Butternut Squash Soup

I'm really impressed with this soup!  It's my own creation, made up on the fly.  I had some sweet corn still frozen from the summer and I think that put the soup right over the edge into heavenly.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butternut squash
1/2 cup corn
2Tbsp beans
3/4 cup water or broth
Salt
Pepper

Directions:

Put all ingredients in the baby crock pot and cook on low until the beans are tender.  Approximately six hours.

Butternut Squash Galette

Similar to the earlier galette, but with squash and peas!

Ingredients:

Pizza dough
1/4 flour
3Tbsp water
Drop honey
1/2 tsp yeast

Filling

1/2 cup cooked butternut squash

1/2 cup peas

1/2 tsp oil of choice

Salt

Pepper

Directions:

Mix 1Tbsp water, yeast, honey.   Add flour and enough water to make dough.  Knead.  Let rest 15 minutes.  Roll or press out into circle.  Add the veggies to the center.  Press up the edges.  Bake in 400 degree oven until golden. About 25 minutes.  

Cincinnati Chili

This is an odd mix and it tastes very interesting!  Go ahead and try it, you know you want to!

Ingredients:

2Tbsp dried beans
1/4 seitan
1/2 cup tomato
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cocoa
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Pinch ground cloves
Pinch allspice
Pinch cayenne
Salt

Directions:

Crockpot in low until beans are tender.

Egg and Squash Sandwich

This is a quick and simple dinner.  I make my squash puree just by cooking the squash, adding a bit of water, and mashing with a fork.  Butternut squash or delicata squash work the best for this.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup squash purée
Salt
Egg
Bread  (I toasted mine)

Directions:

Toast bread. Spread on purée.  Top with fried egg or scrambled egg.

Baked Fried Rice

It's hard to see the rice in my picture, perhaps that's because of the brown table and the brown rice!  This is another recipe with a long cook time, so be prepared for it.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup corn
1/2 cup peas
1/4 cup carrots chopped
1/4 cup celery chopped
1/4 cup zucchini chopped
1/2 cup mushrooms chopped
1/4 rice
1/2 tsp oil
Salt
Pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325.  Mix ingredients and toss on baking sheet.  Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes.  It's done when the rice has a bit of crisp.

I served mine with a black bean and tofu mix on the side to get my proteins in.

Roasted Zucchini and Black Bean Enchilada

This will take a bit of preparation time, so don't plan it on a busy night.

Super yummy, though!  Worth every minute!

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped zucchini
1/2 cup black beans
1/4 cup tomato sauce
Cheese
Tortilla
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
Salt
Pepper

Directions:

 Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss zucchini in cumin, paprika, salt, pepper, and a 1/2 tsp oil.  Spray baking sheet.  Bake zucchini for 30 minutes, tossing several times.  Reduce heat to 375 degrees. Mix beans and zucchini and roll in tortilla with cheese.  Place the tortilla in a baking dish with tomato sauce.  Brush the tortilla with a bit of oil.  Bake for 20 minutes.

Spaghetti Squash Bake

Winter.  Lots of squash.  Lots of root vegetables.  While certainly good, I'm looking forward to summer veggies! 

This was a little like lasagna, though not certainly not in texture. 

Ingredients:

1 cup spaghetti squash
1/4 cup mushrooms chopped
1/4 cup tomatoes chopped
1/4 cup cooked quinoa
1/4 seitan
Cheese for topping (I used mozzarella)
Salt and pepper


Directions:


Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Layer ingredients in an oiled baking dish.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Serve!


I added peas and beans as my sides. 

Squash Quesadilla

I made this with butternut squash, but you could use delicata or pumpkin as well!  It makes a lot of filling, so you may want to use more than one tortilla!

Ingredients:

1 cup squash purée
1 ounce firm tofu
Cumin (to taste)
Paprika (to taste)
Salt
Pepper
Tortilla (corn or flour)

Directions:

 Mix the tofu, puree, and spices together in a small bowl.  Spread in a medium thickness layer on half a tortilla.  Cover with the other half.  Pan fry in  skillet until each side is lightly browned.

Eggplant and Spinach "Meatballs"

These do not need to be spiced, but they can be spiced however you choose.  I actually added sage and rosemary to mine with the salt and pepper!  Be aware, the prep doesn't take much time, but they do take a while to bake.  You could serve this over pasta, rice, quinoa, or spaghetti squash.  I ate mine served over spaghetti squash with a side of toasted tofu.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup chopped spinach
1/2 cup eggplant
1/4 cup quinoa
1 Tbsp sunflower seeds

Directions:

 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Put all the ingredients and your chosen spices into a food processor or blender and whir smooth.  Form into walnut sized balls (walnuts with the shells still on) and place them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.  Bake for 30 minutes.

Corn Zucchini Galette

To preface, my pastry is not a true galette pastry.  However, staying with my objective of simple, the pastry I used was quick and easy and tasted really good!

Ingredients:

Pizza dough:
1/4 flour
3Tbsp water
Drop honey
1/2 tsp yeast




Filling:
1/2 cup corn
1/2 cup zucchini
Salt
Pepper


Directions:

 Sautée zucchini and mix with the corn.

Mix 1Tbsp water, yeast, honey.   Add flour and enough water to make dough.  Knead.  Let rest 15 minutes.  Roll or press out into circle.  Add the veggies to the center.  Press up the edges.  Bake in 400 degree oven until golden. About 25 minutes.

Mushroom and Pea Risotto

This turned out pretty tasty, though I had a small appliance issue in the cooking!  It was supposed to be a crock pot recipe, but after an hour on high in the crock (as recommended), the rice had no indication of cooking at all! 

