Butternut Squash Lasagna and Apple Crisp

I LOVE Fall. This is the time of year that the most tasty and comforting foods come into season. Pumpkins, squashes, apples, pears, etc. are among my favorites. The meal I made recently was Butternut Squash Lasagna. Before you think "no thanks", I have to warn you. If you make this meal at home, make extra. I cannot keep this stuff around! The squash has a slight sweetness to it. Mix it with the cheese and pasta, and you have a mild and delightful take on traditional lasagna. Steve made the garlic bread. And it was dripping with garlic deliciousness. Not quite sure of his method, but I know there was olive oil, garlic and earth balance involved.

Butternut Squash Lasagna

1 pkg lasagna noodles (cooked according to directions)
2 cups of cubed butternut squash, roasted with olive oil and salt
2 cups regular soy milk
1 sprig of fresh rosemary
vegan mozzarella

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roast cubed butternut squash for about 25 min. Place in food processor. Heat soy milk in saucepan. After it's warm, add sprig of rosemary for about 20-30 seconds. Remove and set aside. Add soy milk by ladel fulls to the squash and process until smooth and creamy (not too runny). Spread some squash mixture on bottom of casserole dish. Place layer of lasagna noodles on top. Add more sauce and top with slices of vegan mozzarella. Add noodles, sauce and cheese again - ending with cheese. Bake for about 35-40 minutes. Cut into squares and serve with diced tomato and parsley.

For dessert I made Apple Crisp, following my dad's recipe.

Grease casserole dish. Place 5-6 peeled and sliced apples in dish. Sprinkle sugar on top. Set aside. In mixing bowl, mix 2 cups brown sugar, 1 cup of oats, and 1 cup of flour. Add 1/2 cup melted butter (earth balance). Pour mixture evenly over apples in dish and bake for 45 minutes at 325 degrees. Serve with scoop of vanilla soy ice cream. MMMMmmmmmmmm!!!!

An awesome autumn meal!!!!!!! With no compromise ;)

Millet and Veggie Burgers

This dish is a play on traditional "Burger and Fries". Except MUCH healthier - and tastes DELICIOUS. You cant really compare this to the taste of a burger. More like, a very tasty sandwich. My husband really enjoyed this meal (and he can be skeptical toward vegan food). Not only did he finish it within...oh...less than 3 minutes, but he packed himself one for work as well. ;)

I usually make homemade fries with a "burger" meal but I stepped out of the box for a more healthy option. I sauteed cauliflower and zucchini pieces with olive oil, salt and minced garlic. Soooooo yummy. Especially with a little bit of daiya cheese sprinkled on top.


Here's the recipe

Millet and Veggie Burgers

1-2 tsp avacado oil, plus additional for pan-frying
3-4 slices fresh ginger, cut into thin matchsticks
Sea salt
1 cup millet, rinsed
3 cups boiling water
1/2 cup each diced onion, carrot and celery
1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal, plus addtional for dredging

Heat oil in a pot over medium heat. Add ginger and a pinch of salt and cook 2-3 minutes. Remove ginger from oil. Add millet and cook stirring, until millet is coated with oil and gives off a nutty fragrance. Carefully add boiling water, season lightly with salt to taste and reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 35 minutes. Add onion, carrot, and celery, re-cover and simmer about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in parsley and cornmeal. Allow mixture to stand 10-15 minutes before forming into burgers. Shape millet mixture into thick patties. Dredge in cornmeal to coat. Heat about 1/8 inch avacado oil in a skillet over medium heat. Fry patties until golden, about 3 minutes on each side. Remove from skillet and drain on paper towels to absorb any excess oil. Serve as you would any conventional burger. (with a side of sauteed cauliflower and zucchini).

From the book, "Cooking the Whole Foods Way" by Christina Pirello

Enjoy ;)

This recipe was so delicious and the whole family really enjoyed it. It's my version of a fried soba noodle dish Christina Pirello makes. This dish is great for making your blood strong and the bitter greens help detox your liver. So how did I make it?



