Happy Thanksgiving!

We were guests this year, so I have just one dish we prepared and brought with us.  If you haven't checked out www.fatfreevegan.com, you really should.  Susan has lots of wonderful recipes that don't have any added oils or fats.   This holiday dish is a bit of an exception.  It's more of a dessert sweet potato dish, than a side.  It's a definite crowd pleaser. http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2006/12/sweet-potato-casserole-with-pecan.html

Stuffed Squash

It was a very orange day in my kitchen today.  First the pumpkin/carrot soup, then the stuffed squash.

I cut 3 delicata squash (one very tiny, for our little guy, the rest were average size, maybe 1#) in half, scooped out the stringy parts and seeds.  Placed all the 1/2's face down on a nonstick pan and roasted in the oven for an hour at 400 degrees.

I prepared Near East Whole grains w/ pecans on the stovetop, ditching any added oils.  When all was ready (if you start the grains 1/2 an hour after the squash, all will be ready together), I stuffed the cooked grains/nuts into the squash and served.  For the little guy, we scooped out the cooked squash and mixed it with the grains on his plate.  The little squash shells really hold their heat, and we wanted his food to cool off fast. 

Very easy, and no leftovers.

Pumpkin Carrot Ginger Soup with Coconut

My sister started to tell me about a yummy pumkin/carrot soup that had coconut milk in it.  She sent me the link, and since I made quite a few substitutions, here's my version of the soup.

1 medium pumpkin or winter squash (mine was probably 2-3 #'s and was a sunshine squash from our CSA fasrm share). Cut into quarters, scoop out the stringy parts and seeds and roast in the oven at 400 for about an hour.

1 bunch of leeks, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4-1/2 Cup Shredded coconut
3 large carrots, finely sliced
1-2 teaspoons minced ginger
water

Water saute the leeks till soft, add in the garlic and cilantro (I didn't have fresh, I used the frozen cubes from Dorot, available at Trader Joes) and ginger.  Stir, and add in the carrots and coconut.  Cover and simmer till the carrots are soft, time will vary based on how thin you slice them.  Cube the roasted squash and add to the soup pot, along with enough water to cover everything.  Simmer covered on low for 15-20 minutes.  Carefully blend with an immersion blender in the pot, or wait till it's cooler to use regular blender.

Radiatore with Aurora Sauce

Robin Robertson's new cookbook just arrived from Amazon (have  I mentioned I'm a cookbook junkie?).   This was very easy to make, and was liked by everyone!  I ditched the oil to brown the onions, but otherwise followed the recipe.  We started with a large salad for the adults and leftover butternut squash soup for the little man (by request).

Easy Winter Squash Soup

Start with fresh winter squash, about 2-3 #'s.  I have been getting incredible delicata squash from our local farmer's market.  Very sweet!  I cut them in half (I used 3 today), scooped out the seeds and stringy pulp, and spritzed them with the tiniest bit of olive oil, then sprinkled on some chipotle powder and cinnamon.  I baked them at 400 degrees for about 45-50 minutes.  When the squash was cool enough to touch, I scooped out all the flesh into a medium soup pot. I added a full container of Trader Joe's unsweetened grain milk.  (I recommend plain plant milk, not vanilla for this soup).  I blended with the immersion blender while everything was still cool, then warmed on the stove before serving.

We had this with rice/tofu/veggie stir fry in tomato sauce and everyone cleaned their plates without any fuss.

Butternut Squash and Lentils with a side of Broccoli

The squash/lentils recipe came from Lorna Sass' Great Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure.

I started with small sweet onions that I've been getting at our local farmer's market, and added fresh butternut squash (also from the farmer's market) and dried lentils from whole foods. The pressure cooker is a relatively new piece of equipment in my kitchen and I'm finding it to be a great time saver when I need to get dinner on the table in a hurry. I water saute everything, so I ditched the olive oil in the recipe.

Our farmer's market has had incredible broccoli this fall. I cut it up, place it on a silicon pad on a pan, spritz with the slightest amount of olive oil (I have a mister gadget so the food doesn't drown in oil) and sprinkled on nutritional yeast. I baked it at 400 degrees for about 15 min. If the smoke detector goes off, take it out sooner.