Spaghetti Squash Gratin

Chilled to the bone. You midwesterners might call me sissy, but it's been c-c-c-cold down here. Which isn't a bad thing, because I love my warm clothes. And the only real cure for chilly weather and a downstairs without heating vents is something warm, soft and scoopable. Yep. Scoopable. The scooping is pivotal to the warming process.

Lately, I've come to adore spaghetti squash. I wrote a post long ago regarding my dismay at the hulabaloo around spaghetti squash, failing to find anything special about the stringy stuff. But for some reason, the fall of 2011 was the beginning of a magical season for me and the big yellow guy. An interest in getting away from too many grains and cooking with more of a variety of starches has been good for our relationship. We've grown. We're tight. With few calories and more nutrition, it's now my preference to actual spaghetti. I usually eat it al dente with all the same toppings you'd put on noodles.

That is, until I ordered a side of spaghetti squash at the local eatery across the street. While I typically like all veggies a little crisp (wth the exception of potatoes, duh), I realized how much I seriously undercook spaghetti squash. This lovely, soft, pillowy version of a squash I thought I had come to know gave me the ah-hah moment. This is why people love it so much. Buttery, smooth comfort. So with 1.25 spaghetti squash lying around, 1.5 cans of diced tomatoes, and about .25 bags of chickpea flour in the kitch, I curse the 56 degrees outside and set out to make myself a scoopalicious comfort good. Gratin.

I found one recipe that matched my mood for warm and scoopy with a nice tomato sauce, but of course it calls for a lot of cheese. Naturally my random mind came to a brilliant alternative - how about a socca on top? Since I'm so good at posting hyperlinks today, I also wrote a recipe for socca a while back. It's like a pancake made out of chickpeas. Yum. So instead of ricotta on top, I added a good amount of plant protein with a chickpea flour batter. It baked nicely in the oven and added an extra creaminess that made this perfect. Enjoy on a cold evening complete with red wine and more red wine.

Spaghetti Squash Gratin
Makes: 3-4 servings
Total cook time: 2 hours

Ingredients

1 medium spaghetti squash

2 tsp. olive or coconut oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 heaping tsp. basil
1 heaping tsp. oregano
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
2 14oz cans of diced tomatoes, in juice
Salt and pepper to taste

3/4 c. chickpea flour
3/4 c. almond milk
1 T. nutritional yeast
1 T. cornstarch
Salt and pepper to taste
Pinch of nutmeg and white pepper

3/4 c. shredded vegan cheese, such as Daiya or Kase (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 450*F. Fill a large roasting pan with 1/2" of water.

Cut squash in 2 or 4 pieces and scoop out the seeds. Place squash flesh side down in roasting pan and cover with aluminum foil. Roast in oven for 40 minutes or until very tender.

While the squash is cooking, prepare the tomato sauce. Heat oil over medium-low heat and cook garlic slowly until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes (being careful not to burn). Add herbs and crushed red pepper. Stir for another 30 seconds and add tomatoes, salt and pepper. Increase heat to medium high and bring sauce to a low boil. Reduce heat to medium and cover. Simmer sauce for 20 minutes or until the "canned-ness" is cooked out of the tomatoes (alternatively, you could make your own fresh tomato sauce instead of being a bum like me).

While the sauce simmers, prepare the socca batter. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside to rest. At this point you should be able to return to the baking squash. Remove from the oven when tender and reduce temperature to 375*F.

Using a spoon, lift the squash flesh away from the skin (sounds gross like a freshman year biology class). Season with salt and pepper to taste and tranfer to a casserole dish. Layer the bottom completely with squash and cover with tomato sauce. Sprinkle half of the cheese over the sauce (if using) and cover evenly with batter. Sprinkel remaining cheese on top and bake for 45-55 minutes, or until socca has set and browned on top.

Let cool 10 minutes before serving (we both burned our tongues getting a little antsy).

Roasted Broccoli with Tahini Sauce over Curried Squash

Somewhere amidst traveling, working full time, running, yoga and happy hour, I’ve lost the desire to stand in the kitchen for hours to impress…myself. I used to concoct these complicated displays with a bagillion ingredients, always making homemade seitan or soysage, whipping up my own Worcestershire sauce, etc. Has reality finally sunk in? Do I really have no time or energy to cook? No, it’s not quite that extreme. But I am understanding better and better the people who tell me they just don’t have the time or the know-how to do what I do.

