Now this recipe sounds quite tasty (I love pumpkin!)...
Ingredients:
Steps to make vegetarian pumpkin tart:
Ok, just typing this recipe in is making hungry 
Every year I try a new latke recipe. We all love the potato latkes, but for eight nights it can get a bit old. I’m thinking of trying this recipe for this year.
Sweet Potato Latkes with Sugared Pecans
2 medium sweet potatoes
1 egg
1 T vanilla
1 T cinnamon
1 t ground nutmeg
Up to 2 T potato flour (regular flour will do if you don’t have potato flour or potato starch)
1/3 c brown sugar; packed
Oil
Sour cream or powder sugar for dusting
Sugared Pecans (recipe below)
Parboil potatoes in boiling water until slightly tender but firm (or microwave for a couple of minutes). Refrigerate potatoes until cold. Remove skin and shred into bowl. Add egg; vanilla, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and potato flour. Mix until well blended. Coat bottom of 10” non-stick skillet with 2 T. oil. Shape latkes into 2 1/2 ” patties. Cook until brown on both sides and transfer to paper towels to drain briefly. Add oil as needed to remaining batches. Pipe dollop of sour cream with pastry bag on top for each latke. Top with Sugared Pecans.
*OPT. Sugared Pecans
1 c. whole pecans
1 egg white
1/3 c. sugar
1 t. cinnamon
Put pecans in ziplock bag with egg white. Shake until coated. Mix together sugar and cinnamon. Add to the ziplock bag— shake until coated. Bake at 400F 9 to 12 min. Cool.
Lasagna is a perfect meal for the holidays. It can be prepared ahead of time and reheated for parties or family dinners. This one is a non-traditional winter inspired acorn squash creation from Martha Stewart. When I make this I plan to double it and use a 9×13 pan or my lasagna pan, but this size would be perfect for a buffet, if you’re serving lots of other dishes.
Acorn Squash Lasagna
Olive oil, for baking dish
4 cups Acorn Squash Purée or 2 packages (12 ounces each) frozen winter squash purée, thawed
1/2 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 container (15 ounces) part-skim ricotta cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
8 no-boil lasagna noodles (half of an 8-ounce package) (You could also use regular noodles— just prepare them according to the package ahead of time.)
Preheat oven to 400°. Brush an 8-inch square baking dish with oil; set aside. In a medium bowl, mix squash purée with sage, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. In another bowl, mix ricotta with 1/2 cup Parmesan, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Set aside.
Lay 2 lasagna noodles in the bottom of prepared dish; spread with half the squash mixture. Layer with 2 more noodles, and spread with half the ricotta mixture. Repeat layering with remaining noodles and mixtures. Sprinkle top (ricotta mixture) with remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan.
3. Cover baking dish with foil; place on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until lasagna is heated through, about 45 minutes; remove foil, and continue baking until golden on top, 20 to 25 minutes more.
In our house, we have to make cornbread stuffing and bread dressing. I have a hard time getting past Thanksgiving without cornbread stuffing, and my husband prefers bread dressing (I like both, to be honest, but I’d probably skip the bread dressing every once in a while, if not for my husband). This is a good basic bread stuffing. You can add fresh herbs, instead of dried, add more vegetables to the onions and celery, throw in some cranberries or pecans— whatever your family likes. It’s also easy enough to turn into a vegan recipe, if you have some vegan bread on hand.
Herbed Bread Stuffing
10 cups (1-inch) cubes day old bread (1 lb) (any type will do— I usually use whole wheat)
3 medium onions, chopped
3 celery ribs, thinly sliced crosswise
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 stick unsalted butter or margarine
2 cups not chicken broth or vegetable stock
Preheat oven to 325°F.
Toast bread in a large shallow baking pan in middle of oven until just dry, 25 to 30 minutes. Cook onions, celery, and herbs in butter or margarine in a large heavy skillet over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until celery is softened, about 10 minutes. Stir together bread, vegetables, broth, and salt and pepper to taste, then cool completely, uncovered.
I love this recipe. It always gets rave reviews. You can use it as a side, or in place of your trusty pumpkin pie. Either way, it’s delicious! Use canned or fresh sweet potatoes. If you’re using canned sweet potatoes with syrup, either leave out the sugar, altogether, or cut it to 1/4 cup.
