Mushroom's Sweet and Savory Spaghetti Squash

Tony: Aha, okay. Hey, Joe! Butch-a he say he wants-a two spaghetti speciale, 

heavy on the meats-a ball.

Joe: Tony, dogs-a don't a-talk!

Tony: He's a-talkin' to me!

Joe: Okay, he's a-talkin' to you! You the boss! 

-Lady and the Tramp

Stoney and I survived Snowmagedden here in Nashville.  It was a good thing we had plenty of leftovers, though, because when we finally emerged from the apartment on Sunday to take our weekly grocery shopping trip, we were amazed at what we saw when we arrived at Kroger (the farmer's market was, predictably, closed).  Most of the produce was gone -- vast, empty shelves stood before us.  At this point we were starting to get nervous.  Nearly everything we needed to make dinner, which was to consist of spaghetti squash, mushrooms, and brussels sprouts, was missing.  We were able to find a small spaghetti squash on the shelf, but the other items were conspicuously absent.  Eventually, we stumbled on a restocking cart with a few containers of white mushrooms.  While not ideal for our sauce, we grabbed them.  We also struck out on one of the key ingredients for another recipe we will be making this week - homemade ruebans using sauerkraut that we made back in October!  The missing ingredient?  Rye Bread.  Le sigh.  After checking out at Kroger, we made our way over to the small, very nice (but also expensive) grocery store near our apartment.  Luckily, they had some beautiful brussels sprouts, so I was able to make dinner as planned.  

We even grabbed a handful of shiitake mushrooms to add to the white mushrooms.  However, we ended up having to settle on the bread for the ruebans, buying a multigrain bread instead.  Oh well.

Our "spaghetti" dinner was perfect for a cold winter's night.  Slightly sweet thanks to a little maple syrup on the brussels sprouts, and earthy and savory, thanks to the mushroom sauce.  The only issue we ran into was that we ended up with a very small spaghetti squash, and I had planned for a bigger squash, so my sauce to squash ratio was a little off.

What you need:

• 1 large spaghetti squash, halved, with seeds scraped out
• 1 lb Brussels Sprouts, quartered
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 4 cups mushrooms, roughly chopped
• 1 large shallot, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1.5 cup raw cashews
• 1 tsp nutritional yeast
• 1.5 cup water

Although this recipe has a lot of moving parts, it's actually pretty simple.  Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F.  Rub the inside of the spaghetti squash with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper, and place face down on a greased baking sheet, cooking for 45 minutes.  

While the spaghetti squash is cooking, melt 1 tbsp of coconut oil in a bowl large enough to hold your brussels sprouts.  Stir in the maple syrup, and then toss in the brussels sprouts and 1 tsp sea salt, making sure the sprouts are thoroughly coated.  Set the bowl aside.

When there is 20 minutes remaining on the spaghetti squash, place the brussels sprouts on a greased baking sheet (one layer) and place in oven, cooking for 20 minutes.

When everything is done, let the squash cool (or don't, we usually just use heat gloves for this part) and scrape the spaghetti-ness out into a serving bowl.

Next, heat 1 tbsp of coconut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add garlic and shallot, cooking until the garlic is fragrant.  Add in the mushrooms and cook until they have browned slightly.  

After the mushrooms have cooked, add mushrooms, water, nutritional yeast, and cashews to the vitamix and blend well.  Pour your sauce over the spaghetti squash, and garnish with brussels sprouts.

Jade Sea: Chile Lime Coconut Curry Soup

This soup is mainly a slow-cooker meal, but the tofu takes a little extra work so that it becomes tiny little flavor-bombs instead of tasteless mush in some soup.  I will admit that some of these ingredients won't be able to be exactly replicated, but I'm sure you can come close.   For example, we were given some lovely homemade curry spice for christmas.  We also have some dried red chile peppers that we found at a flea market awhile back.  No idea what they are, but they are slightly spicy and slightly sweet and lend a really nice flavor to dishes.  The weather has taken a cold turn lately, so this soup was nice to cozy up with on a chilly night!

