butternut squash and crispy kale noodle salad

Overview

Time: 35 minutes
Dishes: medium pot with lid, air-fryer, measuring cup, salad spinner

Hello, hello Dear Readers!

If the thought of peeling and chopping a butternut squash strikes fear in your heart, join the club. The winter squash is indeed intimidating, but with a few tips, maybe you can give it a chance:

1) Use a peeler to peel the squash - the first pass, just remove the outer skin and then make a second pass to peel until you see orange.

2) Treat the squash as two separate entitites - the neck portion is easy eanough, it is the seed portion that offers trouble. cut the squash in two - the neck portion and the seed portion. 

3) The neck: cut off the stem part and then cut into 1/2-inch slices and then cut the slices into 1/2-inch pieces and then into 1/2-inch  dice.

4) The seed portion: cut the bottom off and then cut off 1/2-inch slices from the bulb, going around the outside of the seed section. Do not cut it in half because then you have to deal with the seeds - instead, cut off slices from the bulb-seed portion and then discard the entire seed bulb when done.

Back to this meatless, vegetarian and vegan recipe: truth be told, this is for a confidant palate, but the flavors are awesome and the textures are unique. The dressing is slightly sweet and spicy (use 1/2 grated fresh garlic if avoiding any spice), but has no oil. The fresh ginger and roasted peanuts tie the whole thing together. It sounds like a lot is going on - but I had this on the table in 35 minutes, including chopping that squash from scratch.

Enjoy!

Speedy Cooking Tips:

• Put the water on for the pasta before grabbing the ingredients.
• Use a lid while heating the water.
• Preheat the air-fryer.
• Peel and chop the squash into 1/2-inch pieces. Take the time here to avoid an extra 15 minutes of baking.
• Make the dressing while the squash and pasta cook.
• Add the beans to the pasta water, right before you drain it, to heat the beans to allow them to absorb some of the flavors of the dressing. 

 

Butternut Squash and Crispy Kale Noodle Salad

Makes 4 servings 

moderate

Preheat air-fryer to 400-F or oven to 450-F

1. Pasta: Cook the pasta in a medium pot of salted boiling water, until   al dente. Add the beans right before draining the pasta. Add 1 tablespoon of Dressing to Pasta after draining.

4 ounces spaghetti

1 cup white beans

2. Squash: Peel and chop the squash. Spray with oil and season with salt, add to air-fryer. Cook for 13 minutes or until almost tender.

1 medium butternut squash (4 cups, 1/2-inch cubed)

3. Dressing: mix the dressing in a measuring cup. Stir until sugar dissolves: 

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon tamari

1 teaspoon sambal oelek

1 tablespoon sugar

1-inch ginger, grated

4. Kale: add the kale to the Squash. Spray with oil and season with salt. Cook for 7 more minutes:

1 bunch kale, tough stem removed and chopped

5. Peanuts: add the peanuts and garlic to the Squash (remove any kale that is getting too dark). Cook for 3 more minutes. 

1/2 cup peanuts

3 garlic cloves, minced

6. Salad: Remove the large crispy Kale pieces to the side. Add the Squash mixture to the Pasta. Mix with a tablespoon of Dressing. Serve the Squash-Pasta mixture over the greens, sprinkle with the green onions and the reserved crispy Kale. Serve with the rest of the Dressing.

6 cups chopped lettuce

2 green onions, minced

© 2020 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

shooter's sandwich

I stumbled on a British sandwich that apparently became quite popular a few years ago because someone in a column somewhere claimed it was the BEST sandwich in the universe -  or something to that effect.

I assumed that Shooter's sandwich meant in the sense of shooting a shot of liquor - that's where my mind went to - but when I asked my daughter her opinion, she thought of shooting a gun or hunting. Turns out she was right: Shooter's sandwich became a thing because someone can shoot a gun while aiming at animals to kill and eat at the same time. Great.

I am instead claiming the word "shooter" (in this instance) to mean shooting a camera - as in "he's one of the best shooters of wildlife in all of professional photography" (credit: Merriam-Webster site).

Originally, the sandwich was a sort of portable Wellington - steak, mushrooms, horseradish, mustard and bread. The sandwich is pressed overnight so that once cut into, nothing falls out.

This, of course, is way too involved a project when I'm hungry, and, thus, here is my version of this camera-ready sandwich. Okay, maybe you need two hands to hold it. A sacrifice worth an overnight stint under a pile of cast iron pans.