Praline Sweet Potatoes
4 cups mashed sweet potatoes
1/3-1/2 cup sugar (depending on your desire for sweetness— I use turbinado)
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 pint heavy cream
1/4 pound butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups chopped pecans
Butter one 2 quart casserole dish. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a mixing bowl, combine the sweet potatoes, sugar, vanilla extract, eggs and cream. Blend well, and spread evenly in casserole dish.
Prepare the topping by combining the butter, brown sugar, flour and pecans. Mix until crumbly, and sprinkle over sweet potato mixture.
Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven.
I can hear you thinking, “It’s great that you’ve given us a dessert and a side, but come on WE could have figured that out! What about the more difficult vegetarian Thanksgiving items? What about a main dish? What about stuffing? Can stuffing be made without meat-based broth?”
Well, the answer is “yes”. Several years ago I went to Thanksgiving, and there were THREE cornbread dressings there. My sister in law made hers with sausage, so that was a no go for my family. My aunt was bringing my grandmother’s recipe, complete with turkey giblets. And I had to bring a third because, well, what else was I going to do? If I wanted cornbread dressing, I had to make my own. I emailed my aunt to get my grandmother’s recipe. My aunt was absolutely positive it could not be made without giblets and chicken broth. Well, you know what? By the end of the meal, both of my aunts wanted the recipe. Since I never write anything down, I can’t share the exact recipe with you, but I’ll share the recipe I’m going to make this year. Hopefully, it will be as good.
Vegetarian cornbread dressing
Cornbread, use your favorite recipe (I use Hodgson Mills cornbread mix to prepare one pan)
7 slices oven-dried wheat bread
1 sleeve saltine crackers (I suppose you could use some healthier choice, but I usually use the saltines)
8 tablespoons butter
2 cups celery, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
7 cups no chicken broth by Imagine
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sage (optional)
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning (optional)
cayenne pepper, to taste (optional, but this really does make the dressing— you just need a small amount)
5 eggs, beaten
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl, combine crumbled cornbread, dried wheat bread slices, and saltines; set aside.
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the celery and onion and cook until transparent, approximately 5 to 10 minutes. Pour the vegetable mixture over cornbread mixture. Add the broth, mix well, taste, and add salt, pepper to taste, sage, poultry seasoning and cayenne. Add beaten eggs and mix well. Pour mixture into a greased pan and bake until dressing is cooked through, about 45 minutes.
It’s actually acting like it may become fall this year in South Texas. This is the time of year I always begin to doubt it and then, what do you know, it gets down in the 50s one night and, just like that, summer is gone. When that happens, I can retire my salads and start making soups, stews and chilis. This recipe is an adaptation (not mine) of a recipe from Alex Jamieson’s “The Great American Detox Diet”. It’s perfect for cool autumn evenings. It also freezes well, so you can put some in the freezer for another night. And vegetarian chili is a breeze to make, if you use canned or made ahead beans. You can literally have dinner on the table in 30 minutes, or less.
Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 large sweet potato, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Zest and juice of 1 lime
1 28-can diced tomatoes
4 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained (or 6 cups freshly cooked)
1 jalapeno chile pepper, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 lime, cut into wedges
1 cup chopped cilantro leaves, washed and dried
Warm the oil in a large pan over medium heat and add the onion, red pepper, garlic, and salt. Saute until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the sweet potato and lime zest, and cook 10 to 15 minutes more, continuing to stir occasionally. Add the tomatoes, black beans, jalapeno, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, and cocoa, bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. Serve over brown rice, if desired, with lime wedges and cilantro, or with corn bread, biscuits, or taco chips alongside.
