Remember the winter squash I bought? Well, I decided to make a pureed pasta sauce with those Red Kuri squash.I served it over a store-bought gnocchi instead of regular pasta, topped it with pistachios, fresh parsley, and a squeeze of lemon juice.
The sauce is delicious - thick and rich and very comforting. I am going to test it with Butternut Squash as well as the Red Kuri, and then move this recipe into the "done" pile for the cookbook (I love seeing this stack get higher and the "retest" pile getting smaller and smaller...)!
Quick update question: Raising Kahne has a q in the comments about Thanksgiving dinner if anyone can offer up some suggestions!
14 comments:
that looks nummy! mmm.. comfort food!
ok, i suppose i should get back to work now. lol i think i'm getting hungry for supper... had to check what was on my big sis' menu!! can u fedex me some? i'll be off work in a half hour.
:)
Dayle
i was wondering what you were going to do with the wheelbarrow squash. this is such a pretty dish & i love your finishing touches (pistachios, lemon, fresh parsely, & is that fresh rosemary?) YUM!
Red Kuri is my new favorite squash! I even got my 'no squash' boyfriend to eat it snuck in with some roasted veggies. Looks so warm and delightful, Dreena!
-jess
Hey Dayle, hmmm, pasta in a box - a whole different meaning of that term!! :) What's your man been cooking these days? Or have you been doing more cooking? ...since I know you're not going out to dinner there :(
Thanks Teresa! It *was* very vibrant, so much that I had a hard time getting a pic that wasn't too bright (?overexposed) - I don't know, I'm not terribly skilled with out digital camera!! Believe me, I'll be doing a big happy dance when ALL the recipes are in that done pile!
Hi Savanna, I'll pop the question back on to my post (I'll edit it) to see if others have suggestions for you. I get the no-tofu thing, and think that's a good idea. The scalloped potatoes are a different version, being tangy with the miso. If you omit the miso, they should still be okay, and you can put some nutritional yeast in there if you like. But, that taste may not be what your family thinks scalloped potatoes should be (if they want something very creamy/cheesy). If you think they may be fussy with that dish, think about doing the Lemon Rosemary Potatoes (p.66) instead. They are VERY simple, and the flavor is fabulous and not considered a 'vegan' thing. Then, the Sunflower Lentil Pie would go well with the potatoes as a side dish, and if you want to make the tahini sauce or balsamic-flax oil slurry to top the pie. I don't think you'd even need to do the pasta. That would be a nice meal, add a salad to it and maybe some bread if you want. Another option is to do a hearty soup. The Roasted Tomato Bean Stew is very tasty, and again not thought of as 'vegan'. Have you tried the Chickpea Ratatouille? I love that dish too, and it is great over rice, and if you pair that with taters and salad/bread, you're complete as well. Obviously, these are just suggestions of my recipes, so I'll pop the question back on my post to see what other ideas/recommendations everyone else has for you! :)
Thanks Vicki! Yeah, that's rosemary... we have a BIG rosemary bush that has just grown phenomenally well in our garden (esp because I don't have a green thumb - AT ALL!!) Btw, I have been quietly envious of your posts on your trip to San Fran... how I would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to go to Millenium Restaurant - lucky you (and Art)!! You look like you are having an amazing time... :)
Hi Jess... that's cool - you're a clever girl sneaking new veggies into the mix! I swear, roasting just about any veggie makes it incredible to eat!
I need to branch out and try some of those winter squashes that I've never really heard of before... This sounds really great!
Raising_kahne, have you thought of making stuffed squash? Just use apples, wild rice, sage, or whatever you want... you could even crumble some tempeh in there, and no one would even know it was there. Acorn squash is good for stuffing. I wish you all the best for your Thanksgiving ventures!
Hey, raising kahne, I was just looking at the latest (Nov) issue of Martha Stewart Living and there are a ton of vegan or easily veganizable recipes in there that I'm planning on making for my Thanksgiving dinner. There's even a section in it on meals for vegetarians. Those aren't all veganizable, but there are some great ideas.
Kahne..I can really understand what you are going through! Both my family and my boyfriend's family are equally confused on the whole vegan thing and Holidays are more often than not an event to come prepared for. I am still pondering what to do; we make the rounds to two get-togethers. Any ideas for something that travels well and is easy to heat up? Good luck this Saturday Kahne!
Just a quick note...did you get my email? If not, could you drop me one (email addy on the note on my blog) or leave me a note there with your addy? Pretty Please!?