I used mushrooms and kale as the base of the sandwich, topped it with some crunchy cucumber slices and slathered with horseradish-Dijon sauce. Broil the bread instead of toast it - this way, the inside stays soft and the outside is crisp. Toasting it just makes it way too crisp.

Enjoy!

Shooter's Sandwich
Makes 2 sandwiches 

Horseradish-Dijon Sauce:
4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
2 tablespoons vegan mayo (optional - I skipped it)

Filling:
10 ounces mushrooms, cut thick (about 1/4 -inch)
1 bunch kale, tough stems removed and chopped
Sea salt and black pepper
1 tablespoon neutral oil or vegetable broth (I used the oil so the mushrooms can caramelize)
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium tamari

Other:
4 slices bread, toasted (broiled) on one side
12 slices cucumbers

1. Sauce: Combine the mustard, horseradish and mayonnaise (if using) in a small bowl. Mix well and set aside. 
2. Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and cook until the mushrooms give off moisture, about 6 minutes. Add the kale and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the oil, garlic, paprika and season with black pepper. Cook until the mushrooms are golden brown but do not burn the garlic. Add the tamari and cook until evaporated, about 1 minute. Remove from heat 
3. Assemble the sandwiches: bottom toast, sauce, mushroom mixture, cucumber slices and top toast. Serve immediately. 


© 2017 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

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holiday sandwich

I'm a sucker for complete meal type of sandwiches, as demonstrated by my Thanksgiving Burger, a recipe from 2014. Since the holidays are around the corner, what better way to start the celebration than with this easy to make Holiday Sandwich:

It might look a bit much, but it really is easy to put together. The patty is made of mushrooms and chickpeas as the base. It doesn't include any binding, but it stays together relatively well. It dries out and because the acorn squash is very moist, together, they work in harmony.

A few spices and dark miso help to keep this burger from falafel-ville. It is decidedly not a falafel.

You process all the ingredients in a food processor, form into patties and bake them with the acorn squash. The timing is about the same and because you don't peel the squash, the process is easy.

There is nothing more on the squash than salt and pepper because the flavor is in the patties.

This sandwich needs some crunch, so I tossed thin onion slices with cornstarch/arrowroot and air-fried it until crisp. I did add a few sprays of oil to help it brown, but it is nothing like deep frying them.

The sauce. It is so simple and so delicious! It is Cranberry Aioli and it is the bomb. Just mix together cranberry sauce and vegan mayonnaise or vegan yogurt and liberally add to the sandwich. It is tangy and sweet but creamy and rich. Don't skip it.

And because no holiday is complete without something green, this sandwich features steamed kale. A crusty bread or roll and you are in business, my friend.

Photo by Caitlin Galer-Unti from The Vegan Word.com

Speaking of holidays, gift-giving season is almost here and it is time to start planning. Caitlin from The Vegan Word has amassed an amazingly thorough list of vegan gift ideas. I truly am impressed! Take a look for yourself.

Holiday Sandwich
Makes 4 servings

Patties:
1 3/4 cups or 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained
3 ounces of trimmed shiitake mushrooms (trimmed of stems)
1 tablespoon dark miso
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon onion granules
1/2 teaspoon garlic granules
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon sage

Onions:
1 medium onion, sliced very thin
2 tablespoons arrowroot or cornstarch
Oil spray, as needed

Sauce:
1/4 cup cranberry sauce
1/4 cup vegan mayonnaise or plain nondairy yogurt

Other:
Sea salt and black pepper
1 medium acorn squash, cut into 4 sections
1 bunch kale, tough stems removed and finely chopped
4 crusty rolls, split


1. Patties: Preheat the oven to 350-degrees F. Combine the chickpeas, mushrooms, miso, yeast, onion, garlic, thyme and sage in a food processor. Process until finely ground. Divide the mixture into 4 portions and form into patties about the size of your rolls. Transfer to a parchment or silicone mat lined baking sheet. Add the squash quarters to the pan and season with salt and black pepper. Bake for 20 minutes. Flip the patties and the squash and bake for another 20 minutes. If the squash is tender remove it from the pan. Continue to bake the patties for another 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown and hold together fairly well. 
2. Onions: Combine the onion, starch and spray with oil. Transfer to the basket of an air-fryer and cook until semi-crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. Shake the basket after every 5 minutes and make sure not to burn. The onions will become crispy after they sit for a minute off the heat.
3. Sauce: Combine the cranberry sauce and mayo. Mix well. Set aside. 
4. Steam the kale until very tender and toast the rolls. Season the kale with salt and pepper.
5. Assemble the sandwich by spreading the bottom and top with the aioli. Add kale, a patty. Scoop out the squash from the shells and add one to the sandwich. Top with onions and serve. 