Cook soba noodles according to the package and set aside. Marinate tofu slices in teriaki sauce. Meanwhile, saute onion, garlic and belgian endive in skillet on medium heat. Add a little white cooking wine. Raise heat and add chopped red cabbage (or radicchio). Add a pinch of salt and a little bit of red wine vinegar. Saute all together for a few minutes. In another skillet, fry tofu slices in some olive oil until brown and crispy on both sides. Plate it up and sprinkle shelled hemp seeds on the top for a boost of omega 3. Serve!

My little ones really enjoyed this meal. And even my skeptical husband who ended up taking leftovers to work ;)

What I Eat at Noodles

Recently, I got to enjoy a free bowl of noodles at Noodles & Company with a birthday e-coupon. I've loved Noodles & Company for years, and nothing beats thier Wisconsin Mac & Cheese. Mmmmm. However, I do think a little differently now. NOW my favorite is Penne Rosa made without cream and cheese.

It's a blend of flavorful spices, tomato sauce, baby spinach, mushrooms and penne pasta. It has a little bit of spice, so if you are a "woos", this is not the dish for you. But pretty much the entire Asian section of their menu can be made vegan (without meat or eggs).
The American section is pretty much all meat and dairy. I stay away from that ;)
Thank you Noodles & Company for healthy vegan choices!!!

Ginger Cookies with Lemon Icing

This recipe is "ginger cookies with lemon icing" that I got off one of the blogs I read, www.veganpandamonium.blogspot.com. And what can I say, they are amazing. I'm a sucker for ginger snaps anyway, but these have the homemade goodness. The only thing I would do different? NOT make them RIGHT before dinner. ;)

veganpandamium has the recipe on her site. check it out!

www.veganpandamonium.blogspot.com

Traditional English Breakfast

This is by far one of my FAVORITE meals. I got this recipe from The Kind Diet and even though it's technically breakfast, I usually end up making it for lunch or dinner. The mixture of all these foods together on one plate is so tasty and satisfying.

Here's what I did...

Baked Potato - poked a few times with a fork and rubbed with olive oil, bake without foil for 45 minutes at 450 degrees.

Mushrooms - sliced in half and sauteed in Earth Balance butter

Kale - chopped and sauteed in Earth Balance butter

Tomatoes - slice in half, sprinkle with salt, pepper and put of a little Earth Balance on top. Broil for about 4 minutes.

Bread - Slice a piece of a baguette in half and broil 1 minute, flip over broil 1 more minute. Spread with Earth Balance butter.

Beans - Heat in a saucepan, Bush's Vegetarian Baked Beans (or other vegetarian baked beans)

And don't forget the tea!!!

I've also added other things like vegan bacon or sausage to the plate.

It's pretty quick and easy to make. You have to be good at multi-tasking to get it all done together and stay warm! Enjoy!! :)

Fried Bananas with Caramel Sauce

I'm back!! Vacation was a blast and now I'm back to cooking vegan and trying out new recipes. This recipe I saw from Christina Pirello (can you tell I love her show?) and it's not only "kid" friendly but "guy" friendly as well. This recipe is great for a quick dessert. AND noooo dairy :D How'd you guess.

Fried Bananas with Caramel Sauce

Ingredients:

brown rice syrup
vanilla soymilk

whole wheat pastry flour
cinnamon
nutmeg
sparkling water
bananas

Start by bringing some brown rice syrup to a simmer with vanilla soymilk. (I played around with the consistency). After about half an hour remove from heat and you'll find it's thick liquid sauce.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl mix about a cup or 2 of whole wheat pastry flour with a pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg to taste. While whisking, add sparkling water until batter is a bit thinner than pancake batter. Slice bananas diagnally in slices. Dip slices into batter and fry in oil (I used canola) on med-high heat until brown and crispy.
Serve immediatley with caramel sauce.

Yummy and sticky!!! Enjoy ;)