Well neither do I right now. Ok, ok, I have the know-how. But that’s why I write this little ditty. For you. To impart how easy it is to truly concoct something incredible with just a few things on hand in about a half hour that will appeal to any veg hater out there. This is a beautifully simple dish.  If you look at the 3 components separately, nothing requires more than 5 ingredients.  Do the math people! Sorry, I’ve been watching a lot of Numbers on Netflix. But seriously, you absolutely have time for this.

This recipe is based on one I found on Vegetarian Times. I adjusted the Tahini Sauce to my taste and deviated quite a bit from the bulgur nonsense. I like my version, and so did my token omnivore, which (as you know) is always the final test to determine the final fate of my crazy kitchen madness. “Mmmmmm”s all around. If you need a little protein boost, this would go great with falafel or just some mashed chickpeas mixed right into that squash. Ok it’s go time - start preheating that oven (toaster oven will do for those of you who live in stupidly extreme climates like me).

Roasted Broccoli with Tahini Sauce over Curried Squash
Makes: 2-4 servings
Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

For the Broccoli

1 broccoli crown/stalk, cut into small flowerets (about 3 cups)

1/2 - 1 T. olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

For the Squash

1 small acorn squash, halved and seeded

1 T. veggie broth

1 tsp. curry powder

1/4 tsp garam masala

1 T. dried currants

Salt to taste

For the Tahini Sauce

1 T. tahini

1 T. lemon juice (about 1 whole small lemon)

1 small garlic clove, finely minced

1 T. veggie broth

Directions

Preheat oven to 450F.

In a medium bowl, drizzle broccoli with olive oil and coat generously with salt and pepper. Spread evenly over a foil lined pan and roast until browned and crispy around edges, about 25 minutes. Remove and set aside.

While the broccoli is cooking, place the squash flesh side down in a microwave safe dish about 2-3 inches in depth. Fill dish up to 1 inch with water and cover. Microwave on high for 7-10 minutes or until completely tender. Remove from pan and set aside until cool enough to handle. Scoop/scrape flesh from the peel into a mixing bowl. Add broth and mash the sqaush with curry powder and garam masala. Fold in currants and set aside (cover to keep warm).

Finally prepare the sauce, combin tahini and lemon juice into a small bowl. Whisk vigorously until tahini separates and then smooths out to a creamy texture (stick with me here, the tahini will "fall apart" in the lemon juice all oil-on-water like but after about a minute or so, it will start to thicken and will become very creamy). Add garlic and broth to sauce. Season with salt to taste.

To assmeble: pile up a huge mound of squash on a plate. Top with broccoli and drizze with sauce. Delish!

Petite Stuffed Patty Pan Squash

The aesthetics, the sheer beauty, the intrigue of many a mysterious vegetable have motivated me to try an abundance of unknown produce. Example: Patty pan squash. After being on vacation for a week and diving head first into the farmer's market, I was dazzled by how many new veggies had appeared while I was our of the country (frolicking in the meadows of a castle in Tuscany for my beautiful sister and her husband's wedding mind you). I of course went overboard with all of the new beautiful choices. Despite having to travel for work and moving into a new abode this next week, I still bought a whole fridge full of veggies!

Patty pan squash - these things are positively adorable. There aren't many vegetables that can be classified in that category, though any baby version of a bigger bulb like baby artichokes are definitely more appealing to me. Fiddleheads, those are in the cute category. Though the exterior of patty pans suggest they have something interesting going on inside, they taste very much like any old summer squash. What makes them special is how fun they are to play with. Nature itself built into each little tulip of a squash a serving platter with which you can fill glorious flavors and textures. Well, semi-built-in. You do have to perform a little manual work to get them to serve as cups, but you simply have to parboil them for a few minutes and scoop out the center. Easier than you think.

So after browsing a few recipes, I decided to just go with what was in my kitchen. With a 3-day-old rock hard baguette, I whipped up a very taste batch of homemade bread crumbs. If you have some good, stale bread, I recommend chopping it, toasting it (if needed) and running those crusty carbs through a food processor for a minute or two. Voila! Homemade bread crumbs that are far superior to store bought. If you do use store bought crumbs, use panko - it's crunchier. Add any seasonings or herbs you'd like. Next time I make this, I'll probably add a few tablespoons of walnuts. But I have to admit the bacon bits were perfect. Served on top a bed of blanched spinach with a pinch of sea salt...Delicioso!

