Sheet Pan Cheeseburger Veggies with Garlic Mayo Dressing

Vegan Richa calls this "Cheeseburger" because the flavors mimic those of a fast food burger. 

Ingredients

For the Veggies:

2 c. cubed sweet potatoes or squash
7 oz. firm tofu, pressed and cubed into 3/4 inch cubes
1-15 oz. can chickpeas
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 red onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 to 1 c. seasonal veggies of choice such as broccoli or cauliflower
3 to 4 tbsp. sunflower seeds

For the Cheeseburger Dressing:
1 tbsp. oil
2 tsp. soy sauce 
2 tsp. vegan Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. oregano
3 tbsp. barbecue sauce
1 tsp. prepared mustard
2 tbsp. ketchup
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

For the Garlic Mayo Dressing
1/3 c. vegan mayo
1 tsp. vinegar
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. ground mustard
1/4 tsp. salt

Directions
Chop all of your veggies. Line or grease a large baking dish. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 

In a bowl, mix in all of the cheeseburger sauce ingredients until well combined. Reserve 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons of this mixture to use later to drizzle on top. Add the chopped veggies, and toss well to coat with the cheeseburger sauce mixture, until evenly coated. You can do this a day or two in advance. I like to put my veggies and the sauce into a Ziploc and toss occasionally. 

Drop this mixture into the prepared baking dish, and spread it out into a single layer. 

Bake at 400 degrees for 35-45 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are tender to preference, and everything else is starting to get gold and crisp. Sprinkle sunflower seeds on top in the last 5 to 10 mins of baking. 

To make your garlic mayo dressing, blend all the ingredients until well combined, taste and adjust flavor by adding more vinegar or salt.

Serve individual portions of the veggie tofu bean mixture, and drizzle the mayo on top. Thin out the reserved cheeseburger sauce with a tsp or two of water, and drizzle that as well. Top with some red pepper flakes, and fresh herbs of choice, and serve. You can also serve the tofu veggie mix over a bed of fresh lettuce!

Serves 4.

1 serving = 490 calories

Farro Risotto with Roasted Butternut Squash

Thank you to Naturally Ella for this beautiful, healthy risotto dish! 

Ingredients

Walnut Cream
1/2 c. raw walnuts
1/2 c. water
1 small garlic clove
Juice and zest from 1/3 lemon
1/8 tsp. sea salt

Risotto
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 small red or white onion
1 c. farro
¼ c. dry white wine
3-4 c. vegetable broth and/or water
Walnuts, for topping
Thyme, for topping

Butternut Squash
1lb butternut squash (see note)
1 tbsp. minced fresh rosemary
1 tbsp. olive oil
¼ tsp. salt

Directions
Place walnuts in warm water and let soak while making the risotto.

Start the risotto. Heat a large pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil followed by the onion. Cook until the onion is fragrant and soft, about 8 minutes. Stir in the farro and cook for one minute, letting farro toast. Add in the wine and continue to cook for about 2 minutes until most of the wine has cooked away.

Add 1/2 cup of the broth and stir. Let risotto cook until nearly all the broth has been absorbed. Add another 1/2 cup and let absorb again, repeating, stirring frequently, until the farro is just about tender, about 40 minutes. You might not use all 4 cups; just taste along the way until the farro is tender.

Heat your oven to 425˚F. While the farro is cooking, peel and cut the butternut squash into ½" cubes. Place on a sheet tray and toss with the rosemary, olive oil, and salt. Toss until the squash is well coated. Roast until the squash is tender and starting to brown, around 30 minutes.

Finally, make the walnut cream. Drain the soaking water and place the walnuts in a blender. Add the water, garlic, lemon juice, and salt. Puree until smooth, adding a splash or two more water as needed.
Once the farro is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, stir in ¾ of the butternut squash and the walnut cream sauce. Stir and let cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until the cream sauce has thickened a bit and the risotto looks creamy. Divide into bowls and top with remaining butternut squash and freshly cracked black pepper.

Serves 4.

Roasted Garlic & Squash Lasagna

Ingredients
For the sauce: 
3 heads garlic, tops cut off
olive oil
3 tsp. salt, plus a pinch, divided
2 lbs. butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 tsp. dried Italian herbs, like oregano, basil, parsley and marjoram
½ tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
3/4 c. vegetarian stock, warmed
1-1/2 c. half and half, warmed
3 oz. mascarpone cheese or cream cheese
3 tbsp. Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

For the lasagna: 
Olive oil
1-14 oz. pkg. Gimme Lean Veggie Protein, ground beef style
1 small onion, diced
1 tsp. dried Italian herbs, like oregano, basil, parsley and marjoram
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
2 tsp. fresh sage leaves, chopped
12 whole wheat lasagna noodles, cooked
4 c. fresh, baby spinach leaves
4 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. Drizzle a little olive oil over the 3 heads of garlic, and sprinkle a couple of pinches of salt over top; wrap each head of garlic tightly in foil, and place the heads directly onto the rack of the oven to roast. After 10 minutes, toss the butternut squash with about 3 tablespoons of olive oil, a teaspoon of the salt, and the black pepper and roast alongside the garlic for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the squash is very tender.

