Quick Dinner Recipe: Pumpkin & Ricotta Pasta Casserole Everyone loves a good casserole, right? The key word here is good. We've all had goopy, unappetizing messes inflicted upon us in the name of casseroles, but that really should be the deviation — not the norm. This casserole includes many of my favorite casserole elements. But the real thing I love about casseroles like these is their convenience. If you don't have pumpkin puree in your cupboard, what about a can of sweet potatoes instead? Pumpkin & Ricotta Pasta Casserole serves 6 Olive oil1 pound pasta, such as farfalle, small shells, or elbowsOne 15-ounce container ricottaOne 15-ounce can pumpkin puree2 eggs1/2 cup yogurt2 teaspoons saltFreshly ground black pepper1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg1/2 teaspoon ground ginger3/4 cup pecans, roughly chopped1/2 cup loosely packed fresh sage leaves, finely chopped2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped3/4 cup grated Parmesan, divided Heat the oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, whisk together the ricotta, pureed pumpkin, eggs, and yogurt. Enjoy!
aloo gobi-ish I can’t claim that I cook Indian food authentically, but what I can do is cook Indian-ish food that tastes pretty good. Aloo Gobi is one of my favorites and this is my at-home version. The basic components are all here: potato (aloo), cauliflower (gobi). The rest is a bit of a riff… it’s a little lighter and a lot greener. Also, these ingredients should be easy to find. I think this is the perfect “it’s still winter but almost spring” meal. Feel free to make this as spicy or as mild as you like… An extra pinch of cayenne for me, please. Ingredients Instructions Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Notes To cook the potatoes faster, pre-bake, boil, (or microwave) them so they just slightly begin to soften before you start. *I've been loving muchi curry powder lately (Whole Foods makes a nice one - in their bottled spice section, not bulk), if you don't have/can't find it, sub in a combo of cumin, coriander, turmeric, and a pinch of cayenne.
Vegan Enchiladas with Cilantro Avocado Cream Sauce Out of all of the recipes on my Weekly Meal Plan, this is the one we were most excited about! I first made vegan enchiladas with ‘cheeze’ sauce almost a year ago and Eric has been gushing about them ever since. I must agree that I really don’t make them enough…and I’m not sure why because I’m crazy about them. Last night, I jazzed up the original recipe and the outcome was so drool-worthy we found ourselves forgetting that they didn’t contain- or even need- cheese. For this version, I made a creamy green sauce made from Cilantro, avocado (the cream!) They satisfied our every craving…and then some. Sweet Potato, Black Bean, Spinach, and Pepper Vegan Enchiladas Adapted from Time Crunch Vegan Enchiladas. Yield: 4 Enchiladas Ingredients: Directions: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Note: Depending on what kind of sauce you use, you will have to adjust the seasonings to taste. Make your filling and adjust all seasonings to taste. Fill and roll your tortilla wraps, placing fold side down in the dish. 1. A couple hints:
TWICE-BAKED SWEET POTATOES, THANKSGIVING WINS Over the weekend, some friends and I hosted a Friendsgiving at my house. It’s a winning Thanksgiving strategy: instead of the immense pressure on the host to prepare so many dishes, people bring their favorite sides and desserts, the host takes care of the bird, and everybody is happy. It was a tremendous success; every plate was cleaned and the turkey was devoured! (No turkey and cranberry sandwiches for us!) One of my favorite dishes that evening was a simple twice-baked sweet potato. Last week on Etsy I wrote about a lovely, simple way to use your holiday leftovers: in Turkey, Apple and Cheddar Handpies. As for the bird, I used Martha Stewart’s brine followed by Gourmet’s high heat roasting method (nixing the salt as it was already brined) for a second year with great results. And let’s end this debate, once and for all: there are no yams in North America. TWICE BAKED SWEET POTATOESServes 12 as a Thanksgiving or party side; 4-6 as a substantial dinner side Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Pumpkin Hummus When cans of pumpkin go flying off supermarkey shelfs and people starts freaking out because there won’t be any pumpkin pie this year, I really just have to sit back and laugh. Don’t get me wrong, I buy canned pumpkin on occasion but when push comes to shove, making pumpkin puree is so easy (and taste better in my opinion.) I don’t see pumpkins just for halloween carving fun (I grew up not knowing you could actually eat pumpkins…) Instead, I see delicious meals out of each one of them and the pumpkin I picked up at the farmer’s market was perfect for hummus. Seasonal pumpkin hummus. Because of the cinnamon and nutmeg, I find this hummus makes for a delicious fall snack and almost has a slightly sweet taste to it (even though there isn’t sugar in it!) I love fall, I really do! Pumpkin Hummus Total time Author: Erin Alderson Recipe type: Appetizers Serves: 2 Ingredients 1 medium pumpkin 1 can garbanzo beans 1 teaspoon tahini 1 tablespoon sunflower oil 2 teaspoon cinnamon ½ teaspoon nutmeg Instructions