Stuffed Patty Pan Squash
Makes: 6-8 squash
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes 

Ingredients

6-8 medium patty pan squash
2 T. Earth Balance, divided
2 T. red onion or shallot, minced
1 T. garlic, minced (2-3 large cloves)
1/4 c. bread crumbs, homemade
1 T. meatless bacon bits
1/4 tsp. rosemary
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1 T. nutritional yeast (or parmesan for you omnivores that probably don't have nooch in the cupboard)
Fresh ground pepper
Spinach for serving
Directions

Fill a deep skillet or large shallow pot with 2 inches of water, heat over high heat and lay whole squash in pan, stem side up. When water is boiling, lower heat to medium and simmer squash about 5 minutes or until just tender. Remove from heat, drain and set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 400F. Set aside a muffin tin to hold the squash.

When squash are cool enough to handle, cut a circle around the top stem with a pairing knife. Using a spoon, scoop out the stem and any flesh with seeds from the center. Set aside and mince to use for the filling. Repeat with all remaining squash. Place prepared squash in muffin tin and make filling.

In a large skillet, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of Earth Balance over medium heat. When butter has melted, add minced onion and garlic. Cook on medium heat 3-4 minutes or until vegetables are becoming golden (but be careful not to burn). Add minced squash flesh and cook another 2-3 minute. Add remaining Earth Balance, breadcrumbs, bacon bits, rosemary and salt. Cook, stirringly constantly, until breadcrumbs are golden brown. Finally, add nutritional yeast, stirring to combine, and remove from heat. Set aside in a small mixing bowl.

Fill each squash to the brim with breadcrumb filling. Bake in oven for 15-20 minute or until tops are browned. Remove and serve!

Roasted Kabocha Rolls with Teriyaki

I know, I know - what is it with these oddball vegetable recipes being posted lately? Celery root, kabo-what? This is a venture, people. You will see things that are hard to pronounce. The need to cook kabocha arose from sheer curiousity. I had heard of kabocha squash. I had seen it. I knew it was Japanese. That was the extent of my familiarity with kabocha. I had never tasted it (or so I thought), but it comes up from time to time in publications that highlight seasonal cooking and other cooking magazine articles featuring another funny named, mysterious produce stranger. Strolling through the food store, kabocha caught my eye. It was time to see for myself. Of course when it came time to slice it open, I couldn't find much inspiration from the kabocha void online. Many recipes called for butternut or kabocha, but very few that made kabocha seem like it contributes something special...so does it taste the same as every other orange globe? I started to get the feeling that the void was simply because this tastes exactly like your average winter squarsh.


Wrong! Well ok, it has to taste similar otherwise it couldn't be a winter squash. Though I "thought" I had never tasted it,  I hadn't realized in what context I had met kabocha prior to this discovery. Have you ever ordered tempura at a Janapese eatery, taken a huge bite of the orange half-moon shaped piece and thought, "hmmmm, kinda tastes familiar but I'm not sure what it is?" - It's kabocha. A lovely, lovely winter squash that is sweet, silky, starchy and full of indulgence. How has it taken me so long to suck it up and buy one? The name alone is enticing, and now that I'm familiar with the taste, I'm hooked. As I mentioned earlier, there was a shortage of recipes available that could give me some direction as to how to incorporate kabocha into a meal, so I went with the classic roasting approach. This is how I test almost all new foods because there is something about a hot air bath at 450F that brings out the true character of any food.


How I came up with rolling these in chard is a long, internal and not entirely logical thought process. Without elaborating on the actual idea, these were spectacular. Because picking at food before a meal is done runs in my blood, I of course tasted the squash right right out of the oven. I had to physically recover from the sheer pleasure of kabocha mouth - sounds like a contagious disease, but I promise it's nothing of the sort. Though this will be contagious. Wrapped in chard,  the edgy green onions and burst of cilantro gave it added punch and good contrast. The avocado was just a "duh" kind of ingredient. Can't explain it.