Harmonia
dreena. i love the look of the pasta sauce. pistachios are such a great idea for a topping!
kahne..i'm having the same problem. thanksgiving is at the inlaws which is the land of way over boiled vegetables..cheesy pasta..and lots and lots of meat..plus an italian father in law that thinks soy will kill you (and he thinks everything i eat is soy) every sunday i'm asked if i still eat soy and when i say yes i just get "YOU CRAZY!!" it's actually quite funny. I'm bringing over roasted veggies with balsamic and rosemary for everyone and for myself just a seitan filo pie thing i make. i'm not even going to bring extra over because they will just refuse. good luck.
jenna
I love the color of that sauce! So Autumn-y. Oh, and I love gnocci too.
I'd have to agree with the person that said "comfort food!"
Kahne, I am not vegan but love vegan cooking and food. I love to make a huge tray of roasted veggies and I throw cubed, marinated tofu on the tray for roasting with the veggies. Once cooled I make a phyllo pie in the shape of a strudel. The tofu really dries out during roasting and it takes on a "meaty" texture. The artichoke dip from TEV makes a great spanikopita filling. I made the Apple Cherry Crisp from TEV?VIVE? but I sub the cherries with apples and throw in a handfull of pecans, top with vegan ice cream, it is better than pie.
Good luck,
Angie
Hi Dreena,
I have a question that requires your expertise! I am invited to a halloween gathering and really want to bring something festive. We've had your raspberry frosted cake with chocolate cream center before and todd as well as the people we're visiting all agree that it is heavenly. I really wanted orange frosting so I was wondering if I subbed freshly squeezed pulp-free orange juice for the raspberry, what would happen? Do you think it might be a recipe for disaster? Any insights or ideas? Thanks so much for your help!
Oh and I made "Diane's stork muffins" yesterday and they were so incredibly good. I subbed applesauce in for the oil and agave for the maple syrup. I swear your cookbook is the only one I use.
- Miriam
Thanks everyone for your comments and for your suggestions to Savanna. :)
Savanna, you can definitely make the potatoes with dried rosemary. Use about 1 1/2 - 2 tsp. Fresh rosemary will taste better, but dried is perfectly fine. As for vinaigrettes, the lemon zinger is one of my favorites - more lemony than vinegar-y. Also, I really love the Creamy Orange Poppy Seed Dressing - and it's especially good over spinach salads.
Angie, I'm glad you like those dishes from TEV! Thanks for giving your ideas to Savanna as well!!
Hi Miriam! First off, I'm very complimented to hear that you enjoy Vive so much - thank you. :) Next, for the cake... if it's the color you are wanting to make festive, I don't think orange juice will make the frosting 'orangey' enough. I have been thinking about how to do a natural orange tint myself recently, and here are a few thoughts I have:
1) you could go ahead with the frosting directions omitting the raspberries and then puree a little organic pumpkin pie filling into the frosting with the tofu, etc, instead. It won't make it really orange in color, but it will have a festive flavor. You could add more nutmeg, cinnamon to taste as well. For a little more color, you *could* maybe add a little carrot juice - though I haven't tried this so I don't know about the flavor. You may need to add extra sweetener to the frosting with the pumpkin pie mix as well.
2) I sometimes use beet powder to make things pink, and a touch of turmeric can give a yellow color. You could try adding a little of each to the frosting (again, without the raspberry juice, but maybe with some orange juice here or again the pumpkin mix) to try and get the orange color - you know, red + yellow = orange (even though beet powder is pinkish). You can get orange beets, and a bit of that juice (or carrot juice) may give some hue as well.
3) I have read about a natural food color from annatto seed. I haven't found/used it myself, but you may come across it in your area.
Wow, this is a lot of "maybe's" to your question, but that's because I haven't experimented with it myself yet. I'd lean towards the pumpkin pie mix into the basic frosting without the raspberries, and sweeten a little extra to taste. Good luck, if you come up with anything that works and you are pleased with, pls let me know... I bet you're having fun dressing Emaline for her 1st Hallowe'en???! :)
Hey again Savanna... hmmm, with that soup it's fine to not use the fire roasted tomatoes, but I wouldn't omit the worcestershire sauce. You *could*, but the flavor won't be quite as interesting without both the worcestershire and that fire roasted taste. Do you have any chipotle hot sauce? You could use a little chipotle along with the tamari and then a little agave. Let me know. For the lentil pie, I haven't tested it with red lentils. It should be okay, but you'll need to add the onions straight away to the lentils (not halfway through cooking), since the red lentils will cook much quicker. Also, use another tbsp or two of lentils since I think they may be a bit looser than the green/brown. This is sounding more complicated, I hope you aren't overwhelming yourself with this dinner. Keep it simple with foods you like! :)
Oh Dreena! That sounds good. I was never a squash fan, but find my tastes changing and I find it's not too bad anymore. Something like this might even get hubby to like squash more. Again - Can't wait for the cookbook!
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