Once the squash is tender, remove from the oven, along with the heads of garlic, and allow the squash and garlic heads to cool slightly, so they can be handled; once slightly cooled, squeeze the cloves of garlic from the whole heads, and mash lightly with a fork (they should be very tender and sweet), and set aside. Next, use a food processor, immersion blender or Ninja to puree squash and garlic together.

In a saucepan, gently heat the squash puree. Add in the stock and the half and half, and carefully whisk to completely incorporate; next, add in the mascarpone cheese, the Parmesan and the remaining 3 teaspoons of salt, and once again stir/whisk to combine, until the mascarpone and Parmesan are blended in completely; remove the sauce from the heat and set aside until ready to use for the lasagna. (If making ahead, cool the sauce completely, and refrigerate until ready to assemble the lasagna, at which time you can gently reheat.)

Place a large, non-stick saute pan over medium-high heat, and add about 2 tablespoons worth of olive to the pan; once the oil gets hot, add the ground veggie protein into the pan, and break it up with a spatula or spoon. Add in the Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Cook the protein for a few minutes until heated through and slightly browned. Remove from heat, and set aside to slightly cool.

To assemble the lasagna, begin by adding about a cup of the butternut squash sauce to the bottom of the baking dish. Add lasagna noodles to cover the sauce, and then more sauce over top of the noodles. Add about half of the veggie protein, followed by two cups of the baby spinach leaves. Drizzle lightly with  some olive oil and then sprinkle about a cup of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat the layering process and finish the lasagna by adding the remaining lasagna noodles and the remaining sauce over top. Smooth out the sauce over the noodles and finish by sprinkling the remaining mozzarella cheese over the top. Grind black pepper over the cheese and place the lasagna into the 350 degree oven to bake for roughly 30 to 35 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and lightly golden; serve while hot.


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Pumpkin Pie Slow Cooker Oatmeal

Ingredients
6 c. water
1 c. half & half or milk
1 1/2 c. steel cut oats
1 c. pumpkin purée
1/4 c. firmly packed brown sugar
2 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt

Directions
Stir all the ingredients together in the slow cooker, cook on LOW overnight, about 8 hours. When it is done, it will still look liquidy. Give it a good stir and it will all come together. Serve immediately. Save any leftovers in the fridge or freezer. It reheats well.

Apple & Sweet Potato Kugel

I threw this together in about 25 minutes. It's appropriate for any meal of the day, and you can toss in whatever leftovers you have and change up the spices for a whole new dish.

Ingredients
1 lb. sweet potato or butternut squash, chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 onion, chopped into 1-inch pieces
2 apples, peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 tsp. vegetable oil
1-12 oz. bag of broad egg noodles
4 eggs
1 c. sour cream or Greek yogurt
1 c. whole milk (I used 2%, actually)
dash of thyme and black pepper, freshly ground
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. butter
Panko bread crumbs, sugar, and salt for sprinkling over the casserole before baking

Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Toss vegetables with oil, salt, and pepper, then roast on a pan (in one layer) for about 20 minutes. Toss once during the roasting process. When the veggies are ready, they will have just started to brown. Once you've removed the veggies from the oven, reduce the temperature to 350 degrees.

While the veggies are roasting, cook your noodles until they are just cooked through. Beat the eggs and then whisk in the milk, sour cream or yogurt, and spices, and set aside.

Lightly grease a 9x13-inch casserole dish and create the kugel by layering noodles, veggies, noodles, veggies and so on. Then, pour the egg mixture over the casserole. Press the noodles into the egg mixture with the back of a big spoon. Sprinkle Panko, sugar and salt over the top and bake for 40 minutes, or until the top starts browning. Let sit for 20 minutes prior to serving.

Serves 6 to 8.

Brussels Sprout & Butternut Squash Lasagna

Ingredients
3 c. Brussels sprouts, quartered
3 c. butternut squash, diced
1 tbsp. butter
1 shallot, chopped 
6 fresh sage leaves, chopped
1 egg
15 oz. ricotta cheese
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese, plus 1/4 cup for topping 
1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
7 oz. fresh pesto sauce (I used Wegmans’)
8 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, drained of water and sliced
lasagna noodles (I used Wegmans’ fresh lasagna sheets)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place Brussels sprouts and butternut squash on a large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and toss to coat. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper. Roast until lightly browned in parts and tender, about 15 minutes. 

