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Roasted Salt & Pepper Delicata Squash

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Roasted-Delicata-Squash My absolute favourite squash of all time is the gorgeous delicata squash. Not only is it beautiful, but it’s SO tasty! My favourite way to cook it is by roasting it in the oven with a bit of oil, salt & pepper. I can eat it as a snack on it’s own, that’s how good it is. Usually, though, it’s a side dish.

This recipe is hardly a recipe at all, considering there are only 4 ingredients (and one of them is the squash!). But it’s so delicious, I just had to share.

Delicata Slice your squash in half, and remove the seeds. This is the fun part. No really!

Normally I just throw out the seeds, but this time, I kept them, and roasted them, too, after the squash was done. They were so good!

Delicata-Squash Add to your baking sheet, toss with a bit of oil, salt & pepper. Then bake!

Vegan-Roasted-Delicata-Squash Come oooooon. Look at those little cuties? Don’t you just want to snatch them up and eat the whole entire bowl-full yourself?

No? Just me?

Roasted-Delicata-Squash-Vegan I added the squash to a rice bowl this time, with some sauteed greens and lentils. My belly was happy. Your belly would be happy too, if you made this squash! Do it!

Roasted Salt & Pepper Delicata Squash
 
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Recipe type: Sides
Serves: 3-4 sides
Ingredients
  • 1 medium delicata squash
  • ½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ tsp salt (add more or less, to taste)
  • ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper (add more or less, to taste)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375F.
  2. Wash the squash, then slice off the stem, and cut the squash in half, length-wise. Do not remove the skin. Remove and discard the seeds (or you can save them and roast them for a snack!). Slice squash into half-moon shapes, about ½ inch thick.
  3. Spread your squash out on a large baking sheet. Add the oil, salt & pepper, and mix well, with your hands, until every half-moon is covered.
  4. Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 20 minutes, flipping halfway through the cooking time, or until the squash has browned and you can easily pierce it with a fork or knife.
  5. Serve hot!

 

Roasted Buttery Spaghetti Squash with Garlic & Basil

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Vegan-Garlic-Spaghetti-Squash

Last year, a friend of mine told me she was eating a gluten-free diet and told me that instead of pasta, she often ate spaghetti squash for meals. So, being a skeptic, I was all “pffft, I bet it tastes nothing like pasta and everything like mushy squash”.

She made me some for lunch a few days later, with a roasted red pepper sauce, and steamed veggies and YOU GUYS. It was AMAAAAAAZING!

Spaghetti-Squash-Dish

I now eat spaghetti squash whenever I can get my hands on it. Which is all the time now that it’s fall and squash is in every grocery store, around every corner, all over the place.

Recently, I’ve been playing with my recipes to be a bit more simple, and most as side dishes, as opposed to the star of the show.

Garlic-Spaghetti-Squash

This dish is my favourite. It is

Creamy
Bright
Soft
Garlic-y
Simple
Healthy
Rich
Absolutely Delicious

I usually serve it with some grilled tofu steaks, mashed taters and steamed veggies. Or I just shovel it in my mouth on it’s own. I won’t judge you if you do the same.

Spaghetti-Squash-Vegan

 

Roasted Buttery Spaghetti Squash with Garlic & Basil
 
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Recipe type: Sides
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 1 small spaghetti squash
  • 3 tbsp vegan butter (I used Earth Balance)
  • 2 large garlic cloves, minced
  • ¼ cup fresh minced basil
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • ¼ cup vegan parmesan cheese
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375F. Pierce the squash a few times to let steam escape while it cooks. Bake for about 1 hour, or until you can easily pierce it wish a sharp knife. Allow to cool for about 15 minutes.
  2. Cut squash in half, lengthwise, and remove the seeds. Set aside for roasting or just toss them in your compost. Using a fork, scrape the squash. You should be able to easily get long strands that look like spaghetti. Set aside.
  3. Heat a large pan over low-medium heat. Once warmed, add in the vegan butter and minced garlic. Cook for about 2 minutes, or until garlic is very lightly browned. Add in the fresh basil, salt, pepper, and spaghetti squash. Mix well.
  4. Add in the vegan parmesan cheese, mix well, and adjust salt & pepper, if necessary.
  5. Serve. I find it to be a bit too heavy for main dish, but it works great as a side or a small lunch, alongside a crisp, green salad or other roasted veggies.

