Adapted from www.allrecipes.com

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon ginger paste
• 4 medium sized red potatoes potatoes, scrubbed and cubed (I prefer to leave the skin on)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
• salt to taste
• 1 pound cauliflower (one large head will do)
• 3/4 cup crushed tomatoes
• 3/4 cup peas
  
• 3 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation

1. Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Stir in the cumin seeds, garlic, and ginger paste. Cook about 1 minute until garlic is lightly browned. Add the potatoes. Season with turmeric, paprika, cumin, garam masala, and salt. Cover and continue cooking 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Mix the cauliflower, tomatoes, peas and cilantro into the saucepan. Reduce heat to low and cover. Stirring occasionally, continue cooking 10 minutes, or until potatoes and cauliflower are tender.

You could easily turn this into a carnivorous meal for two by adding sausage.

• 2.5 ounces long grain and wild rice mix
• 1 cup vegetable stock
  
• 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
  
• 1 celery rib, chopped
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped mushrooms (I used shiitake)
  
• 1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans
• 1 medium acorn squash
• 3/4 cup water

Preparation

1. In a large saucepan, combine the rice with broth and Italian Seasoning. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 23-25 minutes or until rice is tender and liquid is almost absorbed. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute celery and onion in oil until tender. Stir in mushrooms, cranberries, and pecans. Remove from the heat. Stir in rice mixture.
2. Cut squash in half widthwise. Remove and discard seeds and membranes. With a sharp knife, cut a thin slice from the bottom of each half so squash sits flat. Fill squash halves with about 1/2 cup rice mixture. Place in a baking pan. Pour water into pan.
3. Cover pan tightly with foil. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-50 minutes or until squash is tender. 
   

Adapted from www.allrecipes.com

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  
• 3 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

1. In a large bowl, combine the oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Add squash and toss to coat.
2. Transfer to an ungreased shallow 2-qt. baking dish and sprinkle with Italian Seasoning. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees for 30 minutes then sprinkle Parmesan cheese on squash.  Cook the squash for another 15 minutes or until squash is just tender.

I cannot recall where this recipe originally came from, but I am glad I finally had the gumption to try it (even with the few tweaks I made)!

• 1 roasted red pepper, skin, stem & seeds removed (the red pepper I was going to roast looked good from the outside, but was not so fresh looking on the inside, so I substituted it for 1 chili in adobo sauce - which gave it a nice smoky flavor)
  
• 1 1/2 cups raw cashews
• 1-7 ounce can jalapenos, drained
• 2/3 cup nutritional yeast
• 2/3 cup water
• 1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• juice from 1 lime
• 1 1/2 tablespoons low sodium tamari sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika (for color)
• dash of hot sauce or salsa

Preparation

1. Throw all the ingredients into a blender and blend until creamy. Warm sauce gently over low heat and pour over corn chips.

Recipe and photo from http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/

• 2 cups diced tofu, extra firm
• 3 Tbsp creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup white sesame seeds
• 3 Tbsp peanut or olive oil
• 1 lime, juiced
• 3 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp water
• 2 Tbsp agave syrup
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes (or cayenne)
• 2 Tbsp fresh ginger, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, grated or chopped

Preparation

1. Add oil, garlic, ginger, peanut butter, agave syrup, lime juice and a pinch of sesame seeds to a satue pan.
2. Saute on medium-high heat for a minute.
3. Chop the tofu into cubes or thin slices and marinate in 3-4 tbsp soy sauce soy sauce and 2 Tbsp water for five minutes (while you do the first saute above).
4. Add tofu to pan with the peanut mixture. Stir/toss well over high heat for a minute to coat tofu.
5. Turn heat to medium. Cover pan and allow steam and heat to cook tofu for a few minutes. Constantly move covered pan around, to preventing burning.
6. Uncover pan and check for doneness of tofu. It should be fluffy from the steam and cooked through. If the mixture looks dry, add a Tbsp of water and a tsp of soy sauce and re-cover to steam. Once the tofu looks fluffy with a few browned edges, turn heat to medium-low.
7. Sprinkle in red pepper flakes and toss tofu a few times-gently. Pour in sesame seeds. Allow the seeds to stick to tofu. Add more or less if necessary to coat about 1/2 of the total surface area of the tofu.
8. Saute sesame crusted tofu for a few minutes, uncovered. Sesame seeds should be crusted and lightly toasted.

Serve over a bed of fresh chopped cabbage or on a bed of steamed veggies and brown rice.

