Creamy Pasta with Roasted Butternut Squash and Kale

Oh. Good. Heavens!

I literally pranced around the kitchen like a little kid on Christmas morning when I tasted this bangin' pasta. In case you don't know, that is part of some song. I don't know what song, if you know what song, let me know. That's the only part I can recite. Anyways, new favorite dish alert! Gah, this pasta dish is so delicious I could never do it justice just talking about it. You'll just have to go make it, I'm sorry. 

This is Fall comfort food at it's best. It's sweet, it's savory, it's creamy and cheesy and guess what? It's actually pretty darn good for you too thanks to delicious roasted butternut squash and wilted kale. Really, there's not a whole lot tastier than roasted butternut squash. And it makes the whole house smell so wonderful and cuddly and just goddamn lovely. Sigh. 

If you're trying out veganism this is a fantastic dish to start with. I feel like this would definitely be my "bible" of vegan dishes. Like, if I was going around door to door trying to convert people (as I always do...) then I would definitely use this dish as my converting weapon of choice. That was probably horrendously offensive. I can't be controlled.

Anyway, seriously, it's amazing. But I mean, lets be real here...everything, most things, some things I make are pretty amazing. Well, everything I post at least. Did you try yesterday's soup?! It was pretty incredible, too. 

Vegan and omnivores alike are going to love this pasta. Come on, it has cheese in it okay? And yes, some vegan cheese is downright excellent!

Creamy Pasta with Roasted Butternut Squash and Kale

Inspired by Apartment 34

Serves 6

• 1 small butternut squash, peeled and diced small (about 6 cups)
• 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper
• 1/4 cup vegan butter
• 17 oz. of pasta ( I used whole wheat spaghetti) 
• 2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced 
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large bunch of kale, de-stemmed and chopped
• 1/2 cup vegan mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
• 1/4 tsp. dried sage

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Peel, remove seeds, and dice the butternut squash. Then, on a parchment lined, rimmed baking sheet scatter the squash cubes and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss around to coat. Bake for 40 minutes or until squash is tender when poked with a fork.

Meanwhile, slice the onions and mince the garlic. When there is about 20 minutes left for the squash to cook, bring a large saucepan of salted water to boil for the pasta. Once boiling add the pasta, cook for about 10 minutes or according to package and then drain. Reserve about 1/2 cup of the pasta water for use later.

Heat the butter in a very large soup pot. Allow to melt over medium heat for about 3 minutes then add in the onions and the garlic. Saute until the onions begin to turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, de-stem and chop the kale, then add it to onions and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes. 

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Add in the cooked pasta, reserved pasta water, cheese, nutritional yeast and sage and stir well to combine. Make sure there's no clumps of cheese. Now, add in the squash and stir gently to combine.  

Serve hot with additional sage or nutritional yeast to garnish or even some pumpkin seeds! Yum!

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Thai Coconut Soup

I thought about calling this soup "Bastardized Vegan Tom Kha Gai", but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. It was way, way too delicious for mockery. 

Did I want kaffir lime leaves and galangal and serrano chilies in this soup? Of course I did. Do we have any of these things in Alaska? Sure, probably. Do we have them in Wasilla, Alaska? No. This is the home of Sarah Palin after all. I called both grocery stores. To the credit of Carrs, they did tell me that they had lemon leaves, however, when I got to there the last package was gone. Also, a different produce man than the one I had talked to one the phone told me that they actually were lime leaves, not lemon leaves. So, who knows what the heck was going on really...

M point is, if you live in a rural and/or uncultured (a joke...kind of) place such as Wasilla, Alaska then this is the soup for you. Or, if you don't want to make a special trip to the Asian market, you should be able to find all of the following ingredients at your regular grocery store.

To improvise without these classic Tom Kha Gai ingredients, I added lime juice in place of the kaffir lime leaves, used ginger instead of galangal (I'm sorry but drastic times call for drastic measures) and I used fresh ground chili paste in place of the serrano chilies. So there you have it. An unbelievably creamy, Thai inspired coconut soup with tofu and mushrooms that is just as tasty as the vegnaized classic!

Thai Coconut Soup

Inspired by Cooking and Me

Serves 4-6

• 2 14 oz. blocks of silken tofu, pressed and diced
• 4 lemongrass stalks, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
• 3 oz. fresh ginger, peeled and chunked
• 8 shallots, peeled and sliced thin
• 8 oz. baby bella mushrooms, sliced (or whatever mushrooms you like)
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1/2 tsp. fresh ground chili paste
• 2 tsp. brown sugar
• 2 15 oz. cans of canned full-fat coconut milk (not lite!)
• 1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1/2 lime, juiced
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped 

To start, press the tofu blocks. To do this easily, just wrap each block in two layered paper towels, then place within a doubled-over dish towel and place a cutting board or something similar on top. Then place something heavy on top of that. I used a box of watercolor painting supplies. Allow the tofu to press until ready to use. 

