Simple 3 Ingredient Vegetarian Meal

I got all your taste buds covered!

Peel, cube and roast a Butternut Squash, depending upon how big or small you cut the pieces it should take half an hour to an hour.

When the squash is almost done toast up some Pecans on a cookie sheet on the other rack in the oven. Be very careful not to roast them too long, they go from toasty goodness to burnt in a matter of seconds, it should only take a few minutes.

When squash is done and exits the oven get a plate and fork ready…. But wait, the third ingredient?!?

Now would be the time that you pull the Blue Cheese out of the fridge.

Plate the squash, crumble blue cheese over it and then sprinkle with the toasted pecans.

No butter, no salt, no pepper just simple yummy, melty, creamy, toasty, crunchy, sweet and pungent goodness.  All your taste buds are covered!

I recommend plating each serving individually, keeping all ingredients stored separately until serving time. Keeps those pecans from getting soggy or the blue cheese from getting funky in the squash juices.

We had it last night with arugula tossed with some “Goddess” dressing and sourdough bread. 

Thank you NPR for this new addition to my winter meal repertoire.

But I hate to bake…

H had been hinting around about Pumpkin Bread for a week or two, so I went all domestic and yes I  actually baked (I hate to bake, you have to pay attention and measure) … 

 

Oh it is food of the gods. Yum-Yum-Yum!  I made it last night and as you can see one loaf is nearly gone by today.  I have to say that the PECANS, all toasty on top & the orange cream cheese, all smooth and sweet make this bread irresistible!  Despite my disliking baking this recipe is a keeper.

Pumpkin Bread stuffed with Orange Cream Cheese Filling 

Cook Time: 70 minutes

Ingredients:

Filling:

1 package (8 ounce) cream cheese, at room temperature (I used low-fat)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 large egg

1 tablespoon finely grated orange peel

Bread:

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup pumpkin puree, canned or homemade

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, optional

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 325°. Lightly grease two 8x4x3-inch loaf pans. In a medium mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon flour, 1 egg, and the orange peel; beat until smooth and creamy. Set aside.

Into another bowl, sift 1 2/3 cup flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg; set aside. Put pumpkin puree, vegetable oil, 2 eggs and 1 1/2 cup sugar in a large mixing bowl; beat well. Stir the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture just until combined. Fold in the pecans or walnuts, if using.

Pour half of the pumpkin bread batter evenly into the two prepared loaf pans. Spoon cream cheese mixture on top of pumpkin batter layer and then pour on the remaining pumpkin batter.

Bake in preheated 325° oven for 60 to 70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool bread in pans for 10 minutes; remove to a rack to cool completely. 

Here is another pumpkin recipe that I am going to try really soon, I would have made it this weekend but the local grocery store’s wonton wrappers were out of date.

Pumpkin Wontons

Ingredients


1 cup canned pumpkin


2 Tbs. maple syrup


3 Tbs. light brown sugar


16 packaged wonton wrappers


Granulated sugar for dusting


Ground cinnamon for dusting

Directions
Preheat oven to 400F. In medium bowl, mix pumpkin, maple syrup, brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice. Place one wonton wrapper flat on work surface. Spoon 1 Tbs. filling into center. Moisten edges of wonton with water and fold in half to form triangle. Press edges to seal. Repeat with remaining filling and wontons. Arrange filled wontons on ungreased baking sheet. Lightly coat wontons with nonstick cooking spray and sprinkle each with sugar and cinnamon. Bake until golden, about 16 minutes. Turn and bake 2 more minutes. Set baking sheet on wire rack to cool.

Makes 16 servings.

This one is for Sue, Jamie, Kate & Cam

 

I feel better today, and when I feel good I cook!

Jenn’s Famous Kitchen Sink Veggie Chili

I used to make this same chili with meat and left over scraps from roasts, prime rib, chicken, pork-chops, sausage…. (hence the kitchen sink name) I would horde the meat in the freezer until I had enough to make a pot of brew.  Now it is the veggie version, healthier, guilt free and full of yummy goodness.   

