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.

Easy Wraps

Here's another recipe that is very easy to put together.

Start with a wrap. Warm it up. I like Trader Joe's brown rice wraps, but any wrap will do. Spread some hummus on it, and some salsa. (I am partial to Muir Glen salsas). Heat some cooked brown rice, and add to the wrap. Top with edamame and sliced tomatoes. Roll up, and enjoy. Keep lots of napkins handy.

Easy Veggie/Tofu/Rice Stirfry

This is a very easy meal, we have it several times a week, with different variations. If you are fortunate enough to have a Trader Joe's nearby, you can get everything you need in one store.

Equipment: Large non-stick flat pan with cover

Ingredients: fresh or frozen veggies of choice, cooked brown rice (or any whole grain variety, red, brown, black, etc. We like Trader Joe's brown rice blend, which is brown rice, black barley and radish seeds), tomato sauce, baked tofu.

We love mushrooms, so I usually start with those. Water saute the mushrooms in a small amount of water. Dice the baked tofu and add to pan (for variety, crumble up veggie burgers or use tofurky sausages.) Also, baked tofu comes in many seasoning flavors, experiment with these). Add in your favorite seasonings (for the tomato version, we like garlic and basic, fresh is best, but dried powder will do in a pinch). Dice the rest of your veggies and add to pan, cover and simmer till they are soft. D doesn't think he likes eggplant, so I peel baby eggplants so he won't notice them. Zucchini or Spanish Squash is another favorite for tomatoe sauce, as are red/yellow peppers. When the veggies are soft, add in a small jar of tomato sauce (or homemade if you have some.. we like Trader Joe's Pizza Sauce, it has no added oils), and your cooked brown rice. Mix well, cover for a few more minutes.

Other options on the same theme:

Asian stirfry - snowpeas, broccoli, string beans, and use low sodium soy sauce (or Braggs Amino) instead of tomato sauce. For seasonings, we like garlic and ginger.

Mexican stirfry - corn, green beans, mushrooms, stewed tomatoes, season with ancho chile pepper or chipotle pepper if you like it hotter. (D is not a fan of this option, "it's too spicy, mommy", your mileage might vary.)

You can also sub in cooked beans for the tofu, or as an addition to the tofu.

Tip: A good rice cooker makes rice preparation very easy! Alternately, Trader Joe's sells cooked brown rice which is even easier. :)