© 2016 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

caesar kale chips

I know you have a favorite kale chip recipe, but I'm sure there is room for one more, right?

I also know that adding too much moisture to kale chips leads to soggy and browned kale, instead of gorgeous looking, crispy chips, so I thought I'd tackle this one for you and see if, indeed, Caesar Kale Chips is even possible.

I'm happy to report, that, yes, they are. You will need ingredients for making a good Caesar dressing, lemon juice, garlic, miso, olive oil and Worcestershire sauce.  I am adding ground sunflower seeds to the chips to add a bit more texture that is reminiscent of Parmesan cheese.

Especially because we are adding extra moisture to this recipe, it is even more important to thoroughly dry the kale.

For this recipe, you need to puree your garlic, but because the liquid amount is so low, you can't blend it using a machine.

Here is how to puree garlic without a machine:

1. Mince the garlic.

2. Using  the back of the knife, press down on the garlic and pull the knife toward you, essentially scraping the garlic against the board and knife. Add salt to increase traction.

3. In the picture below, you can see that my dominant hand is hold the hilt firmly down, while my other hand is pressing on the flat of the blade, pushing it down and pulling it toward me in one smooth motion.

4. Repeat, scraping the garlic together and repeating this process, until the garlic is pureed.

Then is is just a matter of mixing the marinade, coating the leaves and baking them.

If you have an air fryer (I didn't have one at the time of this shooting), you can use your air fryer to make this. Check out Becky's video (of Glue and Glitter), and see how she makes her Ranch Kale Chips.

Caesar Kale Chips
Makes 3 to 4 servings

1 1/2 to 2 bunches kale, stems removed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons white miso
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
2 garlic cloves
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons ground sunflower seeds

1. Preheat the oven to 250-degrees F. Tear the kale into large pieces and set aside in a large bowl.
2. Combine the olive oil, lemon juice, miso, and worcestershire sauce in a small bowl. Using the back of your knife, crush the garlic and keep crushing it until it is pureed. Add the salt and keep smashing the garlic; the salt helps to puree the garlic. Add the garlic to the miso mixture and stir well.
3. Add the miso mixture to the kale. Toss very well but don’t crush the kale. Add the kale in a single layer to a baking sheet and bake until crisp, 25 minutes. Stir halfway through cooking. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool for a few minutes to crispen.  


© 2016 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

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dinner to bento: caramelized onion and kale sautee

Before I get into today's post, I have to announce the winner of The Taco Cleanse (Amazon, B&N)! The winner is: CHARJ! Congratulations! Contact me at zsusveganpantry dot com so I can get your mailing address.

With one of my girls in college and the other with a job and school, I have been finding the need to pack them lunchboxes. That adds another level of work to my day and I've been wondering how best to tackle that. With a potential new book in the works, I really don't have the luxury any more to make lunch in the middle of the day and then dinner at night.

What to do?

How about making dinner and then using some of those ingredients or components to make lunch for the following day (or the day after)? Sounded good to me! If all goes well, this will become regular blog posts that I can share with you.

I'm calling these Dinner To Bento.

My first offering is Caramelized Onion and Kale Saute with Brown Rice and Beans. After you cook the dinner, set aside some of the saute and rice and make them into Chipotle Burgers. The burgers can be served in wraps, on buns or on a bed of greens.

The easiest ways to cook brown rice fast is to use my method or a pressure cooker.

The ingredients are pretty simple: onions, garlic, sage, kale, broth, rice, beans and jalapenos. Slicing the onions as thin as you can (without taking forever) makes the onions cook faster. Get the rice on first and then start slicing the onions.

After cooking the onions about 8 minutes (keeping the pan covered and adding splashes of broth about every 4 minutes), add the sage and garlic. Another 10 more minutes and you will have caramelized onions.

Add the broth, beans and kale and continue to simmer until the kale is tender - about 10 minutes. By now the rice should be cooked and steaming under a kitchen towel (this goes for either method - once cooked, drape a kitchen towel over the pot).

Before you serve the saute with the rice and chile, set aside 1 cup of the saute (drained) and 1 cup of the rice.

