Curried Butternut Squash Soup

I happened to have a butternut squash lying around and a bit of extra time at lunch so I made a quick soup. I love this butternut squash recipe from Ellie Krieger – super easy, only a few ingredients, and it is ready so fast!

I also had some bread on the verge of going stale so I made a quick batch of homemade croutons – simply cubed the bread, tossed with some herbs de province and olive oil, and baked in the oven at 250 degrees for around 20 minutes.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (2 1/2-pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more, to taste
• 2 tablespoons honey (optional for the non-Vegans out there) 

Directions

Heat oil over medium heat in a 6-quart stockpot. Add onions and garlic and saute until soft but not brown, about 6 to 7 minutes. Add the butternut squash, broth, curry powder and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until squash is tender, about 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat stir in honey and puree with an immersion blender or in batches in a blender until smooth. Season with salt, to taste.

Tofu Scramble

I was craving eggs this morning so I whipped up a quick tofu scramble with a side of breakfast potatoes.

Ingredients:

Half of an onion, diced

Extra hard tofu

Hot Salsa

2 red potatoes, diced

vegan cheese

green onions

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Crumble tofu into a bowl and add salsa. Let marinate. Meanwhile, fry chopped onions in olive oil until soft, around three minutes. Add potatoes and brown for about five minutes. Pour potatoes into oven proof dish and cook in oven for twenty minutes. During the last five minutes, add cheese and melt. While the potatoes are cooking, use the frying pan to heat up the tofu/salsa scramble. Add green onions before serving. 

Spaghetti Squash with Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Chickpeas

Given the arctic temperatures outside today, I wanted to make a “comfort” winter food. When I saw this recipe on “Fat Free vegan”  I just had to brave the cold to run out to the store and get the ingredients to try it out. Nothing says winter like squash & brussel sprouts. And while not the most aesthetically pleasing dish, this was definitely a winner in the taste category.





Ingredients:
1 Spaghetti squash
1 pound Brussels sprouts
1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1/2 cup vegetable broth
15 ounces chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 teaspoons dried basil
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or to taste)
salt and black pepper, to taste
1 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
sliced almonds, optional

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400. Pierce a spaghetti squash 8-10 times with a skewer or thin knife (pierce deeply through flesh into center). Place on a baking sheet on center rack of oven. Bake for 30 minutes and then turn 1/4 turn. Bake another 30 minutes or until outside has browned in places and shell feels soft. Remove from oven and set aside until cool enough to handle. Once it’s cool, cut it in half and remove and discard the seeds and scrape the strands of squash out with a fork. Put the squash into a bowl and set aside.

While the squash is cooking, prepare the Brussels sprouts. Trim and discard the ends and cut the sprouts in half (quarter larger sprouts). Place on a baking sheet and spray quickly (2 seconds) with olive oil. (This prevents burning; if you don’t want to use the oil, cover loosely with a sheet of aluminum foil.) When the squash has finished cooking, put the sprouts into the oven and bake for about 15 minutes, stirring halfway through. Remove them when they are just beginning to be touched by brown but are not burning (they will finish cooking in the skillet in the next step).

In a large, deep, non-stick skillet, cook the onions on medium-high heat until they become golden, about 5-6 minutes. Add the Brussels sprouts, garlic, and vegetable broth and cover tightly. Cook for 3-5 minutes, adding more broth or water if skillet becomes dry. Add the chickpeas, basil, and red pepper flakes. Stir in the spaghetti squash, and toss gently to mix. Cook until heated through. Add salt and pepper to taste, along with lemon juice. Serve topped with crushed or sliced almonds, if desired.

Black Bean and Tomato Soup

Black Bean and Tomato Soup 

This is another recipe from Kim Barnouin that I whipped up for lunch today. Quick and easy and SUPER delicious. I definitely recommend this one!

Ingredients:

2 tbs of olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

2 15oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1 28oz can stewed tomatoes

½ cup frozen or fresh corn

3 cups vegetable broth

1 cup water

1 tsp dried oregano

¼ tsp red pepper flakes

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Juice of half a lime

½ tsp salt

1 tbs chopped cilantro

Directions:

In a large soup pot, heat the oil and sauté onion in oil until onion is soft & translucent. Add the garlic and red pepper and sauté about 30 seconds. Add the chili powder and cumin and stir until well combined. Add the black beans, tomatoes, corn, water, oregano, red pepper flakes, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir and simmer about 15 minutes. Using a handheld blender, puree soup to desired consistency (I like it a bit chunky). Add the lime juice and salt. Garnish with cilantro.

Butternut Squash Ravioli with Sage Sauce

Feeling ambitious on this Saturday evening, I decided to try out Kim Barnouin’s Butternut Squash Ravioli with Sage Sauce. I was surprised at how easy the wonton wrappers were to make, and overall was very pleased with how the dish came out. While a lot of work for an every-day meal, this recipe is definitely a good one to have in my repertoire for a special occasion.