What you need:

• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cups unsweetened coconut milk (I generally use Silk brand)
• 1 tbsp coconut mana
• 1 bunch of green onions, finely chopped
•  3 tbsp lemongrass paste
• 1 dried red chile pepper, finely chopped
• 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 head bok choy, chopped lengthwise
• 14oz. Extra Firm tofu, drained and pressed
• 2 tbsp curry powder
• 2 limes, juiced, with the juice of 1/2 lime separated
• 1 1/2 tbsp chile powder
• 2 tbsp lemon juice

This recipe really couldn't be any easier.  To start, mix together the juice of 1/2 lime, lemon juice, and chile powder, then cut your tofu into small squares.   

Our curry spices!  Curry and ginger is a wonderful combination.

Place the tofu and the chile-lime mixture in a plastic bag and really shake it up to make sure each piece of tofu gets coated.  Place in the refrigerator.

Mystery Chile

Put all of your other ingredients in the crock pot and cook on high for 3 hours or on low for 6.  In the last hour of cooking, pull the tofu out of the fridge and place in the freezer, and preheat the oven to 400 Fahrenheit.  Once the oven is ready to go, pour the tofu onto a greased baking sheet, and bake for 15-20 minutes.

Put the tofu squares into the crock pot and serve.  We ate it with some delicious sourdough bread from the farmer's market, and it was a great combination!  

Viper Tomato "Bisque"

For christmas, I received an immersion blender, which is something I have been desperately wanting.  Although the vitamix is a miracle machine and I am still smitten with it after a year, it was always a hassle to ladle hot soup into it whenever I wanted a smoothly pureed, thick, creamy soup.  For my first recipe with the immersion blender, I decided to play around with tomato soup.  I love tomato soup, but my favorite type of tomato soup is generally filled with cream, which isn't really diet-friendly.  To revamp the recipe, I decided to veganize it and create a tomato "bisque" using tofu, a few cashews, and nutritional yeast (we call this stuff magical vegan fairy dust in my house - it's so good!).  Now, I am not sure that our recipe was 100% vegan, as I added in some white wine and I have no idea whether the brand I used was vegan friendly, but if you are interested in making the recipe and being 100% sure it is vegan, you can go to this website, which provides a handy guide to vegan wine (and other alcohol).

What you need:

• 3.5 lbs fresh tomatoes, cored and halved
• 1 14oz. container of tofu, drained (I used firm because that was all that was available, but I think silken would be prefereable)
• 1 small yellow onion, roughly chopped
• 1/3 cup raw, unsalted cashews 
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/4 cup dried basil
• 1 tbsp Emeril Essence Seasoning (or Old Bay)
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 dried red chile pepper, de-seeded

Turn the oven broiler to high.  Place your tomatoes on an oiled baking sheet and place them in the oven to broil.  Let them broil until they have blackened slightly (around 5-10 minutes) and then put them in the crock pot.

In a blender, add cashews, 1 cup vegetable broth, and the red pepper, and blend until you have a nice puree.  Add that mixture to the crock pot.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet on medium-high heat and then saute the onions.  Add the cooked onions to the crock pot, as well.

Dump the rest of your ingredients into the crock pot and cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.  When you are ready to serve, use an immersion blender to make the soup into a beautifully creamy consistency.  Enjoy!  We served it with some hot, crusty bread, and it was a great way to stay warm and cozy on a cold evening!

• 
  

Blood Magic: Vegetarian Borscht

Stoney and I have been on a vegetable kick lately, and I decided to make a vegetarian version of one of my favorite soups: Borscht!  I've made borscht in the past using the stovetop, and while it's always delicious, it's a pain in the neck to make.  The solution?  Crock pot it!  I also had the vitamin to help me puree up some of the recipe, so that was an extra plus.