Transfer the saute, mustard, chipotle puree (simply blend a can of chipotle en adobo until smooth and store in the fridge in a covered container where it will keep for months) and quick-cooking oatmeal to a food processor and pulse to chop.

Mix the processed mixture with the rice, form into patties and cook in a skillet until browned. Pack in lunchboxes the next day (in a microwave-safe container if you are planning to reheat it) with a bun or tortilla, a container of chipotle mayo and lettuce and tomato.


That's it! Two meals in one, yet different enough to transcend "leftovers."

Caramelized Onion and Kale Saute/Chipotle Burgers
Prep and cook time: 45 minutes  
Serves 3 to 4 

Saute:
2 cups medium or short-grain brown rice
3 medium onions, thinly sliced
2 cups vegetable broth, divided
2 sprigs fresh sage or 1 teaspoon dried sage
6 garlic cloves, sliced
8 ounces kale, tough stems removed and chopped
2 cups cannellini beans
1 jalapeno, thinly sliced
Sea salt and black pepper

Burger:
1 cup drained saute
3/4 cup quick-cooking oats**
1 teaspoon chipotle puree*
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 cup cooked medium or short-grain brown rice
1 teaspoon olive oil

Mayo:
1/3 cup vegan mayonnaise
1 teaspoon chipotle puree*


1. Cook the brown rice. 
2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the onions (use a little oil if you like, but it is not necessary). Cover the skillet and cook for 5 minutes. Stir, add a splash of broth, cover and continue to cook for another 3 minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, sage, garlic, cover, and cook for 3 minutes. Repeat with a splash of broth, stir and continue to cook until the onions are caramelized, about 10 more minutes. 
3. Add the kale, beans and remaining broth to the skillet. Season with salt and pepper and stir well. Cook until the kale is tender, about 10 more minutes. Mash some of the beans using a potato masher or large spoon and cook for another minute. Before serving, remove 1 cup of the sautee (drained) and 1 cup of the rice. Serve with the brown rice and slivers of jalapeno. 
4. For the burgers: Add the saute, oats, chipotle and mustard to a food processor. Pulse until combined but not pureed. Transfer to a bowl and add the rice. Mix well and adjust seasoning. Divide the mixture into 4 portions and form into patties about 1/2 an inch thick.
5. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the patties and cook until golden, about 1 to 2 minutes per side. Serve on buns with the chipotle mayo.
6. For the mayo: Mix the mayonnaise and chipotle in a small bowl until well combined. 

** If you don’t have quick-cooking oats, process rolled oats in the food processor before adding the saute, mustard and chipotle. 

* Blend a can of chipotle en adobo until smooth and store in the fridge in a covered container where it will keep for months.

 © 2016 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

spicy noodles with peanut sauce

After reading many of the comments that folks left about what their favorite bowl meals are, I felt the inexplicable need to make one that seems to be a particular favorite among the crowd - bowls with peanut sauce.

While I've dabbled in the nutty concoction before, I haven't posted it to the blog - a huge oversight on my part!

At first I wanted to add coconut milk to the sauce, but then - with the addition of peanut butter and, (what I think is a great idea), the addition of red curry paste (more on that later), it became too much like Thai Panang Curry (recipe HERE).

So, I kept it simple, at 9 ingredients. The red curry paste (available in grocery stores, though watch out for fish or shrimp in the curry) is an easy recipe in my new book, Vegan Bowls (Amazon, B&N). Red curry paste typically includes garlic and ginger and, therefore, omits the need to add those ingredients to the peanut sauce. Of course, if you don't have red curry paste, simply add garlic, ginger and red chili flakes to the sauce, and you're all set.

The optional capers add a *funk* to the sauce - much like fish sauce does. Add it completely at your discretion for that ingredient, though, since it is not a necessary addition.

To bring color and additional nutrition to the dish, I added kale and red bell peppers. Possible substitutions might be broccoli rabe (my first choice), julienned carrots, bok choy, napa cabbage, purple cabbage or daikon radish.

Watch out for your peanut butter; omit the sugar from the recipe if your peanut butter is sweetened.

After cooking the pasta (reserving about 2 cups of the cooking water), saute the kale and peppers and add the curry paste (cooking it a bit first, because the garlic and the ginger within it need to be sauteed), the peanut butter, scallions, tamari, lime and sugar and salt.

The whole thing can be done in under 30 minutes, including prep. Start the medium pot of water to boil while you chop the ingredients and this is a dish ready in a snap.

