Butternut squash macaroni cheese.

This is hands down one of the best freaking things I've ever eaten.  Blending the roast pumpkin with the cheese sauce is a stroke of genius.  I have to stop writing about it, it's making me too hungry.

From Oh She Glows.



Yield: 4 servings or 1.5 cups of cheeze sauce

Ingredients:

1 fresh butternut squash* (peeled and chopped) OR 1 cup canned butternut squash OR canned pumpkin
Extra virgin olive oil, S & P
1 tbsp Earth Balance (or other non-dairy butter replacer)
3/4 cup unsweetened & unflavoured almond milk (revised from 1 cup)
1 tbsp arrowroot powder (or cornstarch)
6 tbsp nutritional yeast, or more to taste
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4-3/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2-1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2-1 tsp kosher salt (to taste) & ground black pepper, to taste
4 servings brown rice macaroni (8oz or half a 16oz package) makes 3 1/4 cup cooked
Mix-ins of choice (e.g., kale, spinach, broccoli, peas, pumpkin seeds, etc)


1. Preheat oven to 425F. Line a casserole dish with tin foil. Mix chopped squash with EVOO, S & P. Roast for about 40 minutes, uncovered, or until tender.

2. Meanwhile, prepare the cheeze sauce in a pot on the stove top. Add Earth balance over low-medium heat. In a bowl, whisk together milk and arrowroot powder (or cornstarch or flour) until clumps are gone. Add into pot and whisk. Stir in remaining ingredients (nutritional yeast, Dijon, garlic, S & P) and whisk over low heat until thickened (about 5-7 minutes or so).

3. Cook your pasta according to package directions. The sauce makes enough to cover 4 servings of pasta.

4. In a blender, blend the sauce with 1 cup of roasted squash (or if using canned, simply stir 1 cup into the pot).

5. Add cooked, drained, and rinsed macaroni into pot, along with cheeze sauce & mix-ins. Heat and serve.

Notes: 1) My 3.5 pound squash made 5 cups cooked squash, so I had about 4 cups leftover. 2) The sauce does not cut in half well (the blender has a hard time blending it up), 3) I tried this recipe with canned pumpkin and it was awesome!

Mexican feast for our bar opening.

We built a junkyard bar in our back garden!  That doesn't quite excuse the lack of posts, but I am trying to make up for it now by sharing this Mexican feast.  It is all taken from http://ohsheglows.com/ except for the black beans (I used red kidney beans), which are from http://www.epicurious.com

CHEF'S NOTE: I cooked the beans for hours, adding water, salt and tomato paste.  They were so thick and sweet and salty.  Perfect.

Also I used cracked wheat for the salad instead of 'spelt berry'.  What the hell is spelt berry anyway? 


MEXICAN FEAST

Pico De Gallo & Guacamole:





Ingredients:

2 large tomatoes
1 large bunch of Cilantro (approx 1/2-3/4 cup), thick stems removed, roughly chopped
1 large sweet onion
1 lime
1-2 Jalapeno peppers or other hot pepper
Kosher salt, to taste


Directions: Finely chop the onion, tomatoes, and hot pepper. Note that the seeds inside the hot pepper are the most heat-producing, so you can remove the seeds if you don’t want it super hot. Remove thick stems of the Cilantro and then roughly chop. Mix the onion, tomato, hot pepper, and Cilantro in a bowl and squeeze fresh lime juice on top. Stir well and then season with kosher salt to taste.

Makes about 4 cups worth and lasts only for about 24 hours or so. Seal in an airtight container to keep it fresh. Use in quesadillas, tacos, fajitas, or just enjoy with some of your favourite nacho chips!

THEN add to mashed avocado, with extra salt and lime.  Amazing.