Even my children, who can be a bit suspicious of unfamiliar food, liked this recipe. It’s a savory dish, but it almost has a dessert feel to it. I had never eaten carnival squash before preparing this recipe, but I’ll definitely be trying it again. I think this would be excellent prepared in small individual pie crusts for breakfast, brunch or dinner— or even as an appetizer. Prepared without the crust, it could even be a low carb addition to a meal. I think I roasted the squash because it was easier. And I made mine in a pie crust in a pie pan— it will fit in a pie pan, by the way. And I skipped the nuts— but other than that I followed the recipe exactly as written
Carnival squash quiche
2 cups Carnival Squash (or any other variety of Winter Squash) peel and cube
1 cup Cottage Cheese
2 Eggs
1/2 cup Milk
1/4 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
1/4 cup Nuts chopped
In a pan with a small amount of water, cook the squash for about 10 minutes or until very tender. Drain. In a blender, mix together cottage cheese and eggs till smooth. Add squash, milk, and nutmeg. Blend until smooth. Pat cooked rice on the bottom of a 10×6 x 2 inch casserole dish. Pour squash mixture on top. Bake at 350° F for 40-45 minutes or until set. Let stand for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with nuts. Cut into squares and serve immediately.
These were so delicious. Like a sugar cookie, but with a hint of maple. If you have any, you could use maple sugar to dust the top of these, instead of regular sugar. Also, we had maple leaf cookie cutters, which made a cute cookie. My kids loved them.
Maple Syrup Cookies
3/4 cup sugar + extra for dusting
1 cup (8oz.) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg yolk
3 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour (I used a light whole wheat— Prairie Gold)
1/4 teaspoon salt
The day before you plan to make the cookies, make the dough:
Beat together the sugar and butter with an electric beater on high speed for about 3 minutes. Add the maple syrup, vanilla and egg yolk and mix for 1 minute. Sift the flour and salt directly into the butter/sugar mixture. Beat at medium speed until combined – about 2 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate overnight.
I did find that these were incredibly hard when they came out of the refrigerator and that it really needed to sit out for probably an hour or more before it was a good consistency for rolling out.
Preheat oven to 350°F. To make the cookies:
Butter two baking sheets. Divide the dough into two equal portions. Working with 1 portion at a time, roll it out on a lightly floured surface to about 1/8-inch thick. Cut out shapes with a cookie cutter and place on prepared cookie sheets, about 1 inch apart. Gather scraps, reroll and cut out as many additional cookies as possible. Repeat with second dough portion. Dust the cookies with granulated sugar. Bake for 9-12 minutes, until they are lightly golden. Remove and cool on racks. If you let these sit too long, they will become cemented to the cookie sheet. If that happens, pop them back in the oven for about a minute, just long enough to remelt the butter, and they’ll slide right off.
Storage:
May be stored at room temperature in an airtight container up to 4 days. May be frozen up to 1 month.
A butternut squash arrived in my CSA box recently, and I thought “Hmmm. What am I supposed to do with this thing?” So, I cut it in half and roasted it, scooped out the insides, put them in the refrigerator and then waited for a week to find a recipe. I found this one and, honestly, the hardest part of the recipe was cutting the squash in half. (I’ve since read that you can use an ice pick or a skewer to poke holes in the butternut squash and then just roast it whole, which I’m going to try next time.)
Butternut Squash Casserole
1 butternut squash- peeled, seeded and cubed
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon brown sugar (I think I left this out)
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup crushed crackers (I used whole wheat Ritz)
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon butter, melted
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Cut squash in half and discard seeds. Roast or boil squash until soft. Scoop out soft insides. In a large bowl, mash the softened squash. Mix in the mayonnaise, onion, egg, brown sugar, salt and pepper. Pour the mixture into a 2 quart baking dish. In a medium bowl, mix together crackers, Parmesan and butter. Sprinkle over the squash mixture. Bake uncovered in the preheated oven for 35 to 45 minutes, until the topping is lightly brown.
We eat this at Rosh Hashana. It’s really tasty and an easy addition to a meal.
Cumin Black-eyed Peas with Tomatoes
1 package frozen black-eyed peas (or black-eyed peas with green beans)
2 medium onions
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 T. olive oil
1 T. cumin
14 oz. can diced tomatoes or stewed tomatoes
1 cup of water
salt and pepper, to taste
optional: chopped green peppers, cayenne, chopped zucchini or other vegetables
In a large pot, brown the onions in the olive oil, along with any other chopped vegetables. Add the garlic towards the end and cook until golden. Add the rest of the ingredients, except the salt. Add the cayenne if you like extra heat. Cook about 45 minutes, until the peas are soft. Add the salt the last 10 minutes. Serve alone or over rice or potatoes.
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