Category: vegetables

Pasta with Butternut Squash, Capers and Raisins

This recipe comes from my mom – she’s been making it for years.  I’ve just changed a few things – I bake the squash instead of boiling it, which makes it sweeter (I think), I use less oil to cook the onions, and for meat-eaters I serve a bit of fried chorizo on top.  Oh, and a splash of wine, red or white, in the sauce, if I’ve got some on hand.

This is comfort food at its best – it tastes great, and it’s good for you.  I serve it on brown rice pasta, which is better for you and tastes so good, and works better for all the people who need to have gluten-free recipes.  I prefer the texture of it to whole wheat pasta, which seems grainier to me.  Just make sure you don’t overcook it – I always check it a few minutes before the recommended cooking time is up.

What you need:

1 medium-sized butternut squash

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 finely diced onion

4 garlic cloves, chopped fine

1 dried chili pepper, crumbled

1 – 796mL can plum tomatoes, chopped and undrained

2 tablespoons golden raisins

1 tablespoon capers

salt and pepper

pasta, 3-4 cups cooked, keeping in mind that 1/2 cup or cooked pasta is one serving

chorizo sausage, optional (if you’re in Vancouver, Windsor meats on Main street makes their own amazing chorizo)

parmesan to grate on top, optional (I use lactose-free l’Ancetre)

What you do:

1.  Cut squash in half, remove seeds and place on a baking sheet.  Bake for 30-ish minutes at 350F, or until a knife pierces it very easily.  Let it rest until it is cool enough to handle.

2.  Heat the olive oil in a large pan and then add the onion, cooking for a few minutes.  Add the garlic and chili peppers and cook for another minute.

3.  Add the tomatoes and their juice, along with the raisins, capers, salt and pepper and optional wine.  Let this cook for 20-30 minutes, or until much of the liquid has evaporated.  During this time you can boil the water and cook the pasta when the sauce is almost ready.

4.  Cut the squash into cubes.  I make cuts in it while it’s still in the peel, then scoop the squares out.  Carefully stir the squash into the tomato sauce, then combine with the pasta.

Top with a few slices of chorizo and some freshly grated parmesan.  So good, and fabulous as a leftover for my lunch today!

 

 

Lentil Vegetable Soup with Yogurt

This colourful soup is packed with nutritious veggies and plenty of flavour.  There aren’t many seasonings, but this soup gets its flavour from the vegetables, especially the browned onions.  A dollop of plain yogurt as you’re serving finishes it off perfectly!

What you need:

1 large onion, diced

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 cloves, sliced

1 leek, sliced

1 red pepper, diced finely

1 fennel bulb, diced finely

2 carrots. grated

1 parsnip, grated

1/2 jalapeno with seeds, finely diced

4-5 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1/2 cup red lentils

salt and pepper, to taste

yogurt

What you do:

1.  Heat the olive oil in a large pot and cook onions until slightly browned.

2.  Add the garlic and leek and cook for a few more minutes.

3.  Add the rest of the vegetables and cook for about 5 minutes.

4.  Add the broth and lentils and cook for about 30 minutes, simmering on low.

5.  Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve with a dollop of  plain yogurt.

Easy Tortilla Pizza

Here’s a quick and easy meal for you.  You can use whatever toppings you like; I’ve listed some of my favourites.  Just pick a couple that you think will work together, or add your own.

What you need:

whole grain tortilla shell (I keep them in the freezer)

tomato paste

sliced mushrooms

asparagus, sliced lengthwise

cherry tomatoes, cut in half and deseeded

olives

red peppers

sun-dried tomatoes, diced

hot italian sausage

herbs/spices – fresh basil or some anise seeds

a bit of grated cheese (optional)

What you do:

1.  Spread some tomato paste over the tortilla.

2.  Put some toppings on.

3.  Pop it in the oven at 400F for 15-20 minutes, then broil for the last minute or two – but watch it carefully so it doesn’t burn.

4.  Enjoy!

Cauliflower Quinoa Bake

Always looking for new ways to cook with quinoa, I found this recipe in the Hollyhock cookbook and just changed it a little, most notably by using less cheese.  Quinoa is a great source of iron, calcium and protein, and cauliflower provides lots of folate and vitamin C, and is has anticarcinogenic properties.

Oh, and it all tastes good together.

What you need:

1 tablespoon butter or olive oil

3 cups diced onion

3 chopped and rinsed leeks

2 cloves garlic, diced

1 head of cauliflower, roughly chopped

juice of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon fresh or frozen dill

1 cup kalamata olives

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup quinoa, uncooked

1 cup grated cheddar (or another favourite cheese) – I use lactose-free l’Ancetre brand

paprika

optional: soft silken tofu

What you do:

1.  Cook the rinsed quinoa in 1 & 1/2 cups water for 15 minutes.

2.  Saute the onions, leeks and garlic in the butter or oil until the onions are transparent

3.  Add the cauliflower and cook, covered, for about 5 minutes.

4.  Mix the onion mixture together with the quinoa, lemon, dill, olives, salt and pepper (optional silken tofu) and half the cheese in a baking dish.

