Table for a family

Pardon my lack of posts, but I've been at home with my family relaxing for the last several days. The holidays are a good time for family bonding and good eats, both of which I have been enjoying. Seeing as I have a cooking blog, I thought it would be appropriate for me to contribute something to our Thanksgiving dinner. I also thought it would be appropriate to utilize my mother's kitchen, fancy amenities and all.

Over the long weekend, I made two dishes featured on the Smitten Kitchen. The first was sun dried tomato stuffed mushrooms.

I served these as an appetizer at our Thanksgiving dinner. They were tasty, but the parsley flavor got cooked out.

On Sunday, I made sweet potato buttermilk pie. This not only allowed me to use every dish in my mother's kitchen, but was also delicious. Considering that this was the first time I ever actually made a pie, it turned out well. The texture was perfect. Try it!

Spaghetti Squash, Italian Style

I've seen numerous great looking spaghetti squash recipes this fall, but to be honest this was the first time I had eaten the stuff! The texture was great, although I did overcook the squash just a little when I baked it. On the plus side, it was nice to have a vegan meal before heading to my mom's house for the next several days. There, I expect I will be served meat several times a day in addition to a massive turkey to be consumed on Thanksgiving!

The recipe was inspired a healthy recipe book I own, but I basically just used the ingredients I had around. Healthy recipes sometimes don't sound to delicious, but this was very tasty and filling. If you haven't tried spaghetti squash, please give it a try!

Ingredients:
1 large spaghetti squash
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 green chili, sliced (because I add these to everything)
Several pieces of rosemary and thyme, or parsley, or oregano (whatever)
7-8 medium-sized mushrooms
16 oz tomato sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil to saute

First, bake your squash for about an hour at 375 degrees. While waiting, saute the onion until almost clear. Add the chili, garlic and mushrooms, and continue to saute until all are soft. Add tomato sauce and herbs. Bring to slow boil just long enough for the herbs to infuse the sauce, then remove them. Add the salt and pepper.

I, of course, could not wait for the squash to cool, and may have burned my hands a little. You, however, wait for the squash to cool and then cut it in half the long way. Remove the seeds and fibers. Use a fork to scrape the squash off of the skin. Add the sauce and eat up.

Sesame Noodles

This meal was noodley and delicious. I actually used plain, old spaghetti noodles (of the whole wheat variety). You can use any kind of noodles.

Anyone who knows me would tell you I love spicy foods, so ingredients with an asterisk can either be removed or reduced from this recipe to make it more mild. Regardless, this noodle dish should be satisfying and makes for good leftovers.

Ingredients:
1 small yellow onion
3 small green chilies*
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
1 tablespoon garlic-ginger paste
1 teaspoon chili powder*
1 tablespoon green curry paste*
1 teaspoon turmeric
About 2 cups of broccoli, cut into small pieces
About 1 cup medium-sized mushrooms, sliced
About 1 cup fresh tofu, cubed
8 oz coconut milk
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/3 package of spaghetti noodles (or whichever type of noodle suites you)
Soy sauce to taste
Sesame seed and olive oil for saute

First, saute the onions until almost clear in sesame seed and olive oils. Add green chilies. After about 2 minutes, add cumin and sesame seeds. Once they start to sizzle, add broccoli and mushrooms. Saute until a little soft. Add curry paste and ginger garlic paste while mixing well. Add coconut milk and peanut butter. Continue to stir and pour a little water into the pot to make it more like "sauce." Add tofu, turmeric and chili powder. Use salt/soy sauce until you are satisfied. Prepare you're noodles and add them to the mixture.

Couscous Stuffed Squash

Attempting to form regular blogging habits, I made something a little elaborate on Sunday night. This is my own recipe for couscous stuffed squash, and it turned out pretty well. I used a small carnival squash, which is perfect for me. I'll eat the first half tonight, and the second tomorrow.

You may notice in this blog that I'll reuse an ingredient or two during a given period of time. This is because I love herbs and other unique flavors, but a small recipe will seldom require the use of an entire package of anything. That said, I suggest you try a stuffing your squash with whatever ingredients you have lying around.