 

Crazy Good Baba Ganoush

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baba-ganoush-vegan

Here’s a true story: Up until a few months ago, I had never eaten eggplant. Everyone I knew said it was either gross or bland or awful or terrible… you get the idea.

So, believe me when I say I was disappointed when I received 2 of them in our farm share box in July. I was going to have to throw them out. Because – gross. bland. awful. terrible. Right?

Well, thankfully, I didn’t throw them out. No offence friends & fam, but I wanted to try them myself instead of just taking your word for it.

baba-ganoush

I tried them roasted. Bland. Gross. Awful. Terrible.

I tried them steamed. Even more bland. Even grosser. Even more awful. Even more terrible.

And then I only had one eggplant left, so I asked my friend Pinterest for help, and found this recipe from Minimalist Baker: Baba Ganoush. Like hummus! I love hummus!

So I made it. I tried it. I devoured it. I guess I do like eggplant. Prepared certain ways, of course.

vegan-baba-ganoush

I’ve received at least a dozen more eggplants from the local farm since July, and I’ve always either made eggplant fries (recipe for those coming soon!) or baba ganoush. I used Dana’s recipe as a base, then added a few more of my faaaaaavourite things, and that created some seriously crazy good baba ganoush.

I wonder if I could get my friends & family to eat it…

Crazy Good Baba Ganoush
 
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Recipe type: Dips
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1-2 tbsp avocado oil (or other high-heat oil)
  • 1 medium eggplant, peeled and sliced into ¼ inch circles + bit of salt
  • 1 large clove garlic
  • 3 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp tahini
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • ¼ tsp onion powder
  • ¼ tsp cumin
  • ¼ tsp coriander
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to broil on high.
  2. Sprinkle your eggplant circles with a bit of salt and allow to sit for about 15 minutes to remove excess liquid. Wipe clean with a dry paper towel or dish cloth.
  3. Arrange eggplant on a large baking sheet, drizzle with 1-2 tbsp of oil, and broil for about 8 minutes, turning once, until the eggplant is golden brown and soft.
  4. Add eggplant to your food processor, along with garlic clove, lemon juice, tahini, extra virgin olive oil, onion powder, cumin, coriander, and salt. Adjust for seasonings. Add fresh parsley and pulse until just combined.
  5. Serve with fresh veggies and enjoy!

crazy-good-baba-ganoush

Big Vegan Taco Salad

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Big-Vegan-Taco-Salad

Hello, my name is Cassie, and I’m still holding on to summer with all I’ve got. Will. Not. Let. It. Go.

Considering I’ve switched from shorts and t-shirts to pants and sweaters in less than a week, I think it’s safe to say that summer has abruptly just up and left me, without even saying goodbye.

Which just means YAY, FALL FOODS TIME! But it also means summer is gone, and also, much of my fave summer meals. Boo. So let’s give summer one last hurrah, shall we?

Vegan-Taco-Salad

This is a big, monster vegan taco salad that I whipped up on a whim the other day, hoping it would bring summer back to me (it didn’t), and it ended up being one of my most favourite salads that I made all summer.

It’s loaded with veggies, quinoa, vegan taco meat and a healthy drizzle of oh-so-good green sauce. It makes my tummy happy.

Big-Taco-Salad

I also added crushed up tortilla chips (Neil Brothers are THE BEST!) on top, because duh, that’s just obvious. It added a nice salty, crunchy flair to the dish. It also kinda sorta helped with getting my two picky kids to eat a meal full of VEGETABLES.