5.  Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and garnish with a bit of paprika.

6.  Bake for 30-40 minutes at 350F.

This one is best served hot, and also works well to heat up as leftovers.

Chicken Tomatoes and Potatoes Oliver

My friend Jen has a Jamie Oliver cookbook, which is where I found this recipe – and it was a big hit with everyone who ate it.  There are a few steps involves in putting it together, but in the end you pop it in the oven, and it comes out ready to eat. When I first made it I had a fabulous variety of different coloured cherry tomatoes, but when I took these photos I didn’t have the same access to great tomatoes.  I recommend the variety, but it’s really good with just the regular red ones.

Of course I thought olives would be a good addition, because I think everything is better with olives.  If you don’t agree, feel free to leave them out!

What you need:

3/4  lb small new potatoes

6-8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

olive oil

salt and pepper

splash of red wine

5oo or so grams of cherry tomatoes

1/2 cup black or green olives

5 cloves of garlic, sliced

a few tablespoons of fresh oregano

red wine vinegar

What you do:

1.  Cook the potatoes in boiling water until you can pierce them easily with a knife.

2.  Cut each thigh into strips of three pieces each.

3.  Put a tablespoon or two of olive oil in a bowl with salt and pepper.  Add your chicken and mix it up so all the pieces of chicken get coated.

4.  Fry the thighs in a hot frying pan until they are quite browned and almost cooked through.  You can deglaze the pan with red wine if you want.

5.  Boil a pot of hot water and place the cherry tomatoes in it, after giving each one a little poke with a knife.  After a minute in the hot water, pour it out and rinse in cold water.  Then pinch off the skins.  If you’re in a hurry you can skip this step, but it tastes so good this way!

6. When the potatoes are cooked, give them a little squish, as you can see in the photo below.

7.  Put the potatoes, chicken, optional olives and tomatoes in a roasting dish.

8.  Using a mortar and pestle, bash up the oregano with some salt and pepper.  Add this to the pan, along with the garlic, a little olive oil, and a few sprinkles of red wine vinegar.

9.  Bake for 40 minutes at 400F.

Stuffed Acorn Squash

Here is a recipe from the old Moosewood Cookbook that I’ve been making for years in the winter time.  It’s a really tasty vegetarian recipe that’s also quite hearty.  It also looks pretty impressive when it’s served – it’s best to use quite small squash if you’re going to serve a half for each person.

What you need:

2 medium-sized acorn squash

1 cup uncooked brown riced

1 tablespoon butter or olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 medium-sized tart apples, diced

2 oranges, sectioned

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon allspice or cloves

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 cup chopped pecans

What you do:

1.  Cook the rice in 1 & 3/4 cups water for 45 minutes, then let it rest off the heat for 10 minutes.

2.  Cut the squash in half, de-seed and place cut-side-down on a baking tray.  Bake for 30-40 minutes at 350F, or until very soft.

3.  Melt the butter, then cook the onions until slightly browned.

4.  Add garlic, apples, oranges and spices and cook for about 5 minutes more.

5.  Add the apple mixture to the cooked rice and season with salt and brown sugar.

6.  Fill the squash with the rice mixture, top with nuts and a little more brown sugar if you like.

7.  Bake at 350F for 20-30 minutes or until heated through.

I like to have some for leftovers – I scoop it all into a container to save in the fridge, so it doesn’t look fabulous.  But it sure tastes great!

Spaghetti Squash with Sundried Tomatoes and Olives

I love the idea of spaghetti squash, but I find it doesn’t have quite enough flavour on its own.  As my friend Meredyth says, sundried tomatoes make everything better.  I feel the same way about olives.  This easy recipe isn’t shy on taste, and it is super healthy and all-vegetable.  And  nut.  Okay, and olives are actually a fruit . . . but you get the point.

What you need:

1 spaghetti squash

6 sundried tomatoes

1 lemon, juice and zest

2 tablespoons olive oil (optional)

1/2 to 3/4 cup chopped basil

1/2 clove garlic, finely diced

about a dozen kalamata olives

1/4 cup lightly toasted pine nuts

What you do:

1.  Cut the squash in half, scoop the seeds out and place cut-side down on a baking sheet.  Bake at 400F for about 40 minutes.

2.  While the squash is baking toast the pine nuts.

3.  When the squash is cooked, remove it from the oven and let it sit for about 10 minutes, until it is cool enough to handle.

4.  Combine the lemon juice and zest, olive oil, basil, sundried tomatoes, olives, garlic and basil.

5.  Remove the squash from the shells by scraping with a fork.  Add the other ingredients to the squash.

Ready, easy and yummy!