CARROT RAISIN SALAD:

1 cup uncooked spelt (or wheat) berries
4 medium sized carrots, peeled and chopped into small 1/4” pieces
1.5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tsp Balsamic vinegar
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
Pinch or two of red pepper flakes (or ground red pepper)
1/3 cup raisins
1 tsp kosher salt + freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 bunches of Cilantro, stems removed and minced (yield about 5-6 tbsp minced)


Directions:

1. Place spelt berries in a pot and cover with water to 2 inches above the berries. Bring to a boil and then simmer on medium until tender, about 35-45 minutes. Add more water if necessary.

2. Meanwhile, chop and prepare your veggies. In a medium sized bowl, stir together the chopped carrots, olive oil, minced garlic cloves, lemon juice, vinegar, cumin, paprika, red pepper flakes and raisins. Stir well and add into a large saucepan. Cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes or so. You just want to lightly cook this mixture. After about 5 minutes of cooking, place back into the bowl.

3. When the spelt berries are cooked, drain and rinse. Now stir them into the carrot mixture. Stir in your cilantro, salt, and pepper to taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. I added another teaspoon of olive oil. Serve warm or cold. Makes about 3 cups.



LENTIL WALNUT TACO MEAT:





Yield: ~ 2.5-3 cups

Ingredients:

1 cup dry lentils
3 cups veggie broth or water
1 & 1/3 cup walnut halves, toasted
1 cup bean medley (chickpeas, kidney beans, etc)
Homemade Taco seasoning, to taste


Directions: Cook the lentils in about 3 cups or so of vegetable broth or water until tender, about 30-40 minutes. Meanwhile, toast your walnuts on baking sheet in a preheated oven at 300F for 10 minutes. Drain lentils and place lentils, beans, and walnuts in food processor. Add homemade taco seasoning to processor, starting with a teaspoon at a time. Process for just a few seconds, until chunky. You don’t want to over-process it. Taste and add more taco seasoning, repeat until desired taste is achieved. Just before serving dinner, heat a skillet with 1 tbsp olive oil in it, and add lentil taco meat. Heat and serve.


RED BEANS:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 small green capsicum, deseeded and chopped
1 small red capsicum, deseeded and chopped
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped (optional)
½ teaspoon ground cumin
400 g can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup (175 g) frozen corn kernels
1 large tomato, chopped
¼ cup (65 g) no-salt-added tomato sauce
1 tablespoon chilli sauce
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander

Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the onion, garlic and capsicums and cook over a medium heat, stirring, for 3 minutes until they begin to soften. Add the red chilli (if using) and the ground cumin and stir for 1 minute.
2. Put the red kidney beans onto a plate and lightly crush with a fork, then add to the frying pan together with the corn and chopped tomato. Stir in the tomato and chilli sauces and the water and continue to cook gently for about 4 minutes. Stir in the fresh coriander.



Serve everything with tortillas and eat with your fingers. x

Vegan pho.

CHEF'S NOTE: 

Rather than char the onion and ginger on a flame, I just put them in the pot and dry roasted them along with all the other aromatics.  I also added shiitake mushrooms to the broth.  Next time I'd use more soy sauce and Massel (vego) chicken stock.  DELICIOUS MONDAY FARE.