Goodbye summer, you will be missed! And please… let fall last awhile before old man winter comes along! Pumpkin EVERYTHING is calling my name…

The-Big-Vegan-Taco-Salad

Big Vegan Taco Salad
 
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Recipe type: Salad
Serves: 1-2
Ingredients
Creamy Green Sauce
  • 1 cup raw cashews (soaked for at least 2 hours)
  • ¼ cup unsweetened almond milk
  • ¼ cup parsley (cilantro would work, too)
  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • ½ tsp apple cider vinegar
  • ½ tsp onion powder
  • 1 medium garlic clove
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Taco Meat
  • 1 cup walnuts, soaked for at least 2 hours
  • ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, soaked for at least 2 hours
  • ¼ tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • ½ tsp salt
  • Pinch of cayenne pepper
Taco Salad
  • 4 cups chopped lettuce (I used mixed greens)
  • ⅔ cup cooked quinoa
  • ¼ cup red onion, finely chopped
  • ¼ cup corn
  • ¼ cup cooked black beans
  • ¼ cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
  • ½ cup salsa
  • Handful of crushed tortilla chips (optional)
Instructions
Creamy Green Sauce
  1. Add all ingredients to a high-powered blender or food processor and blend/process until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
Taco Meat
  1. Drain walnuts and sun-dried tomatoes.
  2. Add all ingredients to a food processor and process until combined, and still a bit chunky. Set aside.
Taco Salad
  1. On one large plate or 2 medium-sized plates, add your lettuce, quinoa, red onion, taco meat, corn, the black beans, cherry tomatoes and salsa.
  2. Drizzle on a heavy amount of dressing, sprinkle with crushed tortilla chips, if desired, and dig in! If you have any left over, the dressing should last in the fridge for 4-5 days.
Notes
*Make this recipe gluten-free by omitting the tortilla chips (or using a gluten-free variety).

 

Gluten-Free Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie

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Vegan-Sweet-Potato-Shepherds-Pie

Fall is in the air. Can you smell it?

Though it’s not technically fall yet, I have already started making fall foods, because fall foods are the BEST EVER EVER.

Like this sweet potato shepherd’s pie. Gluten-free and loaded with good stuff like lentils, peas, carrots and corn. Perfect for fall.

Shepherds-Pie

You can really add any veggies you’d like to this dish, but I’ve always loved corn, peas and carrots. Along with celery, onions and garlic for some flavour, of course. I also swapped the traditional potato topping and used sweet potato instead.

Sweet potato:

Is a good source of magnesium (which helps with relaxation)
Is a source of vitamin D, which is hard to get in a vegan diet
Is naturally sweet-tasting
Contains almost twice as much fiber than other types of potatoes
Is good for your heart

So go ahead – stuff your face with sweet potatoes!

Shepherds-Pie-Vegan

I love the hint of sweetness that the sweet potato brings to this dish. It really balances nicely with the vegetables and seasonings.

I always add a sprinkle of paprika on top of my shepherd’s pie, both for flavour and because it looks pretty. And good looking food just tastes better. It’s a fact. Look it up.

So let’s eat up, my friend! This sweet potato shepherd’s pie is not gonna last long around me – get it while you can!

Sweet-Potato-Shepherds-Pie

Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie
 
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Recipe type: Dinner
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled & chopped into small pieces
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ cup diced celery
  • ½ cup diced onions
  • 1 large garlic clove, minced
  • ½ cup diced carrots
  • 4½ cups cooked lentils
  • 2 cups diced tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp non-dairy milk (I used almond)
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • paprika & fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350F.
  2. Steam your sweet potatoes and set aside.
  3. While the sweet potatoes are heat a large pan over medium heat. Once warmed, add a tbsp or so of oil, then add in the diced celery, onion, garlic, tomatoes and carrots. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until softened.
  4. Add the cooked lentils and soy sauce to the veggies, and heat until warmed through.
  5. Once your sweet potatoes are finished steaming, mash with the non-dairy milk some salt & pepper.
  6. Scoop the lentil & veggie mix to the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish, then spread the mashed sweet potatoes over top and spread in an even layer.
  7. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the top has browned lightly. Sprinkle with a bit of paprika and fresh parsley, if desired. Serve warm.

Vegan-Shepherds-Pie

Perfect Peach & Oat Breakfast Bars

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Peach-Oat-Bars Peach. Oatmeal. Dates.

Yummy. Yummy. Yummy.

Peaches have always been one of my favourite fruits. I put it in oatmeal, in banana ice cream, in crepes, and of course – directly in my mouth. So sweet and juicy. No other stone fruit compares to the deliciousness that is peaches!

When summer comes, I buy baskets and baskets of them at a time, and I still always seem to eat them all up within days. I just can’t get enough.

And now that summer has come to an end, that means my lovely peaches are making their way out of my kitchen soon. So sad. But peaches that aren’t in season are even sadder, so I rarely eat peaches during any season other than summer.