What you need:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
• 4 small celery stalks
• 4 small daikons, peeled and chopped
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 leek, diced
• 3 beets, peeled and chopped
• 2 14oz. cans diced tomatoes
• 1 potato, peeled and diced
• 1/2 medium green cabbage, shredded
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 tsp sugar
• salt & pepper, to taste
• Optional toppings: yogurt or sour cream; horseradish or dill

To begin, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a skillet and then sauté the garlic, onion, celery, carrots, and daikon, seasoning with salt and pepper. Once everything has softened, pour it into a blender along with one can of tomatoes and puree it.

Next, sauté the leeks in the skillet that you used for the onion mixture, adding a little more oil if necessary.

 Put your puree in the slow-cooker, and then add in the other ingredients (except the optional garnishes).

Let it cook on low for 6-8 hours (or on high for 3-4).  I had planned to whip up some horseradish yogurt to serve it with, but I forgot yogurt at the store, so that didn't happen, but I still maintain that it would be outrageously delicious.  Sour cream and dill would also be a tasty addition.

Winter is Coming Pumpkin Alfredo

With fall officially winding down, I decided to make one last delicious pumpkin dish.  The "alfredo" sauce is incredibly easy to throw together, and it was really tasty with a big pile of zucchini noodles.

What you need:

• 4 zucchinis
• 3/4 cup raw, unsalted cashews
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 tbsp minced garlic (or more, depending on how much you like garlic)
• 2 springs fresh rosemary, stems removed and discarded
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree (canned or make your own)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• salt & pepper, to taste 

Start by spiraling your zucchini into zoodles.  To keep the zoodles from getting too watery when you cook them, I recommend spreading them in a thin layer on a paper towel, sprinkling with salt, covering with another paper towel, and gently pressing the paper fowl down.  Let them sit this way while you get everything else ready, and that way a lot of the moisture will be pulled out of them.

The rest is pretty simple.   Blend the cashews and 1/2 cup of vegetable broth in a blender.   Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a sauce pan over medium heat, and then add in garlic and rosemary, cooking until fragrant.

I used more than 1 tbsp of garlic... it's just too tasty!

Turn the heat to low, add in your blended cashew mix - at this point, to get the last bit of cashew/broth paste out of the blender, I put the remaining 1/2 cup vegetable broth in the blender and blended with the remaining paste.  Pour that in your saucepan, too.  Add the nutmeg, cinnamon, pumpkin, and salt and pepper, as well.  Stir to make sure everything is blended and let it heat through.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil in a skillet or wok over medium-high heat, and then toss in your zucchini noodles.  Cook until heated through.

Remove the zucchini noodles from heat and mix in your sauce.

Enjoy!

Standfast's Roasted Ratatouille

I've been itching to do a recipe with eggplant, because the farmer's market has had some lovely eggplants.  It is also starting to get out of zucchini and summer squash season, so I opted to do a ratatouille.  For this one, though, instead of putting everything in a pot and letting it simmer to create that beautiful sauciness, I used the vitamix to make a slightly spicy tomato sauce and then roasted everything in the oven.  It came out great!  I would definitely make this again.

What you need:

• 1 onion, rough chopped
• 2 carrots, rough chopped
• 2 celery stalks, rough chopped
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 red bell pepper, de-seeded and roughly chopped
• 1 poblano pepper, de-seeded and roughly chopped
• 2 habanero peppers, de-seeded and roughly chopped
• 2 green tomatoes
• 1 pink tomato
• 1 tsp herbes de provence
• Basil leaves
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 2 Japanese eggplants, thinly sliced
• 5 roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
• 1 heirloom tomato, thinly sliced
• 2 zucchini, thinly sliced
• 2 yellow squash, thinly sliced
• 2-3 oz. Romano cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

To start, make a puree of the first 12 ingredients (onion through salt & pepper).  Next, grease an 8 x 11 baking dish and pour about 3/4 of the puree into it.  

Now arrange your eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, and squash in a spiral around the dish, like so:

Pour the remaining puree over the top, and grate the cheese over the top.

Cover and bake for an hour, then uncover and bake for an additional 20 minutes.  Enjoy!  It's actually way better the second time you eat it, so make sure to leave enough for leftovers!

