I have been doing a fair share of cooking lately, including on our trip to the beach. I convinced the girls to let me cook for them that week so they could see what kind of plant-based meals the boys and I have been enjoying. I was delighted that they agreed because it also guaranteed that everything I ate was something I knew I could have without any worries. Plus I loved making my friends feel pampered and taken care of, too. I think we all enjoyed it.
I thought I'd start with dinner last night and work my way backwards... a lot of the stuff I've made recently is stuff I've already posted about because they've become our favorite dishes. Last night, I tried something completely new that had ingredients I'd never even had in my house before!Stuffed Delicata Squash with Kale, Chickpeas and Leeks. Yum!
Until a friend gave me this recipe, I didn't know what a delicata squash even was. When I saw the picture of it I realized I'd recently seen it in the store but just didn't know what it was. Of course I looked in the stores for it (Crest, Sprouts and Whole Foods) once I got the recipe and couldn't find it anywhere! Sigh... I was incredibly happy to find it yesterday morning at the Edmond Farmers Market. I'm sure I acted ridiculous but the farmer was really nice about it. :)
The recipe is pretty easy. Take 2 Delicata Squash and wash them really well (because the skin is soft and edible). Slice them in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and gooey stuff. Spray the cut side lightly with Pam and place cut side down in a glass baking dish. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.
While the squash is roasting, wash the leeks and kale well. Leeks were another item I'd never had in my house before. I've heard of them and knew what they were, I was just always a little intimidated by them. They're pretty big and I wasn't at all sure what to do with them or which parts you discard, if any. Now I find out they're really just like big, mild onions. I don't honestly know if I'll use them all that much because I like onions and they're a whole lot cheaper -- but in the spirit of trying something completely new, I went with the leeks. :)
I sliced the leeks right down to the tougher green part and discarded that. Then I used my handy Vidalia Onion Chopper from Bed, Bath & Beyond to dice them up. I just love that thing - it's got to be one of my favorite kitchen gadgets. :)
I sauteed the leeks with a couple cloves of minced garlic in some veggie broth for a few minutes until the leeks were tender. Then I added one bunch of kale that had been stemmed and roughly chopped, one can of drained and rinsed chickpeas and about a tablespoon of sage. I LOVE sage. If you don't like it as much as I do, scale it back until you're happy with it or leave it out completely.
I cooked all of this about 5 minutes and that's when the timer went off on the squash. I got them out of the oven, flipped them over using some tongs and filled them with the kale,chickpea mixture. I put this back in the oven for about 10 minutes.
I made some whole wheat pasta as a side dish and added a little red pepper hummus and almond milk to it to give it an almost macaroni and cheese like appearance. It was delicous.
the Delicata squash has an almost sweet flavor that goes really well with the savory kale and chickpea mixture. It was yummy.
Let's see... what are some of the other yummy dishes I've made lately? I know I've taken some pictures...
Oh yeah... Cajun Cornbread Casserole one night. This is a spicy mixture of onions, bell peppers and beans (the recipe called for kidney beans but I only had black beans, pinto beans and chickpeas so I did the combo thing instead) with lots of Cajun seasoning. Then you mix corn meal, applesauce, baking powder and almond milk to make the cornbread and bake that on top. So good!
I made a really delicious sweet potato and red potato soup before I left for Alabama. I cooked 3 sweet potatoes and 3 red potatoes in the microwave. I sauteed some onion, fennel seeds and garlic in a little veggie broth and then added some reconstituted TVP crumbles. I added the potatoes and about 6 cups of veggie broth and let it all simmer for about 20 minutes. Then I added quite a bit of chopped kale and cooked until it was all wilted. Delish!
I also made the Curried Sweet Potato Casserole right before I left because I knew the boys could eat on the leftovers for awhile. This uses sweet potato tater tots as the topping on the casserole. It's so good. Mixture of sweet peas and chick peas with a spicy curry sauce that's so filling. Good cool weather food for sure.
While we were at the beach I made a Mexican Lasagna one night, Mushroom Stroganoff one night and Asparagus Chickpea Casserole one night. Didn't take any pictures of the food but did get this great shot that shows what a good time we had:
Ahhhhhhh.... :)
- Posted by Jennifer
Location:Home, Sweet Home
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