Roasted Acorn Squash with Tahini and Chickpeas

Recipe Time: 45 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

Squash and Chickpeas:

• 1 acorn squash
• 1 small, yellow onion
• 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 sprig of fresh rosemary, or 1 tsp. dried
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds (optional)
• olive oil

Sauce:

• 2-3 Tbs. tahini
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 clove garlic
• Water to thin
• Salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425. Cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds, and rub the inside with a drizzle of olive oil. Place the two halves face down on a baking sheet, and cook in the oven for about 30-40 minutes, or until a fork easily pokes through the skin.
2. While the squash is roasting, thinly slice the onion and slowly caramelize in a pan over medium-low heat. Add about a tsp. of olive oil to the pan.
3. Once the onions become translucent and limp, add the drained chickpeas, rosemary, and garlic. Raise the heat to medium and cook until the chickpeas look slightly browned and toasted.
4. While the onions and chickpeas are cooking, put all of the sauce ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. I added about 2 Tbs. of water at first, and kept adding a little at a time until the sauce was a consistency that I liked. It should be thin enough to easily drizzle over the squash.
5. Once the squash is done and cooled slightly, cut into quarters. Top each quarter with the chickpea mixture, some pumpkin seeds, and a drizzle of the sauce. I added some arugula as well. Enjoy this as a main dish or side!

Butternut Squash Yum Bowl

Sweet butternut squash and carmelized onions with a tangy coconut lime sauce, garlic-roasted chickpeas, and quinoa. This dish is seriously the perfect combination of flavor, texture, and nutrition. 

My husband has decided to not eat meat for a couple weeks, and i've decided to do it with him. I don't think that meat is bad (although I do believe it should be eaten in moderation), but I'm just trying something different that forces me to get more creative with cooking plant-based meals. To tell you the truth, I've been way more in love with the flavors in some of my plant-based meals than those with meat! This one in particular has been a family favorite.

INgredients:

• 1 butternut squash (or bag of organic, pre-chopped butternut squash from trader joe's!)

• 1 onion

• 1 can chickpeas

• 1 cup quinoa, dry

• 1 tsp. garlic

• arugula

• pumpkin seeds (totally optional; other seeds or chopped nuts would also taste great)

• cilantro (also optional)

For the Sauce:

• 1/2 can coconut milk

• Juice of 1 lime

• 1/2 tsp. turmeric

• 1/4 tsp. ginger

• 1/2 avocado

• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425. Chop the butternut squash into small 1/2-inch cubes. Place on a large baking sheet with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake for 25 minutes, or until soft.

2. While the squash is roasting in the oven, chop the onion and begin cooking the quinoa on the stove. Sauté the onion over medium heat. Once the onions become slightly translucent, add the chickpeas and garlic. Continue to cook for about 5 minutes.

3. To make the sauce, combine all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

4. Place the squash, onions, chickpeas, arugula, and pumpkin seeds on a bed of quinoa. Drizzle the sauce over the top and enjoy!

GF Lemon Garlic Pasta

Ingredients:

• 1 package organic brown rice and quinoa pasta (from Trader Joe's)
• 1 head of cauliflower
• 1 package mushrooms
• 1 red onion
• Large handful chopped kale
• Large handful basil leaves, chopped into smaller pieces
• 1 Tbs. minced garlic
• 4 Tbs. butter
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425. Chop the cauliflower into bite size pieces. Place on a pan with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast for 20-25 minutes, or until soft.
2. While the cauliflower is roasting, boil water for spaghetti noodles. Cook according to package instructions.
3. Thinly slice the onion and the mushrooms. Sauté the onions in a little bit of olive oil over medium heat until soft, add the mushrooms and the kale. Continue to cook until the mushrooms and kale are soft as well.
4. In a large pan (or the pot you cooked the noodles in), melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and basil and let simmer until slightly browned. Turn on low heat and add the lemon juice. Add the noodles, cauliflower, onion, mushrooms, and kale to the sauce. Stir until everything is coated. 
5. Top with salt, pepper, nutmeg, and grated parmesan (or goat cheese). Add chicken or sausage if you'd like!

Creamy Pesto Zucchini Noodles (Vegetarian)

I wanted to find a way to make a satisfying, creamy pasta sauce without actually using cream. What I came up with? Coconut milk, avocado, and pesto sauce. YUM. It tastes so fresh and light, but at the same time very filling. 

You'll need a spiralizer for this recipe. If you don't have one, please get one. You can make noodles out of so many things! Try sweet potatoes, zucchini, carrots, and more. It's such a great way to incorporate more vegetables into your meals. Any pasta dish that you loved before you can now make with vegetable noodles, and they actually taste amazing. Here's the small, easily stored spiralizer that I have. I'll be posting a lot more spiralized vegetable recipes in the future!