To prepare the lemongrass, cut off the top and bottom two inches of the stalks until the middle portion is about about the length of your hand. Now chop the stalks  into about 1/2-1 inch pieces. You want them long enough so you won't accidentally eat them. They are very woody. You don't want to eat them, trust me. 

Bring the vegetable stock in a large soup pot to a boil over high heat.

Meanwhile, peel (I use the edge of a spoon) and chop the ginger into big enough pieces that you won't accidentally eat it. Big hunks of ginger (uncrystallized) are just not that appetizing.  Peel and slice the shallots thinly. Slice the mushrooms if needed.

Add the lemongrass, ginger, shallots, chili paste, and brown sugar to the broth and allow to simmer for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile dice the tofu into bite sized pieces. Add in the mushrooms, tofu, soy sauce and coconut milk to the broth and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes over medium-low heat or until the mushrooms become tender. Careful not to allow it boil, sometimes that can curdle the coconut milk. Once done cooking, remove from heat and stir in the lime juice.

Serve hot and topped with fresh cilantro. Careful not to eat the lemongrass and ginger chunks at the bottom of the bowl!

This soup is perfect for a chilly Autumn night in! And for fun, what am I listening to? Bright Eyes – Shell Games

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For The Cure Quinoa

Today my two worlds collide. Mammography and food. Yes. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and I'm kicking it off with this delicious, pink, For The Cure Quinoa. Below you'll find some helpful links about breast cancer and it's relation to diet, as well as how to do a breast self exam. Also, you can see how you too can have some sexy hunks remind you to do a self breast exam and show you how. That's right. Oh my gosh, you guys, it's too exciting to handle. This post is rockin' my food/booby world. 

It is all part of my royal duty as a Mammographer. And now, I bring you For The Cure Quinoa! Beautiful, no?

This dish is colored pink by beautiful beets and packed with broccoli and kale, both are the top food fighters against breast cancer! For more on that please, please, please watch this video on the Breast Cancer Survival Vegetable.

And for more information on breast cancer and it's relationship to diet you can read this article, Breast Cancer and Diet. Both the video and the article are from Nutritionfacts.org. Of course I couldn't forget about my male readers. Men get breast cancer to, so check yo self  boys. Seriously. 

For The Cure Quinoa

Inspired by Carla's Confections

Serves 4 

• 3 small beets, peeled and quartered
• 1 cup dry quinoa, rinsed well
• 2 cups water
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup vegetable broth
• 1 head of broccoli florets, cut small
• 1 bunch of kale, chopped
• 3/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 Tbsp. raw apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/2 Tbsp. fresh thyme, chopped

Peel and quarter the beets. Place them in a large microwave safe dish with about a small amount of water. Just enough to barely cover the bottom. Don't make the mistake I did and put too much water in. You could end with a mess like this!

Cover the beets with a microwave safe plate and nuke for about 10 minutes or until you being to smell them. Then allow the beets to rest in the microwave, covered, until ready for use. 

Combine the quinoa and water in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer, cover and allow to cook for about 15 minutes. Once done cooking, remove from heat and fluff with a fork. Set aside until ready to use. 

In a large frying pan, heat the oil over medium heat, then add the onions and garlic. Saute for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the onions begin to turn translucent.

Then, add in the vegetable broth as well as the broccoli and the kale. Allow to cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes or until the broccoli begins to just soften. Stir occasionally. 

Once the broccoli is tender and the kale has wilted, remove from heat. Get the cooked beets and dice them. Then add the beets, salt, pepper, vinegar and fresh herbs to the broccoli and kale mixture and stir well to combine.

Add in the quinoa and stir well to combine. Serve hot and garnished with additional herbs if you like.

Be sure to talk to your doctor if you're 40 or over about scheduling a mammogram. Also, don't forget to perform a breast self exam every month. Check out this great article on how to do a breast self exam.

If you need a reminder to do the breast self exam or just want some serious entertainment, watch this video of hunky men talking about the Your Man Reminder app that gives you monthly reminders and shows you how to do a breast self exam. Just watch it ladies. Trust me. Go do it right now. You'll regret it if you don't! I have the app, really, I do! I picked the bookish man...I know you had me pegged for the culinary man, but you're wrong. 

So make this quinoa, listen to Cher – Woman's World (like I am), do a self breast exam and if appropriate, schedule a clinical breast exam and mammogram. Do it for me, okay?

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