Pumpkin and Black Bean Casserole

I ordered a bunch of baking pumpkins from Bountiful Baskets last week. I've never cooked with pumpkins, but I love anything made with them. So I started googling away and found some great recipes to try.

I made pumpkin and black bean casserole the other night and my 12 year old raved about how good it was. I feasted on the left overs all week.

It was easier to make than it looks. The only thing that was a pain in the butt was peeling the pumpkin. I'm sure if I had a better knife it would have been easier.

My revisions: 1 can of corn instead of fresh or frozen. No onion. No green pepper. 1 Mexican Squash. Instead of the spices, I used a taco seasoning packet.

Melissa

Rigatoni with Zucchini and Eggplant

I made this last night and everyone loved it. I will make this for potlucks in the future. Or for company. Amazing.

I found the recipe here.

I made some revisions based on what I had. I used one small white zucchini and 1 whole medium eggplant. I only used about 6 oz of tofu because that's all I had. So I just did a dash or so of each ingredient that went into the tofu. I also used linguini. I skipped the vegan parmesan because I don't like it. Next time I make this I'll use all of the ingredients correctly. Next time I also won't try to cram it all into a too small casserole dish and make a mess in the oven. Oops. Oh well.

Melissa

Mega-Garlic Pasta

This recipe comes from the cookbook, "Saving Dinner The Vegetarian Way".

It serves six so I cut the recipe in half. I still have an insane amount of leftovers.

The following is the original recipe.

12 oz linguine

4 tbsp olive oil

12 garlic cloves, pressed

3 tsp red pepper flakes

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (optional)

Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain and keep warm.

Meanwhile, in a small skillet, heat 2 tbsp of oil (I used safflower) over medium-low heat. Add garlic, pepper flakes, and salt and pepper and saute till garlic is tender.

Toss pasta with remaining 2 tbsp oil (I used olive), basil, and garlic mixture. Garnish with Parmesan cheese.

The kids really loved this one. I did too. I'm already looking forward to leftovers.

Melissa

PS See the beets in the salad? I am still using the beets from bountiful baskets from 3 weeks ago. They are delicious but I'm getting sick of them.

Vegan Egg Sandwich

I loved egg sandwiches. That is until I learned how horribly laying hens are treated on factory farms. I have a friend who has true free range chickens. I would gladly eat those eggs. I didn't have any, but I did have tofu. I was inspired to try this after having vegan eggs benedict at 24 carrots today. I have made tofu scramble in the past and I love it. The vegan eggs benedict was ridiculously good.

I did a google search and found this recipe.

I added a little bit of turmeric as well. I'm having it with some celery and hummus. Amazingly delicious!

Melissa

Healthy Pasta Primavera

We made this dish together, it was a little timely cutting the vegetables, however this dish was delicious, we froze the leftovers in individual servings, and they thawed and reheated great!



Ingredients
1/2 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 sweet orange peppers, cored, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch strips
1 pound spaghetti
3/4 cup half-and-half
3/4 cup chicken broth (I used vegetable broth)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 cloves garlic, sliced
2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Shaved Parmesan, optional

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add asparagus and green beans; cook 4 minutes. Add peppers and cook 1 more minute. Scoop out vegetables with a large slotted spoon and place in a colander. Rinse under cold water.

2. Add pasta to boiling water and cook following package directions, about 9 minutes. Drain; return to pot.

3. While pasta is cooking, place half-and-half, chicken broth, salt, pepper and nutmeg in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.

4. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and garlic and cook 30 seconds. Add cooked veggies and tomatoes. Cook, stirring a few times, about 1 minute, 30 seconds. Spoon into pasta pot. Stir grated cheese into the half- and-half mixture. Add to pasta and gently stir in parsley until all ingredients are combined. Allow to stand for 5 minutes. Shave Parmesan on top, if desired

Quickest-Ever Spicy Marinara

This is another recipe from family circle... I loved it, my fiance liked it, he is getting used to pastas, and vegetarian meals LOL he loves his meat!!!

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 can (28 ounces) plum tomatoes in thick puree
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 pound extra-large (or traditional-size) rigatoni
1/2 cup fresh basil
6 tablespoons part-skim ricotta cheese

Directions
1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add oil, onion and garlic and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally so garlic doesn't burn. Add tomato paste and cook 1 minute. Add tomatoes and puree, sugar, salt and red pepper flakes. Break up tomatoes with a wooden spoon. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat for 12 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. While sauce is simmering, cook pasta following package directions, about 10 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water.

3. Tear basil into bite-size pieces and stir into sauce. Toss pasta with sauce, adding 1/4 cup of reserved cooking water if needed to thin out sauce.

4. To serve, spoon pasta into individual serving bowls and top each with a tablespoon of ricotta.

Beet Soup

Remember in my previous post about my overabundance of beets from my bountiful basket? Well, I still have a bunch and they are still as good as new. So I found this recipe from Lisa's Kitchen.

Revisions: I used safflower oil instead of olive oil. I used half an onion and a stalk of celery. I used bulgur instead of barley, which didn't need to be presoaked. I used black eyed peas (beans) instead of black beans (I did soak them). I don't have fresh cracked pepper, so I just used regular black pepper. Just a few dashes. Instead of tamari I used Bragg's Liquid Amino Acids. I used a few dashes of dill weed instead of 1/2 cup of fresh dill. I left out the feta.

I had this with a side salad and garlic toast. My favorites. Yum.

Melissa