This recipe can be made vegan if you use the right type of pesto and don't put parmesan on top. If you want more substance/protein, it would also taste delicious with organic chicken or grilled salmon. One of the best parts about it is that it can be easily adjusted to fit into pretty much anyone's diet.

Recipe:

• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 2-3 medium zucchini
• 1 bunch baby broccoli
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 2 tomatoes
• large handful of fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup canned coconut milk
• 1 avocado
• 3 Tbs. pesto
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Spiralize all the zucchini with a spiralizer and set aside.
2. Chop the baby broccoli into smaller pieces, and place in a large pan with a little bit of olive oil and a splash of water. Cook with a lid over medium heat for 5-10 minutes, or until slightly softened.
3. While the broccoli is cooking, slice the mushrooms and chop the tomato.
4. Once the broccoli is soft, add more olive oil to the pan and add the garlic, zucchini noodles, mushrooms, tomatoes, and basil leaves. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini noodles are softened to your liking. I covered them with a lid for a couple minutes, then sautéed them without the lid for about 5 minutes (If you cook them too long, they will get mushy. Just keep trying them until they seem a good consistency for you). You may need to drain some liquid from the pan because of all the water that's in the fresh zucchini.
5. While the noodles and other ingredients are cooking, combine the coconut milk, avocado, and pesto in a blender and blend until smooth.
6. Pour the sauce over the cooked zucchini noodles, season with salt, pepper, and grated parmesan cheese.

 

Butternut Squash, Kale, and Sausage Soup

It's the middle of October and still 80 degrees in Santa Barbara. As much as I love the sun, I'm definitely missing the beautiful fall colors and cold, crisp air that is back home in Washington. Even though it's hot, I can't help but make recipes that remind me of the colder and cozier fall days that I'm so used to. Wow, I'm getting homesick just thinking about it. 

I created this recipe because of my love for butternut squash. I happened to make this meal the night that some friends spontaneously came over for dinner. They were vegetarians, so I split the soup into two pots and only added sausage to one of them. Both versions were flavorful and delicious. 

Recipe:

• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 butternut squash
• 1 yellow onion
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 can navy beans
• 1 head or a few cups of chopped kale
• 1 package organic, hot Italian chicken sausage (I found some at Whole Foods. Any sausage that you like would work.)
• 8 cups chicken broth
• 1 -2 tsp. oregano
• 1-2 tsp. thyme
• salt and pepper to taste
• grated parmesan to top

Directions:

1. Peel the butternut squash, cut open, remove seeds, and chop into smallish cubes. 
2. Chop onion and garlic cloves. Saute in 1-2 Tbs. of olive oil until the onions become soft.
3. If you're making the soup with sausage, add the sausage until browned.
4. Add the chicken broth, butternut squash, oregano, and thyme. Cover with a lid and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes, or until the butternut squash is soft.
5. Finally, add the kale, beans, and tomatoes. Simmer for another 5-10 minutes.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve with parmesan on top.

Veggie Burgers

Sweet Potato, Black Bean, Quinoa Burgers is more like it.

Don't get me wrong, I truly love a good beef burger. However, good quality, organic beef is expensive, and I think we should all be including more sustainable, plant-based meals into our diet. So, I created this veggie burger. Packed with fiber, protein, and healthy fats, these have a lot more to offer your body than a beef burger. You just have to think of them a little differently. They are a whole different category of food, and a whole different type of delicious.

The recipe is a little time consuming, about 1.5 hours, but it makes a lot and the burgers store super well in the fridge or freezer. It's totally worth your time when you have super quick lunches and dinners for days to come. These can be eaten on a bed of arugula or lettuce, on a piece of bread, or just plain with a variety of toppings (see some ideas below).

RECIPE:

• 2 medium sweet potatoes
• 1/2 medium onion
• 3/4 c. finely chopped mushrooms
• 1 small zucchini, grated
• 1/2 cup walnuts, blended or food processed till very fine
• 1 can black beans
• 1 c. cooked quinoa
• 3 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• A sprinkle of red pepper flakes, if you like a little spice

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 400. Place the sweet potatoes in the oven whole, and bake them for 40 minutes. While the sweet potatoes are baking, cook the quinoa.
2. Rinse the black beans in warm water, and mash them in a large bowl. Chop the mushrooms and onion, grate the zucchini, blend the walnuts, and add to the black beans. 
3. Add the cooked quinoa, cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper.
4. Once the sweet potatoes are soft, scrape out the inside into the bowl with the other ingredients. Mix and mash until it's all well combined.
5. Form the mixture into patties, and place on a large, greased baking sheet.
6. Bake until the patties are firm, about 40 minutes.
7. Serve on a salad base, on a bun, or just plain with grilled onions, avocado, hummus, goat cheese, or a sauce of your choice.