My grocery store happened to have baby Bella mushrooms, which is a very rare occurrence.  This recipe could be just button mushrooms with no problem.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup button mushrooms
1/4 cup baby bella mushrooms
1/2 cup peas
2Tbsp rice
1/4 + 1Tbsp water
1/2 tsp oil
Salt
Pepper


Directions:


Put all ingredients in a sauce pan and simmer for about 45 minutes or until the rice is tender.  I did have to add a bit more water during the simmer, so keep an eye on it!

Spaghetti Squash Cakes

These are remarkably similar to the Squash/Pumpkin Fritters in the creation, but have a much different taste.  Simple, filling, seasonal and very tasty.

Ingredients:

2Tbsp ground quick oats
1 cup spaghetti squash
1 one egg
Cheese of choice (shredded)
Salt
Pepper

Directions:

 I ground my quick oats in a coffee grinder.  You could also use a food processor.  Mix the ingredients together, using just as much cheese as you feel necessary.  I only used about 1Tbsp.  Make sure everything is incorporated.

Pour into small pancake sized portions on your skillet.  Pan fry both sides until lightly browned.  I used some cracked pepper on mine before I flipped them.  To me, the pepper really compliments the spaghetti squash.

Spring Rolls

Now, one of these ingredients does not follow my easy procurement 

My seaweed "chips" come to me through my sister who is in a bigger city in another state.  But, they are delicious...so....

Ingredients:

1.5 cup carrots, radishes, celery, zucchini, mushrooms.
1/4 cup quinoa
1oz firm tofu
1/2 tsp oil
1/2 tsp red wine vinegar
Salt
Pepper

Seaweed or nuri wraps of choice.

Directions:

I put all ingredients in the food processor and whirred it until it was of a grainy consistency.  Warm up the mix. Then, put spoonfuls in your wraps and roll them up.  My seaweed is small rectangles, so I didn't cut them coin sized. 

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

I know most of you have heard of this gluten free wonder, but I've changed the recipe to make just one crust!  Though, I've made more and froze them for future use, too. 

Ingredients:

3/4 cup cooked cauliflower whirred in a food processor (or riced)
1 egg
1oz. firm tofu (if desired for protein)
Mozzarella
Oregano, thyme, salt, pepper to taste

Various toppings (I used spinach, tomato, and mushroom)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper.  Mix the ingredients (except for your topping choices).  Make a patty.  Place in the oven for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.  Add toppings.  Cook another 10 minutes.

Grilled Eggplant Bake

This takes a little prep time and a bake time, so you'll want to plan it for the right evening!  You could experiment with spices, but I wanted to experience the flavors of the veggies.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup eggplant chunked
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup sliced carrots
1/2 cup chunked tomato
2Tbsp cooked quinoa
1/2 tsp fat of choice
1 Tbsp tomato sauce
Salt
Pepper

Directions:

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Oil or spray a baking dish.
Pan fry eggplant, carrots, celery.  Mix thoroughly with other ingredients.
Put the mixture in the baking dish and bake for 30 minutes.


I served this with a mixed beans and cubed tofu side as my protein component.

Corn Basil "Risotto"

This did not turn out as creamy as a risotto should, but it was still quite tasty.  I shall try it again with rice and see if that helps.  Though, my next risotto is planned to be a mushroom risotto since I found some baby bellas at the store!

Ingredients:

1 cup kernel corn
2Tbsp quinoa
1/4 cup water or broth
1/2 tsp basil
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp salt






Directions:

Crockpot on high one hour.

Roasted Vegetables Part Deux

I just can't help it, this winter has been all about the filling root vegetables.  The roasting scent in the kitchen and the comforting flavor of the just tender vegetables is just a pleasant way to end the cold days.  Plus, the colors bring some light into the shorter days.  Again, all these ingredients should be readily obtainable at your grocery store.  Remember, that's the point of this blog - seasonal, obtainable, simple, and creative! 

No more words, straight to the recipe!

Ingredients:

1/3 cup cubed yam
1/3 cup cubed carrot
1/3 cup cubed parsnip
1/3 cup cubed rutabaga
1/3 cup cubed mushroom
1/3 cup cubed zucchini
1/4 tsp marjoram
1/4 tsp rosemary
1/4 tsp sage
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp fat of choice

Directions: 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray or grease with butter.  Put your veggies in a bowl and mix them up with the fat of choice and the spices.  Mix it up well.  The veggies now go in a single layer on the baking sheet.  Roast in the oven for approximately 20 minutes or until the vegetables reach your desired tenderness.  Serve!

I plated my roasted vegetables with mixed beans and polenta.  It was a greatly filling meal on a cold night!

Split Pea Soup

Last night was Sherlock!  I wanted to have a quick and easy dinner that I could have eaten and cleaned up so I was ensconced with the dogs and my crocheting on the couch at show time - split pea soup in the baby crock!

I like my split pea soup thick with a bit of "chew," so this recipe can be altered to a more soupy soup by adding more broth or water.  Plus, you could whir it in the blender/food processor for a smoother texture.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup dried split peas
1 cup vegetable broth or water (I do make my own veggie broth and you can, too!)
1/4 cut chopped carrots
1 tsp salt
Cracked pepper to garnish

Directions:

Place all ingredients, except the cracked pepper, in the baby crock on low for 6 hours. 
Top with cracked pepper to taste at serving.

See?  Easy Peasy!  Hee Hee!

I did bake a tortilla to serve with it and I had a side of mixed veggies and tofu to complete the meal.