Vegan Yum Yum (12 page)

¼ cup oil

½ cup chopped onion

2 cloves

1 1-inch piece of cinnamon

stick

1 bay leaf

2 green cardamom pods

1 x 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced

1 clove garlic, minced

1¼ cups tomatoes, diced

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup water
(optional)

cup cashews

cup water

Delicata Squash Stuffed with
Cherry Apple Almond Couscous

T
his is a really flexible dish. It takes just about 30 minutes to make, which is awesome, because it seems like it would take longer. This is great as a fancy side dish (1 squash half per person) or a main dish (2 per person) if you serve something like sautéed greens or a salad on the side. Crispy kale goes great with this!

This is also a wonderful dish to make for the holidays. It makes enough side dishes for 8 people and it goes well with other holiday foods. It's also low-fat (hooray!), so it's one less dish on the holiday table that will end up on your butt.

Delicata squash is one of my favorites because it's sweet, beautiful, and quick cooking. And they're not a pain to cut in half, so they get major bonus points for that. If you need to substitute, look for butternut, acorn, or carnival squash, or any sweet squash you fancy.

Delicata Squash Stuffed with Cherry Apple Almond Couscous

Makes 8 side dishes or 4 main dishes
*

(
*
Note: The couscous is nice on its own, so feel free to make less squash if you don't mind having some couscous left over for another meal.)

step 1
Preheat the oven to 400 ºF.

step 2
Halve the squashes lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon and discard. Sprinkle lightly with salt, then place cut side down on a lightly oiled cookie sheet (I use a Silpat baking mat, but parchment paper or foil will work to minimize mess). Bake squashes for 30 minutes.

step 3
Meanwhile, place the water, cherries, and salt in a pot that has a tight-fitting lid. Bring the cherries to a boil, then turn off the heat.

step 4
Dice the apple into approximately ¼-inch chunks. Add the apples and almonds to the cherries and let stand for 5 minutes, until cherries are plumped and apples are softened. Strain out cherries, apples, and almonds and place them in a large bowl, reserving the liquid. The liquid should be reddish and equal to 1¼ cup now. If not, adjust by pouring some off or adding water.

step 5
Add the liquid back to the pot and bring to a boil. Add margarine, if using. When the liquid boils, pour in the couscous, give the pot a little shake, cover, and turn off the heat. Let stand for 10 minutes or until you're ready to stuff.

Ingredients

4 Delicata squashes, about

5 to 6 inches long
(or other similar-size sweet squash)

olive oil to oil cookie sheet

salt

1
cups water

1 cup dried cherries

teaspoon salt

1 Granny Smith apple

cup sliced almonds

1 teaspoon Earth Balance margarine
(optional)

1 cup couscous

3 tablespoons agave nectar

3 tablespoons mustard
(stone-ground or Dijon style)

¼ teaspoon plus 1 pinch

salt

step 6
During the last 10 minutes, make the dressing by mixing together the agave nectar, mustard, and salt. Clear a space to fill the squashes. (When I got to this step, there were 10 minutes left on the squash.)

step 7
Remove the squash from the oven and carefully use a spatula to take them off your baking sheet. The squash should be very soft, so take care not to smoosh or rip them. It's prettier to fill them and then place them on your serving dish, because you will get couscous everywhere while filling.

step 8
Fluff the couscous with a fork, then place it in the bowl that has the apple/cherry/almond mixture and combine well.

step 9
Mix half of the dressing into the couscous and spoon the mixture into the squash cavities. Plate the squashes, then drizzle the remaining dressing over the top, if desired.

Garnish with extra dried cherries and almonds and serve immediately.

Italian Rice and Beans

I
love the way this dish turns out. I especially love the lemon zest on top. It really does something magical. But I must warn you, I think a Microplane grater is absolutely necessary. A friend of mine bought me one as a present, and my word, it makes the finest, lightest, fluffiest zest I've ever had. It practically melts in your mouth.

Italian Rice and Beans

Makes 2 to 3 servings

step 1
Start cooking the rice (while I use a rice cooker, you can also boil it on the stove top according to package instructions).

step 2
When rice is finished, heat the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat.

step 3
Add the herbs, tomatoes, and pine nuts. When the pine nuts start to turn golden brown, add the beans. Toss gently, trying your best to keep the beans whole.

step 4
Add the salt and vinegar and stir gently. Turn down the heat to low.

step 5
Place spinach in one layer on top of the beans. Place the hot, steaming rice over the spinach and leave for 30 seconds or so, until you see the spinach start to wilt. Mix gently and taste. If it doesn't have the “pop” that you want, add in a little bit more vinegar and salt to taste.

step 6
Grate the lemon zest on top of the rice and beans and serve.

Ingredients

1 cup brown rice, uncooked

3 tablespoons of olive oil

2 to 3 teaspoons Italian herbs of your choice
(basil, oregano, marjoram, rosemary, etc.)

½ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, sliced into strips

¼ cup pine nuts

1 can great northern beans, rinsed and drained

½ teaspoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

2 large handfuls of baby spinach

Zest from 1 lemon

Marmalade Tofu with Kale and Lemon Pearl Couscous

M
armalade chicken is one of those simple dinner dishes that home cooks have been preparing for themselves or their families for years because it's not only easy, but also tasty.

This dish is as easy as you want it to be, super flavorful, and infinitely customizable. You can use a base of rice, couscous, pasta, quinoa, millet, polenta (and so on) and dress it up with any simply prepared greens or veggies you've got.