Peach-Oat-Bars-Vegan-Squares Are you drooling yet?

And with just a tablespoon of maple syrup in the entire pan, these are a healthy breakfast bar that any peach lover would enjoy!

Peach-Oat-Bars-Vegan These bars are a bit crumbly, so I suggest letting them cool completely, and then keeping them in the fridge and eating them cold or at room temperature, not warmed.

If you don’t have access peaches, you can replace them with another fruit of your choice, such as strawberries or blueberries. You may have to adjust the amount of fruit added, though. Enjoy!

Vegan-Peach-Oat-Bars

Perfect Peach & Oat Breakfast Bars
 
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Recipe type: Breakfast
Serves: 9
Ingredients
  • 2 cups rolled oats*
  • ¼ cup chopped dates
  • 2 tbsp slivered almonds
  • 1 tbsp chia seed
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ¾ cup + 2 tbsp non-dairy milk (I used almond milk)
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1¼-1½ cups chopped, peeled peaches
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 8×8 inch baking dish with parchment paper, leaving a bit of overhang.
  2. In a large bowl, combine oats, chopped dates, chopped almonds, chia seeds, baking powder, and cinnamon.
  3. In a medium bowl, combine non-dairy milk, vanilla and peaches. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until combines, making sure to not mush the peaches too much.
  4. Spread into your baking dish and bake for about 20-25 minutes.
  5. Remove pan from oven and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes. Remove from pan by lifting up the parchment paper. Place on a large cutting board and cut into 9 squares.
Notes
*Use gluten-free oats to make this dish gluten-free.

 

Gluten-Free Chilled Chocolate & Hazelnut Torte

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Gluten-Free-Chocolate-Torte-Vegan

I’m not the only one still holding on to summer, am I? I am trying to squeeeeeze just a FEW MORE days, then a few days more, then a few days more. Why does summer have to end? Can’t it be summer forever? It’s not like the other seasons are any better. Just say bye bye those, and keep summer forever and ever and ever.

Maybe I need to move to California. Or Florida. Or anywhere other than Canada where it ‘s cold for about 8 months of the year. So lame.

Hazelnut-Crust

ANYWAY. Let me introduce you to my SUMMER (ahem) chilled torte. Look at that crust! Look at that chocolate! Chilled. to. Perfection. But then we have to make it pretty of course. Because it would be wrong to eat ugly food.

Vegan-Gluten-Free-Chocolate-Torte

Vegan-Chilled-Chocolate-Torte

A drizzle of sweet cashew cream, some shaved chocolate and a bunch of chopped hazelnuts on top. Done and done.

Sigh. I love pretty food.

This torte is gluten-free, and you can even make it raw if you don’t bake the crust and use agave instead of maple syrup.

Chilled-Chocolate-Torte

You MUST serve this cold, otherwise it takes weird and not right and PLEASE don’t do it. Once you take it out of the freezer, pop it out of the pie plate and let it sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before slicing and eating. That’s it. 15 minutes. You can do it!

Confession: Sometimes when I am crazy hungry and need chocolate, like YESTERDAY, I will only wait 10 minutes. Don’t tell. Do as I say, not as I do, friends.

Now LET’S EAT!