Roasted Kabocha Rolls with Teriyaki
Makes 4-5 servings

Prep time: 45 minutes

Ingredients 

For the squash
1 small kabocha squash (about 1.5 lbs) seeded, cut into wedges and peeled
1 T. olive oil
pinch of salt

For the teriyaki
1/2 c. soy sauce or tamari
1/4 c. water
4 T. fresh ginger, minced and divided
3 T. vegan or raw sugar
1 T. arrowroot powder or corn starch

For the rolls
1 bunch swiss chard, stems removed with whole leaves in tact
1-2 avocado, diced
4-6 green onions, thinly slice
1/2 c. fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 450F.

Brush olive oil onto each slice of squash, sprinkle with salt and lay onto a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Bake in oven for 15 minutes. Flip pieces over and roast an additional 15 minutes or until squash is brown and tender. Remove and set aside.

Meanwhile, prepare the teriyaki sauce. Combine soy sauce/tamari, water, 3 tablespoons of ginger and sugar in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil and cook 5-7 minute or until reduce by 1/3 to 1/2. Mix arrowroot or cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water and mix into sauce. Heat until desired thickness is reached (be careful with arrowroot as it overcooks very easily and will become gloppy if it cooks too long). Remove from heat and set aside.

To assemble, line of leaves so that the seams where the stem was removed now overlap. Place 2 slices of squash in the center, top with a tablespoon of avocado, a pinch of green onions and another pinch of cilantro. Drizzle the filling with as much teriyaki as desired. Starting from one end of the leaf, roll edge over filling and continue to roll until opposite end is reached.

If you're not a pro at rolling chard leaves, it might look sloppy but it will taste lovely!

Spaghetti Squash Primavera

Squash, squash, squash. I love squash. All kinds, all colors, all textures. But I must admit I’ve always wondered what is so special about spaghetti squash that makes people love it so much. The stringy flesh is fun – I get that. But the texture never fully softens like some of the more tender squashes, and the taste isn’t sweet or light like other types. It’s almost bitter with a borderline tasteless flavor. Perhaps I am just not skilled at selecting spaghetti squash. I’ve just never fallen for it as a varietal.

Nevertheless, I purchased one as part of a detox plan and was entirely committed to eating it. I mustered and searched for some crazy, fun idea for how to prepare the stringy structure, but my contemplative quest was fruitless. I stumbled across a vast array of side dish recipes that mainly mix spaghetti squash with herbs or garlic. Nothing stood out as a potential show stopper. It wasn’t until I started delving into pasta ideas that I saw the word “primavera.” Eureka!

Primavera is so easy that it feels weird to even write down a recipe for it. For anyone that has had any exposure to cooking, pasta primavera is about as basic as it gets. It certainly doesn’t seem like it should get special props, but I was amazed by the satisfaction from these simple, fresh flavors and so very please with how they took to spaghetti squash. First you take fresh veggies and garlic, then you splash 'em with a little white wine, and top it off with fresh herbs. You can mix up the veggies and the herbs to your liking - this is a highly customizable dish. Just don't cook the veggies too long, al dente is best here. And always throw the herbs in at the end when you've taken the dish off heat, it keeps their flavors bright and vibrant.

This recipe mad a heaping portion for 2 and as I licked the bottom of my plate, I felt more than satisfied. I felt accomplished! That’s the wonderful thing about primavera. It’s so little work with such fabulous results. You can certainly substitute the squash here for actual pasta, but I would highly recommend going for the squashventure.

Spaghetti Squash Primavera
Makes: 2 servings

Prep time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients

1 small spaghetti squash (about 4x7 inches)
1 tsp coconut oil
1 large garlic clove, minced
½ tsp. crushed red pepper
¼ tsp. salt
½ medium red bell pepper, sliced
12-16 asparagus spears, chopped (tips reserved)
1 ½ c. broccoli, chopped
¼ c. dry white wine
2 T. fresh parsley, chopped
2 T. fresh cilantro, chopped
2 T. nutritional yeast
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions

Fill a medium baking dish with 2 inches of water. Cut squash in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Place both halves in baking dish skin side up, flesh side down. Microwave on high 5-6 minutes or until squash is tender. Let sit until cool enough to handle and scoop out flesh. Set aside.

