RECIPES
E’s Crock-Pot Butternut Squash Soup (makes 10 servings)
1–2 10-12 ounce bags of cut butternut squash
Chop an onion, an apple, and a red pepper (more if desired).
Put all in the Crock-Pot.
Add 1 box of vegetable stock.
When everything is soft, blend or puree.
Season with sage, garlic, cumin, salt, or pepper (whatever you prefer to your taste).
Add 1 can coconut milk into the Crock-Pot just before serving.
Jane’s Chilled Zucchini Soup (makes 6 servings)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
¾ teaspoon sea salt (this can be increased to taste)
3½ pounds zucchini, quartered lengthwise, then cut crosswise into ½-inch pieces
2 chopped cloves garlic
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or red pepper flakes
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 cups tightly packed baby spinach leaves
½ cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (can be increased to taste)
2 tablespoons plain, full-fat Greek yogurt
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
Add the onion and a pinch of the salt. Sauté about 6 minutes, until golden.
Add the zucchini, garlic, black pepper or red pepper flakes, and ¼ tablespoon salt. Sauté for 4 minutes.
Deglaze the pan by pouring in ½ cup of the stock. Stir to loosen any bits stuck to the bottom.
Cook until the liquid is reduced by half and then remove from the heat.
Pour ⅓ of the remaining stock into a blender. Add ⅓ of the zucchini sauté, ⅓ of the spinach, and ⅓ of the basil. Blend until smooth.
Transfer the mixture to a pot over low heat.
Repeat the above process twice more.
Stir the lemon juice and remaining salt into the soup.
Chill the soup in the refrigerator for 2–3 hours.
Serve garnished with a dollop of the yogurt.
The soup can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Emily’s Lasagna Casserole
This can be made with store-bought sauce and noodles, but if you’re willing to spend a little time on the sauce . . .
For the Sauce
2 28-ounce cans whole peeled tomatoes
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup crème fraîche
In a large bowl, crush the tomatoes until pieces are bite-size.
In a large saucepan, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until the mixture sizzles (about 1 minute).
Add the tomatoes and 1 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil.
Lower the heat and let the sauce simmer, stirring often, about 30 minutes, until it is slightly reduced.
Whisk the crème fraîche into the sauce and season to taste with more salt, if desired.
Let the sauce cool to room temperature.
For the Lasagna
Use a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
tomato sauce, at room temperature
12 no-boil lasagna noodles
1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
1½ cups coarsely grated whole-milk mozzarella cheese
2 large handfuls fresh basil leaves torn into small pieces
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Ladle a thin layer of the room-temperature sauce onto the bottom of the baking dish. Spread the sauce to cover the surface of the dish using a spoon.
Add a layer of the noodles.
Spoon just enough tomato sauce to cover the pasta and scatter some of the Parmesan, mozzarella, and basil over the sauce. Repeat the layer process until all ingredients are used.
Note: Make sure to end with sauce and cheese. Pasta and basil burn if exposed, so they must be covered.
Bake 35–40 minutes until browned and the edges are bubbling.
Rest at room temperature for fifteen minutes. Sprinkle some fresh basil over the top for garnish. Slice and serve.
Pumpkin Quinoa Muffins (makes 9 muffins)
1 tablespoon flaxseed meal
3 tablespoons water
1¼ cup oat flour oats ground in a blender
½ cup quinoa flakes (plus extra for topping, optional)
½ cup blanched almond flour
¼ cup coconut sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon vanilla bean powder or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ginger
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup pumpkin puree
½ cup mashed banana (use either 1 large or 2 small)
¼ cup nondairy milk
¼ cup maple syrup
pumpkin seeds (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
Combine the flaxseed meal and water. Set the mixture aside to gel while preparing the remaining ingredients. (This makes a flax egg, which is the vegan substitute for an egg.)
In a large bowl, whisk the remaining dry ingredients together (minus vanilla extract).
In a separate bowl, beat the pumpkin, milk, banana, and syrup together. Whisk in the wet flaxseed mixture and pour the wet ingredients into the dry. Stir to completely combine. Note: The batter will be thick but soft. It can still be stirred.
Fill each cup ¾ of the way full. Add water to the empty muffin holders (3). If desired, sprinkle the tops of the muffins with pumpkin seeds and quinoa flakes.
Bake on the center rack of the oven for 23–25 minutes. You should be able to insert a cake tester and have it come out clean.
Let muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes.
Transfer to a wire rack and cool.