This soup started out as a Stuffed Squash recipe I was developing. I had a lot of leftover filling and, as it was on the bland side, knew we weren’t going to eat it. But as regular readers may know – I HATE waste!!! There was no way I was going to throw it out.
So, I put on my thinking cap. The filling was a mixture of butternut squash, mushrooms, chickpeas, rice, dried cranberries, pecans, and a shallot. An omelette was my first thought…but, no.
Then it occurred to me – SOUP! One can of whole tomatoes, tomato sauce, and an onion later I had an amazing dinner. The result was a delightful blend of textures and flavors.
When life sends you lemons, make lemonade.
STUFFED SQUASH SOUP – makes about 10 cups
- 1 small butternut squash
- 1/2 cup uncooked rice (I use Trader Joe’s 3 Rice Medley)
- 1½ T olive oil
- 1 cup chopped onions
- 1 large shallot, chopped
- 1 T pressed garlic
- 8 oz mushrooms, chopped
- 1 tsp kosher salt (or 1/2 tsp table salt)
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 15 oz can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 3/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 28 oz can whole tomatoes, chopped
- 15 oz can tomato sauce
- 1½ cups water
- 1 cup cilantro, chopped
Preheat oven to 375º Fahrenheit.
Wash and dry the butternut squash. You’re going to need to cut it in half lengthwise. In order to prevent injury, soften the squash a bit by microwaving it for 3 minutes ONLY. (You don’t need to pierce it.) Turn it over and zap it for another 30 seconds. Slice it in half lengthwise and place halves cut side down on a rimmed cookie sheet. Bake in 375º F oven for about 25 minutes – until flesh can be pierced with a knife. 
Let cool enough to handle. Scrape out and discard seeds and fibers. Cut into 1/2″ slices, then cut away the peel. Cut flesh into 1/2″ cubes. 
While squash is cooking, cook the rice.
In a Dutch oven, heat the oil over a medium flame. Add in onions and cook for 4 minutes, stirring often. 
Add in shallot, garlic, mushrooms, salt, and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes over medium/high flame, stirring often. 
Add in squash, rice, garbanzo beans, cranberries, pecans, thyme, chopped tomatoes and it’s juice, tomato sauce, and water. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to maintain a simmer for 15 minutes, uncovered.
Stir in cilantro, adjust seasoning if needed, and serve.
My family has fond memories of the teriyaki noodle bowls from a local restaurant that closed years ago. Not only did they serve meat choices, but they offered perfectly grilled tofu, too. It was crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. Topping it off was a luscious, thick teriyaki sauce.
Liberally coat a nonstick skillet with oil. Heat oil over medium/high until shimmering. Add in tofu and leave undisturbed for at least a minute before moving them. (I suggest using a splatter screen to reduce fallout.) When the tofu is browned on the bottom, flip and cook the other side.
Remove to a baking sheet and leave in the preheated oven to keep warm until the veggies and noodles are cooked.
Bring 2 quarts of water to a full boil. Add noodles (recipe follows) and cook until done – about 5 minutes for homemade.
Drain and add noodles to bowl with veggies.
Form dough into 4 balls and place in the processor with lid. Let rest for at least 30 minutes. 
Using a hand crank pasta machine, roll out dough to one setting thicker than for normal fettuccine (it’s #4 setting on my Atlas machine).
Use the fettuccine blades to cut. 
I’ve rarely met a potato dish I didn’t like. However, I was never very happy with homemade potato cakes. There’s a slight difference between potato patties, latkes, hashbrowns, and pancakes. I’ve tried making them all and never been very happy with any…until America’s Test Kitchen came to the rescue.
Drain, then return potatoes to pot or large bowl. 
Mash potatoes until smooth and let cool about 10 minutes.
Form 8 3″ patties – they’ll each need about 1/2 cup’s worth of potatoes. Make sure to press the patties together firmly so they don’t fall apart. 
Beat the whole egg with a fork and pour onto a plate. Pour the panko onto another plate. Dip each pattie on both sides into the egg, followed by the panko. 
Set all the patties aside for 5 minutes before frying.
Place on a cookie sheet and keep warm in the 200º F oven. Cook the remaining 4 patties in the same manner. Serve immediately or keep warm in the oven until ready to eat.
Let me start by pointing out the quotation marks around the word SAUSAGE mean imitation. (For you carnivores, you can use real sausage.)
Add in onion, red pepper flakes, and garlic. Cook 3-5 minutes – until onions are softened. 
Add in stock, beans, tomatoes, salt, and black pepper. Bring to boil, cover, then reduce heat to maintain a simmer for 15 minutes.
Stir in spinach off heat and check for seasoning (I add another 1/2 tsp salt). 
Sprinkle servings with Parmesan or Pecorino Romano, if desired.
Speedy Thin Crust Pizza has become my go-to pizza recipe not only because I can have it on the table in a little over an hour, but because it’s REALLY good. It’s a very thin pizza with a nice chew.
Set the workbowl on the processor base and run the machine for 10 seconds.
