Crispy Gnocchi with Basil Pesto

This recipe was recommended by Vanessa H. She found it at Two Peas & Their Pod. They have copyright on all their material so please head over there to check out the recipe! Vanessa says "Go figure, my EXTREMELY picky one-year-old thought this was amazing and kept asking for more!!"

Butternut Squash Mac n' Cheeze (Vegan)

(Picture by Katie M.)

This recipe was sent in by Katie M. She found it at Oh She Glows. She says that her hubby (who loves his $1 box of Mac n' Cheese) thought this was great.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 butternut squash, peeled and chopped (yields: 3.5 cups raw)
• 3/4 cup raw cashews
• 1 cup non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened + unflavoured soy milk), or more to thin out
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
• 6-7 tbsp Nutritional yeast (provides the cheesy consistency)
• 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp or a bit more of dried Italian seasoning
• 1/4-1/2 tsp Tumeric powder, optional (gives the orangey colour)
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/4-1/2 tsp Paprika + more to season
• Your pasta of choice (I used ~450 grams/4.5 cups dry penne for the casserole) + mix-ins

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet.  In a bowl, season chopped squash with some oil (~1 tsp) and kosher salt (couple pinches) and stir. Add to baking sheet and roast in oven for 40 minutes, flipping once half way through baking.
2. If making the baked casserole: Process 1 slice of bread + 1 tbsp Earth balance until crumbs form in a food processor. Set aside. If you plan on enjoying it straight from the pot you can skip this step.
3. Assemble your cheeze sauce ingredients (cashews, non-dairy milk, garlic, lemon, salt, nutritional yeast, pepper, mustard, seasonings) and add just the cashews to food processor. Process until a fine crumb forms similar to corn meal. Now add in the rest of the cheese sauce ingredients and process until smooth. Leave the sauce in the processor as you will be adding the squash.
4. Cook your pasta according to package directions. When squash is finished roasting, add it to the food processor and blend it with the cheese sauce until smooth. Adjust to taste. The sauce will thicken up with time. If at any point the sauce becomes too thick, you can add a bit of milk to thin it out.
5. Drain and rinse pasta with cold water. Now add the pasta back into the same pot and add your desired amount of cheeze sauce on top. Stir well. Add in any desired mix-ins like peas or broccoli. You can either heat this up in the pot, or pour it into a casserole dish (I used a 4 cup dish), sprinkle on breadcrumbs + paprika, and bake it at 350 for about 20-25 minutes. The casserole will serve about 4 people if you use 450 grams dry macaroni or penne. Store any leftover sauce in the fridge and use within a few days.

Notes about this recipe:

I followed this recipe exactly and added peas before baking. Although it takes a little time (need to roast the butternut squash ahead of time) it is super easy and I will definitely be making this again.

Quinoa & Mushroom Stuffed Zucchini

 (Front zucchini has no parmesan, back one does.)

I adapted this recipe from The Kitchn.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 1 cups water
• 2 zucchini, cut in half along their length
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 medium shallot, chopped
• 2 mushrooms, chopped
• Olive oil
• About 1/4 tsp dried and crushed sage 
• About 1/4 tsp dried and crushed rosemary
• About 1/4 tsp dried thyme leaves
• Salt and pepper 
• 1/2 cup tofu ricotta
• Parmesan cheese (optional)

Tofu ricotta ingredients:

• 1 pkg firm tofu, drained
• 1 Tbs. sugar (optional)
• 1/4 cup dairy free milk (I use rice milk)
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 2 Tbs. lemon juice
• 2 tsp. dried basil
• 1 tsp. salt

Directions:

Start by preparing your tofu ricotta. Put all the ingredients in a blender and puree until creamy. Then set aside. (Whatever you don't use can be put in the fridge.) 

Preheat oven to 350° F. 

Toast quinoa in a hot pan over medium heat for about five minutes, or until it smells nutty. Then cook according to package (basically, bring water and quinoa to a boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer until water is absorbed...about 15-20 minutes).

While the quinoa cooks, scrape out and reserve the insides of the zucchini, leaving about half an inch of flesh inside. Put the hollowed out zucchini on a cookie sheet in the oven for about 20 minutes or until softened and tender.

Chop or shred the zucchini innards. Mince the garlic, shallots, and mushrooms. Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat with a little olive oil. Sauté the garlic and shallots until golden, then add zucchini innards and mushrooms, along with the herbs. Sauté, stirring often, until most of the zucchini's moisture has evaporated and the mushrooms are tender.

