Homemade Ravioli!

I wanted to give it a go. It took ages because I don't have a pasta machine so I rolled it all out by hand and cut them out individually and filled them with two different kind of fillings: roasted butternut squash and mushroom/leek/tofu ricotta.

I made about 30 ravioli and froze a bunch of them for another time.

Cooked and plated up. I tossed them in melted Earth Balance, sauteed onions, garlic and sage. Was very tasty.

Roasted Butternut Alfredo

The perfect fall vegetable...

Makes the perfect fall dish. This is a recipe I got from The Post Punk Kitchen. Seriously delicious, creamy and comforting. Make it today! Find the recipe here.

Curried Butternut Squash, Red Lentil and Noodle Soup

I woke early at about 7:30 in the mood to cook something but not really sure what. I dithered about in the kitchen for a few hours, leafing through cookbooks while having my tea and toast. I noticed the butternut squash that had been sitting on my kitchen table for the past week and a half that I decided I was going to use but not sure how. At first I was going to make a raw grated butternut salad but as I was peeling the thing (not fun), my comfort food monster came out and decided to chop it all up and make soup instead. I followed the butternut squash and red lentil soup recipe from 1,000 Vegan Recipes and added cut vermicelli at the end to up the comfort food factor. The ginger, curry powder and cumin flavors are warming and delicious and the noodles make it extra good.

Club Sandwich and Curried Butternut Squash and Split Pea Soup

Husband and I went for a 40 minute run/walk before coming home to this delicious dinner. I made baked tofu and tempeh "bacon" to make this beautiful club sandwich with white toast, romaine lettuce, fresh tomato from the garden and Vegenaise!


I also made this healthy butternut squash and split pea soup flavored with cinnamon, ginger and curry powder. It was so delicious with tender chunks of butternut squash.

Baked Tofu and Tempeh Bacon

14 oz. firm tofu, cut into 1/2" thick slices
1 package tempeh, cut into 1/8" thick strips
For the marinades below, feel free to adjust to your tastes.

Marinade for tofu:
1/2 cup olive oil
2 TB dijon mustard
2 tsp. low sodium soy sauce
2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. black pepper
Whisk ingredients until smooth.

Brush both sides of tofu with marinade and place on lightly oiled baking sheet.

Marinade for tempeh:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 TB soy sauce
2 tsp. sugar or 1 TB maple syrup
1/4 tsp. liquid smoke

Brush both sides of tempeh slices with marinade and place on lightly oiled baking sheet.

Bake both sheets at 350 degrees F for 18-20 minutes, flipping tofu and tempeh slices halfway.


Curried Butternut Squash and Split Pea Soup

1 small onion, chopped
2 cups cubed butternut squash
1/2 cup yellow split peas
2" cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp. ginger powder
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. cumin
pinch of sugar
4 cups vegetable broth or water
salt and pepper to taste

Saute onions in olive oil until soft. Add squash, split peas, spices and veggie broth. Bring to a boil and lower heat to simmer covered for 45-50 min. until peas and squash are tender. Remove cinnamon stick and discard. If soup is too thin, uncover and let simmer a while longer. It will thicken as it sits.

VeganMoFo: Healthy Nourishing Soup!

This delicious yellow split pea, butternut squash and carrot soup was adapted from the 'Moroccan Pumpkin Soup' recipe from Olive Trees and Honey. It's beautifully spiced with cinnamon, cumin, allspice and turmeric. My husband has decided to "eat healthy" all week so no more delivery pizzas, fast food burgers, frozen pizzas and mac n cheese from a box (yuck!) and more healthy options like this soup. This will be dinner tonight with a nice salad and garlic bread.

VeganMoFo: Thai Red Curry with Butternut Squash and Beans

O' my heavens above this was so good! I make thai curries all the time but tonight the combination of sweet butternut squash and hearty beans was outstanding. I also added white squash and red bell peppers for color. Anything with coconut milk gets an A in my book. I was greedy and enjoyed my curry with two different beds of grain. On the right side I have quinoa, a delicious nutty grain that goes perfect with the flavors of the curry and on the left side, "kanom jean" (or somen noodles) that is a more traditional Thai accompaniment to curry. It was wonderful and I ate this all up!

Basic recipe for thai curry here. You can use any kind of curry paste, green or red, panang etc. And also change up the veggies, omit tofu and add beans, whatever!

VeganMoFo: Bukharan Samsa & Chik'n Pot Pies

If you don't already have the book 'Olive Trees and Honey' then you should go pick it up right away. In it you'll find an exciting array of recipes from Jewish communites around the world in Greece, India, Romania, Morocco, Tunisia, Iraq, Iran, Poland, Italy, Hungary, Egypt and on and on. It's a vegetarian book but most recipes are vegan or can at least be modified to be vegan.

One section of the book features pies and pastries with various kinds of fillings and doughs depending on the region. I was interested in the Bukharan samsa recipe because the dough seemed simple enough (oil, flour, salt, water) and didn't contain any dairy or egg ingredients I had to work around. This particular samsa recipe originates from the Bukharan Jews from the Uzbekistan region. Samsa are a common street food, customarily baked in a tandoor and are commonly filled with meat but also vegetables. The book features a vegan version that is filled with sweet butternut squash, onions and spices. I adore butternut squash in any form so this recipe was something I wanted to try.

I have to say it was quite a bit of work making the dough, letting it rest, cooking the fillings and so on. It took most of my morning but I was determined to make them. I only had enough squash filling for a half recipe of samsa so I got the idea to also make chik'n pot pie filling which I knew would appeal more to my husband. The chik'n pot pie filling contained cubed Boca Chik'n patties, carrots, potato and miso gravy. I have a pretty small workspace in the kitchen so I couldn't really concentrate on making my little pies perfect. I did the best I could and ended up making 15 small turnovers. I can't say they look pretty but they are really tasty and so worth all the effort! The dough was tender and flaky-crisp around the edges. The samsa were delicious with a soft mash of sweet squash and a earthy hint of cumin and turmeric. The chik'n pot pies were winners and tasted just like the real thing, sure to beat frozen Swanson's pies anyday.


Healthy and delicious vegetarian samsa.


Chik'n pot pies!


Inside shots. Wow!