Melt butter in a sauté pan over medium heat. Cook shallots and sage until tender. Add to Brussels sprouts and squash, tossing to combine. 

In a medium bowl, stir together egg, ricotta, Parmesan, and nutmeg. 

Spread a thin layer of pesto over bottom of a 11 x 7 inch baking dish. Cover with one layer of noodles. Spoon half the vegetable mixture over pasta. Spread half the ricotta mixture over the vegetables. Cover with 1/2 the mozzarella slices. Top with a second layer of lasagna noodles and spread pesto over. Top with remaining vegetables, ricotta, third layer of noodles, and pesto. Top with remaining mozzarella slices and 1/4 cup Parmesan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes or until bubbly.

Serves 6.

Roasted Butternut Squash with Warm Cider Vinaigrette

Ingredients

1 (1 1/lb.) butternut squash, peeled and 3/4-inch diced

Good olive oil

1 tbsp. pure maple syrup

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tbsp. dried cranberries

3/4 c. apple cider or apple juice

2 tbsp. cider vinegar

2 tbsp. minced shallots

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

4 oz. baby arugula, washed and spun dry

1/2 c. walnuts halves, toasted

3/4 c. freshly grated Parmesan

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the butternut squash on a sheet pan. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, the maple syrup, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and toss. Roast the squash for 15 to 20 minutes, turning once, until tender. Add the cranberries to the pan for the last 5 minutes.

While the squash is roasting, combine the apple cider, vinegar, and shallots in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the cider is reduced to about 1/4 cup. Off the heat, whisk in the mustard, 1/2 cup olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper.

Place the arugula in a large salad bowl and add the roasted squash mixture, the walnuts, and the grated Parmesan. Spoon just enough vinaigrette over the salad to moisten and toss well. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Sauteed Root Veggies

An autumnal treat made with a mix of late harvest veggies.

Ingredients

parsnips, peeled & julienned
carrots, peeled & julienned
baby turnips, peeled & julienned
onion, sliced & quartered
McCormicks’ Vegetable Supreme seasoning
butter

Directions

Melt about 1/2 stick of butter in a large pan. Sauté all the vegetables over high heat until they begin to brown. Toss vegetables with Vegetable Supreme and serve.
--OR--
Coat the raw vegetables in melted butter and Vegetable Supreme. Bake in the oven at about 400 degrees until golden brown.

Autumn Veggie Pizza

Pizza is one of my favorite ways to use up leftovers in the fridge. Last night, I was working with a butternut squash, goat cheese and onions... here's what I came up with!

Ingredients
1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced
4 oz. chevre goat cheese
1 bunch of fresh sage
1 handful of pecans
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 large onion, carmelized
prepared pizza dough
kosher salt, freshly ground pepper, to taste
ground nutmeg, to taste

Directions
Coat the squash with kosher salt, freshly ground pepper and olive oil. Roast in the oven at 400 degrees for 25 minutes, turning over halfway through. Bake the pizza dough about halfway (according to package instructions). In the meantime, create a "pesto" using sage, pecans and olive oil, combining in a Magic Bullet or small food processor. Spread pesto on half-baked dough, follow with crumbled goat cheese, carmelized onions and roasted squash. Finish baking pizza, sprinkle nutmeg to taste. Makes one pizza.

Spiced Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients
3 lbs. butternut squash, halved & seeded
2 tbsp. butter
1 medium onion, sliced
1 leek, sliced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
100 liquid oz. chicken or vegetable broth
2 large russet potatoes, peeled & quartered
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. allspice
1/8 tsp. ginger
salt & pepper, to taste
1/2 cup sherry
1 cup half & half
1/2 cup sour cream

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Pour a thin layer of water in a baking dish. Place squash flesh-down and bake for 40-50 minutes (or until a fork can pierce the flesh). Cool slightly and remove peel. Mash squash.

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, leek and garlic. Saute for a few minutes, until tender. Pour broth into the pot. Add the potatoes and bring to a boil. Cook for 20 minutes, or until soft. Add the mashed squash and mash with potatoes or until chunks are small. Puree in a food processor or with an immersion blender until smooth. Return to the pot.

Season the soup with cayenne pepper, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, salt and pepper. Then stir in sherry and half & half. Heat through, but do not boil. Ladle into bowls and top with a dollop of sour cream.

Serves a gaggle of guests.

Hot Toddy Extraordinaire

An excellent use for your crock pot on a cold, autumn day.

Ingredients
2 qts. apple juice or cider
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp. lemon juice
3 tbsp. orange concentrate
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. whole cloves
1 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 bottle red wine
1 orange, sliced thinly for garnish

Directions
Heat all ingredients (except wine) over stove set to medium low. Pour into crock pot, draining off cloves in the process, set to "warm" or "low," add red wine and sliced oranges. Serve warm.