Heat coconut oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic and cook slowly until it starts to brown, stirring constantly to coat in oil for about 1 minute. Add crush red pepper and salt, stirring to blend evenly. Increase heat to medium high and add vegetables. Stir to coat with spices before adding wine. When pan is very hot, pour wine over vegetables and continue to toss in pan. Let cook/steam about 5 minutes or until vegetable become al dente. Add squash, parsley, cilantro and nutritional yeast. Stir to incorporate all ingredients and remove from heat. Season with salt and lots of pepper to taste. Garnish with fresh tomatoes if desired.

Potato Zucchini Cakes with Coconut Sauce

Despite choosing “potato” as the primary word for this recipe, this idea was all about the squash. I love my weekly share provided by Desert Roots Farm. There is nothing like a ripe batch of yellow pear tomatoes, freshly plucked green onions, or perfectly small apples to brighten up a Saturday morning when I pick up my bag of joy. Always surprise. Always inspiring. But right now - always a huge load of squash. My goodness, I had heard of squash being a long-lasting and high volume nuisance in the sense that you can’t make it stop growing once it springs from the ground. It’s hard to find ways to use it all and still be creative. I have 9 crooknecks waiting patiently in my crisper for that stroke of genius to hit – the moment where I discover a way to make summer squash pudding or sorbet perhaps.

This recipe may not have been a stroke of genius, but it does involve fusion. Thanks to my latest enthusiasm for the Indian realm of vegan cooking, inspiration is easier to find. I’m really into the flavors we learned in class at Indika in Houston and am determined to apply lessons instead of forgetting them. In class, my other half and I made a particularly scrumptious batch of Potato Cakes stuffed with Coconut Chutney, and I felt some serious pride in the final results. Most class members seemed to be impressed, but we had chef supervision and a commercial kitchen at our disposal. How am I to know if these lessons are effective if I don’t recreate at home? So my goal with this recipe was not to duplicate the original, but to make something using it as a foundation with my own interpretive twist.

While ideas for recipes often have far too many potential directions, this one was dead set on the concept of Indian cooking lessons using zucchini. I am now confident that my lessons will not be temporary or wasted – the cakes were delicious. The sauce was a risk and there will be many more versions. I only used mushrooms this time because of a sad portabella hanging out with some saggy gills. Maybe red peppers in the sauce next time? Maybe take the fennel out of the cakes and put it in the sauce? You tell me. But try it.

Potato Zucchini Cakes with Coconut Sauce
Makes 4-6 cakes

Prep time: 20-30 minutes
Cook time: 6-8 minutes

Ingredients

Potato Cakes
3-4 Red potatoes, boiled/steamed* & grated1 c. Zucchini or yellow summer squash, grated
1/3 c. Onion, minced
1/3 c. Breadcrumbs, homemade or store-bought
1 ½ T. Ginger, minced
1 ½ T. Garlic, minced
1 T. Jalapeno, minced
½ tsp Ground cumin
½ tsp Fennel seed
½ tsp Salt
Canola oil for pan frying

Coconut Sauce
1 tsp. Canola oil
¾ c. Mushrooms, minced (optional)
½ T. Garlic, minced
½ T. Ginger, minced
¼ tsp Salt
2/3 c. Coconut milk, light or regular
1 tsp Cornstarch + 2 T. Water

For protein: 1 c. Mung beans or lentils, cooked
For garnish: ½ c. Red bell pepper, finely diced

*When you cook the potatoes, be careful not to over cook them. Otherwise these will be less like latkes and more nuggets. Which might be ok with you. It might be ok with me too. Also be careful not to undercook them or the cakes won’t hold together. It’s not as hard as it sounds.

Directions

For the Potato Cakes: In a medium bowl, combine the all ingredients and adjust the seasoning to taste. Working with 2-3 inch pieces in hand, form mixture into patties. Add breadcrumbs if mixture isn’t sticking well. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and fill up to ¼ inch with cooking oil. Use a piece of scrap or stray veggie to test the readiness of the oil – if the oil bubbles excitingly over the tester scrap, it’s ready. Place cakes in the pan and cook on each side until edges are brown, about 3-4 minutes per side. Set cakes aside on a plate lined with a couple of paper towels to pat them dry.