Mixed Dal with Tomato Tarka Recipe nutritional information Serves 8 Orange and yellow split peas and mung beans give this soup a lovely golden color. ⅓ cup dried red lentils ⅓ cup dried split yellow or green peas ⅓ cup dried split mung beans 3 Tbs. melted butter, ghee, or vegetable oil, divided 2 Tbs. grated fresh ginger, divided 1 tsp. ground turmeric 4 cups baby spinach leaves (4 oz.) 1 tsp. salt 2 tsp. whole cumin seeds 1 medium onion, chopped (1 ½ cups) 1 tsp. garam masala ⅛ tsp. cayenne pepper 3 cloves garlic, minced (1 Tbs.) 1 large tomato, diced Cilantro leaves for garnish, optional 1. 2. 3. 4. November 2012 p.70 enchiladas w/ cashew poblano crema Nothing like a five o’clock Friday post the day before Cinco de Mayo… I’m sure everyone’s off on a patio with a margarita in hand by now, but I just had to get this one last recipe out before I go pour my first happy hour drink. We made this last night (hence, the late post). I’ve posted cashew cream before, but I have to say that this roasted poblano version really takes the cake. If you make only one component here, make that. It’s a wonderful creamy sauce on these vegan enchiladas, but it would be delicious dolloped onto many things (ie. the salad I ate for lunch today), or by itself as a dip… (oh and hey, neighbor friends (you know who you are), I have a whole bunch of this leftover… so we’ll see you tomorrow? (quantity: I made 5 small enchiladas which served 2 of us with lots of extra crema left over) (quick tip: roast poblano, tomatillo’s and jalapeno all at the same time – just keep watch, they’ll require different amounts of time. In a medium skillet, heat oil.
Orzo with Caramelized Fall Vegetables & Ginger This is also a satisfying dish to eat — there's no meat, and it's even vegan, if you leave off the final sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. But I would happily serve this to a crowd of dedicated meat-eaters; it's one of these dishes that really spans a group of various preferences. I have a slideshow here with photos, too, of most of the steps in the process, showing you how I caramelized each ingredient, then pushed them aside to soften and cook down while I went on to the next one. Orzo Caramelized with Fall Vegetables & Ginger serves 4 as a main dish and 6 as a side dish Heat a large pot of water to boiling and salt it generously. Peel the sweet potato and dice it finely into cubes about 1/4 to 1/2 inch to a side. Turn the heat down to medium and push the sweet potatoes up in a pile against one side of the pan. Add the diced shiitake mushrooms to the hot center of the pan and cook them for 4 minutes without turning them. Whisk together the vinegar, soy sauce, and 2 tablespoons of oil.
Sweet and Sour Grilled Pumpkin Recipe It’s been quite a while since I’ve shared any recipes from Sicily, hasn’t it? I learned this Zucca Gialla in Agrodolce, or Pumpkin in Sweet and Sour Sauce, in a cooking class I took from my friends Alberto and Liliana in Catania. In the version I learned, the pumpkin slices were sauteed in olive oil rather than grilled, but I decided to put my own twist on it today! I’m wondering if there are any people out there who bought a few sugar pumpkins this year with the intention of finally making homemade pumpkin puree for their Thanksgiving pies. I did. And no, I never got around to baking those pumpkin pies from scratch. I have the original recipe somewhere around here, along with the other recipes I learned from Alberto and Liliana. For those of you who don’t live in San Diego, land of year-round grilling, you may revert to the original recipe and brown the pumpkin slices in olive oil rather than cooking them on the grill. Cut the pumpkin in half and scrape out the insides. Save Recipe 1.
Vegans & Vegetarians: Proper Nutrition via Smoothies Opting for a diet free from meat and animal products is becoming increasingly popular. To ensure good health it is important that you understand the nutrients that are a little more difficult to get without eating animal-based foods. There are plenty of plant-sourced alternatives, but most people are accustomed to getting them through animal products. If you are planning to become a vegetarian, you can still get many of these nutrients from eggs and dairy, but if you want to cut out all animal products, you will need to stick solely to plant-based foods. The Vegetarian and Vegan Diets To be a vegetarian typically means not eating any meat. So what do vegetarians and vegans eat? Nutrients to Watch Out For There are certain essential nutrients for good health that you may not get enough of if you switch to a vegan or vegetarian diet without considering how to balance your foods. Perhaps one of the trickiest nutrients to get, especially for vegans, is vitamin B12. Greens.