Fluff cooked quinoa with a fork and put in a large bowl (or if the pot you cooked it in is large enough to add the veggies and ricotta then just leave it in the pot). Add the tofu ricotta and cooked zucchini mixture. Stir well and add salt and pepper to taste. Your stuffing is now ready.

Scoop the stuffing into the cooked zucchini shells. If you'd like sprinkle some fresh Parmesan on top of each then return to the oven for about 5 minutes to rewarm. (Rewarm them whether or not you add the parmesan cheese.) Serve immediately. Makes 4 stuffed zucchinis.

Roasted Tomato Soup

(Picture from Cafe Chocolada.)

This recipe was sent in by Vanessa H. She found it at Cafe Chocolada. There is also a recipe noted there for grilled cheese croutons, if you are interested in checking those out.



Ingredients:

• 6 cups (3 pints) cherry tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 1 cup whipping cream

Directions:

Heat the oven to 400°. On a baking sheet, combine the cherry tomatoes, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, and the salt and pepper. Toss the ingredients to coat evenly and spread them in a single layer. Roast the tomatoes until they are shriveled with brown spots, about 35 to 45 minutes.

In a large pot, heat the butter and the remaining tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and sauté until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the canned tomatoes with their juice, the broth, the thyme, and the roasted tomatoes, including any liquid on the baking sheet. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 40 minutes.

Using a food processor or blender, puree the soup until it's smooth. Return it to the pot and stir in the cream. Without letting the soup boil, warm it over medium heat, stirring often, until steaming. Add salt and pepper, if necessary.

Baked Oatmeal

(Picture sent in by Katie M.)

This recipe was recommended by Katie M. She found it over at Sugar Free Mom.


It is copyrighted, so in order to see this yummy recipe please head over to the website. It is a gluten and sugar free recipe.

Notes about this recipe:

I followed the recipe exactly except that I used soy milk instead of regular milk and they still turned out great. I wrapped most of them in aluminum foil, stuck them in a bag, and froze them for super easy fast breakfasts on-the-go. Although they look like muffins they taste just like a delicious, gourmet, bowl of oatmeal.

Orecchiette with Slow Roasted Tomatoes & Artichokes

Vanessa H. sent in another amazing recipe, however the content and photos are copyrighted. So please head over to Two Peas and Their Pod to check out this recipe.

Notes about this recipe:

I just used egg noodles because I had some to use up, but I think any small pasta would work.

Pasta Pan-Fried with Butternut Squash, Fried Sage, and Pine Nuts

(Picture from The Kitchn)

This recipe was sent in by Vanessa H. She found it at  The Kitchn. 

Ingredients:

• 1 medium butternut squash
• 1 small sweet onion, peeled and diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup fresh sage leaves
• 1 pound farfalle pasta
• 3/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
• 4 ounces high quality Parmesan, shredded or shaved (about a cup total)

Directions:

Heat the oven to 375°. Cut the butternut squash in half and scoop out the strings and seeds the middle cavity. Flip the squash halves upside down and peel them. (Note: The raw squash rind can irritate your hands. If they start to itch or tingle, wear gloves.) Cut the squash into 1-inch cubes. Toss with the onion, garlic, a drizzle of olive oil and salt and pepper. Mince about half of the fresh sage leaves and also toss with the squash.

Spread the squash mixture in a thin layer on a large baking sheet and roast for about 40 minutes or until the squash is soft.

Heat salted pasta water to boiling and cook the farfalle until al dente. Drain and set aside. As the squash finishes roasting, heat about two tablespoons of olive oil in a large high-sided sauté pan. The oil is ready when it pops and sputters. (Don't let it start smoking.) Drop in the rest of the sage leaves and fry for about a minute, or until they begin to just shrivel up.

Remove with a slotted spoon and salt lightly. Crush with the back of a spoon.

Add half the pasta to the pan, along with half the roasted squash mixture. Crumble in half the sage. Cook, stirring frequently, for five minutes or until the pasta is heated through and getting crispy on some of the edges. Add the pine nuts and cook for another minute. Stir in half the cheese and serve.

(Repeat the last step with the rest of the ingredients. We split it into two because none of our pans are big enough to accommodate the entire recipe. It's very important that you not crowd the pan too much - you want the pasta to really pan-fry, not just steam up.)