For the Coconut Sauce: Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat and add mushrooms (if using), garlic, ginger and salt. Cook until mushrooms are very tender, about 3-4 minutes. Add coconut milk and cornstarch mixture. Cook until just starting to thicken, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove from heat and set aside.

To assemble: Place 2-3 potato cakes on each plate and cover each serving with half of the beans (if using). Drizzle coconut sauce over cakes and garnish with red pepper.

Succotash Stuffed Squash

It’s no surprise to those that know me that I often eat incredibly late at night. Whether it’s because I’ve already had a post-workout snack earlier in the evening or because I ate a large lunch, the grumblies just come a knockin’ around 9pm. That doesn’t exactly give me a lot of time to come up with a perfect meal plan or spend hours chopping and assembling. This is why I have the “quick and easy” category as a label on my recipes – for as much as I love to take my time cooking, it’s not uncommon for me to have to figure something out in a pinch. Much like any other person in this world that works hard and plays hard.

Succotash is a beautiful thing: lima beans and corn with a little twist and shout depending on where you’re from or what you live. Said to be one of the first dishes taught to the settlers by Native American, succotash was also popular during the great depression. That may be the reason there is a regional version of succotash all around the US. It’s made with bacon fat in the dirty south or milk and cream in the northeast, but it takes very well to healthy versions and is easy to play with. For instance, I used edamame here to substitue lime beans and added some red pepper for color. While there are an overwhelming number of recipes for succotash online, no cook – novice or expert – really needs that much guidance. So why put a recipe up?

Because not enough people know about the loveliness of the three sisters! Native Americans used to plant corn, beans and squash together, because it was an efficient use of soil. The corn stalk provided a platform for the beans to hang on to, and the leaves provided shade for the ground-bound squash. Just toss all three seeds in the same hole, and voila. They also compliment each other nutritionally speaking which may be why they taste so good together. Since succotash doesn’t typically have squash in it, why not serve it in squash?

I rarely use my microwave, it kind of creeps me out. But cooking winter squash is one of the few instances I feel it is very convenient to have as a kitchen tool. Zap a whole squash with some water in the micro and it cuts down about 40 minutes on baking time. The succotash only takes about 10-15 minutes to prepare, so I see no sense in using the oven for that long. Broiling the squash after microwaving it gives it the nice golden edge of roasted squash. Use whichever additional spices or herbs you prefer in the succotash and enjoy your edible American roots.

Succotash Stuffed Squash

Makes 2 servings
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

1 Delicata or acorn squash, cut in half & seeded
Olive oil

½ T. Olive oil
¾ c. Onion, diced
1 T. Garlic, minced
½ T. Ginger, minced
1 c. Edamame, boiled & drained
½ c. Red pepper, diced
½ c. Corn, cooked or frozen (thawed & drained)
2 c. Spinach
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Turn oven on high broil setting.

Place squash flesh side down in a microwave-safe baking dish and fill with ½ - ¾ inch of water. Microwave on high for 5-6 minutes or until squash is tender. Drain water from baking dish and flip squash over, skin side down. Brush or spray a thin layer of olive oil over the squash and broil while you prepare the succotash.

To prepare the succotash, heat olive oil over medium high heat in a skillet. Sauté onions until translucent, 5-6 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, and a pinch of salt. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds, and add edamame and red pepper. Cook until pepper begins to soften, about 2-3 minutes, and finally add corn and spinach. Stir until spinach is just wilted and turn off heat. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

Remove squash from oven and scoop ½ of succotash into each side of the squash.

Herbed Butternut Squash Cakes with Wild Rice Pilaf

Visiting my family is one of my favorite ways to spend a weekend particularly when the snow has melted in Minnesota and I don’t have to brace myself for the bitter subzero shock that inevitable freezes my poor Arizona-adjusted body. Aside from being lovely, intelligent, humorous and incredibly entertaining, my family members are also pretty adventurous eaters. They have embraced my crazy vegan ventures with open minds for the most part and limited judgment, seating whatever I put on the table and listening to my veggie banter with genuine, if not sometimes divided, attention. I am amazed by how my personal decisions and adjustments regarding food have actually impacted their diets, even if I continue to harp sometimes about a stray high-fructose-laced box of cereal bars (ok they would tell you it’s all the time). I truly admire and am deeply grateful that they’ve taken so many strides to be conscious consumers – it’s a long and hard road to health in this country, that’s for sure.