Spicy Noodles with Peanut Sauce
Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 15 minutes
Serves 4 

10 ounces pasta, such as soba, udon or spaghetti
1 teaspoon olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced**
1 (1-inch piece) ginger, grated**
8 ounces kale, tough stems removed and chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 1/4 -inch slices
1 teaspoon red chili flakes OR 1 to 3 tablespoons red curry paste (depending on spice level)
1 cup reserved pasta water
5 tablespoons peanut butter
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium tamari
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons sweetener***
3 scallions, minced
1 teaspoon caper brine liquid (optional)
Sea salt and black pepper
Roasted peanuts, to garnish
Lime wedges, garnish

1. Cook the pasta in a medium pot of salted boiling water. Cook until al dente, drain, reserving 2 cups of the pasta water, and set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, ginger, kale and bell pepper. Cook until the kale is tender, about 5 minutes. Add the red chili flakes and cook for 1 minute. Add 1 cup of reserved pasta water, peanut butter, tamari, lime juice, sweetener, scallions and caper liquid (if using). Mix well to combine. Add more water if the sauce is too thick. Add the pasta and mix well again. Cook to reheat, taste and adjust seasoning with sugar, salt and black pepper.
3. Serve the pasta garnished with peanuts and lime wedges.


**garlic and ginger: omit if using red curry paste 
***sweetener: omit or reduce if using sweetened peanut butter


 © 2015 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

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avgolemono soup + "cook the pantry" winner

The Greek soup, Avgolemono, has been on my mind for the past year or so, ever since I saw it being prepared on a cooking show. This classic soup is often made with rice and chicken, but it is always flavored with lemon and thickened with egg yolks, giving it its characteristic pale yellow color.

I redid this soup, not so much with authenticity in mind, unlike most other recipes I create, where that is a central theme of mine: authenticity but with better, kinder, vegan ingredients. Instead, this time I just wanted to play with the fall produce that is currently available. Lemon, kale and dill.

I simply love kale and using it to replace the chicken is such a great switch, especially since kale and lemon are a natural flavor-match. Add some dill, which is a flavor-match with lemon, and you have a bright, sunny summer-y dish in the middle of autumn.

In addition to flavor profiles, I also wanted this recipe to be very quick and very easy. This recipe needs only 9 ingredients, including water, salt and black pepper (not pictured below.)

It is a very basic soup recipe that starts with great quality vegetable broth. Most store-bought vegetable broths these days are golden in color and taste great, so if that is what you have on hand, this is a very speedy soup dish. If your broth is not dark golden color, omit the 2 cups of water from the soup and increase the broth to 5 cups. Easy fix.

While your rice is cooking in the broth....

Heat your pot of water for the kale. Cooking the kale separately in a good quantity of water will help draw out most of its bitterness. This same "bitter" remedy is perfect for collard greens as well, just make sure to cook collards for around 15 to 20 minutes, instead of 5 minutes, as collards are much tougher.

Don't forget to save your cooking water, cool it and water your plants with it.

After the rice is cooked, add the cooked kale, fresh dill and lemon juice mixed with the starch. Instead of eggs (which actually bring no flavor to the soup at all, since the lemon is such a dominant flavor), this version is thickened with arrowroot (or cornstarch). It leaves the soup silky and smooth, as does its egg counterpart. Add lemon juice to taste as some people find it very assertive.

That's it! It's done! It is a delicious, tangy first course or light supper when you don't want something too heavy to weigh you down overnight. You can also use short grain brown rice instead of the Arborio, but cook it longer, around 20 minutes.

Now for the anticipated winner of Cook the Pantry (Amazon, B&N)  by Robin Robertson...

The winner is Janel Gradowski. Congratulations! Please contact me so I can get the book to you!

Avgolemono Soup with Kale and Rice
Prep and cook in 30 minutes
Serves 4 

4 ounces kale, tough stems removed and cut into ribbons
3 cups good quality vegetable broth
2 cups water
1/2 cups arborio rice
1 tablespoon minced dill
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon arrowroot or cornstarch
Sea salt and black pepper

1. Heat a large pot half-full with water to boiling. Add the kale and cook until the kale is tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. Combine the broth, 2 cups fresh water and rice in a medium pot. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer and cook until the rice is almost tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the kale and dill. Season with salt and black pepper. Simmer until hot.
3. Combine the lemon juice (smaller amount) with the starch and mix well. Add to the simmering soup and heat the soup just until it thickens. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, black pepper and more lemon juice.


 © 2015 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.