Let mixture set in place for 10 minutes. Add in the salt and process for 30 seconds. 
Empty dough onto a floured counter and fold the dough onto itself a few times to bring the dough together. 
Divide the ball in half and place each one on a piece of oiled (I use olive oil) parchment paper approximately 12″ wide. DO NOT USE WAXED PAPER – IT’S TOO THIN!!!
Rub the tops of the dough with a little more oil then top each with another piece of same-sized parchment. Press down with your hands to smoosh the dough into a square to get it started. With a rolling pin roll both dough balls to about 13″ x 10″ using short strokes, working from the center outward. (I find it easier to keep the parchment from sliding on my counter if I place it on a dry tea towel.) Let set 30 minutes.
Use this time to get your toppings ready.
Carefully peel away and discard the top parchment (which used to be the bottom parchment). 
Top pizzas with your choice of sauce and toppings.
Slide the pizza with bottom parchment onto the preheated stone or steel. 
Bake for 4 minutes. Rotate the pizza 180º, then remove and discard the parchment by securing it in place with a spatula with one hand and pulling out the parchment with the other. (The parchment won’t burn your fingers, so you don’t need to use an oven mitt as long as you don’t touch anything else.) 
Let bake another couple of minutes, until it’s browned to your liking. Remove from oven, let set a minute or two, then slice it up and serve. (This is not the same pizza I placed in the oven in the above pictures.)
I’m not sure when it happened but, for better or worse, every year new foods become pumpkin flavored during Autumn.
In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, pumpkin, milk, and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and gently fold to mix.
Empty onto a well-floured counter and knead about 5 or 6 times. (I use a bench scraper to help since the dough is sticky.) 
With floured fingers, pat dough into an 8″ circle (try to keep the dough to an even thickness) and cut into 8 wedges.
Place on a greased or parchment lined cookie sheet (I prefer a dark sheet that’s greased.)
Bake at 400º F with the rack in the middle position for about 16 minutes. They’re at their best when they’re slightly dark on the bottom. 
The last time I baked them, I thought I overcooked them (see photo), but they were amazing – a slight crunch on the outside and perfect chew inside. So when you check them for doneness, look for slightly dark sides. 
Then remove from oven onto wire rack to completely cool before icing.
For easier control over the drizzle, pour icing into a spouted cup or a pastry bag with a small circle tip. Design as you wish.
Allow icing to harden before serving.
My introduction to Morovian Sugar Cake was a little bittersweet.
Add in 6 T butter and eggs. Process to blend.
With machine running, pour in the proofed yeast water. 
Add 3½ cups to processor and blend. Add flour one tablespoon at a time, processing after each, until dough starts pulling away from sides of the work bowl. Stop adding flour, and run machine another 30 seconds to knead the dough. Pour dough into a greased rimmed baking sheet (jelly-roll pan) and pat dough to fill the pan evenly. Cover with a tea towel and let rise about 45 minutes. 
After dough has risen, create pockets with your fingertip, the handle of a wooden spoon, or something else that’s about 1/2″ diameter.
Sprinkle the sugar topping over the entire cake. Drizzle the remaining 6 T melted butter over all. 
Bake at 350º F for about 20 minutes, until golden brown. 
Cool at least 5 minutes before serving.
Avocado Sauce is a quick and easy topping for tacos, salads, quesadillas, or anything else you want. As opposed to guacamole, which is usually chunkier, it’s meant to pour – thus covering more territory.
Pulse until creamy – scraping down sides as needed.
Adjust seasoning to your preference.
One of my favorite flavor combinations is lemon and garlic, so it’s no surprise that Greek Potatoes are a go-to side dish in our house. Not only is it delicious, but it’s super fast and easy to prepare. (It does take about 40 minutes to bake, but that’s hands-off.)
Place in 475º F oven 
Remove from oven and sprinkle on parsley. Serve while hot.
There is a reason people say, “easy as pie”. Making a pie IS easy. Of course, making a great pie is as easy as making a bad one, so it’s important to have a great recipe.
Working quickly, peel and core the apples. Cut 3 of the apples into 1/8″ thick slices, and the other 3 a little thicker. Make sure they’re bite-sized for ease of eating – you don’t want long strips of apple. 
Add apples into the flour mixture and blend well. 
Pour into the cooled pie crust – there’s a lot of filling, so you’ll have to pile it high towards the middle. Make sure none of the apple pieces sit on the crust edge.
To prevent over-browning, cover the pie edge with foil or purchased pie edge protectors (see photo of what I use).
Bake at 375º for 25 minutes.
When the pie has cooked for 25 minutes, remove from oven. Evenly sprinkle on streusel and remove the edge protectors. Return pie to 375º F oven and bake another 20-25 minutes. Don’t let the top get too brown or it will make slicing difficult to cut through. 
Place pie on a rack or stovetop and drizzle on the caramel topping. Let set at least 1 hour, preferably longer, or you’ll have a lava flow when you slice it.
Vegetarian Cooking For Carnivores BLOG 