 

Ingredients:

Large Onion (sweet kind is best)

Large Green or Red Pepper

6-8 very very very ripe plum tomatoes (nearly rotten) you can add even more tomatoes, it’s better  or you can cheat by using a Large Can of whole peeled tomatoes (fresh, nearly rotten is always better)

2-4 cloves of garlic (to taste)

4 stalks of celery

any other “left over” veggies in your fridge (carrots, zucchini, potatoes, ….. the batch pictured above has fresh baby spinach in it that I had to use or throw away)

(All of the above are chopped roughly, keep tomatoes separate from all other veggies)

1 beer or 12 oz of H2O

1 package of favorite chili seasoning mix (any one they are all pretty much the same)

In addition I add my own additional spices, 

1 tsp Cumin

1 tsp Garlic Powder

1 tsp Paprika

1 tsp Chili-Powder

up to 1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes (to taste)

1/2 tsp Oregano

Parsley flakes or fresh (handful)

Salt to taste

Black Pepper to taste

Good pinch of sugar (balances acids)

8 oz can of tomato sauce/Goya (unless you cheated and used canned tomatoes) you can also substitute any tomato sauce that you have left over in the fridge

1 cup+/- of frozen corn

2-3 cans of favorite beans (they can be  all different types) Drained and rinsed well

Tofu/Soy Crumbles (enough equal to a 1/2 to a pound of ground beef)

Small can tomato paste

 

In a VERY LARGE POT sauté in olive oil all the hard veggies: onion, garlic, pepper, celery and other not cooked veggies.  Hold tomatoes & cooked veggies.  

Sweat them for a few minutes until they begin to lose some liquid and soften.  

Add tomatoes and other cooked veggies.  

Cook  on medium for three to five minutes , stir occasionally.  

Add package of store bought chili seasoning and the beer or H2O, stir.   

Next measure out  and add the additional spices….. To be honest I never measure these out, but did for the sake of documenting this recipe.  I usually just shake the bottle enough to cover the top of the brew good.  In my experience you can really only add too much salt pepper and hot stuff like red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper.  You can go a little heavy handed on the cumin and chili powder and no one would know the wiser.

At this point throw in a good pinch of white sugar. (tablespoon maybe)

Now add the tomato sauce.  Again you can add more if you have some left over.

Here is the part where you add the volume.

If you want a lot of chili add 3 cans of beans and a whole package/box of crumbles. 

If you want less chili add 2 cans of beans and less crumbles.  

Add frozen corn, again you can add more  or less according to how much chili you want

Bring the chili to a slow boil/simmer, keep mixing every few minutes as to not burn.

Once it starts to bubble lower the temp to LOW  and let the brew simmer on low for at least  20 minutes to 1/2 an hour.  

Slowly mix in the tomato paste to thicken, it is a bugger to get it mixed in so take your time,

For thicker chili simmer the brew a little longer with the lid off the pot to lose some excess liquid.   

If you prefer  a more soupy chili turn it off now, and/or you may choose to add a bit more water at this point.  

Serve over crushed corn chips with cheese, sour cream, olives and chopped avocado.  Add you favorite hot sauce for an extra kick. 

You can use the thicker style chili to make nachos, burritos or tacos too.

It makes a boat load of chili!   I mean many- many- many meals.  It freezes quite well and makes a really good pot luck meal.   I have shared it with friends 🙂 and it is for that reason that I documented this recipe.  Here you go Sue.

Best of luck, be creative  and enjoy it with people you love.  

 

A few things that have been keeping me busy…

And why I have not been blogging so much-

Tradition in the house dictates that the 7 year old young lady must design, make and decorate a cake for Mother’s Day for her Mum.  This is how I spend my Saturday…..

I think she has been watching too much “Ace of Cakes” on the food network, one of her favorite shows.  I had to be sure to point out to her that we do not have a means of making or acquiring fondant, so food coloring dyed frosting was going to have to do.  It was fun, and a lot of work, but was a hit with Mum and tasted quite yummy (chocolate cake with vanilla frosting!

As well I have picked up my needles and started working on the One Eyed One Horned Flying Purple People Eater’s Sibling, the Three Eyed Three Horned Flying Hot Pink Hot Tamale Eater……  It is for my niece, she said her favorite color was hot pink, so I hope she will be excited to receive my latest creation for her birthday.  (Obviously it is still a work in progress and inside out, I hope to have the body stuffed by the weekend so I can start working on legs and wings)

Yes, that is my skull & crossbones “Not your grandma’s knitting bag”  on one side and my ibook on the other next to the incomplete TETHFHPHTE.  My camera does not do justice to the color of this yarn, it is named “watermelon” and I am not sure why because it is practically an iridescent shiny neon pink.  I know something on this creature is going to be lime green, not sure if it should be the hair or the wings.  What do you think?  I’ll keep you posted on the progress of the creature as it metamorphoses into a stuffed being.