Serves 4

Ingredients:
8″ spaghetti squash
14oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
zest and juice of 1 lime
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
chili powder to taste
2 cups corn
fresh cilantro, chopped - optional
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced - optional
salsa or diced tomatoes - optional

Directions:
1. Stab spaghetti squash with a fork a few times
2. Stick squash in the microwave
3. Cook for 10-20 minutes, turning over every 5 minutes
(When the squash is soft enough that you can easily stick a fork in, it’s done)
4. Meanwhile, combine beans, zest, lime juice, cumin, garlic powder and chili powder in a bowl
5. Once squash is cooked, open microwave door and allow to cool
6. Once squash can safely be handled, slice in half lengthwise
7. Spoon out seeds (I call it “brain matter”)
8. Run a fork lengthwise up and down the squash to remove strands
9. Toss strands with beans, corn, cilantro and red pepper if using
10. Top with salsa or tomatoes if using
11. Garnish with cilantro leaves

(Or you can skip tossing the squash and just dump it all on top like Scott did)

The verdict? It was alright. I made the bread thinking it would be faster and less labor intensive than my buns, but it wasn’t as quick and easy as I expected. From start to finish it took me almost twice as long as my buns take to make (granted a lot of that was just waiting around and not actually doing something) but we both prefer my buns over the bread (by a landslide). Maybe we just had too high of expectations… I do, however, really like the idea behind the bread and will probably play around with it. I’m thinking a pumpkin-cinnamon bun bread could be quite delicious if done correctly… stay tuned!

Makes about 5 cups

Ingredients:
2 cups sliced cremini mushrooms
3 not-beef bouillon cubes
6 cups hot water
1 cup dry barley or brown rice
2 tbsp dry parsley
1 tbsp onion flakes (or 1 onion chopped)
3 handfuls of spinach or other greens
black pepper to taste

Directions:
1. In a large pot, saute mushrooms in a little water
(when soft and brown, they are done)
2. add remaining ingredients except greens
3. cover and simmer on low for about 25 minutes or until barley is cooked but still chewy
* cooktime may vary between types of barley and rice used - check instructions on packaging
4. Turn off heat and stir in greens
5. let sit for 5 minutes
6. pepper (and salt if needed) to taste

Disclaimer: I’m not a seiten person and the two times I’ve tried to make “homemade” well, it went very badly. I opted to buy Tidal Wave’s Seiten at the grocery store instead. I’m not sure if it was my pot, the seiten or the fact that I was using whole wheat pastry flour instead of all purpose (I don’t keep that in the house - ever), but the seiten came out a nasty, smelly, burnt mess. So that’s where the idea for chickpeas came from. I followed the rest of the recipe exactly though (except that I sauted my shallots & garlic in broth instead of oil) and used my recipe for creamy fat free mashed potatoes. I thought this recipe, despite the cooking woes, presented beautifully and since I love anything with capers and olives - I was a happy girl. Scott, however, didn’t like it but he couldn’t put his finger on which ingredient it was he didn’t like. Blech.

You may have caught my last post about these oil-free pancakes. The recipe has been perfected (and fruit  added!) The recipe will be in my upcoming e-cookbook due out early November. I’m also working on an oil-free tofu scramble recipe, but in the meantime, we gave Vegan Mom’s tofu scramble a try. It was excellent except for the fact it came out neon yellow… tumeric and my heavy hand are the culprits there.

Ingredients
1 cup soy milk
1 tsp lemon juice
1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup raw sugar or less
2 tsp baking powder
4 tbsp applesauce
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 pinches sea salt
zest of 1/2 lemon
corn kernels if desired

Makes 8 cups

Ingredients:
1 onion, diced
28oz can crushed tomatoes (no salt added is best)
2 tbsp dry basil
1 tbsp dry thyme
2 tsp mild curry powder
2 tbsp raw sugar
1 cup brown rice
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
2 bouillon cubes (mock chicken or veg) - optional

Directions:
1. saute onions in a little water until translucent
2. transfer to crockpot
3. add all ingredients to crockpot
4. fill tomato can with water
5. add water to crockpot
6. add another 1/2 cup water
7. cook on low 6 hrs, or until rice is cooked
(add more water or broth for a thinner soup)
8. remove bay leaves before serving
9. salt and pepper to taste
10. garnish with fresh slices on plum tomatoes

Ingredients:

1 acorn squash
1 cup diced apple (granny smith, gala, mcintosh)
1/2 tsp mild curry powder
1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup water
1/2 cup soy milk
2 tbsp pure maple syrup (or brown sugar)

Directions:
1. Cook whole squash in microwave 8-10 minutes
(if you can stab it with a fork easily, its done)
2. Allow to cool so you can handle it safely
3. cut in half and scoop out the seeds
4. Scoop out the flesh and transfer to a medium saucepan
5. Add apples, spices and water
6. Stir to mix
7. Simmer on low heat until apples are very tender (15-20 minutes)
8. Transfer soup to a blender with soymilk and puree until smooth
9. Add syrup or sugar and re-blend
10. garnish with fresh apple slices

* If you don’t have a microwave, you can roast your acorn squash in the oven:

Roasted Acorn Squash
1. preheat 400F
2. cut the squash in half
3. scoop out and disgard seeds
4. bring 4 cups of water to a boil
5. place squash cut-side-down in a rectangular baking dish
6. Pour the water in the dish, about 1″ depth
7. Place the dish in the oven and bake 20-30 minutes

Variation: substitute ground ginger for the curry and get another great soup!