Winter Squash & Beans

The Beans:

1½ cups dried beans, soaked overnight and drained
3-4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 TB Thyme
1 TB Sage
1 TB Rosemary
     (The herbs are approximate, I don't measure herbs or count garlic cloves)

I cooked the beans in the herbs and water until they were tender, about 40 minutes.  While the beans were cooking I cut a couple acorn squash and a butternut squash and cleaned out the seeds. I brushed them with olive oil and sea salt & pepper and roasted them skins down on 350° until they were tender but not too soft.

Great combination and they will make a great lunch this week!

Mango & Carrot Soup

This couldn't be easier, just a few ingredients, carrots, an onion, a mango, and some coconut milk. The recipe calls for water and a bullion cube, but I used low sodium vegetable broth.

Mango & Carrot Soup

   from:  Vegalicious Recipes

Ingredients:

* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 1 ripe mango peeled and chopped
* 1 lb. carrots (about 3-4 medium), peeled and chopped
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 teaspoon mild curry powder
* 3 cups water
* 1 vegetable bouillon cube (I used low sodium vegetable broth)
* 6-8 tablespoons coconut milk (non-sweetened)
* lemon juice
* parsley or coriander as garnish, chopped

Directions:

1. Peel and chop the onion.
2. Peel and chop the carrots.
3. Heat the oil in a large soup pot.
4. Add the onions and saute until soft and glassy.
5. Add the carrots and saute the carrots for a few minutes, but don’t let the onion brown.
6. Add the water, the bouillon cube, the curry and bring the soup to a boil.
7. Cook the soup until the carrots have softened.
8. Cut and peel the mango.
9. Put 3/4 of the mango in the soup to cook, holding out a about 1/4 to use as chunks and garnish.
10. When the carrots are soft, puree the soup. I used an immersion blender.
11. Add the coconut milk and a splash of lemon juice.
12. Puree once more to mix well.
13. Season to taste with salt and pepper and possibly additional curry as desired.
14. Serve the soup garnished with a few pieces of chopped mango and either chopped coriander or parsley.

I served it with a winter squash bowl of red beans

Stuffed & Roasted Acorn Squash

I tried this stuffed acorn squash today.  I had a couple really nice organic Acorn squash from Willow Grove Gardens and a couple little pumpkin from Isabelle's garden.  I used some homemade rosemary oil I made from my homegrown rosemary to brush the squash before stuffing. The recipe didn't mention adding any liquid to the stuffing.  I added vegetable stock, about a half cup at a time until the stuffing was the consistency I wanted.  I think I used about a cup and a half or so. I also poured about a tablespoon of stock on top of each one before baking.  We're having Thanksgiving a little everyday this week. Very nice vegan meal with a bowl of the creamy broccoli soup I made this weekend.

Ingredients:

    * 3 acorn squash
    * 2 tbsp margarine, softened
    * 2 tbsp olive oil
    * 1 onion, minced
    * 2 stalks celery, diced
    * 2 apples, chopped
    * 1/4 cup maple syrup
    * 1/2 cup raisins
    * 1/4 tsp parsley
    * 1/2 tsp dried sage
    * 1/2 tsp rosemary
    * 1/2 tsp thyme
    * salt and pepper to taste
    * 1 package store-bought cornbread stuffing mix (read the label to make sure it's vegan if needed)

Preparation:

Pre-heat oven to 400°.

Slice each acorn squash in half and remove the seeds. Brush the squash with the softened margarine and set aside.

In a large skillet, sauté the onion, celery and apple in the olive oil for 6-8 minutes. Reduce heat and add the maple syrup, raisins, herbs, salt and pepper and stir to combine.

In a large bowl, mix together the stuffing mix with the onion, celery and apple mixture until well combined. Spoon this mix into each squash half.

Cover each squash with foil and bake 40-45 minutes, or until squash is soft. Serve with vegetarian gravy if desired and enjoy!

Recipe by Jolinda Hacket

Stuffed Acorn Squash

I cut open an Acorn Squash and a Delicata Squash, rubbed vegan margarine in the halves and set aside.  Then stuffed and roasted them in the oven for about an 45 minutes at 375° until I could put a fork through the squash wall.

For the stuffing, I cooked about a cup of orzo, and a cup of forbidden rice. I tossed them together with a little avocado oil and a little coconut water* I had left over, a few mushrooms, a couple small scallions, and a diced red pepper, sea salt and ground black pepper. I sprinkled a little Parmesan cheese and about a 1/2 tsp of vegan margarine on the top. (For a vegan dish, just leave off the cheese.)

*The coconut water is the thin milky water after using the cream from a can of coconut in something else, like maybe dairy free chocolate ice cream....

The stuffing is good all by itself. I didn't use all of it so I think I'll add some fresh veggies and use it as a salad later too.