So with each Minnesota visit comes a somewhat elaborate vegan feast. I, more or less humbly, secretly dote on demands that I cook at home, because I am more than eager to produce another plant-based meal on this planet that may have otherwise been meat-infested. Menu planning can be positively challenging, however, particularly when the northern farmers markets are in the last stages of hibernation before the first spring picks are ready. I say “positively” because it’s not necessarily difficult to plan and the available resources are generally inspiring: the bulbous root vegetable bunch, the cruciferous crew, and the beloved winter squash family. Wild rice is another valuable ingredient, not to mention a local specialty that is delicious and gluten-free (still trying really hard to limit wheat these days). The challenge lies in the timing and the crowd. When it feels like spring before it actually is spring, how do you make a bright meal out of winter crops?

The more personal challenge lies with the audience. The real menu planning challenge is making a meal taste un-vegan and family friendly without putting a plate in front someone that looks completely foreign. Though my family is generally open, I don’t typically cook outlandish, exotic meals unless we have a themed night plan where everyone knows we’ll be eating Ethiopian or Indonesian. The chef in me often wants to prepare a 5-6 dish gourmet spread. The daughter, sister, and aunt in me brings me down reminds me though that the best way to have an effective vegan influence is to prepare not necessarily omni-preferred analogues, but something that is equally familiar as it is exploratory. Though anything foreign has to be snuck in gently, it pays dividends to both eager-to-please chef and hesitant eater.

Results: the taste and feel of this meal matched the chilly but sunny limbo weather perfectly! It wasn’t a spring meal in terms of crunch pods or baby greens, but it was a far cry from a heavy winter goulash. With a side of steamed broccoli, it was a delectable brightness to inspire enough freshness to tide everyone over until spring comes in a couple of weeks. As for the other challenge – when your meal has gained the approval of a 14-month old and his incredibly wary mother, you know you’ve pulled of some special vegan magic.

Tip: To make this all together, use one medium or large butternut squash. Cut in half and scoop out the seeds. Leaving the peel on, microwave the bottom half (the round half) in a glass dish filled with ¾” water on high for 6-7 minutes or until very tender. Peel the top half, cube and use in the wild rice pilaf.

Herbed Butternut Squash Cakes

Makes 10 small cakes (3” diameter)

Prep time: 40 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

1 tsp. Sage, dried
¾ tsp. Garlic powder
½ tsp. Marjoram, dried
½ tsp. Thyme, dried
½ tsp. Onion powder
Dash of ground cloves, nutmeg, or allspice
2 T. Soy sauce
½ c. Boiling water
1 c. TVP
1 ½ c. Butternut Squash, cooked and mashed
2-4 T. Corn flour or masa (as needed)
Pepper to taste
¼ c. Canola oil

Directions

Mix together first 5 ingredients in a small bowl. Whisk in soy sauce and mix until well blended. Pour hot water into herb mixture and whisk well.

Place TVP in a medium bowl, pour seasoned water over TVP and stir to blend in herbs. Let hydrate for 5-10 minutes or until TVP has absorbed all of the liquid and is soft in texture. Mix in the mashed squash and pepper to taste. Add flour as needed if the mixture does not hold together well. Mix with hands and form into small patties. Transfer cakes to a medium baking dish coated with cooking spray and refrigerate patties 15-30 minutes to set. Preheat oven to 450˚F.

After cakes have set, bake in oven 10-15 minutes or until the cakes feel firm to the touch. Remove from heat and set aside. Heat canola oil over high heat in a large frying pan until oil is very hot. Place each cake carefully in oil and fry until cakes are browned and crispy on the outside, about 2 minutes per side. Remove from pan and set on a paper towels to absorb excess oil.


Wild Rice Pilaf
Makes 6-8 servings
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Ingredients

2/3 c. Wild Rice
3 c. Water

½ T. Olive oil
1 ½ c. Butternut squash, uncooked and cubed
Salt and pepper

1 T. Olive oil
½ Medium onion, chopped
2 Large celery stalks, chopped
4 Garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. Thyme
½ tsp. Salt
1 Red bell pepper, chopped
Vegetable broth (as needed)
Pepper to taste.

