favorite month...my birthday, Halloween, Vegan MoFo(http://www.veganmofo.com/), fall, pumpkins, my birthday (did I already say that?). See! A lot of things to be happy about!! This weeks recipe is Sweet & Spicy Green Beans. Which is my version of P.F. Chang's Spicy Green Beans.

Here's the recipe....
1 lb French Beans (or regular green beans if you can't find French beans)
1 TBSP olive oil
1 TBSP honey
1 TBSP soy sauce
1 TBSP chili pepper flakes (you can determine your spice level by adding more or less)

1 TBSP fresh, minced garlic
1/2 TBSP fresh, grated ginger

Submerge french beans in pot of boiling water for about 5 minutes, and then shock in a cold water bath to stop cooking process. Mix the remaining ingredients in a bowl and whisk to blend. Heat a frying pan over high heat. Add french beans, saute for a minute to reheat and then whisk in sauce. Stir to coat and let cook about 5 more minutes to allow honey to caramelize. Serve with white or brown rice. I usually eat mine as a main dish, but they make an excellent side dish too.

Also check out the Vegan MoFo site...lots of great recipes for Meatless Monday's!

Yum....

The title is brief. The food is simple. An old recipe with a new twist. Broccoli "Beef" Stir-fry (this is the old part) with Peanut Sauce (that's the new part).



I recently bought a bag of partially defatted peanut flour at Trader Joe's.

It's been sitting on my kitchen counter waiting to be used. I had no idea what to do with it until last nights meal. I was already making Broccoli "Beef", so I thought a peanut sauce could only make it taste better...and I have the bag of peanut flour, what's the worst that could happen??? Ummmmmmmmm, how about I LOVE it and now I want more? It was as simple as taking a 1/4 cup of the flour, mixing it with some soy sauce, chili pepper flakes, vinegar and a little bit of water to thin it out. Make your Broccoli Beef as you normally would (mine is simple...broccoli, onion and Gardein Beef-Less Tips). Cook the broccoli, onions, beef and whatever else you feel like adding. When the broccoli beef is almost done cooking pour the peanut sauce over everything, cover and cook for 5 more minutes. Stir to mix well and serve over rice, garnish with some peanuts for fun. It was really good, the only down side is that I hear Trader Joe's is discontinuing carrying peanut flour. Which means I will have to stock up, and you should run out and buy some too before it's all gone!

Rise and Shine....

This is not one of my new recipe blogs, this is bonus for all of you...Janet and Elizabeth (HA!), who actually read the blog! I thought I'd just share with you one of my breakfast favorites...Tofu Scramble. The one I'm going to share with you today I call Tofu Rancheros, because it has a little bit of a Mexican flair to it (meaning; it's really good with tortillas, Pico de Gallo and avocado slices). I prefer to make mine with extra firm tofu because I like the texture of it better than the softer versions. I also like to buy organic tofu because then I know they did not use GMO-soybeans. (Want more info on GMO's??? Go here... http://www.saynotogmos.org/)



Next step is to get your frying pan out and saute some onions and bell pepper. I tend to use cooking spray instead of oil to cook with...that's just my preference though, feel free to use some good oil and saute your veggies.



When your onions and bell pepper are cooked till tender and the onions have released their juices, add crumbled tofu. Season with salt, pepper, chili powder, garlic powder and Turmeric. If you don't know anything about Turmeric check out this website... http://www.healthdiaries.com/eatthis/20-health-benefits-of-turmeric.html. It's one of those spices that have natural healing qualities, it's almost flavorless and makes everything a bright yellow color (it makes my tofu almost look like eggs!)



After you add the spices, stir everything up so that it gets all mixed together. Then add a couple spoonfuls of Pico de Gallo (without the liquid if possible, otherwise your scramble will be too wet). Cook for an additional 8-10 minutes to allow flavors to blend.



Serve with additional Pico de Gallo, warmed whole grain tortillas, and avocado slices (I didn't have an avocado at home when I made this, it was still good...but it would have been better with the avocado!)



This is just one of the millions of Tofu Scramble recipes out there, I have about 4 different ones that I make on a regular basis. Think of what kinds of things you like in an omelet, those are the items you could also put in a scramble. This is also the best way to try tofu out for the first time. It takes on all the flavors of what you are cooking it with and using extra firm makes the texture egg-like.

I'll be posting my new recipe later on this week, I'm making Spicy Black Bean Chili with Butternut Squash...I can hardly wait!

"We're gonna eat at a new restaurant, I can't pronounce the name but you're gonna love it..."

Last night we started our girls Thursday night Bible study back up after a month long break. I usually cook for the girls, but things have been a little crazy lately with my schedule and cooking was the last thing I really wanted to do. Instead we went to a little Vegetarian restaurant in my neighborhood that I have wanted to try for at least a year. The restaurant is run by Hindu's (or at least I think they are Hindu). The food was good and I will be going back again.

Jyoti-Bihanga is on Adams Ave in North Park. It's a little hole in the wall place, that doesn't really do much to draw you in other than it's a vegetarian restaurant. Here's what we ordered....


Hummos Dip (VEGAN)
Our fresh homemade hummos on a bed of lettuce served with cucumbers and grilled organic whole-wheat chapati slices.


Dinner Salad (VEGAN)
Lettuce, sprouts, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, and beets with your choice of salad dressing. My dinner came with a side salad, I got it with the Lemon Tahini dressing.


Shiva Wrap
Light and satisfying. Our Curry of the Day with lettuce, carrots, beets, sprouts and sweet apple chutney sauce. Becca got this menu item, she really liked it and said it tasted great!


Turkey Avocado Wrap
One of our favorites. Grilled soy turkey with avocado, cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion and mayo-tamari sauce. Toni, who chose not to be photographed, ordered this...she also enjoyed her wrap. (2 for 2!!)


Brahma Burrito
The ultimate vegetarian burrito: a tasty combination of refried black and pinto beans with jack cheese, brown rice, lettuce, guacamole, salsa, and a side of sour cream. This was Monica's dinner, she loved it...but it did require a knife and fork after it fell apart. It was huge, so if you're hungry this is the item to get.


Curry
Our "not too spicy" Indian curry of the day with brown rice, raita (yogurt, cucumber and spices), sweet apple chutney and organic whole wheat chapati bread. This was my dinner choice, the curry of the day was Saag "Chicken" Curry. It was really, really good...I would definitely order it again!


Apple Pie (VEGAN)
Still the best pie around! Fresh sliced Granny Smith apples with a little brown sugar in a whole wheat crust, baked in an enormous pie pan so the slices are big! I ordered this to go, because I was FULL. I ended up giving it to the girls to give to their mom, she's been sick and I'm pretty sure apple pie cures the flu!!

All around we all enjoyed our meal and will go back again. There are a ton more items I want to try. Here is the link for the website, check it out and then go! http://www.jyotibihanga.com/index.htm . The menu descriptions come from the menu on the website. Until next week!