Gluten-Free-Chocolate-Torte

Gluten-Free Chilled Chocolate & Hazelnut Torte
 
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Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 8
Ingredients
Crust
  • ¾ cup hazelnuts
  • ¼ cup coconut oil
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ½ cup oat flour
  • 1 cup gluten-free oats
Chocolate Filling
  • 1½ cups cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours
  • ½ cup maple syrup
  • ½ cup coconut oil
  • ⅓ cup cocoa powder
  • ⅓ cup dairy-free chocolate chips, melted
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 2 tbsp almond milk
  • ½ tsp salt
Sweet Cashew Drizzle & Toppings
  • 1½ cups cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours
  • ⅔ cups water
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup
  • 3 tbsp lemon juice
  • Shaved dark chocolate, for garnish
  • ¼ cup chopped hazelnuts, for garnish
Instructions
Crust
  1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a pie pan with coconut oil or non-stick spray.
  2. In a food processor, process the hazelnuts until it resembles crumbs & sand. Add in the coconut oil, maple syrup, salt, and oat flour. Process until the dough starts to come off the sides of the food processor, then add in the oats and process just until combined.
  3. Crumble the dough over your pie dish, and then firmly press it down, making sure to completely cover the bottom of the dish, and about halfway up the sides.
  4. Poke some holes in the bottom of the crust and place the dish in the oven. Cook for about 12 minutes, or until lightly golden. Set aside to cool for at least 20 minutes.
Chocolate Filling
  1. In a high-powdered blender, add the cashews, maple syrup, coconut oil, cocoa powder, melted chocolate, vanilla, almond milk and salt. Blend until smooth.
  2. Pour the mixture over the cooled crust, smoothing it out with a spatula.
  3. Freeze for at least 4 hours.
Sweet Cashew Drizzle & Toppings
  1. Add all ingredients, except shaved chocolate and chopped hazelnuts, to a high-powdered blender and blend until smooth.
  2. Drizzle this on the chilled torte. Sprinkle some shaved chocolate and chopped hazelnuts.
  3. Freeze for another 30 minutes. Remove from freezer and allow to thaw for 15 minutes before removing from the pie plate, cutting and serving.

 

Quinoa, Lentils & Sauteed Greens with a Creamy, Savoury Dressing

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It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of quinoa bowls. They’re easy, they don’t take long to make, you can prepare them in advance, they’re a simple solution to excess food in your fridge that needs to be used up, AND they travel well. If those aren’t good enough reasons for you to go make yourself a quinoa bowl RIGHTTHISSECOND, I don’t know what is.

Vegan-Quinoa-Lentils-Greens

I often make pretty simple quinoa bowls because I can’t be bothered to slave away in the kitchen for hours on end (usually). So recently, I made this bad boy.

And he was YUM. Only 3 things in my quinoa bowl (including the quinoa) and a delicious, savoury dressing smothered on top. Awww yea! It doesn’t look like much, but it was perfect. The dressing really makes this bowl, though, so if you skip it, you will have a very sad, bland, boring quinoa bowl on your hands.

Lentils-Quinoa-Greens

I’m still working on getting my little ones to eat quinoa bowls, but they are stubborn! They’ll eat the quinoa, but only if it’s plain. One of them will eat the lentils, but only if the other one isn’t around telling her how “gross” they are.

Sigh. One of these days my kids will like more than just bread and chocolate – right? Please tell me I’m right!

So – on to this delicious quinoa bowl masterpiece [not]…

Quinoa-Lentils-Greens

First, cook up some quinoa and divide between bowls. Cook up some lentils and do the same. While those two are cooking, sautee some greens with a tiny bit of oil, salt, and black pepper. Then, make the dressing.

Ta-da! No muss, no fuss. Simple, easy, delicious.

Quinoa, Lentils & Sauteed Greens with a Creamy, Savoury Dressing
 
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Recipe type: Lunch, Dinner
Serves: 2
Ingredients
Lentils
  • ½ cup brown or green lentils
  • 1½ cups water
  • 1 medium-large garlic clove, crushed
  • 1 bay leaf
Quinoa
  • 1 cup quinoa
  • 2 cups water
Greens
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 cup greens of choice (kale, spinach, swiss chard)
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
Dressing
  • ¼ cup nutritional yeast
  • 3 tbsp water
  • 3 tbsp tamari
  • 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 medium-large clove of garlic, grated
  • ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1.5 tbsp tahini
Instructions
Lentils
  1. Add lentils, water, garlic and bay leaf to a small pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low-medium and simmer about 25-40 minutes, or until most of the liquid has been absorbed and the lentils are tender. Remove bay leaf and crushed garlic. Set aside.
Quinoa
  1. Add quinoa and water to a small pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low-medium and simmer about 12 minutes, or until most of the liquid has been absorbed and the quinoa is tender.
Greens
  1. Heat oil in a medium pan over medium heat. Once warmed, add the greens and cook until softened. Sprinkle on the salt and pepper, turn off the heat, and set aside.
Dressing
  1. In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients until smooth.
Putting it all together
  1. Divide quinoa between bowls, then add in the lentils and sauteed greens.
  2. Pour a healthy amount of dressing over each bowl. Serve warm!