Adapted from www.eatingwell.com

• 2 cups whole-wheat flour
• 1 cup cornmeal, preferably stone-ground
• 2 cups packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 15- or 16-ounce can plain pumpkin puree, (1 1/2 cups)
• 1 cup nonfat plain yogurt
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 2 large eggs
• 2 large egg whites
• 2 cups dried cranberries

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans with a light coating of walnut oil; dust with flour and tap out the excess.
2. Combine whole-wheat flour, cornmeal, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt in a mixing bowl; mix well, breaking up any lumps of brown sugar with your fingertips. Whisk together pumpkin, yogurt, oil, eggs and egg whites in another bowl until well combined. Stir the pumpkin mixture and cranberries into the dry ingredients until completely blended, but do not overmix. Divide the batter between the loaf pans, smoothing the tops with a spatula. Bake until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, 55 to 65 minutes. Let the loaves rest in the pans for 5 minutes; turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe from: www.care2.com

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 leeks, white and light green parts washed and sliced into 1/4-inch slices
• 2 cups chopped yellow onion
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 large Yukon Gold potatoes (about 1 pound), peeled and cubed into 1/2-inch cubes
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 2-3 teaspoons fresh rosemary leaves

Preparation

1. Heat a 4-quart soup pot over medium heat and add the oil.

2. Add the leeks, onion, and sea salt and saute for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until the onion begins to turn translucent.

3. Add the garlic and stir well. Cook for 1 minute more.

4. Add the potatoes and vegetable stock, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer. Cook 20 minutes.

5. Remove the soup from the heat and use an immersion/stick blender to blend the soup in the pot or ladle the soup into a blender, 1 cup at a time. Blend the soup with the fresh rosemary leaves until smooth and free of chunks. Pour smooth soup into a heat-proof bowl and continue until all of the soup has been blended.

6. Transfer the blended soup back to the original soup pot and warm over low heat until heated through. Serve hot.

I wanted to try something that utilized more of the fall/winter harvest and what I wound up with was an amazing "pot pie" that knocked my socks off.

From an article by Big Girls, Small Kitchen in the Huffington Post in February 2011

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 2 parsnips, diced
• 1 celery stalk, diced
• 1 small potato
• 1/2 bulb fennel, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh sage
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can chickpeas, drained
• salt and pepper
• 2.5 tablepsoons flour
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 pie crust, recipe follows*
• 1 egg, beaten

Preparation

1. Grease a 9×9-inch baking dish, preferably one that's attractive enough to set on the table.
2. In a cast-iron skillet or other heavy saucepan, warm the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes, then add the carrot, parsnip, celery, potato, and fennel. Saute, stirring often, until all the vegetables are soft, 12-15 minutes. Add the thyme, sage, and garlic, and cook for another minute or two, just until the herbs have wilted. Stir in the chickpeas, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a couple grinds of fresh pepper. Push the vegetables to once side of the pan.
3. Add a drizzle of oil to the free part of the pan and let it heat for 30 seconds. Sprinkle the flour over it and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute, until the flour is vaguely fragrant. Toss the toasted flour back in with the vegetables.
4. Pour in the white wine and the vegetable stock and raise the heat to high. Bring to a boil, then simmer, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has thickened and reduced, about 4 minutes.
5. Scrape the filling into the prepared baking dish, and let it cool to room temperature.
6. When you're ready to assemble and bake the pie, preheat the oven to 375°F.
7. Roll out the dough to 1/4-inch thickness and cut out hearts from it. You can also just fit the whole crust to the pie and prick it a few times. Brust the crust with the beaten egg.
8. Bake for 35 minutes, until the hearts are golden and fully cooked, and the filling is bubbling. Serve immediately.

* For the crust

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 10 tablespoons Spectrum shortening, chilled in the fridge for 1 hour
• 1 egg yolk
• 1-2 tablespoons cold water, as needed

Preparation

1. Combine the flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor. Pulse to combine. Add the cold shortening and pulse again, just until the whole mixture resembles crumbs. Add the egg yolk and process until a ball comes together. If it hasn't completely come together, slowly add 1-2 tablespoons of water, processing as you go so as not to add too much.
2. Gather the dough and form it into a ball, then press it into a disk. Refrigerate for at least an hour before rolling out on a floured surface.

• 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped, seeds removed
• 1 medium zucchini, chopped
• 1 medium yellow squash, chopped
• 1 medium red onion, chopped
• 8 crimini mushrooms, quartered
  
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 15 oz. black beans
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 jalapeños, minced
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 cup enchilada sauce
• 9-10 small corn tortillas
• 1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
  
• 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place first 5 ingredients on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and toss until vegetables are coated. Roast vegetables for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove the vegetables and reduce the heat to 350 degrees.

2. In a medium bowl, combine roasted vegetables, beans, spices, garlic, and jalapeño. Stir and season with salt and pepper.

3. Pour enough enchilada sauce into the bottom of an 8x8 baking pan to cover the bottom so the tortillas don't stick. Add a layer of tortillas, to completely cover the bottom of the pan. Top with 1/2 of the vegetable/bean mixture, enchilada sauce, and 1/3 of the cheese. Repeat for a second layer. Top with with a layer of tortillas, enchilada sauce, and cheese. Cover the pan with aluminum foil.

4. Bake enchiladas for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and the enchiladas are bubbling. Remove enchiladas from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Cut into squares and serve warm.