Vegetarian Phở (Vietnamese Noodle Soup)
Serves 2
Broth
1 large onion, peeled and halved
2-inch piece fresh ginger root, peeled and halved lengthwise
3-inch cinnamon stick, preferably Vietnamese cassia-cinnamon
1 star anise
2 cloves
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
4 cups unsalted vegetable stock
2 teaspoons soy sauce
4 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
Noodles
1/2 pound dried flat rice noodles (known as bánh phở; use 1/16", 1/8", or 1/4" width depending on availability and preference)
Toppings (optional)
Protein such as fried or baked tofu, bean curd skin, or seitan
Mushrooms
Vegetables such as bok choy, napa cabbage, or broccoli
Garnishes
1/2 onion, very thinly sliced
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 chile pepper (Thai bird, serrano, or jalapeño), sliced
1 lime, cut into wedges
1/2 cup bean sprouts
Large handful of herbs: cilantro, Thai basil, culantro/saw-leaf herb
Hoisin sauce, sriracha (optional)
For the broth
Char onion and ginger over an open flame (holding with tongs) or directly under a broiler until slightly blackened, about 5 minutes on each side. Rinse with water.
In a large pot, dry roast cinnamon, star anise, cloves, and coriander over medium-low heat, stirring to prevent burning. When spices are aromatic, add vegetable stock, soy sauce, carrots, and charred onion and ginger.
Bring broth to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Strain and keep hot until ready to serve.
For the noodles
While broth is simmering, place noodles in a large bowl and cover with hot water. Let stand for 20-30 minutes or until tender but still chewy. Drain. (If soaking does not soften the noodles enough, blanch them in a pot of boiling water for a few seconds.)
For the toppings (optional)
While broth is simmering, prepare toppings as desired – slice and cook tofu, lightly steam or blanch vegetables, etc. Toppings should be unseasoned or only lightly seasoned so as not to interfere with the flavor of the broth.
To serve
Divide noodles between two bowls. Arrange toppings over noodles. Ladle about 2 cups of broth into each bowl. Serve with garnishes on the side, which diners should add to taste.

Cauliflower and mushroom risotto with broccoli slaw.

CHEF'S NOTE: The risotto is from Vegangela and was so rich and creamy.  The slaw is from my darling Carla - I salted the dressing (surprise).  As she says, just taste it until it feels right.


Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 450g mushrooms, chopped (I used just oyster, but any mix would be great)
• 1 head cauliflower, grated (either by hand or food processor)
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup onion, grated
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• 6 Tbsp pine nuts, lightly toasted
• 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp vegan margarine
• pepper, to taste
• truffle oil

Directions:

1. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a medium skillet and cook the mushrooms until tender; set aside.
2. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook the onions and garlic for a few minutes until the onion becomes translucent.
3. Add the cauliflower and wine, and cook for about 5 minutes, until the wine has evaporated.
4. Add the broth, reduce the heat and cover, letting it cook a few minutes. You’ll want the cauliflower to be “al dente” with a little texture so it isn’t just mush.
5. Meanwhile, pulse together the pine nuts, nutritional yeast, and salt until it forms a powdery consistency.
6. Remove the cauliflower from the heat and stir in the nut mixture until well combined. Stir in the margarine and season with pepper, to taste.
7. Stir in the mushrooms and drizzle some truffle oil on top before serving.

Serves 4-6 sides


BROCCOLI SLAW:

ingredients
2 heads of broccoli, roughly chopped
1/2 cup raw almonds, roughly chopped
1/3 cup dried cranberries, (you guessed it) roughly chopped
1/2 small red onion, (to mix it up) finely chopped

buttermilk dressing
1/2 cup soy cream cheese, room temperature
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1-2 tablespoons rice milk

method
1. Make buttermilk dressing by whisking together the cream cheese and vinegars.  Whisk in the first tablespoon of milk and taste to see (depending on what kind of milk you use you may only need 1 tablespoon). Dressing should be tangy and creamy. Whisk in another tablespoon of milk if need be or a little bit more apple cider vinegar. This dressing needs a bit of playing around with. Thin out with a little water if you need to.

2. Drizzle the dressing in the big salad bowl full of deliciousness. Toss to dress. This keeps for quite a few days. 

Raw pad thai.

CHEF'S NOTE: This is from the lovely Vegangela - http://www.vegangela.com.  And it was SO FREAKING GOOD.

• 2 medium zucchinis
• 2 large carrots
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1 cup shredded purple cabbage
• 1 cup cauliflower florets
• 1 cup mung bean sprouts or radish sprouts (spicy) (optional)
• 1/2 cup crushed peanuts (optional)
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander/cilantro (optional)
• Sauce
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 1/4 cup almond butter (or cashew butter, or a blend of both)
• 2 tbsp lime or lemon juice
• 1/4 cup tamari (select a wheat free version for gluten-free diets)
• 2 tbsp agave (or maple syrup)
• 1/2 tsp garlic, minced
• 1 tsp ginger root, grated

Instructions

1. Use a spiralizer (or mandolin or vegetable peeler) to create noodles from the carrot and zucchini. Place them in a large mixing bowl and top with the other vegetables.
2. Whisk sauce ingredients in a bowl. The sauce will be thick, but will thin out after it’s mixed with the vegetables.
3. Pour the sauce over the vegetables and toss.

