Spaghetti Squash with Green Pea Pesto and Beans

Spring is here.. apparently. That is, if you go by the calendar. There have been some teaser days spent mostly outdoors, along with a few healthy thunderstorms. However, I am not measuring the change of seasons by this criteria -- the evidence that I seek is the vegetables! Oh, how I long to fill my produce bin with hearty stalks of asparagus, glorious globe artichokes, and the rare treat of fresh green peas. Any day now I will have my way. In the meantime I am cooking up the last of the winter squash and playing make believe with this green pea pesto of the frozen pea variety. I must say, dinners like this make the wait not so bad!


Spaghetti Squash with Green Pea Pesto and Beans
(Serves 4)

1 large spaghetti squash (3-4 lbs)

1 15 oz can cannellini beans (or chickpeas), drained and rinsed
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 shallot, diced (or 1/2 cup red onion, diced)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp dried oregano
salt to taste

Pesto:
2 cups frozen peas, thawed
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, packed
1/4 cup walnuts, toasted
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1 tbsp olive oil (or water for lower fat)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 small clove of garlic, peeled
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

Squash: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and coat with cooking spray. Halve the squash and scoop out and discard the seeds. Rub or spray the insides with a small amount of oil and place halves cut side down on the baking sheet. Roast for 60-90 minutes, until cooked through and starting to lightly brown at the edges. Set aside to cool. (I did this a day ahead).

Pesto: Combine all pesto ingredients in a food processor and process for about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides as necessary. A few minutes before serving transfer to a small pot and warm gently over med-low heat.

Beans: Coat a skillet with cooking spray and saute shallots over medium heat until softened, 3-4 minutes. Stir in garlic, oregano, and about a tablespoon of water (to prevent sticking) and continue to saute for 2 minutes. Stir in beans and tomatoes and saute gently until hot, about 3 minutes. Season with salt.

Assembly: Use a fork to scrape out the spaghetti squash into strands. If necessary, reheat the squash in the microwave or on the stove top in a skillet with cooking spray over medium heat. Divide up the squash into four servings. Top with desired amount of sauce (I found 1/4 cup each to be adequate) and divide up the beans among the four plates. Garnish with a few peas and fresh basil leaves if desired. Serve hot.

Vegan MoFo #13: Twice Baked Acorn Squash

I am starting to notice a recurring ingredient in my Vegan MoFo posts: winter squash. There has been kabocha, delicata, pumpkin, and butternut squash, now it is time for some acorn squash!

Admittedly, the flavor and texture of acorn squash is my least favorite of all winter squashes. The most popular way to prepare this squash is to stuff it with sweet or savory fillings, but for me the stuffing never seems to flavor (read: cover up) the squash enough. I had all but given up on this popular winter squash, and then I found a method for twice baked acorn squash. Baked first, then the flesh is scooped out and mashed up with the stuffing, before being packed back into the skin and baked once more.

This method worked perfectly and took away all of my reasons that I normally dislike acorn squash. I pureed the squash flesh which eliminated any stringy bits that usually gross me out, and into the food processor went some additional flavoring to spice up the bland taste that normally bores me. If you are without a food processor, never fear, you can easily mash up the squash by hand.

I encourage you to try out this method with your favorite squash stuffing. For me, that was wild rice, cremini mushrooms, leeks, and peas -- a real savory squash treat!



Twice Baked Acorn Squash
(inspired by Hangry Pants)
Serves 2

1 large acorn squash, sliced in half top to bottom, seeds removed
1/2 cup uncooked wild rice
2 leeks, white and light green parts, sliced
2 cups sliced mushrooms (I used cremini)
2 cloves of garlic, minced 
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves (or 1/2 tbsp dried)
1/2 cup frozen peas
2 tbsp unsweetened non-dairy milk
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp chopped parsley

Prepare rice according to package directions. While the rice is simmering, prepare the squash. Preheat oven to 400. Place squash halves face down in casserole dish in 1/2" of water. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the flesh is very tender. Set aside to cool for at least 10 minutes. (May do both a day ahead). Lower heat to 350.

Heat 1/2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet. Add leeks, garlic, and thyme and saute for 4-5 minutes. Add mushrooms and saute for an additional 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are lightly browned. Stir in peas when the mushrooms are nearly done, just long enough to thaw them. Stir in rice and remove from heat.

Scoop out squash flesh leaving about 1/4" in the skin to hold the structure, reserve skins. Puree flesh in food processor or mash by hand, along with non-dairy milk, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, mustard, onion powder, paprika, and salt, until smooth.