Wonton Wrappers

Makes 24 wrappers

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour + more for dusting

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup warm water

Whisk together flour and salt in a medium bowl. Slowly stir in the warm water with a fork until the dough turns stiff. Place the dough on a floured surface and knead until smooth, about 12 minutes. Cover with a clean kitchen tow land let stand for 20 min. Divide the dough in half and roll out to 1/16 inch thick, reflouring the surface as needed to prevent dough from sticking. Cut the dough into 3 inch squares for the ravioli.

Ravioli with Sage Sauce

Makes 24 ravioli

Ingredients:
2 cups frozen butternut squash, thawed
1 1/2 sticks Earth Balance (vegan butter)
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

1/2 cup vegan parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 recipe for wonton wrappers (above)

1 bunch fresh sage, stems removed

Place the squash and 1/2 stick of butter in a blender and process until smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in the bread crumbs, cheese and salt and pepper. Place 1 tbsp of the squash mixture into the center of each wonton wrapper. Brush edges of the wrapper with water and fold one corner over to create a triangle. Press the edges to seal tightly. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the ravioli and cook for 5 to 6 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon Meanwhile melt the remaining butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sage and cook 3 minutes. Remove from heat and toss with the ravioli before serving.

 

 

Vegan in DC

Business travel to me implies a lack of food options, uncomfortable beds, and decaying gym equipment in small, overheated work-out rooms.  Severely missing the state of the art treadmill at my local gym, I try my best to eat healthy on business trips. While it is generally easy to grab a healthy breakfast and lunch, dinner on the road usually implies either A) going out to eat with a large group of co-workers at some chain restaurant or B) grabbing a quick meal on the run…often Chinese take-out or some tasteless form of room service.

Time to break the habit!

This week in DC has been my first week of business travel as a vegan. Being a vegan is a good excuse for opting out of the large group dinners at uninspired and unhealthy restaurants without seeming antisocial. And luckily, being close to the DC metro area puts me in a location that has quite a few vegan-friendly options. The trick, of course, is finding the time to get to them during a busy week.

This week I managed to try out two delicious, vegan-friendly finds in the DC metro area.

The first was Brewyn Cafe in College Park MD.  Liberally named a "cafe", this restaurant looks more like  someone's home and is located in a mostly residential area to the side of the University of Maryland campus. After gathering up the courage to enter the building, you find yourself standing in a rather spacious room with a few sparsely placed tables and couches. To the back of the room there is counter to order food from. The place feels like it belongs in the early 80s but the food selection was quite inspired. From the specials menu I ordered a cup of the Lentil Coconut Soup and from their main menu, half of a "tofu gyro". The food overall was quite good and very "healthy" tasting with fresh vegetables and whole grains.  While the atmosphere was a bit intimidating to me with the sparse and utilitarian like furniture, perhaps others might find it, as their website advertises, "peaceful and pleasant".

The second restaurant I was able to try was  Toscana Grill in Arlington VA. I actually heard about this restaurant from Vegan Talk a blog by a fellow Vegan food lover. The restaurant sits a few blocks from the first apartment I had in Arlington, VA and yet I had never even noticed it while living there. Apparently the restaurant was not doing so well and the owner decided to revamp the Italian menu a year ago and make it eco-friendly and organic, adding a plethora of vegetarian and vegan options. While the two friends I went with were skeptic of the "Vegan Italian" menu options, I ordered the Sinatra vegan pizza with daiya vegan cheese, red peppers, spinach, "veggie chicken" and hot chili sauce. It was surprisingly delicious, and I really enjoyed it. The friends I went with (also self confessed tofu haters) ordered more mainstream items from the menu and seemed to enjoy them too.

Peanut Butter Crispy Rice Treats

Alicia Silverstone, author of the “Kind Diet”, has a recipe for a healthy “vegan-ized” version of the childhood favorite, rice crispy treats. In her book, she writes that she often takes these with her when she travels to satisfy cravings for something sweet or in case she misses a meal or needs a quick snack.

Since I am heading out the door tomorrow to go to DC for work, I figured I would whip up a batch of these to take with me. Coming home to these in my hotel room will make it that much easier to skip dessert at the company dinner. I left out the chocolate chips to make them a bit healthier and they are still delicious. 

Ingredients
1 ³/₄ cups brown rice syrup
1 pinch sea salt
³/₄ cup peanut butter or almond butter (all natural)
1 box brown rice crisps cereal
¹/₂ cup grain-sweetened (dairy free) chocolate chips (optional)

Directions
Heat rice syrup with a pinch of salt in a saucepan over low heat. When rice syrup liquefies, add peanut butter and stir until well combined and heated through.

Pour entire box of cereal into a large bowl. Pour rice syrup mixture on top. Use a wooden spoon to incorporate everything together (mix in grain-sweetened chocolate chips at this point, if using).


Press down into an 8"×8" or 9"×13" baking dish. Wet your fingers as your press down to keep them from sticking. Let cool for 1 hour before cutting into squares.