Acorn Hall: Ground Turkey Stuffed Acorn Squash

Wow, so, it has obviously been awhile since the last time I posted a recipe on here.  A lot has been going on!  Stoney and I moved from middle-of-nowhere TN to the "big city" (Nashville), ran around in the Hyena costumes at DragonCon, and have just generally been crazy busy.  

One of the biggest perks about moving to Nashville has been the local Farmer's Market.  The theme of this week's market?  Squash!  We found some amazingly beautiful Acorn Squash and also found some wonderful spices at the international market inside of the Farmer's Market pavilion, so we decided on stuffed squash this week.  

The recipe is 4 servings, and your squashes will be completely overflowing with deliciousness!  It pairs wonderfully with a pumpkin beer.

What you need:

• 2 medium acorn squash
• 1 tbsp ghee (or butter, we found ghee at the international market and decided to give it a try)
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 large jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 large celery stalk, chopped
• 2lbs 99% lean ground turkey
• 1 tsp Hawaiian Red Clay salt
• 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/4 cup tahini 
• 1/4 cup water
• 3 cups baby spinach leaves
• 2 tbsp sliced almonds, finely ground

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  Cut your squash in half and scoop out the guts and seeds.  Spray the flesh with olive oil and sprinkle with Hawaiian red clay salt and pepper.  

Spray a baking sheet with oil, as well, and place the squash flesh-side down.  Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the squash is soft and the flesh is ever-so-slightly browned.

While the squash is cooking, heat the ghee in a skillet over medium heat, and then sauté the onion, peppers, garlic, and celery for about 3 minutes.  

Next, add in your spices and ground turkey, cooking until the turkey is cooked-through.  

  

Add the tahini, water, and spinach leaves next, cooking until the spinach has wilted.  Remove from heat.

Once you have baked the acorn squash (don't turn the oven off!), let it cool and then scoop out most of the flesh (but you are stuffing them, so remember to leave enough flesh in the squash) and stir it into your stuffing mix.  Leave the hollowed-out squash on the baking sheet.

Now stuff your squash!  Realistically, they will be overflowing, but fret not!  More to eat later!  Now bake everything for 10 minutes, and then turn the broiler onto them for 2.

Lord Commander's Parsnip Dumpling Soup

 Sheldon: Let me walk you through it, our standard is, the steamed dumpling appetizer, General So’s chicken, beef with broccoli, shrimp with lobster sauce and vegetable lo-main. Do you see the problem?

Leonard: I see a problem.

Sheldon: Our entire order is predicated on four dumplings and four entrees divided among four people.

 The Big Bang Theory

I got this recipe from a wonderful recipe book called Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi.  The recipes are all vegetarian, and every single one that I have tried has been delicious.  I highly recommend purchasing it, especially if you like this soup!

What you need for the broth:

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 3 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
• 5 celery stalks, diced
• 1 large onion, quartered
• 1/2 celeriac, peeled and roughly chopped
• 7 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
• 5 thyme sprigs
• 2 bunches of parsley
• 10 Black peppercorns
• 3 bay leaves
• 8 prunes

What you need for the dumplings:

• 1/2lb Russet Potato, peeled and diced
• 1 1/2 cups Parsnips, peeled and diced
• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• 2 tbsp butter
•  1/2 cup self-rising flour
• 1/3 cup semolina flour
• 1 egg
• salt and pepper to taste 

Ideally, you would make this recipe using 2 large pots-one to get the dumpling ingredients going, and one to get the broth going.  I only had one pot, so I tried to do the recipe as efficiently as possible.  To begin, boil the potato, parsnip, and garlic in a large pot filled with salted water until they are soft.  Drain well. 

Cooked Parsnips and Potatoes

Dry the pot off and then add the butter.  Once the butter is melted, return the potato and parsnip mixture to the pot and saute on medium heat for a few minutes.  Because I needed the pot for the broth, at this point I dumped the parsnip mixture into a new bowl to be mashed.  Add in the flour, semolina, egg, salt and pepper and continue to mix until everything has combined. 

