Week 1 - all the recipes

1) Veggies and Elbow pasta - this one is easy and can be done ahead or day-of. We didn't get this from anywhere...we came up with it on our own with the ingredients we had laying around.

- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

- garlic - sliced

- 1 carrot - sliced

- 1/2 yellow onion - chopped

- 2 small zucchinis - cut in rounds, then quartered

- 3 roma tomatoes seeded and chopped

- 1 red pepper - seeded and chopped

- 1 bag of fresh snap green beans - cut in half

- 1 head of broccoli - broken into pieces

- 1/4 cup water

- fresh sage - 4 leaves

- sea salt, pepper

- 1 tbsp of earth balance butter

- whole wheat elbow pasta - use 1/3 box

cook pasta - 1/3 of the box (drain once it has finished cooking)

begin chopping veggies

sate garlic, onion and tomatos in 1 tbsp for 1-2 minutes over medium heat

add remaining veggies and 1/4 cup water

add 1 tbsp earth balance butter, and 4 whole sage leaves

add cooked pasta

season with salt (1 pinch) and pepper

toss for about 3-4 minutes. Don't let veggies get soft. You want a little crunch to the vegetables.

When done, remove the sage leaves.

2) Stuffed acorn squash

• 4 acorn squash, halved lengthwise; seeds and membrane removed (see note)
• 1 cup organic brown rice
• 1/2 cup wild rice
• 4 cups vegetable broth or water
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 TBSP olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3/4 cup diced celery
• 1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped (you may use any nut of your preference)
• 1/2 cup dried apricots, diced
• 1/2 cup cranberries
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2-1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon each ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375º F.

2. Cook both varieties of rice together in broth or water with ¼ teaspoon of salt (omit salt if broth is already salted).

3. Meanwhile, place squash halves, cut side down, into a large shallow baking dish or cookie sheet (you may need two). Bake for 30 minutes.

4. In a skillet, sauté onion in olive oil until it becomes transparent. Add the celery and sauté a couple of minutes. Remove from heat. Using a large mixing bowl, blend this mixture together with the cooked rice, cranberries, nuts, apricots, and remaining seasonings.

5. When done, remove the partially baked squash from the oven. Spoon out some of the cooked squash and mix it with the rest of the ingredients. Be sure to scrape only a little; you want to leave squash in the shells, too.

6. Press the rice mixture into each squash cavity, mounding rice as much as possible. (Depending on how large the squash are, you may end up with some leftover rice mixture, which makes a great side dish by itself.)

7. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes or until squash flesh is thoroughly tender.

Note: Don't discard the nutritious squash seeds. Instead, rinse the seeds and remove the membrane. Pat dry. Spray a baking sheet with olive oil and spread the seeds evenly on the sheet. Spray seeds lightly with olive oil or with mix with Earth Balance and sprinkle with sea salt or any other favorite seasoning (optional). Bake the seeds in a 375º F. oven for about 15 minutes, or until they're golden brown. Enjoy immediately as a warm snack, or store them in an airtight container for up to one week.

3) Square meal - our own version of Northstar's Square meal

For roasted sweet-potato cubes

• 1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

For rice and beans

• 2 1/4 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups long-grain wild brown rice
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 to 4 1/4 cups Vegetarian black beans UNDRAINED. (we use 316 from whole foods or you can find them in the organics section at kroger)

All natural guacamole (store-bought from whole foods or similar - or homemade) 

1 jalapeno pepper - chopped (OPTIONAL - I actually let matt put this in his serving but i don't cook with it since i don't like mine spicy)

diced tomatoes seasoned with salt

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 450°F.

Toss sweet potatoes with oil and salt, then spread in 1 layer in a large shallow baking pan. Roast, stirring and turning over once or twice, until tender and browned, 35 to 40 minutes.

Cook rice while sweet potatoes roast:

Bring water, rice, and salt to a boil in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan, then reduce heat and cook, tightly covered, until rice is tender and water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Let stand, covered, off heat 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.

Heat the black beans in the microwave and season with a pinch of salt and cumin or other favorite spice. Mix

Top the rice with black beans, sliced avocado, tomatoes, and jalapenos if you want a little heat.

4) Butternut squash soup - from Vegan Spoonful 

Ingredients:

• 1 medium to large butternut squash
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup soy milk (optional)
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
• 2 Tbsp Earth Balance margarine
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut butternut squash in half lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds. Place halves face-down on a baking sheet or casserole dish, and bake for 30 minutes. Rotate halves face-up, prick with a fork, and bake for an additional 30 minutes, or until tender.*

Set squash aside until it is cool enough to handle. With a spoon, scoop the squash out of the skin and into a large soup pot. Add vegetable broth and water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.  Use an immersion blender to blend the soup until smooth.** Stir in spices, soy milk, earth balance, salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Enjoy!