Pour squash mixture into the pan with the rice mixture, and add parsley. Stir to coat. Stuff the squash skins with mixture and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until hot. Serve and enjoy!

Vegan MoFo #1 - Thai Tempeh and Kabocha Pot Pie

Happy November 1st -- World Vegan Day and the kick-off of Vegan MoFo! If you are unfamiliar with Vegan MoFo, it is a month long vegan food blogging event. I joined the ranks of over 500 bloggers worldwide that signed up to blog daily about their vegan eats. The goal is to post every weekday, or roughly 20 times during the month of November. Prepare for a flood of vegan food coming straight to your computer screens!

No doubt the frequency of posting will be my greatest challenge, but I am determined. I have many delicious things planned, along with a small stockpile of recipes from the last couple of weeks that will fill in on days that I am eating leftovers. Here is my short list of things I hope to accomplish over the coming weeks, which will give you an idea of what to expect:

• Cooking with new ingredients (starting with this big bag of sunchokes, ideas anyone?)
• Cooking from new cookbooks
• Cooking through as much as possible of my overstocked pantry
• Hosting a vegan Thanksgiving dinner party for friends
• Dining out at least one vegan restaurant in Chicago that I haven't tried yet
• Reading as many new blogs as possible!

So, let's get started!

I am very excited to share this first recipe with you, which is hands down the most delicious dinner I have made so far this season. This Thai Tempeh and Kabocha Pot Pie is a slight adaptation of Joanne's brilliant pot pie. Thai curry paste and coconut milk flavor the sauce of this fall veggie and tempeh pot pie. The sauce is bursting with flavor, but the spice level is mild enough for those with low tolerances to heat. The blend of curry and coconut play off of the sweetness of the sweet potatoes and kabocha squash perfectly. All of this goodness is topped off with a pumpkin biscuit crust. That's right, I said pumpkin biscuit crust. This recipe screamed, eat me now! In fact I was whipping this up within hours of her posting the original recipe, and I recommend you doing the same. 

You may substitute any winter squash you desire, but I am partial to kabocha, delicata, and kuri, because the skin is edible when roasted, and does not require peeling. (Sorry butternut, I still love you.)

Thai Tempeh and Kabocha Pot Pie with Pumpkin Biscuit Crust
(Adapted from Eats Well With Others)  
Serves 5-6

2 lbs kabocha squash, stem and seeds removed, skin on, chopped in 1" chunks (roughly 5 cups)
1 large white sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1.5" chunks
1 large parsnip, peeled and sliced into 1/4" thick rounds
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 package tempeh, chopped into 1" cubes (steamed for 15 mins to remove bitterness if you desire)
1 cup coconut milk
1-1/2 cups water
4 tsp red curry paste
2-1/2 tbsp tamari (or soy sauce)
1-2 tbsp agave (or brown sugar)
Juice of 1/2 of a small lime
1-1/2 cups fresh or frozen peas
2 tbsp flour of your choice (I used spelt)
Salt

Pumpkin Biscuit crust 
(adapted from FatFree Vegan Kitchen)

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup coconut milk (or non-dairy milk of your preference)
1 tbsp lemon juice

Preheat oven to 450.  Toss squash, sweet potatoes, and parsnip with 1 tbsp oil and some salt.  Place on a baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes or until fork tender.

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large pot (a dutch oven would be great here, this will be going into the oven later). Add in the onion.  Saute for 3 minutes or until translucent. Stir in the garlic and saute for 30 seconds more.  Add in red curry paste, and stir well to coat the onions -  saute for 30 seconds. Add in tempeh and saute for 2 minutes more.

Stir the roasted veggies into the pot. Mix in the coconut milk, water, tamari, and agave. Stir until well combined and bring to a simmer. Pour in the peas and cook until heated through. Add lime juice, salt, and any additional agave or curry paste to taste. (I added a 5th tsp of curry paste for some additional heat). Add in flour and stir until well incorporated. Your sauce should be a gravy-like consistency, if it is too thick stir in 1/4 - 1/2 cup additional water at this point. Remove from heat while you prepare the biscuits.

Lower oven to 400.  In a mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, then stir in the pumpkin, coconut milk and lemon juice until a dough forms. If your dough is very sticky add in a bit more flour, and alternately if your dough is too dry add a bit of non-dairy milk.

If you aren't already using a dutch oven, pour the pot pie filling into an oven-safe casserole dish (I used 13 x 9 glass dish). Drop handfuls of the biscuit dough onto the top of the pot pie.  Bake for 15 minutes or until biscuits start to brown. Serve hot, and enjoy!


Goodnight Vegan MoFo'ers, see you tomorrow!