Directions

Bring water and rice to a boil. When water starts to boil, turn heat to low and simmer until rice is tender, 50-60 minutes. Drain (if necessary) and set aside.

Preheat oven to 450˚F.

In a medium mixing bowl, coat squash with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Roast in oven 25-35 minutes or until brown and crispy on edges. Set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté onions and celery until transparent, 8-10 minutes. Add garlic, thyme and salt and cook an additional minute. Add red bell pepper and ¼ cup of vegetable broth to deglaze pan if too dry. Cook mixture until vegetables are just tender, 5-6 minutes. Mix in wild rice and butternut squash and let cook until all liquid has evaporated. Season with pepper and additional salt to taste.

Spaghetti Squash Sprout Sauté with Tomato Coulis

How much fun is spaghetti squash? Between scooping out its stringy flesh and eating it like faux pasta, I don’t know which part I like more! It’s a great source of complex carbs with fewer calories than pasta and more vitamins than a bleached noodle to boot. I’ve been hanging onto this squash for a month now waiting for some inspiration to strike, but it’s mostly been sitting there dormant among the potatoes and garlic. Once again in preparation to travel and looking to use what I have instead of making a grocery run (does anyone really know how hard it is for me not to go to the food store?), I finally spotted my bumpy yellow friend and decided it was time.

Taking stock through my kitchen, I eyed a few crinkly orbs in the produce drawer. There was absolutely no way I was going to take even a slight risk of those brussel sprouts going bad while I was gone. Too much love for my cruciferous friends… I wanted to include them somehow. A recipe search led me to a very simple yet tantalizing dish. Though I tend to overcomplicate recipes at times because I can’t stop ideas from bouncing around in my head while I’m in the kitchen, the sound of a simple sauté involving garlic and crushed red pepper sounded superb. Sometimes I skip over those recipes because they sound too rudimentary. But who am I to sneeze at the loveliest of spice-herb combinations?

Ok so this might be a shot at my own creative ego - this recipe is not only based but essentially the same as a wonderful recipe by Anne Burrell listed on the Food Network site. While I deviated some from her recipe, it pains me to think I actually have to cite it for fear of copyright infringement. Oh well. While she adds cilantro, I have my own twist by adding a fresh and light coulis as a drizzle over this fabulous side dish. It is absolutely delish without the coulis as I discovered today while making this again to use of the rest of my spaghetti squash, but the sauce could also be tweaked as you like by adding any herb of your choice. This is definitely omnivore tested and approved.

Spaghetti Squash Sprout Sauté with Tomato Coulis

Serves: 2

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

For the Squash Sauté
1 Medium spaghetti squash, cut in half and seeds removed
½ T. Olive oil
3-4 Large garlic cloves, minced
¼ - ½ tsp Crushed red pepper
8-10 Brussel sprouts, sliced 1/8” inch thick
½ tsp Salt
Pepper to taste

For the Coulis
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
2 tsp Red wine vinegar
½ tsp Oregano or another dried herb of personal preference
Salt to taste

Directions

For the Squash Sauté
Preheat oven to 400ºF. Fill a roasting pan or glass baking dish with about 1” water. Place the squash in flesh side down and cover. Bake 40 minutes or until squash is tender and pulls easily away from skin. Alternately, microwave squash for 6 minutes on high or until tender. Scoop out squash and divide in half. Set one half aside for use now and refrigerate the other half for tomorrow when you decide to make this again because it’s so fast and delicious.

Heat olive oil over medium low heat in a skillet. Sauté garlic and red pepper until garlic becomes golden, being careful not to burn. Add brussel sprouts and salt and toss well in pan making sure they are coated well in garlic. Increase heat to medium high and cook sprouts until brown, about 3-4 minutes. Add spaghetti squash, another little pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Cook until mixture is warm and brussel sprouts are cooked to your liking. Remove from pan and set aside in serving bowl. Turn heat off, but keep pan warm for the coulis.

For the Coulis
Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until completely smooth. Taste the sauce to be sure it is salted to your preference. Pour the sauce in the warm pan, scraping off any remaining squash and/or garlic bits. Remove from heat and set aside in a small bowl.

To Serve
Divide squash into two bowls and drizzle with coulis. Add a few shakes of nutritional yeast if you’re feeling ambition or a couple crushed walnuts. Enjoy!