Mushroom Cream Sauce, lactose-free

I’ve used this sauce in my Mushroom, Turkey and Hot Italian Sausage Lasagna, as well as in crepes.  Of course you can use real milk or even a little cream if you can handle the real stuff!

What you need:

15-20 mushrooms

2 cloves finely chopped garlic

1/4-1/2 cup white wine

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons butter or dairy-free “butter” or margarine

1/4 cup flour

2 cups soy milk

salt and pepper

What you do:

1. Clean mushrooms by rubbing with a damp cloth, then slice into pieces about 2 mm thick.

2. Add butter to a large frying pan on medium-high heat.  In small batches add the mushrooms, and after a few minutes of cooking, add a splash of wine.  Cook mushrooms until both sides have browned.  In the last batch of mushrooms add the garlic and cook as you did the others.

3.  Heat the soy milk.

4.  Heat 1/4 cup butter/substitute in a pot.  Add the flour and cook, stirring, for a few minutes.  Very gradually add the soy milk – add a little, then stir until incorporated into the flour mixture.  Continue adding the milk gradually, until it has been incorporated.  Add a splash or two of wine and continue to stir.  If it’s very thick, add a little more soy milk or wine.

5.  Season with salt and and quite a bit of pepper.

Butternut Squash and Roasted Garlic Ravioli or deconstructed ravioli

I was so excited to use my pasta machine and ravioli press, so I came up with this recipe for the filling.  I’m in love with the filling!  But. . .

In the end I realized that I’m not very good at rolling the pasta into rectangles, and that it’s hard to seal the ravioli properly.  So I ended up with a few tortellini that lost their filling.  After making a bunch of difficult and misshapen ravioli I gave up and made a sort of deconstructed ravioli dish – I just put some hot filling on the plate, then topped it with some long strands of pasta, salt and pepper and a bit of butter.  Same amazing flavour, way less work!  You could just make the filling and use some store-bought pasta – much much simpler!

What you need:

1 recipe of homemade pasta

1 smallish butternut squash

sage

3 cloves garlic

optional: a splash of brandy

salt and pepper

butter or olive oil

What you do:

1.  Prepare pasta dough ahead of time; if you refrigerated it, make sure it come out of the fridge at least an hour before you want to roll it so it’s not too firm.

2.  Cut the squash in half and remove seeds.  Place cut side down on a baking pan.  Bake at 375F for 40-45 minutes. Wrap the garlic, in their papery covers, in a small piece of tin foil and place on the same baking sheet.

3.  Test for doneness by inserting a sharp knife into the flesh of the squash, at the thickest part.  If it goes in easily, the squash is done.

4.  Allow squash to cool before making the filling.  Then scoop it out into a bowl and mix in the garlic with a fork, along with a crumbling of sage and some salt and pepper and the optional brandy.  Taste and adjust seasonings.  They will vary according to the size of the squash and your preference.  I could eat a bowl of the filling alone – it’s soooo good!

5.  With a large pot of water on to boil, roll out the dough.  If you have a machine set it to the thinnest possible.  When you have rectangular shapes, place on top of ravioli press and add a dollop of filling.  Place the top layer of dough on it, and press the shapes out.

6.  If you can’t cook the pasta right away, place a cloth on top to keep it from drying out.  Add the pasta to a large pot of boiling water and cook for only a few minutes.

7.  Drain pasta, then plate it and drizzle a little olive oil on top (or a little butter) and some freshly cracked pepper and salt.  Enjoy!

Broccoli Salad with Yogurt Dressing

Broccoli is packed with Vitamins C, K & A, as well as folic acid, fibre and a whole bunch of other nutrients.  So the challenge is to find new ways to serve it up, and preferably raw, as that’s the best way to keep all the valuable nutrients intact, or so they say.  I’ve adapted this recipe from one I found on everybodylikessandwiches.com.  I prefer to add the nuts and dried cherries on top – the nuts stay crisper, and the fruit looks prettier.  If you’re serving it all right away and plan to have no leftovers, you can get away with tossing it all together.

This one can be whipped up in no time at all!

What you need:

1 head broccoli, broken into small pieces

2 tablespoons finely diced red onion

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

3 tablespoons plain yogurt (I don’t use low-fat yogurt ever!)

juice of 1/2 lemon

a few dashes of hot sauce

1-2 teaspoons honey

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds

1/4 cup dried cherries, cut in half (or raisins or cranberries)

What you do:

1.  Toast the almonds – I do this is a dry frying pan on my stove top.  I just heat it to medium-low, then give it a stir every once in a while, keeping an eye on it do it doesn’t burn.

2.  Combine mayonnaise, yogurt, lemon juice, hot sauce, honey, salt and pepper.

3.  Put the broccoli and onions in a bowl and toss them with the dressing.

4.  Top with dried cherries and almonds just before serving.