Dumpling mixture

Now cover the bowl in plastic wrap and stick it in the refrigerator for around 45 minutes.

For the broth, add the oil to the pot and let it heat, then add in the veggies and garlic and saute for a few minutes.  Next, add in the spices and prunes.  Cover everything with cool water and turn the heat up to get it boiling.  Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down and let it simmer for about an hour.  Stir occasionally and add water as necessary to ensure you have enough broth for 4 servings.

It looks a bit gross as it boils and froths, but it will be delicious

During the last 15 minutes of simmer-time for the broth, bring salted water to a boil in a medium-sized sauce pan.  Reduce the heat to a simmer.  Now grab a teaspoon, dip it in the water, and begin spooning your dumpling mixture into the pan.  I did this in 3 batches to avoid over-crowding.  The dumplings will sink to the bottom at first.  Once they rise to the top, let them simmer for an additional 30 seconds before removing them with a slatted spoon and setting them aside. 

Dumpling-making

 Now it's time to strain your broth.  I wanted to leave some texture in the soup, so I removed all of the thyme sprigs, parsley, prunes, and bay leaves but left about half of the carrot, celeriac, celery, and onion.  Whether you leave some or all of the veggies is totally up to you. 

Divide the finished dumplings among the bowls and then cover in broth.  Enjoy!

Dumplings ready to be brothed

Dornish Vegetable Rice

Like Dornish food and Dornish law, Dornish speech was spiced with the flavors of the Rhoyne, but a man could comprehend it

A Dance With Dragons, George R.R. Martin

This dish is similar to a paella, but requires no baking.  I was extremely happy with how it came out, and the arborio rice lent a nice creamy texture to the dish.  Makes 6 servings.

What you need:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 dried red chile (any kind will probably work), torn into small pieces
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 heaping tbsp minced garlic
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 green bell pepper
• 2 large ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 1 zucchini
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
• 1/2 tsp pepper (or to taste)
• 2 tsp fresh thyme
• 1 1/4 cup arborio rice
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• Fresh parsley for garnish
• 6 lemon wedges for garnish

In a large skillet or wok, heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add the dried chile, onion, and garlic, cooking until the onion is soft and translucent.

Add tomatoes, zucchini, bell peppers, paprika, thyme, salt and pepper; cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.

Stir in the rice, and then the broth. 

 Bring everything to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed.  Garnish with parsley and a lemon wedge and serve.

Summer Isles: Mango and Peach Tilapia Zoodles

Sorry doesn't make the noodles!

Mr. Ping, Kung Fu Panda

Noodles are great.  Noodles made of zucchini (and other squash)?  Even better, because you get to eat a ton of them and not feel bad!  I recently got a vegetable spiralizer and discovered zoodles, so I decided to take advantage of my new toy and make a really good, summer-inspired dinner.  If you don't have a spiralizer, you can either julienne the squash, or peel them into ribbons.

What you need:

• 3 large yellow squash spiralized
• 2 large zucchini spiralized
• 1 lb tilapia filets
• 4 tbsp peach hot sauce
• 1 cup frozen mango slices
• 1 cup frozen peach slices
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 6 tbsp vegetable broth
• 2 tbsp fresh cilantro

Be sure to let your frozen fruit thaw (at least mostly). Obviously you can just bypass this step by using fresh fruit.

Heat the spiraled vegetables in a skillet, just to get them warm.  Drain and place in a bowl.

Brush the tops of your tilapia filets with 1 tbsp of the peach hot sauce, place the filets on a greased baking sheet, and broil on high for 6 minutes on each side (12 minutes total), or until fish is cooked through and flaky.

While the fish cooks, combine broth, fruit, lime juice, and the remaining 3 tbsp of hot sauce in a blender and blend until you have a smooth and creamy sauce.

When fish is done, use a fork to flake the fish, and combine the zoodles, flaked fish, cilantro and sauce in a large bowl.  Stir well so the zoodles and fish are coated in the sauce and cilantro, and serve!

The recipe makes about 4 dinner servings or more appetizer servings.