Pumpkin, spinach and ricotta lasagna.

 CHEF'S NOTE: 

Another one of Carla's from EAVP.  I love her so much.  We salted the shit out of the bechamel, for taste.  Just salt everything til it fits.  Then eat it.

pumpkin sauce (first layer)

2 cups of pureed pumpkin (I roasted 1/4 pumpkin in its skin)
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Pinch white pepper and cayenne
1/4 cup of stock

Whizz in a food processor until smooth.

grilled zucchini, spinach and ricotta layer

1 medium zucchini
half a bunch of silverbeet or english spinach, wilted, rinsed and wrung of water
1 recipe of tofu ricotta

Slice the zucchini .5 cm thick length ways, rub with olive oil and salt and either grill or bake in a hot oven until brown-ish.

bechamel sauce (top layer)

There are many many different ways to make bechamel sauce. The authentic French way takes a million years, I don't have a million years. I combine equal amounts fat and flour (so oil or marg) usually about 1/4 of a cup of each and heat for about a minute. Then stir in about 3/4 litre of milk slowly, once it starts to boil, reduce to a simmer and this is when it should start to really thicken. You may need to add more milk or flour after a few minutes. Voila! I'm sure if you really wanted to make an authentic one or have never made white sauce before, please look it up on the web!

layering

Smooth pumpkin mixture on the bottom and add a layer of lasagne noodles. I layered the spinach first, then tofu ricotta then grilled zucchinis, another layer of noodles and finally bechamel and a sprinkling of Cheezly.

Bake in the oven at 200 for about 40 minutes or until the top browns (all the ingredients are already cooked so its just a marination/browning process).

Mushroom quiche with chili almond asparagus.

HELLO!  Another Tuesday night in watching mindless television.  Hoping Michael will win Big Brother.  That I even care terrifies me.

In terms of the quiche, I simply cooked the mushrooms as follows:

Ingredients:

• 4 T. olive oil, divided
• 1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
• 12 ounces crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 4 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil (I used 1T dried thyme)
• 1 1/2 t. salt, divided. 
•  
• In a large skillet over medium heat, heat 2 T. of the olive oil, adding the onions once hot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are just softened, about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and saute for about 8 minutes longer, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly caramelized. Add the remaining olive oil, white wine, garlic, fresh basil, 1/2 t. salt and red pepper flakes and cook until the mushrooms have absorbed the liquid and the garlic smells fragrant, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer the mixture to a bowl. Set aside.  
• The rest of the recipe should run as per Carla's tart:
• http://www.easyasveganpie.net/2010/10/i-had-3-week-old-head-of-organic.html
•  
• 
  Chili Almond Asparagus
  Serves two to four as a side
  1/4 Cup Sliced Almonds, roughly crushed and divided
  1 Tbs Powdered Soup Stock (I used Massel Chicken)
  2 tsp Red Chili Flakes
  1 lb Asparagus Spears, trimmed
  2 Carrots, peeled
  2 tsp Peanut Oil (or any kind you like)
  1 tsp Toasted Sesame Oil (or any other kind)
  Fresh Zest and juice of 1 Lemon
  Preheat oven to 450º F.
  Roughly crush the almonds so that most are ground fairly fine, but there are some larger pieces of almonds left in the mix. Mix together 1/2 of the ground almonds, the soup stock powder, and the chili flakes.
  Trim the carrots to the same length, roughly, as the asparagus spears. Half the carrots lengthwise, then quarter them, and continue cutting each piece lengthwise until you have lots of long, flexible, thin strips of carrots.