Ingredients:
1 small squash
1 cup uncooked couscous
1 roasted red pepper
1 small yellow onion
2 cloves garlic
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
A handful of pine nuts
1 cup grated Romano cheese
2 tablespoons tomato paste
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons olive oil
A small amount of butter

Cut squash in half, and remove seeds and fibers. Place in baking dish with an inch of water, and bake for 45 minutes at 375 degrees. While waiting, prepare couscous according to instructions on package. Saute onions, garlic and rosemary in olive oil. Remove rosemary one you've gotten the most out of its flavor. Add couscous, tomato paste and salt and pepper. Sprinkle in pine nuts and add chopped roasted red pepper (after removing seeds and skin). Add half the cheese and remove mixture from heat.

Remove squash from oven and butter it lightly. Once squash is cooled, spoon couscous mixture into the center. Add the remainder of the cheese on top, and broil squash for 5-10 minutes. You will likely have some couscous filling leftover, and I suggest you serve the squash on top of it.

Curried Beet Salad for One

This flavorful salad was light, and went well with toast and hummus. Many of the recipes I've added to my blog so far have clearly been enough for more than one person, but this easy salad is the perfect healthy meal for one.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups baby arugula
1 large beet, cut into small chunks
1 small cucumber
1/4 red onion, chopped
2 green chilies, chopped
5-6 curry leaves - available at you're local Indian grocer
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 hard boiled egg

Saute the onion in the olive oil for about a minute. Add the green chilies and curry leaves and saute for another minute. Add the beet. Cover. Stir ocassionally until beets are no longer crunchy.

Arrange the arugula on a place. Cut the egg in half and remove the yolk if you wish. Slice each half into this pieces. Place the egg on the arugula without separating. Place slices of cucumber wherever you like. Do the same with the beets. Dress the salad with oil from cooked beets and lemon juice.

Gnocchi with Pink Sauce

Today I made one of my regulars, gnocchi with pink sauce. I used store bought pasta, because, lets be honest, homemade gnocchi is too much work when you're cooking for one. It will most likely be a few days before I even manage to finish these leftovers.

As I said, I have made this before. However, I never follow an exact recipe for the sauce. In the past, I've used basil, but the weather's getting cold so I'm switching to more functional herbs. This time I used thyme. Either way, I love pink sauce because it both zesty and creamy, without being too much of either.

Ingredients:
1 package potato gnocchi
1 small yellow onion
2 tomatoes
3 cloves garlic (crushed)
3 sprigs thyme
8 oz can tomato sauce
About 6 oz heavy cream
1 large splash of red wine
Salt and pepper to taste
Grated cheese of choice.

This dish is pretty easy, and you can vary the amount of cheese/cream/tomato sauce you use depending on your preference.

First, dice the onion and saute until clear. Add chopped tomatoes and simmer mixture until they have collapsed. Add tomato sauce, garlic, wine and thyme. Simmer until sufficiently smooth. Remove thyme and add cream, salt and pepper. Cover sauce and boil gnocchi in water for 2-3 minutes or until they float to the top. But be careful, they are easy to overcook. Drain. Top pasta with sauce and grated cheese.

More Pumpkin fun

The same book mentioned in a previous post also inspired me to get festive. I know it missed the boat on Halloween, but it's always a good time for gourd art!

Carbonada Criolla

Tonight I made this hearty stew for my brother and myself. The recipe is from a Joost Elffers book about pumpkins, and I was immediately drawn the recipe because it comes from Argentina, where I lived for a year.

The hollowing out the pumpkin was time consuming but rewarding. It looked fabulous as a serving vessel and the whole thing was delicious.

Ingredients:
1 medium pumpkin
2 medium sized yellow onions
butter
sugar
olive oil
4 garlic cloves
2 pounds lamb back ribs (or another cut if you prefer)
4 medium tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
stock
bouquet garni (I used rosemary and thyme)
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper
1 potato
1 can sweet corn
1 can peaches



First, cut a lid on top of the pumpkin, and remove the fibers and seeds. Scrape as much pumpkin from the inside as you can without letting the walls get too thin. Brush the inside with butter and sugar, then bake for 30 minutes.

Lightly saute the onions and garlic in olive oil. Transfer to a large sauce pan. Lightly brown the lamb in the pan, then add it to the onion mixture. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, the bouquet garni and enough stock to cover the mixture. Add a generous amount of salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for about 45 minutes.

Add the pumpkin and potato and top it off with stock. Simmer for another 30 minutes before adding the corn and peaches. Remove the bouquet and ladle the stew into the pumpkin.



And there you have it. As easy as pumpkin lamb stew...served in a pumpkin...